they had looked about
the place, that this was not the scene of his imprisonment on Friday
night.

They then went to the Oriental Eating Palace of Chuan Kai, but at Mr.
Stevens' suggestion, before entering the restaurant, made a complete
circuit of the building and examined its outward appearance. In the rear
there was an alley.

"This looks like it!" declared Teeny-bits, and then he added: "But I
couldn't swear that it's the one."

"Why don't we go up those stairs there and see what we find," said Mr.
Stevens. "It's trespassing, I suppose, but all in a justifiable cause."

Quickly they let themselves in the rear door and began to mount the
steps.

"That night," said Teeny-bits, "I remember that I came down two flights;
this might be the place, but of course I didn't stop much to look
around."

At the top of the second flight Mr. Stevens and Teeny-bits came to a
narrow hallway from which opened two doors. Mr. Stevens knocked softly
on the one at the right and, receiving no answer, pushed it open. They
had expected to find no one in the room; to their surprise, a Chinese
who had been lying on a "double-decker" bunk jumped down to the floor
and stood looking at them with astonishment and fear in his face.

"This isn't the room, and I don't think I ever saw this fellow before,"
Teeny-bits whispered to the English master.

"We're looking for two Chinese who were in one of these rooms last
Friday night," said Mr. Stevens to the Oriental. "Perhaps they're in the
other room."

It was evident that the Chinaman who confronted them with startled eyes
did not understand much English. He made no reply and continued to stare
at them as if he thought it inexplainable that two white men should
suddenly invade his sleeping quarters.

Mr. Stevens backed out of the room and somewhat to Teeny-bits' surprise
immediately tried the other door. It opened upon a small square room,
empty except for a table and four chairs which were arranged as if for a
game of cards. Teeny-bits had expected to see a mattress lying on the
floor, but nothing of the sort greeted his eyes and no one was in the
room.

"This looks like the place, but somehow it seems changed," he said to
Mr. Stevens.

At that moment they both heard a cry in Chinese and, as they whirled
round, an answer came from the floor below and the sound of feet
pattering down the stairway.

"There!" exclaimed Mr. Stevens, "I'm afraid your friends are running
away. That fello