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diff --git a/old/53997-0.txt b/old/53997-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 0d588b6..0000000 --- a/old/53997-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10936 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Hills of Han, by Samuel Merwin - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Hills of Han - A Romantic Incident - -Author: Samuel Merwin - -Illustrator: Walt Louderback - -Release Date: January 18, 2017 [EBook #53997] -Last Updated: May 5, 2018 - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HILLS OF HAN *** - - - - -Produced by David Widger from page images generously -provided by the Internet Archive - - - - - - - -HILLS OF HAN - -A Romantic Incident - -By Samuel Merwin - -Illustrated by Walt Louderback - -Indianapolis - -The Bobbs. Merrill Company Publishers - -1919 - -[Illustration: 0001] - -[Illustration: 0010] - -[Illustration: 0011] - - - - Hills of Han, - - Slumber on! The sunlight, dying, - - Lingers on your terraced tops; - - Yellow stream and willow sighing, - - Field of twice ten thousand crops - - Breathe their misty lullabying, - - Breathe a life that nei'er stops. - - - Spin your chart of ancient wonder, - - Fold your hands within your sleeve, - - Live and let live, work and ponder, - - Be tradition, dream, believe... - - So abides your ancient plan, - - Hills of Han! - - Hills of Han, - - What's this filament goes leaping - - Pole to pole and hill to hill? - - What these strips of metal creeping - - Where the dead have lain so still. - - What this wilder thought that's seeping - - Where was peace and gentle will? - - - Smoke of mill on road and river, - - Roar of steam by temple wall... - - Drop the arrow in the quiver... - - Bow to Buddha.... All is all! - - Slumber they who slumber can, - - Hills of Han! - - - - -NOTE - -The slight geographical confusion which will be found by the observant -reader in _Hills of Han_ is employed as a reminder that the story, -despite considerable elements of fact in the background, is a work of -the imagination, and deals with no actual individuals of the time and -place. S. M. - - - - - -HILLS OF HAN - - - - -CHAPTER I--THE SOLITARY - - -I - -ON a day in late March, 1907, Miss Betty Doane sat in the quaintly airy -dining-room of the Hotel Miyaka, at Kioto, demurely sketching a man's -profile on the back of a menu card. - -The man, her unconscious model, lounged comfortably alone by one of the -swinging windows. He had finished his luncheon, pushed away his coffee -cup, lighted a cigarette, and settled back to gaze out at the hillside -where young green grasses and gay shrubs and diminutive trees bore -pleasant evidence that the early Japanese springtime was at hand. - -Betty could even see, looking out past the man, a row of cherry trees, -all afoam with blossoms. They brought a thrill that was almost poignant. -It was curious, at home--or, rather, back in the States--there was no -particular thrill in cherry blossoms. They were merely pleasing. But so -much more was said about them here in Japan. - -The man's head was long and well modeled, with a rugged long face, -reflective eyes, somewhat bony nose, and a wide mouth that was, on -the whole, attractive. Both upper lip and chin were dean shaven. The -eyebrows were rather heavy; the hair was thick and straight, slanting -down across a broad forehead. She decided, as she sketched it in with -easy sure strokes of a stubby pencil, that he must have quite a time -every morning brushing that hair down into place. - -He had appeared, a few days back, at the Grand Hotel, Yokohama, coming -in from somewhere north of Tokio. At the hotel he had walked and eaten -alone, austerely. And, not unnaturally, had been whispered about. He -was, Betty knew, a journalist of some reputation. The name was Jonathan -Brachey. He wore an outing suit, with knickerbockers; he was, in -bearing, as in costume, severely conspicuous. You thought of him as a -man of odd attainment. He had been in many interesting corners of the -world; had known danger and privation. Two of his books were in the -ship's library. One of these she had already taken out and secreted in -her cabin. It was called _To-morrow in India_, and proved rather hard to -read, with charts, diagrams and pages of figures. - -The sketch was about done; all but the nose. When you studied that nose -in detail it seemed a little too long and strong, and--well, knobby--to -be as attractive as it actually was. There would be a trick in drawing -it; a shadow or two, a suggestive touch of the pencil; not so many real -knobs. In the ship's diningroom she had his profile across an aisle. -There would be chances to study it. - -Behind her, in the wide doorway, appeared a stout, short woman of fifty -or more, in an ample and wrinkled traveling suit of black and a black -straw hat ornamented only with a bow of ribbon. Her face wore an anxious -expression that had settled, years back, into permanency. The mouth -drooped a little. And the brows were lifted and the forehead grooved -with wrinkles suggesting some long habitual straining of the eyes that -recent bifocal spectacles were powerless to correct. - -“Betty!” called the older woman guardedly. “Would you mind, dear... one -moment...?” - -Her quick, nervous eyes had caught something of the situation. There -was Betty and--within easy earshot--a man. The child was unquestionably -sketching him. - -Betty's eagerly alert young face fell at the sound. She stopped drawing; -for a brief instant chewed the stubby pencil; then, quite meekly, rose -and walked toward the door. - -“Mr. Hasmer is outside. I thought you were with him. Betty.” - -“No... I didn't know your plans... I was waiting here.” - -“Well, my dear... it's all right, of course! But I think we'll go now. -Mr. Hasmer thinks you ought to see at least one of the temples. -Something typical. And of course you will want to visit the cloisonné -and _satsuma_ shops, and see the Damascene work. The train leaves for -Kobe at four-fifteen. The ships sails at about eight, I believe. We -haven't much time, you see.” - -A chair scraped. Jonathan Brachey had picked up his hat, his pocket -camera and his unread copy of the Japan _Times_, and was striding toward -her, or toward the door. He would pass directly by, of course, without -so much as a mental recognition of her existence. For so he had done -at Yokohama; so he had done last evening and again this morning on the -ship. - -But on this occasion, as he bore down on her, the eyes of the -distinguished young man rested for an instant on the table, and for a -brief moment he wavered in his stride. He certainly saw the sketch. It -lay where she had carelessly tossed it, face up, near the edge of the -table. And he certainly recognized it for himself; for his strong facial -muscles moved a very little. It couldn't have been called a smile; but -those muscles distinctly moved. Then, as coolly as before, he strode on -out of the room. - -Betty's cheeks turned crimson. A further fact doubtless noted by this -irritatingly, even arrogantly composed man. - -Betty, with desperate dignity, put the sketch in her wrist bag, followed -Mrs. Hasmer out of the building, and stepped into the rickshaw that -awaited her. - -The brown-legged coolie tucked the robe about her, stepped in between -the shafts of the vehicle; a second coolie fell into place behind, and -they were off down the hill. Just ahead, Mrs. Hasmer's funny little hat -bobbed with the inequalities of the road. Just behind, Doctor Hasmer, -a calm, patient man who taught philosophy and history in a Christian -college fifteen hundred miles or more up the Yangtse River and who never -could remember to have his silvery beard trimmed, smiled kindly at her -when she turned. - -And behind him, indifferent to all the human world, responsive in his -frigid way only to the beauties of the Japanese country-side and of the -quaint, gray-brown, truly ancient city extending up and down the valley -by its narrow, stone-walled stream, rode Mr. Jonathan Brachey. - -The coolies, it would seem, had decided to act in concert. From shop to -shop among the crowded little streets went the four rickshaws. Any mere -human being (so ran Betty's thoughts) would have accepted good-humoredly -the comradeship implied in this arrangement on the part of a playful -fate; but Mr. Brachey was no mere human being. Side by side stood the -four of them in a toy workshop looking down at toy-like artisans with -shaved and tufted heads who wore quaint robes and patiently beat out -designs in gold and silver wire on expertly fashioned bronze boxes and -bowls. They listened as one to the thickly liquid English of a smiling -merchant explaining the processes and expanding on the history of fine -handiwork in this esthetic land. Yet by no sign did Mr. Brachey's face -indicate that he was aware of their presence; except once--on a crooked -stairway in a cloisonné shop he flattened himself against the wall to -let them pass, muttering, almost fiercely, “I beg your pardon!” - -The moment came, apparently, when he could endure this enforced -companionship no longer. He spoke gruffly to his rickshaw coolies, and -rolled off alone. When they finally reached the railway station after a -half-hour spent in wandering about the spacious enclosure of the Temple -of Nishi Otani, with its huge, shadowy gate house, its calm priests, its -exquisite rock garden under ancient mystical trees--the tall journalist -was pacing the platform, savagely smoking a pipe. - -At Kobe they were united again, riding out to the ship's anchorage -in the same launch. But Mr. Brachey gave no sign of recognition. He -disappeared the moment of arrival at the ship, reappearing only when -the bugle announced dinner, dressed, as he had been each evening at the -Grand Hotel and the previous evening on the ship, rather stiffly, in -dinner costume. - -Then the ship moved out from her anchorage into that long, -island-studded, green-bordered body of water known as the Inland Sea -of Japan. Early on the second morning she would slip in between the -closepressing hills that guard Nagasaki harbor. There another day -ashore. Then three days more across the Yellow Sea to Shanghai. Thence, -for the Hasmers and Betty, a five-day journey by steamer up the muddy -but majestic Yangtze Kiang to Hankow; at which important if hardly -charming city they would separate, the Hasmers to travel on by other, -smaller steamer to Ichang and thence on up through the Gorges to their -home among the yellow folk of Szechwan, while Hetty, from Hankow, must -set out into an existence that her highly colored young mind found it -impossible to face squarely. As yet, despite the long journey across -the American continent and the Pacific, she hadn't begun so much as to -believe the facts. Though there they stood, squarely enough, before her. -It had been easier to surrender her responsive, rather easily gratified -emotions to a day-by-day enjoyment of the journey itself. When the -constant, worried watchfulness of Mrs. Hasmer reached the point of -annoyance--not that Mrs. Hasmer wasn't an old dear; kindness itself, -especially if your head ached or you needed a little mothering!--why -then, with the easy adaptability and quick enthusiasm of youth, she -simply busied herself sketching. The top layer of her steamer trunk was -nearly full now--sketches of the American desert, of the mountains and -San Francisco, of people on the ship, of the sea and of Honolulu. - -But now, with Yokohama back among the yesterdays and Kobe falling -rapidly, steadily astern, Betty's heart was as rapidly and as steadily -sinking. Only one more stop, and then--China. In China loomed the facts. - -That night, lying in her berth, Betty, forgot the cherry blossoms of -Kioto and the irritating Mr. Brachey. Her thoughts dwelt among the young -friends, the boy-and-girl “crowd,” she had left behind, far off, at the -other edge of those United States that by a queerly unreal theory were -her home-land. And, very softly, she cried herself to sleep. - - - -2 - -Betty Doane was just nineteen. She was small, quick to feel and think, -dark rather than light (though not an out-and-out brunette). She was -distinctly pretty. Her small head with its fine and abundant hair, round -face with its ever-ready smile, alert brown eyes and curiously strong -little chin expressed, as did her slim quick body, a personality of -considerable sprightly vigor and of a charm that could act on certain -other sorts of personalities, particularly of the opposite sex, with -positive, telling effect. - -Mrs. Hasmer, who had undertaken, with misgivings, to bring her from -suburban New Jersey to Hankow, found her a heavy responsibility. It -wasn't that the child was insubordinate, forward, or, in anyway that you -could blame her for, difficult. On the contrary, she was a dear little -thing, kind, always amusing, eager to please. But none the less there -was something, a touch of vital quality, perhaps of the rare gift of -expressiveness, that gave her, at times, a rather alarming aspect. Her -clothes were simple enough--Griggsby Doane, goodness knew, couldn't -afford anything else--but in some way that Mrs. Hasmer would never fully -understand, the child always managed to make them look better than they -were. She had something of the gift of smartness. She had, Mrs. Hasmer -once came out with, “too much imagination.” The incessant sketching, for -instance. And she did it just a shade too well. Then, too, evening after -evening during the three weeks on the Pacific, she had danced. Which -was, from the only daughter of Griggsby Doane--well, confusing. And -though Mrs. Hasmer, balked by the delicacy of her position, had gone -to lengths in concealing her disapproval, she had been unable to feign -surprise at the resulting difficulties. Betty had certainly not been -deliberate in leading on any of the men on the ship; young men, by the -way that you had no means of looking up, even so far as the certainty -that they were unmarried. But the young mining engineer on his way to -Korea had left quite heart-broken. From all outer indications he had -proposed marriage and met with a refusal. But not a word, not a hint, -not so much as a telltale look, came from Betty. - -Mrs. Hasmer sighed over it. She would have liked to know. She came to -the conclusion that Betty had been left just a year or so too long in -the States. They weren't serious over there, in the matter of training -girls for the sober work of life. Prosperity, luxury, were telling on -the younger generations. No longer were they guarded from dangerously -free thinking. They read, heard, saw everything; apparently knew -everything. They read openly, of a Sunday, books which, a generation -earlier, would not have reached their eyes even on a week-day. The -church seemed to have lost its hold (though she never spoke aloud of -this fact). Respect for tradition and authority had crumbled away. They -questioned, weighed everything, these modern children.... Mrs. Hasmer -worried a good deal, out in China, about young people in the States. - -But under these surface worries, lurked, in the good woman's mind, a -deeper, more real worry. Betty was just stepping over the line between -girlhood and young womanhood. She was growing more attractive daily. She -was anything but fitted to step into the life that lay ahead. Wherever -she turned, even now--as witness the Pacific ship--life took on fresh -complications. Indeed, Mrs. Hasmer, pondering the problem, came down on -the rather strong word, peril. A young girl--positive in attractiveness, -gifted, spirited, motherless (as it happened), trained only to be happy -in living--was in something near peril. - -One fact which Mrs. Hasmer's mind had been forced to accept was that -most of the complications came from sources or causes with which the -girl herself had little consciously to do. She was flatly the sort of -person to whom things happened. Even when her eager interest in life and -things and men (young and old) was not busy. - -In the matter of the rather rude young man in knickerbockers, at Kioto, -Betty was to blame, of course. She had set to work to sketch him. -Evidently. The most you could say for her on that point was that she -would have set just as intently at sketching an old man, or a woman, -or a child--or a corner of the room. Mrs. Hasmer had felt, while on the -train to Kobe, that she must speak of the matter. After all, she had -that deathly responsibility on her shoulders. Betty's only explanation, -rather gravely given, had been that she found his nose interesting. - -The disturbing point was that something in the way of a situation was -sure to develop from the incident. Something. Six weeks of Betty made -that a reasonable assumption. And the first complication would arise in -some quite unforeseen way. Betty wouldn't bring it about. Indeed, she -had quickly promised not to sketch him any more. - -This is the way it did arise. At eleven on the following morning Mr. and -Mrs. Hasmer and Betty were stretched out side by side in their steamer -chairs, sipping their morning beef tea and looking out at the rugged -north shore of the Inland Sea. Beyond Betty were three vacant chairs, -then this Mr. Brachey--his long person wrapped in a gay plaid rug. -He too was sipping beef tea and enjoying the landscape; if so dry, -so solitary a person could be said to enjoy anything. A note-book lay -across his knees. - -Mrs. Hasmer had thought, with a momentary flutter of concern, of moving -Betty to the other side of Doctor Hasmer. But that had seemed foolish. -Making too much of it. Betty hadn't placed the chairs; the deck steward -had done that. Besides she hadn't once looked at the man; probably -hadn't thought of him; had been quite absorbed in her sketching--bits of -the hilly shore, an island mirrored in glass, a becalmed junk. - -A youngish man, hatless, with blond curls and a slightly professional -smile, came up from the after hatch and advanced along the deck, eagerly -searching the row of rug-wrapped, recumbent figures in deck chairs. -Before the Hasmers he stopped with delighted greetings. It came out -that he was a Mr. Harting, a Y. M. C. A. worker in Bttrmah, traveling -second-class. - -“I hadn't seen the passenger list, Mrs. Hasmer, and didn't know you were -aboard. But there's a Chinese boy sitting next to me at table. He has -put in a year or so at Tokio University, and speaks a little English. He -comes from your city, Miss Doane. Or so he seems to think. T'ainan-fu.” - -Betty inclined her head. - -“It was he who showed me the passenger list. At one time, he says, he -lived in your father's household.” - -“What is his name?” asked Betty politely. - -“Li Hsien--something or other.” Mr. Harting was searching his pockets -for a copy of the list. - -“I knew Li Hsien very well,” said Betty. “We used to play together.” - -“So I gathered. May I bring him up here to see you?” - -Betty would have replied at once in the affirmative, but six weeks of -companionship with Mrs. Hasmer had taught her that such decisions were -not expected of her. So now with a vague smile of acquiescence, she -directed the inquiry to the older woman. - -“Certainly,” cried Mrs. Hasmer, “do bring him!” - -As he moved away, Betty, before settling back in her chair, glanced, -once, very demurely, to her left, where Jonathan Brachey lay in what -might have been described, from outer appearances, supercilious comfort. - -He hadn't so much as lifted an eyelid. He wasn't listening. He didn't -care. It was nothing to him that Betty Doane was no idle, spoiled girl -tourist, nothing that she could draw with a gifted pencil, nothing that -she knew Chinese students at Tokio University, and herself lived at -T'ainan-fu!... It wasn't that Betty consciously formulated any such -thoughts. But the man had an effect on her; made her uncomfortable; she -wished he'd move his chair around to the other side of the ship. - -3 - -Li Hsien proved to be quite a young man, all of twenty or twenty-one. -He had spectacles now, and gold in his teeth. He wore the conventional -blue robe, Liack skull-cap with red button, and queue. More than four -years were yet to elapse before the great revolution of 1911, with its -wholesale queue-cutting and its rather frantic adoption, on the part of -the better-to-do, of Western clothing--or, rather, of what they supposed -was Western clothing.... He was tall, slim, smiling. He shook hands with -Betty, Western fashion; and bowed with courtly dignity to Doctor and -Mrs. Hasmer. - -His manner had an odd effect on Betty. For six years now she had lived -in Orange. She had passed through the seventh and eighth grades of the -public school and followed that with a complete course of four years in -high school. She had fallen naturally and whole-heartedly into the life -of a nice girl in an American suburb. She had gone to parties, joined -societies, mildly entangled herself with a series of boy admirers. -Despite moderate but frank poverty she had been popular. And in this -healthy, active young life she had very nearly forgotten the profoundly -different nature of her earlier existence. But now that earlier feeling -for life was coming over her like a wave. After all, her first thirteen -years had been lived out in a Chinese city. And they were the most -impressionable years. - -It was by no means a pleasant sensation. She had never loved China; had -simply endured it, knowing little else. America she loved. It was of -her blood, of her instinct. But now it was abruptly slipping out of her -grasp--school, home, the girls, the boys, long evenings of chatter and -song on a “front porch,” picnics on that ridge known locally as “the -mountain,” matinées in New York, glorious sunset visions of high -buildings from a ferry-boat, a thrilling, ice-caked river in -winter-time, the misty beauties of the Newark meadows--all this was -curiously losing its vividness in her mind, and drab old China was -slipping stealthily but swiftly into its place. - -She knit her brows. She was suddenly helpless, in a poignantly -disconcerting way. A word came--rootless. That was it; she was rootless. -For an instant she had to fight back the tears that seldom came in the -daytime. - -But then she looked again at Li Hsien. - -He was smiling. It came to her, fantastically, that he, too, was -rootless. And yet he smiled. She knew, instantly, that his feelings were -quite as fine as hers. He was sensitive, strung high. He had been that -sort of boy. For that matter the Chinese had been a cultured people when -the whites were crude barbarians. She knew that. She couldn't have put -it into words, but she knew it. And so she, too, smiled. And when she -spoke, asking him to sit in the vacant chair next to her, she spoke -without a thought, in Chinese, the middle Hansi dialect. - -And then Mr. Jonathan Brachey looked up, turned squarely around and -stared at her for one brief instant. After which he recollected himself -and turned abruptly back. - -Mr. Harting dropped down on the farther side of Doctor Hasmer. Which -left his good wife between the two couples, each now deep in talk. - -Mrs. Hasmer's Chinese vocabulary was confined to a limited number of -personal and household terms; and even these were in the dialect of -eastern Szechwan. Just as a matter of taste, of almost elementary taste, -it seemed to her that Betty should keep the conversation, or most of -it, in English. She went so far as to lean over the arm of her chair and -smile in a perturbed manner at the oddly contrasting couple who chatted -so easily and pleasantly in the heathen tongue. She almost reached the -point of speaking to Betty; gently, of course. But the girl clearly had -no thought of possible impropriety. She was laughing now--apparently at -some gap in her vocabulary--and the bland young man with the spectacles -and the pigtail was humorously supplying the proper word. - -Mrs. Hasmer decided not to speak. She lay hack in her chair. The -wrinkles in her forehead deepened a little. On the other side Mr. -Halting was describing enthusiastically a new and complicated table -that was equipped with every imaginable device for the demonstrating -of experiments in physics to Burmese youth. It could be packed, he -insisted, for transport from village to village, in a crate no larger -than the table itself. - -And now, again, she caught the musical intonation of the young Chinaman. -Betty, surprisingly direct and practical in manner if unintelligible in -speech, was asking questions, which Li Hsien answered in turn, easily, -almost languidly, but with unfailing good nature. Though there were a -few moments during which he spoke rapidly and rather earnestly. - -Mrs. Hasmer next became aware of the odd effect the little scene was -plainly having on Jonathan Brachey. He fidgeted in his chair; got up -and stood at the rail; paced the deck, twice passing close to the -comfortably extended feet of the Hasmer party and so ostentatiously -_not_ looking at them as to distract momentarily the attention even of -the deeply engrossed Betty. Mr. Harting, even, looked up. After all of -which the man, looking curiously stern, or irritated, or (Betty decided) -something unpleasant, sat again in his chair. - -Then, a little later, Mr. Harting and Li Hsien took their leave and -returned to the second-class quarters, astern. - -Mrs. Hasmer thought, for a moment, that perhaps now was the time to -suggest that English be made the common tongue in the future. But -Betty's eager countenance disarmed her. She sighed. And sighed again; -for the girl, stirred by what she was saying, had unconsciously raised -her voice. And that tall man was listening. - -“It's queer how fast things are changing out here,” thus Betty. “Li -Hsien is--you'd never guess!--a Socialist! I asked him why he isn't -staying out the year at Tokio University, and he said he was called -home to help the Province. Think of it--that boy! They've got into some -trouble over a foreign mining syndicate--” - -“The Ho Shan Company,” explained Doctor Hasmer. - -Betty nodded. - -“They've been operating rather extensively in Plonan and southern -Chihli,” the educator continued, “and I heard last year that they've -made a fresh agreement with the Imperial Government giving them -practically a monopoly of the coal and iron mining up there in the Hansi -Hills.” - -“Yes, Doctor Hasmer, and he says that there's a good deal of feeling -in the province. They've had one or two mass meetings of the gentry and -people. He thinks they'll send a protest to Peking. He believes that the -company got the agreement through bribery.” - -“Not at all unlikely,” remarked Doctor Hasmer mildly. “I don't know -that any other way has yet been discovered of obtaining commercial -privileges from the Imperial Government. The Ho Shan Company is... let -me see... as I recall, it was organized by that Italian promoter, -Count Logatti. I believe he went to Germany, Belgium and France for the -capital.” - -“Li has become an astonishing young man,” said Betty more gravely. “He -talks about revolutions and republics. He doesn't think the Manchus can -last much longer. The southern provinces are ready for the revolution -now, he says--” - -“That,” remarked Doctor Hasmer, “is a little sweeping.” - -“Li is very sweeping,” replied Betty. “And he's going back now to -T'ainan-fu for some definite reason. I couldn't make out what. I asked -if he would be coming in to see father, and he said, probably not; that -there wouldn't be any use in it. Then I asked him if he was still a -Christian, and I think he laughed at me. He wouldn't say.” - -The conversation was broken by the appearance of a pleasant Englishman, -an importer of silks, by the name of Obie. He had been thrown with the -Hasmers and Betty in one of their sight-seeing jaunts about Tokio. -Mr. Obie wore spats, and a scarf pin and cuff links of human bone from -Borneo set in circlets of beaded gold. His light, usually amusing talk -was liberally sprinkled with crisp phrases in pidgin-English. - -He spoke now of the beauties of the Inland Sea, and resumed his stroll -about the deck. After a few turns, he went into the smoking-room. - -Jonathan Brachey, still with that irritably nervous manner, watched him -intently; finally got up and followed him, passing the Hasmers and Betty -with nose held high. - -4 - -It was early afternoon, when Mrs. Hasmer and Betty were dozing in their -chairs, that Mr. Obie, looking slightly puzzled, came again to them. He -held a card between thumb and forefinger. - -“Miss Doane,” he said, “this gentleman asks permission to be presented.” - -Mrs. Hasmer's hand went out a little way to receive the card; but Betty -innocently took it. - -“Mr. Jonathan Brachey,” she read aloud. Then added, with a pretty touch -of color--“But how funny! He was with us yesterday, and _wouldn't_ talk. -And now....” - -“My go catchee?” asked Mr. Obie. - -To which little pleasantry Betty responded, looking very bright and -pretty, with--“Can do!” - -“She gives out too much,” thought Mrs. Hasmer; deciding then and there -that the meeting should be brief and the conversation triangular. - -Mr. Obie brought him, formally, from the smoking-room. - -He bowed stiffly. Betty checked her natural impulse toward a hearty -hard-grip. - -Mrs. Hasmer, feeling hurried, a thought breathless, meant to offer him -her husband's chair; but all in the moment Betty had him down beside -her. - -Then came stark silence. The man stared out at the islands. - -Betty, finding her portfolio on her lap, fingered it. Then this: - -“I must begin, Miss Doane, with an apology....” - -Betty's responsive face blanched. “What a dreadful man!” she thought. -His voice was rather strong, dry, hard, with, even, a slight rasp in it. - -But he drove heavily on: - -“This morning, while not wishing to appear as an eavesdropper... that is -to say... the fact is, Miss Doane, I am a journalist, and am at present -on my way to China to make an investigation of the political--one might -even term it the social--unrest that appears to be cropping out rather -extensively in the southern provinces and even, a little here and there, -in the North.” - -He was dreadful! Stilted, clumsy, slow! He hunted painstakingly for -words; and at each long pause Betty's quick young nerves tightened and -tightened, mentally groping with him until the hunted word was run to -earth. - -He was pounding on: - -“This morning I overheard you talking with that young Chinaman. It is -evident that you speak the language.” - -“Oh. yes,” Betty found herself saying, “I do.” - -Not a word about the drawing. - -“This young man, I gather, is in sympathy with the revolutionary -spirit.” - -“He--he seems to be,” said Betty. - -“Now... Miss Doane... this is of course an imposition...” - -“Oh, no,” breathed Betty weakly. - -“... it is, of course, an imposition... it would be a service I could -perhaps never repay...” This pause lasted so long that she heard herself -murmuring, “No, really, not at all!”--and then felt the color creeping -to her face... but if I might ask you to... but let me put it in this -way--the young man is precisely the type I have come out here to study. -You speak in the vernacular, and evidently understand him almost as a -native might. It is unlikely I shall find in China many such natural -interpreters as yourself. And of course... if it is thinkable that you -would be so extremely kind as to... why, of course, I...” - -“Heavens!” thought Betty, in a panic, “he's going to offer to pay me. I -mustn't be rude.” - -The man plodded on: “... why, of course, it would be a real pleasure to -mention your assistance in the preface of my book.” - -It was partly luck, luck and innate courtesy, that she didn't laugh -aloud. She broke, as it was, into words, saving herself and the -situation. - -“You want me to act as interpreter? Of course Li knows a little -English.” - -“Would he--er--know enough English for serious conversation?” - -“No,” mused Betty aloud, “I don't think he would.” - -“Of course, Miss Doane, I quite realize that to take up your time in -this way....” - -There he stopped. He was frowning now, and apparently studying out the -structural details of a huge junk that lay only a few hundred yards -away, reflected minutely, exquisitely--curving hull and deck cargo, -timbered stern, bat-wing sails--in the glass-like water. - -“I'll be glad to do what I can,” said Betty, helplessly. Then, for -the first time, she became aware that Mrs. Hasmer was stirring -uncomfortably on her other hand, and added, quickly, as much out of -nervousness as anything else--“We could arrange to have Li come up here -in the morning.” - -“We shall be coaling at Nagasaki in the morning,” said he, abruptly, as -if that settled _that_. - -“Well, of course,... this afternoon.... - -“My dear,” began Mrs. Hasmer. - -“This afternoon would be better.” Thus Mr. Brachey. “Though I can not -tell you what hesitation...” - -“I suppose we could find a quiet corner somewhere,” said Betty. “In the -social hall, perhaps.” - -It was then, stirred to positive act, that Mrs. Hasmer spoke out. - -“I think you'd better stay out here with us, my dear.” - -To which the hopelessly self-absorbed Mr. Brachey replied: - -“I really must have quiet for this work. We will sit inside, if you -don't mind.” - -5 - -At half past four Mrs. Hasmer sent her husband to look into the -situation. He reported that they were hard at it. Betty looked a little -tired, but was laboriously repeating Li Hsien's words, in English, in -order that Mr. Brachcy might take them down in what appeared to be a -sort of shorthand. Doctor Hasmer didn't see how he could say anything. -Not very well. They hadn't so much as noticed him, though he stood near -by for a few moments. - -Which report Mrs. Hasmer found masculine and unsatisfactory. At five she -went herself; took her Battenberg hoop and sat near by. Betty saw her, -and smiled. She looked distinctly a little wan. - -The journalist ignored Mrs. Hasmer. He was a merciless driver. Whenever -Betty's attention wandered, as it had begun doing, he put his questions -bruskly, even sharply, to call her back to the task. - -Four bells sounded, up forward. Mrs. Hasmer started; and, as always when -she heard the ship's bell, consulted her watch. Six o'clock!... She put -down her hoop; fidgetted; got up; sat down again; told herself she must -consider the situation calmly. It must be taken in hand, of course. -The man was a mannerless brute. He had distinctly encroached. He would -encroach further. He must be met firmly, at once. She tried to think -precisely how he could be met. - -She got up again; stood over them. She didn't know that her face was a -lens through which any and all might read her perturbed spirit. - -Betty glanced up; smiled faintly; drew a long breath. - -Li Hsien rose and bowed, clasping his hands before his breast. - -Mr. Bradley was writing. - -Mrs. Hasmer had tried to construct a little speech that, however final, -would meet the forms of courtesy. It left her now. She said with blank -firmness: - -“Come, Betty!” - -“One moment!” protested Mr. Brachey. “Will you please ask him, Miss -Duane, whether he believes that the general use of opium has appreciably -lowered the vitality of the Chinese people? That is, to put it -conversely, whether the curtailment of production is going to leave a -people too weakened to act strongly in a military or even political -way? Surveying the empire as a whole, of course.” - -Betty's thoughts, which had wandered hopelessly afield, came struggling -back. - -“I--I'm sorry,” she said. “I'm afraid I didn't quite hear.” - -“I must ask you to come with me, Betty,” said Mrs. Hasmer. - -At this, looking heavily disappointed, Mr. Brachey rose; ran a long bony -hand through his thick hair. - -“We could take it up in the morning,” he said, turning from the bland -young Chinaman to the plainly confused girl. “That is, if Miss Doane -wouldn't mind staying on the ship. I presume she has seen Nagasaki.” - -His perturbed eyes moved at last to the little elderly lady who had -seemed so colorless and mild; met hers, which were, of a sudden, -snapping coals. - -“You will not take it up again, sir!” cried Mrs. Hasmer; and left with -the girl. - -The Chinaman smiled, clasped his hands, bowed with impenetrable -courtesy, and withdrew' to his quarters. - -Mr. Brachey, alone, looked over his notes with a frown; shook his head; -went down to dress for dinner. - -6 - -Late that night Betty sat in her tiny stateroom, indulging rebellious -thoughts. It was time, after an awkwardly silent evening, to go to bed. -But instead she now slipped into her heavy traveling coat, pulled on her -tam-o'-shanter, tiptoed past the Hasmers' door and went out on deck. - -It was dim and peaceful there. The throb of the engines and the wash of -water along the hull were the only sounds. They were in the strait now, -heading out to sea. - -She walked around the deck, and around. It was her first free -moment since they left the Pacific ship at Yokohama. After that very -quietly--sweetly, even--the chaperonage of Mrs. Hasmer had tightened. -For Betty the experience was new and difficult. She felt that she ought -to submit. But the rebellion in her breast, if wrong, was real. She -would walk it off. - -Then she met Mr. Brachey coming out of the smoking-room. Both stopped. - -“Oh!” said he. - -“I was just getting a breath of air,” said she. - -Then they moved to the rail and leaned there, gazing off at the faintly -moonlit land. - -He asked, in his cold way, how she had learned Chinese. - -“I was born at T'ainan-fu,” she explained. “My father is a missionary.” - -“Oh,” said he. And again, “Oh!” - -Then they fell silent. Her impulse at first was to make talk. She did -murmur, “I really ought to be going in.” But he, apparently, found talk -unnecessary. And she stayed on, looking now down at the iridescent foam -slipping past the black hull, now up into the luminous night. - -Then he remarked, casually, “Shall we walk?” And she found herself -falling into step with him. - -They stopped, a little later, up forward and stood looking out over the -forecastle deck. - -“Some day I'm going to ask the chief officer to let me go out there,” - said she. - -“It isn't necessary to ask him,” replied Mr. Brachey. “Come along.” - -“Oh,” murmured Betty, half in protest--“really?” But she went, thrilled -now, more than a little guilty, down the steps, past hatches and donkey -engines, up other steps, under and over a tangle of cables, over an -immense anchor, to seats on coils of rope near the very bow. - -The situation amounted already to a secret. Mrs. Hasmer couldn't be -told, mused Betty. The fact was a little perplexing. But it stood. - -Neither had mentioned Mrs. Hasmer. But now he said: - -“I was rude to-day, of course.” - -“No,” said she. “No.” - -“Oh, yes! I'm that way. The less I see of people the better.” - -This touched the half-fledged woman in her. - -“You're interested in your work,” said she gently. “That's all. And it's -right. You're not a trifler.” - -“I'm a lone wolf.” - -She was beginning to find him out-and-out interesting. - -“You travel a good deal,” she ventured demurely. “All the time. I prefer -it.” - -“Always alone?” - -“Always.” - -“You don't get lonesome?” - -“Oh, yes. But what does it matter?” - -She considered this. “You go into dangerous places.” - -“Oh, yes.” - -“You traveled among the head-hunters of Borneo.” - -“How did you find that out?” - -“There's an advertisment of that book in _To-morrow in India_.” - -“Oh, have you read that thing?” - -“Part of it. I...” - -“You found it dull.” - -“Well... it's a little over my head.” - -“It's over everybody's. Mine.” - -She nearly laughed at this. But he seemed not to think of it as humor. - -“Aren't you a little afraid, sometimes--going into such dangerous places -all alone?” - -“Oh, no.” - -“But you might be hurt--or even--killed.” - -“What's the difference?” - -Startled, she looked straight up at him; then dropped her eyes. She -waited for him to explain, but he was gazing moodily out at the water -ahead. - -The soft night air wrapped them about like dream-velvet. Adventure was -astir, and romance. Betty, enchanted, looked lazily back at the white -midships decks, bridge and wheelhouse, at the mysterious rigging and -raking masts, at the foremost of the huge funnels pouring out great -rolling clouds of smoke. The engines throbbed and throbbed. Back there -somewhere the ship's bell struck, eight times for midnight. - -“I don't care much for missionaries,” said Mr. Brachey. - -“You'd like father.” - -“Perhaps.” - -“He's a wonderful man. He's six feet five. And strong.” - -“It's a job for little men. Little souls. With little narrow eyes.” - -“Oh... No!” - -“Why try to change the Chinese? Their philosophy is finer than ours. And -works better. I like them.” - -“So do I. But...” She wished her father could be there to meet the man's -talk. There must surely be strong arguments on the missionary side, if -one only knew them. She finally came out with: - -“But they're heathen!” - -“Oh, yes!” - -“They're--they're polygamous!” - -“Why not?” - -“But Mr. Brachey...” She couldn't go on with this. The conversation was -growing rather alarming. - -“So are the Americans polygamous. And the other white peoples. Only -they call it by other names. You get tired of it. The Chinese are more -honest.” - -“I wonder,” said she, suddenly steady and shrewd, “if you haven't stayed -away too long.” - -His reply was: - -“Perhaps.” - -“If you live--you know, all by yourself, and for nobody in the world -except yourself--I mean, if there's nobody you're responsible for, -nobody you love and take care of and suffer for...” The sentence was -getting something involved. She paused, puckering her brows. - -“Well?” said he. - -“Why, I only meant, isn't there danger of a person like that -becoming--well, just selfish.” - -“I am selfish.” - -“But you don't want to be.” - -“Oh. but I do!” - -“I can hardly believe that.” - -“Dependence on others is as bad as gratitude. It is a demand, a -weakness. Strength is better. If each of us stood selfishly alone, it -would be a cleaner, better world. There wouldn't be any of this mess of -obligation, one to another. No running up of spiritual debt. And that's -the worst kind.” - -“But suppose,” she began, a little afraid of getting into depths from -which it might be difficult to extreate herself, “suppose--well, you -were married, and there were--well, little children. Surely you'd have -to feel responsible for them.” - -“Surely,” said he curtly, “it isn't necessary for every man to bring -children 'nto the world. Surely that's not the only job.” - -“But--but take another case. Suppose you had a friend, a younger man, -and he was in trouble--drinking, maybe; anything!--wouldn't you feel -responsible for him?” - -“Not at all. That's the worst kind of dependence. The only battles a -man wins are the ones he wins alone. If any friend of mine--man or -woman--can't win his own battles--or hers--he or she had better go. -Anywhere. To hell, if it comes to that.” - -He quite took her breath away. - -One bell sounded. - -“It's perfectly dreadful,” said she. “If Mrs. Has-mer knew I was out -here at this time of night, she'd...” - -This sentence died out. They went back. - -“Good night,” said she. - -She felt that he must think her very young and simple. It seemed odd -that he should waste so much time on her. No other man she had ever met -was like him. Hesitantly, desiring at least a touch of friendliness, on -an impulse, she extended her hand. - -He took it; held it a moment firmly; then said: - -“Will you give me that drawing?” - -“Yes,” said she. - -“Now?” - -“Yes.” And she tiptoed twice again past the Hasmers' door. - -“Please sign it,” said he, and produced a pencil. “But it seems so -silly. I mean, it's nothing, this sketch.” - -“Please!” - -She signed it, said good night again, and hurried off, her heart in a -curious flutter. - - - - -CHAPTER II--ROMANCE - -I - -UNWILLING either to confess like a naughty child or to go on keeping -this rather large and distinctly exciting secret under cover, Betty, -at teatime, brought the matter to an issue. The morning ashore had been -difficult. Mr. Brachey had severely ignored her, going about Nagasaki -alone, lunching in austere solitude at the hotel. - -She said, settling herself in the deck chair: - -“Mrs. Hasmer, will you ask Mr. Brachey to have tea with us?” - -After a long silence the older woman asked, stiffly: “Why, my dear?” - -Betty compressed her lips. - -Doctor Hasmer saved the situation by saying quietly, “I'll ask him.” - -It was awkward from the first. The man was angular and unyielding. -And Mrs. Hasmer, though she tried, couldn't let him alone. She was -determined to learn whether he was married. She led up to the direct -question more otariously than she knew. Finally it came. They were -speaking of his announced plan to travel extensively in the interior of -China. - -“It must be quite delightful to wander as you do,” she said. “Of course, -if one has ties... you, I take it, are an unmarried man, Mr. Brachey ?” - -Betty had to lower her face to hide the color that came. If only Mrs. -Hasmer had a little humor! She was a dear kind woman; but this!... - -The journalist looked, impassively enough, but directly, at his -questioner. - -She met his gaze. They were flint on steel, these two natures. - -“You are obviously not married,” she repeated. - -He looked down at his teacup; thinking. Then, abruptly, he set it down -on the deck, got up, muttered something that sounded like, “If you will -excuse me...” and strode away. - -Betty went early to her cabin that evening. - -She had no more than switched on her light when the Chinese steward came -with a letter. - -She locked the door then, and looked at the unfamiliar handwriting. It -was small, round, clear; the hand of a particular man, a meticulous man. -who has written much with a pen. - -She turned down the little wicker seat. Her cheeks were suddenly hot, -her pulse bounding high. - -She skimmed it, at first, clear to the signature, “Jonathan Brachey”; -then went back and read it through, slowly. - -“I was rude again just now,” (it began). “As I told you last night, it -is best for me not to see people. I am not a social being. Clearly, from -this time on, it will be impossible for me to talk with this Mrs. -Hasmer. I shall not try again. - -“I could not answer her question. But to you I must speak. It would be -difficult even to do this if we were to meet again, and talk. But, -as you will readily see, we must not meet again, beyond the merest -greeting. - -“I was married four years ago. After only a few weeks my wife left -me. The reasons she gave were so flippant as to be absurd. She was a -beautiful and, it has seemed to me, a vain, spoiled, quite heartless -woman. I have not seen her since. Two years ago she became infatuated -with another man, and wrote asking me to consent to a divorce. I refused -on the ground that I did not care to enter into the legal intrigues -preliminary to a divorce in the state of her residence. Since then, I am -told, she has changed her residence to a state in which 'desertion' is -a legal ground. But I have received no word of any actual move on her -part. - -“It is strange that I should be writing thus frankly to you. Strange, -and perhaps wrong. But you have reached out to me more of a helping hand -than you will ever know. Our talk last night meant a great deal to me. -To you I doubtless seemed harsh and forbidding. It is true that I am -that sort of man, and therefore am best alone. It is seldom that I meet -a person with whom my ideas are in agreement. - -“I trust that you will find every happiness in life. You deserve to. You -have the great gift of feeling. I could almost envy you that. It is a -quality I can perceive without possessing. An independent mind, a strong -gift of logic, stands between me and all human affection. I must say -what I think, not what I feel. - -“I make people unhappy. The only corrective to such a nature is work, -and, whenever possible, solitude. But I do not solicit your pity. I find -myself, my thoughts, excellent company. - -“With your permission I will keep the drawing. It will have a peculiar -and pleasant meaning to me.” - -2 - -Betty lowered the letter, breathing out the single word, “Well!” - -What on earth could she have said or done to give him any such footing -in her life? - -She read it again. And then again. - -An amazing man! - -She made, ready to go to bed, slowly, dawdling, trying to straighten out -the curious emotional pressures on her mind. - -She read the letter yet again; considered it. - -Finally, after passing through many moods leading up to a tender -sympathy for this bleak life, and then passing on into a state of sheer -nervous excitement, she deliberately dressed again and went out on deck. - -He stood by the rail, smoking. - -“You have my letter?” he asked. - -“Yes. I've read it.” She was oddly, happily relieved at finding him. - -“You shouldn't have come.” - -She had no answer to this. It seemed hardly relevant. She smiled, in the -dark. - -They fell to walking the deck. After a time, shyly, tacitly, a little -embarrassed, they went up forward again. - -The ship was well out in the Yellow Sea now. The bow rose and fell -slowly, rhythmically, beneath them. - -Moved to meet his letter with a response in kind, she talked of herself. - -“It seems strange to be coming back to China.” - -“You've been long away?” - -“Six years. My mother died when I was thirteen. Father thought it would -be better for me to be in the States. My uncle, father's brother, was -in the wholesale hardware business in New York, and lived in Orange, and -they took me in. They were always nice to me. But last fall Uncle Frank -came down with rheumatic gout. He's an invalid now. It must have been -pretty expensive. And there was some trouble in his business. They -couldn't very well go on taking care of me, so father decided to have me -come back to T'ainan-fu.” She folded her hands in her lap. - -He lighted his pipe, and smoked reflectively. - -“That will be rather hard for you, won't it?” he remarked, after a time. -“I mean for a person of your temperament. You are, I should say, almost -exactly my opposite in every respect. You like people, friends. You are -impulsive, doubtless affectionate. I could be relatively happy, marooned -among a few hundred millions of yellow folk--though I could forego the -missionaries. But you are likely, I should think, to be starved there. -Spiritually--emotionally.” - -“Do you think so?” said she quietly. - -“Yes.” He thought it, over “The life of a mission compound isn't exactly -gay.” - -“No, it isn't.” - -“And you need gaiety.” - -“I wonder if I do. I haven't really faced it, of course. I'm not facing -it now.” - -“Just think a moment. You've not even landed in China yet. You're under -no real restraint--still among white people, on a white man's ship, -eating in European hotels at the ports. You aren't teaching endless -lessons to yellow children, day in, day out. You aren't shut up in an -interior city, where it mightn't even he safe for you to step outside -the gate house alone. And yet you're breaking bounds. Right now--out -here with me.” - -Already she was taking his curious bluntness for granted. She said now, -simply, gently: - -“I know. I'm sitting out here at midnight with a married man. And I -don't seem to mind. Of course you're not exactly married. Still... A few -days ago I wouldn't have thought it possible.” - -“Did you tell the Hasmers that you were out here last night?” - -“No.” - -“Shall you tell them about this?” - -She thought a moment; then, as simply, repeated: “No.” - -“Why not?” - -“I don't know. It's the way I feel.” - -He nodded. “You feel it's none of their business.” - -“Well--yes.” - -“Of course, I ought to take you back, now.” - -“I don't feel as if I were doing wrong. Oh, a little, but...” - -“I ought to take you back.” - -She rested a hand on his arm. It was no more than a girlish gesture. She -didn't notice that he set his teeth and sat very still. - -“I've thought this, though,” she said. “If I'm to meet you out here -like--like this--” - -“But you're not to.” - -“Well... here we are!” - -“Yes... here we are!” - -“I was going to say, it's dishonest, I think, for us to avoid each other -during the day. If we're friends...” - -“If we're friends we'd better admit it.” - -“Yes. I meant that.” - -He fell to working at his pipe with a pocket knife She watched him until -he was smoking again. - -“Mrs. Hasmer won't like it.” - -“I can't help that.” - -“No. Of course.” He smoked. Suddenly he broke out, with a gesture so -vehement that it startled her: “Oh, it's plain enough--we're on a ship, -idling, dreaming, floating from a land of color and charm and quaint -unreality to another land that has always enchanted me, for all the -dirt and disease, and the smells. It's that! Romance! The old web! -It's catching us. And we're not even resisting. No one could blame -you--you're young, charming, as full of natural life as a young flower -in the morning. But I... I'm not romantic. To-night, yes! But next -Friday, in Shanghai, no!” - -Betty turned away to hide a smile. - -“You think I'm brutal? Well--I am.” - -“No, you're not brutal.” - -“Yes, I am.... But my God! You in T'ainanfu! Child, it's wrong!” - -“It is simply a thing I can't help,” said she. - -They fell silent. The pulse of the great dim ship was soothing. One bell -sounded. Two bells. Three. - -3 - -A man of Jonathan Brachey's nature couldn't know the power his nervous -bold thoughts and words were bound to exert in the mind of a girl like -Betty. In her heart already she was mothering him. Every word he spoke -now, even the strong words that startled her, she enveloped in warm -sentiment. - -To Brachey's crabbed, self-centered nature she was like a lush oasis in -the arid desert of his heart. He could no more turn his back on it than -could any tired, dusty wanderer. He knew this. Or, better, she was like -a mirage. And mirages have driven men out of their wits. - -So romance seized them. They walked miles the next day, round and -round the deck. Mrs. Hasmer was powerless, and perturbed. Her husband -counseled watchful patience. Before night all the passengers knew that -the two were restless apart. They found corners on the boat deck, far -from all eyes. - -That night Mrs. Hasmer came to Betty's door; satisfied herself that the -girl was actually undressing and going to bed. Not one personal word -passed. - -And then, half an hour later, Betty, dressed again, tiptoed out. Her -heart was high, touched with divine recklessness. This, she supposed, -was wrong; but right or wrong, it was carrying her out of her girlish -self. She couldn't stop. - -Brachey was fighting harder; but to little purpose. They had these two -days now. That was all. At Shanghai, and after, it would be, as he had -so vigorously said, different. Just these two days! He saw, when she -joined him on the deck, that she was riding at the two days as if they -were to be her last on earth. Intensely, soberly happy, she was passing -through a golden haze of dreams, leaving the future to be what it might. - -They sat, hand in hand, in the bow. She sang, in a light pretty voice, -songs of youth in a young land--college ditties, popular negro melodies, -amusing little street songs. - -Very, very late, on the last evening, after a long silence--they had -mounted to the boat deck--he caught her roughly in his arms and kissed -her. - -She lay limply against him. For a moment, a bitter moment--for now, in -an instant, he knew that she had never thought as far as this--he feared -she had fainted. Then he felt her tears on his cheek. - -He lifted her to her feet, as roughly. - -She swayed away from him leaning against a boat. - -He said, choking: - -“Can you get down the steps all right?” - -She bowed her head. He made no effort to help her down the steps. They -walked along the deck toward the main companionway. Suddenly, with an -inarticulate sound, he turned, plunged in at the smoking-room door, and -was gone. - -Early in the morning the ship dropped anchor in the muddy Woosung. The -breakfast hour came around, then quarantine inspection; but the silent -pale Betty, her moody eyes searching restlessly, caught no glimpse of -him. He must have taken a later launch than the one that carried Betty -and the Hasmers up to the Bund at Shanghai. And during their two days in -the bizarre, polyglot city, with its European façade behind which swarms -all China, it became clear that he wasn't stopping at the Astor House. - -The only letter was from her father at T'ainan-fu. - -She watched every mail; and inquired secretly at the office of the river -steamers an hour before starting on the long voyage up the Yangtse; but -there was nothing. - -Then she recalled that he had never asked for her address, or for her -father's full name. They had spoken of T'ainan-fu. He might or might not -remember it. - -And that was all. - - - - -CHAPTER III--THE SHEPHERD - -AT the point where the ancient highway, linking Northern China with -Thibet, the Kukunor region and Mongolia, emerges from the treeless, -red-brown tumbling hills of Hansi Province there stands across the -road--or stood, before the revolution of 1911--a scenic arch of masonry -crowned with a curving elaborately ornamented roof of tiles. Some -forgotten philanthropist erected it, doubtless for a memorial to -forgotten dead. Through this arch the west-bound traveler caught his -first view of the wide yellow valley of the Han, with its yellow river, -its square-walled, gray-green capital city, and, far beyond, of the -sharp purple mountains that might have been cut out of cardboard. - -The gray of old T'ainan lay in the massive battle-mented walls and in -the more than six square miles of closely packed tile roofs; the green -in its thousands of trees. For here, as in Peking and Sian-fu they -had preserved the trees; not, of course, in the innumerable tortuous -streets, where petty merchants, money-changers, porters, coolies, -beggars, soldiers and other riffraff passed freely through mud or dust, -but within the thousands of hidden private courtyards, in the yamens of -governor, treasurer, and provincial judge, in temple grounds outside the -walls, and in the compound of the American Mission. At this latter -spot, by the way, could be seen, with the aid of field-glasses, the only -two-story residence in T'ainan; quite a European house, built after -the French manner of red brick trimmed with white stone, and rising -distinctly above the typically gray roofs that clustered about its lower -windows. - -There were bold gate towers on the city wall; eight of them, great -timbered structures with pagoda roofs rising perhaps fifteen yards above -the wall and thirty above the lowly roadway. The timber-work under the -shadowing eaves had sometime been painted in reds, blues and greens; -and the once vivid colors, though dulled now by weather and years, were -still richly visible to the near-observer. - -Many smaller settlements, little gray clusters of houses, lay about the -plain on radiating highways; for T'ainan boasted its suburbs. The -hill slopes were dotted with the homes and walled gardens of bankers, -merchants and other gentry. On a plateau just north of the Great Highway -stood, side by side, two thirteen-roof pagodas, the pride of all central -Hansi. - -About the city, on any day of the seven, twisting through the hundreds -of little streets and in and out at the eight gates, moved tens of -thousands of tirelessly busy folk, all clad in the faded blue -cotton that spells China to the eye, and among these a slow-moving, -never-ceasing tangle of wheeled and fourfooted local traffic. - -And along the Great Highway--down the hill slopes, through suburbs and -city, over the river and on toward the teeming West; over the -river, through city and suburbs and up the hills, toward the teeming -East--flowed all day long the larger commerce that linked province with -province and, ultimately, yellow man with white, at the treaty ports, -hundreds of miles away. There were strings of laden camels with -evil-looking Mongol drivers; hundreds and thousands of camels, -disdainfully going and coming. There were hundreds and thousands of -asses, patient little humorists, bearing panniers of coal lumps and iron -ore from the crudely operated