tly in a large way of
business, as he runs a very fine car, and seems to live principally in
different hotels. I am told that he is an importer of Turkish cigarettes
and"...

"He is an importer and exporter of hashish!" snapped Dunbar irritably.
"If I could clap my eyes upon him I should know him at once! I tell you,
Sowerby, he is the man who was convicted last year of exporting
hashish to Egypt in faked packing cases which contained pottery ware,
ostensibly, but had false bottoms filled with cakes of hashish"...

"But," began Dr. Cumberly...

"But because he came before a silly bench," snapped Dunbar, his eyes
flashing angrily, "he got off with a fine--a heavy one, certainly, but
he could well afford to pay it. It is that kind of judicial folly which
ties the hands of Scotland Yard!"

"What makes you so confident that this is the man?" asked the physician.

"He was convicted under the name of G. Ionagis," replied the detective;
"which I believe to be either his real name or his real name transposed.
Do you follow me? I. Gianapolis is Ionagis Gianapolis, and G. Ionagis
is Gianapolis Ionagis. I was not associated with the hashish case; he
stored the stuff in a china warehouse within the city precincts, and
at that time he did not come within my sphere. But I looked into it
privately, and I could see that the prosecution was merely skimming the
surface; we are only beginning to get down to the depths NOW."

Dr. Cumberly raised his hand to his head in a distracted manner.

"Surely," he said, and he was evidently exercising a great restraint
upon himself--"surely we're wasting time. The office in Globe Road
should be raided without delay. No stone should be left unturned to
effect the immediate arrest of this man Gianapolis or Ionagis. Why, God
almighty! while we are talking here, my daughter"...

"Morbleu! who talks of arresting Gianapolis?" inquired the voice of a
man who silently had entered the room.

All turned their heads; and there in the doorway stood M. Gaston Max.

"Thank God you've come!" said Dunbar with sincerity. He dropped back
into his chair, a strong man exhausted. "This case is getting beyond
me!"

Denise Ryland was staring at the Frenchman as if fascinated. He, for
his part, having glanced around the room, seemed called upon to give her
some explanation of his presence.

"Madame," he said, bowing in his courtly way, "only because of very
great interests did I dare to conceal my true identit