"You have the advantage of me," he said. "I furnished Mr. Bolton a thousand men three months ago, but we have had no transactions since. I wish you good morning. I shall expect you to-night between nine o’clock and midnight." And he bowed me out. *CHAPTER V* *MISS KENDRICK’S PLEASURE* "I suppose it’s my uncle you want to see, so I’ll be going," said Miss Kendrick in her piquant voice. She had been reading as I was ushered into the library, and now stood, book in hand, in a graceful attitude of meditated flight. "If you please," I said, "it’s not your uncle I want to see. I want to ask a favor of you." "A favor? Of me? Well, I hope it has nothing to do with the Bellinger ball, for I’m trying to invent an excuse for not going." And Miss Kendrick tilted her nose and looked defiantly at me. "I had no idea such an atrocity was in contemplation," I said. "What I want is some advice." "Oh, how delightful!" cried Miss Kendrick, sinking into her chair and motioning me to a seat. "I always did dearly love to give advice. It’s such fun, for nobody ever follows it, and I can always tell them how much better things would have turned out if they had. But I never had anybody come and ask for it before." There was a sarcastic note in her piquant voice that made me wonder, after all, whether I liked it. "Now you are making sport of me," I said. "Not at all. I am quite serious, and shall listen with all my ears. Who is she, and what is the difficulty?" "_Cherchez la femme_--I see you have learned your proverbs. She’s a little heathen and I forgot to ask her name, and--" "You’re a heathen yourself, then. Why don’t you tell your story straight?" "You interrupted me. She’s a Chinese girl--" "Oh," cried Miss Kendrick, "I don’t want to criticize, but if she isn’t prettier than the ones I’ve seen, it’s due my conscience to tell you that I don’t admire your taste. And you might at least have inquired her name." "Good heavens!" I gasped. "It’s not a love affair." "How disappointing!" she sighed, with an affectation of addressing the bust of Homer that frowned from the top of the bookcase. "I thought he was going to be interesting. Well, if it isn’t a love affair, I don’t see what you want my advice for; but if you’ll have the goodness to explain the matter, I’ll do my best for you." Thereupon I told her the story of my morning’s adventure, or so much as concerned the Chinese maiden, and set forth the wish of Big Sam to have the girl in the hands of a white woman who would surrender her on demand. "Now, I’ve gone to three ladies I thought might be willing to undertake the charge," I concluded, "but they would hear nothing of it unless she was to be converted and stay with the whites, or with Christian Chinese. That is out of the question. I’m at the end of my list, and I’m looking for another; so I’ve come to you."