nish. In the
darkness he had not, of course, been able to see that the child's bed
was empty, for its position kept it in deep shadow, and hearing the
household stir at the sound of the nurse's shriek, he struck out blindly
and flew to save himself from detection. The nurse states that he was
undoubtedly a foreigner--a dark-skinned Asiatic--and her description of
him tallies with that Cedric gave of the man who attempted to kill him
that day in the Park. There, Mr. Cleek," she concluded, "that's the
whole story. Can't you do something to help us; something to lift this
constant state of dread and to remove this terrible danger from little
Lord Chepstow's life?"

"I'll try, Miss Lorne; but it is a most extraordinary case. Where is the
boy now?"

"At home, closely guarded. We appealed to Mr. Narkom, and he generously
appointed two detective officers to sit with him and keep constant watch
over him whilst we are away."

"And in the meantime," added Mr. Narkom, "I've issued orders for a
general rounding-up of all the Cingalese who can be traced or are known
to be in town. Petrie and Hammond have that part of the job in hand, and
if they hit upon any Asiatic who answers to the description of this
murderous rascal----"

"I don't believe they will," interposed Cleek; "or, if they do, I don't
for a moment believe he will turn out to be the guilty party. In other
words, I have an idea that the fellow will prove to be a European."

"But, my dear fellow, both the boy and the nurse saw the man, and, as
you have heard, they both agree that he was dark-skinned and quite
Oriental in appearance."

"One of the easiest possible disguises, Mr. Narkom. A wig, a stick of
grease-paint, a threepenny twist of crepe hair, and there you are! No, I
do not believe that the man is a Cingalese at all; and, far from his
having any connection with what you were pleased to term just now a
change of front on the part of the Buddhists who have so long held the
little chap as something sacred, I don't believe that they know anything
about him. I base that upon the fact that the child is still treated
with homage whenever he goes out, according to what Miss Lorne says, and
that, with the single exception of that one woman who tried to poison
him, nobody but one man--this particular one man--has ever made any
attempt to harm the boy. Fanatics, like those Cingalese, cleave to an
idea to the end, Mr. Narkom; they don't cast it aside and go off at
anot