olved, to the set
mouth and that marble pallor of her brow, the result might have sickened
his assurance.

Having in mind his soaked condition, Storri called for whisky. The San
Reve was good enough to pour him a stiff glass, which he drank raw with
the harsh appetite of a Russian. There was the ghost of an odor of sleep
about that whisky; but the sleep-specter did not appeal to Storri, who
tossed off his drink and followed one dram with another, suspecting
nothing. Five minutes later he was drowsing stertorously on a lounge.

The San Reve, white, and wild in a manner passive and still, had spoken
no word; she attended Storri's wants in silence. When that sudden
weariness came to claim him and he cast himself in slumber upon the
couch, the San Reve, from where she stood statue-like in the center of
the room, bent upon him her gray-green eyes. She stood thus for a space,
then the slow tears began to stain her cheeks. She threw herself down
beside Storri, kissed him and drew his head to her bosom, crying
hopelessly.

Richard had been requested by Inspector Val to meet him at the south
front of the Treasury Building at ten o'clock.

"Do you remember," asked Inspector Val, "how several weeks ago we
visited the drain?"

Yes; Richard recalled it.

"Come with me to-night," said Inspector Val; "the drain shall explain
the mystery of that muddy water, and why I said our man was hard at
work."

When Richard and Inspector Val, water-proofed to the chins, reached the
mouth of the drain the storm was at furious height. The rain descended
in sheets; the lightning made flashing leaps from cloud to cloud and the
ceaseless thunders were as a dozen batteries of big guns in fullest
play. As Richard and Inspector Val came to a halt, they were joined by
three men. Richard, aided by the lightning flashes, recognized Mr. Duff
and Mr. England; the third, being Steamboat Dan, was strange to him.

"Is the Russian inside?" asked Inspector Val of Steamboat Dan.

"I don't know," returned Steamboat Dan. "I've been aboard the yacht
since eight o'clock until twenty minutes ago. I came ashore in that
skiff. Sure, he ought to be in the drain; they've been sending down the
stuff for hours."

"I don't find any of it about?"

"I threw a crowbar across the stream one hundred yards up, and halted
the procession. The plan, d'ye see, is for me, the coast being clear, to
signal the launch to come ashore for its first cargo any time after
ten--whi