I stood in the middle of the room watching him, hardly daring to breathe, feeling that my heart was swelling until it occupied the whole of my body.
At length he looked up.
"Then I shall be of some use to Her after all," he said. "This is too much honor. The Lily of White Jade—"
He staggered back, his face working terribly, and fell in a huddled heap upon the floor. I was just opening my mouth to call for Rolston when there came a thunderous knocking upon the side door of the house.
I ran into the dimly lit passage and as I did so Rolston flitted out of the bar door and stood beside me.
"I have heard everything," he whispered, "but what, what is this?"
He pointed to the door, and as he did so there was again the thunder of the knocker and the whirr of the electric bell.
Hardly knowing what I did I shot back the bolts at top and bottom, turned the heavy key in its lock and opened the door.
Outside in the moonlight a figure was standing, a man in a heavy fur coat, carrying a suitcase in his left hand.
"What the devil—" I was beginning, when he pushed past me and came into the hall.