mines in the hills. There were hundreds -and thousands of mule-drawn carts, springless, many with arched roofs of -matting. - -Along the roadside, sheltered by little sagging canopies of grimy -matting, or squatting in the dirt, were vendors of flat cakes and -vinegary _sumshoo_ and bits of this and that to wear. Naked children -swarmed like flies in the sun. - -The day-by-day life of the oldest and least selfconscious civilization -in the world was moving quietly, resistlessly along, as it had moved for -six thousand years. - -2 - -Reverend Henry B. Withery, on a morning in late March, came, by -springless cart, out of Kansu into T'ainan. A drab little man, with -patient fervor in his eyes and a limp (this latter the work of Boxers in -1900). He was bound, on leave, for Shanghai, San Francisco and home; -but a night at T'ainan with Griggsby Doane meant, even in the light of -hourly nearing America, much. For they had shared rooms at the seminary. -They had entered the yielding yet resisting East side by side. Meeting -but once or twice a year, even less often, they had felt each other -deeply across the purple mountains. - -They sat through tiffin with the intent preoccupied workers in the -dining-room of the brick house; and Mr Withery's gentle eyes took in -rather shrewdly the curious household. It interested him. There were -elements that puzzled him; a suggestion of staleness in this face, of -nervous overstrain in that; a tension. - -The several native workers smiled and talked less, he thought, than on -his former visits. - -Little Mr. Boatwright--slender, dustily blond, always hitherto burning -with the tire of consecration--was continually fumbling with a spoon, or -slowly twisting his tumbler, the while moodily studying the table-cloth. -And his larger wife seemed heavier in mind as in body. - -Mr. Withery found the atmosphere even a little oppressive. He looked up -about the comfortable, high ceiled room. Mounted and placed on the walls -were a number of interesting specimens of wild fowl. Elmer Boatwright, -though no devotee of slaughter or even of sport, had shot and mounted -these himself. - -Withery asked him now if he had found any interesting birds lately. The -reply was little more than monosyllabic; it was almost the reply of a -middle-aged man who has lost and forgotten the enthusiasm of youth. - -There was talk, of course; the casual surface chatter of folk who are -deeply united in work. A new schoolroom was under construction. Jen Ling -Pu, a native preacher, was doing well at So T'ung. The new tennis court -wasn't, after all, long enough. - -During all this, Withery pondered. Griggsby was driving too hard, of -course. The strongly ascetic nature of the man seemed to be telling on -him; or perhaps it was running out, the fire of it, leaving only the -force of will. That happened, of course, now and then, in the case of -men gifted with great natural vitality. - -Then too, come to reflect on it, the fight had been hard, here in Hansi. -Since 1900. Harder, perhaps, than anywhere else except Shantung and -Chihli. Harder even than in those more easterly provinces, for they were -nearer things. There were human contacts, freshening influences... . The -Boxers had dealt heavily with the whites in Hansi. More than a hundred -had been slain by fire or sword. Young women--girls like these two or -three about the dinner table--had been tortured. Griggsby and his wife -and the little girl had missed destruction only through the accident of -a journey, in the spring, to Shanghai. And he had returned, dangerously -early, to a smoldering ruin and plunged with all the vigor in his -unusual body and mind at the task of reconstruction. The work in the -province was shorthanded, of course, even yet. It would be so. But -Griggsby was building it up. He even had the little so-called college, -down the river at Hung Chan, going again, after a fashion. Money was -needed, of course. And teachers. And equipment. All that had been -discussed during tiffin. It was a rather heroic record. And it had not -passed unobserved. At the Missionary Conference, at Shanghai, in 1906, -Griggsby's report--carefully phrased, understated throughout, almost -colorless--had drawn out unusual applause. - -Mrs. Doane's death occurred during the first year of that painful -reconstruction. Griggsby's course, after that, from the day of the -funeral, in fact, as you looked back over it, recalling this and that -apparently trivial incident, was characteristic. The daughter was sent -back to the States, for schooling. Griggsby furnished for himself, up -in what was little more, really, than the attic of the new mission -residence, a bare, severe little suite of bedroom and study. The newly -married Boatwrights he installed, as something near master and mistress, -on the second floor. The other white workers and teachers filled all -but the two guest rooms, and, at times, even these. And then, his little -institution organized on a wholly new footing, he had loaded himself -sternly with work. - -Dinner was over. One by one the younger people left the room. And within -a few moments the afternoon routine of the mission compound was under -way. - -Through the open window came a beam of warm spring sunshine. Outside, -across the wide courtyard Withery noted the, to him, familiar picture -of two or three blue-clad Chinese men lounging on the steps of the gate -house; students crossing, books in hand; young girls round and fresh of -face, their slanting eyes demurely downcast, assembling before one of -the buildings; two carpenters working deliberately on a scaffold. A -soft-footed servant cleared the table. Now that the two friends -were left free to chat of personal matters, the talk wandered into -unexpectedly impersonal regions. Withery found himself baffled, and -something puzzled. During each of their recent visits Griggsby's -manner had affected him in this same way, but less definitely. -The aloofness--he had once or twice ever, thought of it as an -evasiveness--had been only a tendency. The old friendship had soon -warmed through it and brought ease of spirit and tongue. But the -tendency had grown. The present Griggsby was clearly going to prove -harder to get at. That remoteness of manner had grown on him as a habit. -The real man, whatever he was coming to be, was hidden now; the man -whose very soul had once been written clear in the steady blue eyes. - -And what a man he was! Mr. Withery indulged in a moment of sentiment as -he quietly, shrewdly studied him, across the table. - -In physical size, as in mental attainments and emotional force, James -Griggsby Duane had been, from the beginning, a marked man. He was -forty-five now; or within a year of it. The thick brown hair of their -student days was thinner-now at the sides and nearly gone on top. -But the big head was set on the solid shoulders with all the old -distinction. A notable fact about Griggsby Doane was that after winning -intercollegiate standing as a college football player, he had never -allowed his body to settle back with the years. He weighed now, surely, -within a pound or two or three of his playing weight twenty-four years -earlier. He had always been what the British term a clean feeder, eating -sparingly of simple food. Hardly a day of his life but had at least its -hour or two of violent exercise. He would rise at five in the morning -and run a few miles before breakfast. He played tennis and handball. He -would gladly have boxed and wrestled, but a giant with nearly six and -a half feet of trained, conditioned muscle at his disposal finds few -to meet him, toe to toe. His passion for walking had really, during the -earlier years, raised minor difficulties about T'ainan. The Chinese were -intelligent and, of course, courteous; but it was more than they could -be asked to understand at first. - -It had worked out, gradually. They knew him now; knew he was fearless, -industrious, patient, kind. During the later years, after the -Boxer trouble, his immense figure, striding like him of the fabled -seven-league-boots, had become a familiar, friendly figure in central -Hansi. Not infrequently he would tramp, pack on shoulders, from one -to another of the outlying mission stations; and thought nothing of -covering a hundred and thirty or forty _li_ where your cart or litter -mules or your Manchu pony would stop at ninety and call it a day. - -Withery was bringing the talk around to the personal when Doane looked -at his watch. - -“You'll excuse me, Henry,” he said. “I've a couple of classes. But I'll -knock off about four-thirty. Make yourself comfortable. Prowl about. -Use my study, if you like.... Or wait. We were speaking of the Ho Shan -Company. They've had two or three mass meetings here during the winter, -and got up some statements.” - -“Do they suggest violence?” - -“Oh, yes.” Doane waved the thought carelessly aside. “But Pao will keep -them in hand, I think. He doesn't want real trouble. But he wouldn't -mind scaring the company into selling out. The gossip is that he is -rather heavily interested himself in some of the native mines.” - -“Is Pao your governor?” - -“No, the governor died last fall, and no successor has been sent out. -Kang, the treasurer, is nearly seventy and smokes sixty to a hundred -pipes of opium a day. Pao Ting Chuan is provincial judge, but is ruling -the province now. He's an able fellow.”... Doane drew a thick lot of -papers from an inner pocket, and selected one. “Read this. It's one of -their statements. Pao had the translation made in his yamen. I haven't -the original, but the translation is fairly accurate I believe.” - -Withery took the paper; ignored it, and studied his friend, who had -moved to the door. Doane seemed to have lost his old smile--reflective, -shrewd, a little quizzical. The furrow between his eyes had deepened -into something near a permanent frown. There were fine lires about and -under the eyes that might have indicated a deep weariness of the -spirit. Yet the skin was clear, the color good.... Griggsby was fighting -something out; alone; through the years. - -Feeling this, Henry Withery broke out, in something of their old frank -way. - -“Do knock off, Grigg. Let's have one of the old talks. I think--I think -perhaps you need me a little.” Doane hesitated. It was not like him to -do that. “Yes,” he said gravely, but with his guard up, that curious -guard, “it would be fine to have one of the old talks if we can get at -it.” - -He turned to go; then paused. - -“Oh, by the way, I'm expecting Pourmont. A little later in the day. He's -resident engineer for the Ho Shan Company, over at Ping Yang. Pierre -François George Marie Pourmont. An amusing person. He feels a good deal -of concern over these meetings. For that matter, he was mobbed here in -February. He didn't like that.” - -Withery found himself compressing his lips, and tried to correct that -impulse with a rather artificial smile. It wasn't like Griggsby to speak -in that light way. Like a society man almost. It suggested a hardening -of the spirit; or a crust over deep sensitiveness. - -Men, he reflected, who have to fight themselves during long periods of -time are often hardened by the experience, even though they eventually -win. - -He wondered, moving to the window, and thoughtfully watching the huge -man striding across the courtyard, if Griggsby Doane would be winning. - -3 - -Up in the little study under the roof Mr. Withery sank into a Morris -chair and settled back to read the views of the “Gentry and People of -Hansi” on foreign mining syndicates. The documents had been typed on an -old machine with an occasional broken letter; and were phrased in the -quaint English that had long been familiar to him. - -First came a statement of the “five items” of difference between these -“Gentry and People” and the Ho Shan Company--all of a technical or -business nature. Only in the last “item” did the emotional reasoning -common to Chinese public documents make its appearance.... “_Five_. In -Honan the company boldly introduced dynamite, which is prohibited. The -dynamite exploded and this gave rise to diplomatic trouble, a like thing -might happen in Hansi with the same evil consequences.” Then followed -this inevitable general statement: - -“At present in China, from the highest to the lowest, all are in -difficulty--the annual for the indemnities amounts to Taels 30,000,000, -and in every province the reforms involve great additional expenditure, -while the authorities only know how to control the expenditure, but not -how to reach fresh sources of income. Those in power can find no fresh -funds and the people are extremely poor and all they have to trust to -are a few feet of land which have not been excavated by the foreigners. -Westerners say that the coal of Hansi is sufficient to supply the needs -of the world for two thousand years; in other countries there is coal -without iron, or iron without coal, but in Hansi there is abundance of -both coal and iron and it forms one of the best manufacturing countries -in the world. At present if there is no protection for China then that -finishes it, but if China is to be protected how can Hansi be excluded -from protection? Therefore all China and all Hansi must withstand the -claims of the Ho Shan Company. - -“The company's agent general says that the agreement was drawn up with -the Chinese Government, but at that time the people were unenlightened -and traitors were suffered to effect stolen sales of Government lands, -using oppression and disregarding the lives of the people. Now all -the Gentry and People know how things are, and of what importance the -consequences are for the lives of themselves and their families, and so -with one heart they all withstand the company in whatever schemes it may -have, for they are not willing to drop their hands and give themselves -up to death, and if the officials will not protect the mines of Hansi -then we will protect our mines ourselves. - -“We suggest a plan for the company, that it should state the sum used to -bribe Hu Pin Chili, and to win over Chia Ching Jen and Liu O and Sheng -Hsuan Hui and the Tsung Li Yamen, and the Wai Wu Pu and the Yu Chuan -Pu, at the present time, and the bribes to other cruel traitors, and a -detailed account of their expenditure in opening their mines since their -arrival in China, and Hansi will repay the amount. If the company still -pushes the claim for damages, in consequence of the delay in issuing the -permit then the Hansi people will never submit to it. - -“In conclusion the people of Hansi must hold to their mines till death, -and if the Government and officials still unrighteously flatter the -foreigners in their oppression and flog the people robbing them of their -flesh and blood to give those to the foreigners then some one must throw -away his life by bomb throwing and so repay the company, but we trust -the company will carefully consider and weigh the matter and not push -Hansi to this extremity.” - -Mr. Withery laid the documents on Doane's desk, and gave up an hour to -jotting down notes for his own annual report. Then he took a long -walk, in through the wall and about the inner city. He was back by -four-thirty, but found no sign of his friend. - -At five a stout Frenchman arrived, a man of fifty or more, with a long, -square-trimmed beard of which he was plainly fond. Doane returned then -to the house. - -4 - -The three men had tea in the study. M. Pourmont, with an apology, -smoked cigarettes. Withery observed, when the genual Frenchman turned -his head, that the lobe of his left ear was missing. - -M. Pourmont regarded the local situation seriously. - -“Zay spik of you,” he explained to Griggsby Doane. - -“Zay say zat you have ze petit papier, ze little paper, all yellow, cut -like ze little man an' woman. An' it is also zat zay say zat ze little -girl, ze student, all ze little jeunes filles, is ze lowair vife of -you, Monsieur It is not good, zat. At Paree ve vould say zat it is _se -compliment_, but here it is not good. It is zat zay have not bifore spik -like zat of Monsieur Doane.” - -Doane merely considered this without replying. - -“That statement of the Gentry and People looks rather serious to me,'' -Mr. Withery remarked. - -“It has its serious side,” said Doane quietly. “Put you see, of course, -from the frankness and publicity of it, that the officials are back -of it. These Gentry and People would never go so far unsupported. It -wouldn't surprise me to learn that the documents originated within the -yamen of his Excellency Pao Ting Chuan.” - -“Very good,” said Withery. “Put if he lets it drift much further the -danger will be real. Suppose some young hothead were to take that last -threat seriously and give up his life in throwing a bomb---what then?” - -“It would be serious then, of course,” said Doane. “But I hardly think -any one here would go so far unsupported.” - -“Yes!” cried M. Pourmont, in some excitement, “an' at who is it zat zay -t'row ze bomb? It is at me, _n'est ce pas?_ At me! You tlink I forget -v'en ze mob it t'rowr ze _bierre_ at me? _Mais non!_ Zay tear ze cart -of me. Zay beat ze head of me. Zay destroy ze ear of me. _Ah, c' était -terrible, ça!_” - -“They attacked Monsieur Pourmont while he was riding to the yamen for an -audience with Pao,” Doane explained. “But Pao heard of it and promptly -sent soldiers. 1 took it up with him the next day. He acted most -correctly. The ringleaders of the mob were whipped and imprisoned.” - -“But you mus' also say to Monsieur Vitieree zat ze committee of my -_compagnie_ he come to Peking--_quinze mille kilometres he come!_--an' -now _Son Excellence_ he say zay mus' not come here, into _ze province_. -It is so difficult, ça! An' ze committee he is ver' angry. He swear at -Peking. He cool ze--vat you say---heels. An' ze work he all stop. No -good! Noz-zing at all!” - -“That is all so, Henry.” Thus Doane, turning to his friend. “I don't -mean to minimize the actual difficulties. But I do not believe we are in -any such danger as in 1900. Even then the officials did it, of course. -If they hadn't believed that the incantations of the Boxers made them -immune to our bullets, and if they hadn't convinced the Empress Dowager -of it, we should never have had the siege of the legations. But I am to -have an audience with His Excellency tomorrow, at one, and will go over -this ground carefully. I have no wish, myself, to underestimate the -trouble. My daughter arrives next week.” - -“Oh!” said Withery. “Oh... your daughter! From the States, Grigg?” - -“Yes, I am to meet her at Hankow. The Hasmers brought her across.” - -“That's too bad, in a way.” - -“Of course. But there was no choice.” - -“But zat is not all zat is!” M. Puurmont was pacing the floor now. “A -boy of me, of ze _cuisine_, he go home las' week to So T'ung an' he say -zat a--vat you call?--a circle.. - -“A society?” - -“_Mais oui!_ A society, she meet in ze night an' _fait l'exercise_--” - -“They are drilling?” - -“_Oui!_ Ze drill. It is ze society of Ze Great Eye.” - -“I never heard of that,” mused Griggsby aloud. “I don't really see what -they can do. But I'll take it up to-morrow with, Pao. I would ask -you, however, to remember that if the people don't know the cost of -indemnities, there can be no doubt about Pao. He knows. And it is hard -for me to imagine the province drifting out of his control for a single -day. One event I am planning to watch closely is the fair here after the -middle of April. Some of these agitators of the Gentry and People are -sure to be on hand. We shall learn a great deal then.” - -“You'll be back then, Grigg?” - -“Oh, yes. By the tenth. I shan't delay at all at Hankow.” - -It seemed to Henry Withery that his friend and host maneuvered to -get him to retire first. Then he attributed the suspicion to his own -disturbed thoughts.... Still, Griggsby hadn't returned to the house -until after M. Pourmont's arrival. It was now nearly midnight, and there -had been never a personal word. - -But at last, M. Pourmont out of the way for the night, lamp in hand, -Griggsby led the way to the remaining guest room. - -Withery, following, looked up at the tall grave man, who had to stoop a -little at the doors. Would Griggsby put down the lamp, speak a courteous -good night, and go off to his own attic quarters; or would he linger? It -was to be a test, this coming moment, of their friendship.... Withery's -heart filled. In his way, through the years, out there in remote Kansu, -he had always looked up to Grigg and had leaned on him, on memories -of him as he had been. He had the memories now--curiously poignant -memories, tinged with the melancholy of lost youth. But had he still the -friend? - -Duane set down the lamp, and looked about, all grave courtesy, to see if -his friend's bag was at hand, and if the wash-stand and towel-rack had -been made ready. - -Withery stood on the sill, struggling to control his emotions. -Longfellow's lines came to mind: - - “A boy's will is the wind's will, - - And the thoughts of youth are long, long - - thoughts.” - -They were middle-aged now, they two. It was extraordinarily hard to -believe. They had felt so much, and shared so much. They had plunged at -missionary work with such ardor. Grigg especially. He had thrown -aside more than one early opportunity for a start in business. He had -sacrificed useful worldly acquaintances. His heart had burned to save -souls, to carry the flame of divine revelation into what had then seemed -a benighted, materialistic land. - -Grigg would have succeeded in business or in the service of his -government. He had a marked administrative gift. And power.... -Distinctly power. - -Withery stepped within the room, closed the door behind him, and looked -straight up into that mask of a face; in his own deep emotion he thought -of it as a tragic mask. - -“Grigg,” he said very simply, “what's the matter?” - -There was a silence. Then Doane came toward the door. - -“The matter?” he queried, with an effort to smile. - -“Can't we talk, Grigg?... I know you are in deep trouble.” - -“Well”--Doane rested a massive hand on a bedpost--“I won't say that it -isn't an anxious time, Henry. I'm pinning my faith to Pau Ting -Chuan. But... And, of course, if I could have foreseen all the little -developments, I wouldn't have sent for Betty. Though it's not easy -to see what else I could have done. Frank and Ethel couldn't keep her -longer. And the expense of any other arrangement... She's nineteen, -Henry. A young woman. Curious--a young woman whom I've never even seen -as such, and my daughter!” - -“It isn't that, Grigg.” - -At the moment Withery could say no more. He sank into a chair by the -door, depressed in spirit. - -Doane walked to the window; looked out at the stars; drummed a moment on -the glass. - -“It's been uphill work, Henry... since nineteen hundred.” - -Withery cleared his throat. “It isn't that,” he repeated unsteadily. - -Doane stood there a moment longer; then turned and gazed gloomily at his -friend. - -The silence grew painful. - -Finally, Doane sighed, spread his hands in the manner of one who -surrenders to fate, and came slowly over to the bed; stretching out his -long frame there, against the pillows. - -“So it's as plain as that, Henry.” - -“It is--to me.” - -“I wonder if I can talk.” - -“The question is, Grigg--can I help you?” - -“I'm afraid not, Henry. I doubt if any one can.” The force of this sank -slowly into Withery's mind. “No one?” he asked in a hushed voice. - -“I'm afraid not.... Do you think the others, my people here, see it?” - -“The tone has changed here, Grigg.” - -“I've tried not to believe it.” - -“I've felt it increasingly for several years. When I've passed through. -Even in your letters. It's been hard to speak before. For that matter, I -had formulated no question. It was just an impression. But today... and -to-night...” - -“It's as bad as that, now.” - -“Suppose I say that it's as definite as that, Grigg. The impression.” - -Doane let his head drop back against the pillows; closed his eyes. - -“The words don't matter,” he remarked. - -“No, they don't, of course.” Withery's mind, trained through the busy -years to the sort of informal confessional familiar to priests of -other than the Roman church, was clearing itself of the confusions of -friendship and was ready to dismiss, for the time, philosophically; the -sense of personal loss. - -“Is it something you've done, Grigg?” he asked now, gently. “Have you--” - -Doane threw out an interrupting hand. - -“No,” he said rather shortly, “I've not broken the faith, Henry, not in -act.” - -“In your thoughts only?” - -“Yes. There.” - -“It is doubt?... Strange, Grigg, I never knew a man whose faith had in -it such vitality. You've inspired thousands. Tens of thousands. You--I -will say this, now--you, nothing more, really, than my thoughts of you -carried me through my bad time. Through those doldrums when the ardor of -the first few years had burned out and I was spent, emotionally. It was -with your help that I found my feet again. You never knew' that.” - -“No. I didn't know that.” - -“I worried a good deal, then. I had never before been aware of the -church as a worldly organization, as a political mechanism. I hadn't -questioned it. It was Hidderleigh's shrewd campaign for the bishopric -that disturbed me. Then the money raised questions, of course.” - -“There's been a campaign on this winter, over in the States,” said -Doane, speaking slowly and thoughtfully. “Part of that fund is to be -sent here to help extend my work in the province. They're using all the -old emotional devices. All the claptrap. Chaplain Cabell is touring the -churches with his little cottage organ and his songs.” - -“But the need is real out here, Grigg. And the people at home must be -stirred into recognizing it. They can't he reached except through their -emotions. I've been through all that. I see now, clearly enough, that -it's an imperfect world. We must do the best we can with it. Because it -is imperfect we must keep at our work.” - -“You know as well as I what they're doing, Henry. Cabell, all that -crowd, haven't once mentioned Hansi. They're talking the Congo.” - -“But you forget, Grigg, that the emotional interest of our home people -in China has run out. They thought about us during the Boxer trouble, -and later, during the famine in Shensi. Now, because of the talk of -slavery and atrocities in Central Africa, public interest has shifted to -that part of the world.” - -“And so they're playing on the public sympathy for Africa to raise -money, some of which is later to be diverted to Central China.” - -“What else can they do?” - -“I don't know.” - -“You find yourself inclined to question the whole process?” - -“Yes.” - -“Aren't you misplacing your emphasis, Grigg? We all do that, of course. -Now and then.... Isn't the important thing for you, the emphatic -thing, to spread the word of God in Hansi Province?” He leaned forward, -speaking simply, with sincerity. - -Doane closed his eyes again; and compressed his lips. - -Withery, anxiously watching him, saw that the healthy color was leaving -his face. - -After a silence that grew steadily in intensity, Doane at last opened -his eyes, and spoke, huskily, but with grim force. - -“Of course, Henry, you're right. Right enough. These things are details. -They're on my nerves, that's all. I'm going to tell you...” He sat up, -slowly swung his feet to the floor, clasped his hands.... “I'll spare -you my personal history of the past few years. And, of course, captious -criticism of the church is no proper introduction to what I'm going -to say. During these recent years I've been groping through my own -Gethsemane. It has been a terrible time. There have been many moments -when I've questioned the value of the struggle. If I had been as nearly -alone as it has seemed, sometimes... I mean, if there hadn't been little -Betty to think of...” - -“I understand,” Withery murmured. - -“In a way I've come through my Valley. My head has cleared a little. And -now I know only too clearly; it is very difficult; in a way, the time -of doubt and groping was easier to bear... I know that I am in the wrong -work.” - -Withery, with moist eyes, studied the carpet. - -“You are sure?” he managed to ask. - -He felt rather than saw his friend's slow nod. - -“It's a relief, of course, to tell you.” Doane was speaking with less -effort now; but his color had not returned. “There's no one else. -I couldn't say it to Hidderleigh. To me that man is fundamentally -dishonest.” - -Withery found it difficult to face such extreme frankness. His mind -slipped around it into another channel. He was beginning to feel that -Grigg mustn't be let off so easily. There were arguments.... - -“One thing that has troubled me, even lately,” he said, hunting for -some common ground of thought and speech, “is the old denominational -differences back home. I can't take all that for granted, as so many -of our younger workers do. It has seemed to me that the conference last -year should have spoken out more vigorously on that one point. We -can never bring missionary work into any sort of unity here while the -denominational spirit is kept alive at home.” - -Doane broke out, with a touch of impatience: “We approach the shrewdest, -most keenly analytical people or; earth, the Chinese, with something -near a hundred and fifty conflicting varieties of the one true religion. -Too often, Henry, we try to pass to them our faith but actually succeed -only in exhibiting the curious prejudices of narrow white minds.” - -This was, clearly, not a happy topic. Withery sighed. - -“This--this attitude that you find yourself in--is really a conclusion, -Grigg?” - -“It is a conclusion.” - -“What are you going to do?” - -“I don't know.” - -“It would be a calamity if you were to give up your work here, in the -midst of reconstruction.” - -“No man is essential, Henry But of course, just now, it would lie -difficult. I have thought, often, if Boatwright had only turned out a -stronger man....” - -“Grigg, one thing! You must let me speak of it.... Has the possibility -occurred to you of marrying again?” - -Doane sprang up at this; walked the floor, - -“Do you realize what you're saying, Henry!” he cried out. - -“I understand, Grigg, but you and I are old enough to know that in the -case of a vigorous man like yourself--” - -Doane threw out a hand. - -“Henry, I've thought of everything!” - -A little later he stopped and stood over his friend. - -“I have fought battles that may as well be forgotten,” he said -deliberately. “I have won them, over and over, to no end whatever. I -have assumed that these victories would lead in time to a sort of peace, -even to resignation. They have not. Each little victory now seems to -leave me further back. I'm losing, not gaining, through the years. It -was when I finally nerved myself to face that fact that I found myself -facing it all--my whole life.... Henry, I'm full of a fire and energy -that no longer finds an outlet in my work. I want to turn to new fields. -If I don't, before it's too late, I may find myself on the rocks.” - -Withery thought this over. Doane was still pacing the floor. Withery, -pale himself now, looked up. - -“Perhaps, then,” he said, “you had better break with it.” - -Doane stopped at the window; stared out. Withery thought his face was -working. - -“Have you any means at all?” he asked. - -Doane moved his head in the negative.... “Oh, my books. A few personal -things.” - -“Of course”--Withery's voice softened--“you've given away a good deal.” - -“I've given everything.” - -“Hum!... Have you thought of anything else you might do?” - -Doane turned. “Henry, I'm forty-five years old. I have no profession, -no business experience beyond the little administrative work here. Yet -I must live, not only for myself, but to support my little girl. If I do -quit, and try to find a place in the business world, I shall carry to my -grave the stigma that clings always to the unfrocked priest.” He strode -to the door. “I tell you, I've thought of everything!... We're getting -nowhere with this. I appreciate your interest. But... I'm sorry, Henry. -Sleep if you can. Good night.” - -They met, with M. Pourmont and the others, at breakfast. - -There was a moment, on the steps of the gate house, overlooking the -narrow busy street, when they silently clasped hands. - -Then Henry Withery crawled in under the blue curtains of his cart and -rode away, carrying with him a mental picture of a huge man, stooping a -little under the red lintel of the doorway, his strong face sternly set. - - - - -CHAPTER IV--THE RIDDLE OF LIFE, AND OF DEATH - - -1 - -DOANE stood on the Bund at Hankow, by the railing, his great frame -towering above the passers-by. He had lunched with the consul general, -an old acquaintance. He had arranged to stop overnight, with Betty, in -a missionary compound. In the morning they would take the weekly Peking -Express northward. - -The wide yellow Yangtse flowed by, between its steep mud cliffs, -crowded with sampans--hundreds of them moored, rail to rail, against the -opposite bank, a compact floating village that was cluttered and crowded -with ragged river-folk and deck-houses of arched matting and that reared -skyward a thick tangle of masts and rigging. The smaller boats and tubs -of the water-beggars lay against the bank just beneath him, expectantly -awaiting the Shanghai steamer. Out in the stream several stately junks -lay at anchor; and near them a tiny river gunboat, her low free-board -glistening white in the warm spring sunshine, a wisp of smoke trailing -lazily from her funnel, the British ensign hanging ir folds astern. - -Down and up the water steps were moving continuously the innumerable -water bearers whose business it was to supply the city of near a million -yellow folk that lay just behind the commercial buildings and the -pyramid-like godowns of the Bund. - -To Doane the picture, every detail of which had a place in the -environment of his entire adult life, seemed unreal. The consul general, -too, had been unreal. His talk, mostly of remembered if partly mellowed -political grievances back home, of the great days when a certain “easy -boss” was in power, and later of the mutterings of revolution up and -down the Yangtse Valley, sounded in Doane's ears like quaint idle -chatter of another planet.... His own talk, it seemed now, had been as -unreal as the rest of it. - -Of the compliment men of affairs usually paid him, despite his calling, -in speaking out as man to man, Doane had never thought and did not think -now. He was not self-conscious. - -The hours of sober thought that followed his talk with Henry Withery had -deepened the furrow between his brows. - -In an odd way he was dating from that talk. It had been extraordinarily -futile. It had to come, some sort of outbreak. For two or three years he -had rather vaguely recognized this fact, and as vaguely dreaded it. Now -it had happened. It was like a line drawn squarely across his life. He -was different now; perhaps more honest, certainly franker with himself, -but different... It had shaken him. Sleep left him for a night or two. -Getting away for this trip to Hankow seemed a good thing. He had to be -alone, walking it off, and thinking... thinking.... He walked the two -hundred and ninety _li_ to M. Pour-mont's compound, at Ping Yang, the -railhead that spring of the new meter-guage line into Hans' Province in -two days. The mule teams took three. - -He dwelt much with memories of his daughter. She had been a winning -little thing. Until the terrible Boxer year, that ended, for him, in the -death of his wife, she had brought continuous happiness into their life. - -She would be six years older now. He couldn't picture that. She had sent -an occasional snapshot photograph; but these could not replace his vivid -memories of the child she had been. - -He was tremulously eager to see her. There would be little problems of -adjustment. Over and over he told himself that he mustn't be stern with -her; he must watch that. - -He felt some uncertainty regarding her training. It was his hope -that she would fit into the work of the mission. It seemed, indeed, -necessary. She would be contributing eager young life. Her dutiful, -rather perfunctory letters had made that much about her clear. They -needed that. - -During the talk with Withery--it kept coming, up--he had heard his own -voice saying--in curiously deliberate tones--astonishing things. He -had sent his friend away in a state of deepest concern. He thought of -writing him. A letter might catch him at Shanghai. There would be time -in the morning, during the long early hours before this household down -here would be awaking and gathering for breakfast. It would help, he -felt impulsively, to explain fully... But what? What was it that was to -be so easily explained? Could he erase, with a few strokes of a pen, the -unhappy impression he had made that night on Henry's brain? - -The suggestion of marriage, with its implication of a rather cynical -worldly wisdom, had come oddly from the devout Henry. Henry was older, -too. But Doane winced at the mere recollection. He was almost excitedly -sensitive on the topic. He had put women out of his mind, and was -determined to keep them out. But at times thoughts of them slipped in. - -On the walk to Ping Yang, the second afternoon, he was swinging down -a valley where the road was no more than the stony bed of an -anciently-diverted stream. The caravan of a mandarin passed, bound -doubtless from Peking to a far western province. That it was a great -mandarin was indicated by his richly decorated sedan chair borne by -sixteen footmen with squadrons of cavalry before and behind. Five mule -litters followed, each with a brightly painted, young face pressed -against the tiny square window, the wives or concubines of the great -one. Each demurely studied him through slanting eyes. And the last one -smiled; quickly, brightly. It was death to be caught at that, yet life -was too strong for her. He walked feverishly after that. He had said -one thing to Henry... something never before formulated, even in his own -thinking. What was it? Oh, this!--“Henry, I'm full of a fire and energy -that no longer find an outlet in my work. I want to turn to new fields. -If I don't, before it's too late, I may find myself on the rocks.” - -There was something bitterly, if almost boyishly true in that statement. -The vital, vigorous adult that was developing within him, now, in the -forties, seemed almost unrelated to the young man he had been. He felt -life, strength, power. In spirit he was younger than ever. All he -had done, during more than twenty years, seemed but a practising for -something real, a schooling. Now, standing there, a stern figure, on -the Hankow Bund, he was aware of a developed, flowering instinct for the -main currents of the mighty social stream, for rough, fresh contacts, -large enterprises. His religion had been steadily widening out from the -creed of his youth, gradually including all living things, all -growth, far outspreading the set boundaries of churchly thought. This -development of his spirit had immensely widened his spiritual influence -among the Chinese of the province while at the same time making it -increasingly different to talk frankly with fellow churchmen. - -He had come to find more of the bread of life in Emerson and Montaigne, -Chaucer and Shakespeare; less in Milton and Peter. He could consider -Burns now with a new pity, without moral condescension, with simple -love. He could feel profoundly the moral triumph of Hester Prynne, while -wondering at what seemed his own logic. He struggled against a weakening -faith in the authenticity of divine revelation, as against a deepening -perception that the Confucian precepts might well be a healthy and even -sufficient outgrowth of fundamental Chinese characteristics. - -He thought, at times rather grimly, of the trials for heresy that now -and then rocked the church; and wondered, as grimly, how soon the heresy -hunters would be getting around to him. The smallest incident might, -sooner or later would, set them after him. - -Henry Withery was certain, in spite of his personal loyalty, out of his -very concern, to drop a word. And there was literally no word he could -drop, after their talk, but would indicate potential heresy in his -friend, James Griggsby Doane. - -Or it might come from within the compound. Or from a passing stranger. -Or from remarks of his own at the annual conference. Or from letters. - -There were moments when he could have invited exposure as a relief from -doubt and torment of soul. There was nothing of the hypocrite in him. -But in soberer moments he felt certain that it was letter to wait until -he could find, if not divine guidance, at least an intelligent earthly -plan. - -All he could do, as it stood, was to work harder and harder with body -and mind. And to shoulder more and more responsibility. Without that he -would be like a wild engine, charging to destruction. - -His daughter would be, for a time certainly, one more burden. He was -glad. Anything that would bring life real again! Work above all; every -waking moment, if possible, filled; his mental and physical powers taxed -to their uttermost; that was the thing; crowd out the brooding, the -mere feeling. Action, all the time, and hard, objective thought. The -difficulty was that his powers were so great; he seemed never to tire -any more; his thoughts could dwell on many planes at once; he actually -needed but a few hours' sleep.... And so Betty would be a young woman -now, mysteriously as old as her mother on her wedding day: a young woman -of unknown interests and sympathies, of a world he himself had all but -ceased to know. And it came upon him suddenly, then with tremendous -emotional force, that he had no heritage to leave her but a good name. - -He stood gripping the railing, head back, gazing up out of misty eyes at -a white-flecked blue sky. A prayer arose from his heart and, a whisper, -passed his lips: “O God, show me Thy truth, that it may set me.” - -In the intensity of his brooding he had forgotten to watch for -the steamer. But now he became aware of a stir of life along the -river-front. The beggars were paddling out into the stream, making ready -their little baskets at the ends of bamboo poles. - -Over the cliffs, down-stream, hung a long film of smoke. The steamer had -rounded the bend and was plowing rapidly up toward the twin cities. He -could make out the two white stripes on the funnel, and the cluster of -ventilators about it, and the new canvas across the front of the bridge. -A moment later he could see the tiny figures crowding the rail. - -The steamer warped in alongside a new wharf. - -Doane stood near the gangway, all emotion, nearly out of control. - -From below hundreds of coolies, countrymen and ragged soldiers swarmed -up, to be herded off at one side of the wharf. The local coolies went -aboard and promptly started unloading freight, handling crates and bales -of half a ton weight with the quick, half grunted, half sung chanteys, -intricately rhythmical, with which all heavy labor is accompanied in the -Yangtse Valley. - -Two spectacled Chinese merchants in shimmering silk robes came down the -gangway. A tall American, in civilian dress and overcoat but carrying -a leather sword case, followed. Two missionaries came, one in Chinese -dress with a cue attached to his skull-cap, bowing to the stern giant as -they passed. Then a French father in black robe and shovel hat; a group -of Englishmen; a number of families, American, British, French; and -finally, coming along the shaded deck, the familiar kindly face and -silvery heard of Doctor Hasmer--he was distinctly growing older, -Hasmer--then his wife, and, emerging from the cabin, a slim little -figure, rather smartly dressed, extraordinarily pretty, radiating a -quick charm as she hurried to the gangway, there pausing a moment to -search the wharf. - -Her eyes met his. She smiled. - -It was Betty. He felt her charm, but his heart was sinking. - -She kissed him. She seemed all enthusiasm, even very happy. But a moment -later, walking along the wharf toward the Bund, her soft little face was -sad. He wondered, as his thoughts whirled around, about that. - -Her clothes, her beauty, her bright manner, indicating a girlish -eagerness to be admired, wouldn't do at the mission. And she couldn't -wear those trim little shoes with heels half an inch higher than a -man's. - -She had, definitely, the gift and the thought of adorning herself. She -was a good girl; there was stuff in her. But it wouldn't do; not out -there in T'ainan. And she looked like anything in the world but a -teacher. - -She fascinated him. She was the lovely creature his own little girl -had become. Walking beside her up the Bund, chatting with the Hasmers, -making a fair show of calm, his heart swelled with love and pride. She -was delicate, shyly adorable, gently feminine. - -It was going to be difficult to speak about her costume and her charming -ways. It wouldn't do to crush her. She was quick enough; very likely she -would pick up the tone of the compound very quickly and adapt herself to -it. - -3 - -Young Li Hsien, of T'ainan had come up on the boat. Doans talked a -moment with him on the wharf. He was taking the Peking Express in the -morning, traveling first-class. The boy's father was a wealthy banker -and had always been generous with his firstborn son. - -Li appeared in the dining-car at noon, calmly smiling, and, at Doane's -imitation, sat with him and Betty. He carried a copy of _Thus Spake -Zarathustra_, in English, with a large number of protruding paper -bookmarks. - -Doane glanced in some surprise at the volume lying rather ostentatiously -on the table, and then at the pigtailed young man who ate foreign food -with an eagerness and a relish that indicated an excited interest in -novel experiment not commonly found among his race. - -They talked in Chinese. Li had much to say of the Japanese. He admired -them for adopting and adapting to their own purposes the material -achievements of the Western world. He had evidently heard something of -Theodore Roosevelt and rather less of Lloyd George and Karl Marx. Doane -was of the opinion, later, that during the tiffin hour the lad had told -all he had learned in six months at Tokio. When asked why he was not -finishing out his college year he smiled enigmatically and spoke of -duties at home. He knew, of course, that Doane would instantly dismiss -the reason as meaningless; it was his Chinese way of suggesting that he -preferred not to answer the question. - -Twenty-four hours later they transferred their luggage to the Hansi -Line, and headed westward into the red hills; passing, within an hour, -through the southern extension of the Great Wall, now a ruin. The night -was passed in M. Pourmont's compound at Ping Yang. After this there were -two other nights in ancient, unpleasant village inns. - -Duane made every effort to lessen the discomforts of the journey. -Outwardly kind, inwardly emotions fought with one another. He felt now -that he should never have sent for Betty; never in the world She seemed -to have had no practical training. She grew quiet and wistful as the -journey proceeded. The little outbreaks of enthusiasm over this or that -half-remembered glimpse of native life came less frequently from day to -day. - -There were a number of young men at Ping Yang; one French engineer who -spoke excellent English; an Australian; others, and two or three young -matrons who had adventurously accompanied their husbands into the -interior. They all called in the evening. The hospitable Pourmont took -up rugs and turned on the talking-machine, and the young people danced. - -Doane sat apart, watched the gracefully gliding couples; tried to smile. -The dance was on, Betty in the thick of it, before he realized what -was meant. He couldn't have spoken without others hearing. It was plain -enough that she entered into it without a thought; though as the -evening wore on he thought she glanced at him, now and then, rather -thoughtfully. And he found himself, at these moments, smiling with -greater determination and nodding at her. - -The incident plunged him, curiously, swiftly, into the heart of his own -dilemma. He rested an elbow on a table and shaded his eyes, trying, as -he had been trying all these years, to think. - -What a joyous little thing she was! What a fairy! And dancing seemed, -now, a means of expression for her youth and her gift of charm. And -there was an exquisite delight, he found, in watching her skill with the -young men. She was gay, quick, tactful. Clearly young men had, before -this, admired her. He wondered what sort of men. - -She interrupted this brooding with one of those slightly perturbed -glances. Quickly he lowered his hand in order that she might see him -smile; but she had whirled away. - -Joy!... Not before this moment, not in all the years of puzzled, -sometimes bitter thinking, had he realized the degree in which -mission life--for that matter, the very religion of his denominational -variety--shut joy out. They were afraid of it. They fought it. In their -hearts they associated it with vice It was of this world; their eyes -were turned wholly to another. - -His teeth grated together. The muscles of his strong jaws moved; bunched -on his cheeks. He knew now that he believed in joy as an expression of -life. - -Had he known where to turn for the money he would gladly have planned, -at this moment, to send Betty back to the States, give her more of an -education, even arrange for her to study drawing and painting. For on -the train, during their silences, she had sketched the French conductor, -the French-speaking Chinese porter, the sleepy, gray-brown, walled -villages, the wide, desert-like flats of the Hoang-Ho, the tumbling -hills. He was struck by her persistence at it; the girlish energy she -put into it. - -That night, late, long after the music had stopped and the last guests -had left for their dwellings about the large compound, she came across -the corridor and tapped at his door. She wore a kimono of Japan; her -abundant brown hair rippled about her shoulders. - -“Just one more good night, Daddy,” she murmured. - -And then, turning away, she added this, softly: - -“I never thought about the dancing until--well, we'd started...” - -He stood a long moment in silence, then said: - -“I'm glad you had a pleasant evening, dear. We--we're rather quiet at -T'ainan.” - -4 - -Pao Ting Chuan was a man of great shrewdness and considerable -distinction of appearance, skilled in ceremonial intercourse, a master -of the intricate courses a prominent official must steer between -beautifully phrased moral and ethical maxims on the one hand and -complicated political trickery on the other. But, as Doane had said, he -knew the cost of indemnities. It was on his shrewdness, his really great -intelligence, and on his firm control of the “gentry and people” of the -province that Doane relied to prevent any such frightful slaughter of -whites and destruction of their property as had occurred in 1900. Pao, -unlike most of the higher mandarins, was Chinese, not Manchu. - -The tao-tai of the city of T'ainan-fu, Chang Chih Ting, was an older man -than Pao, less vigorous of body and mind, simpler and franker. He was of -those who bewail the backwardness of China. - -From the tao-tai's yamen, on the first day of the great April fair, set -forth His Excellency in full panoply of state--a green official chair -with many bearers, an escort of twenty footmen, with runners on ahead. - -Behind this caravan, hidden from view in the depths of a blue Peking -cart, with the conventional extra servant dangling his heels over the -foreboard, rode Griggsby Doane. - -The principal feature of the opening day was a theatrical performance. -The play, naturally, was an historical satire, shouted and occasionally -sung by the heavily-costumed actors, to a continuous accompaniment of -wailing strings. The stage was a platform in the open air, under a tree -hung with bannerets inscribed to the particular spirit supposed to dwell -within its encircling bark. - -His Excellency stood, with Doane, on a knoll, looking out over the heads -of the vast audience toward the stage. Doane estimated the attendance at -near ten thousand. - -The play, begun in the early morning, was now well advanced. At its -conclusion, the audience was beginning to break up when a slim blue-clad -figure mounted the platform and began a hurried speech. - -Chang and Doane looked at each other; then as one man moved forward -down the knoll with the throng. The tao-tai's attendants followed, in -scattered formation. - -The speaker was Li Hsien. - -Slowly the magistrate and the missionary made their way toward the -stage. - -At first the crowd, at sight of the magistrate's button and embroidered -insignia, made way as well as they could. But as the impassioned phrases -of Li Hsien sank into their minds resistance developed. From here -and there in the crowd came phrases expressing a vile contempt for -foreigners such as Doane had not heard for years. - -Li was lashing himself up, crying out more and more vigorously against -the Ho Shan Company, the barbarous white governments from which it -derived force, foreign pigs everywhere. The crowds closed, solidly, -before the two advancing men. - -The magistrate waved his arms; shouted a command that Li leave the -platform. Li, hearing only a voice of opposition in the crowd, poured -out voluble scorn on his head. The crowd jostled Duane. A stick struck -his cheek. He whirled and caught the stick, but the wielder of it -escaped in the crowd. - -Chang tried to reason, then, with the few hundred within ear-shot. - -The sense of violence seemed to be increasing. A few of the magistrate's -escort were struggling through. These formed a circle about him and -Doane. - -Li shouted out charge after charge against the company. He begged his -hearers to be brave, as he was brave; to destroy all the works of the -company with dynamite; to wreck all the grounds of the foreign engineer -at Ping Yang and kill all the occupants; to kill foreigners everywhere -and assert the ancient integrity and superiority of China. “Be brave!” - he cried again. “See, I am brave. I die for Hansi. Can not you, too, -die for Hansi? Can not you think of me, of how I died for our cause, and -yourself, in memory of my act, fight for your beloved country, that it -may again be the proud queen of the earth?” - -He drew a revolver from his sleeve; shot twice; fell to the stage in a -widening pool of blood. - -At once the vast crowd went wild. Those near the white man turned on him -as if to kill him. His clothes were torn, his head cut. Man after man -he knocked down with his powerful fists. Before many moments he was -exulting in the struggle, in his strength and the full use of it. - -The magistrate, struggled beside him. For the people. In their frenzy, -forgot or ignored his rank and overwhelmed him. - -The runners fought as well as they could. Two or three of them fell. -Then a body of horsemen came charging into the crowd, soldiers from -the judge's yamen, all on shaggy little Manchu ponies, swinging clubbed -carbines as they rode. Right and left, men and boys fell. The crowd -broke and scattered. - -Chang, bleeding from several small wounds, his exquisitely embroidered -silken garments torn nearly off his body, made his way back to the green -chair. - -Doane was escorted by soldiers to the mission compound. He slipped in to -wash off the blood and change his clothes without being seen by Betty or -any of the whites. - -Shortly came two runners of His Excellency, Pao Ting Chuan, bearing -trays of gifts. And a Chinese note expressing deepest regret and -pledging complete protection in the future. - -Doane dismissed the runners with a Mexican dollar each, and thoughtfully -considered the situation. Pao was strong, very strong. Yet the -self-destruction of Li Hsien would act as a flaming signal to the people -It was the one appeal that might rouse them beyond control. - - - - -CHAPTER V--IN T'AINAN - - -1 - -THE Boatwrights were at this time in the thirties; he perhaps -thirty-six or seven, she thirty-three or four. As has already been noted -through the observing eyes of Mr. Withery, Elmer Boatwright had lost the -fresh enthusiasm of his first years in the province. And he had by no -means attained the mellow wisdom that seldom so much as begins to appear -in a man before forty. His was a daily routine of innumerable petty -tasks and responsibilities. He had come to be a washed-out little man, -whose unceasing activity was somehow unconvincing. He had stopped -having opinions, even views. He taught, he kept accounts and records, he -conducted meetings, he prayed and sometimes preached at meetings of the -students and the native Christians, he was kind in a routine way, his -rather patient smile was liked about the compound, but the gift of -personality was not his. Even his religion seemed at times to have -settled into routine.... - -He was small in stature, not plump, with light thin hair and a light -thin mustache. - -His wife was taller than he, more vigorous, more positive, with -something of an executive gift. The domestic management of the compound -was her province, with teaching in spare hours. Her husband, with fewer -petty activities to absorb his energy until his life settled into a -mold, might have exhibited some of the interesting emotional quality -that is rather loosely called temperament; for that matter it was still -a possibility during the soul-shaking changes of middle life; certainly -his odd, early taste for taxidermy had carried him to the borders of a -sort of artistry; but her own gift was distinctly that of activity. She -seemed a wholly objective person. She was physically strong, inclined to -sternness, or at least to rigidity of view, yet was by no means unkind. -The servants respected her. She was troubled by no doubts. Her religious -faith, like her housekeeping practise, was a settled thing. Apparently -her thinking was all of the literal things about her. Of humor she had -never shown a trace. Without the strong proselyting impetus that had -directed and colored her life she might have become a rather hard, -sharp-tongued village housewife. But at whatever cost to herself she -had brought her tongue under control. As a result, having no mental -lightness or grace, she talked hardly at all. When she disapproved, -which was not seldom, she became silent. - -The relation between this couple and Griggsby Doane had grown subtly -complicated through the years that followed the death of Mrs. Doane. -Doane, up in his simply furnished attic room, living wholly alone, never -interfered in the slightest detail of Mrs. Boatwright's management. -Like her, when he disapproved, he kept still. But he might as well -have spoken out, for she knew, nearly always, what he was thinking. -The deepest blunder she made during this period was to believe, as she -firmly did, that she knew all, instead of nearly all his thoughts. The -side of him that she was incapable of understanding, the intensely, -warmly human side, appeared to her merely as a curiously inexplicable -strain of weakness in him that might, some day, crop out and make -trouble. She felt a strain of something disastrous in his nature. She -regarded his growing passion for solitude as a form of self-indulgence. -She knew that he was given more and more to brooding; and brooding--all -independent thought, in fact--alarmed her. Her own deepest faith was -in what she thought of as submission to divine will and in -self-suppression. But she respected him profoundly. And he respected -her. Each knew something of the strength in the other's nature. And so -they lived on from day to day and year to year in a practised avoidance -of conflict or controversy. And between them her busy little husband -acted as a buffer without ever becoming aware that a buffer was -necessary in this quiet, well-ordered, industrious compound. - -Regarding the change of tone for the more severe and the worse that -had impressed and disturbed Withery, none of the three but Duane had -formulated a conscious thought. Probably the less kindly air was really -more congenial to Mrs. Boatwright. Her husband was not a man ever to -survey himself