Dain awaiting Williard Lyall's arrival

It was not until nearly ten o'clock that evening that Valmon Dain completed his preparation for the reception of Willard Lyall.

 He had been working steadily through the afternoon in his workshop out at Hendon. It was a fairly large room, high and airy and was built on to the main building as a sort of an annexe with wide benches on three sides. The bench at the top end was fitted out essentially as a chemical laboratory. Back at the other end, against the door were his writing desk and technical library for Valmon Dain recorded the results of each tiny phase of an experiment as he arrived at it. There were ten great shelves of monumentally scientific times, each a standard work of reference on some aspect of Dain's own activities. In front of them was his desk----a roll top.

 Dain was sitting at it, writing ; the clock hands neared the hour of ten. His pen jotted neatly over the letter-card.

    "TO THE CHIEF COMMISSIONER,