it was not until the following evening that i found leisure to examine my strange acquisition, for affairs of more immediate importance engrossed my attention. but at about ten o'clock i seated myself at my table, lighted the lamp, and taking out the pigtail from the table drawer, placed it on the blotting-pad and began to examine it with the greatest curiosity, for few chinese affect the pigtail nowadays.
i had scarcely commenced my examination, however, when it was dramatically interrupted. the door bell commenced to ring jerkily. i stood up, and as i did so the ringing ceased and in its place came a muffled beating on the door. i hurried into the passage as the bell commenced ringing again, and i had almost reached the door when once more the ringing ceased; but now i could hear a woman's voice, low but agitated:
“open the door! oh, for god's sake be quick!”
completely mystified, and not a little alarmed, i threw open the door, and in there staggered a woman heavily veiled, so that i could see little of her features, but by the lines of her figure i judged her to be young.
uttering a sort of moan of terror she herself closed the door, and stood with her back to it, watching me through the thick veil, while her breast rose and fell tumultuously.
“thank god there was someone at home!” she gasped.
i think i may say with justice that i had never been so surprised in my life; every particular of the incident marked it as unique—set it apart from the episodes of everyday life.
“madam,” i began doubtfully, “you seem to be much alarmed at something, and if i can be of any assistance to you———”
“you have saved my life!” she whispered, and pressed one hand to her bosom. “in a moment i will explain.”
“won't you rest a little after your evidently alarming experience?” i suggested.
my strange visitor nodded, without speaking, and i conducted her to the study which i had just left, and placed the most comfortable arm-chair close beside the table so that as i sat i might study this woman who so strangely had burst in upon me. i even tilted the shaded lamp, artlessly, a trick i had learned from harley, in order that the light might fall upon her face.
she may have detected this device; i know not; but as if in answer to its challenge, she raised her gloved hands and unfastened the heavy veil which had concealed her features.
thereupon i found myself looking into a pair of lustrous black eyes whose almond shape was that of the orient; i found myself looking at a woman who, since she was evidently a jewess, was probably no older than eighteen or nineteen, but whose beauty was ripely voluptuous, who might fittingly have posed for salome, who, despite her modern fashionable garments, at once suggested to my mind the wanton beauty of the daughter of herodias.
i stared at her silently for a time, and presently her full lips parted in a slow smile. my ideas were diverted into another channel.
“you have yet to tell me what alarmed you,” i said in a low voice, but as courteously as possible, “and if i can be of any assistance in the matter.”
my visitor seemed to recollect her fright—or the necessity for simulation. the pupils of her fine eyes seemed to grow larger and darker; she pressed her white teeth into her lower lips, and resting her hands upon the table leaned toward me.
“i am a stranger to london,” she began, now exhibiting a certain diffidence, “and to-night i was looking for the chambers of mr. raphael philips of figtree court.”
“this is figtree court,” i said, “but i know of no mr. raphael philips who has chambers here.”
the black eyes met mine despairingly.
“but i am positive of the address!” protested my beautiful but strange caller—from her left glove she drew out a scrap of paper, “here it is.”
i glanced at the fragment, upon which, in a woman's hand the words were pencilled: “mr. raphael philips, 36-b figtree court, london.”
i stared at my visitor, deeply mystified.
“these chambers are 36-b!” i said. “but i am not raphael philips, nor have i ever heard of him. my name is malcolm knox. there is evidently some mistake, but”—returning the slip of paper—“pardon me if i remind you, i have yet to learn the cause of your alarm.”
“i was followed across the court and up the stairs.”
“followed! by whom?”
“by a dreadful-looking man, chattering in some tongue i did not understand!”
my amazement was momentarily growing greater.
“what kind of a man?” i demanded rather abruptly.
“a yellow-faced man—remember i could only just distinguish him in the darkness on the stairway, and see little more of him than his eyes at that, and his ugly gleaming teeth—oh! it was horrible!”
“you astound me,” i said; “the thing is utterly incomprehensible.” i switched off the light of the lamp. “i'll see if there's any sign of him in the court below.”
