no such hope.

"Let's see what happened to Mahbub," he said. "Maybe he got away,
too," and he crossed to the inner door.

The flame in the brazier had died away, and the smoke came only in
fitful puffs, heavy with deadening perfume. The Thug had not got away.
He lay on the floor--a dreadful sight. He was lying on his back, his
hands clenched, his body arched in a convulsion, his head drawn far
back. The black lips were parted over the ugly teeth, and the eyes
had rolled upward till they gleamed, two vacant balls of white. At the
side of his neck, just under the jaw, was a hideous swelling.

Godfrey's torch ran over the body from head to foot, and I sickened as
I looked at it.

"I'm going out," I said. "I can't stand this!" and I hurried to the
open window.

Godfrey joined me there in a moment.

"I'm feeling pretty bad myself," he said, putting the torch in his
pocket and mopping his shining forehead. "It's plain enough what
happened. I caught a glimpse of Miss Vaughan on the floor there,
realised that we couldn't do anything with the snake in the way, and
shot at it, but I only ripped away a portion of the hood, and the
thing, mad with rage, sprang upon the Hindu. Nothing on earth could
have saved him after it got its fangs in his neck. Ugh!"

He shivered slightly, and stood gazing for a moment down into the
garden. Then he turned back to me with a smile.

"It's a good night's work, Lester," he said, "even if we don't catch
Silva. I fancy Miss Vaughan will change her mind, now, about becoming
a priestess of Siva!"

"But, Godfrey," I asked, "what happened? What was she doing in there?
What ..."

He stopped me with a hand upon my arm.

"I don't know. But she'll tell us when she comes around. I only hope
they'll get Silva. That would make the victory complete."

He paused, for the hum of a motor-car came up the drive, and an
instant later we caught the glare of the acetylenes. Then a voice
hailed us.

"Hello, there," it called. "Shall I come up?"

"Is it you, doctor?" asked Godfrey, leaning out.

"Yes."

"Come right up, then, to Miss Vaughan's room."

We met him at the stair-head.

"Oh, it's you!" he said, recognising us. "What has happened now?"

"It's Miss Vaughan--she's been half-suffocated. But how did you get
in?"

"The gates were open," Hinman answered, "so I drove right through. Is
Miss Vaughan in here?" and when Godfrey nodded, he opened the door and
closed it softly behind him.

"Op