p, and black, curly hair of coarse quality. His
head, which was thrust a little forward, perhaps owing to his
short-sightedness, was long, his forehead narrow, his complexion a sort
of olive-green. He wore huge, disfiguring spectacles, and he had
the protuberant lips of a negro. He greeted Catherine and the Bishop
absently and seemed to have a grievance against Fenn.

"What is it you want, Nicholas?" he asked impatiently. "I have some
experiments going on in the country and can only spare a minute."

"The Council has rescinded its instructions with regard to Julian
Orden," Fenn announced, "and is anxious to have him brought before them
at once. As you know, we are for the moment powerless in the matter.
Will you please explain to Miss Abbeway and the Bishop here just what
has been done?"

"It seems a waste of time," Bright replied ill-naturedly, "but here is
the story. Julian Orden left his rooms at a quarter to six on Thursday
evening. He walked down to St. James's Street and turned into the Park.
Just as he passed the side door of Marlborough House he was attacked by
a sudden faintness."

"For which, I suppose," the Bishop interrupted, "you were responsible."

"I or my deputy," Bright replied. "It doesn't matter which. He was
fortunate enough to be able to hail a passing taxicab and was driven to
my house in Hampstead. He has spent the intervening period, until three
o'clock this afternoon, in a small laboratory attached to the premises."

"A compulsory stay, I presume?" the Bishop ventured.

"A compulsory stay, arranged for under instructions from the Council,"
Bright assented, in his hard, rasping voice. "He has been most of the
time under the influence of some new form of anaesthetic gas with which
I have been experimenting. To-night, however, I must have made a mistake
in my calculations. Instead of remaining in a state of coma until
midnight, he recovered during my absence and appears to have walked out
of the place."

"You have no idea where he is at the present moment, then?" Catherine
asked.

"Not the slightest," Bright assured her. "I only know that he left the
place without hat, gloves, or walking stick. Otherwise, he was fully
dressed, and no doubt had plenty of money in his pocket."

"Is he likely to have any return of the indisposition from which, owing
to your efforts, he has been suffering?" the Bishop enquired.

"I should say not," was the curt answer. "He may find his memory
somewhat affe