"I am!"

"This is attributable to two things. Those who sought to recover
what I had in the case feared that my death en route might result
in its being lost to them for ever. They awaited a suitable
opportunity. They had designed to take it at Port Said certainly,
I think; but the bag was too large to be readily concealed, and,
after the outrage, might have led to the discovery of the culprit.
In the second place, they are uncertain of my faith. I have long
passed for a true Believer in the East! As a Moslem I visited
Mecca--"

"You visited Mecca!"

"I had just returned from the hadj when I joined the Mandalay at
Port Said! My death, however, has been determined upon, whether
I be Moslem or Christian!"

"Why?"

"Because," came the Professor's harsh voice over the telephone, "of
the contents of the brown leather case! I will not divulge to you
now the nature of these contents; to know might endanger you. But
the case is locked in my safe here, and the key, together with a
full statement of the true facts of the matter, is hidden behind
the first edition copy of my book 'Assyrian Mythology,' in the
smaller bookcase--"

"Why do you tell me all this?" I interrupted.