sank lower towards the priceless
thing in his palm. As he gazed, the stone grew round and bigger and
brighter, till it seemed like a great green-blazing eye glaring into the
utmost depths of his being. Then the light suddenly went out, his head
fell on his breast, and as his hand sank, Phadrig caught it and took
away the jewel. Then he put the Jew back in the chair, and standing in
front of him began in a slow, penetrating voice:

"Isaac Josephus, thou hast gazed upon the Horus Stone, and he who doeth
that may not answer the questions of an Adept with lies save at the
price of his life. Now answer me truly, or to-morrow morning those of
thine household shall find thee dead in thy bed."

Wide open the eyes of the hypnotised man stared at him, and the loose
lips quivered, but these were the only signs of life.

"Thou art not only a dealer in gems and curious things: thou art also a
spy of the police; is not that so?"

"Yes."

"Believing that I am a very poor man, yet knowing that I dealt with
objects of value, they thought me to be one who receives such things
from thieves to sell them again, since they could not. Is that so?"

"Yes."

"And, believing this, and knowing thee to have dealings with me, they
bribed thee to come here as my friend and fellow-dealer and spy upon my
actions, so that they might have evidence against me and cast me into
prison. Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Late on the last night but one thou didst go to the house of Nicol
Hendry, who is no common catcher of thieves, but a spy of nations whose
business is with the great ones of the earth. Tell me: whom did thy
business with him concern?"

"Prince Oscarovitch and yourself."

"What were his orders?"

"To watch you both, especially you, and find out when you went to him,
and why you were sometimes a poor devil in a miserable hole like this,
and sometimes a swell going to swagger places with him."

"How were you going to do this?"

"I know your servant or chum, Mr Pentana. I've lent him money: and Peter
Petroff, the Prince's particular servant, gambles like a lord, and he
owes me and a friend of mine a lot of money. We were going to work
through them."

"It is enough; and well for you that you have answered truthfully. Now
tell me: do you know how to use a revolver?"

"Never fired a shot in my life."

Phadrig went to the secretaire and took a common, cheap revolver,
identical with thousands of others which our criminally careless
Gove