Disengaging herself from the detective's hands, she looked to Theydon for an explanation.
"Has everybody suddenly gone mad?" she said vehemently. "What is the meaning of this? Did you know who that man was? And why did he try to force me into the car?"
Theydon, slowly regaining his breath, stammered brokenly that he would make things clear in a minute or so. Then he gasped to Winter:
"That is Wong Li Fu—the man wanted—at No. 17!"
"We'll get him all right," was the grimly curt answer. "Meanwhile, are you and Miss Forbes going to the hotel?"
Hardly less surprising than Winter's appearance on the scene was his seeming knowledge of the purpose of their journey.
"We must get out of this," he went on, gazing around wrathfully at the ring of curious faces. "Here, you!" he cried, singling out a policeman who was forcing a passage through the crowd, "clear away this mob and get us a cab!"
The policeman seemed inclined to resent the masterful directions, but a word whispered in his ear when he reached Winter acted like magic, and he soon had the gapers scattered.
A cab was called, and Evelyn Forbes was already inside when Theydon remembered the American. He looked around, but could see nothing of him.
"Where is—Mr. Handyside?" he said, still finding a good deal of difficulty in articulating his words.