It was I who identified the body, and as many people will know,
in spite of the closest inquiries, the mystery of Adderley's
death has not been properly cleared up to this day. The identity
of the lady who visited him at his chambers was never discovered.
She completely disappeared.
The ebony and ivory casket lies on my table at this present
moment, visible evidence of an invisible menace from which
Adderley had fled around the world.
Doubtless the truth will never be known now. A significant
discovery, however, was made some days after the recovery of
Adderley's body.
From the bottom of the pond in St. James's Park a patient
Scotland Yard official brought up the gold nail-case with its
mysterious engravings--and it contained, torn at the root, the
incredibly long finger-nail of the Mandarin Quong!
THE KEY OF THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN
I
THE KEEPER OF THE KEY
The note of a silver bell quivered musically through the scented
air of the ante-room. Madame de Medici stirred slightly upon the
divan with its many silken cushions, turning her head toward the
closed door with the languorous, almost insolent, indifference
which one perceives in the movements of a tigress.
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