and his environment with detachment. And both were much -older and more severe at this time than they were to be at fifty. - -The introduction of Betty Doane into this delicately balanced household -precipitated a crisis. Breakfast was served in the mission house at a -quarter to eight. Not once in a month was it five minutes late. A delay -of half an hour would have thrown Mrs. Boatwright out of her stride for -the day. - -During the first few days after her arrival Betty appeared on time. It -was clearly necessary. Mrs. Boatwright was hostile. Her father was busy -and preoccupied. She herself was moved deeply by a girlish determination -to find some small niche for herself in this driving little community. -The place was strange to her. There seemed little or no companionship. -Even Miss Hemphill, the head teacher, whom she remembered from her -girlhood, and Dr. Mary Cassin, who was in charge of the dispensary -and who had a pleasant, almost pretty face, seemed as preoccupied as -Griggsby Doane. During her mother's lifetime there had been an air of -friendliness, of kindness, about the compound that was gone now. Perhaps -less work had been accomplished then than now under the firm rule of -Mrs. Boatwright, but it had been a happier little community. - -From the moment she rode in through the great oak, nail-studded gates -of the compound, and the mules lurched to their knees, and her father -helped her out through the little side door of the red and blue litter, -Betty knew that she was exciting disapproval. The way they looked at her -neat traveling suit, her becoming turban, her shoes, worked sharply -on her sensitive young nerves. She was aware even of the prim way they -walked, these women--of their extremely modest self-control--and of the -puzzling contrast set up with the free activity of her own slim body; -developed by dancing and basketball and healthy romping into a grace -that had hitherto been unconscious. - -And almost from that first moment, herself hardly aware of what she was -about but feeling that she must be wrong, struggling bravely against -an increasing hurt, her unrooted, nervously responsive young nature -struggled to adapt itself to the new environment. A pucker appeared -between her brows; her voice became hushed and faintly, shyly earnest -in tone. Mrs. Boatwright at once gave her some classes of young girls. -Betty went to Miss Hemphill for detailed advice, and earnestly that -first evening read into a work on pedagogics that the older teacher, -after a kindly enough talk, lent her. - -She went up to her father's study, just before bedtime on the first -evening, in a spirit of determined good humor. She wanted him to see how -well she was taking hold.... But she came down in a state of depression -that kept her awake for a long time lying in her narrow iron bed, gazing -out into the starlit Chinese heavens. She felt his grave kindness, but -found that she didn't know him. Here in the compound, with all his -burden of responsibility settled on his broad shoulders, he had receded -from her. He would sit and look at her, with sadness in his eyes, not -catching all she said; then would start a little, and smile, and take -her hand. - -She found that she couldn't unpack all her things; not for days. There -were snapshots of boy and girl members of “the crowd,” away off there, -beyond the brown hills, beyond the ruined wall, beyond the yellow -plains, and the Pacific Ocean and the wide United States, off in a -little New Jersey town, on the other side of the world. There were -parcels of dance programs, with little white pencils dangling from -silken white cords. There were programs of plays, with cryptic -pencilings, and copies of a high-school paper, and packets of letters. -She couldn't trust herself to look at these treasures. And she put her -drawing things away. - -And other more serious difficulties arose to provoke sober thoughts. -One occurred the first time she played tennis with her father; the day -before Li Hsien's suicide. The court had been laid out on open ground -adjoining the compound. Small school buildings and a wall shut it off -from the front street, and a Chinese house-wall blocked the other end; -but the farther side lay open to a narrow footway. Here a number of -Chinese youths gathered and watched the play. It happened that none of -the white women attached to the mission at this time was a tennis -player; and the spectacle of a radiant girl darting about with grace and -zest and considerable athletic skill was plainly an experience to the -onlookers. At first they were respectful enough; but as their numbers -grew voices were raised, first in laughter, then in unpleasant comment. -Finally all the voices seemed to burst out at once in chorus of ribaldry -and invective. Betty stopped short in her play, alarmed and confused. - -These shouted remarks grew in insolence. All through her girlhood Betty -had grown accustomed to occasional small outbreaks from the riff-raff of -T'ainan. She recalled that her father had always chosen to ignore -them. But there was a new boldness evident in the present group, as -the numbers increased and more and more voices joined in. And it was -evident, from an embroidered robe here and there, that not all were -riff-raff. - -Her father lowered his racket and walked to the net. - -“I'm sorry, dear,” he said; “but this won't do.” - -Obediently she returned to the mission house; while Doane went over to -the fence. But before he could reach it the youths, jeering, hurried -away. That evening he told Betty he would have a wall built along the -footway. - -2 - -Within less than a week Betty found herself fighting off a -heart-sickness that was to prove, for the time, irresistible. On the -sixth evening, after the house had became still and her big, kind father -had said good night--in some ways, at moments, he seemed almost close to -her; at other moments, especially now, at night, in the solitude, he was -hopelessly far away, a dim figure on the farther shore of the gulf that -lies, bottomless, between every two human souls--she locked herself in -her little room and sat, very still, with drooping face and wet eyes, by -the open window. - -The big Oriental city was silent, asleep, except for the distant sound -of a watchman banging his gong and shouting musically on his rounds. -The spring air, soft, moistly warm, brought to her nostrils the smell -of China; and brought with it, queerly disjointed, hauntlike memories of -her childhood in the earlier mission house that had stood on this same -bit of ground. She closed her eyes, and saw her mother walking in quiet -dignity about the compound, the same compound in which Luella Brenty, -a girl of hardly more than her-own present age, was, in 1900, burned -at the stake. Down there where the ghostly tablet stood, by the chapel -steps. - -She shivered. There was trouble now. They were talking about it among -themselves, if not in her presence. That would doubtless explain her -father's preoccupation.... She must hurry to bed. She knew she was -tired; and it wouldn't do to be late for breakfast. And she had a class -in English at 8:45. - -But instead she got out the bottom tray of her trunk and mournfully -staring long at each, went through her photographs. She had been a nice -girl, there in the comfortable American town. Here she seemed less nice. -As if, in some way, over there in the States, her nature had changed for -the worse. They looked at her so. They were not friendly. No, not that. -Yet this was home, her only home. The other had seemed to be home, but -it was now a dream... gone. She could never again pick up her place in -the old crowd. It would be changing. That, she thought, in the brooding -reverie known to every imaginative, sensitive boy and girl, was the sad -thing about life. It slipped away from you; you could nowhere put your -feet down solidly. If, another year, she could return, the crowd would -be changed. New friendships would be formed. The boys who had been fond -of her would now be fond of others. Some of the girls might be married... -She herself was changed. A man--an older man, who had been married, -was, in a way, married at the time---had taken her in his arms and -kissed her. It w'as a shock. It hurt now. She couldn't think how it had -happened, how it had ever begun. She couldn't even visualize the man, -now, with her eyes closed. She couldn't be sure even that she liked him. -He was a strange being. He had interested her by startling her. -Romance had seized them. He said that. He said it would be different at -Shanghai. It was different; very puzzling, saddening. There was no doubt -as to what Mrs. Boatwright would say about it, if she knew. Or Miss -Hemphill. Any of them.... She wondered what her father would say. She -couldn't tel! him. It had to be secret. There were things in life that -had to be; but she wondered what he would say. - -But she was, with herself, here in her solitude, honest about it. It had -happened. She didn't blame the man. In his strange way, he was real. He -had meant it. She had read his letter over and over, on the steamer, and -here in T'ainan. It was moving, exciting to her that odd letter. And he -had gone without a further word because he felt it to be the best way. -She was sure of that.... She didn't blame herself, though it hurt. No, -she couldn't blame him. Yet it was now, as it had been at the time, -a sort of blinding, almost an unnerving shock.... Probably they would -never meet again. It was a large world, after all; you couldn't go back -and pick up dropped threads. But if they should meet, by some queer -chance, what would they do, what could they say? For he lingered vividly -with her; his rough blunt phrases came up, at lonely moments, in her -mind. He had stirred and, queerly, bewilderingly, humbled her.... She -wondered, all nerves, what his wife was like. How she looked. - -Perhaps it was this change in her that these severe women noticed. -Perhaps her inner life lay open to their experienced eyes. She could do -nothing about it, just set her teeth and live through somehow.... Though -it couldn't be wholly that, because she had worn the clothes they didn't -like before it happened, and had danced, and played like a child. And -they didn't seem to care much for her drawing; though Miss Hemphill had, -she knew, suggested to Mr. Boatwright that he let her try teaching a -small class of the Chinese girls.... No, it wasn't that. It must, then, -be something in her nature. - -She had read, back home--or in the States--in a woman's magazine, that -every woman has two men in her life, the one she loves, or who has -stirred her, and the one she marries. The girls, in some excitement, had -discussed it. There had been confidences. - -She might marry. It was possible. And even now she saw clearly enough, -as every girl sees when life presses, that marriage might, at any -moment, present itself as a way out. The thought was not stimulating. -The pictures it raised lacked the glowing color of her younger and more -romantic dreams.... That mining engineer was writing her, from Korea. -His name was Apgar, Harold B. Apgar; he was stocky, strong, with an -attractive square face and quiet gray eyes. She liked him. But his -letters were going to be hard to answer. - -The soft air that fanned her softer cheek brought utter melancholy. She -felt, as only the young can feel, that her life, with her merry youth, -was over. Grim doors had closed on it. Joy lay behind those doors. Ahead -lay duties, discipline, the somber routine of womanhood. - -She shivered and stirred. This brooding wouldn't do. - -She got out a pad of paper and a pencil, and sitting there in the dim -light, sketched with deft fingers the roofs and trees of T'ainan, as -they appeared in the moonlight of spring, with a great faint gate tower -bulking high above a battlemented wall. Until far into the morning she -drew, forgetful of the hours, finding a degree of melancholy pleasure in -the exercise of the expressive faculty that had become second nature to -her. - -She slept, then, like a child, until mid-forenoon. It was nearly eleven -o'clock when she hurried, ready to smile quickly to cover her confusion, -down to the dining-room. - -The breakfast things had been cleared away more than two hours earlier. -The table boy (so said the cook) had gone to market. She ate, rather -shamefaced, a little bread and butter (she was finding it difficult to -get used to this tinned butter from New Zealand). - -In the parlor Mrs. Boatwright sat at her desk. She heard Betty at the -door, lifted her head for a cool bow, then resumed her work. Not a word -did she speak or invite. There was an apology trembling on the tip of -Betty's tongue, but she had to hold it back and turn away. - -3 - -The day after the suicide of Li Hsien rumors began to drift into the -compound. News travels swiftly in China. The table “boy” (a man of -fifty-odd) brought interesting bits from the market, always a center -for gossip of the city and the mid-provincial region about it. The old -gate-keeper, Sun Shao-i, picked up much of the roadside talk. And the -several other men helpers about the compound each contributed his -bit. The act of the fanatical student had, at the start, as Doane -anticipated, an electrical effect on public sentiment. Suicide is by no -means generally regarded in China as a sign of failure. It is employed, -at times of great stress, as a form of deliberate protest; and is then -taken as heroism. - -So reports came that the always existent hatred of foreigners was -rising, and might get out of control. A French priest was murdered on -the Kalgan highway, after protracted torture during which his eyes and -tongue were fed to village dogs. This, doubtless, as retaliation for -similar practises commonly attributed to the white missionaries. The -fact that the local Shen magistrate promptly caught and beheaded a few -of the ringleaders appeared to have small deterrent effect on public -feeling. - -Detachments of strange-appearing soldiers, wearing curious insignia, -were marching into the province over the Western Mountains. A native -worker at one of the mission outposts wrote that they broke into his -compound and robbed him of food, but made little further trouble. - -Reports bearing on the activities of the new Great Eye Society--already -known along the wayside as “The Lookers”--were coming in daily. The -Lookers were initiating many young men into their strange magic, which -appeared to differ from the incantations of the Boxers of 1900 more in -detail than in spirit. - -And in the western, villages this element was welcoming the new -soldiers. - -Here in T'ainan disorder was increasing. An old native, helper of Dr. -Cassin in the dispensary, was mobbed on the street and given a beating -during which his arm was broken. He managed to walk to the compound, and -was now about with the arm in a sling, working quietly as usual. But it -was evident that native Christians must, as usual in times of trouble, -suffer for their faith. - -On the following afternoon the tao-tai called, in state, with bearers, -runners, soldiers and secretaries. The main courtyard of the compound -was filled with the richly colored chairs and the silks and satins and -plumed ceremonial hats of his entourage. For more than an hour he -was closeted with Griggsby Doane, while the Chinese schoolgirls, very -demure, stole glances from curtained windows at the beautiful young men -in the courtyard. - -By this impressive visit, and by his long stay, Chang Chih Ting clearly -meant to impress on the whole city his friendship for these foreign -devils. For the whole city would know of it within an hour; all middle -Hansi would know by nightfall. - -He brought disturbing news. It had been obvious to Doane that the -menacing new society could hardly spread and thrive without some sort -of secret official backing. He was inclined to trust Chang. He believed, -after days of balancing the subtle pros and cons in his mind, that -Pao Ting Chuan would keep order. And he knew that the official who was -responsible for the province--as Pao virtually was--could keep order if -he chose. - -Chang, always naively open with Doane, supported him in this view. But -it was strongly rumored at the tao-tai's yamen that the treasurer, Kang -Hsu, old as he was, weakened by opium, for the past two or three -years an inconsiderable figure in the province, had lately been in -correspondence with the Western soldiers. And officers from his yamen -had been recognized as among the drill masters of the Looker bands. -Chang had reported these proceedings to His Excellency, he said (“His -Excellency,” during this period, meant always Pao, though Kang Hsu, as -treasurer, ranked him) and had been graciously thanked. It was also said -that Kang had cured himself of opium smoking by locking himself in a -room and throwing pipe, rods, lamp and all his supply of the drug out of -a window. For two weeks he had suffered painfully, and had nearly died -of a diarrhea; but now had recovered and was even gaining in weight, -though still a skeleton. - -Doane caught himself shaking his head, with Chang, over this remarkable -self-cure. It would apparently be better for the whites were Kang to -resume his evil ways. It was clear to these deeply experienced men that -Kang's motives would be mixed. Doubtless he had been stirred to jealousy -by Pao. It seemed unlikely that he, or any prominent mandarin, could -afford to run the great risks involved in setting the province afire -so soon after 1900. Perhaps he knew a way to lay the fresh troubles at -Pao's gate. Or perhaps he had come to believe, with his befuddled old -brain, in the Looker incantations. Only seven years earlier the belief -of ruling Manchus in Boxer magic had led to the siege of the legations -and something near the ruin of China. Come to think of it, Kang, unlike -Pao and Chang, was a Manchu. - -Chang also brought with him a copy of the Memorial left by Li Hsien, -which it appeared was being widely circulated in the province. The -document gave an interesting picture of the young man's complicated -mind. His death had been theatrical and, in manner, Western, modern. -Suicides of protest were traditionally managed in private. But -the memorial was utterly Chinese, written with all the customary -indirection, dwelling on his devotion to his parents and his native -land, as on his own worthlessness; quoting apt phrases from Confucius, -Mencius and Tseng Tzu; quite, indeed, in the best traditional manner. -And he left a letter to his elder brother, couched in language humble -and tender, giving exact directions for his funeral, down to the -arrangement of his clothing and the precise amount to be paid to the -Taoist priest, together with instructions as to the disposition of -his small personal estate. Doane pointed out that these documents -were designed to impress on the gentry his loyal conformity to ancient -tradition, while his motives were revolutionary and his final act -was designed to excite the mob at the fair and folk of their class -throughout the province. Chang believed he had scholarly help in -preparing the documents. And both men felt it of sober significance -that the memorial was addressed to “His Excellency, Kang Hsu, Provincial -Treasurer.” - -That Li Hsien's inflammatory denunciation of “the foreign engineer at -Ping Yang” had an almost immediate effect was indicated by the news -from that village at the railhead. M. Puurmont wrote, in French, that -an Australian stake-boy had been shot through the lungs while helping an -instrument man in the hills. He was alive, but barely so, at the time -of writing. As a result of this and certain lesser difficulties, M. -Pourmont was calling in his engineers and mine employees, and putting -them to work improvising a fort about his compound, and had telegraphed -Peking for a large shipment of tinned food. He added that there would -be plenty of room in case Doane later should decide to gather in his -outpost workers and fall back toward the railroad. - -Doane translated this letter into Chinese for Chang's benefit. - -“Has he firearms?” asked the tao-tai. - -Doane inclined his head. “More than the treaty permits,” he replied. “He -told me last winter that he thought it necessary.” - -“It is as well,” said Chang. “Though it is not necessary for you to -leave yet. To do that would be to invite misunderstanding.” - -“It would invite attack,” said Doane. - -It was on the morning after Chang's call that the telegram came from Jen -Ling Pu. Doane was crossing the courtyard when he heard voices in -the gate house; then Sun Shao-i came down the steps and gave him the -message. He at once sent a chit to Pao, writing it in pencil against -a wall; then ordered a cart brought around. Within an hour the boy -was back. Pao had written on the margin of the note: “Will see you -immediately.” - -For once the great mandarin did not keep him waiting. The two inner -gates of the yamen opened for him one after the other, and his cart -was driven across the tiled inner court to the yamen porch. It was an -unheard-of honor. Plainly, Pao, like the lesser Chang, purposed standing -by his guns, and meant that the city should know. By way of emphasis, -Pao himself, tall, stately, magnificent in his richly embroidered robe, -the peacock emblem of a civil mandarin of the third-class embroidered -on the breast, the girdle clasp of worked gold, wearing the round hat of -office crowned with a large round ruby--Pao, deep and musical of voice, -met him in the shadowy porch and conducted him to the reception room. -Instantly the tea appeared, and they could talk. - -“Your Excellency,” said Doane, “a Christian worker in So T'ung, one Jen -Ling Pu, telegraphs me that strange soldiers, helped by members of the -Great Eye Society, last night attacked his compound. They have burned -the gate house, but have no firearms. At eight this morning, with the -aid of the engineer for the Ho Shan Company in that region, and with -only two revolvers, he was defending the compound. I am going there. I -will leave this noon.” - -“I hear your alarming words with profound regret,” Pao's deep voice -rolled about the large high room. “My people are suffering under an -excitement which causes them to forget their responsibility as neighbors -and their duty to their fellow men. I will send soldiers with you.” - -“Soldiers should be sent, Your Excellency, and at once. Well-armed men. -But I shall not wait.” - -“You are not going alone? And not in your usual manner, on foot?” - -“Yes, Your Excellency.” - -“But that may be unsafe.”. - -“My safety is of little consequence.” - -“It is of great consequence to me.” - -“For that I thank you. But it is to So T'ung a hundred and eighty _li_. -The best mules or horses will need two days. I can walk there in less -than one day. I have walked there in twenty hours.” - -“You are a man of courage. I will order the soldiers to start by noon.” - -Back at the compound, Doane assembled his staff in one of the -schoolrooms. Mr. and Mrs. Boatwright were there, Miss Hemphill and Dr. -Cassin. He laid the telegram before them, and repeated his conversation -with the provincial judge. - -They listened soberly. For a brief time one spoke. Then Mrs. Boatwright -asked, bluntly: - -“You are sure you ought to go?” - -Doane inclined his head. - -“If things are as bad as this, how about our safety here?” - -“You will be protected. Both Pao and Chang will see to that. And in case -of serious danger--something unforeseen, you must demand an escort to -Ping Yang. You will be safe there with Monsieur Pourmont.” - -“How about your own safety?” - -“I have put the responsibility squarely on Pao's shoulders. He knows -what I am going to do. He is sending soldiers after me. He will -undoubtedly telegraph ahead; he'll have to do that.” - -4 - -Betty was in his study, standing by the window. She turned quickly when -he came in. He closed the door, and affecting a casual manner passed her -with a smile and went into the bedroom for the light bag with a shoulder -strap, the blanket roll and the ingenious light folding cot that he -always carried on these expeditions if there was likelihood of his -being caught overnight at native inns. He put on his walking boots and -leggings, picked up his thin raincoat and the heavy stick that was his -only weapon, and returned to the study. - -He felt Betty's eyes on him, and tried to speak in an offhand manner. - -“I'm off to So T'ung, Betty. Be back within two or three days.” - -She came over, slowly, hesitating, and lingered the blanket roll. - -“Will there he danger at So T'ung, Dad?” she asked gently. - -“Very little, I think.” - -He saw that neither his words nor his manner answered the questions in -her hind. Patting her shoulder, he added: - -“Kiss me good-by, child. You've been listening to the chatter of the -compound. The worst place for gossip in the world.” - -But she laid a light finger on the court-plaster that covered a cut on -his cheek-bone. - -“You never said a word about that, Dad. It was the riot at the fair. I -know. You had to fight with them. And Li Hsien killed himself.” - -“But His Excellency put down the trouble at once. That is over.” - -She sank slowly into the swivel chair before the desk; dropped her cheek -on her hand; said, in a low uneven voice: - -“No one talks to me... tells me...” - -He looked down at her, standing motionless. His eyes filled. Then, -deliberately, he put his park aside, and seated himself at the other -side of the desk. - -She looked up, with a wistful smile. - -“I'm not afraid, Dad.” - -“You wouldn't be,” said he gravely. - -“No. But there is trouble, of course.” - -“Yes. There is trouble.” - -“Do you think it will be as--as bad as--nineteen hundred?” - -“No... no, I'm sure it won't. The officials simply can't afford to let -that awful thing happen again.” - -“It would be... well, discouraging,” said she thoughtfully. “Wouldn't -it? To have all your work undone again.” - -He found himself startled by her impersonal manner. He saw her, abruptly -then, as a mature being. He didn't know how to talk to her. This -thoughtful young woman was, curiously, a stranger.... And this was the -first moment in which it had occurred to him that she might already have -had beginning adult experience. She was an individual; had a life of -her own to manage. There would have been men. She was old enough to have -thought about marriage, even. It seemed incredible.... He sighed. - -“You're worried about me,” she said. - -“I shouldn't have brought you out here, dear.” - -“I don't fit in.” - -“It is a great change for you.” - -“I... I'm no good.” - -“Betty, dear--that is not true. I can't let you say that, or think it.” - -“But it's the truth. I'm no good. I've tried. I have, Dad. You know, to -put everything behind me and make myself take hold.... And then I draw -half the night, and miss my classes in the morning. It seems to go -against my nature, some way. No matter how hard I try, it doesn't work. -The worst of it is, in my heart I know it isn't going to work.” - -“I shouldn't have brought you out here.” - -“But you couldn't help that, Dad.” - -“It did seem so.... I'm planning now to send you back as soon as we can -manage it.” - -“But, Dad... the expense...!” - -“I know. I am thinking about that. There will surely be a way to manage -it, a little later. I mean to find a way.” - -“But I can't go back to Uncle Frank's.” - -“I must work it out so that it won't be a burden to him.” - -“You mean... pay board?” - -“Yes.” - -“But think, Dad! I've cost you so much already!” - -“I am glad you have, dear. I think I've needed that. And I want you to -go back to the Art League. You have a real talent. We must make the most -of it.” Betty's gaze strayed out the window. Her father was a dear man. -She hadn't dreamed he could see into her problems like this. She was -afraid she might cry, so she spoke quickly. - -“But that means making me still more a burden!” - -“It is the sort of burden 1 would love, Betty. But don't misunderstand -me--I can't do all this now.” - -“Oh, I know!” - -“You may have to be patient for a time. Tell me, dear, first though... -is it what you want most?” - -“Oh... why...” - -“Answer me if you can. If you know what you want most.” - -“I wonder if I do know. It's when I try to think that out clearly that -it seems to me I'm no good.” - -“I recognize, of course, that you are reaching the age when many girls -think of marrying.” - -“I... oh...” - -“I don't want to intrude into your intimate thoughts, dear. But in so -far as we can plan together... it may help if...” - -She spoke with a touch of reserve that might have been, probably was, -shyness. - -“There have been men, of course, who---well, wanted to marry me. This -last year. There was one in New York. He used to come out and take me -riding in his automobile. I--I always made some of the other girls come -with us.” - -Doane found it impossible to visualize this picture. When he was last -in the States there were no automobiles on the streets. It suggested -a condition of which he knew literally nothing, a wholly new set of -influences in the life of young people. The thought was alarming; he had -to close his eyes on it for a moment. Much as his daughter had seemed -like a visitor from another planet, she had never seemed so far off -as now. And he fell to thinking, along with this new picture, of the -terribly hard struggle they had had out here, since 1900, in rebuilding -the mission organization, in training new workers and creating a new -morale. He felt tired.... His brain was tired. It would help to get out -on the road again, swinging gradually into the rhythm of his forty-inch -stride. Once more he would walk himself off, even as he hastened on an -errand of rescue. - -Betty was speaking again. - -“And there's one now. He's in Korea, a mining engineer. He's awfully -nice. But I--I don't think I could marry him.” - -“Do you love him, Betty?” - -“N--no. No, I don't. Though I've wondered, sometimes, about these -things....” The person she was wondering about, as she said this, was -Jonathan Brachey. Suddenly, with her mind's eye, she saw this clearly. -And it was startling. She couldn't so much as mention his name; -certainly not to her father, kind and human as he seemed. But she would -never hear from him again; not now. If he could live through those first -few weeks without so much as writing, he could let the years go. -That would have been the test for her sort of nature, and she could -understand no other sort. - -She compressed her lips. She didn't know that her face showed something -of the trouble in her mind. She spoke, bravely, with an abruptness that -surprised herself a little, as it surprised him. - -“No, Dad, I shan't marry. Not for years, if ever. I'd rather work. I'd -rather work hard, if only I could fit in somewhere.” - -“I'm seeing it a little more clearly, Betty.”' He arose. “On the way out -I'll tell Mrs. Boatwright and Miss Hemphill both that I don't want you -to do any more work about the compound.... No, dear, please! Let -me finish!... When you're a few years older, you'll learn as I have -learned, that the important thing is to find your own work, and find -it early. So many lives take the wrong direction, through mistaken -judgment, or a mistaken sense of duty. And nothing--nothing--can so -mislead us as a sense of duty.” - -He said this with an emphasis that puzzled Betty. - -“The thing for you,” he went on, “is to draw. And dream. The dreaming -will work out in more drawing, I imagine. For you have the nature of -the artist. Your mother had it. You are like her, with something of my -energy added. Don't let the atmosphere of the compound pull you down. -It mustn't do that. Live within yourself. Let your energy go into honest -expression of yourself. You see what I'm getting at--_be_ yourself. -Don't try to be some one else.... You happen to be here in an -interesting time. There's a possibility that the drawings you could make -out here, now, would have a value later on. So try to make a record -of your life here with your pencil. And don't be afraid of happiness, -dear.” He pointed to a row of jonquils in a window-box. “Happiness is -as great a contribution to life as duty. Think how those flowers -contribute! And remember that you are like them to me.” - -She clung to him, in impulsive affection, as she kissed him good-by. And -it wasn't until late that night, as she lay in her white bed, such a glow -did he leave in her warm little heart, that the odd nature of his talk -caught her attention. She had never, never, heard him say such things. -It was as if he, her great strong dad, were himself starved for -happiness. As if he wanted her to have all the rich beauty of life that -had passed him grimly by. - -She fell to wondering, sleepily, what he meant by finding a way to get -the money. There was no way. Though it was dear of him even to think of -it. - -She fell asleep then. - - - - -CHAPTER VI--CATASTROPHE - - -1 - -DOANE left the compound a little before noon, and arrived at So T'ung -at six the following morning. The distance, a hundred and eighty _li_, -was just short of sixty-five English miles. The road was little more -than a footpath, so narrow that in the mountains, where the grinding of -ages of traffic and the drainage from eroded slopes had long ago worn it -down into a series of deep, narrow canyons, the came! trains, with -their wide panniers, always found passing a matter of difficulty and -confusion. Here it skirted a precipice, or twisted up and up to surmount -the Pass of the Flighting Geese, just west of the sacred mountain; there -it wandered along the lower hillsides above a spring torrent that would -be, a few months later, a trickling rivulet. His gait averaged, over -all conditions of road and of gradient, about five miles an hour. He -followed, on this occasion, the principle of walking an hour, then -resting fifteen minutes. And toward midnight he set up his cot by the -roadside, in the shelter of a tree by a memorial arch, and gave himself -two hours of sleep. - -The little hill city of So T'ung was awake and astir, with gates open -and traffic already flowing forth. There were no signs of disorder. -But Doane noted that the anti-foreign mutterings and sneers along the -roadside (to which he had grown accustomed twenty years earlier) -were louder and more frequent than common. For himself he had not the -slightest fear. His great height, his enormous strength, his commanding -eye, had always, except on the one recent occasion of the riot at the -T'ainan fair, been enough to cow any native who was near enough to do -him injury. And added to this moral and physical strength he had lately -felt a somewhat surprising recklessness. He felt this now. He didn't -care what happened, so long as he might be busy in the thick of it. His -personal safety took on importance only when he kept Betty in mind. He -must save himself to provide for her. And, of course, in the absence of -any other strong personality, the mission workers needed him; they had -no one else, just now, on whom to lean. And then there were the hundreds -of native Christians; they needed him, for they would be slaughtered -first... if it should come to that. They would be loyal, and would die, -at the last, for their faith. - -During the long hours of walking through the still mountain night, his -thoughts ranged far. He considered talking over his problems with M. -Pourmont. There should be work for a strong, well-trained man somewhere -in the railroad development that was going on all over the yellow -kingdom. Preferably in some other region, where he wouldn't be known. -Starting fresh, that was the thing! - -Over and over the rather blank thought came around, that a man has no -right to bring into the world a child for whom he can not properly, -fully, care. And it came down to money, to some money; not as wealth, -but as the one usable medium of human exchange. A little of it, honestly -earned, meant that a man was productive, was paying his way. A saying of -Emerson's shot in among his racing thoughts--something about clergymen -always demanding a handicap. It was wrong, he felt. It was--he went as -far as this, toward dawn--parasitic. A man, to live soundly, healthily, -must shoulder his way among his fellows, prove himself squarely. - -And he dwelt for hours at a time on the ethical basis of all this -missionary activity. It was what he came around to all night. There was -an assumption--it was, really, the assumption on which his present life -was based--that the so-called Christian civilization, Western Europe -and America--owed its superiority to what he thought of as the Christian -consciousness. That superiority was always implied. It was the -motive power back of this persistent proselytizing. But to-night, -as increasingly of late years, he found himself whittling away the -implications of a spiritual and even ethical quality in that superiority -of the White over the Yellow. More and more clearly it seemed to come -down to the physical. It was the amazing discoveries in what men -call modern science, and the wide application in industry of these -discoveries, that made much of the difference. Then there were the -accidents of climate and soil and of certain happy mixtures of blood -through conquests... these things made a people great or weak. And -lesser accidents, such as a simple alphabet, making it easy and cheap -to print ideas; the Chinese alphabet and the lack of easy transportation -had held China back, he believed.... Back of all these matters lay, of -course, a more powerful determinant; the genius that might be waxing or -waning in a people. The genius of America was waxing, clearly; and the -genius of China had been waning for six hundred years. But in her turn, -China had waxed, as had Rome, and Greece, and Egypt. None of these had -known the Christian consciousness, yet each had run her course. And -Greece and Rome, without it, had risen high. Rome, indeed, whatever the -reason, had begun to wane from the very dawn of Christianity; and had -finally succumbed, not to that, but to barbarians who had in them crude -physical health and enterprise. - -The more deeply he pondered, the more was he inclined to question -the importance of Christianity in the Western scheme. For Western -civilization, to his burning eyes, walking at night, alone, over the -hills of ancient Hansi, looked of a profoundly materialistic nature. You -felt that, out here, where oil and cigarettes and foreign-made opium and -merchandise of all sorts were pushing in, all the time, about and beyond -the missionaries. And with bayonets always bristling in the background. -The West hadn't the finely great gift of Greece or the splendid unity of -Rome. Its art was little more than a confusion of copies, a library -of historical essays. And art seemed, now, important. And as for -religion... Doane had moments of real bitterness, that night, about -religion. And he thought around and around a circle. The one strongest, -best organized church of the West--the one that made itself felt most -effectively in China--seemed to him not only opposed to the scientific -enterprise that was, if anything, peculiarly the genius of the West, but -insistent on superstitions (for so they looked, out here) beside which -the quiet rationalism of the Confucian drift seemed very reality. And -the period of the greatest power and glory of that church had been, to -all European civilization, the Dark Ages. The Reformation and the modern -free political spirit appeared to be cognates, yet the evangelical -churches fought science, in their turn, from their firm base of -divine revelation. It was difficult, to-night, to see the miracles and -mysteries of Christianity as other than legendary superstitions handed -down by primitive, credulous peoples. It was difficult to see them as -greatly different from the incantations of the Boxers or of these newer -Lookers. - -And then, of all those great peoples that had waxed and waned, China -alone remained.... There was a thought! She might wax again. For there -she was, as always. Without the Christian consciousness, the Chinese, of -all the great peoples, alone had endured. - -A fact slightly puzzling to Doane was that he thought all this under a -driving nervous pressure. Now and then his mind rushed him, got a little -out of control. And at these times he walked too fast. - -2 - -The mission station was situated in the northern suburbs of So -T'ung-fu, outside the wall. Duane went directly there. - -The mission compound lay a smoking ruin. Not a building of the five -or six that had stood in the walled acre, was now more than a heap of -bricks, with a Ft of wall or a chimney standing. The compound wall had -been battered down at a number of points, apparently with a heavy timber -that now lay outside one of the breaches. There was no sign of life. - -He walked in among the ruins. They were still too hot for close -examination. But he found the body of a white man lying in an open -space, clad in flannel shirt and riding breeches, with knee-high -laced boots of the sort commonly worn by engineers. The face was -unrecognizable. The top of the head, too, had been beaten in. But on the -back of the head grew' curly yellow' hair. From the figure evidently -a young man; one of Pourmont's adventurous crew; probably one of the -Australians or New Zealanders. A revolver lay near the outstretched -hand. Doane picked it up and examined it. Every chamber was empty. -And here and there along the path were empty cartridges; as if he had -retreated stubbornly, loading and firing as he could. Not far off lay -an empty cartridge box. That would be where he had filled for the last -time. He must have sent some of the bullets home; but the attackers -had removed their dead. Yes, closer scrutiny discovered a number of -blood-soaked areas along the path. - -A young Chinese joined him, announcing himself as a helper at the -station. Jen Ling Pu had sent him out over the rear wall, he said, with -the telegram to Mr. Doa ne. - -Together they carried the body of the white man to a clear space near -the wall and buried him in a shallow grave. Duane repeated the burial -service in brief form. - -The boy, whose name was Wen, explained that on his return from the -telegraph station he had found it impossible to get into the compound, -as it was then surrounded, and accordingly hid in the neighborhood. By -that time, he said, Jen, with the three or four helpers and servants who -had not perished in the other buildings, one or two native Bible-women, -a few children of native Christians and the white man were all in -the main house, and were firing through the windows. They had all -undoubtedly been burned to death, as only the white man had come out. He -himself could not get close enough to see much of what happened, -though he slipped in among the curious crowd outside and picked up what -information he could. The attacking parlies were by no means of one -mind or of settled purpose. The Lookers among them were for a quick -and complete massacre, as were the young rowdies who had joined in the -attack for the fun of it. But there were more moderate councils. And so -many were injured or killed by the accurate marksmanship of the young -foreign devil, that for a time they all seemed to lose heart. The -Lookers were subjected to ridicule by the crowd because by their -incantations they were supposed to render themselves invisible to -foreign eyes, and it was difficult to explain the high percentage of -casualties among them on the grounds of accidental contact with flying -bullets. Finally a ruse was decided on. The white man was to come out -for a parley. A student, recently attached to the yamen of the -local magistrate as an interpreter volunteered--in good faith, Wen -believed--to act in that capacity on this occasion. - -The meeting took place by one of the breaches in the wall. The engineer -demanded that the three principal leaders of the Lookers Le surrendered -to him on the spot, and held until the arrival of troops from T'ainan. -While they were pretending to listen, a party crept around behind the -wall. He heard them, stepped back in time to avoid being clubbed to -death, in a moment shot two of them dead, and shot also the captain of -the Lookers, who had been conducting the parley. Then, evidently, he -had backed tow ard the main house and had nearly reached it when his -cartridges gave out. - -Doane was busy, what with the improvised burial and with noting down -Wen's narrative, until nearly noon. By this time he was very sleepy. -There was nothing more he could do. The ruins of the main house would -not be cool before morning. Nor would the soldiers arrive. He decided -to call at once on the magistrate and arrange for a guard to be left in -charge of the compound; then to set up his cot in a cell in one of the -local caravansaries. He had brought a little food, and the magistrate -would give him what else he needed. The innkeeper would brew him tea.... -Before two o'clock he was asleep. - -3 - -He was awakened by a persistent light tapping at the door. Lying there -in the dusky room, fully clad, gazing out under heavy lids at the dingy -wall with its dingier banners hung about lettered with the Chinese -characters for happiness and prosperity, and at the tattered gray -paper squares through which came soft evening sounds of mules and asses -munching their fodder at the long open manger, of children talking, of -a carter singing to himself in quavering falsetto, it seemed to him -that the knocking had been going on for a very long time. His thoughts, -slowly coming awake, were of tragic stuff. Death stalked again the hills -of Hansi. Friends had been butchered. The blood of his race had been -spilled again. Life was a grim thing.... - -A voice called, in pidgin-English. - -He replied gruffly; sat up; struck a match and lighted the rush-light on -the table. It was just after eight. - -He went to the door; opened it. A small, soft, yellow Chinaman stood -there. - -“What do you want?” Doane asked in Chinese. - -The yellow man looked blank. - -“My no savvy,” he said. - -“What side you belong?” The familiar pidgin-English phrases sounded -grotesquely in Doane's ears, even as they fell from his own lips. - -“My belong Shanghai side,” explained the man. He was apparently a -servant. Some one would have brought him out here. Though to what end -it would be hard to guess, for a servant who can not make himself -understood has small value. And no Shanghai man can do that in Hansi. - -“What pidgin belong you this side?” - -“My missy wanchee chin-chin.” - -Thus the man. His mistress wished a word. It was odd. Who, what, would -his mistress be! - -Doane always made it a rule, in these caravansaries, to engage the -“number one” room if it was to be had. A countryside inn, in China, is -usually a walled rectangle of something less or more than a halfacre in -extent. Across the front stands the innkeeper's house, and the immense, -roofed, swinging gates, built of strong timbers and planks. Along one -side wall extend the stables, where the animals stand a row, looking -over the manger into the courtyard. Along the other side are cell-like -rooms, usually on the same level as the ground, with floors of dirt or -worn old tile, with a table, a narrow chair or two of bent wood, and -the inevitable brick _kang_, or platform bed with a tiny charcoal stove -built into it and a thickness or two of matting thrown over the dirt and -insect life of the crumbling surface. At the end of the court opposite' -the gate stands, nearly always, a small separate building, the floor -raised two or three steps from the ground. This is, in the pidgin -vernacular, the “number one” room. Usually, however, it is large enough -for division into two or three rooms. In the present instance there were -two rather large rooms on either side of an entrance hall. Doane had -been ushered into one of these rooms with no thought for the possible -occupant of the other, beyond sleepily noting that the door was closed. - -Hastily brushing his hair and smoothing the wrinkles out of his coat he -stepped across the hall. That other door was ajar now. He tapped; and -a woman's voice, a voice not unpleasing in quality, cried, in English, -“Come in!” - -4 - -She rose, as he pushed open the door, from the chair. She was -young--certainly in the twenties--and unexpectedly, curiously beautiful. -Her voice was Western American. Her abundant hair wras a vivid yellow. -She was clad in a rather elaborate negligee robe that looked odd in the -dingy room. Her cot stood by the paper windows, on a square of new white -matting. Two suit-cases stood on bricks nearer the _kang._ And a garment -was tacked up across the broken paper squares. - -“I'm sorry to trouble you,” she said breathlessly. “But it's getting -unbearable. I've waited here ever since yesterday for some word. I know -there was trouble. I heard so much shooting. And they made such a racket -yelling. They got into the compound here. I had to cover my windows, -you see. It was awful. All night I thought they'd murder me. And this -morning I slept a little in the chair. And then you came in... I saw -you... and I was wild to ask you the news. I thought perhaps you'd help -me. I've sat here for hours, trying to keep from disturbing you. I knew -you were sleeping.” - -She ran on in an ungoverned, oddly intimate way. - -“I'm glad to be of what service I--” He found himself saying something -or other; wondering with a strangely cold mind what he could possibly do -and why on earth she was here. His own long pent-up emotional nature was -answering hers with profoundly disturbing force. - -“I ought to ask you to sit down,” she was saying. She caught his arm -and almost forced him into the chair. She even stroked his shoulder, -nervously yet casually. He coldly told himself that he must keep steady, -impersonal; it was the unexpectedness of this queer situation, the shock -of it... - -“It's all right,” said she. “I'll sit on the cot. It's a pig-sty here. -But sometimes you can't help these things.... please tell me what -dreadful thing has happened!” - -She had large brown eyes... odd, with that hair!... and they met his, -hung on them. - -In a low measured voice he explained: - -“The natives attacked a mission station here--” - -“Oh, just a mission!” - -“They burned it down, and killed all but one of the workers there.” - -“Were they white?” - -“The workers were Chinese, Christian Chinese. But--” - -“Oh, I see! I couldn't imagine what it was all about. It's been -frightful. Sitting here, without a word. But if it was just among the -Chinese, then where's--I've got to tell you part of it--where's Harley -Beggins? He brought me out here. He isn't the kind that skips out -without a word. I've known him two years. He's a good fellow. You see, -this thing--whatever it is--leaves me in a hole. I can't just sit here.” - -“I am trying to tell you. Please listen as calmly as you can. First tell -me something about this Harley Beggins.” - -“He's with the Ho Shan Company. An engineer. But say--you don't -mean--you're not going to--” - -“He was a young man?” - -“Yes. Tall. Curly hair. A fine-looking young man. And very refined. His -family... but, my God, you--” - -“You must keep quiet!” - -“Keep quiet! I'd like to know how, when you keep me in suspense like -this!” She was on her feet now. - -“I am going to tell you. But you must control yourself. Mr. Beggins must -be the young engineer who tried to help the people in the compound.” - -“He was killed?” - -“Quiet! Yes, he was killed. I buried him this morning.” - -Then the young woman's nerves gave way utterly, Doane found his mind -divided between the cold thought of leaving her, perhaps asking the -magistrate to give her an escort down to Ting Yang or up through the -wall to Peking, and the other terribly strong impulse to stay. It was -clear that she was not--well, a good woman; excitingly clear. She said -odd things. “Well, see where this mess leaves _me!_” for one. And, -“What's to become of me? Do I just stay out here? Die here? Is this -all?”