"Oh, quite clear!" Megan suddenly began to laugh, and her laughter, though low and suppressed, forced tears from her eyes. "But how conventional you are! Yes, you are even willing, as you once said of my generosity, to be conventional at any one's expense." Megan's laughter was ready to burst into tears. "Oh, oh, I am so disappointed in you!" she cried. "If you had done away with her for any other reason. But to have done it through cowardice, yes, cowardice, and such a paltry cowardice at that. Because you weren't even really afraid. You just couldn't stand to see Mah-li forget her place in the world. How horrible! Nothing could be more horrible! I am ashamed for you!" A sudden knock on the door silenced her. [Illustration: Chapter XXIII headpiece] CHAPTER XXIII Mr. Shultz called from the window, "What's that?" The door opened and a gray-clad officer stepped in. He held on to the door-knob and, swaying a little, looked wildly from face to face. Then his eyes fixed themselves on the General. He began to talk in a high-pitched steady stream of Chinese. Mr. Shultz came over to the table and stood behind the General's chair. The General asked a few questions. The officer answered. Mr. Shultz, in an effort to understand, puckered his mouth and knitted his forehead. One statement struck him like a blow. "Hell," he exclaimed and his face grew dark red. The officer stopped on a high note like a wail and stood breathing heavily with his mouth open. The General nodded to him. He went out. Megan looked from one to the other, aware that something had gone wrong, but aware also that it did not matter much now what it was. The General, sitting back in his chair, looked up at the ceiling. Mr. Shultz stood beside him, heavy but alert. "I had a hunch," he said, "that something like this would happen. That first boy that came to bring us the news was all wrong. I saw it in his eye. I never disregard a hunch but I don't regret it." "What is wrong?" said Megan. But no one answered her. "We'll have to do a lot of high-speed thinking now," said Mr. Shultz. "You've got the brains, General, I leave it to you." Mr. Shultz went over to the window and leaned out into the dark court listening to the stillness of the yamen. He came back. "The place is deserted," he said. "They're all gone. I can feel it." "Then it is useless for you to stay," said the General. "The sooner you leave, I should say, the better." "What is the matter?" Megan repeated more insistently. Mr. Shultz looked at her as though he had forgotten her, but answered pleasantly.