Chinese -- England -- Fiction; Detective and mystery stories; Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction
"Yes. But I can't understand, how she intended to reckon with Mr. Burgh,
who is not an easy person to deal with. Well Rupert, when she found that
I would not marry Mr. Burgh, she tried to get a new will made. She did
not succeed for a long time. Meanwhile, she heard about the fan and
wrote to Lo-Keong. When she saw the advertisement she was alarmed,
thinking Aunt Sophia would be killed before the new will was made.
Luckily for her, she overheard about our secret marriage and told Aunt
Sophia, who made a new will, and who intended, after the ball, to turn
me out of the house."
"But your aunt was so kind to you at that time."
"So as to make things harder for me," said Olivia sadly, "poor Aunt
Sophia, she was quite under the thumb of Miss Pewsey, who really did
hypnotise her--at least she confessed she had power over her in the
confession. But I don't think it was difficult to get Aunt Sophia to
alter her will, seeing she hated you so, and could not bear to think
that the five hundred a year, should go to the son of the man, she
thought, had scorned her."
"That was not true: my father--"
"Yes! Yes! I know. Don't talk too much, Rupert you are weak yet. But let
me go on," added Olivia, passing her hand over her husband's forehead.
"Well then, when the new will was made, Miss Pewsey let Tung-yu know
that Aunt Sophia would have the fan at the ball. She didn't know whether
Tung-yu or Hwei was to kill the possessor of the fan, and when she
learned that Aunt Sophia was to sell the fan next day, she was very
angry."
"Why. With her influence she could have got the money."
"Not all to herself, and besides she wanted the five hundred a year, and
Aunt Sophia out of the way. Moreover, that scarf I knitted for you gave
her a chance of throwing the blame on you. She got Clarence to get it,
and then lured Miss Wharf--my aunt--to the steps where she strangled
her."
"Yes. Burgh told me. I know the rest. Her nephew made her give up the
fan, learned the secret, and stole the packet. Then he made his aunt
take it to Penter's Alley."
Olivia nodded. "And Miss Pewsey thought she would get the money, as
Burgh said it was Tung-yu's hour."
"So it was. He spoke truly enough, although he didn't risk giving up the
packet himself. Well."
"But Tung-yu killed Miss Pewsey after all. She asked twenty thousand
pounds and refused to give it for less. Clarence Burgh who had come up
with her, came into the room with Hwei, who saw the packet pass, but
could not interfere."
"Because it wasn't his hour."
"Yes. And all would have been well, had not Tung-yu suddenly disobeyed
the god Kwang-ho's commands and stabbed Miss Pewsey. Of course, Hwei was
released from his oath by this act and tried to get the packet. But
Clarence Burgh snatched it from both and ran away. Tung-yu went after
him, and then Hwei followed, after wiping the knife. Then--"
"I know the rest. I got the packet from Burgh."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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