... When, daring a lull in the scene she was making he undertook to -go, she clung to him and sobbed on his shoulder. The young engineer had -meant little in her life. Her present emotion was almost wholly fright. - -He knew, then, that he couldn't go. He was being swept toward -destruction. It seemed like that. He could think coolly about it -during the swift moments. He could watch his own case. One by one, in -quick-flashing thoughts, he brought up all the arguments for morality, -for duty, for common decency, and one by one they failed him. Something -in life was too strong for him. Something in his nature.... This, then -was the natural end of all his brooding, speculating, struggling with -the demon of unbelief.... And even then he felt the hideously tragic -quality of this hour. - -5 - -She was, it came out, a notorious woman of Soo-chow Road, Shanghai; one -of the so-called “American girls” that have brought a good name to local -disgrace. The new American judge, at that time engaged in driving out -the disreputable women and the gamblers from the quasi protection of the -consular courts, had issued a warrant for her arrest, whereupon young -Beggins, who had been numbered among her “friends,” had undertaken to -protect her, out here in the interior, until the little wave of reform -should have passed. - -Despite her vulgarity, and despite the chill of spiritual death in his -heart, he wished to be kind to her. Something of the long-frustrated -emotional quality of the man overflowed toward her. He did what he -could; laid her case before the magistrate, and left enough money to buy -her a ticket to Peking from the northern railroad near Kalgan. This in -the morning. - -One other thing he did in the morning was to write to Hidderleigh, at -Shanghai, telling enough of the truth about his fall, and asking that -his successor be sent out at the earliest moment possible. And he sent -off the letter, early, at the Chinese post-office. At least he needn't -play the hypocrite. The worst imaginable disaster had come upon him. His -real life, it seemed, was over As for telling the truth at the mission, -his mind would shape a course. The easiest thing would be to tell -Boatwright, straight. Though in any case it would come around to them -from Shanghai. He had sealed his fate when he posted the letter. They -would surely know, all of them. Henry Withery would know. It would reach -the congregations back there in the States. At the consulates and up and -down the coast--where men drank and gambled and carved fortunes out of -great inert China and loved as they liked--they would be laughing at him -within a fortnight. - -And then he thought of Betty. - -That night, on the march back to T'ainan, he stood, a solitary figure on -the Pass of the Flighting Geese, looking up, arms outstretched, toward -the mountain that for thousands of years has been to the sons of Han a -sacred eminence; and the old prayer, handed down from another Oriental -race as uttered by a greater sinner than he, burst from his lips: - -“I will lift mine eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help!” - -But no help came to Griggsby Duane that night. With tears lying warm on -his cheeks he strode down the long slope toward Tainan. - - - -CHAPTER VII--LOVE IS A TROUBLE - - -1 - -IT WAS early morning--the first day of April--when the Pacific liner -that carried Betty Doane and Jonathan Brachey out of Yokohama dropped -anchor in the river below Shanghai and there discharged passengers and -freight for all central and northern China. - -Brachey, on that occasion, watched from his cabin porthole while Betty -and the Hasmers descended the accommodation ladder and boarded the -company's launch. Then, not before, he drank coffee and nibbled a roll. -His long face was gray and deeply lined. He had not slept. - -He went up to Shanghai on the next launch, walked directly across -the Bund to the row of steamship offices, and engaged passage on a -north-bound coasting steamer. That evening he dined alone, out on the -Yellow Sea, steaming toward Tsingtau, Chefu and (within the five days) -Tientsin. He hadn't meant to take in the northern ports at this time; -his planned itinerary covered the Yangtse Valley, where the disorderly -young shoots of revolution were ripening slowly into red flower. But he -was a shaken man. As he saw the problem of his romance, there were -two persons to be saved, Betty and himself. He had behaved, on the one -occasion, outrageously. He could see his action now as nothing other -than weakness, curiously despicable, in the light of the pitiless facts. -Reason had left him. Gusts of emotion lashed him. He now regarded -the experience as a storm that must be somehow weathered. He couldn't -weather it in Shanghai. Not with Betty there. He would surely seek her; -find her. With his disordered soul he would cry out to her. In this -alarming mood no subterfuge would appear too mean--sending clandestine -notes by yellow hands, arranging furtive meetings. - -He was, of course, running away from her, from his task, from himself. -It was expensive business. But he had meant to work up as far as -Tientsin and Peking before the year ran out. He was, after all, but -taking that part of it first. To this bit of justification he clung. He -passed but one night at Tientsin, in the curiously British hotel, on an -out-and-out British street, where one saw little more to suggest the -East than the Chinese policeman at the corner, an occasional passing -amah or mafoo, and the blue-robed, soft-footed hotel servants; then -on to Peking by train, an easy four-hour run, lounging in a European -dining-car where the allied troops had fought their way foot by foot -only seven years earlier. - -Brachey, though regarded by critical reviewers as a rising authority -on the Far East, had never seen Peking. India he knew; the Straits -Settlements--at Singapore and Penang he was a person of modest but real -standing; Borneo, Java, Celebes and the rest of the vast archipelago, -where flying fish skim a burnished sea and green islands float above a -shimmering horizon against white clouds; the Philippines, Siam, Cochin -China and Hongkong; but the swarming Middle Kingdom and its Tartar -capital were fresh fuel to his coldly eager mind. He stopped, of course, -at the almost Parisian hotel of the International Sleeping Car Company, -just off Legation Street. - -Peking, in the spring of 1907, presented a far from unpleasant aspect to -the eye of the traveler. The siege of the legations was already history -and half-forgotten; the quarter itself had been wholly rebuilt. The -clearing away of the crowded Chinese houses about the legations left -_à glacis_ of level ground that gave dignity to the walled enclosure. -Legation Street, paved, bordered by stone walks and gray compound-walls, -dotted with lounging figures of Chinese gatekeepers and alert sentries -of this or that or another nation--British, American, Italian, Austrian, -Japanese, French, Belgian, Dutch, German--offered a pleasant stroll of -a late afternoon when the sun was low. Through gateways there were -glimpses to be caught of open-air tea parties, of soldiers drilling, -or even of children playing. Tourists wandered afoot or rolled by in -rickshaws drawn by tattered blue and brown coolies. - -From the western end of the street beyond the American _glacis_, one -might see the traffic through the Chien Gate, with now and then a -nose-led train of camels humped above the throng; and beyond, the vast -brick walls and the shining yellow palace roofs of the Imperial City. -Around to the north, across the Japanese _glacis_, one could stroll, in -the early evening, to the motion-picture show, where one-reel films from -Paris were run off before an audience of many colors and more nations -and costumes, while a placid Chinaman manipulated a mechanical piano. - -2 - -Brachey had letters to various persons of importance along the street. -With the etiquette of remote colonial capitals, he had long since -trained himself to a mechanical conformity. Accordingly he devoted his -first afternoon to a round of calls, by rickshaw; leaving cards in the -box provided for the purpose at the gate house of each compound. Before -another day had gone he found return cards in his box at the hotel; -and thus was he established as _persona grata_ on Legation Street. -Invitations followed. The American minister had him for tiffin. There -were pleasant meals at the legation barracks. Tourist groups at the -hotel made the inevitable advances, which he met with austere dignity. -Meantime he busied himself discussing with experts the vast problems -confronting the Chinese in adjusting their racial life to the modern -world, and within a few days was jotting down notes and preparing -tentative outlines for his book. - -This activity brought him, at first, some relief from the emotional -storm through which he had been passing. Work, he told himself, was the -thing; work, and a deliberate avoidance of further entanglements. - -If, in taking this course, he was dealing severely with the girl whose -brightly pretty face and gently charming ways had for a time disarmed -him, he was dealing quite as severely with himself; for beneath his -crust of self-sufficiency existed shy but turbulent springs of feeling. -That was the trouble; that had always been the trouble; he dared not let -himself feel, lie had let go once before, just once, only to skim the -very border of tragedy. The color of that one bitter experience of his -earlier manhood ran through every subsequent act of his life. Month by -month, through the years, he had winced as he drew a check to the hard, -handsome, strange woman who had been, it appeared, his wife; who was, -incredibly, his wife yet. With a set face he had read and courteously -answered letters from this stranger. A woman of worldly wants, all of -which came, in the end, to money. The business of his life had settled -down to a systematic meeting of those wants. That, and industriously -employing his talent for travel and solitude. - -No, the thing was to think, not feel. To logic and will he pinned his -faith. Impulses rose every day, here in Peking, to write Betty. It -wouldn't be hard to trace her father's address. For that matter he -knew the city. He found it impossible to forget a word of hers. Vivid -memories of her round pretty face, of the quick humorous expression -about her brown eyes, the movements of her trim little head and slim -body, recurred with, if anything, a growing vigor They would leap into -his mind at unexpected, awkward moments, cutting the thread of sober -conversations. At such moments he felt strongly that impulse to explain -himself further. But his clear mind told him that there would be no good -in it. None. She might respond; that would involve them the more deeply. -He had gone too far. He had (this in the bitter hours) transgressed. The -thing was to let her forget; it would, he sincerely tried to hope, be -easier for her to forget than for himself He had to try to hope that. - -3 - -But on an evening the American military attaché dined with him. They -sat comfortably over the coffee and cigars at one side of the large -hotel dining-room. Brachey liked the attaché. His military training, his -strong practical instinct for fact, his absorption in his work, made -him the sort with whom Brachey, who had no small talk, really no -social grace, could let himself go. And the attaché knew China. He had -traversed the interior from Manchuria and Mongolia to the borders of -Thibet and the Loto country of Yunnan, and could talk, to sober ears, -interestingly. On this occasion, after dwelling long on the activity -of secret revolutionary societies in the southern provinces and in the -Yangtse Valley, he suddenly threw out the following remark: - -“But of course, Brachey, there's an excellent chance, right now, to -study a revolution in the making out here in Hansi. You can get into -the heart of it in less than a week's travel. And if you don't mind a -certain element of danger...” - -The very name of the province thrilled Brachey. He sat, fingering his -cigar, his face a mask of casual attention, fighting to control the -uprush of feeling. The attache was talking on. Brachey caught bits here -and there; “You've seen this crowd of banker persons from Europe around -the hotel? Came out over the Trans Siberian with their families. A -committee representing the Directorate of the Ho Shan Company. The story -is that they've been asked to keep out of Hansi for the present for fear -of violence.... You'd get the whole thing, out there--officials with a -stake 'n the local mines shrewdly stirring up trouble while pretending -to put it down; rich young students agitating, the Chinese equivalent of -our soap-box Socialists; and queer Oriental motives and twists that you -and I can't expect to understand.... The significant thing though, the -big fact for you, I should say--is that if the Hansi agitators succeed -in turning this little rumpus over the mining company into something of -a revolution against the Imperial Government, it'll bring them into an -understanding with the southern provinces. It may yet prove the deciding -factor in the big row. Something as if Ohio should go democratic this -year, back home. You see?... There are queer complications. Our Chinese -secretary says that a personal quarrel between two mandarins is -a prominent item in the mix-up.... That's the place for you, all -right--Hansi! They've got the narrow-gauge railway nearly through to -T'ainan-fu, I believe. You can pick up a guide here at the hotel. He'll -engage a cook. You won't drink the water, of course; better carry a few -cases of Tan San. And don't eat the green vegetables. Take some beef and -mutton and potatoes and rice. You can buy chickens and eggs. Get a money -belt and carry all the Mexican dollars you can stagger under. Provincial -money's no good a hundred miles away. Take some English gold for a -reserve. That's good everywhere. And you'll want your overcoat.” - -Five minutes later Brachey heard this: - -“A. P. Browning, the Agent General of the Ho Shan Company, is stopping -here now, along with the committee. Talk with him, first. Get the -company's view of it. He'll talk freely. Then go out there and have -a look--see for yourself. Say the word, and I'll give you a card to -Browning.” - -Now Brachey looked up. It seemed to him, so momentous was the hour, -that his pulse had stopped. He sat very still, looking at his guest, -obviously about to speak. - -The attaché, to whom this man's deliberate cold manner was becoming a -friendly enough matter of course, waited. - -“Thanks,” Brachey finally said. “Be glad to have it.” - -But the particular card, scribbled by the attaché, there across the -table, was never presented. For late that night, in a bitter revulsion -of feeling, Brachey tore it up. - -4 - -In the morning, however, when he stopped at the desk, the Belgian clerk -handed him a thick letter from his attorney in New York, forwarded from -his bank in Shanghai. He read and reread it, while his breakfast turned -cold; studied it with an unresponsive brain. - -It seemed that his wife's attorney had approached his with a fresh -proposal. Her plan had been to divorce him on grounds of desertion and -non-support; this after his refusal to supply what is euphemistically -termed “statutory evidence.” But the fact that she had from month to -month through the years accepted money from him, and not infrequently -had demanded extra sums by letter and telegram, made it necessary that -he enter into collusion with her to the extent of keeping silent and -permitting her suit to go through unopposed. His own instructions to his -lawyer stood flatly to the contrary. - -But a new element had entered the situation. She wished to marry again. -The man of her new choice had means enough to care for her comfortably. -And in her eagerness to be free she proposed to release him from payment -of alimony beyond an adjustment to cover the bare cost of her suit, on -condition that he withdraw his opposition. - -It was the old maneuvering and bargaining. At first thought it disgusted -and hurt him. The woman's life had never come into contact with his, -since the first few days of their married life, without hurting him. He -had been harsh, bitter, unforgiving. He had believed himself throughout -in the right. She had shown (in his view) no willingness to take -marriage seriously, give him and herself a fair trial, make a job of -it. She had exhibited no trait that he could accept as character. It had -seemed to him just that she should suffer as well as he. - -But now, as the meaning of the letter penetrated his mind, his spirits -began to rise. It was a tendency he resisted; but he was helpless. From -moment to moment his heart, swelled. Not once before in four years had -the thought of freedom occurred to him as a desirable possibility. But -now he knew that he would accept it, even at the cost of collusion and -subterfuge. He saw nothing of the humor in the situation; that he, who -had judged the woman so harshly, should find his code of ethics, his -very philosophy, dashed to the ground by a look from a pair of brown -eyes, meant little. It was simply that up to the present time an ethical -attitude had been the important thing, whereas now the important thing -was Betty. That was all there seemed to be to it. But then there had -been almost as little of humor as of love in the queerly solitary life -of Jonathan Brachey. - -He cabled his attorney, directly after breakfast, to agree to the -divorce. Before noon he had engaged a guide and arranged with him -to take the morning train southward to the junction whence that -narrow-gauge Hansi Line was pushing westward toward the ancient -provincial capital. - -In all this there was no plan. Brachey, confused, aware that the -instinctive pressures of life were too much for him, that he was beaten, -was soberly, breathlessly, driving toward the girl who had touched and -tortured his encrusted heart. He was not even honest with himself; he -couldn't be. He dwelt on the importance of studying the Hansi problem -at close range He decided, among other things, that he wouldn't permit -himself to see Betty, that he would merely stay secretly near her, -certainly until a cablegram from New York should announce his positive -freedom. In accordance with this decision he tore up his letters to her -as fast as they were written. If the fact that he was now writing such -letters indicated an alarming condition in his emotional nature, at -least his will was still intact. He proved that by tearing them up. He -even found this thought encouraging. - -But, of course, he had taken his real beating when he gave up his plans -and caught the coasting steamer at Shanghai. He was to learn now that -rushing away from Betty and rushing toward her were irradiations of the -same emotion. - -He left Peking on that early morning way-train of passenger and freight -cars, without calling again at the legation; merely sent a chit to the -Commandant of Marines to say that he was off. He had not heard of the -requirement that a white traveler into the interior carry a consular -passport countersigned by Chinese authorities, and also, for purposes -of identification, a supply of cards with the Chinese equivalent of -his name; so he set forth without either, and (as a matter of fixed -principle) without firearms. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII--THE WAYFARER - - -1 - -PASSENGER traffic on the Hansi Line ended at this time at a village -called Shau T'ing, in the heart of the red mountains. Brachey spent the -night in a native caravansary, his folding cot set up on the earthen -floor. The room was dirty, dilapidated, alive with insects and thick -with ancient odors. A charcoal fire in the crumbling brick _kang_ gave -forth fumes of gas that suggested the possibility of asphyxiation before -morning. Brachey sent his guide, a fifty-year-old Tientsin Chinese -of corpulent figure, known, for convenience, as “John,” for water and -extinguished the fire. The upper half of the inner wall was a wooden -lattice covered with paper; and by breaking all the paper squares within -his reach, Brachey contrived to secure a circulation of air. Next he -sent John for a piece of new yellow matting, and by spreading this under -the cot created a mild sensation of cleanliness, which, though it belied -the facts, made the situation a thought more bearable. For Brachey, -though a veteran traveler, was an extremely fastidious man. He bore dirt -and squalor, had borne them at intervals for years, without ever losing -his squeamish discomfort at the mere thought of them. But the stern -will that was during these, years the man's outstanding trait, and his -intense absorption in his work, had kept him driving ahead through all -petty difficulties. The only outward sign of the strain it put him to -was an increased irritability. - -He traveled from Shau T'ing to Ping Yang, the next day in an unroofed -freight ear without a seat, crowded in with thirty-odd Chinese and their -luggage. During the entire day he spoke hardly a word. His two servants -guarded him from contact with the other natives; but he ignored even -his own men. At a way station, where the engine waited half an hour for -water and coal, a lonely division engineer from Lombardy called out a -greeting in bad French. Brachey coldly snubbed the man. - -He planned to pick up either a riding animal or a mule litter at Ping -Yang. As it turned out, the best John could secure was a freight cart; -springless, of course. T'ainan was less than a hundred miles away, yet -he was doomed to three days of travel in a creaking, hard-riding cart -through the sunken roads, where dust as fine as flour sifts through the -clothing and rubs into the pores of the skin, and to two more nights at -native inns--with little hope of better accommodation at T'ainan. - -By this time Brachey was in a state of nerves that alarmed even himself. -Neither will nor imagination was proving equal to this new sort of -strain. The confusion of motives that had driven him out here provided -no sound justification for the journey. When he tried to think work now, -he found himself thinking Betty. And misgivings were creeping into his -mind. It amounted to demoralization. - -He walked out after the solitary dinner of soup and curried chicken and -English strawberry jam. The little village was settling into evening -calm. Men and boys, old women and very little girls, sat in the shop -fronts--here merely rickety porticoes with open doorways giving on dingy -courtyards--or played about the street. Carpenters were still working on -the roof of the new railway station. Three young men, in an open field, -were playing decorously with a shuttlecock of snake's skin and duck -feathers, deftly kicking it from player to player. Farther along the -street a middle-aged man of great dignity, clad in a silken robe and -black skull-cap with the inevitable red knot, was flying a colored kite -... through all this, Jonathan Brachey, the expert observer, wandered -about unseeing. - -2 - -Farther up the hill, however, rounding a turn in the road, he stopped -short, suddenly alive to the vivid outer world. A newly built wall of -brick stood before him, enclosing an area of two acres or more, within -which appeared the upper stories of European houses, as well as the -familiar curving roofs of Chinese tile. And just outside the walls two -young men and two young women, in outing clothes, white folk all, were -playing tennis. To their courteous greeting he responded frigidly. - -Later a somewhat baffled young Australian led him to the office of M. -Pourmont and presented him. - -The distinguished French engineer, looking up from his desk, beheld a -tall man in homespun knickerbockers, a man with a strong if slightly -forbidding face. He fingered the card. - -“Ah, Monsieur Brashayee! Indeed, yes! It is ze _grand plaisir!_ But it -mus' not be true zat you go on all ze vay to T'ainan-fu.” - -“Yes,” Brachey replied with icy courtesy, “I am going to T'ainan.” - -“But ze time, he is not vat you call---ripe. One makes ze trouble. It -is only a month zat zay t'row ze _pierre_ at me, zay tear ze cart of me, -zay destroy ze ear of me! _Choses affreuses!_ I mus'not let you go!'' - -Brachey heard this without taking it in any degree to himself. He was -looking at the left ear of this stout, bearded Parisian, from which, -he observed, the lobe was gone.... Then, with a quickening pulse, he -thought of Betty out there in T'ainan, in real danger. - -“Come wiz me!” cried M. Pourmont. “I vill show you vat ve do--_nous -ici_.” And snatching up a bunch of keys he led Brachey out about the -compound. He opened one door upon what appeared to be a heap of old -clothes. - -“_Des sac â terres_,” he explained. - -Brachey picked one up. “Ah,” he remarked, coldly -interested--“sand-bags!” - -“Yes, it is zat. Sand-bag for ze vail. Ve have ze _femme Chinoise_--ze -Chinese vimmen--sew zem all every day. And you vill look...” He led the -way with this to a corner of the grounds where the firm loess had been -turned up with a pick. “It is so, Monsieur Brashayee, _partout_. All is -ready. In von night ve fill ze bag, ve are a fort, ve are ready.... See! -An' see!” - -He pointed out a low scaffolding built here and there along the compound -wall for possible use as a firing step. Just outside the wall crowding -native houses were being torn down. “I buy zem,” explained M. Pourmont -with a chuckle, “an' I clear avay. I make a _glacis, nest ce pas?_” On -several of the flat roofs of supply sheds along the wall were heaps of -the bags, ready filled, covered from outside eyes with old boards. In -one building, under lock and key, were two machine guns and box on box -of ammunition. Back in M. Pourmont's private study was a stand of modern -rifles. - -“You vill see by all zis vat is ze t'ought of myself,” concluded the -genial Frenchman. “Ze trouble he is real. It is not safe to-day in -Hansi. Ze Société of ze Great Eye--ze Lookair--he grow, he _fait -l'exercice_, he make ze t'reat. You vill not go to T'ainan, alone. It is -not right!” - -Brachey was growing impatient now. - -“Oh, yes,” he said, more shortly than he knew. “I will go on.” - -“You have ze arm--ze revolvair?” - -Brachey shook his head. - -“You vill, zen, allow me to give you zis.” - -But Brachey declined the weapon stiffly, said good night, and returned -to the inn below. - -The next morning a Chinese servant brought a note from M Pourmont. If he -would go--thus that gentleman--and if he would not so much as carry -arms for protection, at least he must be sure to get into touch with -M. Griggsby Duane at once on arriving at T'ianan. M. Doane was a man of -strength and address. He would be the only support that M. Brachey could -look for in that turbulent corner of the world. - -3 - -The lamp threw a flickering unearthly light, faintly yellow, on the -tattered wall-hangings that bore the Chinese characters signifying -happiness and hospitality and other genial virtues. The lamp was of -early Biblical pattern, nor unlike a gravy boat of iron, full of oil or -grease, in which the wick floated. It stood on the roughly-made table. - -The inn compound was still, save for the stirring and the steady -crunching of the horses and mules at their long manger across the -courtyard. - -Brachey, half undressed, sat on his cot, staring at the shadowy brick -wall. His face was haggard. There were hollows under the eyes. His hands -lay, listless, on his knees. The fire that had been for a fortnight -consuming him was now, for the moment, burnt out. - -But at least, he now felt, the particular storm was over. That there -might be recurrences, he recognized. That girl had found her way, -through all the crust, to his heart. The result had been nearly -unbearable while it lasted. It had upset his reason; made a fool of him. -Here he was--now--less than a day's journey from her. He couldn't go -back; the thought stirred savagely what he thought of as the shreds of -his self-respect. And yet to go on was, or seemed, unthinkable. The best -solution seemed to be merely to make use of T'ainan as a stopping place -for the night and pass on to some other inland city. But this thought -carried with it the unnerving fear that he would fail to pass on, that -he might even communicate with her. - -His life, apparently, was a lie. He had believed since his boyhood that -human companionship lay apart from the line of his development. Even -his one or two boy friends he had driven off. The fact embittered his -earlier life; but it was so. In each instance he had said harsh things -that the other could not or would not overlook. His marriage had -contributed further proof. Along with his pitilessly detached judgment -of the woman went the sharp consciousness that he, too, had failed -at it. He couldn't adapt his life to the lives of others. Since that -experience--these four years--by living alone, keeping away, keeping -clear out of his own land, even out of touch with the white race, and -making something of a success of it, he had not only proved himself -finally, he had even, in a measure, justified himself. Yet now, a chance -meeting with a nineteen-year-old girl had, at a breath, destroyed the -laborious structure of his life. It all came down to the fact that -emotion had at last caught him as surely as it had caught the millions -of other men--men he had despised. He couldn't live now without feeling -again that magic touch of warmth in his breast. He couldn't go on alone. - -He bowed his head over it. Round and round went his thoughts, cutting -deeper and deeper into the tempered metal of his mind. - -He said to her: “I am selfish.” - -He had supposed he was telling the simple truth. But clearly he wasn't. -At this moment, as at every moment since that last night on the boat -deck, he was as dependent on her as a helpless child. And now he wasn't -even selfish. These two days since the little talk with M. Pourmont he -had been stirred deeply by the thought that she was in danger. - -Over and over, with his almost repelling detachment of mind, he reviewed -the situation. She might not share his present emotion. Perhaps she had -recovered quickly from the romantic drift that had caught them on the -ship. She was a sensitive, expressive little thing; quite possibly the -new environment had caught her up and changed her, filled her life with -fresh interest or turned it in a new direction. With this thought was -interwoven the old bitter belief that no woman could love him. It must -have been that she was stirred merely by that romantic drift and had -endowed him, the available man, with the charms that dwelt only in her -own fancy. Young girls were impressionable; they did that. - -But suppose--it was excitingly implausible--she hadn't swung away from -him. What would her missionary folk say to him and his predicament? -Sooner or later he would be free; but would that clear him with these -dogmatic persons, with her father? Probably not. And if not, -wouldn't the fact thrust unhappiness upon her? You could trust these -professionally religious people, he believed, to make her as unhappy as -they could--nag at her. - -Suppose, finally, the unthinkable thing, that she--he could hardly -formulate even the thought; he couldn't have uttered it--loved him. What -did he know of her? Who was she? What did she know of adult life? What -were her little day-by-day tastes and impulses, such as make or break -any human companionship...? And who was he? What right had he to take on -his shoulders the responsibility for a human life... a delicately joyous -little life? For that was what it came down to. It came to him, now, -like a ray of blipdirig light, that he who quickens the soul of a girl -must carry the burden of that soul to his grave. At times during the -night he thought wistfully of his freedom, of his pleasant, selfish -solitude and the inexigent companionship of his work. - -His suit-case lay on the one chair. He drew it over; got out the huge, -linen-mounted map of the Chinese Empire that is published by the China -Inland Mission, and studied the roads about T'ainan. That from the -east--his present route--swung to the south on emerging from the hills, -and approached the city nearly from that direction. Here, instead of -turning up into the city, he could easily enough strike south on the -valley road, perhaps reaching an apparently sizable village called Hung -Chan by night. - -He decided to do that, and afterward to push southwest. It should be -possible to find a way out along the rivers tributary to the Yangtse, -reaching that mighty stream at either Ichang or Hankow. And he would -work diligently, budding up again the life that had been so quickly and -lightly overset. At least, for the time. He must try himself out This -riding his emotions wouldn't do. At some stage of the complicated -experience it was going to be necessary to stop and think. Of course, -if he should find after a reasonable time, say a few months, that the -emotion persisted, why then, with his personal freedom established, he -might write Betty, simply stating his case. - -And after all this, on the following afternoon, dusty, tired of body and -soul, Jonathan Brachey rode straight up to the East Gate of T'ainan-fu. - - - - -CHAPTER IX--KNOTTED LIVES - - -1 - -IF Brachey had approached that East Gate a year later he would have -rolled comfortably into the city in a rickshaw (which has followed the -white man into China) along a macadamized road bordered by curbing of -concrete from the new railway station. But in the spring of 1907 there -was no station, no pavement, not a rickshaw. The road was a deep-rutted -way, dusty in dry weather, muddy in wet, bordered by the crumbling shops -and dwellings found on the outskirts of every Chinese city. A high, -bumpy little bridge of stone spanned the moat. - -Over this bridge rode Brachey, in his humble cart, sitting fiat under a -span of tattered matting, surrounded and backed by his boxes and bales -of food and water and his personal baggage. John and the cook rode -behind on mules. The muleteers walked. - -Under the gate were lounging soldiers, coolies, beggars, and a -money-changer or two with their bags of silver lumps, their strings -of copper cash and their balanced scales. Two of the soldiers sprang -forward and stopped the cart. Despite their ragged uniforms (of a dingy -blue, of course, like all China, and capped with blue turbans) these -were tall, alert men. Brachey was rapidly coming to recognize the -Northern Chinese as a larger, browner, more vigorous type of being -than the soft little yellow men of the South with whom he had long been -familiar in the United States as well as in the East. A mure dangerous -man, really, this northerner. - -Brachey leaned back on his baggage and watched the little encounter -between his John and the two soldiers. Any such conversation in China -is likely to take up a good deal of time, with many gestures, much -vehemence of speech and an 'ncreasing volume of interference from the -inevitable curious crowd. The cook and the two muleteers joined the -argument, Brachey had learned before the first evening that this -interpreter of his had no English beyond the few pidgin phrases common -to all speech along the coast. And since leaving Shau T'ing it had -transpired that the man's Tientsin-Peking dialect sounded strange in the -ears of Hansi John was now in the position of an interpreter who could -make headway in neither of the languages in which he was supposed to -deal. Brachey didn't mind. It kept the man still. And he had learned -years earlier that the small affairs of routine traveling can be managed -with but few spoken words. But just now, idly watching the little scene, -he would have liked to know what it meant. - -Finally John came to the cart, followed by shouts from the soldiers and -the crowd. - -“Card wanchee,” he managed to say. - -“Card? No savvy,” said Brachey. - -“Card,” John nodded earnestly. - -Brachey produced his personal card, bearing his name in English and the -address of a New York club. - -John studied it anxiously, and then passed it to one of the soldiers. -That official fingered it; turned it over; discussed it with his fellow. -Another discussion followed. - -Brachey now lost interest. He filled and lighted his pipe; then drew -from a pocket a small leather-bound copy of _The Bible in Spain_, opened -at a bookmark, and began reading. - -There was a wanderer after his own heart--George Borrow! An eager -adventurer, at home in any city of any clime, at ease in any company, -a fellow with gipsies, bandits, Arabs, Jews of Gibraltar and Greeks of -Madrid, known from Mogadore to Moscow. Bor-row's missionary employment -puzzled him as a curious inconsistency; his skill at making much of -every human contact was, to the misanthropic Brachey, enviable; his -genius for solitude, his self-sufficiency in every state, whether -confined in prison at Madrid or traversing alone the dangerous -wilderness of Galicia, were to Brachey points of fine fellowship. This -man needed no wife, no friend. His enthusiasm for the new type of human -creature or the unfamiliar tongue never weakened. - -The cart jolted, creaking, forward, into the low tunnel that served as -a gateway through the massive wall. A soldier walked on either hand. Two -other soldiers walked in the rear. The crowd, increasing every moment, -trailed off behind. Small boys jeered, even threw bits of dirt and -stones, one of which struck a soldier and caused a brief diversion. - -They creaked on through the narrow, crowded streets of the city. A -murmur ran ahead from shop to shop and corner to corner. Porters, -swaying under bending bamboo, shuffled along at a surprising pace and -crowded past. Merchants stood in doorways and puffed at lung pipes with -tiny nickel bowls as the strange parade went by. - -Finally it stopped. Two great studded gates swung inward, and the cart -lurched into the courtyard of an inn. - -Brachey appropriated a room, sent John for hot water, and coolly shaved. -Then he stretched out on the folding cot above its square of matting, -refilled his pipe and resumed his Borrow. - -2 - -Within half an hour fresh soldiers appeared, armed with carbines and -revolvers, and settled themselves comfortably, two of them, by his door; -two others taking up a position at the compound gate. - -They brought a letter, in Chinese characters, on red paper in a buff and -red envelope, which Brachey examined with curiosity. - -“No savvy,” he said. - -But the faithful John, inarticulate from confusion and fright could not -translate. - -Between this hour in mid-afternoon and early evening, six of these -documents were passed in through Brachey's door. With the last one, John -appeared to see a little light. - -“Number one policeman wanchee know pidgin belong you,” he explained -laboriously. - -That would doubtless mean the police minister. So they wanted to -know his business! But as matters stood, with no other medium of -communication than John's patient but bewildered brain, explanation -would be difficult. Brachey reached for his book and read on. Something -would have to happen, of course. It really hardly mattered what. He even -felt a little relief. The authorities might settle his business for him. -Pack him off. It would be better. M. Pourmont's letter to Griggsby Doane -had burned in his pocket for two days. It had seemed to press him, like -the hand of fate, to Betty's very roof. Now, since he had become--the -simile rose--a passive shuttlecock, a counterplay of fate might prove a -way out of his dilemma. - -He had chicken fried in oil for his dinner. And John ransacked the boxes -for dainties; as if the occasion demanded indulgence. - -At eight John knocked with shaking hands at his door. It was dark in the -courtyard, and a soft April rain was falling. Two fresh soldiers stood -there, each with carbine on back and a lighted paper lantern in band. A -boy from the inn held two closed umbrellas of oiled paper. - -“Go now,” said John, out of a dry throat. - -“Go what side?” asked Brachey, surveying the little group. - -John could not answer. - -Brachey compressed his lips; stood there, knocking his pipe against the -door-post. Then, finally, he put on overcoat and rubber overshoes, took -one of the umbrellas, and set forth. - -3 - -They walked a long way through twisting, shadowy streets, first a -soldier with the boy from the inn, then Brachey under his umbrella, then -John under another, then the second soldier. Dim figures finished past -them. Once the quaint waihng of stringed instruments floated out over a -compound wall. They passed through a dark tunnel that must have been one -of the city gates; then on through other streets. - -They stopped at a gate house. A door opened, and yellow lamplight -fell warmly across the way. Brachey found himself stepping up into a -structure that was and yet was not Chinese. A smiling old gate-keeper -received him with striking courtesy, and, to his surprise, in English. - -“Will you come with me, sir?” - -John and the soldiers waited in the gate house. - -Brachey followed the old man across a paved court. His pulse quickened. -Where were they bringing him? - -Through a window he saw a white woman sitting at a desk, under an -American lamp. - -He mounted stone steps, left his coat and hat in a homelike front hall. -The servant led the way up a flight of carpeted stairs. - -On the top step, Brachey paused. At the end of the corridor, where a -chair or two, a table, bookcase, and lamp made a pleasant little lounge, -a young woman sat quietly reading. She looked up; sat very still, gazing -straight at him out of a white face. It was Betty. His heart seemed to -stop. - -Then a man stood before him. A little, dusty blond man. They were -clasping hands. He was ushered rather abruptly into a study. The door -closed. - -The little man said something twice. It proved to be, “I am Mr. -Boatwright,” and he was looking down at the much-thumbed card; Brachey's -own card. - -Brachey was fighting to gather his wits. Why hadn't he spoken to Betty, -or she to him? Would she wait there to see him? If not, how could he -reach her?... He must reach her, of course. He knew now that through all -his confusion of mind and spirit he had come straight to her. - -4 - -The little man was nervous, Brachey observed; even jumpy. He hurried -about, drawing down the window-shades. Then he sat at a desk and with -twitching fingers rolled a pencil about. He cleared his throat. - -“You've come in from the railroad?” he asked.... “Yes? Do you bring -news?” - -“No,” said Brachey coldly. - -“What gossip have your boys picked up along the road, may I ask?” - -Back and forth, back and forth, his fingers twitched the pencil. -Bradley's eyes narrowly followed the movement. After a little, he -replied: - -“I have no information from my boys.” - -“Seven years ago”--thus Mr. Boatwright, huskily, “they killed all but -a few of us. Now the trouble has started again--a similar trouble They -attacked our station up at So T'ung yesterday. Mr. Doane is on his way -there now. He left this noon. That is why they referred your case to -me. Oh. yes, I should have told you--the tao-tai, Chang Chili Ting, has -asked me to get from you an explanation of your appearance here without -a passport. But perhaps your card explains. You come simply as a -journalist?” - -Brachey bowed. - -“You have no connection w ith the Ho Shan Company?” - -“None” - -“Chang is taking up your case this evening with the provincial judge, -Pao Ting Chuan. Pao is to give you an audience to-morrow, I believe, -at noon. I will act as your interpreter.” Mr. Boatwright paused, and -sighed. “I am very busy.” - -“I regret this intrusion on your time,” said Brachey. It was impossible -for him to be more than barely courteous to such a man as this. - -“Oh, that's all right,” Boatwright replied vaguely. “The audience will -probably be at noon. Then you will come back here with me for tiffin.” - He sighed again; then went on. “They shot one of Pourmont's white men. -Through the lungs.... You must have seen Pourmont at Ping Yang, as you -came through.” - -“I called on him.” - -“Didn't he tell you?” - -“No. He advised against my coming on.” - -“Of course. It's really very difficult. He wants us all to get out, as -far as his compound. But, you see, our predicament is delicate. Already -they've attacked one of our outposts. But the trouble may not spread. We -can't draw in our people and leave at the first sign of difficulty. It -would be interpreted as weakness not only on our part but on the part -of all the white governments as well. Mr. Doane, I know”--he said this -rather regretfully--“would never consent to that.... Mr. Doane is a -strong man. We shall all breathe a little more easily when he is safely -back. If he should not get back--well, you will see that I must face -this situation---the decision would fall on me. That's why I asked you -for news. I have to consider the problem from every angle. We have other -stations about the province and we must plan to draw all our people in -before we can even consider a general retreat.” - -Brachey heard part of this. He wished the man would keep still: His -own racing thoughts were with that pale girl in the hall. Was she still -there? He must plan. He must be prepared with something to say, if they -should meet face to face. - -As it turned out, they met on the stairs. Betty was coming up. She -paused; looked up, then down. The color stole back into her face; -flooded it. She raised her hand, hesitatingly. - -[Illustration: 0179] - -Brachey heard and felt the surprise of Boatwright, behind him. The -little man said: - -“Oh!” - -Brachey felt the warm little hand in his. It should have been, easy to -explain their acquaintance; to speak of the ship, ask after the Hasmers. -In the event, however, it proved impossible, all he could say--he heard -the dry hard tones issuing from his own lips: - -“Oh, how do you do! How have you been?” - -Betty said, after too long a pause, glancing up momentarily at Mr. -Boatwright: - -“Mr. Brachey was on the steamer.” - -It was odd, that little situation. It might so easily have escaped being -a situation, had not their own turbulent hearts made it so. But now, of -course, neither could explain why they hadn't spoke before he went into -the study. And little, distrait Mr. Boatwright was wide-eyed. - -The situation passed from mildly bad to a little worse. Betty went on up -the stairs; and Brachey went down. - -The casual parting came upon Brachey like a tragedy. It was unthinkable. -Something personal he must say. On the morrow it might be worse, with a -whole household crowding about. It was a question if he could face her -at all, that way. He got to the bottom step; then, with an apparently -offhand, “I beg your pardon!” brushed past the now openly astonished -Boatwright and bolted back up the stairs. - -Betty moved a little way along the upper hall; hesitated; glanced back. - -He spoke, low, in her ear. “I must see you!” - -Her head inclined a little. - -“Once! I must see you once. I can't leave it this way. Then I will go. -To-morrow--at tiffin--if we can't talk together--you must give me some -word. A note, perhaps, telling me how I can see you alone. There is one -thing I must tell you.” - -“Please!” she murmured. There were tears in her eyes. They scalded his -own high-beating heart, those tears. - -“You will plan it? I am helpless. But I must see you--tell you!” - -He thought her head inclined again. - -“You will? You'll give me a note? Oh, promise!” - -“Yes,” she whispered; and slipped away into another room. - -So this is why he had to come to T'ainan-fu--to tell her the tremendous -news that he would one day be free! And she had promised to arrange a -meeting! - -Never in all his cold life had Jonathan Brachey experienced such a -thrill as followed that soft “Yes.” - -Not a word passed between him and Boatwright until they stood in the -gate house. Then, for an instant, their eyes met. He had to fight back -the burning triumph that was in his own. But the little man seemed glad -to look away; he was even evasive. - -“You'd better be around about half past eleven in the morning,” said -he. “We'll go to the yamen from here. We must have blue carts and the -extra servants. Good night.” And again he sighed. - -That was all. Boatwright let him go like that, back to the dirty, -dangerous native inn. - -He fell in behind the leading soldier, holding his umbrella high and -marching stiffly, like a conqueror, through the sucking mud. - - - - -CHAPTER X--GRANITE - - -1 - -BETTY did not get down for breakfast in the morning. And Mrs. Boatwright -sent nothing up. - -It was close upon noon when Betty, sketching portfolio under arm, came -slowly down the stairs. Mrs. Boatwright, at her desk in the front room, -glanced up, called: - -“Oh, Betty--just a moment!” - -The girl stood in the doorway. She looked so slim and small and, even, -childlike, that the older woman, to whom responsibility for all things -and persons about her was a habit, knit her heavy brows slightly. What -on earth were you to do with the child? What had Griggsby Doane been -thinking of in bringing her out here? Anything, almost, would have been -better. And just now, of all times! - -“Would you mind coming in? There's a question or two I'd like to ask -you.” - -Betty paused by a rocking chair of black walnut that was upholstered in -crimson plush; fingered the crimson fringe. Mrs. Boatwright was marking -out a geometrical pattern on the back of an envelope; frowning down at -it. The silence grew heavy. - -Finally Mrs. Boatwright, never light of hand, rame out with: - -“This Mr. Brachey--who is he?” - -Betty's fringed lids moved swiftly up; dropped again. “He--he's a -writer, a journalist.” - -“You knew him on the ship?” - -“Yes.” - -“You knew him pretty well?” - -“I--saw something of him.” - -“Do you know why he came out here?” - -Betty was silent. - -“Do you know?” - -“I should think you would ask him.” - -Mrs. Boatwright considered this. The girl was selfconscious, a little. -And quietly--very quietly--hostile. Or perhaps merely on the defensive. - -“Then you do know?” - -“No,” replied Betty, with that same very quiet gravity, “I can't say -that I do. He is studying China, of course. He came from America to do -that, I understand.” - -“Did you know he was coming out here?” - -Betty slowly shook her head. - -“Have you been corresponding with him?” - -Another silence. Then this from Betty, without heat: - -“I don't understand why you are asking these questions.” - -“Are you unwilling to answer them?” - -“Such personal questions as that last one--yes.” - -“Why?” - -“You have no right to ask it.” - -“Oh!” Mrs. Boatwright considered. “Hmm!” She controlled her temper and -framed her next remark with care. This slip of a girl was unexpectedly -in fiber like Griggsby Doane. There was no weakness in her quiet -resistance, no yielding. Perhaps she was strong, after all. Though she -looked soft enough; gentle like her mother. Perhaps, even, she was -a person, of herself. This was a new thought. Mrs. Boatwright drew a -parallelogram, then painstakingly shaded the lines. - -“We mustn't misunderstand each other, Betty,” she said. “In your -father's absence, I am responsible for you. This man has appeared -rather mysteriously. His business is not clear. The tao-tai asked Mr. -Boatwright to look him up, for it seems he hasn't even an interpreter. -He has just been here. They've gone for an audience with the provincial -judge. Mr. Boatwright has asked him to come back here for tiffin. Which -was rather impulsive, I'm afraid....” She paused; started outlining -an octagon. “I may as well come out with it. Mr. Boatwright told me a -little of what happened last evening--” - -“Of what happened But nothing--” - -“If you please! Mr. Boatwright is not a particularly observant man -in these matters, but he couldn't help seeing that there is something -between you and this Mr. Brachey.... Now, since you see what is in my -mind, will you tell me why he is here?” - -During this speech Betty stopped fingering the crimson fringe. She stood -motionless, holding the portfolio still against her side. A slow color -crept into her cheeks. She wouldn't, or couldn't, speak. - -“Very well, if you won't answer that question, will you at least tell me -something of what you do know about him?” - -“I know very little about him,” said Betty now, in a low but clear -voice, without emphasis. - -“I must try to make you understand this, my dear. Here the man is. -Within the hour we are to sit down at tiffin with him. It is growing -clearer every minute that Mr. Boatwright's suspicion was correct-- - -“You have no right to use that word!” - -“Well, then, his surmise, say. There _is_ something between you and this -man. Don't you think you'd better tell me what it is?” - -“There is nothing--nothing at all--that I need tell you.” - -“Is there nothing that you ought to tell your father?” - -“You can not speak for him.” - -“I stand in his place, while he's away It is a responsibility I must -accept. You say you know very little about the man?” - -Betty bowed. - -“You met him on the ship, by chance?” - -“Yes.” - -“Do you know any of his friends?” - -“No.” - -“Anything of his past?” - -Betty hesitated. Then, as the woman glanced keenly up, she replied: - -“Only what he has told me.” - -“Do you know, even, whether he is a married man?” - -Another long silence fell. Betty stood as quietly as before, looking out -of frank brown eyes at the sunlit courtyard and the gate house beyond -where old Sun Shao-i, seated on a stool, was having the inside of his -eyelids scraped by an itinerant barber. - -“Yes,” Betty replied. - -“You mean--?” - -“I know that he _is_ married.” - -2 - -Betty, as she threw out this bit of uncompromising truth, was stirred -with a thrill of wilder adventure than had hitherto entered her somewhat -untrammeled young life. The situation had outrun her experience; she was -acting on instinct. There was a sense of shock, too; and of hurt--hurt -that Mrs. Boatwright could look, feel, so forbidding. Her firm face, -now pressed together from chin to forehead, wrinkled across, squinting -unutterable suspicions, stirred a resistance in Betty's breast that for -a little time flared into anger. - -There was no telling what Mrs. Boatwright felt. Her frown even relaxed, -after a moment. The outbreak of moral superiority that Betty looked for -didn't come. Instead she said: - -“How did you learn this?” - -“He told me.” - -“Oh, he told you?” - -“Well, he wrote a letter before he--went away.” - -“Oh. he went away!” - -“Yes. He went. Without a word. I didn't know where he was.” - -“When was that?” - -“When we landed at Shanghai.” - -“Hardly three weeks ago. He's here now. Tell me--he wouldn't have gone -off like that, of course, leaving such an intimate letter, unless a -pretty definite situation had arisen.” - -Betty was silent. - -“Will you tell me what it was?” - -“No.” - -“Then--I really have a right to ask this of you--will you give me your -word not to see him until your father returns, and then not until you -have laid it before him?” - -Silence again. The fringed lids fluttered. A small hand reached for the -crimson fringe, slim fingers clung there. - -Betty's thoughts were running away. She felt the situation now as a form -of torture. That grim experienced woman must be partly right, of course; -Betty was still so young as to defer mechanically to her elders, and -she had no great opinion of herself, of her strength of character or her -judgment. She thought of the boys at home, who had been fond of her. -... She thought of Harold Apgar, over there in Korea. He was clean, -likable, prosperous; and he wanted to marry her. It really would -solve her problems, could she only feel toward him so much as a faint -reflection of the glow that Jonathan Brachey had aroused in her. But -nothing in her nature answered Harold Apgar. For that matter--and this -was the deeply confusing thing--she could not formulate her feeling for -Brachey. She couldn't admit that she loved him. The thought of giving -her life into his keeping--one day, should he come to her with clean -hands; should he ask--was not to be entertained at all. But she couldn't -think of him without excitement; and that excitement, last night and -to-day, was the dominant fact in her life. She had no plans in which he -figured. She was vaguely bent on forgetting him. During the night she -had regretted her promise to meet him once more alone. Yet she had given -that promise. Given the same situation she would--she knew with a touch -of bewilderment that this was so--promise again. - -Betty looked appealingly at Mr. Boatwright. Then, meeting with no -sympathy, she drew up her little figure. - -“You said he was coming here for tiffin, Mrs. Boatwright?” - -“Yes.” The woman glanced out at the courtyard. “Any moment.” - -“Then I shan't come into the dining-room.” And Betty turned to leave the -room. - -“Just a moment! Am I to take that as an answer? Are you promising?” - -Hetty turned; hesitated; then, suddenly, impulsively, came across the -room. - -“Mrs. Boatwright,” she said unsteadily--her eyes were filling--“would -it do any good for me to talk right out with you? Probably I do need -advice.” She faltered momentarily, shocked by the expression on that -nearly square face. “Oh, it isn't a terribly serious situation. It -really isn't. But that man is honest. He has led an unhappy, solitary -life...” - -Her voice died out. - -“But you said he was _married!_” cried Mrs. Boatwright explosively. - -“Yes, but--” - -“'But! But!' Child, what are you talking about?” - -There was nothing in Betty's experience of life that could interpret to -her mind such a point of view as that really held by the woman before -her. She had no means of knowing that they were speaking across a -gulf wider and deeper perhaps than has ever before existed between two -generations; and that each of them, quite unconsciously, was an extreme -example of her type. She turned again. - -It was a commotion out at the gate house that arrested her this time. -She felt that curious excitement rising up in her heart and brain. Old -Sun was springing up from the barber's stool, with his always great -dignity brushing that public servitor aside. Then Brachey appeared, -followed by Mr. Boatwright. - -The wife of that little man now caught the look on Betty's face, the -sudden light in her eyes, and rose, alarmed, to her feet. Taking in the -situation, she said: - -“I shall send something up to your room.” - -Betty moved her head wanly in the negative. It was no use explaining to -this woman that she couldn't think of food. She moved slowly toward the -door. She was unexpectedly tired. - -“Where are you going?” asked the older woman shortly. - -“I've got to be by myself,” said Betty, apparently less resentful now. -It was more a rather faint statement of fact. And she went on out, not -so much as answering Mrs. Boatwright's final “But you will not promise?” - It wasn't even certain that she heard. - -3 - -Mrs. Boatwright stood thinking. Betty had run up the stairs. The two -men were coming slowly across the courtyard, talking. Or her husband -was talking; she could hear his light voice. The other man was silent; -a gloomy figure in knickerbockers. She studied him. Already he was -catalogued in her mind, and permanently. For nothing that might happen -to present Brachey in another light could ever, now, shake her judgment -of him. No new evidence of ability or integrity in the man or of genuine -misfortune in marriage, would influence her. No play of sympathy, no -tolerant reflectiveness, would for a moment occupy her mind. She was a -New Englander, with the old non-conformist British insistence on conduct -and duty bred in her bone. Her emotional nature was almost the granite -of her native lulls. And she was strong as that granite. She feared -nothing, shrank from nothing, that could be classified as duty. No -Latin flexibility ever softened her vigorous expression of independent -thought. Her duty, now, was clear. - -She went out into the hall and opened the door. - -The two men were just mounting the steps. - -“My dear,” began her husband, sensing her mood, glancing up -apprehensively, “this is Mr. Brachey. He-- - -“Yes,” said she, standing squarely in the doorway, “I understand. Mr. -Brachey, I can not receive you in this house. You, of course, know why. -I must ask you to go at once.” - -Then she simply waited; commandingly. From her eyes blazed honest, -invincible anger. - -Mr. Boatwright caught his breath; stood motionless, very white; finally -murmured: - -“But, my dear, I'm sure you...” - -His wife merely glanced at him. - -Brachey stood as she had caught him, on the steps, one foot above the -other. His face was expressionless. His eyes fastened on the woman a -gaze that might have meant no more than cold curiosity, growing slowly -into contempt. Then, after a moment, as quietly, he turned and descended -the steps. - -Boatwright caught his arm. - -“Really, Mr. Brachey--” - -“Elmer!” cried his wife shortly. “Let him go!” - -But Brachey had already shaken off the detaining hand. He marched -straight across the court, stepped into the gate house, and disappeared. - -Betty, all hurt confusion, had lingered in the second floor hall. At the -first sound of Mrs. Boatwright's firm voice, she stepped, her brain a -tangle of little indecisions, to the stair rail. - -She ran lightly to the front window and watched Jonathan Brachey as he -walked away. Then she shut herself in her own room, telling herself that -the time had come to think it all out. But she couldn't think. - -Against the granite in Mrs. Boatwright Betty, who understood herself not -at all, had to set a quick strong impulsiveness that was certain, given -a little time, to work out in positive act. Very little time indeed now -intervened between impulse and act. She scribbled a note, in pencil: - -“Dear Mr. Brachey--I am going out to sketch in the tennis court. You -can reach it by the little side street just beyond our gate house as you -come from the city. Please do come!