Martin Slade left by the outer door. Rajah Brahman returned to the inner sanctum. He had forgotten all about his missing watch — the tricky device with which he had produced his baby spook. Not for one instant did the mystic suppose that it was anywhere other than some place in this apartment. Rajah Brahman had stated to Martin Slade that he would be able to spot The Shadow. Had the pretended seer possessed the second sight which he claimed, he would have had his opportunity now. For scarcely had the curtain dropped before the door of the inner shrine, than a figure emerged from a darkened spot on the wall beside that very curtain.
It was The Shadow — the tall, mysterious man in black. Once more he had stood unseen before the portal of Rajah Brahman's sanctum.
Softly, The Shadow laughed. Then his tall form glided along the path that Martin Slade had taken. A soft, eerie laugh echoed in the room to mark The Shadow's passing.
Chapter XII — The Rajah's Scheme
It was exactly forty-eight hours later that Martin Slade again appeared in Rajah Brahman's luxurious apartment. He came in a spirit of elation.
Although the night was warm, Slade was wearing a light overcoat, and he did not divest himself of the outer garment until he was received in Rajah Brahman's sanctum.
He found the false mystic in the natural guise of Bert Clutten. There had been no visitors to-day. It was a Hindu day of repose, and Rajah Brahman was smooth-faced and clad in dressing gown and slippers. He looked up shrewdly as Slade arrived, and smacked a small portfolio upon a chair.
"I've got the whole works!" exclaimed Martin Slade. "Everything— here."
"I thought you were after it last night," declared Rajah Brahman.
"I laid low instead," explained Slade. "I wanted to make sure the old man was away. I got the lay of the place, and was lucky enough to hear that old housekeeper shouting at the top of her lungs over the telephone. Telling someone that the old man wouldn't be back until Tuesday morning — that's to-morrow."