"Do you understand, Petrie?" cried Sir Lionel. "Smith evidently obtained a copy of the old plan of the secret passages of Graywater and Monkswell, sooner than he expected, and determined to return to-night. They left him for dead, having robbed him of the plans!"
"But the attack on Dr. Hamilton's man?"
"Fu-Manchu clearly tried to prevent communication with us to-night! He is playing for time. Depend on it, Petrie, the hour of his departure draws near and he is afraid of being trapped at the last moment."
He began taking huge strides up and down the room, forcibly reminding me of a caged lion.
"To think," I said bitterly, "that all our efforts have failed to discover the secret——"
"The secret of my own property!" roared Barton—"and one known to that damned, cunning Chinese devil!"
"And in all probability now known also to Smith——"
"And he cannot speak! …"
"Who cannot speak?" demanded a hoarse voice.
I turned in a flash, unable to credit my senses—and there, holding weakly to the doorpost, stood Nayland Smith!