--Betty D.” - -She went down the stairs again, portfolio under arm, and on to the gate -house. Sun, as she had thought, knew at which inn the white gentleman -was stopping, and at Miss Doane's request sent a boy with the chit. - - - - -CHAPTER XI--EMOTION - -BRACHEY came suddenly into view, around the corner of the wall from the -little side street. - -He was dressed almost stiffly--not in knickerbockers now, but in what -would be called at home a business suit, with stiff white collar and a -soft but correct hat; and he carried a stick--like an Englishman, Betty -thought, careful to the last of appearances. As if there were no -such thing as danger; only stability. She might have been back in the -comfortable New Jersey town and he a casual caller. And then, after -taking him in, in a quick conflict of moods that left her breathless, -she glanced hurriedly about. But only the blank compound wall met her -gaze, and tile roofs, with the chimneys of the higher mission house -peeping above foliage. The gate was but a narrow opening, near the -farther end of the tennis court. No one could see. For that matter, it -was to be doubted that any one in the compound knew she was here. And -beyond the little street stood another blank wall.... And he had come! - -She could not know that she seemed very composed as she laid her -portfolio on the camp stool and rose. Then her hand was in his. Her -voice said: - -“It was nice of you to come. But--” - -“When I asked for a meeting--for one meeting....” Her eyes were down; he -was set, as for a formal speech.... “It was, as you may imagine, because -a matter has arisen that seems to me of the greatest importance.” - -She wondered what made him talk like that. As if determined to appeal to -her mind. She couldn't listen; not with her mind; she was all feeling. -He was a stranger, this man. Yet she had thought tenderly of him. It was -difficult. - -“You didn't come alone?” she asked, unaware that her manner, too, was -formal. - -“Yes. Oh, yes! I know the way.” - -“But it isn't safe. When I wrote... I heard what Mrs. Boatwright said. I -was angry.” - -“She was very rude.” - -“It seemed as if I ought to get word to you--after that. I promised, of -course.” - -“But your note surprised me.” - -“You thought I wouldn't keep my promise?” - -“I wasn't sure that you could.” - -“If you hadn't heard from me, what would you have done?” - -“I should have left T'ainan this afternoon.” - -“But how could you? Where could you go?” - -“The provincial judge has assigned four soldiers to me. He was most -courteous. He wants me to publish articles in America and England -against the Ho Shan Company. He seems a very astute man. And he sent -runners to the inn just now with presents.” - -“Oh--what were they?” - -“Some old tins of sauerkraut. A German traveler must have left them -here.” - -Betty smiled. Then, sober again, said: - -“But you should have brought the soldiers with, you.” - -“Oh, no. I preferred being alone.” - -“But I don't think you understand. It isn't safe to go about alone now. -Not if you're a white man. I don't like to think that I've put you in -danger.” - -“You haven't. It doesn't matter. As I was about to tell you... you must -understand that I assume no interest on your part--I can't do that, -of course--but after what happened, that night on the ship...” He was -ha\ing difficulty with this set speech of his. Betty averted her face to -hide the warm color that came. Why on earth need he come out with it so -heavily! Whatever had happened had happened, that was all!... His voice -was going on. Something about a divorce. He was to be free shortly. He -said that. He sounded almost cold about it, deliberate. And he had -come clear out here to T'ainan just to say that. He _was_ assuming, of -course. To a painful degree. He seemed to feel that he owed it to her -to make some sort of payment... for kissing her... and the payment, -apparently, was to be himself. She was moved by a little wave of anger. -She managed to say: - -“We won't talk about that.” - -“I felt that I must tell you. I'll go now, of course.” - -“But...” - -“As soon as I am free I shall write you. I will ask you, then, to be my -wife.” - -He drew himself up, at this, stiffly. - -Betty's blush was a flush now. She gathered up her drawing tilings; -deliberately arranged the sheets of paper in the portfolio. - -“I shall say good-by... - -“Wait,” said Betty, rather shortly, not looking up “You mustn't go like -this.” - -There was a long silence. Then, abruptly, he broke out: - -“There is no way that I can stay. I would bring you only trouble. And it -will be easier for me to go. Of course, I should never have come. It -has been very upsetting, I haven't faced it honestly. I wanted to forget -you. I've been tortured. And then I learned that you were in danger. -I--can't talk about it!” And he clamped his lips shut. - -Betty opened her portfolio and slowly fingered the sheets of drawing -paper. Her eyes filled; she had to keep them down. - -“Where are you going?” Her voice was no more than a murmur. She said it -again, a little louder: “Where are you going?” - -“Back to the inn. And then, perhaps--” - -“You mustn't leave T'ainan.” - -“That is the difficulty. I couldn't save myself and leave you here.” - -“On your account, I mean. We're safe enough; I've heard them talking at -the house. Pao will protect us. And Chang, the tao-tai. But if you were -to go out alone--on the highway--” - -“Oh, that is nothing. I have soldiers.” - -“You said four soldiers. Father was attacked right here in the city, -with Chang and his body-guard defending him. They even tore Chang's -clothes.” - -“I don't care about myself,” said he. - -She glanced up at him. She knew he spoke the truth, however bitter his -spirit. He was talking on: “Don't misunderstand me....” - -“I don't.” - -“This journey has been a time of painful self-revelation. I used to -think myself strong. That was absurd, of course. I am very weak. In this -new trouble my will seems to have broken down. Yes, it has broken down; -I may as well admit it. I had no right to fall in love with you. Already -I have injured the life of one woman. Now, by merely coming out here -in this ill-considered way, I am injuring yours.... The worst of it is -these moments of terrible feeling. They make it impossible for me to -reason. At one time I can really believe that a fatal accident out -here--an accident to myself--would be the best thing that could happen -for everybody concerned: but then, in a moment, I become inflamed with -feeling, and desire, and a perfectly unreasonable hope.” - -“I wonder,” mused Betty, moved now by something near a thrill of -power--a disturbing sort of power--“if love is like that.” - -“I don't know. I don't even know if this is love Part of the time I -resent you.” - -“Oh!... Well--yes, I can understand that.” - -“Then you resent me?” - -“Sometimes.” - -“In my lucid moments I sec the thing clearly enough. It is simply an -impossible situation. And I have added the final touch by coming out -here.” He seated himself on a block of stone, and rested his chin -moodily on his two hands. “That is what disturbs me--it frightens me. I -have watched other men and women going through this queer confusion -we call falling in love. I've pitied them. They were weak, helpless, -surrendering the reasoning faculty to sheer emotion. Sometimes, I've -thought of them as creatures caught in a net.” - -“Oh!” Betty breathed softly, “I've never thought.. I wonder if it is -like that.” - -“It is with me. I see no happiness in it. I hope you will never have to -live through what I've lived through these past few weeks. And now I -sit here----weakly--knowing I ought to go at once and never disturb you -again. But the thought of going--of saying good-by--is terrible. It's -one more thing I seem unable to face.” - -Betty was struggling now against tumultuous thoughts. And without -overcoming them, without even making headway against them, she spoke: - -“I can't let you take all this on yourself. I must have--well made it -hard for you, there on the ship. I enjoyed being with you.” - -This was all she could say about that. - -There was a long, long silence. - -Suddenly, with an inarticulate exclamation, he sprang up. - -Startled, all impulses, she caught his hand. His fingers tightened about -hers. - -“What?” she asked, breathless. - -“I'll go.” - -“Not away from T'ainan?” - -“Yes. It's the only thing. After all, it doesn't matter much what -happens to any individual. We've got to take that chance. When my--when -I'm--free, if I'm alive, and you're alive. I'll write you. I won't -come--I'll write. Meanwhile, you can make up your mind. All I'll ask of -you then is a decision. I'll accept it.” - -Her fingers were twisting around his. She couldn't look up at him, nor -he down at her. - -“When shall you leave T'ainan?” - -“Now--this afternoon.” - -“No.” - -“But... don't you see?.. - -“I don't know what to say.” - -He knelt beside her. - -“You dear child!” he murmured unsteadily, “can't you see what a trouble -we're in? It's my fault--” - -“It's no more your fault than mine.” - -“Oh, but it is! I'm an experienced man. You're a girl. They're right in -blaming me.” - -“People can't help their feelings.” - -“God, if they could! Don't you see, child, that I can't stay near you? -I can't look at you--you're so little, so pretty, so charming! When -I'm with you, all this feeling, all the warm feminine quality, all the -beautiful magic that's been shut out of my life comes to me through -you. It drives me crazy.... Betty, God forgive me! I can't help it--this -once! It's good-by.” He took her lightly, reverently, in his arms, and -brushed his lips against her forehead. Then he arose. - -“Good-by, Betty!” - -“It's too late to start to-day. You can't travel Chinese roads at -night.” - -“I'll start early in the morning.” - -“I'll--if you--I'll come out here this evening. I think I can.” - -“Oh--Betty!...” - -“It may be a little late. Perhaps about half past eight. They'll all be -busy then.... Just for a little while.” - -He considered this. “It's wrong,” he said. “But what's the good of my -deciding not to come. Of course I will.” - -“You came clear to T'ainan.” - -“I know....” - -“And how about me!” she broke out. “I'm shut in a prison here. You're -the only friend that's come--the only person I can talk with. Father is -wonderful, but he's busy and worried, and I'm his daughter, and we can't -talk much. And you and I--if you're going in the morning--we can't leave -things--our very lives”--her voice wavered--“like this.” - -“I'll come,” he said. - -“And keep the soldiers with you.” - -“I'll come.” - -“I wonder if it is like a net,” said she. - - - - -CHAPTER XII--STORM CENTER - - -1 - -CHINA, in its vastness, its mystery, its permanence, its ceaseless ebb -and flow of myriad, uncounted life, suggests the ocean. The surface -is restless, ripped by universal family discord, whipped by gusts of -passion from tong or tribe, upheaved by political storms, but everywhere -in the unsounded depths lies the peace of submissiveness. Within its -boundaries breathes sufficient power to overwhelm the world, yet only -on the self-conscious surface is this power sensed and slightly used. -Chinese life, in city and village, as in the teeming countryside, moves -in disorganized poverty about its laborious daily tasks, little more -aware of the surface political currents than are Crustacea at the bottom -of the sea of ships passing overhead; while to these patient minds the -mighty adventure of the Western World is no more than a breath upon the -waters. - -This simile found a place among the darker thoughts of Griggsby Doane -as he tramped down into the fertile valley of the Han. Behind him lay -tragedy; yet on every hand the farmers were at work upon the narrow -holdings that terraced the red hills to their summits. At each -countryside well the half-naked coolies--two, three, or four of -them--were turning windlasses and emptying buckets of water into stone -troughs from which trickled little painstakingly measured streams to the -sunbaked furrow of this or that or another field. The trains of asses -anil camels wound ceaselessly up and down the road that led from the -northern hills to T'ainan. The roadside vendors and beggars chanted -their wares and their grievances. The villages, always indolent, lived -on exactly as always, stirred only by noisy bargains or other trivial -excitement. The naked children tumbled about. It w as hard to believe -that here could be--had so lately been--violence and cruelty. It was -simply one of the occasions, evidently, when no Lookers or hostile young -men happened to be about to shout their familiar taunts at the white -devil. Though the fighting of 1900, for that matter, had passed like a -wave, leaving hardly more trace. Still more, at dusk, the outskirts -of the great city stirred perplexing thoughts. The quiet of a Chinese -evening was settling on shops and homes. Children's voices carried -brightly over compound walls. Kites flew overhead. The music of stringed -instalments floated pleasantly, faintly, to the ear. - -And every quaint sight and sound was registered with a fresh vividness -on Doane's highly strung nerves. He was tired; might easily, too easily, -become irritable; a fact he sensed and struggled to guard against. Now, -of all occasions in his life, he must exercise self-control. Difficult -tasks lay directly ahead. One would be the talk with Pao Ting Chuan -about the So T'ung massacre. Pao was, in his Oriental way, friendly; but -his way was Oriental. It would be necessary to meet him at every evasive -turn; necessary to read behind every courteous speech of a cultivated -and charming gentleman the complex motivation of a mandarin skilled -in the intricate relationships of the Court of Peking. Helping avert -trouble was one matter; Pao could doubtless, or apparently, be counted -on to that extent; but assuming full responsibility for the taking of -white life and the destruction of white man's property, was a vastly -more complicated matter. No other sort of human creature is so skilful -at evading responsibility as the Chinaman; this, perhaps, because -responsibility, once accepted, is, under the Chinese tradition and -system, inescapable.... Another task, of course, would be the telling -Boatwright of his personal disaster. It still seemed better to do this -before the news could drift around in some vulgar, disruptive way from -Shanghai. He couldn't plan this talk, not yet; but a way would doubtless -present itself. He stood before his God, in his own strong heart, -convicted of sin. There had been moments, during the tramp southward, -when he found himself welcoming this nearly public self-arraignment with -a bitter eagerness. But at such moments pictures of Betty rose in his -mind, and of the gentle beautiful wife of his youth--wistful, delicately -traced pictures. - -His face would change then; the lines would deepen and a look of -torment, of wild hurt animal strength that was new, would appear in and -about his deep-shaded eyes. - -2 - -As he drew near the mission compound his stride shortened and slowed. -Once he stopped, and for a brief bme stood motionless, not heeding the -curious Chinese who passed (dim figures with soft-padded shoes), his -lips drawn tightly together over nervous mutterings that nearly, once -or twice, came out as sounds. He was not a man who talks out overwrought -feelings on the public way. The tendency alarmed him. - -He came deliberately into the gate house. Here, talking in some -excitement with old Sun, were four or five of the servants. - -He paused to ask what was the matter. To take hold again, to step so -quickly into his position as head of the compound, brought a sense of -relief. That would be habit functioning. A moment later, his confusion -was deeper than before; in one of those quick flashes that can -illuminate and occupy the inner mind while the outer is engaged with the -brisk affairs of life, he was wondering how soon these men would know -what he was, what pitiful sort he had overnight become; and what they -would think of him, they who now obeyed and loved him. - -'They told him the gossip of the streets. Those strange soldiers, -Lookers, from beyond the western mountains, had been coming of late to -the yamen of old Kang Hsu. Kang, so ran the local story, had reviewed -these troops within the twelve hours, witnessing their incantations, -giving them his approval. - -Doane said what little he could to quiet their fears; he even managed a -rather austere smile; then passed on into the courtyard. - -Dr. Cassin came slowly down the steps from the dispensary, her -keys jingling in her hand. She was a spare, competent woman, deeply -consecrated to her work, but not lacking in kindliness. - -“Oh, Mr. Doane!” she said. Then, “How did you find things at So T'ung?” - -He stood a moment, looking at her. - -“Very bad,” he said. - -“Not--well--” - -Doane inclined his head. “Yes, Jen is gone--and twelve to fifteen -others. Shot or burned. One helper escaped. I could get word of no -others. One of Monsieur Pourmont's engineers helped very bravely in the -defense, but was finally clubbed to death.” - -Dr. Cassin stood silent; then drew in her breath sharply. The keys -jingled. - -“Oh!” she murmured in a broken voice, “That _is_ bad!” - -“It couldn't be worse. How is it here?” - -“Well”--she pursed her lips--“I'm afraid we've all been getting a little -nervous. It's well you're back. We need you. The servants are -jumpy....” - -“I gathered that, in the gate house.” - -“I wonder... in the fighting at So T'ung there must have been a good -many wounded... - -“Among the attackers, yes; the Lookers themselves, and village rowdies.” - -“I was wondering... mightn't it be a good thing for me to go up there -and take charge?” - -“No.” - -“For the effect it might have on the people, I mean. Wouldn't it help -restore their confidence in us?” - -“No, Doctor. The people--except the young men--haven't changed. Trouble -will come wherever the Lookers go. No, your place is here.” - -Once in the mission residence, Doane hurried up the two flights of -stairs to his own rooms. He met no one; the door of Boatwright's study -was closed. - -So they needed him. The strain was shaking their monde a little. It was -really not surprising, after 1900. But if they needed him it was no time -to indulge his own emotions. He would have to take hold again, that was -all; perhaps keep hold, letting the news that was to be to him so evil -come up as it might. He sighed as he closed his door. Some sort of a -scene there must be; at least a talk with the Boatwrights about So T'ung -and about the local problem.... One thing he could do; remove his dusty -clothing, wash, put on fresh things. It would help a little, just -the physical refreshment. He went back to the door and locked it..... -Boatwright would be up, almost certainly. - -Very shortly came the familiar hesitant tapping. For years the little -man had made his presence known in that same faintly timid way. It was -irritating.... Doane called out that he would be down soon. - -“Oh... all right... thank you!” Thus Boatwright, outside the door. And -then he moved slowly, uncertainly, down the stairs. - -3 - -Boatwright was sitting idle at his desk, rolling a pencil about. It was -an old roll-top desk from Michigan via Shanghai. Doane closed the door, -quietly, and drew up a chair. - -“You'd better read this.” Boatwright spread a telegram on the desk. “I -haven't told the others. It came late this afternoon.” - -The message was from Mrs. Nacy, acting dean of the little college at -Hung Chan. - -“Several hundred Lookers”--it ran--“broke into compound this noon and -took all our food, slightly injuring cook and helper who resisted; they -order us to send all girl students home; remain at present carousing -near compound; very threatening; commander forbids any communication -with you as they seem to fear you and your influence at Judge's yamen, -though boasting that Treasurer now rules province and that Judge will be -fortunate to escape with his life; wish greatly you could be here.” - -Doane, sifting very quietly, shading his eyes with a powerful hand, read -the message twice; then asked, calmly: - -“Have you notified Pao?” - -“Not yet. Your message came several hours earlier. It seemed wise to -wait for yuu.” - -Doane considered the matter; then reached for red paper, ink pot and -brush, and wrote, in Chinese, the equivalent of the following note: - -“I beg to report that a band of Lookers at So T'ung, assisted by local -young men, killed Jen Ling Pu and about fourteen others, including white -engineer named Beggins from compound of Monsieur Pourmont at Ping Yang. -Considerable property destroyed. Several buildings burned to ground. -Further, to-day, comes a report of attack on the Mission College at -Hung Chan, with urgent appeal for help. I am going to Hung Chan at once, -to-night, and must beg of Your Excellency immediate support from local -officials and troops. I must further beg to advise Your Excellency that -I am reporting these unfortunate events to the American Minister at -Peking by telegraph to-night and to suggest that only the greatest -promptness and firmness on your part can now avert widespread trouble -which threatens to bow the head of China once more with shame in the -dust. - -“James Griggsby Doane.” - -He struck a bell then, and to the servant who entered gave instructions -regarding the etiquette to be observed in promptly delivering the note -at the yamen of the provincial judge. - -“I am worried, I'll admit, about Kang,” observed Boatwright, when the -servant had gone. He said this without looking up, rolling the pencil -back and forth, back and forth. His voice was light and husky. - -Deane, watching him, felt now that his own task was to forget self -utterly. It was beginning, even, to seem the pleasantly selfish -course. The trip down to Hung Chan he welcomed. He would drive himself -mercilessly; it would be an escaping from his thoughts. Moments had -come, during the walk from So T'ung, when for the first time in his life -he understood suicide. So many men fell back on it during the tragic -disillusionments of middle life. The trouble with suicide, of course, -this sort, was the element of cowardice. He wasn't beaten. Not yet. At -least, he had strength left, and physical courage. No, action was the -thing. It was the sort of contribution he was best fitted to give these -helpless, frightened people here. As to Betty, he would give to the -limits of his great strength. - -And so he answered Boatwright with a manner of calm confidence. - -“Kang is putting up a fight, of course, but Pao will prove too strong -for him. At least, there's no good in believing anything else, Elmer. -It's the position we've got to take. I'll get into my walking clothes -again.” - -“You're not going to Hung Chan alone, to-night?” - -“Yes. It's the quickest way.” - -“Don't you need sleep--a few hours, at least?” - -“No, I was too late at So T'ung.” - -“That was not your fault.” - -“No. Still... I'll go right along.” Doane got up. - -“If you could give me a few minutes more there's another matter. I'm -afraid you'll regard it as rather important. It's--difficult....” And -then, instead of continuing, he fell to rolling the pencil, and gazing -at it. His color rose a little. - -There was a light knock at the door. Neither man responded. After a -moment the door opened a little way, and Mrs. Boatwright looked in. - -“Oh!...” she exclaimed, then: “How do you do, Mr. Doane!... Elmer, have -you spoken of that matter?” - -“I was just beginning to, my dear.” - -Mrs. Boatwright, after a silence, came in and closed the door softly -behind her. - -“Mr. Doane hasn't much time.” Boatwright's voice was low, tremulous. -“Matters at So Thing are as bad as they could be. And he is going down -to Hung Chan now.” - -“To-night?” asked the wife, rather sharply. - -Doane inclined his head. - -“Then what are we to do?” - -“Mr Doane,” put in the husband, “has given instructions that we are to -stay here.” - -“Oh--instructions?” - -“Yes,” said Doane gravely. And he courteously explained: “The situation -is developing too rapidly for us to get all the others in to T'ainan. -And we can't desert them. Not yet. You will certainly be safer here than -you would be on the road. Hung Chan is only eighteen miles. I shall be -back within twenty-four hours, probably to-morrow evening. Then we will -hold a conference and decide finally on a course. We may be reduced -to demanding an escort to Ping Yang, telegraphing the others to save -themselves as best they can.” - -Mrs. Boatwright soberly considered the problem. - -“It looks like nineteen hundred all over again,” Boatwright muttered -huskily, without looking up. - -“No,” said Doane, “it won't be the same. The only thing we positively -know is that history never repeats itself. We'll take it as it comes.” - He didn't see Mrs. Boatwright's sharp eyes taking him in as he said -this. “I'll leave you now.” - -“Just this other matter,” said the wife, more briskly. “I won't keep -you long. But I don't feel free to handle the situation in my own way, -and--well, something must be done.” - -“You see,” said the husband, “there's a man here--a queer American--he -turned up--” - -“Elmer!” the wife interrupted, “if you will let me.... It is a man your -daughter met on the ship coming out, Mr. Doane. Evidently a case of -infatuation....” - -“He is a journalist--has written works on British administration in -India, I believe--” - -“Elmer! Please! The fact is, the man has deliberately followed Betty out -here. There is some understanding between them--something that should -be got at. The man is married. Betty admits that--she seems to be -intimately in his confidence. He came rushing out here without so much -as a passport. Elmer has had to give up a good deal of time to setting -him right at Pao's yamen. I very properly refused to accept him here -as a guest, whereupon Hetty got word to him secretly and they have been -meeting--” - -“Out in the tennis court!” - -“Last night I found them there myself. I sent him away, and brought -Betty in.” - -“Tell it all, dear!” - -“I will. Mr. Doane must know the facts. The man was kissing her. He -offered no apology. And Betty was defiant. She seemed then to fear the -man would not appear again, but in some way she found him this afternoon -out in the side street. They must have been there together for some -time, walking back and forth, talking earnestly. I had other things to -do, of course. I couldn't devote all my time to watching her. And it -would seem, if she had any normal sense of... I secured a promise then -from Betty that she would not meet him again until after your return. -The man, however, would promise nothing.” - -On few occasions in her intensely busy life had Mrs. Boatwright been so -voluble. But she was excited and perhaps a little prurient; for to such -severe self-discipline as hers there are opposite and sometimes equal -reactions. - -“Something must be done, and at once.” She appeared to be bringing her -speech to a conclusion. “The man impressed me as persistent and quite -shameless. He is unquestionably exerting a dangerous power over the -girl. Even in times like these, I am sure that you, as her father, will -feel that a strong effort must be made to save her. I needn't speak of -the whispers that are already loose about the compound.” - -Through all this, Doane, his face wholly expressionless except for a -stunned look about the eyes and perhaps a sad settling about the mouth, -looked quietly from wife to husband and back again. They seemed utter -strangers, these two. With disconcerting abruptness he discovered that -he disliked them both.... Another thought that came was of the scene -of desolation he had left at So T'ung. After that, what mattered, -what little human thing! Then it occurred to his dazed mind that this -wouldn't do. Suddenly he could see Betty--her charm and grace, her -bright pretty ways, with his inner eye; and again his spirit was tom and -tortured as all during the night, back there in the hills. If only he -could recall the prayers that used to rise so easily and earnestly from -his eager heart! - -“Where is she now?” he asked, outwardly so calm as to stir resentment in -the woman before him. She replied, acidly: - -“In her room. If she hasn't slipped out again.” - -“She promised, I believe you said.” - -This was uttered so quietly that a slow moment passed before it reached -home. Then Mrs. Boatwright replied, with less emphasis: - -“Yes. She promised.” - -“And where is the man?” - -“At an inn, somewhere inside the walls. Sun would know.” - -“What is his name?” - -Boatwright fumbled among the papers on his desk, and found a card which -he passed over. - -Doane looked thoughtfully at it, then slipped it into a pocket; said, -quiet, deathly sober, “You may look for me sometime to-morrow night. We -will make our final arrangements then. Meantime you had all better get -what rest you can.” Then he left the room. - -Husband and wife looked at each other. The man's lids drooped first. He -began rolling the pencil. Finally he said, listlessly: - -“Probably it would be wise to sort out these papers--get the letters -and reports straight. If we should go, there wouldn't be much time for -packing.” - -4 - -Doane went directly to Betty's door, and knocked. She came at once, in -her pretty kimono; peeped out at him; cried softly: - -“Oh, Dad! You're safe!” - -“Yes, dear. I have one more trip, a short one. It will be all I can do. -To-morrow night I'll be back for good. Take care of yourself, little -girl.” - -“Yes--oh, yes! But I shall worry about you.” - -“No. Never worry. I'll be back.” - -That seemed to be all he could say. She, too, was still. The silence -lengthened, grew into a conscious thing in his mind anti hers. Finally -he took a hesitating backward step. - -“I must be off, dear.” - -“Dad--wait!” She stood erect, her head drawn back, looking directly at -him out of curiously bright eyes. Her abundant hair flowed down about -her shoulders... But he thought of her eyes. They were frank, brave, and -very young and eager and bright. Somewhere within her slim little frame -she had a store of fine young courage; he knew it now, and felt a thrill -that was at once hope and pain. He had to fight back tears.... She was -going to tell him. Yes, she was plunging wonderfully into it: - -“There's one thing, Dad! I'm sorry--I oughtn't to make you think of -other things now. But if we could only have a little talk....” - -He managed to say: - -“Only a day more, dear.” - -“Yes. I suppose we should wait... though...” He stepped forward, -drew her to him, and in an uprush of exquisite tenderness kissed her -forehead; then, with an odd little sound that might almost have been a -sob, he rushed off, descended the stairs, and went out the front door. - -From the window she saw his dim figure crossing the court. At the gate -house he paused and called aloud. - -Two of the servants came; she could see their quaintly colored paper -lanterns bobbing about. One of them went into the gate house and came -out again. He was struggling with something. She strained her eyes -against the glass. Oh. yes--he was getting into his long coat; that was -all. Apparently he went out, this man, with her father.... The other -colored lantern bobbed back into the gate house, and the compound -settled again into calm. - -Doane, though he could not talk with his daughter, could talk -directly and bluntly to the man named Brachey, who had rushed out here -incontinent after her He knew this; was alive with a slow swelling anger -that came to him as a perverse sort of blessing after the cumulative -emotional torment of the past three days. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII--THE PLEDGE - - -1 - -ON the morning of that same day--while Griggsby Doane was striding down -the mountain road from So T'ung to T'ainan-fu--Jonathan Brachey sat -in his room at the inn trying to read, trying to write, counting the -minutes until two o'clock at which hour Betty would be waiting in the -tennis court, when John slipped in with a small white card bearing the -printed legend, in English: - -_MR. PO_ - -_Interpreter and Secretary_ - -_Yamen of His Excellency the Provincial Judge T'ainan-fu_ - -Mr. Po proved to be a tall, slim, rather elegant young man in -conventional plain robe, black skull-cap and large spectacles, who met -Brachey's stiff greeting with a broad smile and a wholly Western grip of -the hand. - -“How d' do!” he said eagerly: “How d' do!” Then he glanced about at the -two worn old chairs, the crumbling walls of the sun-dried brick with -their soiled, ragged motto scrolls, the dirty matting on the _kang_, and -slowly shook his head. “You're not comfortable as all get-out.” - -If there was in Mr. Po's speech a softness of intonation and a faint -difficulty with the _r's_ and _l's_, the faults were not so marked as to -demand changes of spelling in setting it down. He accepted a cigarette. -Brachey lighted his pipe. - -“You are quite at home in English,” remarked Brachey. - -“Oh, yes! English is my professional matter in hand.” - -“You have lived abroad?” - -“Oh, no! But at Tientsin Anglo-Chinese College, I made consumption -largely of midnight oil. And among English people society I have broken -the ice.” - -Brachey settled back in the angular chair; pulled at his pipe; thought. -The man was here for a purpose, of course. But from that slightly eager -manner, it seemed reasonable to infer that among his motives was a -desire to practise and exhibit his English, a curious mixture of -book phrases and coast slang, with here and there the Chinese -sentence-structure showing through. And he offered an opportunity to -study the local problem that Brachey mentally leaped at. - -So these two fell into chat, the smiling young Chinese gentleman and the -austere Westerner. Mr. Po, speaking easily, without emphasis, his casual -manner suggesting that nothing mattered much--not old or new, life -or death--revealed, through the words he so lightly used, stirring -enthusiasms. And Brachey observed him through narrowed eyes. - -Here, thought the journalist, before him, smoking a cigarette, sat -modern China; in robe and queue, speaking of the future but ridden by -the past; using strong words but with no fire, no urge or glow in the -voice; as if eager to hope without the substance of hope; at once age -and youth, smiling down the weary centuries at himself. - -“It has been expressed to me that you are literature man.” Thus Mr. Po. - -Brachey's head moved downward. - -“That is quite wonderful. If you will tell me the names of certain of -your books I will give myself great delight in reading them. I read -English like the devil--all the time. I'm crazy about Emerson.” - -Brachey led him on. They talked of Russia and England, of the new -railways in China, of truculent Japan, of Edison, much of Roosevelt. Mr. -Po suggested a walk; and they mounted the city wall, sat on the parapet -and talked on; the Chinaman always smiling, nerveless, his calm, easily -flowing voice without body or emphasis. Brachey finally succeeded in -guiding the man to his own topic, China. - -“It puzzles and bewilders,” said Mr. Po. “China must leap like -grasshopper over the many centuries. To railways one may turn for -beneficent assistance. And also to missionaries.” - -“I'm surprised to hear you say that. I supposed all China was opposed to -the missionaries.” - -“I do not dwell at present time upon their religion practises. That may -be all to the good--I can not say. But the domicle of each and every -missionary may be termed civilization propaganda center. Here are found -books, medicines, lamps. Your eyes have discerned enveloping gloom of -Chinese cities by night. Think, I beg of you, what difference it will be -when illumination brightens all. Our people do not like these things, it -is true. They descend avidly into superstitions. They make a hell of a -fuss. But that fuss is growing pain. China must grow, though suffering -accumulate and dismay.” - -“Come to think of it,” mused Brachey aloud, “superstition isn't stopping -the railroads.” - -Mr. Po snapped his fingers, smilingly. “A fig and thistle for -superstition!” he remarked. “Take good look at the railways! What -happened? In every field of China, as you know, stand grave mounds -of honorable ancestral worshiping. It will break heart of China to -desecrate those grave mounds. It will bring down untold misery upon -ancestors. But when they build Hankow-Peking Rahway, very slick -speculator employed observation upon surveyors and purchased up claims -against railway for bringing misery upon ancestors and sold them to -railway company at handsome profit to himself. And, sir, do you know -what it set back company to desecrate ancestors of China? It set back -twelve dollars per ancestor. And that slick speculator he is now -millionaire. He erects imposing house at Shanghai and elaborates dinners -to white merchants. It is said that he will soon be compradore and -partner in most pretentious English Hong.... No, the superstition will -have to go. It will go like the chaff.” - -“But this big change will take a little time.” - -“Time? Oh, yes, of course! But what is time to China! A few centuries! -They are nothing!” - -“A few centuries are something to me,” observed Brachey dryly. - -“Oh, yes! And to me. That is different. There are times to come of -running to and fro and hubbub. It is not easy to adjust.” - -“It is not,” said Brachey. - -“For myself, I would like to get away. I have observed with too great -width customs of white peoples, I have perused with too diligent -attention many English books as well as those of French and German -authorship, to find contentment in Chinese habit ways. I would -appreciate to voyage freely to America. If I might ask, is not there -an exception made under so-called Chinese Exclusion Act in instance of -attentive student and gentleman who finds himself by no means dependent -upon finance arrangements of certain others?” - -“I really don't know,” said Brachey. “You'd have to talk with somebody -up at the legation about that.” - -“But up at legation somebodies make always assumption never to know a -darn thing about anything.” Mr Po laughed easily. - -“I have employed great thought concerning this topic,” he went on, -with mounting assurance. “It is here and now time of beginning upset in -Hansi, as perhaps as well in all China. At topmost pinnacle of Old Order -here stands Kang, the treasurer. It can not, indeed, be said that -for ennobling ideas of New Order he cares much of a damn. And he is -miserably jealous of His Excellency, Pao Ting Chuan. But Pao is very -strong. Sooner or later he will pin upon Kang defeat humiliation.” - -“You feel sure Pao will be able to do that?” - -“Oh, yes! Pao is cat, Kang is mouse.” - -“Hmm!” - -“Yes indeed! But it is nothing to me. Nothing in world! I have laid -before His Excellency desires of my heart. He expresses willing -courtesy. If I may make voyage freely he will make best of it. And not -unlike myself he has perceived half-notion that if I turn to you for -wisdom advice you will not turn cold shoulder and throw me down.” - Catching the opposition behind Brachey's slightly knit brows, he added -hastily, “I have no need. That is to say, I'm not broke. And--with this -thought plan I have made transferrence of certain monies to Hongkong -Bank at Shanghai where no revolution or hell of a row can snatch it from -my outstretched hands. With but a nod from your head, sir, and also with -permission of His Excellency, I could make sneak out of province as your -servant.” - -Brachey, after some thought, said he would take the proposal under -consideration. - -During the walk back to the inn he contrived to hold the interpreter's -chatter closely to the ferment in the province. - -Kang, it appeared, was openly backing the Lookers now. His yamen -enclosure swarmed with ragged soldiers from the West who foraged among -the shops for food and trinkets, and beat or shot the inoffensive -Chinese merchants by way of emphasizing rather casually their privileged -status in the capital city. Down the river, near Hung Chan, a more -considerable concentration of the strange troops was taking place. -Hung Chan was also the rendezvous for the local young men who had -been initiated into the Looker bands. Rumors were flying of a general -massacre to come of the white and secondary (or native) Christians. -There was even talk of a political alliance with the organizers of -rebellion in the South against the Imperial Manchu Government and of -a triumphant march to the coast. A phrase that might be translated as -“China for the Chinese” had come into circulation. - -Brachey grew more and more thoughtful as he listened. - -“If Pao is so strong, why does he permit matters to go so far?” he -asked. - -Mr. Po laughed. “His Excellency will in his own good time get move on -himself.” - -“Hmm!” - -“Only yesterday I myself was pinched on street by Western soldiers.” - -“Pinched?” - -“Seized and arrested. Taken up.” - -Brachey raised his eyebrows; but Mr Po smiled easily on. - -“Oh, yes! They called me secondary Christian. They ran me in before -low woman, a courtesan. They have told Kang that this courtesan is -second-sighted.” - -“Clairvoyant?” - -“Yes, that is now firm belief of Kang on mere say-so of cheap skates. -This courtesan has been conveyed to treasurer's yamen where with eunuchs -and concubines to attend and soldiers to stand sentry-go she now holds -forth to beat the Dutch. All perfectly absurd!” - -“And this creature sat in judgment over you?” - -“Oh, yes! Not a day since.” - -“What was her decision?” - -Again that easy laugh. “Oh, she decree that I am to kick bucket.” - -“Execute you, eh? You take it lightly.” - -“It is nothing. I will tell you. In companionship with me was my bosom -friend, Chili T'ang, who is third son of well-known censor of -Peking, Chili Chang Pu. It was Chih who got hustle on to yamen of His -Excellency--” - -“By His Excellency you mean Pao?” - -“In every instance, if you please! Well, like a shot His Excellency -acted in my behalf. In person and with full retinue grandeur panoply he -set forth to pay visit to old rascal Kang, carrying as gift of utmost -personal esteem ancient ring for thumb of jade that Kang had long made -goo-goo eyes at. And he asked of Kang as favor mark to himself that he -be let known instanter, right away, if any of soldiers from his yamen -should behave with unpleasantness toward new soldiers of Kang, for -new soldiers of Kang had come to T'ainan-fu out of far country and not -unnaturally felt homesick and were not in each instance in step with -customs of our city. And he made explanation as well that he would -instruct his secretary, Po Sui-an, to bring news quicker than Johnny get -your gun if his own soldiers should act up freshly or become stench in -the nostrils.... Well, you see, sir?” - -“Not quite.” - -“But I am Po Sui-an! It was rebuke like ton of brick, falling on all -but face of old Kang. It has been insisted to me that Kang trembled like -swaying aspen reed as he made high sign to attendant mandarins. And then -His Excellency set forth that I had just stepped out on brief journey -but would shortly be back and that he would then instruct me with -determined vigor.... Such is His Excellency, a statesman of stiff upper -lip. A most wise guy! Thus he served notice on that old reprobate that -he will strike when iron is hot.” - -“They released you?” - -“At once. On return of His Excellency, to his yamen. There was I, slick -as whistle!”, - -“Very interesting. But if Kang continues to bring in soldiers from the -West, how is Pao going to strike with any hope of success? Is he, too, -marshaling an army?” - -“Oh, no! But you see, I come to call upon you, with you I walk freely -about streets. At Kang I thumb my nose and tell him go chase himself. -Pao will protect myself and you.” - -“But as I understand it, Kang officially ranks Pao.” - -“Oh, yes! But that is nothing.” - -“It looks like a little something to me.” - -“Oh, no! I will ask you for brief moment to glance sidelong at Forbidden -City of Peking. There during long devil of a while Eastern Empress -officially ranked Western Empress, but I would call your attention to -insignificant matter that it was not Western Empress--she whom you dub -Empress Dowager--that turned up her toes most opportunely to daisies.” - -“Oh, I see! Then it is believed that the Empress Dowager had the Eastern -Empress killed?” - -“You could not ask that she neglect wholly her fences.”. - -“No.... no, I suppose you couldn't ask that.” - -“She is great woman. She will not permit that another person put her -on the blink. It is so with His Excellency. A dam' big man! We shall -see!”... He hesitated, smiling a thought more eagerly than before. -They had reached the gate of the inn compound. His quick eye had caught -increasing signs of preoccupation in Brachey's manner. Finally, laughing -again, he said: - -“'There is one other little bagatelle. An utter absurdity! I have made -preparation for lecture in English about China. Name of it is 'Pigtail -and Chop-stick.' When I read it at college I must say they held sides -and shook like jelly bowl. On that occasion it was made plain to me by -men of thought that it is peach of a lecture. It's a scream.” His laugh -indicated now an apologetic self-consciousness. “It was said that in -America my lecture would be knockout, that Chinaman treading with -humor the lyceum would make novelty excitement. Indeed, by gentleman -of Customs Administration this was handed me....” He fumbled inside his -gown, finally producing a frayed bit of ruled paper, evidently torn from -a pocket note-book, on which was written in pencil: “Try the J. B. Pond -Lyceum Bureau, New York City.” - -“Since it was expressed to me,” he hurried to add, “that American -journalist notability was in our midst, I have amused myself with fool -thought that you would run eyes over it and let me have worst of it.” - -“It would be a pleasure,” said Brachey, civilly enough but with -considerable dismissive force, extending his hand. - -So, Mr. Po, smiling but something crestfallen, sauntered away. - -2 - -At ten o'clock that night Brachey sat in the angular chair, his _Bible -in Spain_ lying open on his knees, his weary face deeply shadowed and -yellow-gray in the flickering light of the native lamp on the table -beside him. - -John tapped at the door; came softly in; stood, holding the door to -behind him. - -“Well?” cried Brachey irritably. “Well?” - -“Man wanchee see you. Can do?” - -“Man?... What man?” - -“No savvy.” - -“China man?” - -“No China man. White man. Too big.” - -Brachey sprang up; dropped his book on the table with a bang; brushed -John aside and opened the door. The only light out there came slanting -down from a brilliant moon. Dimly outlined as shadowy masses were the -now familiar objects of the inn courtyard--the row of pack-saddles over -by the stable, the darkly moving heads of the horses ami mules behind -the long manger, the two millstones on their rough standard; above these -the roofs of curving tile and a glimpse of young foliage. Then, after a -moment, he sensed movement and peered across, beyond the stable, toward -the street gates. A man was approaching; a huge figure of a man, six -feet five or six inches in height, broad of shoulder, firm of tread; -stood now before him. He carried something like a soldier's pack on his -back. - -“Why did you come here?” - -Brachey on the door-step found his eyes level with those of his caller. - -“Mr. Brachcy?” The voice had the ring of power in it. Brachey's nerves -tightened. - -“Yes.” - -“I am Mr. Doane.” - -“Will you please come in?” - -John slipped away. Doane entered; moved to the table; turned. Brachey -closed the door and faced him. - -“You will perhaps wish to take off your pack,” he said, with bare -civility. - -Doane disposed of this remark with a jerk of his head. “I have very -little time to waste on you,” he said bruskly. “What are you doing in -T'ainan? Why did you come here?” - -[Illustration: 0231] - -There was a long silence. - -“Very well, if you won't answer.”... Doane's voice rasped. - -Brachey raised his hand. “I was considering your question,” he broke in -coldly. “While it is not the whole truth, it will probably save time to -say that I came to see your daughter.” - -He would have liked to express in his voice some thing of the desperate -tenderness that he felt. The experiences of the preceding evening and -of the afternoon just past--the glimpses he had had into the heart of -a girl, his little storms of anger against Mrs. Boatwright and all her -kind, followed in each instance by other little storms of anger against -himself--had finally swept him from the last rational mooring place out -into the bottomless, boundless sea of emotion. He had found himself, -already to-night, a storm-tossed soul without compass or bearings or -rudder. He burned to see Betty again. It had taken all that was left -of his will to keep from charging out once more across the city, out -through the wall, to the mission compound. He was shaken, humbled, -frightened. To such a nature as Brachey's--stubbornly aloof from human -contacts, sensitively self-sufficient--this was really a terrible -experience. It was the worst storm of his life. He felt--had felt at -times during the evening, as he tried to brace himself for this scene -that he knew had to come within the twenty-four hours--something near -tenderness for the man who was Betty's father. There were even moments -when he looked forward to the meeting with the hope that through the -father's feelings he might be helped in finding his lost self. - -He had tried, sitting among the shadows, to build up a picture of the -man. Several of these he had constructed, to meet each of which he -felt he could hold himself in a mental attitude of frankness and even -sympathy. But each of these pictures was but an elaboration of -familiar missionary types. All were what he considered--or once had -considered--weak, or over-earnest to the borders of fanaticism, or -cautious little men, or narrow formalists... men like Boatwright -And without realizing, it, too, he had counted on either real or -counterfeited Christian forbearance. The only thing he had feared might -come up to disturb him was intolerance, like that of Boatwright's wife. - -With that, of course, you couldn't reason, couldn't talk at all.... What -he really wanted to do, burned to do, was to tell the exact truth. He -had passed the point where he could give Betty up; he would have to -fight for her now, whatever happened. His one great fear had been -that Betty's father would be incapable of entertaining the truth -dispassionately, fairly. - -But the actual Doane cleared his over-charged brain as a mountain storm -will clear murky air. Here was a giant of a man who meant business. Back -of that strong face, back of the deep voice, Brachey felt a pressure -of anger. It was not Christian forbearance; it was vigor and something -more; something that perhaps, probably, would come out before they were -through with each other. There was a restless power in the man, a -wild animal pacing there behind the slightly clouded eyes. Even in the -blinding fire of his own love for Betty he could look out momentarily -and see or feel that this giant was burning too. And what he saw or -felt, turned his heart to ice and his brain to tempered metal. Sympathy -would have reached Brachey this night; weakness, blundering, might have -reached him. But now, of all occasions, he would not be intimidated.. .. -He felt the change coming over him, dreaded it, even resisted it; but -was powerless to check it. The man proposed to beat him down. No one had -ever yet done that to Jonathan Brachey. And so, though he tried to speak -with simple frankness in saying, “I came to see your daughter,” the -words came out coldly, tinged with defiance, between set lips. - -It might easily mean a fight of some sort, Brachey reflected. This -mountain of a man could crush him, of course. Primitive emotion charged -the air as each deliberately stud'ed the other.... It would hardly -matter if he should be crushed. There were no police in T'airan to -protect white men from each other. His wife would be relieved; a queer, -bitter sob rose part way in his throat at the thought. There was no one -else... save Betty. Betty would care! And this man was her father! It -was terrible.... He was struggling now to attain a humility his austere -life had never known; if only he could trample down his savage pride, -hear the man out, swallow every insult! But in this struggle, at first, -he failed. Like a soldier he faced the huge fighting man with a pack on -his back. - -“You knew my daughter on the steamer?” - -“Yes.” - -“Before that--in America?” - -“No.” - -“There is something between you?” - -“Yes.” - -“You are a married man?” - -“Yes.” - -Doane, his face working a very little, his arms stiff and straight at -his sides, came a step nearer. Brachey lifted his chin and stared up the -more directly at him. “You seem to have a little honesty, at least.” - -“I am honest.” - -“How far has this gone?” - -Brachey was silent. - -Doane took another step. - -“Why don't I kill you?” he breathed. - -It was then that Brachey first caught the full force of Doane's -emotional torment. To say that he did not flinch, inwardly, would be -untrue; but all that Doane saw was a slight hesitation before the cold -reply came: “I can not answer that question.” - -“You can answer the other. How far has this gone?” - -Brachey again clamped his lips shut. The situation, to him, had become -inexplicable. - -“Will you answer?” - -“No.” - -Doane's eyes blazed down wildly. And Doane's voice broke through the -restraint he had put upon it as he cried: - -“Have you harmed my little girl?” - -Brachey was still. - -“Answer me!” Doane's great hand came down on his shoulder. “Have you -harmed her?” - -Brachey's body trembled under that hand; he was fighting himself, -fighting the impulse to strike with his fists, to seize the lamp, a -chair, his walking stick; he held his breath; he could have tossed a -coin for his life; but then, wandering like a little lost breeze among -his bitter thoughts, came a beginning perception of the anguish in -this father's heart. It confused him, softened him. His own voice was -unsteady as he replied: “Not in the sense you mean.” - -“In what sense, then?” - -Brachey broke away. Doane moved heavily after him, but stopped short -when the slighter man dropped wearily into a chair. - -“I'm not going to attack you,” said Brachey, “but for God's sake sit -down!” - -“What did you mean by that?” - -“Simply this.” Brachey's head dropped on his hand; he stared at the -floor of rough tiles. “I love her. She knows it. She even seems to -return it. I have roused deep feelings in her. Perhaps in doing that I -have harmed her. I can't say.” - -“Is that all? You are telling me everything?” - -“Everything.” - -Doane walked across the room; came back; looked down at Brachey. - -“You know how such men as you are regarded, of course?” - -“No.... Oh, perhaps!” - -“You will leave T'ainan, of course.” - -“Well...” - -“There is no question about that. You will leave.” - -“There's one question--a man dislikes to leave the woman he loves in -actual danger.” - -An expression of bewilderment passed across Duane's face. - -“You admit that you are married?” - -“Oh, yes!” - -“Yet you speak as my daughter's lover. Does the fact of your marriage -mean nothing to you?” - -“Nothing whatever.” - -“Oh, you are planning to fall back on the divorce court, perhaps?” - -“Yes.” Brachey's head came up then. “Does love mean nothing to you?” he -cried. “In your narrow, hard missionary heart is there no sympathy for -the emotions that seize on a man and a woman and break their wills and -shake them into submission?” - -Looking up, he saw the color surge into Doane's face. Anger rose there -again. The man seemed desperate, bitter. There was no way, apparently, -to handle him; he was a new sort. - -Doane crossed the room again; came back to the middle. He seemed to be -biting his lip. - -“I'll have no more words from you,” he suddenly cried out. “You'll go in -the morning! I'll have to take your word that you won't communicate with -Betty.” - -“But, my God, I can't just save myself--” - -“It may not be so safe for you or any of us. Will you go?” - -“Oh... yes!” - -“You will not try to see Betty?” - -“Not to-morrow.” - -“Nor after.” - -Brachey sprang up; leaned against the table; pushed the lamp away. - -“How do I know what I shall do?” - -“I know.” - -“Oh, you do!” - -“Yes. You will do as I say. You are never to communicate with her -again.” - -Brachey thought. “I'll say this: I'll undertake not to. If I can't -endure it, I'll tell you first.” - -“You can endure it.” - -“But you don't understand! It's a terrible thing! Do you think I wanted -to come out here? I meant not to. But I couldn't stand it. I came. Is -it nothing that I told her of my marriage with the deliberate purpose of -frightening her away? But she is afraid of nothing.” - -“No--she is not afraid.” - -“I tell you, I've been torn all to pieces. Good God, if I hadn't been, -and if you weren't her father, do you think I'd have stood here to-night -and let you say these things to me! Oh, you would beat me; likely enough -you'd kill me; but that's nothing. That would be easy--except for Betty.” - -“I have no time for heroics,” said Doane. “Have I your promise that you -will leave in the morning, without a word to her?” - -“Yes.” - -“I am going to Hung Chan. There are more important issues now than your -life or mine. I shall be back to-morrow night and shall know then if you -have failed to keep your word.” - -“I shan't fail.” - -“Very well! A word more. You are not to stop at Ping Yang on your way -cut.” - -“Oh?” - -“For a night only. Then go on. Go out of the province. Go back to the -coast. Is that understood?” - -Brachey inclined his head. - -“I have your promise?” - -“Yes.” - -“Very well. Good night, sir.” - -“Good night.” - -Doane turned to the door. But then he hesitated, turned, hesitated -again, finally came straight over and thrust out his hand. - -Brachey, to his own amazement, took it. