E-text prepared by Lisa Miller
by
1920
I The Shadow of a Cowl
II The Pilbroch of the M'Gregors
III The Scorpion's Tail
IV Mademoiselle Dorian
V The Sealed Envelope
VI The Assistant Commissioner
VII Contents of the Sealed Envelope
VIII The Assistant Commissioner's Theory
IX The Chinese Coin
X "Close Your Shutters at Night"
XI The Blue Ray
I Zara el-Khala
II Concerning the Grand Duke
III A Strange Question
IV The Fight in the Cafe
I I Become Charles Malet
II Baiting the Trap
III Disappearance of Charles Malet
IV I Meet an Old Acquaintance
V Conclusion of Statement
I The Brain Thieves
II The Red Circle
III Miska's Story
IV Miska's Story (concluded)
V The Heart of Chunda Lal
VI The Man with the Scar
VII In the Opium Den
VIII The Green-Eyed Joss
I The Sublime Order
II The Living Death
III The Fifth Secret of Rache Churan
IV The Guile of the East
V What Happened to Stuart
VI "Jey Bhowani!"
VII The Way of the Scorpion
Keppel Stuart, M.D., F. R. S., awoke with a start and discoveredhimself to be bathed in cold perspiration. The moonlight shone in athis window, but did not touch the bed, therefore his awakening couldnot be due to this cause. He lay for some time listening for anyunfamiliar noise which might account for the sudden disturbance ofhis usually sound slumbers. In the house below nothing stirred. Hiswindows were widely open and he could detect that vague drummingwhich is characteristic of midnight London; sometimes, too, theclashing of buffers upon some siding of the Brighton railway whereshunting was in progress and occasional siren notes from the Thames.Otherwise—nothing.
He glanced at the luminous disk of his watch. The hour was half-pasttwo. Dawn was not far off. The night seemed to have become almostintolerably hot, and to this heat Stuart felt disposed to ascribeboth his awakening and also a feeling of uncomfortable tension ofwhich he now became aware. He continued to listen, and, listeningand hearing nothing, recognized with anger that he was frightened.A sense of some presence oppressed him. Someone or something evilwas near him—perhaps in the room, veiled by the shadows. Thisuncanny sensation grew more and more marked.
Stuart sat up in bed, slowly and cautiously, looking all about him.He remembered to have awakened once thus in India—and to have founda great cobra coiled at his feet. His inspection revealed thepresence of nothing unfamiliar, and he stepped out on to the floor.
A faint clicking sound reached his ears.