Chinese -- England -- Fiction; Detective and mystery stories; Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction
With Pastor, the solicitor of the deceased lady, came Clarence
Burgh and Dr. Forge. Lady Jabe, more manly than ever, appeared
with Chris Walker, who had taken a holiday on purpose to hear
the will read, and Lady Jabe explained this to Miss Pewsey in a
whisper. "I know that poor Sophia wished Chris to marry Olivia,"
she said, "so I thought the will might state that the money
would be left to her on such a condition. I therefore made Chris
ask for a holiday, so that he might hear of his good fortune."
"Let us hope it will come," aid Miss Pewsey, dryly, "but fortune
or no fortune, Olivia will stick to young Ainsleigh."
"He is a nice young man, but poor."
"Chris is poor also. Yet you want him to marry Olivia."
"I think Chris has a better character than young Ainsleigh, who
looks as though he has a will of his own. Now Chris has none. I
have broken it, and Olivia as Mrs. Walker, can order him about
like a slave. I hope Sophia has made the will as I wished."
"You'll hear in a minute. For my part," added Miss Pewsey in her
spiteful way, "I hope Sophia has left the money to Olivia, on
condition that she marries Clarence, and keeps him at home."
"And keeps him on the income," corrected Lady Jabe, who did not
at all approve of this speech. "No man should live on his wife."
"You propose that Chris should do so."
"Indeed no. He earns quite a good salary at the office, and I
could live with the young couple to prevent waste."
"I am quite sure you would," said Miss Pewsey, "if you get the
money."
Lady Jabe would have made a sharp reply, as Miss Wharf being
dead, she was under no obligation to curry favour with Miss
Pewsey. But at that moment she saw Chris talking to Olivia, and
as the girl seemed deeply interested, she pointed out the two
with her cane. "I see Chris is losing no time," she murmured,
"such a lover as he is."
But had she heard Chris talking, she would not have been so
happy. The young man was simply replying to a question put by
Olivia, as to the whereabouts of Tung-yu. "I really don't know
where he is, Miss Rayner," said Chris, earnestly. "There was a
police-officer at our place the other day inquiring. But Tung-yu
has not been near Kum-gum Li's since I took him to the ball. I
believe he asked me to get him an invitation so that he might
kill your aunt."
"Does Kum-gum Li know anything about him," asked Olivia.
"No. He came with a letter of introduction from a mandarin----"
"Lo-Keong?"
"No. That is not the name--let me see--the Mandarin, Hop
Sing----"
"Ah," said Forge, who was listening, "Lo-Keong's rival."
"I never knew that. But Kum-gum Li gave Tung-yu a place as extra
clerk when he received the letter. He knows nothing more than
what the letter explained."
"And what did it explain?" asked Forge with sudden interest.
"I can't tell you," replied Chris coldly, "I am not in the
confidence of my employer, and if I were," he added fixing an
indignant eye on the sardonic face of the doctor, "I should say
nothing."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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