CHAPTER XXI
CRAGMIRE TOWER
Less than two hours later, Inspector Weymouth and a party from New
Scotland Yard raided the house in Museum Street. They found the stock
of J. Salaman practically intact, and, in the strangely appointed
rooms above, every evidence of a hasty outgoing. But of the
instruments, drugs and other laboratory paraphernalia not one item
remained. I would gladly have given my income for a year, to have
gained possession of the books, alone; for beyond all shadow of doubt,
I knew them to contain formulae calculated to revolutionize the science
of medicine.
Exhausted, physically and mentally, and with my mind a
whispering-gallery of conjectures (it were needless for me to mention
_whom_ respecting), I turned in, gratefully, having patched up the
slight wound in my calf.
I seemed scarcely to have closed my eyes, when Nayland Smith was
shaking me into wakefulness.
"You are probably tired out," he said; "but your crazy expedition of
last night entitles you to no sympathy. Read this. There is a train in
an hour. We will reserve a compartment and you can resume your
interrupted slumbers in a corner seat."
As I struggled upright in bed, rubbing my eyes sleepily, Smith handed
me the _Daily Telegraph_, pointing to the following paragraph upon the
literary page:
"Messrs. M---- announce that they will publish shortly the
long-delayed work of Kegan Van Roon, the celebrated American
traveller, Orientalist and psychic investigator, dealing with his
recent inquiries in China.
Pages:
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183