Gianapolis was descending the steps. On the pavement he stood and looked
up at the windows, lingeringly; then he turned and walked away.
Helen Cumberly stifled an exclamation.
As the Greek gained the corner of the Square and was lost from view, a
lithe figure--kin of the shadows which had masked it--became detached
from the other shadows beneath the trees of the central garden and
stood, a vague silhouette seemingly looking up at her window as
Gianapolis had looked.
Helen leaned her hands upon the ledge and peered intently down. The
figure was a vague blur in the darkness, but it was moving away along by
the rails... following Gianapolis. No clear glimpse she had of it, for
bat-like, it avoided the light, this sinister shape--and was gone.
XXXI
MUSK AND ROSES
It is time to rejoin M. Gaston Max in the catacombs of Ho-Pin. Having
prepared himself for drugged repose in the small but luxurious apartment
to which he had been conducted by the Chinaman, he awaited with interest
the next development. This took the form of the arrival of an Egyptian
attendant, white-robed, red-slippered, and wearing the inevitable
tarboosh. Upon the brass tray which he carried were arranged the
necessities of the opium smoker. Placing the tray upon a little table
beside the bed, he extracted from the lacquered box a piece of gummy
substance upon the end of a long needle.
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