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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