I was now feeling as strong as I ever had. My energy—both physical and mental—had returned. I now faced my suspicions squarely. Something mysterious was going on. Someone had attempted if not to kill me to harm me and when I thought of what had happened to Sylvester I believed that the same method was being used on me. Sylvester had died—whether as a result of these methods or not I could not be entirely sure, but if he had been poisoned however mildly this could not have done him any good.

He had had violent dreams. He had seen the Mask of Death.

And so had I.

I had been awakened from my sleep by it. I now believed that I had been awake when I saw it, and if this was the case then I must have seen someone.

I was going to discover.

The next day I feigned listlessness and retired to my bed. I spent two hours there watching, ready to leap from my bed at the moment the apparition appeared. Nothing happened. The next day I tried it again.

Just as I was beginning to despair I fancied I heard a faint movement. I was tense, watchful, my eyes on the door. Then I saw it move… quietly, slowly. The face was in the doorway glaring at me from the gloom.

I leaped out of bed. The door shut but I was there in a matter of seconds.

I opened the door. There was nothing in the corridor. I ran to the stairs. I was just in time to see a flash of red on the curve of the staircase.

I started down… but as I got to the curve the staircase was empty.

I went on down. I was in the hall and there was no sign of an apparition.

Still, I had proved something. It did not vanish as such an apparition might be expected to. It had to run to get away.

Somewhere down here someone who had masqueraded as this thing must be hiding. I was going to search until I found out.

There were four doors through which it could have passed. I hesitated. Then I opened one door and went in.

The room appeared to be empty. I looked in the alcove, behind the draperies. Nothing.

Hastily I went from room to room. All were empty and silent.

I stood in the hall and once more the silence of the house enveloped me. Apprehension swept over me.

I knew that I would be doubly vulnerable now. Someone was threatening me, perhaps threatening my life. This person was a murderer. He had intended to kill me slowly presumably to divert suspicion. But now I had betrayed the fact that I was suspicious. I had been lying in wait and had just not been quick enough to seize the dragon to pull off his disguise and expose him.

I had shown that I was ready, waiting.


* * *

The lanterns were lighted in several of the rooms. It was dark now. The house took on a different character with the fading light. At such times it seemed very quiet indeed, when a distant sound would startle one.

I had promised myself that by day I would examine those four rooms which led from the hall. It must have been in one of these that someone masquerading under the dragon’s robe had entered.

The lanterns were lighted as they always were in these lower rooms, but even so the light was dim. I looked round the room. Where could the masquerader have gone to? Could he have hidden in one room while I looked into another? How could he have slipped away? He had his costume to dispose of.

These were the rooms with the paneled walls. The lantern threw a dim light on the paneling which was not what one would have expected to find in a Chinese house.

I examined the paneling. There had been something like it at Roland’s Croft. And then suddenly as I stood there my heart leaped in excitement, for protruding from the panel was a tiny fragment of red cloth.

I stooped and examined it. I tried to pull at it but I could not budge it. Then I saw that it was wedged in the wall.

My heart began to beat very fast. I ran to the door and closed it.

I went over to that fragment of protruding cloth.

I should call someone and tell them what I had found.

Tell whom? Joliffe. But to tell Joliffe… I was horrified, for I was ranging myself against Joliffe. I had to face all the facts if I were going to discover what was going on. I had to stand outside my love for him. I had to be reasonable. I had to listen to logic.

I went to the wall. I took the material in my hand. There was very little of it. I tried to pull it out.

As I did so the gap in the paneling widened.

There was enough space now for me to get my fingers in and I pulled.

Very slowly the panel was drawn back and I was looking straight into that evil face.

I drew back gasping. The thing seemed to sway towards me.

Then I saw that it was a robe with a hood and on this hood was painted the face which had frightened me. The Mask of Death—luminous paint that shone in the dark. An evil expression which lingered long in the mind.

“You idiot!” I said aloud. “It’s a robe of some sort, the sort they wear for processions. Somebody who knew of this secret place has been using it.”

I forced myself to go right up to that yawning cavity to look the Mask of Death straight in the face. I touched the red cloth. That was all it was. And it was hung on a nail with the face showing so that a quick glance made it seem like a living image.

Inside that cavity was a musty smell. As far as I could see it was like a large cupboard. I could have stepped inside but I was not going to.

Nothing, I thought, would induce me. I had a horrible feeling that if I did the doors would close on me forever.

I ran out of the room calling: “Joliffe…”

There was no answer. This was the hour when the house was quiet.

I returned to the paneled room and waited. I was not going to leave it until someone else had seen that open cavity. I had a notion that if I did it would be closed and there would be no sign of it. They would think I was having hallucinations again.

I was glad when Adam called.

I brought him straight into the room. He stared at the cavity in amazement.

“How did you discover it? To think it’s been there all this time!”

He stepped into the cavity and I followed him.

It was about six feet square.

“A sort of cupboard,” said Adam disappointed.

“Look at the lantern up there,” he said. “Quite a fine one.”

“That makes six hundred and one,” I said.

“Ah yes, we never got farther than that. This is an exciting discovery, Jane.”

“You had no idea that it was here?”

“If I had I would have explored it.”

“I think someone in the house knew.”

“Why?”

“Because I saw a piece of cloth protruding. It was not there a few days ago. That’s how I discovered it. Someone may have gone in hastily and come out hastily too, leaving a piece of the cloth of one of these garments betraying the secret.”

“Who?” asked Adam in a bewildered way.

I looked at him steadily; his face seemed expressionless in the dim light from the lantern.

“It’s interesting,” he said. “There may be other such cubbyholes in the house. These paneled rooms would be ideal for hiding such places. I wonder if there are.”

His face was impassive. One never knew what Adam was thinking. Watching him I asked myself: Did he know before? Was he the one who took the robe out and used it to frighten me? Was it Adam of whom I had caught a glimpse when I ran out of my bedroom?

“We’ll have to have a thorough examination of these lower rooms,” he said. “I think that’s Joliffe.”

It was. He called him.

“Look what I’ve discovered,” I cried.

“Good God!” cried Joliffe. “A secret panel. What’s in there? Nothing!”

I watched him closely as he stepped inside. How suspicious I was! What were his feelings? How much of his surprise was pretense?

“Another of them,” he said with a grimace. “What a find! And you discovered it, clever Jane!”

And I looked from one to the other and I thought: One of you perhaps is putting up a game of pretense. One of you perhaps knew of the existence of this place. One of you took the robe and came to my room because you wanted to delude me into thinking I was ill enough to imagine I saw what was not there. Hallucinations… the kind of visions people have when they are very sick or going mad.

I am afraid, I thought. I am threatened. But I am stronger than I was because now I know that I am in danger. I know that I must be watchful because someone who wants to be rid of me is under this roof.


* * *

Love is the betrayer and I loved Joliffe. Perhaps he was trying to kill me. I was not sure. Perhaps he wanted to share my fortune with someone else. I could entertain such fears; and yet I loved him.

I said to myself: I must watch him. I must discover why he really goes so much to Chan Cho Lan. I must understand whether he is trying to poison me.

Yet when he was near me I forgot everything but the intense joy of loving and being loved by Joliffe. My love and my fears were like two separate emotions. I couldn’t understand myself, but when we were alone together I trusted him completely.

We lay in our bed and it was early morning and not yet light. I had awakened suddenly and this was, I think, because Joliffe was awake too.

“Jane,” he said quietly. “What is it?”

“Joliffe,” I replied, and the words seemed to rush out involuntarily, “I have such fears… They come to me sometimes…”

“You should tell me. You should always tell me.”