“Her husband, I take it, was ignorant of all this?”

“I believe he was.  Quentin—­Mr. Gray—­had no idea of it either.”

“Then it was Sir Lucien Pyne who was in her confidence in the matter?”

Margaret nodded slowly, still tapping the blotting-pad.

“He used to accompany her to places where drugs could be obtained, and on several occasions—­I cannot say how many—­I believe he went with her to some den in Chinatown.  It may have been due to Mr. Irvin’s discovery that his wife could not satisfactorily account for some of these absences from home which led him to suspect her fidelity.”

“Ah!” said Kerry hardly, “I shouldn’t wonder.  And now”—­he thrust out a pointing finger—­“where did she get these drugs?”

Margaret met the fierce stare composedly.

“I have said that I shall be quite frank,” she replied.  “In my opinion she obtained them from Kazmah.”

“Kazmah!” shouted Kerry.  “Excuse me, miss, but I see I’ve been wearing blinkers without knowing it!  Kazmah’s was a dope-shop?”

“That has been my belief for a long time, Inspector.  I may add that I have never been able to obtain a shred of evidence to prove it.  I am so keenly interested in seeing the people who pander to this horrible vice unmasked and dealt with as they merit, that I have tried many times to find out if my suspicion was correct.”

Inspector Kerry was writhing his shoulders excitedly.  “Did you ever visit Kazmah?” he asked.

“Yes.  I asked Rita Irvin to take me, but she refused, and I could see that the request embarrassed her.  So I went alone.”

“Describe exactly what took place.”

Margaret Halley stared reflectively at the blotting-pad for a moment, and then described a typical seance at Kazmah’s.  In conclusion: 

“As I came away,” she said, “I bought a bottle of every kind of perfume on sale, some of the incense, and also a box of sweetmeat; but they all proved to be perfectly harmless.  I analyzed them.”

Kerry’s eyes glistened with admiration.

“We could do with you at the Yard, miss,” he said.  “Excuse me for saying so.”

Margaret smiled rather wanly.

“Now—­this man Kazmah,” resumed the Chief Inspector.  “Did you ever see him again?”

“Never.  I have been trying for months and months to find out who he is.”

Kerry’s face became very grim.

“About ten trained men are trying to find that out at the present moment!” he rapped.  “Do you think he wore a make-up?”

“He may have done so,” Margaret admitted.  “But his features were obviously undisguised, and his eyes one would recognize anywhere.  They were larger than any human eyes I have ever seen.”

“He couldn’t have been the Egyptian who looked after the shop, for instance?”

“Impossible!  He did not remotely resemble him.  Besides, the man to whom you refer remained outside to receive other visitors.  Oh, that’s out of the question, Inspector.”