But Ayscough had already made for the door and within a moment was ushering in the new arrivals. And Purdie was quick to note that the Levendale who entered, a sheaf of morning papers in his hand, was a vastly different Levendale to the man he had seen nine hours before, dirty, unkempt, and worn out with weariness. The trim beard and mustache were hopelessly lost, and there were lines on Levendale's face which they concealed, but Levendale himself was now smartly groomed and carefully dressed, and business-like, and it was with the air of a man who means business that he strode into the room and threw a calm nod to the officials. "Now, Inspector," he said, going straight to the desk, while Stephen Purvis turned to his brother. "I see from the papers that you've all been much exercised about Mr. Purvis and myself--it just shows how a couple of men can disappear and give some trouble before they're found. But here we are!--and why we're here is because we're beaten--we took our own course in trying to find our own property--and we're done! We can do no more--and so we come to you." "You should have come here at first, Mr. Levendale," said the Inspector, a little sourly. "You'd have saved a lot of trouble--to yourselves as well as to us. But that's neither here nor there--I suppose you've something to tell us, sir?" "Before I tell you anything," replied Levendale, "I want to know something." He pointed to the morning papers which he had brought in. "These people," he said, "seem to have got hold of a lot of information--all got from you, of course. Now, we know what we're after--let's put it in a nutshell. A diamond--an orange-yellow diamond--worth eighty thousand pounds, the property of Mr. Stephen Purvis there. That's item one! But there's another. Eighty thousand pounds in bank-notes!--my property. Now--have any of you the least idea who's got the diamond and my money? Come!" There was a moment's silence. Then Ayscough spoke. "Not a definite idea, Mr. Levendale--as yet." "Then I'll tell you," said Levendale. "A Chinese fellow--one Chang Li. He's got them--both! And Stephen Purvis and I have been after him for all the days and nights since we disappeared--and we're beaten! Now you'll have to take it up--and I'd better tell you the plain truth about what's no doubt seemed a queer business from the first. Half-an-hour's talk now will save hours of explanation later on. So listen to me, all of you--I already see two gentlemen here, Mr. Killick, and Mr. Guyler, who in a certain fashion, can corroborate some particulars that I shall give you. Keep us free from interruption, if you please, while I tell you my story." Ayscough answered this request by going to the door and leaning against it, and Levendale took a chair by the side of the desk and looked round at an expectant audience.