when the door opened almost at once, revealing a blackly cavernous
interior.

"Go off! Too late! Shuttee shop!" chattered a voice out of the
darkness.

Max thrust his way resolutely in, followed by Stuart. "Shut the door,
Ah-Fang-Fu!" he said curtly, speaking with a laboured French accent.
_"Scorpion!"_

The door was closed by the invisible Chinaman, there was a sound of
soft movements and a hurricane-lantern suddenly made its appearance.
Its light revealed the interior of a nondescript untidy little shop
and revealed the presence of an old and very wrinkled Chinaman who
held the lantern. He wore a blue smock and a bowler hat and his face
possessed the absolute impassivity of an image. As he leaned over the
counter, scrutinising his visitors, Max thrust forward the golden
scorpion held in the palm of his hand.

_"Hoi, hoi"_ chattered the Chinaman. "Fo-Hi fellers, eh? You hab got
plenty much late. Other fellers Fo-Hi pidgin plenty much sooner. You
one time catchee allee same bhobbery, b'long number one joss-pidgin
man!"

Being covertly nudged by Max:

"Cut the palaver, Pidgin," growled Stuart.

"Allee lightee," chattered Ah-Fang-Fu, for evidently this was he. "You
play one piecee pipee till Fo-Hi got." Raising the lantern, he led
the way through a door at the back of the shop. Descending four
wooden steps, Stuart and Max found themselves in the opium-den.

"Full up. No loom," said the Chinaman.

It was a low-ceilinged apartment, the beams of the roof sloping
slightly upward from west to east. The centre part of the wall at the
back was covered with matting hung from the rough cornice supporting
the beams. To the right of the matting was the door communicating with
the shop, and to the left were bunks. Other bunks lined the southerly
wall, except where, set in the thickness of the bare brick and
plaster, a second strong door was partly hidden by a pile of empty
packing-cases and an untidy litter of straw and matting.

Along the northern wall were more bunks, and an open wooden stair,
with a handrail, ascended to a small landing or platform before a
third door high up in the wall. A few mats were strewn about the
floor. The place was dimly lighted by a red-shaded lamp swung from
the centre of the ceiling and near the foot of the stairs another lamp
(of the common tin variety) stood upon a box near which was a broken
cane chair. Opium-pipes, tins, and a pack of cards were on this box.

All the bunks appeared