monotone, gradually was lashing me into fury,
and I could see the muscles moving in Smith's jaws as he convulsively
clenched his teeth; whereby I knew that, impotent, he burned with a
rage at least as great as mine. But I did not speak, and did not move.

"The ancient tradition of _seppuku_," continued the Chinaman, "or
_hara-kira_, still rules, as you know, in the great families of Japan.
There is a sacred ritual, and the _samurai_ who dedicates himself to
this honourable end, must follow strictly the ritual. As a physician,
the exact nature of the ceremony might possibly interest you, Dr.
Petrie, but a technical account of the two incisions which the
sacrificant employs in his self-dismissal, might, on the other hand,
bore Mr. Nayland Smith. Therefore I will merely enlighten you upon
one little point, a minor one, but interesting to the student of human
nature. In short, even a _samurai_--and no braver race has ever
honoured the world--sometimes hesitates to complete the operation. The
weapon near to your hand, my dear Dr. Petrie, is known as the Friend's
Sword. On such occasions as we are discussing, a trusty friend is
given the post--an honoured one--of standing behind the brave man who
offers himself to his gods, and should the latter's courage
momentarily fail him, the friend with the trusty blade (to which now I
especially direct your attention) diverts the hierophant's mind from
his digression, and rectifies his temporary breach of etiquette by
severing the cervical vertebrae of the spinal column with the friendly
blade--which you can reach quite easily, Dr. Petrie, if you care to
extend your hand."

Some dim perception of the truth was beginning to creep into my mind.
When I say a perception of the truth, I mean rather of some part of
the purpose of Dr. Fu-Manchu; of the whole horrible truth, of the
scheme which had been conceived by that mighty, evil man, I had no
glimmering, but I foresaw that a frightful ordeal was before us both.

"That I hold you in high esteem," continued Fu-Manchu, "is a fact
which must be apparent to you by this time, but in regard to your
companion, I entertain very different sentiments...."

Always underlying the deliberate calm of the speaker, sometimes
showing itself in an unusually deep guttural, sometimes in an
unusually serpentine sibilant, lurked the frenzy of hatred which in
the past had revealed itself occasionally in wild outbursts.
Momentarily I expected such an outburs