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV--DILEMMA - - -1 - -WHEN DOANE had gone Brachey called John and ordered a mule litter for -eight n the morning. John found ont of the soldiers among the lounging -group by the gate. The soldier slipped out. - -Brachey busied himself until midnight in packing his bags. He felt that -he couldn't sleep; most of the later night was spent in alternately -walking the floor and trying to read. Before dawn the lamp burned out; -and he lay down in his clothes and for a few hours dreamed wildly. - -At eight the spike-studded gates swung open and an Oriental cavalcade -filed into the court. There was the litter, like a sedan chair but much -larger, swung on poles between two mules; the sides covered with red -cloth, the small swinging doors in blue; bells jingling about the necks -of the mules. There were five or six other mules and asses, each hearing -a wooden pack-saddle. There was a shaggy Manchurian pony for Brachey -to ride in clear weather. Three muleteers, two men and a boy, marched -beside the animals; hardy ragged fellows, already, or perhaps always, -caked with dirt. - -At once the usual confusion and noise began. Men of the inn crowded -about to help pack the boxes and bags of food and water and clothing on -the saddles. The mules plunged and kicked. A rope broke and had to be -elaborately repaired. The four soldiers brought out their white ponies, -saddled them, slung their carbines over their shoulders; they were -handsome men, not so ragged, in faded blue uniforms of baggy Chinese -cut, blue half-leggings, blue turbans. Into the litter went Brachey's -mattress and pillow. He tossed in after them camera, note-book, and _The -Bible in Spain;_ then mounted his savage little pony, which for a moment -plunged about among the pack animals, starting the confusion anew. - -The cook mounted one of the pack-saddles, perching himself high on a -bale, his feet on the neck of the mule. John was about to mount another, -when the leading soldier handed him a letter which he brought at once to -his master. - -Brachey with bounding pulse looked at the envelope. But the address, -“Mister J. Brachey, Esquire,” was not in Betty's brisk little hand. - -He tore it open, and read as follows: - -“My Dear Sir--Taking Time touch and go by the forelock it becomes -privileged duty to advise you to wit: - -“So-called Lookers and Western soldiers of that ilk have attacked -mission college Hung Chan with crop up outcome that these unpleasant -fellow's go the limit in violence. By telegraph officer of devotion to -His Excellency this morning very early passes the tip that that mission -college stands longer not a whit upon earth. - -“Looker soldiers acting under thumb of man mentioned during our little -chin-chin of yesterday forenoon plan within twenty-four hours advance -on T'ain-an-fu cutting off city from Eastern access and then resting on -oars, jolly well taking their time to destroy mission here and secondary -Christians, making clean job of it. - -“Officer of devotion reports further of old reprobate plan that larger -army has become nearly ready to march full tilt and devil take the -hindmost on Ping Yang engineer compound fort and lay axe to root of it. -Railroad and bridges and all works of white hands will go way of wrack -and ruin except telegraph, that being offspring of Imperial Government. - -“And now, my dear sir, as Ping Yang is place of some strength and come -on if you dare, I would respectfully recommend that you engage at once -in forlorn hope and make journey post haste to Ping Yang, as we sit on -kegs of gun powder with ground slipping out from under us as hour-glass -runs. - -“Regretting in great heaviness and sadness of heart that civilization -sees no longer light of day in Hansi Province, I beg to remain, my Dear -Sir, - -“Yours most respectfully, - -“Po Sui-an. - -“P. S. In my busy as bee excitement I have neglected to kill two birds -with one stone, and inform you that Rev. Doane of this city met death -bravely at 3 a.m. to-day at Hung Chan Northern Gate. - -“Po.” - -The cavalcade was ready now in line. At the head two soldiers sat their -ponies. The gay litter came next, bells jingling as the mules stirred. -Behind the litter stood the pack animals, with John and the cook mounted -precariously on the first two. The other two soldiers brought up the -rear. The muleteers stood lazily by, waiting.... Brachey slipped Mr. -Po's letter into a pocket and gazed up at the smoke that curled lazily -from the chimney of the innkeeper's house. The pony, restless to be -off, plunged a little; Brachey quieted him without so much as looking -down.... After a brief time he lowered his eyes. A little girl with -normal feet was trudging round and round the millstones, laboriously -grinding out a double handful of flour; a skinny old woman, in trousers, -her feet mere stumps, hobbled across the court with a stew pan, not -so much as looking up at the caravan or at the haughty white stranger; -ragged men moved about among the animals behind the manger. The huge -gates had been swung open by coolies, who stood against them; outside -was the narrow, deep-rutted roadway, with shops beyond.... Finally, -brows knit as if he were at once hurt and puzzled, face white, Brachey -took in the caravan--the calmly waiting soldiers, the muleteers, the -grotesquely mounted cook and interpreter, the large, boxlike vehicle -suspended in its richly dingy colors between two mules--and then, with -tightly compressed lips and a settling frown, he rode out into the -street ahead of the soldiers. - -With a lively jingle of bells and creakings from the litter as it swayed -into motion, the others followed. One of the soldiers promptly came up -alongside Brachey; their two ponies nearly filled the street, crowding -passers-by into doorways. - -Brachey led the way out through the Northern Gate to the mission -compound. Here he dismounted, handed his reins to a muleteer, and -entered the gate house. - -[Illustration: 0247] - -2 - -Old Sun Shao-i hurried from his chair and barred the inner door. -Regarding this white man he had orders from Mrs. Boatwright. Brachey, -however, brushed him carelessly aside and went on into the court. - -It was the sort of thing, this walking coolly in, where he was not -wanted, that he did well. He really cared nothing what they thought. -He distrusted profoundly Mrs. Boatwright's judgment, and did not even -consider sending in his name or a note. The hour had come for meeting -her face to fare and by force of will defeating her. There was no time -now for indulgence in personal eccentricities on the part of any of -these few white persons set off in a vast, threatening world of yellow -folk. - -Within the spacious courtyard the sunlight lay in glowing patches on -the red tile. Through open windows came the fresh school-room voices of -girls. At the steps of a small building at his right stood or lounged -a group of Chinese men and old women and children--Brachey had -learned that only by occasional chance is a personable young or even -middle-aged. - - -He led the way out through the northern gate aged woman visible to -masculine eyes in China--each apparently with some ailment; one man had -eczema; one boy a goitre that puffed out upon his breast, others with -traces of the diseases that rage over China unchecked except to a -tiny degree here and there in the immediate neighborhood of a medical -mission.... It was a scene of peace and apparent security. The mission -organization was functioning normally. Clearly they hadn't the news. - -A thin thoughtful woman came out of a school building, and confronted -him. - -“I am Mr. Brachey,” said he coldly; “Jonathan Brachey.” - -The woman drew herself up stiffly. - -“What can I do for you, sir?” - -She was stern; hostile.... How little it mattered! - -“I must see you all together, at once,” he said in the same coldly -direct manner--“Mr. and Mrs. Boatwright, if you please, and any others.” - -“Can't you say what you have to say to me now? I am Miss Hemphill, the -head teacher.” - -“No,” he replied, not a muscle of his face relaxing. “May I ask why -not?” - -“It is not a matter of individual judgment.” - -“But Mrs. Boatwright will refuse to see you.” - -“I am sony, but Mrs. Boatwright will have to see me and at once. And not -alone, if you please. I don't care to allow her to dismiss what I have -to say without consideration.” - -Miss Hemphill considered; finally went up into the dispensary, past the -waiting unfortunates on the steps. Brachev stood erect, motionless, -like a military man. After a moment, Miss Hemphill came out, followed by -another woman. - -“This is Dr. Cassin,” she said; adding with a slight hesitation as if -she found the word unpalatable--“Mr. Brachey.” - -The physician at once took the matter in hand. - -“You will please tell us what you have to say, Mr. Brachey. It will be -better not to trouble Mrs. Boatwright.” - -Brachey made no reply to this speech; merely stood as if thinking the -matter over. Then his eye caught' a glimpse of something pink and white -that fluttered past an up-stairs window. Then, still without a word, he -went on to the residence, mounted the steps and rang the bell. - -The two women promptly followed. - -“You will please not enter this house,” said Dr. Cassin severely. - -A Chinese servant opened the door. - -“I wish to see Mr. and Mrs. Boatwright at once,” said Brachey; then, as -the servant was about to close the door, stepped within. - -The two women pressed in after him. - -“You are acting in a very high-handed manner,” remarked Dr. Cassin with -heat--“an insolent manner.” - -“I regret that it is necessary.” - -“It is _not_ necessary!” This from Miss Hemphill. - -He merely looked at her, then away; stood waiting. - -Mrs. Boatwright appeared in a doorway. - -“What does this mean?” was all she seemed able to say at the moment. - -“Will you kindly send for the others”--thus Brachey--“Mr. Boatwright, -any other whites who may be here, and--Miss Doane.” - -“Certainly not.” - -“It is necessary.” - -“It is not. Why are you here?” - -“It is not a matter for you to decide. I must have everybody present.” - -There was a rustle from the stairs. Betty, very pale, her slim young -person clad in a lacy négligée gown of Japanese workmanship, very quick -and light and nervously alert, came down. - -“Will you please go back to your room?” cried Mrs. Boatwright. - -But the girl, coming on as far as the newel post, stopped there and -replied, regretfully, even gently, but firmly: - -“No, Mrs. Boatwright.” - -“Will you at least do us the courtesy to dress yourself properly?” - -This, Betty, her eyes straining anxiously toward Brachey, ignored. - -3 - -Dr. Casein then abruptly, speaking in Chinese, sent the servant for Mr. -Boatwright, and deliberately led the way into the front room. The others -followed, without a word, and stood about silently until the appearance -of Mr. Boatwright, who came in rather breathless, mopping his small -features. - -“How do you do?” he said to Brachey; and for an instant seemed to be -considering extending his hand; but after a brief survey of the grimly -silent figures in the room, catching the general depression in the social -atmosphere, he let the hand fall by his side. - -“Now, Mr. Braehey,” remarked Dr. Cassin, with an air of professional -briskness, “every one is present. We are ready for the business that -brought you here.” Brachey looked about the room; his eyes rested -longest on the physician. To her he handed the letter, saying simply: - -“This was written within the hour, by Po Sui-an, secretary to His -Excellency Pao Ting Chuan. Will you please read it aloud, Dr. Cassin?” - -Then, as if through with the others, he went straight over to Betty, who -stood by the windows. Quickly and softly he said: - -“Brace up, little girl! It is bad news.” - -“Oh!” she breathed, “is it--is it--father?” - -He bowed. She saw his tightened lips and the shine in his eyes; then she -wavered, fought for breath, caught at his hand. - -Mrs. Boatwright was calling out, apparently to Betty, something about -taking a chair on the farther side of the room. There was a stir of -confusion; but above it Brachey's voice rose sharply: - -“Read, please, Dr. Cassin!” - -Soberly they listened. After beginning the postscript, Dr. Cassin -stopped short; then, slowly, with considerable effort, read the -announcement of Griggsby Duane's death. - -Then the room was still. - -Mrs. Boatwright was the first to speak; gently for her, and unsteadily, -though the strong will that never failed this vigorous woman carried her -along without a sign of hesitation. - -“Mary,” she said, addressing Miss Hemphill, “you had better go up-stairs -with Betty.” - -Dr. Cassin, ignoring this, or perhaps only half-hearing it (her eyes -were brimming) broke in with: - -“Mr. Brachey, you must have come here with some definite plan or -purpose. Will you please tell us what it is?” - -“No!” cried Mrs. Boatwright--“no! If you please, Mary, this man must not -stay here. Betty!... Betty, dear!” - -Betty did not even turn. She was staring out the window into the -peaceful sunflecked courtyard, the tears running unheeded down her -cheeks, her hand twisted tightly in Brachey's. He spoke now, in the cold -voice, very stiff and constrained, that masked his feelings. - -“The death of Mr. Doane makes it clear that there is no safety here. -There is a chance, to-day, for us all to get safely away. I have, at the -gate, a litter and one riding horse, also a few pack animals. Most of -my goods can be thrown aside--clothing, all that. The food I have, used -sparingly, would serve for a number of us. We should be able to pick -up a few carts. I suggest that we do so at once, and that we get away -within an hour, if possible. We must keep together, of course. I suggest -further, that any differences between us be set aside for the present.” - -They looked at one another. Miss Hemphill pursed her lips and knit her -brows, as if unable to think with the speed required. Dr. Cassin, sad -of face, soberly thinking, moved absently over to the silent girl by -the window; gently put an arm about her shoulders. Mr. Boatwright, sunk -deeply in his chair, was pulling with limp aimless fingers at the fringe -on the chair-arm; once he glanced up at his wife. - -“This may not be true,” said Mrs. Boatwright abruptly. - -“It is from Pao's yamen,” said Miss Hemphill. - -“But it may be no more than a rumor. Our first duty is to telegraph Mrs. -Nacy at Hung Chan and ask for full particulars.” - -“Is”--this was Mr. Boatwright; he cleared his throat--“is there time?” - -Mrs. Boatwright's mouth had clamped shut. No one had ever succeeded in -stampeding or even hurrying her mind. She had, for the moment, dismissed -the special problem of Betty and this man Brachey from that mind and was -considering the general problem. That settled, she would again take up -the Brachey matter. - -“There is time,” she said, after a moment. “There must be. Mr. Doane -left positive instructions that we were to await his return. He will be -here to-night or to-morrow morning, if he is alive.” - -“But--my dear”--it was her husband again--“Po is careful to explain that -by to-morrow escape will be cut off.” - -“That,” replied his wife, still intently thinking, “is only a rumor, -after all. China is always full of rumors. Even if it is true, these -soldiers are not likely to act so promptly, whatever Po may think. If -they should, we shall be no safer on the highway than here in our own -compound.... And how about our natives? How about our girls--all of -them? Shall we leave them?... No!” She was thinking, tanking. “No, -I shall not go. I am going to stay here. I shall keep my word to Mr. -Doane.” - -Then she rose and approached the little group by the window. Her eyes, -resting on the firmly clasped hands of the lovers, snapped fire. Her -face, again, was granite. To Dr. Cassiri, very quietly, she remarked, -“Take Betty up-stairs, please.” - -The physician, obeying, made a gentle effort to draw the girl away; but -met with no success. - -Mrs. Boatwright addressed herself to Brachey: “Will you please leave -this compound at once!” - -He said nothing. Betty's fingers were twisting within his. - -“I can hardly make use of force,” continued Mrs. Boatwright, “but I ask -you to leave us. And we do not wish to see you again.” - -Brachey drew in a slow long breath: looked about the room, from one to -another. Miss Hemphill and Boatwright had risen; both were watching him; -the little man seemed to have found his courage, for his chin was up -now. - -And Brachey felt, knew, that they were a unit against him. The -fellow-feeling, the community of faith and habit that had drawn them -together through long, lonely years of service, was stronger now than -any mere threat of danger, even of death. They felt with the indomitable -woman who had grown into the leadership, and would stay with her. - -Brachey surveyed them. These were the missionaries he had despised as -weak, narrow little souls. Narrow they might be, but hardly weak. No, -not weak. Even this curious little Boatwright; something that looked -like strength had come to life in him. He wouldn't desert. He would -stay. To certain and horrible death, apparently. The very certainty of -the danger seemed to be clearing that wavering little mind of his. A -thought that made it all the more puzzling was that these people knew, -so much better, so much more deeply, than he, all that had happened -in 1900. Their own friends and pupils--white and yellow--had been -slaughtered. The heart-breaking task of reconstruction had been theirs. - -And at the same time, seeming like a thought-strand in his brain, was -the heart-breaking pressure of that soft, honest little hand in his.... -Very likely it was the end for all of them. - -“Very well,” he said icily. “I am sorry I can't be of use. However, if -any of you care to go I shall esteem it a privilege to share my caravan -with you.” - -No one spoke, or moved. The iron face of Mrs. Boatwright confronted his. - -Very gently, fighting his deepest desire, fighting, it seemed, life -itself, he tried to disentangle his fingers from Betty's. - -But hers gripped the more tightly. There was a silence. - -Then Betty whispered--faintly, yet not caring who might hear: - -“I can't let you go.” - -“You must, dear.” - -“Then I can't stay here. Will you take me with you?” - -He found this impossible to answer. - -“It won't take me long. Just a few things in a bag.” And she started -away. - -Mrs. Boatwright made an effort to block her, but Betty, without another -sound, slipped by and out of the room and ran up the stairs. - -Then Mrs. Boatwright turned on the man. - -“You will do this?” she said, in firm stinging tunes. “You will take -this girl away?” - -He looked at her out of an expressionless face. Behind that mask, his -mind was swiftly surveying the situation from every angle. He knew that -he couldn't, as it stood, leave Betty here. And they wouldn't let him -stay. He must at least try to save her. Nothing else mattered. - -“Yes,” he replied. - -Mrs. Boatwright turned away. Brachey moved out into the hall and stood -there. To her “At least you will step outside this house?” he replied, -simply, “No.” Dr. Cassin, with a remark about the waiting queue at the -dispensary, went quietly back to her routine work, as if there were no -danger in the world. Mr Boatwright had turned to his wife's desk, and -was making a show of looking over some papers there. Miss Hemphill sank -into a chair and stared at the wall with the memory of horror in her -eyes. Mrs. Boatwright stood within the doorway, waiting. - -A little time passed. Then Betty came running down the stairs, in -traveling suit, carrying a hand-bag. - -Mrs. Boatwright stepped forward. - -“You really mean to tell me that you will go--alone--with this man?” - -Betty's lips slowlyy formed the word, “Yes.” - -“Then never come again to me. I can not help you. You are simply bad.” - -Betty turned to Brachey; gave him her bag. - -Outside the gate house the little caravan waited. - -The mules were brought to their knees. Betty stepped, without a word, -into the litter. Brachey closed the side door, and mounted his pony. -The mules were kicked and flogged to their feet. The two soldiers in -the lead set off around the city wall to the corner by the eastern gate, -whence the main highway mounted slowly into the hills toward Ping Yang. -As they turned eastward, a fourth muleteer, ragged and dirty, bearing a -small pack, as the others, joined the party; a fact not observed by the -white man, who rode close beside the litter. - -But when they had passed the last houses and were out where the road -began to sink below the terraced grain-fields, the new muleteer stepped -forward. For a little space he walked beside the white man's pony. - -Brachey, at last aware of him, glanced down at the ragged figure. - -“It's a deuce of a note,” said the new muleteer, looking up and smiling, -“that your courtesy should return like confounded boomerang on your -head. I make thousands of apologies.” - -Brachey started; then said, merely: - -“Oh!... You!” - -“Indeed I have in my own canoe take French leave. That it is funny as -the devil and intruding presumption I know full well. But I have thought -to be of service and pay my shot if you offer second helping of courtesy -and glad hand.” - -Brachey nodded. “Come along,” said he. - - - - -CHAPTER XV--THE HILLS - - -1 - -MOST of the day, advised by Brachey. Betty kept closed the swinging -litter doors. The little caravan settled into the routine of the -highway, the muleteers trudging beside their animals. The gait was a -steady three miles an hour. John rode his pack-saddle hour after hour, -until six' o'clock in the evening, without a word. Just behind him, -the cook, a thin young man with dreamy eyes, sang quietly a continuous -narrative in a wailing, yodling minor key. - -Before the end of the first hour they had lost sight of T'ainan-fu and -buried themselves in the hills; buried themselves in a double sense, for -wherever water runs in Northwestern China the roads are narrow canyons. -At times, however, the way mounted high along the hillsides, on narrow -footways of which the mules all instinctively trod the outer edge. -Brachey found it alarming to watch the litter as it swayed over some -nearly perpendicular precipice. For neither up here on the hillsides nor -along the path nor in the depths below was there a sign of solid rock; -it was all the red-brown earth known as loess, which is so fine that it -may be ribbed into the pores like talc or flour and that packs down -as firmly as chalk. Along the sunken ways were frequent caves, the -dwelling-places of crippled, loathsome beggars, with rooms cut out -square and symmetrical doors and windows. - -In the high places one might look across a narrow chasm and see, -decorating the opposite wall, strata of the loess in delicately varied -tints of brown, red, Indian red and crimson, with blurred soft streaks -of buff and yellow at times marking the divisions. - -The hills themselves were steep and crowded in, as if a careless -Oriental deity had scooped together great handfuls of brown dice and -thrown them haphazard into heaps. Trees were so few--here and there one -might be seen clinging desperately to a terrace-wall where the narrow -fields of sprouting millet and early shoots of vegetables mounted tier -on tier to the very summits of the hills--that the general effect was of -utter barrenness, a tumbling red desert. - -Much cf the time they were winding through the canyons or twisting about -the hillsides with only an occasional outlook wider than a few hundred -yards or perhaps a half-mile, but at intervals the crowded little peaks -would separate, giving them a sweeping view over miles of shadowy red -valleys.... At such times Betty would open one of her windows a little -and lean forward; riding close behind, Brachey could see her face, -usually so brightly alert, now sad, peeping out at the richly colored -scene. - -Frequently they passed trains of camels or asses or carts, often on -a precipice where one caravan hugged the loess wall while the other -flirted with death along the earthen edge. But though the Hansean or -Chihlean muleteers shouted and screamed in an exciting confusion of -voices and the Mongol camel drivers growled and the ponies plunged, no -animal or man was lost. - -Nearly always the air was heavy with fine red dust. It enveloped -them like a fog, penetrating clothing, finding its way into packs and -hand-bags. At times it softened and exquisitely tinted the view. - -At long intervals the little caravan wound its slow way through villages -that were usually built along a single narrow street. In the broader -valleys the villages, gray brown and faintly red like the soil of which -their bricks had once been moulded, clung compactly to hill-slopes -safely above the torrents of spring and autumn, each little settlement -with its brick or stone wall and its ornamental pagoda gates, and each -with its cluster of trees about some consequential tomb rising above the -low roofs in plumes of pale green April foliage. - -Nowhere was there a sign of the disorder that was ravaging the province -like a virulent disease. Brachey was aware of no glances of more -than the usual passing curiosity from slanting eyes. He saw only the -traditional peaceful countryside of the Chinese interior. - -This sense of peace and calm had an effect on his moody self that -increased as the day wore on. Life was turning unreal on his hands. -His judgment wavered and played tricks with memory. Had it been so -dangerous back there in T'ainan? Could it have been? He had to look -steadily at the ragged, trudging figure of the erstwhile elegant Mr. Po -to recapture a small degree of mental balance.... He had brought Betty -away. He saw this now with a nervous, vivid clarity for what it was, -an irrevocable act. It had come about naturally and simply; it had felt -inevitable; yet now at moments, unable to visualize again the danger -that had seemed terribly real in T'ainan he felt it only as the logical -end of the emotional drift that had carried the two of them far -out beyond the confines of reason. It was even possible that Mrs. -Boatwright's judgment was the better. - -But Betty couldn't go back now; they had turned her off; not unless -her father should yet prove to be alive, and that was hardly thinkable. -Anxiously during the day, he asked Mr. Po about that. But Mr. Po's -confidence in the accuracy of his information was unshakable. So here he -was, with a life on his hands, a life so dear to him that he could -not control his mind in merely thinking of her there in the litter, -traveling along without a question, for better or worse, with himself; -a life that perhaps, despite this new spirit of consecration that was -rising in his breast, he might succeed only in injuring. Brooding thus, -he became grave and remote from her. - -In his distant way he was very considerate, very kind. During the -afternoon, as they moved up a long valley, skirting a broad watercourse -where peach and pear trees foamed with blossoms against the lower slopes -of the opposite hills, he persuaded her to descend from the litter -and walk for a mile or two with him. He felt then her struggle to keep -cheerful and make conversation, but himself lacked the experience with -women that would have made it possible for him to overcome his own -depression and brighten her, Once, when the caravan stopped to repack -a slipping saddle, he asked her to sketch the view for him. It was his -idea that she should be kept occupied when possible. He always corrected -his own moods in that disciplinary manner. But just then his feelings -were running so high, his tenderness toward her was so sensitively deep, -that he spoke bruskly. - -They rode on through the sunset into the dusk. The red hills turned -slowly purple under the glowing western sky, swam mistily in a -world-wide sea of soft dame. - -Betty opened her windows wide now; gazed out at this scene of unearthly -beauty with a sad deep light in her eyes. - -2 - -They rode into another village. A soldier galloped on ahead to inspect -the less objectionable inn. He reappeared soon, and the caravan jingled -and creaked into a courtyard and stopped for the night. John dismounted -and plunged into argument with the innkeeper. The cook set to work -removing a pack-saddle. Coolies appeared. The mules were beaten to their -knees. Brachey threw his bridle to a soldier and helped Betty out of -the litter. Then they stood, he and she, amid the confusion, her hand -resting lightly on his arm, her eyes on him. - -Here they were! He felt now her loneliness, her sadness, her--the word -rose--her helpless dependence upon himself. She was so helpless! His -heart throbbed with feeling. He couldn't look down at her, standing -there so close. He couldn't have spoken; not just then. He was -struggling with the impractical thought that he might yet protect her -from the savage tongues of the coast; from himself, even, when you came -to it. The depression that had been pulling him down all day was turning -now, rushing up and flooding his fired brain like a bitter tide. He -shouldn't have let her come. It had been a beautiful impulse; her quiet -determination to give her life into his hands had thrilled him beyond -his deepest dreams of happiness, had lifted him to a plane of devotion -that he remembered now, felt again, even in his bitterness, as utter -beauty, intensified rather than darkened by the tragic quality of the -hour. But he shouldn't have let her come. Mightn't she, after all, have -been as safe hack there in the mission compound? What was the -matter?... He hadn't thought of her coming on with him alone. That had -simply happened. It was bewildering. Life had swept them out of -commonplace safety, and now here they were! And nothing to do but go on, -go through! - -“Oh, I left my bag in there,” he heard her saying, and himself got it -quickly from the litter. - -Then John came. The “number one” rooms were to be theirs, it seemed; -Betty's and his.... If only he could talk to her! She needed him so ! -Never, perhaps, again, would she need him as now, and he, it seemed, was -failing her. Silently he led her up the steps of the little building at -the end of the courtyard and into the corridor; peered into one dim room -and then into the other; then curtly, roughly ordered John to spread for -her his own square of new matting. - -Her hand was still on his arm, resting there, oh, so lightly. She seemed -very slim and small. - -“It's a dreadful place,” he made himself say. “But we'll have to make -the best of it.” - -“I don't mind,” he thought she replied. - -“Perhaps we'd better have dinner in here, It's a little cleaner than my -room.” - -She glanced up at him, then down: “I don't believe I can eat anything.” - -“But you must.” - -“I--I'll try.” - -“I'll ask Mr. Po to come in with us. He is a gentleman. And perhaps it -would be better.” - -“Oh, yes,” said she, “of course.” - -“Here's John with hot water. I'll leave you now.” - -“You'll--come back?” - -“For dinner, yes.” - -With this he gently withdrew his arm. As she watched him go her eyes -filled Then she closed her door. - -Brachey found Mr. Po curled on the ground against a pack-saddle, smoking -a Chinese pipe. - -He rose at once, all smiles, and bowed half-way to the ground. But he -thought it inadvisable to accept the invitation. - -“I hate to be fly in ointments,” he said, with his curiously -dispassionate quickness and ease of speech, “but it's really no go. Our -own men would play game of thick and thin blood brother, but to village -gossip monger I must remain muleteer and down and out person of no -account. It's a dam' sight safer for each and every one of us.” - -3 - -Betty tried to set the dingy room to rights. John had laid a white -cloth over the table, and put out Brachey's tin plate and cup, his -knife, fork and spoon, an English biscuit tin and a bright little -porcelain jar of Scotch jam that was decorated with a red-and-green -plaid. These things helped a little. She tidied herself as best she -could; and then waited. - -For a time she sat by the table, very still, hands folded in her lap; -but this was difficult, for thoughts came--thoughts that spun around -and around and bewildered her--and tears. The tears she would not -permit. She got up; rearranged the things on the table; moved over to -the window, and through a hole in one of the paper squares watched with -half-seeing eyes the coolies and soldiers and animals in the courtyard. -Her head ached. And that wheel of patchwork thoughts spun uncontrollably -around. - -For a little time then the tears came unhindered. That her father, that -strong splendid man, could have been casually slain by vagabonds in a -Chinese city seemed now, as it had seemed all day, incredible. His loss -was only in part personal to her, so much of her life had been lived -on the other side of the world; but childhood memories of him rose, and -pictures of him as she had lately seen him, grave and kind and (since -that moving little talk about beauty and its importance in the struggle -of life) lovable. Her mother, too, had to-day become again a vivid -memory. And then the sheer mystery of death twisted and tortured her -sensitive Pagination, led her thoughts out into regions so grimly, darkly -beautiful, so unbearably poignant, that her slender frame shook with -sobs. - -The sensation of rootlessness, too, was upon her. But now it was -complete. There was no tie to hold her to life. Only this man on whom, -moved by sheer emotion, without a thought of self, yet (she thought now) -with utter unreasoning selfishness, she had fastened herself. - -Mrs. Boatwright had called her bad. That couldn't be true. She couldn't -picture herself as that. Even now, in this bitter crisis, she wasn't -hard, wasn't even reckless; simply bewildered and terribly alone. -Emotion had caught her. It _was_ like a net. It had carried her finally -out of herself. There was no way back; she was caught. Yet now the only -thing that had justified this step--and how simple, how easy it had -appeared in the morning!--the beautiful sober passion that had drawn -her to the one mate, was clouded. For he had changed! He had drawn -away. They were talking no more of love. She couldn't reach him; her -desperately seeking heart groped in a dim wilderness and found no one, -nothing. His formal kindness hurt her. Nothing could help her but love; -and love, perhaps, was gone. - -So the wheel spun on and on. - -She saw him talking with the indomitably courteous Mr. Po. He came -back then to the building they were to share that night. She heard him -working at his door across the narrow corridor, trying to close it. -He succeeded; then stirred about his room for a long time; a very long -time, she thought. - -Then John came across the court from the innkeeper's kitchen with -covered dishes, steaming hot. She let him in; then, while he was setting -out the meal, turned away and once more fought back the tears. Brachey -must not see them. She was helped in this by a sudden mentally blinding -excitement that came, an inexplicable nervous tension. He was coming; -and alone, for she had seen Mr. Po shake his head and settle back -contentedly with his pipe against the pack-saddle.... That was the -strange fact about love; it kept rushing unexpectedly back whenever her -unstable reason had for a little while disposed of it; an unexpected -glimpse of him, a bit of his handwriting, a mere thought was often -enough. Sorrow could not check it; at this moment her heart seemed -broken by the weight of the tragic world, yet it thrilled at the -sound of his step. And it couldn't be wholly selfish, for the quite -overwhelming uprush of emotion brought with it a deeper tenderness -toward her brave father, toward that pretty, happy mother of the long -ago; she thought even of her school friends. She was suddenly stirred -with the desire to face this strange struggle called living and -conquer it. Her heart leaped. He was coming! - -His door opened. He stepped across the corridor and tapped at hers. She -hurried to open it. All impulse, she reached out a hand; then, chilled, -caught again in the dishearteringly formal mood of the day, drew it -back. - -For he stood stiffly there, clad in black with smooth white shirt-front -and collar and little black tie. He had dressed for dinner. - -She turned quickly toward the table. - -“John has everything ready,” she said, now quite as formal as he. “We -may as well sit right down.” - -4 - -For a time they barely spoke. John had lighted the native lamp, and it -flickered gloomily in the swiftly gathering darkness, throwing a huge -shadow of him on the walls, and even on the ceiling, as he moved softly -in his padded shoes about the table and in and out at the door. - -Betty's mood had sunk, now at last, into the unreal. She seemed to be -living through a dream of nightmare quality--something she had--it -was elusive, haunting--lived through before. She saw Jonathan Brachey -distantly, as she had seen him at first, so bewilderingly long ago on -a ship in the Inland Sea of Japan. She saw again his long bony nose, -coldly reflective eyes, firmly modeled head.... And he was talking, -when he spoke at all, as he had talked on the occasion of their first -meeting, slowly, in somewhat stilted language, pausing interminably -while he hunted about in his amazing mind for the word or phrase that -would precisely express his meaning. - -“There is a village a short distance this side of Ping Yang, Mr. Po -tells me”... here a pause... “not an important place. Ordinarily we -should pass through it about noon of the day after to-morrow. But he -has picked up word that a Looker band has been organized there, and -he thinks it may be best for us to...” and here a pause so long as to -become nearly unbearable to Betty. For a time she moved her fork idly -about her plate, waiting for that next word. At length she gave up, -folded her hands in her lap, tried to compose her nerves. After that she -glanced timidly at him, then looked up at the waveing shadows on the -dim veils. It was almost as if he had forgotten she was there. He was -interested, apparently, in nothing in life except those words he sought: -“... to make a detour to the south.” - -Betty drew in a deep breath. She felt her color coming slowly back. The -'best thing to do, she decided, was to go on trying to eat. He had been -right enough about that. She must try. It was, in a way, her part of it; -to keep strong. Or she would be more hopelessly than ever fastened on -him.... It seemed to her as never before a dreadful thing to be a woman. -Tears came again, and she fought them back, even managed actually to -eat a little. “It will mean still another....” - -“Another what?” She waited and waited. - -“Another night on the road, after tomorrow. I am sorry.” - -[Illustration: 0273] - -She had lately forgotten the slightly rasping quality in his voice, -though it had been what she had first heard there. Now it seemed to her -that she could hear nothing else.... What blind force was it that had -thrust them so wide apart; after those ardent, tender, heart-breaking -hours together at T'ainan; wonderful stolen hours, stirring her to a -happiness so wildly beautiful that it touched creative springs in her -sensitive young soul and released the strong eager woman there. This, -the present situation, carried her so far beyond her experience, beyond -her mental grasp, that, she could only sit very quiet and try to weather -it. She could do that, of course, somehow. One did. It came down simply -to the gift of character. And that, however undeveloped, she had. - -Now and then, of course, clear thoughts flashed out for a moment; but -only for a moment at a time. She sensed clearly enough that his whole -being was centered on the need of protecting her. It was the fineness in -him that made him hold himself so rigidly to the task. But it was a task -to him; that was the thing. And his reticence! It was his attitude--or -was it hers?--that had made frank talk impossible all day, ever since -their moment of perfect silent understanding facing Mrs. Boatwright. He -had felt then, with her, that she had to come, that it was their only -way out; but now he, and therefore she, was clouded with afterthoughts. -They had come to be frank enough about their dilemma, back there at -T'ainan. But from the moment of leaving the city gate and striking tiff -into the hills, they had lost something vital. And with every hour of -this reticence, this talking about nothing, the situation was going to -grow worse. She felt that, even now; struggled against it; but tound -herself moving deeper, minute by minute, into the gloom that had settled -on them.... And back of her groping thoughts, giving them a puzzling -sort of life, was excitement, energy, the sense of being borne swiftly -along on a mighty wave of feeling--swiftly, swiftly, to a tragic, dim -place where the withered shadows of youth and joy and careless laughter -caught at one in hopeless weakness and slipped off unheeded into the -unknown. - -They came down at last to politeness. They even spoke of the food; -and he reproved John for not keeping the curried mutton hot. And then, -without one personal word, he rose to go. She rose, too, and stood -beside her chair; she couldn't raise her eyes. She heard his voice -saying, coldly she thought: - -“I shall leave you now. You must...” - -She waited, holding her breath. - -“... you must get what sleep you can. I think we shall have no trouble -here.” - -After this he stood for a long moment. She couldn't think why. Then he -went out, softly closing the door after him. Then his door opened, and, -with some creaking of rusty hinges and scraping on the tiles, closed. -And then Betty dropped down by the table and let the tears come. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI--DESTINY - - -1 - -SHE heard little more for several hours; merely a muffled stirring -about, at long intervals, as if he were walking the floor or trying to -move a chair very quietly. The cot on which she now so restlessly lay -was his. She couldn't sleep; he might as well have it, but would, of -course, refuse.... She listened for a long time to the movements of the -animals in the stable. Much later--the gong-clanging watchman had passed -on his rounds twice at fewest; it must have been midnight--she heard -him working very softly at his door. He was occupied some little time at -this. She lay breathless. At length he got it open, and seemed to -stand quietly in the corridor. Then, after a long silence, he opened -as carefully the outer door, that had on it, she knew, a spring of bent -steel, like a bow. After this he was still; standing outside, perhaps, -or sitting on the top step. - -For a moment she indulged herself in the wish that she might ha\e -courage to call to him; to call him by name; to call him by the name, -“John,” she had no more than begun, that last day in the tennis court, -timidly to utter. Her whole being yearned toward him She asked herself, -lying there, why honesty should be impossible to a girl. Why shouldn't -she call to him? She needed him so; not the strange stilted man of the -day and evening, but the other, deeply tender lover that breathed still, -she was almost sure, somewhere within the crust that encased him. -And they had been honest, he and she; that had turned out to be the -wonderful fact in their swift courtship. - -But this was only a vivid moment. She made no sound. The warm tears lay -on her cheeks. - -After a little--it rose out of a jumble of wild thoughts, and then -slowly came clear; she must have been dozing lightly--she heard his -voice, very low; then another voice, a man's, that ran easily on in a -soft nervelessness, doubtless the voice of Mr. Po. She thought of making -a sound, even of lighting the little iron lamp; they must not be left -thinking her safely asleep; but she did nothing; and the voices faded -into dreams as a fitful sleep came to her. Nature is merciful to the -young. - -2 - -During those evening hours, Brachey sat for the most part staring -at his wall. Finally, at the very edge of despair--for life, all that -night, and the next day and the next night, offered Brachey nothing -but a blank, black precipice over which he and Betty were apparently -plunging--he gave up hope of falling asleep in his chair (important -though he knew sleep to he, in the grisly light of what might yet have -to be faced) and went out and sat on the steps; still in the grotesquely -inappropriate dinner costume. - -A shape detached itself from the shadows of the stable door and moved -silently toward him. - -Brachey welcomed the opportunity for a little man talk, if only -because it might, for the time, take his mind in some degree out of the -emotional whirlpool in which it was helplessly revolving. - -“You've heard no more news?” he asked. - -“Oh, no,” replied Mr. Po, with his soft little laugh. “There is no more -oil on fire of province discontent.” - -“From your letter I gathered that you are not so sure of Pao.” - -Mr. Po did not at once reply to this; seemed to be considering it, -gazing out on the moonlit courtyard. - -“It is no longer a case of cat and mouse,” Brachey pressed on. -“Something happened last night at the yamen. Am I right?” - -“Oh, yes.” - -Brachey waited. After a long pause Mr. Po shifted his position, laughed -a little, then spoke as follows: - -“In afternoon yesterday old reprobate, Kang, sent to His Excellency -letter which passed between my hands as secretary. He said that in days -like these of great sorrow and humiliation agony of China it is best -that those of responsible care and devotion to her welfare should draw -together in friendship, and therefore he would in evening make call on -His Excellency to express friendship and speak of measures that might -lay dust of misunderstanding and what-not.” - -“Hmm!” Thus Brachey. “And what did _that_ mean?” - -“Oh, the devil to pay and all! It was insult of blackest nature.” - -“I don't quite see that.” - -“Oh, yes. He should not have written in arrogant put-in-your-place way. -His Excellency most graciously gave orders to prepare ceremonial banquet -and presents of highest value, but in his calm eye flashed light of -battle to death. You see, sir, it was thought of Kang to show all -T'ainan and near-by province who was who, taking bull by horns.” - -“Hmm! I don't know as I... well, go on.” - -“In particular His Excellency made prepare great bowl of sweet lotus -soup, for in past years Kang had great weakness for such soup made by -old cook of far-away Canton who attach to His Excellency a devil of a -while ago.” - -“And so they had the banquet?” - -“Oh, yes, and I was privileged to be in midst.” - -“You were there?” - -“Oh, yes. Banquet was of great dignity and courteous good fellowship.” - -“I don't altogether understand the good fellowship.” - -“China custom habit differs no end from Western custom habit.” - -“Naturally. Yes. But what was Kang really up to?” - -“I'm driving at that. After banquet all attendant retinue mandarins -withdraw out of rooms except secretaries.” - -“Why didn't they go too?” - -“Oh, well, it was felt by Kang that His Excellency might put it all -over him with knives of armed men. And His Excellency had not forgotten -tricky thought of Kang in eighteen-ninety-eight in Shantung when he asks -disagreement but very strong mandarins to banquet and then sends out -soldiers to remove heads in a wink while mandarins ride out to their -homes when all good nights are said.” - -“You mean that Kang's men beheaded all his dinner guests, because they -disagreed with him?” - -“Oh, yes.” Here Mr. Po grew reflective. “Kang is very queer old son of a -gun--very tall, very thin, very old, with face all lines that come down -so”--he drew down his smooth young face in excellent mimicry of an old -man--“and he stoops so, and squints little sharp eyes like river rat, -so. A mighty smart man, the reprobate! Regular old devil!” Mr. Po -laughed a little. “My bosom friend Chih T'ang slipped himself in to -me and explained in whisper talk that yamen of His Excellency was -surrounded by Western soldiers of that old Manchu devil. And within -yamen, up to third gate itself, swarmed a hell of a crowd of Manchu -guard of Kang. It was no joke, by thunder!” - -“I should say not,” observed Brachey dryly. “You were going to tell me -what Kang was really up to.” - -“Oh, yes! I will tell that post haste. When all had gone except four--” - -“That is, Kang, and His Excellency, and two secretaries?” - -“Yes, of whom it was my honor to be absurdly small part. Then Kang -explained with utmost etiquette courtesy to His Excellency that letter -had but yesterday come to him of most hellish import and very front -rank. And his secretary handed cool as you please letter to me and I -to Kis Excellency. It was letter of Prince Tuan to old Kang giving him -power to have beheaded at once His Excellency.” - -“To behead Pao?” - -“Oh, yes! And Kang said in neat speech then that no one could imagine -his heartsick distress that one in power should wish great headless -injury to dear old friend of long years and association government. To -him he said it meant hell to pay. And he asked that His Excellency pass -over from own hand infamous letter to be destroyed on spot by own hand -of himself with firm resolve. But His Excellency smiled--a dam' big -man!--and said for letter of Prince Tuan he felt only worshipful respect -and obedience spirit, and he gave letter to me, and I delivered it to -secretary of Kang, and secretary of Kang delivered it; to old Manchu -himself. Then Kang, with own hands tore letter to bits and dropped bits -in bowl, and his secretary asked me to have servant burn them, but I put -on courteous look of attention to slightest wish of His Excellency -and do not hear low word of secretary to old devil. And then Manchu -reprobate with great courtesy makes farewell ceremony and goes out to -his chair and altogether it's a hell of a note.” - -Bradley, in his deliberately reflective way, put the curious story -together in his mind. - -“Kang, of course, sent to Peking for that letter.” he said. - -“Oh, yes.” - -“It was, in a way, fair warning to Pao that the time had come for action -and that Pao had better not try to meddle.” - -“Oh, yes--all of that. When he had gone Pao was sad. For he knew now -that Kang had on his side heavy hand of Imperial Court at Peking. And -then, late in night we have word from yamen of Kang and other word from -observing officers of His Excellency that Western soldiers make attack -at Hung Chan and that Reverend Doane is killed at city gate. Old Kang -express great regret consideration and shed tears of many crocodiles, -but they don't go.” - -“And Pao found himself powerless to interfere.” - -“Oh, yes! And so then I had audience of His Excellency and with -permission of his mouth sent letter to you. His Excellency formed -opinion right off the reel that it is not wise to send warning to -mission compound, and that if I ever send word to you my head would not -longer be of much use to me in T'ainan.” - -“Need they know of it at Kang's yamen?” - -“There can not be secrets 'n yamen of great mandarin from observation -eyes of other mandarin. Nothing doing!'' - -“Oh, I see. Spying goes on all the time, of course.” - -“Oh, yes! So I say farewell with tears to His Excellency, and in these -old clothes of great disrepute, I”--he chuckled--“I make my skiddoo.” - From within the rags about his body he drew a soiled roll of paper “It -has occurred to me that at Ping Yang time might roll around heavily on -your hands and then, if you don't care what fool thing you do, you might -bring me great honor by reading this silly little thing. It is lecture -of which I spoke lightly once too often.” - -Absently Brachey took it. “But why can't old Kang see,” he asked--“and -Prince Tuan, for that matter--that if they are to start in again -slaughtering white people, they will simply be piling up fresh trouble -for China? Pao, I gather, does see it.” - -“Oh. yes, His Excellency sees very far, but now he must sit on fence and -wait a bit. Kang, like Prince Tuan, is of the old.” - -“Didn't the outcome of the Boxer trouble teach these men anything?” - -“Not these men. Old China mind is not same as Western progress mind--” - -“I quite understand that, but...” - -Mr. Po was slowly shaking his head. “No, old China minds dwell in -different proposition. It is hard to say.” - -3 - -Toward morning, before his lamp burned out, Brachey read the lecture -to which Mr. Po was pinning such great hopes. It seemed rather hopeless. -There was humor, of course, in the curious arrangement of English words; -but this soon wore off. - -Later, sitting in the dark, waiting for the first faint glow of dawn, -and partly as an exercise of will, he pondered the problems clustering -about the little, hopeful, always aggressive settlements of white in -Chinese Asia. Mr. Po's phrases came repeatedly to mind. That one--“Old -China mind dwell in different proposition.” Mr. Po was touching there, -consciously or not, on the heart of the many-tinted race problems which -this bafflingly complex old world must one day either settle or give up. -The inertia of a numerous, really civilized and ancient race like the -Chinese was in itself a mighty force, one of the mightiest in the -world.... Men like Prince Tuan and this Kang despised the West, of -course. And with some reason, when you came down to it. For along -Legation Street the whites dwelt in a confusion of motives. They had -exhibited a firm purpose only when Legation Street itself was attacked. -By no means all the stray casualties among the whites in China were -avenged by their governments. In the present little crisis out here in -Hansi, it might be a long time--a very long time indeed--before the -lumbering machinery of government could be stirred to act in an -unaccustomed direction. At the present time there were not enough -American troops in China to make possible a military expedition to Ping -Yang; merely a company of marines at the legation. To penetrate so far -inland and maintain communication an army corps would be needed; troops -might even have to be assembled and trained in America. It might take a -year. And first the diplomats would have to investigate; then the State -Department would have to be brought by heavy and complicated public -pressures to the point of actually functioning; a sentimental element -back home might question the facts... Meantime, he hadn't yet so much as -got Betty safely to Ping Yang. - -It was “hard to say.” But he found objective thought helpful. Emotion -seemed, this night, not unlike a consuming fire. Emotion was, in its -nature, desire. It led toward destruction. - -He even made himself sleep a little, in a chair; until John knocked, at -seven. Then he changed from evening dress to knickerbockers. His spirit -had now sunk so low that he had John serve them separately with -breakfast. - -When the caravan was ready he went out to the courtyard and busied -himself preparing the litter for her. She came out with John, very -white, glancing at him with a timid question in her eyes. In his -stiffest manner he handed her into the litter. - -Then, accompanied by three soldiers, they swung out on the highway. The -fourth soldier joined them outside the wall; him Brachey had sent to the -telegraph station with a message to his Shanghai bankers advising them -that his address would be in care of M. Pourmont, the Ho Shan Company, -Ping Yang, Hansi, and further that cablegrams from America were to be -forwarded immediately by wire. - -4 - -Only at intervals during the forenoon did Betty and Brachey speak; for -the most part he rode ahead of the litter. The luncheon hour was -awkward; the dinner hour, when they had settled at their second inn, was -even more difficult. They sat over their tin plates and cups in gloomy -silence. - -Finally Betty pushed her plate away, and rose; went over to the papered -window and stared out. - -Brachey got slowly to his feet; stood by the table. He couldn't raise -his eyes; he could only study the outline of his plate and move it a -little, this way and that, and pick up crumbs from the table-cloth. His -mind was leaden; the sense of unreality that had come to him on the -preceding day was now at a grotesque climax. He literally could not -think. This, he felt, was the final severe test of his character, and it -exhibited him as a failure. He was then, after all, a lone wolf; his -instinct had been sound at the start, his nature lacked the quality, the -warmth and richness of feeling, that the man who would claim a woman's -love must offer her. He could suffer--the pain that even now, as he -stood listless there, downcast, heavily fingering a tin plate, was -torturing him to the limits of his capacity to endure, told him that-- -out suffering seemed a poor gift to bring the woman he loved. ... And -here they were, unable to turn back. It was unthinkable; yet it was -true. His reason kept thundering at his ear the perhaps tragic fact that -his spirit was unable to grasp.... Braehey, during this hour--with a -bitterness so deep as to border on despair--told himself that his lack -amounted to abnormality. His case seemed quite hopeless. Yet here he -was; and here, irrevocably, was she. The harm, whatever it might prove -to be, and in spite of his sensitive, fire conquest of them emotional -problem (at such a price, this!) was done. And there were no -compensations. Here they were, lost, groping helplessly toward each -other through a dark labyrinth. - -Even when she turned (he heard her, and felt her eyes) he could not look -up. - -Then he heard her voice; an unsteady voice, very low; and he felt again -the simple honesty, the naively child-like quality, that had seemed her -finest gift. It was the artist strain in her, of course. She was not -ashamed of her feeling, of her tears; there had never been pretense or -self-consciousness in her. And while she now, at first, uttered merely -his name--'“John!”--his inner ear heard her saying again, as she had -said during their first talk in the tennis court--“I wonder if it is -like a net.”... Yes, she seemed to be saying that again. - -But he was speaking; out of a thick throat: - -“Yes?” - -“What are we to do?” - -He met this with a sort of mental dishonesty that he found himself -unable to avoid. “Well--if all goes well, we shall be safe at Ping Yang -within forty-eight hours.” - -“I don't mean that.” - -“Well...” - -“I shouldn't have come.” - -“I couldn't leave you there, dear. Not there at T'ainan.” - -“It wasn't you who made the decision.” - -“Oh, yes--” - -“No, I did it. It seemed the thing to do.” - -He managed to look up now, but could not knowhow coolly impenetrable he -appeared to be. “It _was_ the thing.” - -She slowly shook her head. “No... no, I shouldn't have come.” - -“I can't let you say that.” - -“It's true. Can't we be honest?” - -The question stung him. He dropped again into his chair and sat for a -brief time, thinking, thinking, in that, to her, terribly deliberate way -of his. - -“You're right,” he finally came out. “We've got to be honest. It's -the only thing left to us, apparently... The mistake lay back there in -T'ainan. Our first talk in the tennis court. I knew then that the thing -for me to do was to go.” - -“I didn't let you.” - -“But I should have. That situation was the same as this, only then we -hadn't crossed our Rubicon. Now w e have. Don't you see? This situation -has followed that, inevitably. And now we no longer have the power to -choose. We've got to go on, at least as far as Ping Yang. But we mustn't -be together...” - -She glanced at him, then away. - -“--no, not even like this. We have no right to indulge our moods. I'm -going to be really honest now. We're in danger from these natives, yes. -But that's a small thing.” - -She moved a hand. “Of course...” she murmured. - -“The real danger is to you. And from me. Oh, my God, child, you're -in danger from me!” He covered his face with his hands; then, after a -moment, steadied himself, and rose. “I can't stay here and talk with you -like this. I can't even help you. Already I've injured your name beyond -repair.” - -She broke in here with a low-voiced remark the mature character of which -he did not, in his self-absorption, catch. “I don't believe you know -modern girls very well.” - -He went on: “So you see, I've hurt you, and now, when you need me -most--oh, I know that!--I'm fading you. It's been a terrible mistake. -But it's my job to get you to Ping Yang. That's all. No good talking. -I'll go now'.” - -“I wish you wouldn't.” - -“I must. I--there we are! I'm failing you, that's all.” - -“I wonder if we're talking--or thinking--about the same things.” - -“Child, you're young! You don't understand! You don't seem to see how -I've hurt you!” - -“I think I see what you mean. But that--it might be difficult, of -course, for a while, but it isn't what I've been thinking of. No, please -let me say this! It wouldn't be fair not to give me my chance to be -honest too. As for that--hurting me--I came with my eyes open.” - -“Oh, Betty--” - -“Please! I did. I deliberately decided to come with you. I knew they'd -talk, but I didn't care--much. You see I had already made up my mind -that we were to be married. We'd have to be, once you were free. The way -we've felt. You came way out here, and then you didn't go.” - -“That was weakness.” - -“You can call it weakness, or something else. But I'm in the same boat. -And if we couldn't let each other go then, it was bound to grow harder -every day. I had to recognize that. That was where I crossed my Rubicon. -Nothing else mattered very much after that. I came with you because I -was all alone, and miserable, and--oh, I may as well say it...” - -“Oh, yes, honesty's the only thing now.” - -“Well, I simply had to. I couldn't face life any other way. I've been -thinking it over and over and over. I see it now. I was just selfish. -Love is selfishness, apparently. I fastened myself on you. I knew you -had to have solitude, but I didn't seem to care. Perhaps you've hurt me. -I don't know. But I am beginning to see that I've wrecked your life. I'm -your job, now, just as you said. All those things you said on the ship -have been coming up in my mind yesterday and to-day. Don't you suppose -I can see it? My whole life right now is a demand on you.” Her tone was -not bitter, but sad, unutterably sad. “You said, 'Strength is better.' -I'm running up with you now a 'spiritual' debt greater than I can ever -pay. You said, 'If any friend of mine--man or woman---can't win his own -battles, he or she had better go. To hell, if it comes to that.'” - -She was looking full at him now, wide-eyed, standing rigid, her hands -extended a little way. - -There was a long silence; then, abruptly, without a word, without even a -change of expression on his gloomy face, he left the room. - -5 - -That night was Betty's Gethsemane. Again and again she lived through -their strange quarrel over the half-eaten dinner here in her room. Her -mind phrased and rephrased the wild strong things she had said to him. -And these phrases now stung her, hurt her, as had none of his. - -But once again, after hours of tossing on the narrow folding cot--_his_ -cot--sleep of a sort came to her. She did not wake until half a hundred -beams of sunshine were streaming in through the dilapidated paper -squares. - -She rose and peeped out into the courtyard. They were packing one of -the saddles; John, and cook, and a soldier. Brachey was not in sight. He -would be in his room then, across the corridor. She wondered if he had -slept at all, then glanced guiltily at the cot. He would hardly lie on -the unclean _kang_; very likely he had been forced to doze in a chair -these two nights, while she found some real rest. There, again, she was -using him, taking from him; and all he had asked of life was solitude, -peace. For that he had foregone friends, a home, his country. - -Then her eyes rested on a bit of white paper under the door. She quickly -drew it in, and read as follows: - -“My Dear, Dear Little Girl-- - -“As you of course saw this evening, it is simply impossible for me to -speak rationally in matters of the affections. It is equally clear -that by indulging my feelings toward you I have brought you nothing -but unhappiness. This was inevitable. As I wrote you before I am not a -social being. This fact was never so clear as now. I must be alone. - -“As regards the statements you have just made, indicating that you -attach the blame for the present predicament to yourself, these are, of -course, absurd. I'm sure you will come in time to see that. It will be -a question then whether you will be able to bring yourself to forgive -me for permitting matters to go so far as they have. That has been -my weakness. I allowed my admiration for you and my desire for you to -overcome my reason. - -“As for the course you must pursue, it will be, of course, to go on as -far as Ping Yang. There I will leave you. It may even prove possible, -despite the malignant enmity of Mrs. Boatwright, to convince M. Pourmont -and the others that we are guilty of nothing more than an error of -judgment in an extremely difficult situation. Certainly I shall demand -the utmost respect for you. - -“I shall make it a point to avoid you in the morning; and it will -undoubtedly be best that we refrain so far as possible from speech -during the remainder of our journey. I shall go on alone, as soon as you -are safe at Ping Yang. I can not forgive myself for thus disturbing your -life. - -“I can not trust myself to write further. It is my experience that words -are dangerous things and not to be trifled with. I will merely add, in -conclusion, and in wishing that you may at some later time find a mate -who can bring into your life the qualities which you must have in order -to attain happiness, and which I unquestionably lack, that I shall hope, -in time, for your forgiveness.. Without that I should hardly care to -live on. - -“Jonathan Brachey.” - -Soberly Betty read and reread this curious letter. Then for a moment -her eyes rested on the cool signature, without so much as a “sincerely -yours,” and then she looked at that first phrase, “My Dear, Dear Little -Girl”; and then her eyes grew misty and she smiled, faintly, tenderly. -Suddenly, this morning, life had changed color; the black mood was gone, -like an illness that had passed its climax. The curious antagonism in -their talk the evening before had, it seemed, cleared the air--at least -for her. And now, all at once--she was beginning to feel quietly but -glowingly exultant about it--nothing mattered. - -She ate all the breakfast that John brought; then hurried out. It gave -her pleasure to stand aside and watch the packing, and particularly to -watch Brachey as he moved sternly about. He was a strong man, as her -father had been strong. He hadn't a glimmer of humor, but she loved him -for that. He had all at once become so transparent. In his lonely way -he had expended so much energy fighting the illusions of happiness, that -now when real happiness was offered him he fought harder than ever. Her -thoughtful eyes followed his every motion; he was tall, strong, clean. - -His heart and mind, in their very austerity, were like a child's. - -So deep ran this sober new happiness, as she stood by the litter waiting -until he came--austerely--and helped her in (she was waiting for the -touch of his hand, averting her face to hide the smile that she couldn't -altogether control) that only a warmly up-rushing little thought of her -father that came just then could restore her poise. She cared now about -nothing else, about only this man whom she now knew she loved with her -whole being and the father she had so suddenly, shockingly lost. If -only, in the different ways, she might have brought happiness to each -of these strong men. If only she could have brought them together, her -father and her lover; for each, she felt, had fine deep qualities that -the other would be quick to perceive. - -All during the morning, feeling through every sensitive nerve-tip the -nearness of this man who loved her and whom she loved, she rode through -a land of rosy dreams. She felt again the power over life that she had -felt during their first talk at T'ainan. Love had come; it absorbed her -thoughts; it was right.... She exulted in the misty red hills with their -deep purple shadows. She smiled at the absurd camels with the rings in -their noses and the ragged, shaggy coats. - -After a time, as the morning wore along, she became aware that he, -too, was changing. Once, when he rode for a moment beside her Inter, he -caught sight of her quietly radiant face and flushed and turned away. -At lunch, by a roadside temple, under a tree, they talked about nothing -with surprising ease. He was eager that she should draw and paint these -beautiful hills of Hansi. - -Late in the afternoon--they were riding down an open valley--he appeared -again beside the litter. Impulsively she reached out her hand. He guided -his pony close; leaned over and gripped it warmly. For a little while -they rode thus; then, happening out of a confusion of impulses that, -with whichever it began, was instantly communicated to the other, he -bent down and she leaned out the little side door and their lips met. - -The cook, from his insecure seat on the pack-saddle, carolled his -endless musical narrative. John rode in stolid silence; the merely human -emotions were ages old and quite commonplace. Mr. Po merely glanced up -as he trudged along in the dust, taking the little incident calmly for -granted. - -So it was that, unaccountably to themselves, the spin of these two -lovers rebounded from acute depression to an exaltation that, however -sobered by circumstance, touched the skirts of ecstasy. They rode -on silently as on the other days> but now their hearts beat in happy -unison. No longer was the situation of their relationship unreal to -them; the unreality lay with the white world from which they had come -and to which they must shortly return. The mission compound was but -an immaterial memory, like an unpleasant moment in a long, beautiful -journey. - -In the evening after dinner, they sat for a long time with her head on -his shoulder dreamily talking of the mystery, their mystery, of love. - -“It had to be,” she said. - -He could only incline his head and compress his lips as he gazed out -over her head down a long vista of years, during which he would, for -better or worse, for richer or poorer, protect and cherish her. The old -phrases from the marriage service rang in his thoughts like cathedral -bells. - -“1 don't believe we'll ever have those dreadful moods again,” she -murmured, later. “At least, we won't misunderstand each other again. Not -like that.” - -“Never,” he breathed. - -“Only one thing is wrong, dear,” she added. “I wish father could have -known you. He'd have understood you. That's the only sad thing.” - -He was silent. At last, after midnight, in a spirit of deepest -consecration, he held her gently in his arms, kissed her good night, and -went to his own room. