ash-tray. He lighted a match. There was a puff and a little cloud
of smoke.

"Ah," he exclaimed, "black gunpowder. Our absintheur was a bomb-
maker, an expert perhaps. Let me see. I imagine he was making an
explosive bomb, ingeniously contrived of five glass tubes. The
centre one, I venture, contained sulphuric acid and chlorate of
potash separated by a close-packed wad of cotton wool. Then the
two tubes on each side probably contained the powder, and perhaps
the outside tubes were filled with spirits of turpentine. When it
is placed in position, it is so arranged that the acid in the
center tube is uppermost and will thus gradually soak through the
cotton wool and cause great heat and an explosion by contact with
the potash. That would ignite the powder in the next tubes, and
that would scatter the blazing turpentine, causing a terrific
explosion and a widespread fire. With an imperative idea of
vengeance, such as that manuscript discloses, either for his own
wrongs as an artist or for the fancied wrongs of the people, what
may this absintheur not be planning now? He has disappeared, but
perhaps he may be more dangerous if found than if lost."




VIII

THE MUMMY CASE


The horrible thought occurred to me that perhaps he was not alone.