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Page 55
THE LIGHT OF EL-MEDINEH
Bristol and I walked slowly in the direction of the entrance of the
British Antiquarian Museum. It was the day following upon the
sensational scene in my chambers.
"There's very little doubt," said Bristol, "that Earl Dexter has
the slipper and that Hassan of Aleppo knows where Dexter is in
hiding. I don't know which of the two is more elusive. Hassan
apparently melted into thin air yesterday; and although The Stetson
Man has never within my experience employed disguises, no one has
set eyes upon him since the night that he vanished from his lodgings
off the Waterloo Road. It's always possible for a man to baffle
the police by remaining closely within doors, but during all the
time that has elapsed Dexter must have taken a little exercise
occasionally, and the missing hand should have betrayed him."
"The wonder to me is," I replied, "that he has escaped death at the
hands of the Hashishin. He is a supremely daring man, for I should
think that he must be carrying the slipper of the Prophet about
with him!"
"I would rather he did it than I!" commented Bristol. "For sheer
audacity commend me to The Stetson Man! His idea no doubt was to
use you as intermediary in his negotiations with the Museum
authorities, but that plan failing, he has written them direct,
thoughtfully omitting his address, of course!"
We were, in fact, at that moment bound for the Museum to inspect
this latest piece of evidence.
"The crowning example of the man's audacity and cleverness," added
my companion, "is his having actually approached Hassan of Aleppo
with a similar proposition! How did he get in touch with him? All
Scotland Yard has failed to find any trace of that weird character!"
"Birds of a feather--" I suggested.
"But they are not birds of a feather!" cried Bristol. "On your own
showing, Hassan of Aleppo is simply waiting his opportunity to
balance Dexter's account forever! I always knew Dexter was a clever
man; I begin to think he's the most daring genius alive!"
We mounted the steps of the Museum. In the hallway Mostyn, the
curator, awaited us. Having greeted Bristol and myself he led the
way to his private office, and from a pigeon-hole in his desk took
out a letter typewritten upon a sheet of quarto paper.
Bristol spread it out upon the blotting pad and we bent over it
curiously.
SIR--
I believe I can supply information concerning the whereabouts of
the missing slipper of Mohammed. As any inquiry of this nature
must be extremely perilous to the inquirer and as the relic is a
priceless one, my fee would be 10,000 pounds. The fanatics who
seek to restore the slipper to the East must not know of any
negotiations, therefore I omit my address, but will communicate
further if you care to insert instructions in the agony column
of Times.
Faithfully,
EARL DEXTER
Bristol laughed grimly.
"It's a daring game," he said; "a piece of barefaced impudence quite
characteristic.
"He's posing as a sort of private detective now, and is prepared for
a trifling consideration to return the slipper which he stole
himself! He must know, though, that we have his severed hand at
the Yard to be used in evidence against him."
"Is the Burton Room open to the public again?" I asked Mostyn.
"It is open, yes," he replied, "and a quite unusual number of
visitors come daily to gaze at the empty case which once held the
slipper of the Prophet."
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