Chinese -- England -- Fiction; Detective and mystery stories; Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction
They both laughed at the idea, and then Rupert lighted the
match. It was distinctly nervous work however, and Olivia
started back, as her husband set the joss stick fizzling. She
was leaning forward in the chair with her dark head nearly
touching his fair hair. The joss stick smoked slowly and a queer
odour diffused itself though the room. Olivia sniffed. "Rupert,"
she said positively, "it's the same scent as was on that letter
of Tung-yu's."
"And of Lo-Keong also," said Rupert watching the thick bluish smoke,
which now began to curl up from the joss stick, "apparently the
Mandarin uses the perfume as a kind of clue, or perhaps it is a
special scent dedicated to this private god of his. I shall never
understand Chinamen and I'm very sure I don't want too. Olivia, hold
the stick while I wave the fan in the smoke."
Being now assured that the smoke was proceeding from a harmless
article, Mrs. Ainsleigh took the stick and held it lightly,
while her husband gravely waved the out-spread fan in the thick
smoke. The joss stick fizzled and burned and gave out its queer
smell, which made both slightly dizzy. Every now and then,
Rupert looked at the enamelled side of the fan, where Tung-yu
said that a picture would appear. There certainly did seem
something scrawled on the smooth green sticks, and a blurred
outline revealed itself. For quite ten minutes Ainsleigh
continued waving, until the joss stick burnt down nearly to the
root. Then he looked again, Olivia placed the still fizzling
joss stick in the fender, and peered over his shoulder. She
uttered a cry when she saw the black outline of the picture, and
Rupert nearly echoed it. They were looking at a drawing of the
cloisters.
Yes--there were the cloisters of Royabay Abbey taken, as by a
camera, from the archway. The architecture was clear enough, and
the trees also. But the picture was merely evanescent, for as
the fan grew cold again the outlines vanished. However, they
knew that the hiding place of the presumed papers, was within
the cloisters of Royabay--but in what spot. Rupert laid down the
fan and propounded the problem to his wife. "The indications
would be more exact."
"Yes," replied Olivia thoughtfully, and picked up the fan, "I
suppose you are right, Rupert. It must have been Hwei who came
to the Abbey on the night my aunt was killed and dropped the
joss stick. Perhaps he came to see if he could find the hiding
place, without the aid of the fan."
"No," said Rupert, "Hwei is the servant of Lo-Keong, and
probably knew of the hiding place; whereas Tung-yu, who served
Hop Sing wanted the fan to learn about it. I expect had Tung-yu
bought the fan, he would have come here and found the papers and
then have cleared out to China to place them in his master's
hands and ruin Lo-Keong."
"Are you sure there are papers hidden?" said Olivia, fingering
the beads dangling from the thick yellow cord.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account