hrice slowly, and
sank in a heap on the floor.

"Thou who wast once High Priest in the House of Ptah: thou who hast held
the Doctrine: thou darest to ask for mercy, knowing well that there is
no forgiveness of sins: thou hast taken innocent lives, believing
thyself above human law. A wasted life is behind thee: see that thou
doest better for thy soul's sake in the next. Die now! The High Gods
have spoken, and the penalty of sin is death--and the life beyond. Die!"

And Phadrig died. His eyes glazed and his flesh withered; his lips and
his gums dried up and shrivelled away from his jaws. His clothes fell
away from his body in rotting shreds, and before Nicol Hendry and Von
Hamner had quite grasped the full meaning of the horror that was
happening before their eyes, all that was left of him was a little heap
of yellow bones with a few fragments of cloth clinging to them.

"Gentlemen," said Franklin Marmion, "there are some things which cannot
be told. I think you will agree with me that this is one of them. Mr
Amena has left the world for the present. Those bones will be dust in a
few minutes. It will only be another mysterious disappearance, and I
don't think that any one except the Pentanas and Prince Oscarovitch will
trouble much about him. The Pentanas are now deprived of all power for
harm, and the Prince will probably be a harmless lunatic when he comes
back into the world. I should sweep that dust up and put it into the
fireplace, if I were you. In that desk you will find documents giving
the whole history of the Affaire Zastrow. They will be useful to you.
You will have to excuse me now. Europe is on the brink of war, and I
must go and remove the cause. I rely upon your discretion as to the
events of this afternoon. Au revoir. I shall have the pleasure of seeing
you again shortly."

The door closed, and they were left to their somewhat gruesome task.

CHAPTER XXVI

CAPTAIN MERRILL'S COMMISSION

Franklin Marmion found a hansom in the Borough Road and drove to
Waterloo. He had just time to wire to Merrill to meet him at the
"Keppel's Head" for dinner and catch the new 4.55 express for
Portsmouth. Merrill was waiting for him in the smoking-room. As they
shook hands, he said in the quiet tone which is characteristic of his
profession:

"Your wire was rather sudden news, Professor. I thought you were
somewhere in the Baltic. Your coming back like this seemed to mean
something, and so I took the libert