At first he was unsuccessful because there were many Hussein Effendis
in Durazzo. He sent an invitation to the American Consul to come over to
tiffin and help him.
“Why the dickens the Foreign Office should suddenly be interested in
Hussein Effendi, I cannot for the life of me understand.”
“The Foreign Department has to be interested in something, you know,”
said the genial American. “I receive some of the quaintest requests
from Washington; I rather fancy they only wire you to find if they are
there.”
“Why are you doing this!”
“I've seen Hakaat Bey,” said the English official. “I wonder what
this fellow has been doing? There is probably a wigging for me in the
offing.”
At about the same time the sewerman in the bosom of his own family was
taking loud and noisy sips from a big mug of tea.
“Don't you be surprised,” he said to his admiring better half, “if I
have to go up to the Old Bailey to give evidence.”
“Lord! Joe!” she said with interest, “what has happened!”
The sewer man filled his pipe and told the story with a wealth of
rambling detail. He gave particulars of the hour he had descended the
Victoria Street shaft, of what Bill Morgan had said to him as they were
going down, of what he had said to Harry Carter as they splashed along
the low-roofed tunnel, of how he had a funny feeling that he was going
to make a discovery, and so on and so forth until he reached his long
delayed climax.
T. X. waited up very late that night and at twelve o'clock his patience
was rewarded, for the Foreign Office messenger brought a telegram to
him. It was addressed to the Chief Secretary and ran:
“No. 847. Yours 63952 of yesterday's date. Begins. Hussein Effendi a
prosperous merchant of this city left for Italy to place his daughter in
convent Marie Theressa, Florence Hussein being Christian. He goes on to
Paris. Apply Ralli Theokritis et Cie., Rue de l'Opera. Ends.”
Half an hour later T. X. had a telephone connection through to Paris
and was instructing the British police agent in that city. He received a
further telephone report from Paris the next morning and one which
gave him infinite satisfaction. Very slowly but surely he was gathering
together the pieces of this baffling mystery and was fitting them
together. Hussein Effendi would probably supply the last missing
segments.
At eight o'clock that night the door opened and the man who represented
T. X. in Paris came in carrying a travelling ulster on his arm. T.
X. gave him a nod and then, as the newcomer stood with the door open,
obviously waiting for somebody to follow him, he said,
“Show him in--I will see him alone.”
There walked into his office, a tall man wearing a frock coat and a red
fez. He was a man from fifty-five to sixty, powerfully built, with a
grave dark face and a thin fringe of white beard. He salaamed as he
entered.
“You speak French, I believe,” said T. X. presently.
The other bowed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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