otic showed.
His trained nerves did not betray him. He lay like a dead man, never
flinching.

Ho-Pin, releasing the eyelid, muttered something gutturally, and stole
away from the bed as silently as he had approached it. Very methodically
he commenced to search through M. Max's effects, commencing with the
discarded garments. He examined the maker's marks upon these, and
scrutinized the buttons closely. He turned out all the pockets, counted
the contents of the purse, and of the notecase, examined the name inside
M. Max's hat, and explored the lining in a manner which aroused the
detective's professional admiration. Watch and pocket-knife, Ho-Pin
inspected with interest. The little hand-bag which M. Max had
brought with him, containing a few toilet necessaries, was overhauled
religiously. So much the detective observed through his lowered lashes.

Then Ho-Pin again approached the bed and M. Max became again a dead man.

The silken pyjamas which the detective wore were subjected to gentle
examination by the sensitive fingers of the Chinaman, and those same
fingers crept beetle-like beneath the pillow.

Silently, Ho-Pin stole from the room and silently closed the door.

M. Max permitted himself a long breath of relief. It was an ordeal
through which few men could have passed triumphant.

The SILENCE of the place next attracted the inquirer's attention. He had
noted this silence at the moment that he entered the cave of the golden
dragon, but here it was even more marked; so that he divined, even
before he had examined the walls, that the apartment was rendered
sound-proof in the manner of a public telephone cabinet. It was a
significant circumstance to which he allotted its full value.

But the question uppermost in his mind at the moment was this: Was the
time come yet to commence his explorations?

Patience was included in his complement, and, knowing that he had
the night before him, he preferred to wait. In this he did well.
Considerable time elapsed, possibly half-an-hour... and again the door
opened.

M. Max was conscious of a momentary nervous tremor; for now a WOMAN
stood regarding him. She wore a Chinese costume; a huge red poppy was
in her hair. Her beauty was magnificently evil; she had the grace of a
gazelle and the eyes of a sorceress. He had deceived Ho-Pin, but could
he deceive this Eurasian with the witch-eyes wherein burnt ancient
wisdom?

He felt rather than saw her approach; for now he ventur