"
"It was all my fault," said Sowerby guiltily. "I missed my spring when
I went for the Chinaman who came out first, and he gave one yell. The
old fox in the shop heard it and the fat was in the fire."
"You didn't miss your spring at me!" retort Stuart ruefully.
"No," agreed Sowerby. "I didn't mean to miss a second time!"
"What's all this row," came a gruff voice.
"Ah! Inspector Dunbar!" said Max.
Dunbar walked up the path, followed by a number of men. At first he
did not observe Stuart, and:
"You'll be waking all the neighborhood," he said. "It's the next big
house, Sowerby, the one we thought, surrounded by the brick wall.
There's no doubt, I think ... Why!"
He had seen Stuart, and he sprang forward with outstretched hand.
"Thank God!" he cried, disregarding his own counsel about creating a
disturbance. "This is fine! Eh, man! but I'm glad to see you!"
"And _I_ am glad to be here!" Stuart assured him.
They shook hands warmly.
"You have read my statement, of course?" asked Stuart.
"I have," replied the Inspector, and gave him a swift glance of the
tawny eyes. "And considering that you've nearly been strangled, I'll
forgive you! But I wish we'd known about this house----"
"Ah! Inspector," interrupted Gaston Max, "but you have never seen
Zara el-Khala! I have seen her--and _I_ forgive him, also!"
Stuart continued rapidly:
"We have little time to waste. There are only three people in the
house, so far as I am aware: Miska--known to you, M.
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