It was the first thing I saw that night as I swung into my chambers. Fact is, for the moment, it was the only thing I saw. Somehow, its splash of yellow there under the shaded lamp seemed to catch my eye and hold it. I screwed my glass tight and examined the thing with interest. Nothing remarkable; just a tiny, oblong package, bearing curious foreign markings, its wrapper plainly addressed to me, but- "By Jove From China " I ejaculated. Somebody in far-off China sending me a present, with duties and charges prepaid evidently. What the deuce was it? I shook it without getting any revelation; then I weighed it in my hand.