Part 19 (1/2)
With a hand which trembled violently, she held the lamp whilst the two yellow ruffians tied me. I groaned and struggled feebly, fixing my gaze upon the lamp bearer in a silent reproach which was by no means without its effect.
She lowered her eyes and I could see her biting her lip, whilst the colour gradually faded from her cheeks. Then, glancing up again quickly, and still meeting that reproachful stare, she turned her head aside altogether, and rested one hand upon the wall, swaying slightly as she did so.
It was a singular ordeal for more than one of that incongruous group; but in order that I may not be charged with hypocrisy or with seeking to hide my own folly, I confess, here, that when again I found myself in darkness, my heart was leaping not because of the success of my strategy, but because of the success of that reproachful glance which I had directed toward the lovely, dark-eyed Karamaneh, toward the faithless evil Karamaneh! So much for myself.
The door had not been closed ten seconds, ere Smith again was spitting out the gag, swearing under his breath, and stretching his cramped limbs free from their binding. Within a minute from the time of my trussing, I was a free man again; save that look where I would--to right, to left, or inward, to my own conscience--two dark eyes met mine, enigmatically.
”What now?” I whispered.
”Let me think,” replied Smith. ”A false move would destroy us.”
”How long have you been here?”
”Since last night.”
”Is Fu-Manchu--”
”Fu-Manchu is here!” replied Smith grimly, ”and not only Fu-Manchu, but--another.”
”Another!”
”A higher than Fu-Manchu, apparently. I have an idea of the ident.i.ty of this person, but no more than an idea. Something unusual is going on, Petrie; otherwise I should have been a dead man twenty four hours ago. Something even more important than my death engages Fu-Manchu's attention--and this can only be the presence of the mysterious visitor. Your seductive friend, Karamaneh, is arrayed in her very becoming national costume in his honour, I presume.” He stopped abruptly; then added ”I would give five hundred pounds for a glimpse of that visitor's face!”
”Is Burke--?”
”G.o.d knows what has become of Burke, Petrie! We were both caught napping in the establishment of the amiable Shen-Yan, where, amid a very mixed company of poker players, we were losing our money like gentlemen.”
”But Weymouth--”
”Burke and I had both been neatly sand-bagged, my dear Petrie, and removed elsewhere, some hours before Weymouth raided the gaming house.
Oh! I don't know how they smuggled us away with the police watching the place; but my presence here is sufficient evidence of the fact.
Are you armed?”
”No; my pistol was in my raincoat, which is missing.”
In the dim light from the broken window I could see Smith tugging reflectively at the lobe of his left ear.
”I am without arms, too,” he mused. ”We might escape from the window--”
”It's a long drop!”
”Ah! I imagined so. If only I had a pistol, or a revolver--”
”What should you do?”
”I should present myself before the important meeting, which, I am a.s.sured, is being held somewhere in this building; and to-night would see the end of my struggle with the Fu-Manchu group--the end of the whole Yellow menace! For not only is Fu-Manchu here, Petrie, with all his gang of a.s.sa.s.sins, but he whom I believe to be the real head of the group--a certain mandarin--is here also!”