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Updated: June 18, 2025
Some, who seemed to be in a state of stupor, were being assisted by the others and by the man, Ismail, who had now appeared upon the scene. Of Kâramaneh, Zarmi, or Fu-Manchu there was no sign. Suddenly, the lights were extinguished. "This is maddening!" cried Nayland Smith "maddening! No doubt they have some other exit, some hiding-place and they are slipping through our hands!"
"He may have instructed his Cairo agents," he added significantly. "God grant she get to England in safety," I whispered. "Smith! can we make no move to round up the devils who defy us, here in the very heart of civilized England? Listen. You will not have forgotten the wild-cat Eurasian Zarmi?" Smith nodded. "I recall the lady perfectly!" he snapped.
I cannot hope to explain my state of mind at that moment, to render understandable by contrast with the cold fear which had visited me so recently, the utter apathy of my mental attitude. To this day I cannot recapture the mood and for a very good reason, though one that was not apparent to me at the time. It was the Eurasian girl Zarmi, who was standing there, looking up at the window!
"What you and your strong friend drinking?" she said softly. Her voice possessed a faint husky note which betrayed her Eastern parentage, yet it had in it the siren lure which is the ancient heritage of the Eastern woman a heritage more ancient than the tribe of the Ghâzeeyeh, to one of whom I had mentally likened Zarmi.
With a bold, swinging grace she walked down the center of the room, swaying her arms from side to side and snapping her fingers. "Zarmi!" exclaimed Smith. But his exclamation was unnecessary, for already I had recognized the evil Eurasian who was so efficient a servant of the Chinese doctor. The wailing of the pipes continued, and now faintly I could detect the throbbing of a darabûkeh.
A sort of choking sound came from one of the bunks; a vague, obscene murmuring filled the whole place revoltingly. Zarmi stood at the further end, her lithe figure silhouetted against the vague light coming through an open doorway. I saw her raise her hand, beckoning to us.
"You heard it, Doctor!" hissed Fletcher. "The man with the limp!" I said hoarsely; "he is in there! Fletcher! I am utterly confused. I believe this place to hold the key to the whole mystery, I believe ..." Fletcher gave me a warning glance and, turning anew, I saw Zarmi approaching with her sinuous gait, carrying two glasses and jug upon the ornate tray.
Petrie" again turning to me "that my constitution is inured to the use of opium. You will make due allowance for this. Mr. Li-King-Su, a graduate of Canton, will act as dresser." He turned laboriously to Zarmi. She clapped her hands and held the curtain aside.
Eternally I was peering ahead; and when, leaving the well-lighted West End thoroughfares, we came to the comparatively gloomy streets of the suburbs, a hundred times I thought we had lost the track. But always in the pool of light cast by some friendly lamp, I would see the quarry again speeding on before us. At a lonely spot bordering the common the vehicle which contained Zarmi stopped.
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