“oh, don't leave me! for heaven's sake don't leave me alone!”
she clutched my arm in the darkness.
“have no fear; i merely propose to look out from this window.”
suiting the action to the word, i peered down into the court below. it was quite deserted. the night was a very dark one, and there were many patches of shadow in which a man might have lain concealed.
“i can see no one,” i said, speaking as confidently as possible, and relighting the lamp, “if i call a cab for you and see you safely into it, you will have nothing to fear, i think.”
“i have a cab waiting,” she replied, and lowering the veil she stood up to go.
“kindly allow me to see you to it. i am sorry you have been subjected to this annoyance, especially as you have not attained the object of your visit.”
“thank you so much for your kindness; there must be some mistake about the address, of course.”
she clung to my arm very tightly as we descended the stairs, and often glanced back over her shoulder affrightedly, as we crossed the court. there was not a sign of anyone about, however, and i could not make up my mind whether the story of the yellow man was a delusion or a fabrication. i inclined to the latter theory, but the object of such a deception was more difficult to determine.
sure enough, a taxicab was waiting at the entrance to the court; and my visitor, having seated herself within, extended her hand to me, and even through the thick veil i could detect her brilliant smile.
“thank you so much, mr. knox,” she said, “and a thousand apologies. i am sincerely sorry to have given you all this trouble.”
the cab drove off. for a moment i stood looking after it, in a state of dreamy incertitude, then turned and slowly retraced my steps. reopening the door of my chambers with my key, i returned to my study and sat down at the table to endeavour to arrange the facts of what i recognized to be a really amazing episode. the adventure, trifling though it seemed, undoubtedly held some hidden significance that at present was not apparent to me. in accordance with the excellent custom of my friend, paul harley, i prepared to make notes of the occurrence while the facts were still fresh in my memory. at the moment that i was about to begin, i made an astounding discovery.
although i had been absent only a few minutes, and had locked my door behind me, the pigtail was gone!
i sat quite still, listening intently. the woman's story of the yellow man on the stairs suddenly assumed a totally different aspect—a new and sinister aspect. could it be that the pigtail was at the bottom of the mystery?—could it be that some murderous chinaman who had been lurking in hiding, waiting his opportunity, had in some way gained access to my chambers during that brief absence? if so, was he gone?
from the table drawer i took out a revolver, ascertained that it was fully loaded, and turning up light after light as i proceeded, conducted a room-to-room search. it was without result; there was absolutely nothing to indicate that anyone had surreptitiously entered or departed from my chambers.
i returned to the study and sat gazing at the revolver lying on the blotting-pad before me. perhaps my mind worked slowly, but i think that fully fifteen minutes must have passed before it dawned on me that the explanation not only of the missing pigtail but of the other incidents of the night, was simple enough. the yellow man had been a fabrication, and my dark-eyed visitor had not been in quest of “raphael philips,” but in quest of the pigtail: and her quest had been successful!
“what a hopeless fool i am!” i cried, and banged my fist down upon the table, “there was no yellow man at all—there was——-”
my door bell rang. i sprang nervously to my feet, glanced at the revolver on the table—and finally dropped it into my coat pocket ere going out and opening the door.
on the landing stood a police constable and an officer in plain clothes.
“your name is malcolm knox?” asked the constable, glancing at a note-book which he held in his hand.
“it is,” i replied.
“you are required to come at once to bow street to identify a woman who was found murdered in a taxi-cab in the strand about eleven o'clock to-night.”
i suppressed an exclamation of horror; i felt myself turning pale.
“but what has it to do———”
“the driver stated she came from your chambers, for you saw her off, and her last words to you were 'good night, mr. knox, i am sincerely sorry to have given you all this trouble.' is that correct, sir?”
the constable, who had read out the information in an official voice, now looked at me, as i stood there stupefied.
“it is,” i said blankly. “i'll come at once.” it would seem that i had misjudged my unfortunate visitor: her story of the yellow man on the stair had apparently been not a fabrication, but a gruesome fact!
