s a Turk. One side of
his face was deeply scarred with a sword-cut, but, if anything, this did
not detract from his appearance, and it gave a manly aspect to an
otherwise effeminate face."

Brett could not help smiling involuntarily.

"Are you sure it was a sword-cut?"

"It certainly looked like one."

"And his skin was very brown?"

"Oh, quite. Indeed it was a shade deeper than that of most Turks. I
have seen very many of them. Although dark-featured, they are often
pallid enough in reality, and their deep-hued complexion is due more to
their black hair and eyebrows than to the mere colour of the skin."

Brett smiled again.

"I think," he said, "I will show you the same gentleman in a somewhat
different aspect. But proceed."

"The explanation given to me by Mehemet Ali was both extraordinary and
disconcerting, especially at such a late hour. He told me that the three
gentlemen to whom I had been introduced--I am sorry, by the way, that I
cannot remember their names, as they were all Mohammeds, or Rasuls, or
Ibrahims, and the dramatic events of the night subsequently drove them
from my mind--had been sent post haste from Constantinople on a special
mission. They had only reached London that night, and they bore with
them a special mandate, signed by the Sultan himself, directing Mehemet
Ali to hand over the diamonds to their charge, and to at once return
with his assistants to Yildiz Kiosk.

"There could be no questioning the authenticity of the Sultan's
instructions. The document was in his own handwriting, was endorsed with
his private seal, and conveyed other distinguishing marks which rendered
his Excellency assured on this important point. He told me that he was
compelled to obey implicitly, and were it possible he would have started
from London that night. This, however, was out of the question, but he
had not lost a moment in sending for me and acquainting me with his
Majesty's wishes.

"You will readily perceive that the affair placed me in an awkward
predicament. I was, so to speak, representing the British Government in
the matter, and the Foreign Office had pledged itself, through our
Ambassador at Constantinople, to undertake all the precautions for
safeguarding the diamonds with which you are acquainted. It seemed to me
that notwithstanding the urgency of the Sultan's order, I should not be
doing my duty to permit the transfer to be made in such an irregular
manner. So I said quite plainly that