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Harry and the Secret Service man were standing on the bulkhead.
"Have you learned anything?" demanded Old King Brady as the launch drew near.
"Not a thing, worse luck," replied Harry. "If ever there was a mystery it is this."
"It is certainly a bad job," replied the old detective, "but such as it is we must make the best of it. Let us wait for the opening up of these warehouses. Information of some sort may come from a quarter we least suspect."
Seven o'clock came, bringing with it the men connected with the warehouses.
Among them was the dock foreman, who demanded the Bradys' business.
He seemed slightly startled when he saw the Secret Service shield.
"Who is Volckman?" demanded the old detective, abruptly.
"I am Volckman," was the reply.
"What's your position here?"
"I am dock foreman."
"Which means that you have charge of the laborers?"
"Yes."
"Who is superintendent of these stores?"
"Mr. Renshaw."
"When is he due here?"
"Eight o'clock."
"Will he remain here right along after that?"
"Yes; all day."
"I want to see Mr. Renshaw. Tell him Old King Brady was speaking to you, and that he will return in about an hour."
The Bradys went away in their launch then, going to breakfast at the Palace Hotel, where they were staying.
The first thing Old King Brady did upon their arrival at the hotel was to call up Secret Service Commissioner Narraway and tell him of their partial success.
He did not mention Alice's disappearance nor the matter of the Chinese princess, leaving these things to be communicated by word of mouth later on when, it was to be hoped, he would understand them better himself.
Breakfast over, the Bradys lost no time in keeping their appointment with Mr. Renshaw, who proved to be a civil, intelligent gentleman.
Old King Brady at once explained the whole situation.
"This certainly seems to be a serious piece of business," said Mr. Renshaw after hearing the old detective through. "I can't understand what brought these Chinamen here or how they came to use Mr. Volckman's name. Is there no possibility of Miss Montgomery being mistaken?"
"I don't think so. Her knowledge of Chinese is excellent."
"And her disappearance a serious matter for you, I realize. I can't imagine that she and this singular box can have been taken into any of our warehouses."
"You have perfect confidence in Volckman?"
"Always have had. Would you like to question him? I will send for him if you wish."
"No; I think not. I certainly do suspect the man of being mixed up in this business, but it will do no good to make him aware of it; still I should like to be given the opportunity to search these warehouses in every part."
"And so you shall. I will go with you myself. If there is any crooked work going on here I want to know it."
The search was made accordingly, but nothing came of it.
"Listen, Mr. Renshaw," said the old detective as they were about to part. "To-day a laboring man will apply for work at this office. He wants to be hired and given a job, which will enable him to watch Volckman."
"I understand," was the reply, "and so it shall be."
And so it was. Secret Service man Leggett, an excellent detective in his way, was the person selected, but three days passed, and at the end of that time he had nothing to report.
Nor had a word been heard of Alice.
This time her disappearance seemed to be a serious matter.
The Bradys exhausted every effort to find her, but in vain.
CHAPTER III
LUNG & LUNG
It is needless to dwell upon the anxiety of the Bradys over the strange vanishing of their accomplished partner.
They were otherwise very seriously inconvenienced.
The Secret Service people, satisfied with the very valuable haul the detectives had made in the line of smuggled opium, now called them off.
The Bradys are not regular Secret Service men.
They have, however, an arrangement with the Government under which their services can be claimed at any time.
The day after Alice's disappearance Old King Brady was notified by Mr. Narraway that the regular force would finish up the matter, inasmuch as he felt satisfied that the heavy loss they had sustained must have bankrupted the smugglers.
Thus under ordinary circumstances the detectives would have made haste to cross the continent and get back to their own business in New York.
As it was, they had no idea of leaving San Francisco yet awhile, of course.
Each day was devoted to the search for Alice.
Even the police took a hand in the game, much as Old King Brady dislikes to have them mix up in his affairs, but as we have said before, it was all in vain.
On the morning of the fourth day before the Bradys had yet left the hotel, a page announced that a Chinaman wished to speak to the old detective, and at the same time he handed in a business card printed in English on one side, and in Chinese on the other.
The English side read thus:
LUNG & LUNG,
General Importers,
1015 Dupont Street,
San Francisco, Cal.
Ah Lung
Gee Lung
Wun Lung.
"The whole Lung family," remarked the old detective, looking at the card. "Show the man up."
It proved to be Ah Lung who came.
He was a very much Americanized proposition, California born and college educated.
In short, both in dress, intelligence and manner he was as perfect a specimen of a Chinese gentleman as the Bradys had ever seen.
Before proceeding further we must pause to explain that while the Bradys through their influence had been able to keep the matter of Alice's disappearance and the boxed-up princess off the police blotter, and so out of the papers, it was an open secret among the force.
Consequently it was no surprise to the detectives to have this Chinaman at once allude to it.
"Mr. Brady," he began, "I want you if you will to take up an important matter for our firm, which you will find upon investigation, if you are not already aware of it, stands high in San Francisco commercial circles."
Old King Brady had heard of the firm of Lung & Lung, and said so. He doubted, however, if he cared to take up a case for them.
"It is work you are already engaged in," replied Ah Lung quickly. "It concerns the Chinese princess, Skeep Hup, who disappeared along with your Miss Montgomery the other day."
"What do you know about that?" demanded Old King Brady, "and who told you?"
"My information comes through my cousin, who is interpreter at police headquarters," replied Ah Lung. "I am prepared to tell you what I know of the Chinese princess. I suppose the information will interest you in any case."
"It certainly will," said the old detective. "Fire away, Mr. Lung. This puts altogether a different face on the matter."
"It is this way," continued Ah Lung. "I have had frequent occasion in the course of business to visit China, and, being a merchant,