close to the trunk of one of the elms. Six or seven feet away I found
some other tracks, very much like this."

He marked a series of dots upon the blotting pad at his elbow.

"Claws!" I cried. "That eerie call! like the call of a nighthawk--is
it some unknown species of--flying thing?"

"We shall see, shortly; possibly to-night," was his reply. "Since,
probably owing to the absence of any moon, a mistake was made," his
jaw hardened at the thoughts of poor Forsyth--"another attempt along
the same lines will almost certainly follow--you know Fu-Manchu's
system?"

So in the darkness, expectant, we sat watching the group of nine elms.
To-night the moon was come, raising her Aladdin's lamp up to the star
world and summoning magic shadows into being. By midnight the highroad
showed deserted, the common was a place of mystery; and save for the
periodical passage of an electric car, in blazing modernity, this was
a fit enough stage for an eerie drama.

No notice of the tragedy had appeared in print; Nayland Smith was
vested with powers to silence the press. No detectives, no special
constables, were posted. My friend was of opinion that the publicity
which had been given to the deeds of Dr. Fu-Manchu in the past,
together with the sometimes clumsy co-operation of the police, had
contributed not a little to the Chinaman's success.

"There is only one thing to fear," he jerked suddenly; "he may not be
ready for another attempt to-night."