Evening star., 1919-11-09

imam along the Darb el-Ahmar and
OF stopping before the closed door Of
my newly acquired premises!
ihe street was quite deserted
again. Those muffied Nubians who
seemed to constitute a bodyguard for
my 1nstrutable companion had dis
appeared in company with the he
reaved sheikh
This is your house?" said Abu Ia
bah sweetly.
My habit of thinking before I
speak or act asserted itself automat-
ically.
Il recently leased it on another's
behalf" l replied.
In that event." continued tha
imam. "unless the information lodged
with me tonight prove to be inaccu-
rate, that other must speedily pro-
claim himself"
Have you a pocket lamp?" he
asked.
I pressed the button of my electric
torch and directed it's rays full upon
the stack of boxes. 1t was the great
sage. Appollonius Tyana, who said
'1oQuacity has many pitfalls. but
silence none: therefore l silently
watched Abu Tabah consulting the
label on the topmost chest. Pres
emily:
"Ahmed Ben Tawwab," he read
aloud; "is that the name of the friend
on whose behalf you secured a lease
of this house?
1T is," answered.
"If will "a trh 1t
box and assist me to open one Of the
others. ! shall be obliged to you,"
said Abu Tabah.
Ere long our task was successful
and the contents Of the chest lay
exposed. These were: two hundred
Osiris statuettes. twelve one-pound
tins of mummy heads and
fifty packets Of hashish.
Silence was no effort to me now;
was dumfounded. The musical
voice of my companion broke in upon
my painful reverie.
"The information upon which I now
am acting" he said. reached me to-
night in the form of a letter. bearing
no address and no signature. The
suppression of this vile hashish traffic
Is so near to my heart that immedi-
ately secured the necessary powers
to search the premises named and was
on my way hither when I observed
you (although I did not at once recog-
ntze you) in the act of escaping from
q group Of my servants who had been
detailed, some weeks ago. to trace a
missing damsel known to be In Cairo.
Concerning your share in that affair I
await q full statement from your own
lips; concerning your share In this I
can only say that unless Ahmed Ben
Tawwab comes forward by tomorrow
and admits his guilt. must apply to
the British agent for formal in
quiry. Is there anything that you
wish to say. or any action you desire
that I should take?'
turned to him in the dim light.
Habitually I am undemonstrative,
especially with natives. But there
was a nobility and an implacable
sense Of justice about this singular
religieux which conquered me COM
pletely.
"Abu Tabah," I said. II thank you
for your friendship. have committed
a grave folly; but am neither an abb
ductor nor q hashish dealer. This is
the work Of an unknown enemy and
already I have a theory respecting his
identity
Can I aid you--or~ do you prefer
that I leave you to pursue this clue
in your own vay?" he asked, tactfully.
II prefer to work alone
re-entered the doorway. conscious
Of q sudden mental excitement. for an
explanation Of the anonymous letter
had just presented itself to my mind.
The owner OF the neighboring house
must have detected my rendezvous
with his dy-love, have Investigated
the contents of the cases and de-
nounced me from motives Of revenge!
That the villainous Joseph Malaglou
had been in the habit Of smuggling
hashish into Egypt in my cases of
CUTLERY" was evident enough and ac-
counted for his reluctance to fall in
with the new arrangement: but my
benumbed brain utterly failed to
Krapple with the problem of why.
knowing their damning contents. he
had permitted these ten cases to be
delivered at my address Moreover.
how my worthy neighbor--who had
oy>1rctaA Givp,upa from tho