Within his stateroom, Tholbin paused before he closed the door. He watched the form of the steward going down the passage. Satisfied that all was well, he went back into the room.
NEITHER Tholbin nor his newly revealed confederate had observed the vague, shadowy figure that was standing in a short passage leading from the main one. No eye could have discerned that shape, for it was motionless and virtually invisible.
No more than a tall, fantastic mass of black, it seemed like an odd shadow beneath the dim light in the passage. Now, with no eyes upon it, the shape assumed a human form. It became The Shadow. Silently, the figure in black approached the door of Tholbin’s stateroom, and stood there like a spectral master of doom.
The doorknob was turning. With a quick turn, The Shadow regained the side passage and melted into nothingness, just as David Tholbin entered the corridor.
The young man strode along it without a glance behind him. After he was out of sight, The Shadow went back to the door. It was unlocked.
This finding did not disconcert the man in black. Instead, it speeded the cursory search that he made within the room. After a brief inspection, The Shadow departed and glided along a series of corridors until he reached another cabin. There he entered.
When the same door opened a few minutes later, a tall, gray-haired man stepped out. He wore a benign expression upon his elderly face, and he walked with the aid of a cane. In mild-mannered fashion, he made his way to the smoking room.
A group of men were playing cards at a table. Among them was Tobias Waddell. David Tholbin, newly arrived, was watching, with his hands in the pockets of his coat. The benign gentleman who had just arrived hobbled up beside Tholbin, and looked at the game.
Tholbin smiled at the curiosity reflected on the face of the old gentleman; Evidently this kindly old soul knew nothing of the game of poker. Tholbin forgot the man beside him.
The old gentleman’s cane was rising from the floor. Unnoticeably, he crooked the curved handle in his coat pocket. His right hand moved toward Tholbin’s pocket. Long, slender fingers extracted a piece of paper.