“I'll come along and see you to-morrow morning. It's curious this should have happened the night you returned,” he said, gripping the other's shoulder affectionately. John Lexman did not speak for the moment. “If anything happened to Kara,” he said slowly, “if the worst that was possible happened to him, believe me I should not weep.” T. X. looked down into the other's eyes sympathetically. “I think he has hurt you pretty badly, old man,” he said gently. John Lexman nodded. “He has, damn him,” he said between his teeth. The Chief Commissioner's motor car was waiting outside and in this T. X., Mansus, and a detective-sergeant were whirled off to Cadogan Square. Fisher was in the hall when they rung the bell and opened the door instantly. He was frankly surprised to see his visitors. Mr. Kara was in his room he explained resentfully, as though T. X. should have been aware of the fact without being told. He had heard no bell ringing and indeed had not been summoned to the room. “I have to see him at eleven o'clock,” he said, “and I have had standing instructions not to go to him unless I am sent for.” T. X. led the way upstairs, and went straight to Kara's room. He knocked, but there was no reply. He knocked again and on this failing to evoke any response kicked heavily at the door. “Have you a telephone downstairs!” he asked. “Yes, sir,” replied Fisher. T. X. turned to the detective-sergeant. “'Phone to the Yard,” he said, “and get a man up with a bag of tools. We shall have to pick this lock and I haven't got my case with me.” “Picking the lock would be no good, sir,” said Fisher, an interested spectator, “Mr. Kara's got the latch down.” “I forgot that,” said T. X. “Tell him to bring his saw, we'll have to cut through the panel here.” While they were waiting for the arrival of the police officer T. X. strove to attract the attention of the inmates of the room, but without success. “Does he take opium or anything!” asked Mansus. Fisher shook his head. “I've never known him to take any of that kind of stuff,” he said. T. X. made a rapid survey of the other rooms on that floor. The room next to Kara's was the library, beyond that was a dressing room which, according to Fisher, Miss Holland had used, and at the farthermost end of the corridor was the dining room. Facing the dining room was a small service lift and by its side a storeroom in which were a number of trunks, including a very large one smothered in injunctions in three different languages to “handle with care.” There was nothing else of interest on this floor and the upper and lower floors could wait. In a quarter of an hour the carpenter had arrived from Scotland Yard, and had bored a hole in the rosewood panel of Kara's room and was busily applying his slender saw.