-trimmed, pointed beard
did not hide the firm chin and the clean-cut mouth. His hair was thick
and black and oddly sprinkled with white; small streaks and dots of
gleaming silver that shone with a curiously metallic luster.

His right arm was closely bound to his breast. His manner as he greeted
me was tinged with shyness. He extended his left hand in greeting, and
as I clasped the fingers I was struck by their peculiar, pronounced, yet
pleasant warmth; a sensation, indeed, curiously electric.

The Association's President forced him gently back into his chair.

"Dr. Goodwin," he said, turning to me, "is not entirely recovered as
yet from certain consequences of his adventures. He will explain to you
later what these are. In the meantime, Mr. Merritt, will you read this?"

I took the sheets he handed me, and as I read them felt the gaze of Dr.
Goodwin full upon me, searching, weighing, estimating. When I raised my
eyes from the letter I found in his a new expression. The shyness was
gone; they were filled with complete friendliness. Evidently I had
passed muster.

"You will accept, sir?" It was the president's gravely courteous tone.

"Accept!" I exclaimed. "Why, of course, I accept. It is not only one of
the greatest honors, but to me one of the greatest delights to act as a
collaborator with Dr. Goodwin."

The president smiled.

"In that case, sir, there is no need for me to remain longer," he said.
"Dr. Goodwin has with him his manuscript as far as he has progressed
with it. I will leave you two alone for your discussion."

He bowed to us and, picking up his old-fashioned bell-crowned silk hat
and his quaint, heavy cane of ebony, withdrew. Dr. Goodwin turned to me.

"I will start," he said, after a little pause, "from when I met Richard
Drake on the field of blue poppies that are like a great prayer-rug at
the gray feet of the nameless mountain."

The sun sank, the shadows fell, the lights of the city sparkled out, for
hours New York roared about me unheeded while I listened to the tale
of that utterly weird, stupendous drama of an unknown life, of unknown
creatures, unknown forces, and of unconquerable human heroism played
among the hidden gorges of unknown Asia.

It was dawn when I left him for my own home. Nor was it for many
hours after that I laid his then incomplete manuscript down and sought
sleep--and found a troubled sleep.

A. MERRITT

CHAPTER I. VALLEY OF THE BLUE POPPIES

In this gr