"Purvis and I got on that track--such as it was, at once. We went along to the East End there and then--before morning I had shaved off my beard and mustache, disguised myself in old clothes, and was beginning my work. First thing next morning I did two things--one was to cause a telegram to be sent from Spring Street to my butler explaining my probable absence; the other to secretly warn the Bank of England about the bank-notes. But I had no expectation that Chang Li would try to negotiate those--all his energies, I knew, would be concentrated on the diamond. Nevertheless, he might try--and would, if he tried--succeed--in changing one note, and it was as well to take that precaution. "Now then, next day, Purvis and I being, in our different ways, at work in the East End, we heard the news about the Praed Street tradesman, Parslett. That seemed to me remarkable proof of my theory. As the successive editions of the newspapers came out during that day, and next day, we learnt all about the Parslett affair. I saw through it at once. Parslett, being next-door neighbour to Daniel Multenius, had probably seen Chen Li--whom we now believed to have been the actual thief--slip away from Multenius's door, and, when the news of Daniel's death came out, had put two and two together, and, knowing where the Chinamen lived, had gone to the house in Maida Vale to blackmail them. I guessed what had happened then--Parslett, to quieten him for the moment, had been put off with fifty pounds in gold, and promised more--and he had also been skilfully poisoned in such a fashion that he would get safely away from the premises but die before he got home. And when he was safe away, Chang Li had murdered Chen Li, and made off. So--as I still think--all our theories were correct, and the only thing to do was to find Chang." But here Levendale paused, glanced at Stephen Purvis, and spread out his hands with a gesture which indicated failure and disappointment. His glance moved from Stephen Purvis to the police officials. "All no good!" he exclaimed. "It's useless to deny it. I have been in every Chinese den and haunt in East London--I'm certain that Chang Li is nowhere down there. I have spent money like water--employed Chinese and Easterns on whom I could depend--there isn't a trace of him! And so--we gave up last night. Purvis and I--baffled. We've come to you police people--" "You should have done that before, Mr. Levendale," said the Inspector severely. "You haven't given us much credit, I think, and if you'd told all this at first--" Before the Inspector could say more, a constable tapped at the door and put his head into the room. His eyes sought Ayscough. "There's a young gentleman--foreigner--asking for you, Mr. Ayscough," he said. "Wants to see you at once--name of Mr. Yada." CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE YADA TAKES CHARGE