he silence of the place was extraordinary; unnatural, in the
very heart of busy commercial London. Ho-Pin reappeared and standing in
the open doorway of Block A sharply clapped his hands three times.

Said, the Egyptian, came out of the door at the further end of the
place, bearing a brass tray upon which were a little brass lamp of
Oriental manufacture wherein burned a blue spirituous flame, a Japanese,
lacquered box not much larger than a snuff-box, and a long and most
curiously carved pipe of wood inlaid with metal and having a metal
bowl. Bearing this, he crossed the room, passed Ho-Pin, and entered the
corridor beyond.

"You have, of course, put him in the observation room?" said Gianapolis.

Ho-Pin regarded the speaker unemotionally.

"Assuwredly," he replied; "for since he visits us for the first time,
Mr. King will wish to see him"...

A faint shadow momentarily crossed the swarthy face of the Greek at
mention of that name--MR. KING. The servants of Mr. King, from the
highest to the lowest, served him for gain... and from fear.

XXX

MAHARA

Utter silence had claimed again the cave of the golden dragon.
Gianapolis sat alone in the place, smoking a cigarette, and gazing
crookedly at the image on the ivory pedestal. Then, glancing at his
wrist-watch, he stood up, and, stepping to the entrance door, was about
to open it...

"Ah, so! You go--already?"--

Gianapolis started back as though he had put his foot upon a viper, and
turned.

The Eurasian, wearing her yellow, Chinese dress, and with a red poppy in
her hair, stood watching him through half-shut eyes, slowly waving her
little fan before her face. Gianapolis attempted the radiant smile, but
its brilliancy was somewhat forced tonight.

"Yes, I must be off," he said hurriedly; "I have to see someone--a
future client, I think!"

"A future client--yes!"--the long black eyes were closed almost entirely
now. "Who is it--this future client, that you have to see?"

"My dear Mahara! How odd of you to ask that"...

"It is odd of me?--so!... It is odd of me that I thinking to wonder why
you alway running away from me now?"

"Run away from you! My dear little Mahara!"--He approached the
dusky beauty with a certain timidity as one might seek to caress a
tiger-cat--"Surely you know"...

She struck down his hand with a sharp blow of her closed fan, darting at
him a look from the brilliant eyes which was a living flame.

Resting one hand upon he