I had a spirit-lamp in my room, and I made myself rapidly a cup of strong tea.  Even after I had drunk it, I still felt the remains of the drowsy feeling hanging around me.  It was now ten minutes to eleven, and I opened my wardrobe to find the only weapon with which I proposed to arm myself,—­a heavily loaded Malacca cane, which had more than once done me good service.  To my surprise it was not in its accustomed corner.  I was perfectly certain that I had seen it since my return from Paris, and I proceeded to make a thoroughly methodical search.  I left scarcely an inch of space in my rooms undisturbed.  At last I was forced to come to the conclusion that the stick had gone.  Either the valet or some one else must have borrowed it.

It was eleven o’clock by the time I had concluded my search, and there was no time for me to make any further inquiries.  I locked up my rooms and descended to the fifth floor.  The corridor was empty, and with the key which Louis had given me I opened the door of Mr. Delora’s bedroom without difficulty.  The room was in darkness, but the electric-light knob was against the wall.  I turned it on quickly.  There was neither any one in the room, nor any evidence of it having been recently occupied t satisfied with my first inspection, I looked into the wardrobe and lifted the curtains of the bed.  Very soon I was assured that there was no one in hiding.  I sat down on the edge of the bed and began to consider how to pass the time for the next hour or so.  The whiskey and soda set out upon the table attracted my attention.  I went over to it, struck by a sudden thought!  First I poured out a little of the whiskey.  It smelt harmless enough.  I tried it upon my tongue.  There was no distinctive flavor.  Then I looked at the soda-water syphon.  The top was screwed up tightly enough, and it easily came undone with the application of a little force.  I examined the screw.  I felt certain at once, for some reason or other, that it had been tampered with recently.  I poured a little of the soda-water into a glass.  It was quite flat, and when I tasted it it had a peculiar flavor.  Something seemed to have been added to it which destroyed altogether its buoyancy.  I screwed on the top again and whistled softly to myself.  The whiskey and soda had been placed there by Louis.  He had even gone so far as to call my particular attention to it.  The coffee which I had drunk a little before had also been prepared by Louis.  He was evidently taking no chances!  It was his intention that I should be asleep when the intruder, whoever he might be, should enter the room.  After all, it seemed that I was in for something a little more complicated in the way of adventures than I had imagined.  I examined the lock of the door by which I had entered.  It worked easily, and there was also a bolt on the inside.  The door was by its side which led into the sitting-room.  I also examined it, and I saw with satisfaction that there was at the top a narrow glass transept, which I carefully opened.  The sitting-room was in darkness, so Felicia had evidently retired for the night.  I sat down to wait!