one side. The minister rubbed it carefully with his coat-sleeve. “See,” he laughed, nodding at the ground, “my cane is broken. I must have fallen on it.” 

“Since you’re not hurt,” said Orme, “we’d better get after the thieves.” 

“Bah!” replied Alcatrante. “What is the use? They are already far away—and they got 47 nothing.” He laughed. “Is it not always better to avoid notoriety, Mr. Orme?” 

47

“As a rule, no doubt—but in this instance——” 

“No,” said Alcatrante firmly, “I really must insist that we let the matter drop. As for me, I shall return to my hotel. Perhaps you will walk along with me.” 

Orme hesitated. “I don’t like those thieves to get off without a chase, senhor.” 

“But, my dear Mr. Orme, they did me no harm.” 

Orme shrugged his shoulders. “You forget that there was one after me as well as one after you.” 

“No, I don’t forget that. But don’t you see, Mr. Orme? Those two men were not after our valuables.” 

“Indeed?” 

“Not at all. What they would like is my little friend Poritol’s secret.” 

“But why Japanese?” Orme was puzzled. 

“Why, indeed? A cunning Japanese might as easily have got wind of it as anyone else.” 

“But why did you say, ‘I thought so’?” persisted Orme. 48

48

“Did I say that? It must have been because I suspected that only a Japanese could be so agile as my assailant. But all this is immaterial. I should have warned you that Poritol’s secret is dangerous. You should not have left your apartments.” 

“Well, this certainly is a queer kettle of fish,” muttered Orme. He was beginning to feel disgusted with the situation. He did not like Alcatrante’s oily smoothness, and he wondered whether it would not have been better to hand the bill over to Poritol at the first demand. But it came to his mind that in a certain degree he stood committed to continue the 

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