"You say you have two items of news for me?" said Nayland Smith, looking across the
breakfast table to where Inspector Weymouth sat sipping coffee.
"There are two points--yes," replied the Scotland Yard man, whilst Smith paused, egg-
spoon in hand, and fixed his keen eyes upon the speaker. "The first is this: the
headquarters of the Yellow group is no longer in the East End."
"How can you be sure of that?"
"For two reasons. In the first place, that district must now be too hot to hold Dr. Fu-
Manchu; in the second place, we have just completed a house-to-house inquiry which has
scarcely overlooked a rathole or a rat. That place where you say Fu-Manchu was visited
by some Chinese mandarin; where you, Mr. Smith," and--glancing in my direction--"you,
Doctor, were confined for a time--"
"Yes?" snapped Smith, attacking his egg.
"Well," continued the inspector, "it is all deserted, now. There is not the slightest doubt
that the Chinaman has fled to some other abode. I am certain of it. My second piece of
news will interest you very much, I am sure. You were taken to the establishment of the
Chinaman, Shen-Yan, by a certain ex-officer of New York Police-- Burke . . ."
"Good God!" cried Smith, looking up with a start; "I thought they had him!"
"So did I," replied Weymouth grimly; "but they haven't! He got away in the confusion
following the raid, and has been hiding ever since with a cousin, a nurseryman out
Upminster way . . ."
"Exactly--hiding. He has been afraid to stir ever since, and has scarcely shown his nose
outside the door. He says he is watched night and day."
"He realized that something must be done," continued the inspector, "and made a break
this morning. He is so convinced of this constant surveillance that he came away secretly,
hidden under the boxes of a market-wagon. He landed at Covent Garden in the early
hours of this morning and came straight away to the Yard."
"What is he afraid of exactly?"
Inspector Weymouth put down his coffee cup and bent forward slightly.