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII--APPARITION - - -1 - -MEANTIME, M. Pourmont, at Ping Yang, was calling in his white -assistants and sifting out the trustworthy among his native employees -in preparation for withstanding a siege. He had swiftly carried out his -plan of destroying the native huts that stood within a hundred yards -of his compound. Such lumber and bricks as were of any value he had -brought into the compound, using them to build two small redoubts at -opposite comers of the walled-in rectangle and to increase the number -of firing positions along the walls. From the redoubts the faces of the -four walls and all of the hillside were commanded by the two machine -guns. A wall of bricks and sand-bags was built up just within the -compound gate so that the gate could be opened without exposing the -interior to outside eyes or weapons. On all the roofs of the low stables -and storehouses that bordered the walls were parapets of sand-bags. - -These elaborate preparations were meant as much to impress and -intimidate the natives of the region as for actual defense. In the main, -and in so far as they could be understood, the natives seemed friendly. -Several thousand of the young men among them had been at various times -on M. Pourmont's pay-roll. The trade in food supplies, brick and other -necessary articles was locally profitable. And the shen magistrate was -keenly aware of the commercial and military strength represented by the -foreigners. - -There were--engineers, instrument men, stake-boys, supply agents, -clerks, timekeepers, foremen and others--fourteen Frenchmen, eight -Australians, three Belgians, six Englishmen, two Scotch engineers, -four Americans, two Russians. Three of the Chinese had served as -non-commissioned officers in the British Wei Hai Wei regiment in 1900. -There were a few native foremen who had been trained in the modern -Chinese army of Yuan Shi K'ai. The total force, including M. Pourmont -himself and his immediate office force, came to forty-six white and -about eighty able-bodied Chinese. These latter were now being put -through hours of military drill every day in conspicuous places about -the hillside. - -A number of men acted as intelligence runners, and the activity of -these, supplemented by occasional word from the yamen of the shen -magistrate, kept M. Pourmont informed of the march of events in the -province. Thus it could not have been twelve hours after Brachey bore -the news of Griggsby Doane's death to the mission at T'ainan-fu before -M. Pourmont as well knew of it, the word coming hy wire to the local -yamen and thence passing in whispers to the compound on the hill. - -Then, late one afternoon, Doane's pretty little daughter came in, -escorted by the American journalist, Jonathan Brachey, and a young -secretary from the yamen of the provincial judge disguised as a -muleteer. Brachey at once volunteered to help and was put in charge -of preparing two small lookout posts on the upper hill. He was -uncommunicative and dryly self-sufficient in manner, but proved a real -addition to the establishment, contributing the great Anglo-Saxon -quality of confidence and tone. Though M. Pour-mont would have preferred -a more sociable man. His was a lonely life. He loved talk--even in -broken English--for its own sake. He had, himself, vivacity and humor. -And it was a disappointment that this Brachey didn't know _Çhambertin_ -from _vin ordinaire_, and cared little for either. - -Little Miss Doane touched his heart, she was so pretty, so quick in -her bright graceful way, yet so white and sad. But always brave, as -if sustained by inner faith. She asked at once to be put to work, and -quickly adapted herself to the atmosphere of Mme. Pourmont's workroom -in the residence, where Madarhe's two daughters and the English trained -nurse were busy directing the Chinese sewing women.... It transpired -that the Mrs. Boatwright who was in charge at the mission had refused -to save herself and those in her charge, so the Mademoiselle had come -on independently. This, thought M. Pourmont, showed a courage and -enterprise suggestive of her father. - -2 - -That night M. Pourmont telegraphed Elmer Boatwright confirming the news -of Doane's death, and urging an immediate attempt to get through to Ping -Yang. - -On the preceding day he had sent a party of twelve men, white and -Chinese, in command of an Australian engineer, to Shau T'ing, on the -Eastern Border, to get the supplies that had been shipped down from -Peking. These men returned on the following day; and among the cases and -bales of supplies borne on the long train of carts they guarded were -the bodies of two dead Chinese and a Russian youth with a bullet in his -throat. - -News came then that a large force of Lookers had started in an easterly -direction from Hung Chan. And Boatwright wired that the mission party -was at last under way, seven whites and fifty natives. - -M. Pourmont at once sent a party of forty mounted men westward along the -highway, commanded by an Englishman named Swain. This small force fought -a pitched battle with the Looker band that had been evaded by Brachey, -suffering several casualties. A native was sent on ahead, riding all -night, with a note to Boatwright advising great haste. But it was -difficult for the mission party to travel with any speed, as it had been -found impossible to secure horses or carts for many of the Chinese -converts, and not one of the missionaries would consent to leave these -charges behind. It became necessary therefore for Swain to move a -half-day's march farther west than had been intended. He joined the -missionaries shortly after the advance guard of the Western Lookers had -begun an attack on the inn compound. Already six or seven of the -secondary Christians had been dragged out and shot or burned to death -when Swain led his white and yellow troopers in among them, shooting -right and left. There must have been several hundred of the Lookers; but -they amounted to little more than a disorganized mob, and as soon as -they found their comrades falling around them, screaming in agony and -fright, they threw away their rifles and fled. - -Swain at once ordered out the entire mission company, mounted as many -as possible of the frightened fugitives on the horses of his troop, -and with such extra carts as he could commandeer in the village for his -wounded, himself and his uninjured men on foot, he pushed rapidly hack -toward Ping Yang. The few Chinese who lagged were left in native houses. -The horses that fell were dragged off the road and shot. - -This man Swain, though he concerns us in this narrative only -incidentally, was one of a not unfamiliar type on the China coast. He -was hardly thirty years of age, a blond Briton, handsome, athletic, -evidently a man of some education and breeding. He had once spoken of -serving as a subaltern in the Boer War. A slightly elusive reputation as -a Shanghai gambler had floated after him to Ping Yang. He was at times -a hard drinker, as his lined face indicated, faint, purplish markings -already forming a fine network under the skin of his nose. His blue eyes -were always slightly bloodshot. He never spoke of his own people. And it -had been noted that after a few drinks he was fond of quoting Kipling's -_The Lost Legion_. Yet on this little expedition, unknown to the -archives of any war department, Swain proved himself a hero. He brought -all but twelve of the fifty-seven mission folk and eight of his own -wounded safely to Ping Yang, leaving three of his Chinese buried back -there. And himself sustained a bullet wound through the flesh of his -left forearm and a severe knife cut on the left hand.... The drift of -opinion among respectable people along Bubbling Well Road in Shanghai, -as here in Ping Yang, was that Swain would hardly do. Certain of these -mission folk, in particular Miss Hemphill, whose philosophy of life -could hardly be termed comprehensive, were later to find their mental -attitude toward their rescuer somewhat perplexing. - -3 - -Though she evidently tried to be quiet about it, Mrs. Boatwright's first -act was troublesome. She had been taken in, of course, with the other -white women, by the Pourmonts; in the big house. Here the principal -three of them--Dr. Cassin on her one hand and Miss Hemphill on the -other--were put down at the dinner table on that first evening directly -opposite Betty. Miss Hemphill flushed a little, bit her lip, then -inclined her head with what was clearly enough meant to be distant -courtesy. Dr. Cassin, already too deeply occupied with her wounded -to waste thought on merely personal matters, bowed coolly. But Mrs. -Boatwright stared firmly past the girl at the screen of carved wood that -stood behind her. - -Betty bent her head over her plate. She had of course dreaded this first -encounter; all of her courage had been called on to bring her into the -dining-room; but her own sense of personal loss and injury had lately -been so overshadowed by the growing tragedy in which they were dwelling -that she had forgotten with what complete cruelty and consistency this -woman's stern sense of character could function. She had lost, too, in -the mounting sober beauty of her love for Brachey, any lingering -sense of wrong-doing. Here at Ping Yang Brachey commanded, she knew -triumphantly, the respect of the little community. - -They were thinking, he and she, only at moments of themselves. Indeed, -days passed without a stolen half-hour together. She gloried in her -knowledge that he would neglect no smallest duty to indulge his emotions -in companionship with her; nor would she neglect duty for him........And -the people here were all so kind to her, so friendly! The presence of -this grim personally was an intrusion. - -After dinner Mrs. Boatwright went directly to M. Pourmont in his study -and told him that it would be necessary for her to sleep and eat in -another building. She would give no reasons, nor would she in any -pleasant way soften her demand. Accordingly, the Pourmonts, always -courteous, always cheerful, made at once a new arrangement in the -crowded compound. Some of the Australian young men were turned out into -a tent; and the Boatwrights, accompanied by their assistants, were -settled by midnight in the smaller building immediately adjoining the -residence. Mr. Boatwright protested a little to his wife, but was -silenced. All he could do was to make some extreme effort to treat the -Pourmonts with courtesy. - -And so Betty, when in the morning she again mustered her courage to -enter the dining-room, found them gone. And instantly she knew why... . -She couldn't eat. All day forlorn, her mind a cavern of shadows, she put -herself in the way of meeting Brachey, but did not find him until late -in the afternoon. He was coming in then from the outworks up the hill. -She stood waiting just within the gate. - -They had been thinking constantly, since the one misunderstanding, of -the cablegram that would announce his freedom. In his eagerness he had -expected to find it waiting at Ping Yang. Day after day native runners -got through to the telegraph station and brought messages for -others... To Betty now it seemed the one thing that could arm her -against the stern judgment in Mrs. Boatwright's eyes. - -Brachey's knickerbockers and stockings were red with mud. He wore a -canvas shooting coat of M. Pourmont. He was lean, strong, quick of -tread. - -They drew aside, into a corner of the wall of sandbags. She saw the -momentary light in his tired eyes when they rested on her; gravely -beautiful eyes she thought them. Her fingers caught his sleeve; her eyes -timidly searched his face, and read an answer there to the question in -her heart. - -“You haven't heard?” - -He slowly shook his head. “No, dear, not yet.” - -Her gaze wavered away from him “It's got to come,” he added. “It isn't -as if there weren't a positive understanding.” - -“I know,” she murmured, but without conviction. “Of course. It's got to -come.” - -They were silent a moment. - -“I--I'll go back to the house,” she breathed, then. “Keep strong, dear,” - said he very gently. - -“I know. I will. It's helped, just seeing you.” - -Then she was gone. - -As he looked after her, his heart full of a gloomy beauty, he longed to -call her back and in some way restore her confidence. But the appearance -of the mission folk had shaken him, as well, this day. The mere presence -of Mrs. Boatwright in the compound was suddenly again a living force. Up -there on the hillside, driving his native workmen through the long hot -hours, he had faced unnerving thoughts. For Mrs. Boatwright had brought -him out of the glamour of his love; she, that sense of her, if merely -by stirring his mind to resentment and resistance, restored for the time -his keen logical faculty. He saw again clearly the mission compound at -T'ainan-fu. And he saw Griggsby Doane--huge, strong, the face that might -so easily be tender, working with passion in the softly flickering light -from a Chinese lamp. - -He had given Griggsby Doane a pledge as solemn as one man can give -another. He had, because Doane was so suddenly dead, broken that pledge. -But now he knew, coldly, clearly, that of material proof that Doane was -dead neither he nor M. Pourmont nor these difficult folk from T'ainan -held a shred. - -4 - -Early on the following morning--at about three o'clock--a small shell -exploded in the compound. Within five minutes two others fell outside -the walls. - -At once the open spaces within the walls were filled with Chinese, none -fully dressed, talking, shouting, wailing. Among them, a moment later, -moved white men, cartridge pouches and revolvers hastily slung on, -rifles in hand, quietly ordering them back to their quarters and -themselves taking positions along the walls. The crews of the two -machine guns promptly joined the sentries in the redoubts. M. Pourmont -went about calmly, pleasantly, supervising the final preparations. -Two small parties, one led by Swain, the other by Brachey, went up -the hillside to the men in the rifle pits there. A few trusted natives -slipped out on scouting expeditions. - -As the first faint color appeared in the eastern sky, and the darkness -slowly gave way through the morning twilight to the young day, the walls -were lined with anxious faces. Strained eyes peered up and down the -hillside for the first glimpse of the enemy. Surmises and conjectures -flew from lip to lip--the attackers were thousands strong; American, -French and English troops were already on the way down from Peking; -no troops could be spared; such a relieving party had already been -intercepted and driven back as McCalla had been driven back in 1900; the -Shau T'ing bridge was down, the telegraph lines were broken, old Kang -had beheaded Pao and seized the entire provincial government, was, -indeed, in personal command here at Ping Yang. So the rumors ran. - -Daylight spread slowly over the hillside. Far up among the native houses -and down near the village groups of strange figures could be seen moving -about. They wore a uniform much like that the Boxers had worn, except -that coat and trousers were alike red and only the turban yellow. At -intervals shells fell here and there about the walls. - -Back in his study in the residence M. Pourmont, by breakfast time, had -reports from several of his scouts and was able to sift the rumors -down to a basis of fact. Several thousand Lookers were already in the -neighborhood and others were on the way. The Shau T'ing bridge was gone, -and it was true that the local shen magistrate had been cut off from -telegraphic communication with the outside world. And Kang was at the -moment establishing headquarters five _li_ to the westward. - -The entrenched parties up the hillside lay unseen and unheard in their -trenches, awaiting the signal to fire. The compound was still now. -Breakfast was carried about to the men on duty. - -Toward nine o'clock considerable activity was noted up the hill, beyond -the outposts. Several squads of the red and yellow figures appeared -in the open apparently digging out a level emplacement on the steep -hillside. Then a small field gun was dragged into view from behind a -native compound wall and set in position. The distance was hardly more -than two hundred yards; they meant to fire point-blank. - -M. Pourmont went out to the upper redoubt and studied the scene through -field-glasses. The men begged permission to fire, but the bearded French -engineer ordered them to wait. - -The little red and yellow men were a long time at their preparations. -They moved about as if confident that no white man's eyes could discern -them. Finally they gathered back of the gun. There was some further -delay. Then the gun was fired, and a shell whirred over the compound -and on across the valley, exploding against the opposite hillside, near a -temple, in a cloud of smoke and red dust. - -There was still another wait. Then a shell carried away part of a -chimney of the residence. The sound of distant cheers floated down-hill -on the soft breeze. The little men clustered about the gun. - -M. Puurmont lowered his glasses and nodded. The machine gun opened fire, -spraying its stream of bullets directly on the crowded figures. - -To the men standing and kneeling in the redoubt the scene, despite the -rattle of the gun and the wisps of smoke curling about them and the -choking smell, was one of impersonal calm. The Australian working the -gun was quietly methodical about it. The crowded figures up the hill -seemed to sit or lie down deliberately enough. Others appeared to be -moving away slowly toward the houses, though when M. Pourmont gave them -a look through his glasses it became evident that their legs were -moving rapidly. Soon all who could get away were gone, leaving several -heaped-up mounds of red near the gun and smaller dots of red scattered -along the path of the retreat. With a few scattering shots the -Australian sat back on his heels and glanced up at M. Pourmont. “Heats -up pretty fast,” he remarked casually, indicating the machine gun. - -5 - -A shout, sounded up the hill. All turned. Swain had mounted to the -parapet of his rifle pit and was waving his rifle. His half dozen men, -white and Chinese, followed, all shouting now. Over to the right, from -the other pit, the lean figure of Jonathan Brachey appeared, followed by -others. Then they started up the hillside. Like the retreating Lookers -they seemed to move very slowly; but the glasses made it clear that they -were running and scrambling feverishly up the slope, fourteen of them, -pausing only at intervals to fire toward the houses, where a few puffs -of white smoke appeared. - -They reached the Chinese sun, turned it around and, five or six of them, -began running it down-hill. The others lingered, clustering together. -A shot from one of the red heaps was met by a blow of a clubbed rifle; -that was seen by the Australian through the glasses. There were more -shots from the compound walls beyond. - -The Australian quietly returned the glasses to his chief, sighted along -his machine gun, and sprayed bullets along those walls, first to the -left of the raiding party, then, very carefully, to the right. - -M. Pourmont descended to the compound and ordered a party of coolies -out with wheelbarrows. These began mounting the slope, obediently, -painfully. The raiders dropped behind the little heaps of dead and -waited. To the many watching eyes along the wall it seemed as if those -deliberate coolies would never end their climb; inch by inch they seemed -to move. Even the more rapidly moving gun, descending the slope, seemed -to crawl. When it did at length draw near, the eager observers noted -that the men handling it were all Chinese; the whites had stayed up -there. Swain was there, and Brachey, and the others. - -Betty witnessed the scene from an upper window of the residence with -Mme. Pourmont and her daughters. She heard the rat-tat-tat of the -machine gun; through a pair of glasses she saw the red-clad Lookers -fall, all without clearly realizing that this was battle and death. It -seemed a calm enough picture. But when Brachey started up the hill her -heart stopped. - -More and more slowly, as the climb told on the porters, the barrows -moved up the slope; but at last they reached their destination. Then -all worked like ants about them. Within ten minutes all were back in the -compound creaking and squealing, each on its high center wheel, under -the loads of shells. - -Betty watched Brachey through the glasses. Naively she assumed that he -would return to her after passing through such danger. And when she saw -him drop casually into the little pit on the hillside it seemed to her -that she couldn't wait out the day. Now that she had watched him leading -his men straight into mortal danger--had so nearly, in her own heart, -lost him--she began to sense the terrible power of love. All that had -gone before in this strange relationship of theirs seemed like the play -of children beside her present sense of him as her other self. Indeed -the danger seemed now to be--she thought of it, in lucid moments, as a -danger--that she should cease to care about outside opinion. Her heart -throbbed with pride in him. - -At dusk the outposts were relieved. When Brachey entered the gate, Betty -was there, waiting, a tremulous smile hovering about her tender little -mouth and about her misty eyes. - -He paused, in surprise and pleasure. She gave him a hand, hesitantly, -then the other; then, impulsively, her arms went around his neck.... His -men straggled wearily past, their day's work done. Not one looked back. -She was almost sorry, for that and for the dusk. Arm in arm they entered -the compound and walked to the steps of the residence. - -That night, three shells struck within the compound. One wrecked a -corner of Mme. Pourmont's kitchen. Another carried away a section of -galvanized iron roof and killed a horse. The third destroyed a tent, -killing a Chinese woman and wounding a man and two girls. Thus, before -morning, Dr. Cassam and her helpers were at the grim business of patching -and restoring the piteous debris of war. - -By daylight the red and yellow' lines were closed about the compound. -Shells roared by at intervals all day, and bullets rattled against -the walls. The upper windows of the residence were barricaded now with -sand-bags. Five more were wounded during the day, two of them white. -Enemy trenches appeared, above and below the compound. During the -following night M. Pourmont set a considerable force of men at work -running a sap out to the rifle pits, and digging in other outposts on -the lower slope. His night runners moved with difficulty, but brought -in reports of feasts and orgies at Kang's headquarters down the valley, -where, surrounded by his full retinue, the old Manchu was preparing to -revel in slaughter. As the days passed, the sense of danger grew deeper; -the faces one saw about the compound wore a dogged expression. An armed -guard stood over the storehouses, men were killed and wounded, and women -and children. They talked, heavily where the casual was intended, -of settling down to a siege. They spoke of other, larger sieges; of -Mafeking and Ladysmith of recent memory. But no one, now, mentioned -the prospects of early relief. One night Mr. Po went out with a Chinese -soldier on a scouting trip; and neither returned. On the following -night, one of the Wei Hai Wei men was sent. At daybreak they found his -head, wrapped in a cloth, just inside the gate. The enemy had crept -close enough, despite the outposts, to toss it over the wall... After -this, for a time, no word went out or came in. - -6 - -Elmer Boatwright slept alone in a small room; his wife, Miss Hemphill -and Dr. Cassin occupied a large room in the same building. One night, -tossing on his cot, the prey of nightmares, Boatwright started up, cold -with sweat, and sat shivering in the dark room. Outside sounded the -pop--pop, pop--of the snipers. But there was another sound that had -crashed in among the familiar noises of his dreams. - -It came again--a light tapping at his door. He tried to get his breath; -then tried to call out, “Who is it?” But his voice came only in a -whisper. - -It wasn't his wife; she wouldn't have knocked. He had not before been -disturbed at night; it would mean something serious, nothing good. It -could mean nothing good. - -Elmer Boatwright was by no means a simple coward. He rose, shivering -with this strange sense of cold; struck a light; and candle in hand -advanced to the door. Here, for a moment he waited. - -Again the tapping sounded. - -He opened the door; and beheld, dimly outlined in the shadowy hall, clad -in rags, face seamed and haggard, eyes staring out of deep hollows, the -gigantic frame of Griggsby Doane, leaning on his old walking stick. He -was hatless, and his hair was matted. A stubble of beard covered the -lower half of his face. His left shoulder, under the torn coat, was -bandaged with the caked, bloodstained remnant of his shirt. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII--THE DARK - -1 - -Elmer Boatwrights chin sagged a little way. For a long moment he stood -motionless, making no sound; then, without change of expression on his -gray thin face, he moved with a slow gliding motion backward, backward, -until his knees struck the bed; and stood, bent forward, his palsied -hand tipping the candle so far that the hot tallow splashed in white -drops on the matting. - -Slowly the giant figure stirred, straightened up, came slowly into the -room; closed the door, leaned back against it. - -Then Boatwright spoke, slowly, huskily: - -“It--it is you?” - -“Yes.” It was plainly an effort for Doane to speak. “But--but I don't -see how you could have got through.” - -“Men do get through now and then.” Doane spoke with the quick -irritability of the man whose powers of nervous resistance have been -tried to the uttermost. - -“You're wounded. You must be tired.” Boatwright was quite incoherent. -“You'd better lie down. Here--take my bed! How did you ever find me? How -did you get in in the first place?” - -“I'll sit for a moment.” Duane lowered himself painfully to the bed. -“Betty is here?” - -“Betty? Oh, yes! We're all safe.” - -“Where is she?” - -“I--I don't know exactly.” - -“You don't _know!_” - -“Why, Madame Pourmont has been caring for her.” - -“You mean that she is ill?” - -“No. Oh, no! One moment. You've been hurt. I must tell the others. You -must have attention at once. Mary Cassin is right here--and my wife.” - The little man moved to the door. His color was returning now; he was -talking rapidly, out of a confused mind. “You must have had a terrible -time.” - -“They left me for dead at the Hung Chan Gate. I crawled to the house of -a convert.” Doane's great eyes, staring out of shadowy hollows, burned -with tragic memories. Those eyes held Boatwright fascinated; he shivered -slightly. “As soon as I felt able to travel I started toward T'ainan. -Several of our native people came with me, walking at night, biding by -day. On the way we learned that you had left. So I came here. I must see -Betty.” - -“But not like this,” the little man blurted out. Doane's eyes wandered -down over his muddy tattered clothing. - -“I'll call the others first,” said Boatwright He set down his candle on -the wash-stand, just inside the door, and slipped out. - -Doane sat erect, without moving. His eyes stared at the candle and at -the grotesque wavering shadows of the wash-howl and pitcher on the wall. -At each small night sound he started nervously--the scratching of a -mouse, a voice in the compound, a distant sputter of shots. - -Boatwright slipped back into the room. - -“They're coming,” he said breathlessly. “In a minute. Mary sleeps in -most of her clothes anyway, these days.” - -“What is it about Betty?” Doane asked sharply. - -“Oh--she's quite all right. We don't see much of her, not being in the -same house. We're all pretty busy here, these days. It's an ugly time. -I--I was just wondering. I don't know what we can dress you in. You -could hardly wear my things. One of the Australians is nearly as big as -you. Perhaps in the morning...” - -His voice had risen a little, nearly to the querulous, as he hurriedly -drew on his outer clothing. From the way his eyes wandered about the -room it appeared that his thoughts had run far afield. And he was clumsy -about the buttons. Even the intensely preoccupied Doane became aware of -this, and for a moment studied him with a puzzled look. - -The little man's tongue ran on. “Mary'll fix you up for now. Sleep'll -be the best thing. In the morning you can use my shaving things. And I'll -look up that Australian.... There they are!” - -He hurried to the door. Dr. Cassin came in, greeted - -Griggsby Doane with a warm hand-clasp, and at once examined his -shoulder. Boatwright she sent over to the dispensary for bandages. - -A moment later Mrs. Boatwright appeared, her strong person wrapped in a -quilted robe. - -“This is a great relief,” she said. “We had given you up.” - -Duane's eyes fastened eagerly on this woman. - -“Have you sent word to Betty?” he asked quickly. - -Mrs. Boatwright looked at him for a moment, without replying, then moved -deliberately to the window. - -“Please don't move,” cautioned Dr. Cassin, who was working on his -shoulder. - -“Have you sent word?” Doane shot the question after Mrs. Boatwright. - -There was no reply. - -“What is it?” cried Doane then. - -“If you please!” said Dr. Cassin. - -“Something is wrong! What is it?” - -Mrs. Boatwright was standing squarely before the window now, looking out -into the dark courtyard. - -“What is it? Tell me! Is she here?” - -“Really, Mr Doane”--thus the physician--“I can not work if you move. -Yes, she is here.” - -“But why do you act in this strange way?” - -Dr. Cassin compressed her lips. All her working adult life had been -spent under the direction of this man. Never before had she seen him in -the slightest degree beaten down. She had never even seen him tired. In -her steady, objective mind he stood for unshakable, enduring strength. -But now, twitching nervously under her firm hands, staring out of -feverish eyes after the uncompromising woman by the window, his huge -frame emaciated, spent with loss of blood, with suffering and utter -physical and nervous exhaustion, he had reached, she knew', at last, the -limits of his great strength. He had, perhaps, even passed those limits; -for there was a morbid condition evident in him, he seemed not wholly -sane, as if the trials he had passed through had been too great for his -iron will, or as if there was something else, some consuming fire in -him, burning secretly but strongly, out of control. All this she saw and -felt. His temperature was not dangerously high, slightly more than two -degrees above normal. His pulse was rapid, but no weaker than was to be -expected. Worry might explain it; worry for them all, but particularly -for Betty. Though she found this diagnosis not wholly satisfactory. Of -course it might be, after all, nothing more than exhaustion. Sleep was -the first thing. After that it would be a simpler matter to study his -case. - -Then, starling up suddenly, wrenching himself free from her skilful -hands, Doane stood over her, staring past her at the woman by the -window'. - -“Will you please go to Betty,” he said, in a voice that trembled with -feeling, “and tell her that I am here. Wake her. She must know at once. -And try to prepare her mind--she mustn't see me first like this.” - -There was a breathless pause. Then Mrs. Boatwright turned and moved -deliberately toward the door. Then she paused. - -“You'll see her?” cried the father. “At once?” - -“No,” replied Mrs. Boatwright. “No. I am sorry. I would like to spare -you pain at this time, Griggsby Doane. But I do not feel that I can see -her. I'll tell you though, what I will do. I'll tell Monsieur Pourmont.” - And she went out. - -2 - -She was closing the door when it abruptly opened. Elmer Boatwright -stood there, looking after his wife as she went along the dark hallway. -He came in then. - -“I brought the bandages,” he said. - -“You must sit down again,” said the physician. - -Doane, evidently bewildered, obeyed. And she began bandaging his -shoulder. - -He even sat quietly. He seemed to be making a determined effort to -control his thoughts. When he finally spoke he seemed almost his old -self. - -“Elmer, something is wrong with Betty. Whatever it is, I have a right to -know.” - -Boatwright cleared his throat. - -Dr. Cassin broke the silence that followed. - -“Mr. Doane,” she said, “sit still here and try to listen to what I am -going to tell you. We have been disturbed about Betty. I won't attempt -to conceal that. This Mr. Brachey--” - -“Brachey? Is he--” - -“Please! You must keep quiet!” - -“But what is it? Tell me--now!” - -“I'm trying to. Mr. Brachey came to the compound the morning after you -left--” - -“But he gave me his word!” - -“You really must let me tell this in my own way. He brought the news of -your death. He had it from Pao's yamen. He demanded that we all leave -T'ainan at once, with him. If he gave you his word, it is probable that -he regarded your death as a release. Well....” For a moment she bent -silently over her task of bandaging. - -“Yes. Tell me?” Doane's voice was quieter still. More and more, to -Boatwright, who stood by the wash-stand lingering a towel, he looked, -felt, like the old Griggsby Doane... except his eyes; they were fixed -intently on the matting; they were wide open, staring open. - -“Well... Mrs. Boatwright felt that it was not yet the time to go. She -distrusted this man. So we stayed a few days longer.” - -“You are not telling me.” - -“Yes. I am coming to it. Betty... Betty felt that she couldn't let him -go alone.” - -In a hushed, almost a reflective voice Doane asked: “So she came with -him?” - -Dr. Cassin bowed. Elmer Boatwright bowed. Doane glanced up briefly, and -took them in; then his gaze centered again on the matting. - -“And they are here now?” - -“Betty is staying with Madame Pourmont. Mr. Brachey is living in a -tent.” - -“Where? What tent?” - -Elmer Boatwright did not wait to hear this question answered, or the -rush of other palliative phrases that were pressing nervously on the tip -of Dr Cas-sin's not unsympathetic tongue. Never had he heard the quiet -menace in Griggsby Doane's voice that was in it as he almost calmly -uttered those three words, “Where? What tent?” He could nut himself -think clearly; his mind was a blur of fears and nervous impulses. Doane -wasn't normal; that was plain. Dr. Cassin's bare announcement was a blow -so severe that even as he framed that tense question he was struggling -to control the blind wild forces that were ravaging that giant frame -of his. Once wholly out of control, he might do anything. He might kill -Brachey. Yes, easily that! It was in his eyes.... And so, without a -plan, all confused impulses, Elmer Boatwright slipped out, closing the -door behind him. On the outer sill of the little building he paused, -trying desperately to think; but, failing in this effort, harried -through the night to Brachey's tent. - -He was, of course, far from understanding himself. It was a moment in -which no small dogmatic mind, once touched by the illogic of merely -human sympathy, could hope to understand itself. Though he and Brachey -were barely speaking, he had watched the man during the capture of the -Chinese gun and ammunition. And since that incident he had observed that -Brachey was steadily winning the respect of all in the compound. The -confusing thought was that a sinner could do that. For he believed, -with his wife, and Miss Hemphill, that Brachey and Betty had sinned. Dr. -Cassin had been more guarded in her judgment but probably she believed -it, too. Sin, of course, to what may without unpleasant connotation -be termed the professionally religious mind, is a definite, really a -technical fact. In the faith of the Boatwrights it could be atoned only -by an inner conviction followed by the blessing of the Holy Spirit. No -mere good conduct, no merely admirable human qualities, could save the -sinner. And neither Betty nor Brachey had shown the slightest sign of -the regenerative process. In Mrs. Boatwright's judgment, therefore, -since she was a woman of utter humorless logic, of unconquerable faith -in conscience, the two stood condemned. But her husband, in this time of -tragic stress, was discovering certain merely human qualities that were -bound to prove disconcerting to his professed philosophy. He wanted, -now, to help Brachey; and yet, as he ran through courtyard after -courtyard, he couldn't wholly subdue certain strong misgivings as to -what his wife might think if she knew. - -3 - -Before the tent he hesitated. The flap was tied; he shook it, with a -trembling hand. He heard, then, the steady breathing of the man within. -He tried knocking on the pole, through the canvas, but without effect on -the sleeper. Then, with a curious sensation of guilt, he reached in and -untied the flap, above, then below; and passed cautiously in. The night -was warm. Brachey lay uncovered, dressed, as Boatwright saw when he -struck a match to make certain of his man, in all but coat, collar and -shoes. - -Boatwright blew out the match. For another moment he stood wondering at -himself; then laid a hand on the sleeper's shoulder. Brachey started up -instantly; swung his feet to the floor; said in a surprisingly alert, -cautious voice: - -“What is it?” - -“It's Elmer Boatwright.” - -“Oh!” was Brachey's reply to this. He quietly lighted the candle that -stood on a small table by the head of his cut. Then he added the single -word, “Well?” - -“I have come on a peculiar errand, Mr. Brachey...” Boatwright was -fumbling for words. - -“Yes?” - -“There is little time for talk. A queer situation... let me say -this--when you came to the mission and asked us to leave T'ainan with -you it was under the supposition that Griggsby Doane was dead.” - -“Yes.... You mean that now... that the news was inaccurate?” - -Boatwright inclined his head. - -“He is alive, then?” - -Another bow. - -“Where is he?” - -“Well... it is... I must ask you to consider the situation calmly. It is -difficult.” - -Boatwright felt the man's eyes on him, coolly surveying him. It did seem -a bit absurd to be cautioning this strange being to be calm. Had he ever -been otherwise? Here he was, roused abruptly from slumber, listening, -and looking, like a judge. He said now with quick understanding: - -“He is here?” - -Boatwright's head inclined. - -“How did he ever get through?” - -“We haven't heard the details yet. There's so much else.... I want to -make it plain to you that he isn't altogether himself. He has evidently -been through a terrible experience. He was wounded. He has some fever -now, I believe.... Let me put it this way. He has just now learned that -you are here---that you--” - -“That I brought his daughter here?” The remark was cool, clear, -decisive. - -“Well--yes. Now please understand me. He isn't himself. The news shocked -him. I could see that. My suggestion is--well, that you move over to the -residence for the rest of the night.” - -“Why?” - -“You see--Mr. Doane asked where you might be found, in what tent. He has -had no time to reflect over the situation. His present mood is--well, -as I said, not normal. I've thought that to-morrow--after he has -slept--some--we can prevail on him to consider it calmly.” - -“You mean that he may attack me?” - -“Well--yes. It's quite possible. Monsieur Pour-mont would take you in -now. I'm sure. In the morning you'll be back in your trenches. That will -give us time to...” - -His voice died out. His gaze anxiously followed Brachey's movements. -The man had buttoned on his collar, and was knotting his tie before the -little square mirror that hung on the rear tent-pole. Next he brushed -his hair. Then he got into his coat. And then he discovered that he was -in his stocking feet. That bit of absent-mindedness was the only sign he -gave of excitement. - -“If I might suggest that you hurry a little,” thus Boatwright... “it's -possible that he's on his way here now.” - -“Who?” asked Brachey coolly, raising his head. “Oh--you mean Doane.” - -“Yes. I really think--” - -Brachey waved him to be still. He moved to the tent opening, peered out -into the night, then turned and looked straight at his caller, slightly -pursing his lips. - -“Where is Mr. Doane?” he asked. - -“He was in my room. But you're not--you don't mean--” - -“I'm going to see him, of course.” - -“But that's impossible. He may kill you.” - -“What has that to do with it?” - -This blunt question proved difficult to meet. Boatwright found himself -saying, rather weakly, “I'm sure everything can be explained later.” - -“The time to explain is now.” - -With this, and a slight added sound that might have been an indication -of impatience, Brachey strode out. - -4 - -For a moment Boatwright stood in the paralysis of fright; then, -catching his breath, he ran out after this strangely resolute man; -quickly caught up with him, but found himself ignored. He even -talked--incoherently--as his short legs tried to keep pace with the -swift long stride of the other. He didn't himself know what he was -saying. Nor did he stop when Brachey's arm moved as if to brush him off; -though he perhaps had been clinging to that arm. - -Brachey stopped, looking about. - -“This is the house, isn't it?” he remarked; then turned in toward the -steps. - -The door burst open then, and a huge shadowy figure plunged out. A -woman's voice followed: “I must ask you to please come back, Mr. Doane. -Really, if you--” - -At the name--“Mr. Doane”--Brachey stopped short (one foot was already on -the first of the three or four steps) and stiffened, his shoulders drawn -back, his head high, Doane, too, stopped, peering down. - -“Mr. Doane,” said the younger man, firmly but perhaps in a slightly -louder tone than was necessary, “I am Jonathan Brachey.” - -A hush fell on the group of them--Brachey waiting at the bottom step, -Boatwright just behind him. Dr. Cassin barely visible in the shadows of -the porch, silhouetted faintly against the light of a candle somewhere -within, and Griggsby Doane staring down in astonishment at the man who -stood looking straight up at him. - -Brachey apparently was about to speak again. Perhaps he did begin. -Boatwright found it impossible afterward to explain in precise detail -just what took place. But the one clear fact was that Doane, with an -exclamation that was not a word, seemed to leap down the steps, waving -his stick about his head. There was the sound of a few heavy blows; and -then Brachey lay huddled in a heap on the the walk, and Doane stood over -him, breathing very hard.. - -Dr. Cassin hurried down the steps and knelt lie-side the silent figure -there. To Elmer Boatwright she said, briskly: “My medicine case is in -your room. Bring it at once, please? And bring water.” - -Boatwright vaguely recalled, afterward, that he muttered, “I beg your -pardon,” as he finished past Doane and ran up the steps. And he heard -the sound of some, one running heavily toward them. - -When he came out the scene was curiously changed. - -Some of the natives were there, and one or two whites. An iron lantern -with many perforations to let out the candle-light stood on the tiles. -One of the Chinese held another. Dr. Cassin was seated on the ground -examining a wound on Brachey's scalp; and the man himself was struggling -back toward consciousness, moving his arms restlessly, and muttering. - -But the voice that dominated the little group that stood awkwardly about -was the voice of M. Pourmont. - -Doane had sunk down on the steps, his head in his hands. And over him, -somewhat out of breath, gesturing emphatically with raised forefinger, -the engineer was speaking as follows: - -“Monsieur Doane, it gives me ze great plaisir to know zat you do not -die. To you here I offair ze vel-come viz all my 'eart. But zis I mus' -say. It is here _la guerre_. It is I who am here ze commandair. An' -I now' comman' you, Alonsieur Doane, zer mus' be here no more of ze -mattair personel. We here fight togezzer, as one, not viz each ozzer. -You have made ze attack on a gentleman zat mus' be spare' to us, a -gentleman ver' strong, ver' brave, who fear nozzing at all. It is not -pairmit' zat you make 'arm at Monsieur Brashayee. Zis man is one I need. -It is on 'im zat I lean.” - -Here Boatwright found himself breaking in, all eagerness, all nerves: - -“If you had only known how it was! Mr. Brachey insisted on coming -straight to you.” - -“Monsieur Boatright, if you please! I mus' have here ze quiet! Monsieur -Doane, you vill go at once to bed. It is so I order you. Go at once to -bed!” Doane slowly lifted his head and looked at M. Pour-munt. “Very -well,” he said quietly. “You are right, of course.” On these last few -words his voice broke, but he at once recovered control of it. He rose, -with an effort, moved a few slow steps, hesitated, then got painfully -down on one knee beside the limp groaning figure on the walk. He looked -directly at Dr. Cassin, as he said: - -“Is he badly hurt?” - -“I don't think so,” replied the physician simply, wholly herself. “The -skull doesn't seem to be fractured. We may find some concussion, of -course.” Doane's breath whistled convulsively inward. He knelt there, -silent, watching the deft fingers work. Then he said--under his breath, -but audibly enough: “What an awful thing to do! What a terrible thing to -do!” And got up. - -Boatwright hurried to help him. - -“I'll go with you, Elmer,” said Doane. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX--LIVING THROUGH - - -1 - -WHEN Griggsby Doane moved, pain shot through his lame muscle. A vaguely -heavy anxiety clouded his brain, engaged as it still was with the -specters of confusedly ugly dreams. - -The speckled area overhead was gradually coming clear; it appeared to -be a plastered ceiling, very small; a little cell of a place... oh, yes, -Elmer Boatwright's room! - -Faintly through the open window at the foot of the bed came the sound -of a distant, shot; another; a rattle of them. And other, nearer shots. -Then a slow whistling shriek and a crash. Then the rattle of a machine -gun, quite clear. Then a lull. - -He sensed a presence; felt rather than heard low breathing; with an -effort that was as much of the will as of the body he turned his head. - -Betty was sitting there, close by the bed, gently smiling. Almost -painfully his slow eyes took her in. She bent over and kissed him, then -her little hand nestled in his big one. They talked a little; he in a -natural enough manner, if very grave, spoke of his joy in finding her -safe. But as he spoke his mind, not yet wholly awake, took on a morbid -activity. Did she know what he had done in the night? Had they told her? -Anxiously, as she answered him, he searched her delicately pretty face. -How young she was! Dwelling amid tragedy, in a degree sobered by it, the -buoyancy of youth glowed in her brown eyes, in the texture of her skin, -in the waving masses of fine hair, in the soft vividness of her -voice; the touch of tragedy would, after all, rest lightly on her slim -shoulders. To her the world was young; of the bitter _impasse_ of middle -age she knew no hint. Men loved her, of course. Men had died for less -than she.... He pondered, swiftly, gloormly, the problem her very -existence presented. And he looked on her and spoke with a finer -tenderness than any he had before felt toward any living creature, even -toward the wife who had left her soul on earth in the breast of this -girl. - -He decided that they hadn't told her. After all, they wouldn't. They -were, when all was said, adult folk. He couldn't himself tell her. But -his predicament was pitiful. He knew now, from the honest love in her -eyes, that not the least black of his sins had been the doubting her. -Never again could he do that. But this realization brought him to the -verge of an attitude toward Jonathan Braehey that it was impossible for -him to entertain; the mere thought of that man roused emotions that -he could not control. But emotions, all sorts, must be controlled, of -course; on no other understanding can life be lived. If direct effort of -will is insufficient, then counter-activity must be set up. - -Betty protested when he told her he meant to get up at once. But it was -afternoon. He assured her that his wound was not serious; Dr. Cassin had -admitted that, and he had slept deeply. H is muscles were lame; but that -was an added reason for exercise. - -They had brought in some of the clothing of the large Australian. As he -pieced out a costume, he shaped a policy He couldn't, at once, fit into -the life of the compound. He couldn't face Brachey. Not yet. The only -hope of getting through these days of his passion lay in keeping himself -desperately active. He weighed a number of plans, finally discarding all -but one. Then he rang for a servant; and sent, while he ate a solitary -breakfast, a chit to M. Pourmont. - -2 - -The engineer received him at three. Neither spoke of the incident that -had brought them together in the night. To Doane, indeed, it was now, in -broad daylight and during most of the time, but a nightmare, unreal and -impossible. During the moments when it did come real, he could only set -his strong face and wait out the turbulence and bewilderment it stirred -in him. - -M. Pourmont found him very nearly himself; which was good. He seemed, -despite the bandaged shoulder and the thinner face, the Griggsby Doane -of old. But his proposal---he was grimly bent on it--was nothing less -than to make the effort, that night, to get through to the telegraph -station at Shau T'ing. - -M. Fourmunt took the position that the thing couldn't be done. After -losing two natives in the attempt, he had decided to conserve his -meager manpower and fall back on the certain fact that the legations -knew of the siege and were doubtless moving toward action of some sort. -Besides, he added, Duane with his courage and his extensive knowledge -of the local situation was the man above all others he could least well -spare. - -Doane, however, pressed his point. “Getting through the lines will be -difficult, but not impossible,” he said. “Remember I did get through -last night. I believe I can do it again to-night. Even if I should be -captured they may hesitate to kill me. I would ask nothing better than -to be taken before Kang. He would have to listen to me, I think. And if -I do succeed in establishing communication with Peking I may be able to -stir them to action. The Imperial Government can hardly admit that -they are backing Kang. It may even be possible to force them, through -diplomatic pressure alone, to repudiate him and use their own troops to -overthrow him. But first Peking must have the facts.” - -M. Pourmont smiled. - -“If you vill step wiz me,” he said, and led the way down a corridor -to his spacious dining-room. There on the table, stood a large basket -heaped with apples and pears. “Vat you t'ink, Monsieur Doane! But -yesterday comes _un drapeau bianc_ to ze gate viz a let-tair from zis -ol' Kang. He regret vair' much zat ve suffair _ici ze derangement_, an' -he hope zat vair' soon ve are again _confortable_. In Heaven, perhaps he -mean! _Chose donnante!_ An' he sen' _des fruits_ viz ze _compliments -of Son Excellence_ Kang Hsu to Monsieur Pourmont. _Et je vous demande, -qu'est-ce que cela fait?