n dark clothes, small, unnaturally pale, with deep-set eyes and
nervous, twitching mouth, stood before him. Mr. Sabin smiled a welcome
at him.

"Good-morning, Emil Sachs," he said. "I am glad that you have shown
discretion. Stand there in the light, please, and fold your arms.
Thanks. Do not think that I am afraid of you, but I like to talk
comfortably."

"I am at monsieur's service," the man said in a low tone.

"Exactly. Now, Emil, before starting to visit you I left a little note
behind addressed to the chief of the police here--no, you need not
start--to be sent to him only if my return were unduly delayed. You can
guess what that note contained. It is not necessary for us to revert
to--unpleasant subjects."

The man moistened his dry lips.

"It is not necessary," he repeated. "Monsieur is as safe here--from
me--as at his own hotel."

"Excellent!" Mr. Sabin said. "Now listen, Emil. It has pleased me
chiefly, as you know, for the sake of your wife, the good Annette, to be
very merciful to you as regards the past. But I do not propose to allow
you to run a poison bureau for the advantage of the Prince of Saxe
Leinitzer and his friends--more especially, perhaps, as I am at present
upon his list of superfluous persons."

The man trembled.

"Monsieur," he said, "the Prince knows as much as you know, and he has
not the mercy that one shows to a dog."

"You will find," Mr. Sabin said, "that if you do not obey me, I myself
can develop a similar disposition. Now answer me this! You have within
the last few days supplied several people with that marvelous powder for
the preparation of which you are so justly famed."

"Several--no, monsieur! Two only."

"Their names?"

The man trembled.

"If they should know!"

"They will not, Emil. I will see to that."

"The first I supplied to the order of the Prince."

"Good! And the second?"

"To a lady whose name I do not know."

Mr. Sabin raised his eyebrows.

"Is not that," he remarked, "a little irregular?"

"The lady wrote her request before me in the yellow crayon. It was
sufficient."

"And you do not know her name, Emil?"

"No, monsieur. She was dark and tall, and closely veiled. She was here
but a few minutes since."

"Dark and tall!" Mr. Sabin repeated to himself thoughtfully. "Emil, you
are telling me the truth?"

"I do not dare to tell you anything else, monsieur," the man answered.

Mr. Sabin did not continue his interrogations for a few momen