ly all the property in the district belongs to Ah-Fang-Fu, and
anything that goes on in Chinatown _he_ knows about!"

"Ah, I see. Then in any event he is the man we want to watch?"

"Well, sir, you ought to keep an eye on his visitors, I should say."

"I am obliged to you, Inspector," said the courteous Assistant
Commissioner, "for your very exact information. If necessary I shall
communicate with you again. Good-day."

"Good-day, sir," replied the Inspector. "Good-day, gentlemen."

He went out.

Gaston Max, who had diplomatically remained in the background
throughout this interview, now spoke.

_"Pardieu!_ but I have been thinking," he said. "Although 'The
Scorpion,' as I hope, believes that that troublesome Charles Malet is
dead, he may also wonder if Scotland Yard has secured from Dr.
Stuart's fire any fragments of the information sealed in the envelope!
What does it mean, this releasing of the yellow car, closing of the
bank account and departure from the Savoy?"

"It means flight!" cried Dunbar, jumping violently to his feet. "By
gad, sir!" he turned to the Assistant Commissioner--"the birds may
have flown already!"

The Assistant Commissioner leaned back in his chair.

"I have sufficient confidence in M. Max," he said, "to believe that,
having taken the responsibility of permitting this dangerous group to
learn that they were under surveillance, he has good reason to
suppose that they have not slipped through our fingers."

Gaston Max bowed.

"It is true," he replied, and from his pocket he took a slip of flimsy
paper. "This code message reached me as I was about to leave my hotel.
The quadroon, Miguel, left Paris last night and arrived in London this
morning----"

"He was followed?" cried Dunbar.

"But certainly. He was followed to Limehouse, and he was definitely
seen to enter the establishment described to us by Inspector Kelly!"

"Gad!" said Dunbar--"then _someone_ is still there?"

"Someone, as you say, is still there," replied Max. "But everything
points to the imminent departure of this someone. Will you see to it,
Inspector, that not a rat--_pardieu_ not a little mouse--is allowed to
slip out of our red circle to-day. For to-night we shall pay a
friendly visit to the house of Ah-Fang-Fu, and I should wish all the
company to be present."

CHAPTER III

MISKA'S STORY

Stuart returned to his house in a troubled frame of mind. He had
refrained so long from betraying the circumst