was before he came into the title, and at a time, I
am told, when he was not overburdened with wealth. His man, Mareno,
is indisputably some kind of a South American, and he can give no
satisfactory account of his movements on the night of the murder.

"That we have to deal with a powerful drug syndicate there can be no
doubt. The late Sir Lucien may not have been a director, but I feel sure
he was financially interested. Kazmah's was the distributing office, and
the importer--"

"Was Sin Sin Wa!" cried Kerry, his eyes gleaming savagely. "He's as
clever and cunning as all the rest of Chinatown put together. Somewhere
not a hundred miles from this spot where we are now there's a store of
stuff big enough to dope all Europe!"

"And there's something else," said Seton quietly, knocking a cone of
grey ash from his cheroot on to the dirty floor. "Kazmah is hiding there
in all probability, if he hasn't got clear away--and Mrs. Monte Irvin is
being held a prisoner!"

"If they haven't--"

"For Irvin's sake I hope not, Chief Inspector. There are two very
curious points in the case--apart from the mystery which surrounds the
man Kazmah: the fact that Mareno, palpably an accomplice, stayed to face
the music, and the fact that Sin Sin Wa likewise has made no effort to
escape. Do you see what it means? They are covering the big man--Kazmah.
Once he and Mrs. Irvin are out of the way, we can prove nothing against
Mareno and Sin Sin Wa! And the most we could do for Mrs. Sin would be to
convict her of selling opium."

"To do even that we should have to take a witness to court," said Kerry
gloomily; "and all the satisfaction we'd get would be to see her charged
ten pounds!"

Silence fell between them again. It was that kind of sympathetic silence
which is only possible where harmony exists; and, indeed, of all the
things strange and bizarre which characterized the inquiry, this sudden
amity between Kerry and Seton Pasha was not the least remarkable. It
represented the fruit of a mutual respect.

There was something about the lean, unshaven face of Seton Pasha, and
something, too, in his bright grey eyes which, allowing for difference
of coloring, might have reminded a close observer of Kerry's fierce
countenance. The tokens of iron determination and utter indifference to
danger were perceptible in both. And although Seton was dark and turning
slightly grey, while Kerry was as red as a man well could be, that
they possessed seve