Hilmi Bey bowed us out, his smirk more tigerish than ever. It seemed to us that he had a perfect right to enjoy our departure. We felt that we had come off distinctly second-best.  
"Score for them," remarked Hugh, as we shook the dust of the Rue Midhat Pasha from our shoes. "We're chivvied, dished."
 
"They won't do it," I objected. "And if they did, it wouldn't get them anywhere."
 
"You're right," assented Hugh. "But there's the delay. This is expensive, Jack, and we can't hang on forever. If we could wear them out, why—"
 
"You are both wrong!" exclaimed Nikka energetically. "You must remember that you are in Constantinople. Things don't happen here as they do in Europe."
 
"Constantinople is in Europe," I objected—and promptly felt like the fool the remark demonstrated me to be.
 
Nikka favored me with a withering glance of contempt.
 
"We are not talking in terms of geography, but of human nature," he said. "This is the Orient. You ought to realize that, Jack, after what you have seen with me. And in the Orient, and especially in Turkey, such a graft deal as Hilyer made with Mahkouf Pasha would not excite any interest, much less condemnation. It's the regular thing."
 
"You forget the Allied High Commissioners," interjected King.
 
"No, I don't. They can go only just so far. Their position is delicate enough, without imperiling their prestige by interfering in what would be strictly a question of Turkish internal government. They'd know that a windfall such as this treasure would be used simply to further Pan-Islamic intrigue and bolster the coffers of the Nationalist Government at Angora. But for that very reason they wouldn't be able to interfere. I tell you, it would be the height of bad luck for us if the struggle for the treasure took on a political tinge. It would be fatal. We might as well pack up, and go home."
 
"Guess you're right," assented Hugh thoughtfully. "It looks as though we were pocketed.'
 
"What puzzles me is why they didn't try something like this before," continued Nikka. "I fancy they wanted to be very sure of their man first."
 
"Surely, they won't have told him!" protested King.
 
"Who? Mahkouf? Oh, no. They're too wise. No. they've simply explained to him the general proposition and arranged tentative terms. They won't trust him any farther than they have to."
 
"Is it your idea that we've got to accept their offer?" asked Hugh.
 
"It's my idea that we've got to use our wits, and act quickly," said Nikka.
 
"But you can't trust them," I cried. "Hélène as much as told you so. We'd get the stuff out—"
 
"If it's there," Hugh reminded me.
 
"—if it's there, then, and they would think nothing of jumping us, either by force or by some damned trick."
 
"They might even stage a fake hold-up on the part of a Government agency," Nikka added cheerfully.
 
"In plain language, their proposition is: heads we win tails you lose," said Hugh.
 
"Yes, supposing you permit them to take the lead from your hands," agreed Nikka. "However, I am reminded of a memorable address I was once privileged to listen to as a soldier of the Legion. A general named Foch read us a citation, and then told us how to go on winning more. 'I have noticed,' he said, 'that it is the soldier who attacks who wins battles. The initiative is the price of victory. Never permit your foe to assume the initiative. Attack! Always attack!'"
 
"True," assented Hugh. "And we've been able to stall their gang so far by taking the initiative."
 
"But if we can't?" inquired King. "Optimism is all right, but—"
 
"Optimism is all we've got," interrupted Nikka. "We have our backs to the wall. This is the time to fight, if fighting will get us anywhere."
 
"If it will!" echoed Hugh.
 
"That's what we have to decide," said Nikka. "You can't work out a problem like this in the street."
 
We walked the remainder of the distance to the hotel at a breakneck gait. As we entered the lobby one of the clerks came from the office and accosted Hugh.
 
"Your messenger would not wait, milord," he said. "Mees King had not returned. Indeed, she has not yet returned."
 
"My messenger?" repeated Hugh, with a startled look at us.
 
"Yes, milord. He said he must see her. When I told heem she had gone out he left your letter for her, weeth instructions that I present it so soon as she came in."
 
Hugh's face creased into grim lines.
 
"Very well. As long as she has not yet returned, I will take it back."
 
The clerk went to the mail-desk, and plucked an envelope from Betty's letter-box. Hugh thanked him, and turned it over in his hand. It was addressed in an extraordinarily scrawling hand to "Miss King." In the lower left-hand corner was written: "By messenger."
 
"But it looks nothing like your handwriting," exclaimed King. "I am at a loss to comprehend how persons so adroit as our opponents have demonstrated themselves to be could hope to secure success by means of such a shallow trick."
 
"We'll see," returned Hugh brusquely, slitting the envelope. "I have a notion this is the other ace Hilyer bragged about."
 
The envelope held a single sheet of paper. On it was written in the same scrawling hand:
 
 
 
"Dear Bet:
 
"I've broken my arm, which explains this abominable writing. I never could do anything with my left hand. Don't worry, I shall be fit in no time. Can you come with the bearer, or if that is not convenient, with Watkins, to the house in Sokaki Masyeri? It's important. Can't write any more.
 
"HUGH."
 
"P.S. The others are all right. The bearer can't wait."
 
 
 
"Can you beat that!" I gasped.
 
"Exceedingly ingenious," murmured King. "Dear me, how fortunate it was that we returned when we did."
 
"We mustn't leave anything to chance, though," said Nikka quickly: "You can't tell what other steps they may have taken to trap her. We had better go down to the dock at once."
 
Hugh glanced at the clock.
 
"Yes, she'd hardly be back yet," he muttered. "One moment. I'll leave word at the desk that she is not to go out, no matter what message she may receive, until we return."
 
He rejoined us at the door, and we all entered a taxi which Nikka had impounded. Nobody said anything, but while we were jolting into Galata Hugh produced his automatic, and make sure it contained a full clip. At the dock there was no sign of the Curlew, and the late afternoon sunlight failed to reveal her stubby little hull amongst the shipping in the Golden Horn. None of the dock attendants had seen the launch or anything of Betty or Watkins since we had waved good-by to them before three o'clock.
 
We waited a while, thinking they might show up, but after six o'clock King became nervous and persuaded us to return to the hotel. There, too, there was no word of them, and we began to worry in earnest. Dusk was coming on rapidly, and it was not like Betty to protract her cruise so late, although she was fully capable of navigating after dark, with the help of Watkins, or, for that matter, without his help.
 
We taxied to the dock a second time. The Curlew was nowhere to be seen.
 
"Perhaps it would be advisable to hire a boat and search for them in the Marmora," suggested King. "Their engine may have broken down."
 
"We had better not split our forces," Nikka objected.
 
"Engine trouble would never bother Betty," Hugh said. "Still, I don't like it."
 
"We are probably worrying about nothing," I said. "After all, it was a blessing in disguise that she stayed out so late. It insured against her being caught by that note in case we hadn't intercepted it."
 
"I'm not interested in 'if,' and 'had,'" snapped Hugh. "I don't like this delay. Those devils of Toutou's are capab............