He acted quickly.  Long Sin decided to recover the ring by stealth.

Elaine was still talking enthusiastically about her party, when Long Sin turned from Kennedy and moved toward us with a bow.

“The lady speaks of an Oriental reception,” he remarked.  “Would she care to engage a magician?”

Elaine turned to him surprised.  “Do you mean that you are a magician?” she asked, puzzled.

Long Sin smiled quietly.  He reached over and took a small bottle from Kennedy’s laboratory table.  Holding it in his hand almost directly before us, he made a few sleight-of-hand passes, and, presto! the bottle had disappeared.  A few more passes, and a test tube appeared in its place.  Before we knew it he had caused the test tube to disappear and the bottle to reappear.  We all applauded enthusiastically.

“I don’t think that is such a bad idea after all,” nodded Kennedy to Elaine.

“Perhaps not,” she agreed, a little doubtfully.  “I hadn’t intended to have such a thing, but—­why, of course, that would interest everybody.”

. . . . . . .

It was the night of the reception.  The Dodge library was transformed.  The Oriental hangings which Elaine and Kennedy had purchased seemed to breathe mysticism.  At the far end of the room a platform had been arranged to form a stage on which Long Sin was to perform his sleight-of-hand.  The drawing-room also was decorated like the library.

At the other end of the room Elaine and Aunt Josephine, in picturesque Oriental costume, were greeting the guests.  Every one seemed to be delighted with the novelty of the affair.

We came in just a bit ahead of Long Sin, and Elaine greeted us.

Almost everybody had arrived when Elaine turned to the guests and introduced Long Sin with a little speech.  Long Sin bowed and every one applauded.  He made his way to the platform in the library and mounted it.

I shall not attempt to describe the amazing series of tricks which he performed.  His hands and fingers seemed to move like lightning.  Among other things, I remember he took up a cover from a table near-by.  He held it up before us.  Instantly it seemed that a flock of pigeons flew out of it around the room.  How he did it I don’t know.  They were real pigeons, however, and the trick brought down the house.

Long Sin bowed.

Another of his feats which I recall was nothing less than kindling a fire on a small bit of tin and, as the flames mounted, he deliberately stepped into them, apparently as unharmed as a salamander.

So it went from one thing to another.  The entertainment was brilliant in itself, but Long Sin seemed to put the finishing touch to it.  In fact, I suppose that it was a couple of hours that he continued to amuse us.

He had finished and every one crowded about him to congratulate him on his skill.  His only answer, however, was his inscrutable smile.