The watcher had been an emissary of the
Clutching Hand.
"Chief," he whispered eagerly, "You know Adventuress Mary? Well,
she's got Elaine Dodge in tow!"
"The deuce!" cried Clutching Hand. "Then we must teach Mary
Carson, or whoever she is working for, a lesson. No one shall
interfere with our affairs. Follow them!"
Elaine and Mary had gone downtown, talking animatedly, and walked
down the avenue toward Mrs. Rivington's apartment.
Meanwhile, Long Sin, still in his Chinese costume, was explaining
to the servant just what he wished done, pointing out the dagger
on the wall and replacing the bladder under his jacket. A box of
opium was on the table, and he was giving most explicit
directions. It was into such a web that Elaine was being
unwittingly led by Mary.
Entering the hallway of the apartment, Mary rang the bell.
Long heard it. "Answer it," he directed the servant who hastened
to do so, while Long glided like a serpent into a back room.
The servant opened the door and Elaine and Mary entered. He closed
the door and almost before they knew locked it and was gone into
the back room.
Elaine gazed about in trepidation. But before she could say
anything, Mary, with a great show of surprise, exclaimed, "Why, I
must have made a mistake. This isn't Mrs. Rivington's apartment.
How stupid of me.
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