_” - -Doane considered this puzzle; finally shook his head over it. It was -very Chinese. Kang doubtless believed that through it he was deluding -the stupid foreigners and escaping responsibility for his savage course. - -Finally Doane won M. Pourmont's approval for his forlorn sally. He was, -in a wild way, glad. - -During the few hours left to him he must work rapidly, think hard. That, -too, was good. He decided to write a will. If he had little money to -leave Betty, at least there were things of his and her mother's. Elmer -Boatwright would help him. And he must tell Betty he was going. It was -curiously hard to face her, hard to meet the eye of his own daughter. He -winced at the thought. - -She had returned to the residence before him. He asked for her now. - -M. Pourmont, giving a moment more to considering this man, whom he -had long regarded with a respect he did not feel toward all the -missionaries, wondered, as he sent word to the young lady, what might -underlie that strange quarrel of the early morning. The only explanation -that occurred to him he promptly dismissed, for it involved the -little Mademoiselle's name in a manner which he could not permit to -be considered. M. Pourmont was a shrewd man; and he knew that the -Mademoiselle was ashamed of nothing. Nothing was wrong there. Like his -wife he had already learned to love the busy earnest girl. And then, -leaving M. Doane in the reception-room waiting for her, he returned to -his study and dismissed the whole matter from his mind. For the siege -was cruel business. One by one, some one every day, men and women and -children, were dying. The living had to subsist on diminishing rations, -for he had never foreseen housing and feeding so large a number. There -were problems--of discipline and morale, of tactics, of sanitation, of -burying the dead--that must be met and solved from hour to hour. - -On the whole, as he settled again into his endless, urgent task, M. -Pourmont was not sorry that M. Doane had won his consent to this last -desperate effort to reach those inhumanly deliberate white folk up at -Peking; men whose minds dwelt with precedents and policies while -their fellows, down here at Ping Yang, on a hillside, held off with -diminishing strength the destruction that seemed, at moments, certain to -fall. - -3 - -Doane, watching Betty as she entered the room attired in a long white -apron over her simple dress, knew that he must again beg the question -that lay between them. He could no more listen to the burden of her -heart than to the agony of his own. Sooner or later, if he lived, he -would have to work it out, decide about his life. If he lived.... - -“My dear,” he said, quickly for him, holding her hand more tightly than -he knew, “I have some news which I know you will take bravely.” - -He could feel her steady eyes on him. He hurried on. “I am going out -again to-night. There seems a good chance that I may get through to Shau -T'ing, with messages. I'm going to try.” - -His desire was to speak rapidly on, and then go. But he had to pause -at this. He heard her exclaim softly--“Oh, Dad!” And then after a -silence--“I'm not going to make it hard for you. Of course I understand. -Any of us may come to the end, of course, any moment. We've just got to -take it as it comes. But--I--it does seem as if--after all you've been -through, Dad--as if--” - -He felt himself shaking his head. - -“No,” he said. “No. It's my job, dear.” - -“Very well, Dad. Then you must do it. I know. But I do wish you could -have a day or two more to rest. If you could”--this wistfully--“perhaps -they'd let me off part of the time to take care of you. You know, I'm -nursing. I'd be stern. You'd have to sleep a lot, and eat just \vhat I -gave you.” She patted his arm as she spoke; then added this: “Of course -it's not the time to think of personal things. But there's one thing -I've got to tell you pretty soon, Dad. A strange experience has come -to me. It's puzzling. I can't see the way very clearly. But it's very -wonderful. I believe it's right--really right. It's a man.” - -She rushed on with it. “I wanted you to meet him to-night. He's--out -in the trenches, all day, up the hill. We're expecting word--a -cablegram--when they get through to us. And when that comes, I'd have -to tell you all about it. He'll come to you then. But I--well, I had to -tell you this much. It's been a pretty big experience, and I don't like -to think of going through it like this without your even knowing about -it from me, and knowing, too, no matter what they may say”--her voice -wavered--“that it's--it's--all right.” Her hands reached suddenly up -toward his shoulders; she clung to him, like the child she still, in his -heart, seemed. - -He could trust himself only to speak the little words of comfort he -would have used with a child. He felt that he was not helping her; -merely standing there, helpless in the grip of a fate that seemed bent -on racking his soul to the final Emit of his spiritual endurance. - -“This won't do,” she said. “I have no right to give way. They need me in -the hospital. I shall think of you every minute, Dad. I'm very proud of -you.” - -She kissed him and rushed away. He walked back to Elmer Boatwright's -room fighting off a sense of unreality that had grown so strong as to -be alarming. It was all a nightmare now--the manly dogged faces in the -compound, the wailing sounds from the native quarter, the intermittent -shots, the smells, the very sun that blazed down on the tiling. Nothing -seemed really to matter. He knew well enough, in a corner of his mind, -that this mood was the most dangerous of all. It lay but a step from -apathy; and apathy, to such a nature as his, would mean the end. - -So he busied himself desperately. The simple will he left for Boatwright -with instructions that it was to be given to Betty in the event of his -death. It seemed that the little man was one of a machine-gun crew -and could not be reached until well on in the evening; he had turned -fighter, like the others. - -He sewed up his tattered knapsack and filled it with a sort of iron -ration. He wrote letters, including a long one to Henry Withery, -addressed in care of Dr. Hidderleigh's office at Shanghai. He framed -with care the messages that were to go over the wires to Peking. He ate -alone, and sparingly. And early, as soon as darkness settled over the -scene of petty but bitter warfare, he clipped out of the compound and -disappeared, carrying no weapon but his walking stick. - - - - -CHAPTER XX--LIGHT - - -1 - -DOANE walked, carelessly erect, to a knoll something less than a -hundred yards northeast of the compound and off to the left of the ride -pits. Here he stood for a brief time, listening. He purposed going out -through the lines as he had come in through them, by crawling, hiding, -feeling his way foot by foot. The line was thinnest in front of the -rifle pits, and just to the left where the upper machine gun commanded a -defile. - -He had allowed two hours for the journey through the lines, but it -consumed nearly four. At one point he lay for an hour behind a stone -trough while a squad of Lookers built a fire and brewed tea. A recurring -impulse was to walk calmly in among those yellow men and go down -fighting. It seemed as good a way as any to go. He found it necessary to -hold with a strong effort of will to the thought of his fellow's in the -compound; that to save them, and to save Betty, he must carry through. - -Toward one o'clock in the morning, now well to the eastward of the -besieging force, he swung into his stride. It seemed, in the retrospect, -absurdly like the play of children to be hiding and crawling about the -hillsides. But he was glad now that he had somehow, painfully, kept -his head. Barring the unforeseen, the diplomatic gentlemen up at Peking -would find the news awaiting them when they came to their desks in the -morning. After that noting that he might do would greatly matter. He -could follow these powerfully recurring impulses if he chose; let -the end come. That was now his greatest desire. Life had become quite -meaningless. Except for Betty.... - -2 - -Shau T'ing was but another of the innumerable rural villages that dot -northern China. Though there were a railway station, and sidings, and -a quaintly American water tank set high on posts. The inns were but the -familiar Oriental caravansaries; no modern hotel, no “Astor House,” had -sprung up as yet to care for newly created travel. - -As he approached the stream that ran through a loess canyon a mile or -more west of the village he glimpsed, ahead, a group of soldiers seated -about a fire. Just behind them were stacks of rifles; this much he saw -and surmised with the help of the firelight. And the first glow of dawn -was breaking in the east. He left the highway and swung around through -the fields, passing between scattered grave mounds from whose tops -the white joss papers fluttered in the gray twilight like timid little -ghosts. - -He crossed the gorge by the old suspension footbridge, with the -crumbling memorial arches at either end bearing, each characteristic -inscriptions suggestive of happiness and peace. Looking down-stream he -could dimly see that the railway bridge lay, a tangle of twisted steel, -in the stream, leaving the abutments of white stone rearing high in the -air with wisps of steel swinging aimlessly from the tops. - -He half circled the village, and waited outside the eastern gate until -the massive doors swung open at sunrise. - -He went to the leading inn, and gave up an hour to eating the food in -his knapsack and cleaning his mud-dyed clothing. The innkeeper informed -him, when he brought the boiled water, that another white man had been -there for three days. After this Doane went down to the station. A -solitary engine was puffing and clanking among the sidings, apparently -making up a train. - -A number of the blue-turbaned military police stood sentry-go here and -there about the yard, each with fixed bayonet. Within the room that -was at once ticket office and telegraph station sat the Chinese agent -cheerfully contemplating a slack day. - -Doane wrote out his messages, and stood over the man until they were -sent; then walked slowly back toward the inn. His task, really, was -done. He would wait until night, of course; there might be replies. But -at most his only further service would be in carrying hopeful messages -to the beleaguered folk at Ting Yang. Beyond that he would be but one -more human unit to fight and to be fed. Debit and credit, they seemed -just about to balance, those two items. Fastening his door he stretched -out on the _kang_. - -He was awakened at the close of day by the innkeeper bringing food. The -man set out two plates on the dusty old table. Doane sat on the edge of -the _kang_ and drowsily wondered why. He had slept heavily. He stood up; -moved about the room; he was only a little stiff. Indeed his strength -was surely returning. He felt almost his old self, physically. - -There was a knock at the door. In Chinese he called, “Enter!” - -The door slowly opened, and a drab little man came in, walking with a -slight limp, and stood looking at him out of dusty blue eyes. He carried -a packet of papers. - -“Grigg!” he exclaimed softly. - -“Henry Withery!” cried Doane, “What on earth are you doing here?” - -Withery smiled, and laid hat and packet on the table. - -“I've arranged to dine with you,” he explained. “You won't mind?” - -“Of course not, Henry. But why are you here?” - -“My plans were changed.” - -“Evidently. Do sit down.” - -“I came back to find you. I've been waiting here for a chance to get -through. We've worried greatly, of course. A rumor came from the Chinese -that you were killed.” - -“I nearly was,” said Doane quietly. A cloud had crossed his face as he -listened. At every point, apparently, at each fresh contact with life, -he was to be brought face to face with his predicament. It would be -pitiless business, of course, all the way through, for the severest -judge of all he had yet to face dwelt within his own breast; long after -the world had forgotten, that judge would be pronouncing sentence upon -him. - -“You got through to Shanghai?” he asked abruptly. - -Withery, touched by his appearance, a little disturbed by his nervously -abrupt manner, inclined his head. - -“Well, it's out, I suppose. What are they saying about me, Henry? -Really, you'd better tell me. I've got to live through this thing, you -know. I may as well have the truth at once.” - -Withery lowered his eyes; fingered the chopsticks that lay by his plate. - -“No,” he said slowly. “No, Grigg, it's not out.” - -“But you know of it. Surely others do, then. And they'll talk. It's the -worst way. It'll run wild. I'd rather face a church trial than that.” - He was himself unaware that he had been constantly brooding upon this -aspect of his trouble, yet the words came snapping out as if he had -thought of nothing else. - -“Now, Grigg,” said Withery, in the same deliberately thoughtful way, -“I want you to let me talk. I've come way back here just to do that. -Hidderleigh showed me your letter. Then in my presence, he destroyed it. -I have promised him I would speak of it to no one but you. ... Neither -you nor I could have foreseen just how Hidderleigh would take this. -He is, of course, as he has always been, a dogmatic thinker. But like -others of us, he has grown some with the years. He's less narrow, Grigg. -He knows you pretty well--your ability, your influence. He respects -you.” - -“Respects me?” Doane nearly laughed. - -“Yes. He sees as clearly as you or I could that any human creature may -slip. And he knows that no single slip is fatal. Grigg, he wants you to -go back and take up your work.” - -Doane could not at once comprehend this astonishing statement. He was -deeply moved. Withery by his simple friendliness had already done much -to restore in his mind, for the moment, a normal feeling for life. - -“But he feels, Grigg, that you ought to marry again.” - -Doane shook his head abruptly. - -“No,” he cried, “I can't consider that. Not now.” - -“As he said to me, Grigg, 'It is not good for man to be alone!'” - -Withery let the subject rest here, and asked about the fighting. The -whole outside world was watching these Hansi hills, it appeared. The -Imperial Government was already disclaiming responsibility. Troops were -on their way, from Hong Kong, from the Philippines, from Indo-China. - -“It will be a month or so before they can get out here,” mused Doane. - -“Oh, yes! At best.” - -“Meantime, the compound will fall at the first really determined attack. -They've been afraid of Pour-mont's machine guns--I heard some of their -talk last night, and the night before--but let Kang come to a decision -to drive them in and they'll go. That will settle it in a day.” - -“Will they have the courage?” - -“I think so. You and I know these people, Henry. They're brave enough. -All they lack is leadership, and organization. And this crowd have a -strong fanaticism to hold them up. Once let Kang appeal to their spirit -and they'll have to go in to save face. For if they can't be seen the -only danger is of an accident here and there. And, for that matter, Kang -may simply be waiting for Pourmont to use up his ammunition. It can't -last a great while, not in a real siege, which this is.” - -“By the way,” said Withery a little later, “here is a lot of mail for -Pourmont's people. It's been accumulating. There was no way to get it to -them.” - -“I'll take it in,” said Doane. - -“You? You don't mean that you're going to ran that gauntlet again, -Grigg?” - -“Yes.” He untied the packet, and looked through the little heap of -envelopes. One was a cablegram addressed to Jonathan Brachey. He held -it in tense fingers; gazed at it long while the pulse mounted in his -temples. “Oh, yes,” he said, almost casually then, “I'm going hack in. -They'll be looking for me.” But his thoughts were running wild again. - -Withery said, before he left, “I'm going to ask you not to answer -Hidderleigh's request until you've thought it over carefully. My own -feeling is that he is right.” - -“Suppose,” said Doane, “my final decision should be--as I think it -will--that I can't go back. What will they do?” - -“Then I've promised him, I'll go in and take up your work. As soon as -this trouble is over.” - -“That knocks out your year at home, Henry.” - -“Yes, but what matters it? Very likely I shall find more happiness in -working, after all. That isn't what disturbs me.... Grigg, if you leave -the church it will be, I think, the severest blow of my life. I--I'm -going to tell you this--for years I've leaned on you. You didn't know, -but I've made a better job of my life for knowing that you too were hard -at it, just beyond the mountains. We haven't seen much of each other, of -late years, but I've felt you there.” - -Doane's stern face softened as he looked at his old friend. - -“And I've felt you, Henry,” he replied gently. - -“Your blunders are those of strength, not of weakness, Grigg. Perhaps -your greatest mistake has been in leaning a little too strongly on -yourself. What I want you to consider now is giving self up, in every -way.” - -But Duane shook his great head. - -“No, Henry--no! I've given to the uttermost for years. And it has -wrecked my life--” - -“No, Grigg! Don't say that!” - -“Well--put it as you will. The trouble has been that I was doing wrong -all the time--for years--as I told you back in Tiaman, I was doing the -wrong thing. It led, all of it, to sin. For that sin, of course, I've -suffered, and must suffer more. The best reason I could think of for -going back would be to keep this added burden off your shoulders. But -that would be wrong too. It's getting a little clearer to me. I know -now that I've got to face my doubts and my sins, take them honestly for -whatever they may be. Each life must function in its own way. In the -eagerness of youth I chose wrong. I must now take the consequences. -Good-by, now! There's barely time to slip through the lines before -dawn.” - -Withery rose. “I'll go with you,” he said. - -“No. I won't allow that. You haven't the strength. You're not an -outdoor man We should have to separate anyway; together we should almost -certainly be caught. No. You stay here and get word through to them -from day to day if you can find any one to undertake it. It will mean -everything to them to hear from the outside world. Good luck!” - -He took the packet and went out. - -3 - -Again it was dawn Griggsby Doane stood on the crest of a terraced hi'! -looking off into the purple west. But a few miles farther on lay Ping -Yang. - -Beneath him, near the foot of the slope, four coolies were already at -the radiating windlasses of a well, and tiny streams of yellow water -were trickling along troughs in the loess toward this and that field, -where bent silent farmers waited clod in hand to guide the precious -fluid from furrow to furrow. Still farther down, along the sunken -highway, a few venturesome muleteers led their trains. No outposts in -the Looker uniform were to be seen. And he heard no shots. It would be a -lull, then, in the fighting. - -He descended the hill, dropped into the road, and walked, head high, -toward Ping Yang. As he swung along he heard, far off, the shots his -ears had strained for on the hill; one, another, then a spattering -volley; but he walked straight on. The Mongols and Chihleans on the road -gave him no more than the usual glance of curiosity. He passed through -a village; Ping Yang would be the next. The railway grade--here -an earthen rampart, there a cutting, yonder a temporary wooden -trestle--paralleled the highway, cutting into the heart of old China -like a surgeon's knife, letting out superstition and festering poverty, -letting n the strong fluids of commerce and education. He felt the -health of it profoundly, striding on alone through the cool, dear -morning air. It was imperfect, of course, this Western civilization that -he had so nearly come to doubt; yet, materialistic in its nature or not, -it was the best that the world had to offer at the moment. It was what -the amazing instinct in man to push on, to better his body and his -brain, had brought the world to. It seemed, now, a larger expression of -the vitality he felt within himself, the force that he had so lavishly -expended in a direction that was wrong for him. - -He felt this, which could not have been less than the beginning of a new -focus of his misdirected, scattered powers, and yet he walked straight -on toward the red army that was sworn to kill all the whites. And -though his brain still told him, coolly, without the slightest sense of -personal concern, that he would probably be slain within the hour, his -heart, or his rising spirit, as calmly dismissed the report. - -It might come, of course. He literally didn't care. Death might come at -any moment to any man. The present moment was his; and the next, and the -next, until the last whenever it should come. He walked with a thrilling -sense of power, above the world. For the world, life itself, was -suddenly coming back to him. He had been ill--for years, he knew now--of -a sick faith. Now he was well. If the old dogmatic religion was gone, he -was sensing a new personal religion of work, of healthy functioning, -of unquestioning service in the busy instinctive life of the world. He -would turn, not away from life to a mystical Heaven, but straight -into life at its busiest, head up, as now on the old highway of Hansi, -trusting his instinct as a human creature. No matter how difficult the -start he would plunge in and live his life out honestly. Betty remained -the problem; he knit his brows at the thought; but the new flame in -his heart blazed steadily higher. Whatever the problems, he couldn't he -headed now. - -“What a morbid, sick fool I've been!” It was the cry of a heart new born -to health. It occurred to him, then, as he heard his own voice, that -this new sense of light had come to him as suddenly as that other light -that smote Paul on the Damascus road. It had the force, as he considered -it now, of a miracle.... - -4 - -The road was blocked ahead. Drawing near, he saw beyond the mules and -horses and men of the highway and the curious, pressing country folk a -considerable number of yellow turbans crowding the road canyon. There -must have been a hundred or more, with many rifle muzzles slanting -crazily above them. After a moment the rabble broke toward him. - -Doane did not wait for them to discover him, but raising his stick and -calling for room to pass he walked in among them. He stood head and -shoulders above them, a suddenly appearing white giant whom a few -resisted at first, but more gave way to as he pushed firmly through. -Emerging on the farther side he walked on his way without so much as -looking back. And not a shot had been fired. - -The road wound its way between steep walls of loess, so that ii was -impossible at any point to see far ahead. He came upon other, smaller -groups of the Lookers. Only one man, the largest of them, threatened -him, but as the man raised the butt of his rifle Doane snatched the -weapon from him and knocked him down with it; then tossed it aside and -strode on as before. - -He came at length to a scenic arch in a notch. Through the arch Ping -Yang could be seen in its valley. - -He stopped and looked. Near at hand were the tents of some of the Looker -soldiery; beyond lay the village; and beyond that on the hillside, the -compound of the company, lying as still as if it were deserted. There -were no puffs of smoke, no sounds along the village street; between the -outlying houses small figures appeared to Le bustling about, but they -made no noise that could be heard up here. The scene was uncanny. - -Doane, however, went on down the hill. None of the Lookers were in -evidence now on the winding street, but only the silent, curious -villagers; this until two soldiers in blue came abruptly out of a house; -and then two others firmly holding by the arms a man in red and yellow -with an embroidered square on the breast of his tunic that marked him as -an officer of rank. Other soldiers followed, one bearing a large curved -sword. - -Doane stopped to watch. - -Without ceremony the officer's wrists were tied behind his back. He was -kicked to his knees. A blue soldier seized his queue and with it jerked -his head forward. The swordsman, promptly, with one clean blow', severed -the neck; then wiped his sword on the dead man's clothing and marched -away with the others, carrying the head. - -Duane shivered slightly, compressed his lips, and, paler, walked on. -He passed other blue soldiers in the heart of the village, and a row of -Lookers standing without arms. Emerging from the straggling groups of -houses beyond the village wall he took the road up the hill. Away up the -slope he could see the men of the outposts standing and sitting on the -parapets of the rifle pits. At the gate of the compound he called out. - -The gate opened, and closed behind him. Within stood men of the -garrison, and women, and behind them the Chinese. All looked puzzled. -Many tongues greeted him at once, eagerly questioning. - -He looked about from one to another of the thin weary faces with burning -eyes that hung on his slightest gesture, and slowly shook his head. He -could answer none of their questions. He was searching for one face that -meant more to him than all the others. It was not there. He walked on -toward the house occupied by the Boatwrights. Just as he was turning in -there he saw Betty. She was tunning across from the residence. - -“On, Dad!” she cried. “You're back!” Her arms were around his neck. “How -wonderful! And you're well--like your old self.” - -[Illustration: 0357] - -“Better than my old self, dear,” he said, with a tender smile, and -kissed her forehead. - -“I can't stay, Dad. I just ran out. Wasn't it strange--I saw you from -the window! But what's happened? What is it? Everybody's so puzzled. -Have the troops come?”. - -He shook his head. - -“But it's something. Everybody's terribly excited.” - -“I don't understand it myself, dear. Though I walked through it, -apparently.” - -“Oh, look! They're opening the gate! What is it?” She hopped with -impatience, like a child, and clapped her hands. “Oh, I mustn't stay! -But tell m, do you think this dreadful business is over?” - -“I believe it is, Betty.” - -She ran back to her post. And he returned to the gate. - -An odd little cavalcade was moving deliberately up the hill. In front -marched a soldier in blue bearing a large white flag (an obviously -Western touch, this). Behind him came a squad in column of fours, on -foot and unarmed; then a green sedan chair with four pole-men; behind -this three pavilions with carved wooden tops, of the sort carried in -wedding processions, each with four bearers; and last another squad of -foot soldiers. - -Just outside the gate they came to a halt. The soldiers formed in line -on either side of the road. An officer advanced and asked permission to -enter. This was granted. At once the chairmen set down their burden. The -carved door opened, and a young Chinese gentleman stepped out. He was -tall, slim, with large spectacles; and moved with a quiet dignity that -amounted to a distinction of bearing. His long robe was of shimmering -blue silk embroidered in rose and gold; and the embroidered emblem on -his breast exhibited the silver pheasant of a mandarin of the fifth -class. On his head, the official, bowl-shaped straw hat with red tassel -was surmounted with a ball or button of crystal an inch in diameter set -in a mount of exquisitely worked gold. His girdle clasp also was of -worked gold with a plain silver button. The shoes that appeared beneath -the hem of his robe were richly embroidered and had thick white soles. - -Calmly, deliberately, he entered the compound. One of the engineers, an -American, addressed him in the Mandarin tongue. He replied, in a deep -musical voice, with a pronounced intonation that gave this mellow -language, to a casual ear, something the sound of French. - -The engineer bowed, and together they moved toward the residence, where -a somewhat mystified M. Pourmont awaited them. But first the mandarin -turned and signaled to the pavilion bearers, who still waited outside -the gate. These came in now, and it became evident that the ornate -structures were laden with gifts. There were platters of fruits and -of sweetmeats, bottles of wine, cooked dishes, and small caskets, some -carved, others lacquered, that might have contained jewels. - -Doane, quietly observing the scene, found something familiar in the -appearance of the envoy. Something vaguely associated with the judge's -yamen at T'ainan-fu. Certainly, on some occasion, he had seen the man. -He stood for a brief time watching the two figures, a white man in -stained brown clothing, unkempt of appearance but vigorous in person, -walking beside the elegant young mandarin, appearing oddly crude beside -him, curiously lacking in the grace that marked every slightest movement -of the silk-clad Oriental; and the picture dwelt for a time among his -thoughts--the oldest civilization in the world, and the youngest. -Crude vigor, honest health, contrasted with a decadence that clung -meticulously to every slightest subtlety of etiquette. And behind the -two, towering above the heads of the ragged bearers, the curving pointed -roofs of the three pavilions, still gaily bizarre in form and color -despite the weatherbeaten condition of the paint; a childish touch, -suggestive of circus day in an American village. Suggestive, too, -whimsically, of the second childhood of the oldest race. - -Doane, reflecting thus, slowly followed them to the residence. - -5 - -Jonathan Brachey sat moodily on the parapet. Down below, the compound -(a crowded mass of roofs within a rectangle of red-gray wail) and below -that the straggling village, stood out as blocked-in masses of light and -shadow under the slanting rays of the morning sun. - -A French youth, beside him, polishing his rifle with a greasy rag, -looked up with a question. - -Brachey shook his head; he had no information. He looked over toward the -other pit. The Australian in command there (three nights earlier they -had buried Swain) waved a carelessly jocular hand and went on nibbling a -biscuit. - -The thing might be over; it might not. Brachey found himself almost -perversely disturbed, however, at the prospect of peace. He had supposed -that he hated this dirty, bloody business. He saw no glory in fighting, -merely primitive blood-lust; an outcropping of the beast in man; -evidence that in his age-long struggle upward from the animal stage of -existence man had yet a long, long way to climb. But from the thought of -losing this intense preoccupation, of living quietly with the emphasis -again placed on personal problems, he found himself shrinking. What a -riddle it was! - -He spoke shortly to the French youth, took up his own rifle, and led the -way up the hill to the bullet-spattered farm compounds. They were quite -deserted. Only the huddled, noxious dead remained. He went on up the -hillside, searching all the hiding-places of those red and yellow -vandals who had filled his thoughts by day and haunted his sleep at, -night; but all were empty of human life. A great amount of rubbish was -left--cooking utensils, knives, old Chinese-made rifles and swords, bits -of uniforms. He found even a jade ring and a few strings of brass cash. - -Weary of spirit he returned to the rifle pits only to find these, too, -deserted. From the upper redoubt a man was waving, beckoning. Apparently -the compound gate was open, and a group of soldiers standing in line -outside; but these soldiers wore blue. Through his glasses he surveyed -the moving dots near the village; none wore red and yellow. - -The man was still waving from the redoubt. The French youth, he found -now, was looking up at him, that eager question still in his eyes. He -nodded. With a sudden wild shout the boy ran down the hill, waving bis -rifle over his head. - -So it was peace--sudden, enigmatic. Brachey sat again on the parapet. -Griggsby Doane was doubtless there (Brachey knew nothing of his journey; -he had not seen Betty. What could he say to him, to the father whom -Betty loved? - -This wouldn't do, of course. He rose, a set dogged expression on his -long, always serious face, and went slowly down the hill; and with only -a nod to this person and that got to his tent. Once within, he closed -the flaps and sat on the cot. He discovered then that he had brought -with him one of the strings of cash, and jingled it absently against his -knee. - -Voices sounded outside. Men were standing before the tent. - -Then the flaps parted, and he beheld the spectacled, pleasantly smiling -face of Mr. Po. - -“Oh,” he said, more shortly than he knew. “Come in!” - -Mr. Po stepped inside, letting the flaps fall together behind him. He -made a splendid figure in blue and gold, as he removed the round hat -with its red plume and crystal ball and laid it on the rude table. - -“I'm glad to see you're still sound of life and limb and fresh as a -daisy,” he remarked cheerfully. “With permission I will sit here a bit -for informal how-do chin-chin, and forget from minute to minute all -ceremonial dam-foolishness.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXI--THE SOULS OF MEN - - -1 - -WELL,” continued Mr. Po expansively, “I've certainly had a pretty -kettle of fish about my ears.” - -Brachey filled and lighted his pipe, and yielded his senses for a -moment to the soothing effect of the fragrant smoke. - -“Is the fighting really over?” he asked. - -“Oh, yes!” - -“But why? What's happened?” - -Mr. Po indulged in his easy, quiet laugh. - -“To begin at first blush,” he said, settling comfortably back as If -launched on a long narrative, “while out on scouting leap in dark I -stumbled plump on Lookers, and by thunder, it was necessary to trust -broken reed of lying on stomach hi open ground!” - -“They caught you?” - -“Oh, yes! For hell of a while I held breath, but with dust in nose it -became unavoidable to sneeze. I would then have lost head promptly but -officer of yamen entourage of Kang spotted me and said, 'What the devil -you doing here!' With which I explain of course that I escape by hook -or crook from white devils. Then I appear before general and demand -audience discussion with old Kang. Old reprobate received me and made -long speech. Perfectly absurd! He said I must go to T'ainan-fu as his -particular guest and speak to His Excellency Pao Ting Chuan his message, -like this: - -“'For many years I have known and respected your abilities as scholar -and statesman of huge understanding ability. We have both seen, you and -I, continuing unprincipled encroachment of foreign devil on preserves -of our ancient and fruitful land, while the sorrow of our own Hansi -Province under heel of foreign mining syndicate despot is matter of -common ill repute to us both. Now as loyal friend and unswervingly -determined on destroying all evil influence of foreign devils, I invite -you as guest to share with me pleasure of witnessing capture and utter -destruction of foreign compound at Ping Yang. Omens agree on midnight of -to-day week, following banquet of state and theatrical performance at -my headquarters, at which favorite amateur actor Wang Lo Hsu will recite -historical masterpiece, “The Song of Wun Hsing.” And as my cooks are all -wretched creatures, unworthy of catering to poorest classes, I beg of -you bring delicately expert cook of Canton that I may again rejoice in -delightful memory of sweet lotus soup.'” - -Mr. Po paused to light a cigarette. - -“So you went back to Tiainan?” asked Brachey. - -“Oh, no, I was taken back against grain as prisoner of large armed -guard.” - -“And you delivered the message?” - -“Oh, yes!” - -“Pao didn't accept, of course. Though I don't see how he could get out -of it. He had no soldiers to speak of, did he?” - -“Oh, yes, some. These he sent by northern road to region of Shan Tang, -only thirty _li_ away from Ping Yang. And then he accept, for His -Excellency is great statesman. Nobody yet ever put it over on His -Excellency, not so you could notice it. Without frown or smile he -assemble secretaries, runners and lictors of yamen. banner-men, some -concubines and eunuchs and come post-haste.” - -“So he's here now?” - -“Oh, yes. We have large establishment at temple over on neighboring -hill. And everything's all right. O. K.” - -“You'll forgive me if I don't at all understand why.” - -“Naturally. I am going to make clear as cotton print. For a day or so -everything was as disorderly as the dickens, of course. You couldn't -hear yourself think. And sleep? My God, there wasn't _any_. And of -course after death of old reprobate Lookers went to pieces and raised -Ned. It became necessary to punish leaders and all that sort of thing. -You see, Dame Rumor gets move on in China, runs around like scared -chicken, faster than telegraph, I sometimes think. And when Lookers -heard stories, that Imperial Government up at Peking wasn't so crazy -about giving them support, and might even hand them double-cross lemon, -they began to think about patching holes in fences. They just blew -up. And His Excellency”--he chuckled--“he grasped situation like chain -lightning. Oh, but he's whale of a fellow, His Excellency!” Brachey -smoked reflectively as he studied this curiously bloodless enthusiast. -Evidently behind the humorously inadequate English speech of Mr. Po -there was, if it could be got at, a stirring drama of intrigue. A -typical Oriental drama, bearing a smooth surface of silken etiquette -but essentially cruel and bloody. The difficulty would be, of course, in -getting at it, drawing it out piecemeal and putting it together. - -“His Excellency will now clean up whole shooting match,” Mr. Po went on. -“No more Ho Shan Company!” And he waved his cigarette about to indicate -the compound. - -“Oh, that goes, too?” - -“Oh, yes! His Excellency has at once telegraphed agent-general -at Tientsin for final show-down price on surrender of all leases, -agreements, expenses, bribes and absolute good riddance. They say three -million taels cash. To-morrow we shall throw it at their heads. And so -much for that!” - -“H'm!” mused Brachey. “Pretty quick work. Rather takes one's breath -away.” - -“Oh, yes! But His Excellency's son of a gun.” - -“Evidently. But I'm still in the dark as to how this rather -extraordinary change came about. Did I understand you to say that Kang -is dead?” - -“Oh, yes! Night before last.” - -“How did that happen?” - -“Oh, well--it's just as well not to give this away--on arrival at Ping -Yang His Excellency made at once prepare bowl of sweet lotus soup and -send it with many compliments and hopes of good omens to old devil.” - -“You mean--there was poison in it?” - -“Oh, yes! Pretty darned hard to put it over His Excellency. After that -it was no trouble at all to behead commanders of Looker troops.” - -“Naturally,” was Brachey's only comment. He proceeded to draw out, bit -by bit, other details of the story. - -Some one stepped before the tent, and a strong voice called: - -“Mr. Brachey.” - -With a nervously abrupt movement Brachey sprang up and threw back the -flaps; and beheld, standing there, stooping in order that he might see -within, the giant person of Griggsby Doane. - -2 - -Brachey bowed coldly. Doane's strong gaunt face worked perceptibly. - -Brachey said: - -“Won't you come in, sir? The tent is”--there was a pause--“the tent -is small, but... You are perhaps acquainted with Mr. Po Sui-an of the -yamen of His Excellency Pao Ting Chuan.” - -Mr. Doane bowed toward the Chinese gentleman. - -“I think I have seen Mr. Po at the yamen,” he said, speaking now in the -slow grave way of the old Griggsby Doane. “You bring good news?” - -“Oh, yes!” Mr. Po lighted a cigarette. “We shall doubtless in jiffy see -you again at T'ainan-fu.” - -Doane looked thoughtfully, intently at him, then replied in the simple -phrase, “It may be.” To Brachey he said now, producing a white envelope, -“I found this, cablegram held for you at Shau T'ing, sir.” - -Brachey took the envelope; stood stiffly holding it unopened before him. -For a moment the eyes of these two men met. Then Doane broke the tension -by simply raising his head, an action which removed it from the view of -the men within the tent. - -“Good morning,” he said rather gruffly. And “Good morning, Mr. Po.” - -He was well out of ear-shot when Brachey's gray lips mechanically -uttered the two words, “Thank you.” From a distant corner of the -compound came the fresh voices of young men--Americans and Australian -and English--raised in crudely pleasant harmony They were singing _My -Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean_. As they swung into the rolling, rollicking -refrain, women's voices joined in faintly from here and there about -the compound.... Brachey seemed to be listening. Then, again, abruptly -starting into action, he stepped outside the tent and stared across the -courtyard after Griggby Doane.... Then, as abruptly, he remembered his -guest and returned within the tent, with an almost muttered “I beg your -pardon.” - -“Oh, go on--read your cablegram!” said Mr. Po good-humoredly. - -Bradley looked at him; then at the envelope--turning it slowly over. His -hands trembled. This fact appeared to disturb him. He held one hand -out before his face and watched it intently, finally lowering it with -a quick nervous shake of the head. He seated himself again on the cot; -tore off an end of the envelope; caught his breath; then sat motionless -with the bit of paper that meant to him everything in life, or nothing, -hanging between limp fingers. A puzzling reminder of the strange man, -Griggsby Doane, was the painful throbbing in his head.... They were -singing again, about the compound--it was the college song of his youth, -_Solomon Levi_. - -He thought, with another of those odd little mental and physical jerks, -again of his guest; and heard himself saying--weakly it seemed, like -a man talking in dreams--“You will think me...” But found himself -addressing an empty enclosure of canvas. Mr. Po had slipped out and -dropped the flaps. That he could have done this unobserved frightened -Brachey a little. He looked again at his trembling hand. - -Again he raised the envelope. Until this moment he had assumed that it -could be but one message to himself and Betty; but now he knew vividly -better. - -Anything might have happened. It was unthinkable that he should want the -courage to read it. He had foreseen no such difficulty. Perhaps if it -had come by any other hand than that of Griggsby Doane.... - -His thoughts wandered helplessly back over the solitary life he had -led... wandering in Siam and Borneo and Celebes, dwelling here and there -in untraveled corners of India, picking up the quaint folklore of the -Malay Peninsula, studying the American sort of social organization in -the Philippines... eight years of it! He had begun as a disheartened -young man, running bitterly away from the human scheme in which he found -no fitting niche. Yes, that was it, after all; he had run away! He had -begun with a defeat, based his working life on just that. The five -substantial books that now stood to his name in every well-stocked -library in America, as in many in England and on the Continent, were, -after all, but stop-gaps in an empty life. They were a subterfuge, those -books.........All the hard work, the eager close thinking, was now, -suddenly, meaningless. That he had chosen work instead of drink, that he -had been, after all, a decent fellow, pursuing neither chance nor women, -seemed immaterial. - -The curse of an active imagination was on him now, and was riding him as -wildly as ever witch rode a broomstick. - -The very bit of paper in his hand was nothing if not the symbol of his -terrible failure in the business called living. As he had built his work -on failure, was he, inevitably, to build the happiness of himself and -Betty on the same painful foundation. Even if the paper should announce -his freedom? Bitterly he repeated aloud the word, “Freedom!” Then -“Happiness?”... What were these elusive things? Were they in any sense -realities? - -He nerved himself and read the message: - -“Absolute decree granted you are free.” - -He tossed it, with its unpunctuated jumble of words, on the table. - -A little later, though he still indulged in this scathing self-analysis, -the habit of meeting responsibilities that was more strongly a part of -his nature than in this hour of utter emotion he knew, began to assert -itself. The strong character that had led him, after all, out to fight -and to build his mental house, was largely the man. - -He slowly got up and stood before the square bit of mirrror that hung -on the rear tent-pole; then looked down at his mud-stained clothes. -Deliberately, almost painfully, he shaved and dressed. It was -characteristic that he put on a stiff linen collar. - -There was, to a man of his stripe, just one thing to do: and that thing -he was going at directly, firmly. Until it was done he could not so much -as speak to Betty. Of the outcome of this effort he had no notion; he -was going at it doggedly, with his character rather than with his -mind. Indeed the mind quibbled, manufactured little delays, hinted at -evasions. He even listened to these whisperings, entertained them; but -meanwhile went straight on with his dressing. - -3 - -As he emerged from the tent sudden noises assailed his ears. A line of -young men danced in lock step, doing a serpentine from one areaway to -another, and waving and shouting merrily as they passed. There was still -the singing, somewhere; one of the songs of Albert Chevalier, who -had not then been forgotten. He heard vaguely, with half an ear, the -enthusiastic outburst of sound on the final line: - -“Missie 'Enry 'Awkins is a first-class nyme!” - -So it was a day of celebration! He had forgotten that it would be. -But of course! Even the Chinese were at it; he could hear one of their -flageolets wailing, and, more faintly, stringed instruments. - -He walked directly to the building occupied by the Boatwrights; sent in -his card to Mr. Doane. - -He was shown into a little cubicle of a room. Here was the huge man, -rising from an absurdly small work table that had been crowded in by -the window, between the wall and the foot of the bed. He was writing, -apparently, a long letter. - -Brachey, an odd figure to Doane's eyes, in his well-made suit and stiff -white collar, stood on the sill, as rigid as a soldier at attent ion. - -“I am interrupting you,” he said, almost curtly, - -For the first time Griggsby Doane caught a glimpse of the man Brachey -behind that all but forbidding front; and he hesitated, turning for -a moment, stacking his papers together, and with a glance at the open -window laying a book across them. - -He had said, kindly enough, “Oh, no, indeed! Come right in.” But his -thoughts were afield, or else he was busily, quickly, rearranging them. - -Brachey stepped within, and closed the door. Here they were, these two, -at last, shut together in a room. It was a moment of high tension. - -“Sit down,” said Doane, still busying himself at the table, but waving -an immense hand toward the other small chair. - -But Brachey stood... waiting... in his hand a folded paper. - -Finally Doane lifted his head, with a brusk but not unpleasant, “Yes, -sir?” - -Brachey, for a moment, pressed his lips tightly together. - -“Mr. Doane,” he said then, clipping his words off short, “may I first -ask you to read this cablegram?” - -Doane took the paper, started to unfold it, but then dropped it on the -table and stepped forward. - -And now for the first time Brachey sensed, behind this great frame and -the weary, haggard face, the real Griggsby Doane; and stood very still, -fighting for control over the confusion in his aching head. This was, he -saw now, a strong man; a great deal more of a personality than he had -supposed he would find. Even before the next words, he felt something of -what was coming, something of the vigorous honesty of the man. Doane had -been through recent suffering, that was clear Something---and even then, -in one of his keen mental dashes, Brachey suspected that it was a much -more personal experience than the Looker attack--something had upset -him. This wasn't a man to turn baby over a wound, or to lose his head in -a little fighting. No, it was an illness of the soul that had hollowed -the eyes and deepened the grooves between them. But it didn't matter. -What did matter was that he was now, in this gentle mood, surprisingly -like Betty. For she had a curious vein of honesty; and she said, at -times, just such unexpectedly frank, wholly open things as he felt -(with an opening heart) that the father was about to say now. - -“Mr. Brachey”--this was what he said, with extraordinary simplicity of -manner--“can you take my hand?” - -If Brachey had spoken his reply his voice would have broken. Instead he -gripped the proffered hand. And during a brief moment they stood there. - -“Now,” said Doane quietly, “sit down.” And he read the cablegram. After -some quiet thought he said, “Have you come to ask for Betty?” - -The directness of this question made speech, to Brachey, even more -nearly impossible than before. He bowed his head. - -Doane had dropped into the little chair by the little table. He sat, -now, thinking and absently weighing the cablegram in one hand. Finally, -reaching a conclusion, he rose again. - -“The best way, I think, will be to settle this thing now.” He appeared -to be speaking as much to himself as to his caller. “I'll get Betty. You -won't mind waiting? They don't have call bells in this house.” And he -returned the cablegram and went out of the room, leaving the door ajar -behind him. - -Brachey stepped over to the window, thinking he might see Betty when she -came, but it gave on an inner court. He stared out at the gray tiling. -The moment was, to him, terrible. He stood on the threshold of that -strange region of the spirit that is called happiness. The door, always -before closed to him (except the one previous experience when it proved -but an entry into bitterness and desolation) had opened, here at the -last, amazingly, at his touch. And he was afraid to look. - -It seemed an hour later when footsteps sounded outside, and the outer -door opened. Then they came in, father and daughter. - -Betty, rather white, stood hesitant, looking from one to the other. -Doane placed a gently protecting arm about her slim shoulders. - -“I haven't told her,” he said. “That is for you to do. I want you both -to wait while I look for the others.” - -He was gone. Betty came slowly forward. Brachey handed her the -cablegram. - -“I--I can't read it,” she said, with a tremulous little laugh. -“John--I'm crying!” - -4 - -The door squeaked. Miss Hemphill looked in; stopped short; then in -a sudden confusion of mind in which indignation struggled with -bewilderment for the upper hand, stepped back into the hall. Before -she could come down on the decision to flee, Dr. Cassin joined her; -curiously, carrying her medicine case. - -To the physician's brisk, “Mr. Doane sent word to come here at once. -Do you know what is the matter?” Miss Hemphill could only reply, rather -acidly, “I can't imagine!” - -Mrs. Boatwright came into the corridor then, followed by Doane. She -walked with firm dignity, her enigmatic face squarely set. And when he -ushered them into the room, she entered without a word, but remained -near the door. - -For a long moment the room was still; a hush settling over them that -intensified the difficulty in the situation. Miss Hemphill stared down -at the matting. Mrs. Boatwright's eyes were fixed firmly on the wall -over the bed. The one audible sound was the heavy breathing of Griggsby -Doane, who stood with his back to the door, brows knit, one hand -reaching a little way before him. He appeared, to the shrewd eyes of Dr. -Cassin, like a man in deep suffering. But when he spoke it was with -the poise, the sense of dominating personality, that she had felt and -admired during all the earlier years of their long association. Of late -he had been ill of a subtle morbid disease of which she had within the -week witnessed the nearly tragic climax; but now he was well again.... -Mary Cassin was a woman of considerable practical gifts. Her medical -experience, illuminated as it had been by wide scientific reading, -gave her a first-hand knowledge of the human creature and a tolerant -elasticity of judgment that contrasted oddly with the professed tenets -of her church, with their iron classification as sin of much that is -merely honest human impulse, that might even, properly, be set down -as human need. She saw clearly enough that the quality in the human -creature that is called, usually, force, is essentially emotional in its -content--and that the person gifted with force therefore must be plagued -with emotional problems that increase in direct ratio with the gift. -Unlike Mrs. Boatwright, who was, of course, primarily a moralist, -Mary Cassin possessed the other great gift of dispassionate, objective -thought. I think she had long known the nature of Doane's problem. -Certainly she knew that no medical skill could help him; her -advice, always practical, would have taken the same direction as Dr. -Hidderleigh's. It brought her a glow of something not unlike happiness -to see that now he was well. The cure, whatever it might prove to have -been, was probably mental. Knowing Griggsby Doane as she did, that was -the only logical conclusion. For she knew how strong he was. - -“There has existed among us a grave misapprehension”--thus Doane--“one -in which, unfortunately, I have myself been more grievously at fault -than any of you. I wish, now, before you all, to acknowledge my own -confusion in this matter, and, further, to clear away any still existing -misunderstanding in your minds.... Mr. Brachey has established the fact -that he is eligible to become Betty's husband. That being the case, I -can only add that I shall accept him as my only son-in-law with pride -and satisfaction. He has proved himself worthy in every way of our -respect and confidence.” - -Mary Cassin broke the hush that followed by stepping quickly forward -and kissing Betty; after which she gave her hand warmly to Brachey. Then -with a word about her work at the hospital she went briskly out. - -Miss Hemphill started forward, only to hesitate and glance in a spirit -of timid inquiry at the implacable Mrs. Boatwright. To her simple, -unquestioning faith, Mr. Doane and Mary Cassin could not together be -wrong; yet her closest daily problem was that of living from hour to -hour under the businesslike direction of Mrs. Boatwright. However, -having started, and lacking the harsh strength of character to be cruel, -she went on, took the hands of Betty and Brachey in turn, and wished -them happiness. Then she, too, hurried away. - -Elmer Boatwright was studying his wife. His color was high, his eyes -nervously bright. He was studying, too, Griggsby Doane, who had for -more than a decade been to him almost an object of worship. Moved by -an impulse, perhaps the boldest of his life--and just as his wife said, -coldly, “I'm sure I wish you happiness,” and moved toward the door--he -went over and caught Betty and Brachey each by a hand. - -“I haven't understood this,” he said--and tears stood in his eyes as he -smiled on them--“but now I'm glad. Betty, we are all going to be proud -of the man you have chosen. I'm proud of him now.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXII--BEGINNINGS - -1 - -THE day of sudden and dramatic peace was drawing near its close. Seated -on the parapet of a rifle pit Betty and Brachey looked out over the -red-brown valley. Long, faintly purple shadows lay along the hillside -and in the deeper hollows. From the compound, half-way down the slope, -a confusion of pleasant sounds came to their ears--youthful voices, -snatches of song, an energetically whistled Sousa march, the quaintly -plaintive whine of Chinese woodwinds--while above the roofs of tile -and iron within the rectangle of wall (that was still topped with brown -sand-bags) wisps of smoke drifted lazily upward. - -“It seems queer,” mused he, aloud, “sitting here like this, with -everything so peaceful. During the fighting I didn't feel nervous, -but now I start at every new sound. I loathed it, too; but now, this -evening, I miss it, in a way.” He gazed moodily down into the short -trench. “Right there,” he said, “young Bartlett was hit.” - -“And you brought him in under fire.” - -“A Chinaman helped me.” - -“Oh, it was you,” she said. “He wouldn't have done it. I watched -from the window.” Her chin was propped on two small lists; her eyes, -reflective, were looking out over the compound and the valley toward the -walled temple on the opposite slope with its ornate, curving roofs and -its little group of trees that were misty with young foliage. “I've been -thinking a good deal about that, and some other things. All you said, -back there on the ship, about independence and responsibility.” - -“I don't believe I care to remember that,” said he quietly. - -“But, John, if you will say startling, strong things to an -impressionable girl--and I suppose that's all I was then--you can't -expect her to forget them right away.” - -His face relaxed into a faint, fleeting smile. But she went earnestly -on. - -“Of course I know it wasn't really long ago. Not if you measure it by -weeks. But if you measure it by human experience it was--well, years.” - -He was sober again; cheek on hand, gazing out into those lengthening, -deepening shadows. - -“That was what we quarreled about, John. I felt terribly upset. I was -blue--I can't tell you! Just the thought of all your life meant to you, -and how I seemed to be spoiling it.” - -A strong hand drew one of hers down and closed about it. “I'm going to -try to tell you something, dear,” he said. “You thought that what I said -to you, on the ship, was an expression of a real philosophy of life.” - -“But what else could it have been, John?” - -“It was just a chip--right here.” He raised her hand and with it patted -his shoulder. “It was what I'd tried for years to believe. I was bent on -believing it. You know, Betty, the thing we assert most positively isn't -our real faith. We don't have to assert that. It's likely to be -what we're trying to convince ourselves of.... I'm just beginning to -understand that, just lately, since you came into my life--and during -the fighting. I had to bolster myself up in the faith that a man can run -away, live alone, because it seemed to be the only basis on which I, as -I was, could deal with life. The only way I could get on at all. But you -see what happened to me. Life followed me and finally caught me, away -out here in China. No, you can't get away from it. You can't live -selfishly. It won't work. We're all in together. We've got to think -of the others..... I'm like a beginner now--going to school to life. -I don't even know what I believe. Not any more. I--I'm eager to learn, -from day to day. The only thing I'm sure of”... he turned, spoke with -breathless awe in his voice... “is that I love you, dear That's the -foundation on which my life has got to be built. It's my religion, I'm -afraid.” - -Betty's eyes filled; her little fingers twisted in among his; but she -didn't speak then. - -The shadows stretched farther and farther along the hillside. The sun, -a huge orange disc descending amid coppery strips of shining cloud, -touched the rim of the western hills; slid smoothly, slowly down behind -it, leaving a glowing vault of gold and rose and copper overhead and a -luminous haze in the valley. Off to the eastward, toward Shau T'ing and -the crumbling ruins of the Southern Wall (which still winds sinuously -for hundreds of miles in and out of the valleys, and over and around the -hills) the tumbling masses of upheaved rock and loess were deeply purple -against a luminous eastern sky. - -“Will you let me travel with you, John? I've thought that I could draw -while you write. Maybe I could even help you with your books. It would -be wonderful--exploring strange places. I'd like to go down through -Yunnan, and over the border into Siam and Assam and the Burmah country. -I've been reading about it, sitting in the hospital at night.” - -“There would be privation--and dangers.” - -“I don't care.” - -“You wouldn't be afraid?” - -“Not with you. And if--if anything happened to you, I'd want to go, -too.... Of course, there'd be other problems coming up. Don't think I'm -altogether impractical, dear.” - -“What are you thinking of?” - -She hesitated. “Children, John. I know we shan't either of us be -satisfied to live just for our happiness in each other. I couldn't help -thinking about that, watching you here, during the siege.” - -“No, we shan't.” - -“And with your work what it is--what it's got to be there's our first -problem.” - -“We'll have to take life as it comes.” - -“Yes, I know.” They were silent again. Gradually the brilliant color -was fading from the sky and the distant hills softening into mystery.... -“Father says that we'll find marriage a job--” - -“Oh, it's that!” - -“Full of surprises and compromises and giving up. He says it's very -difficult, but very wonderful.” - -“I should think,” said Brachey, his voice somewhat unsteady, “that it -would be the most wonderful job in the world. Its very complexities, the -nature of the demands it must make.” - -“I know!” - -After a long silence he asked, so abruptly that she looked swiftly up: - -“Do you ever pray, dear?” - -“Why--yes, I do.” - -“Will you teach me? I've tried--up here in the trenches. I've thought -that maybe I'd pick up a copy of the English prayer-book. They'd have it -at Shanghai or Tientsin....” - -2 - - -Dusk was mounting the hill-slopes. - -“It was a strange talk father and I had. Nearly all the afternoon--while -you were checking up ammunition and things. It's the first time he's -really sat down with me like that like a friend, I mean--and talked out, -just as he felt. Oh, he's been kind. But it's queer about father and -me. You see, when they sent me over to the States, I was really only a -child. Mother was dead then, you know. Father was always hoping to get -over to see me, but there was all the strain of building up the missions -after the Boxer trouble, and then he'd had his vacation. And he couldn't -afford to bring me out here just for the journey.” - -Brachey broke in here. “Did you ask him if he would marry us?” - -She nodded. “Yes. And he won't. That's partly what I'm going to tell -you. He's resigned.” - -“From the church?” - -“Yes. He thought of having Mr. Boatwright do it. But it seems that his -position is rather difficult. On account of his wife. She'll never be -friendly to us.” - -“Oh, no!” - -“I could see, though, that Dad was glad about our plan for an early -wedding. Of course, he's had me to think of, every minute. He did say -that the certain knowledge that I'm cared for will make it easier for -him to carry out his plans. But he wouldn't tell me what the plans are. -It's odd. He doesn't like to think of me as a responsibility. I could -see that. I mean, that he might have to do something he didn't believe -in in order to earn money for me. He said that he's been for years in -a false position. I never saw him so happy. He acts as if he'd been set -free.” - -“Perhaps he has,” Brachey reflected aloud. “It is strange--almost as if -we represented opposite swings of the pendulum, he and I. Perhaps we -do. I've not had enough responsibility, he's had too much. Probably one -extreme's as unhealthy as the other.” - -“I've worried some about him, John. But he begs me not to. He's planning -now to sell all his things.” - -“All?” - -“Everything. Books, even. And his desk, that he's had since the first -years out here. Mr. Withery is going to be in charge at T'ainan, and -Dad's leaving the final arrangements to him.” - -“You speak as if your father were going away, far off. And in a hurry.” - -“He is. That's the strange thing. Just to tell about it, like this, -makes it seem'--well, almost wild. But when you talk with him you feel -all right about it. He's so steady and sure. Just as if at last he's hit -on the truth.” - -The night drew its cloak swiftly over the valley. For a long time after -this conversation they sat there in silent communion with the dim hills; -she nestling in his arms; he dreaming of the years to come in which his -life--such was his hope--might through love find balance and warmth. - -3 - -Doane was at the residence when Brachey left Betty there--at the door, -chatting with M. Pourmont. He walked away with Brachey. And the tired -but still genial Frenchman looked after them with a puzzled frown. - -“Stroll a bit with me, will you?” said Doane. “I've got a few things to -say to you.” And outside the gate, he added soberly: “About the beastly -thing I did.” - -“I've forgotten that,” said Brachey; stiffly, in spite of himself. - -“No, you haven't. You never will. Neither shall I. What I have to say is -just this--it was an overwrought, half-mad man who attacked you.” - -“Of course, I've come to see that. All you'd been through.” - -“What I'd been through, Brachey, wasn't merely hardship, fighting, -wounds. It was something else, the wreck of my life. I'd had to stand -by, in a way, and look at the wreckage. I was doing the wrong thing, -living wrong, living a lie. For years I fought it, without being able -to see that I was fighting life itself. You see, Brachey, the power -of dogmatic thinking is great. It circumscribed my sense of truth for -years.” - -He fell silent for a moment, looking up at the stars. Then, simply, he -added this: - -“I want you to know the whole truth. I feel that it is due you. My -struggle ended in sin. The plainest kind--with a woman--and without a -shred of even human justification. Just degradation.... I can see now -that it was a terrific shock. It nearly pulled me under, very nearly. -They want me to stay in the church, but I can't, of course.” - -“No,” said Brachey, “you wouldn't want to do that.” - -“I couldn't. I went through the more or less natural morbid phases, of -course. That attack on you--” - -“That was partly exhaustion,” said Brachey. “You weren't in condition -to analyze a situation that would have been difficult for anybody. And -of course I was in the position of breaking my pledge to you.” - -“It was more than that, Brachey. The primitive resurgence in me simply -reached its climax then. No--let me have this out! I suspected you -because I had learned to suspect myself. That blow was a direct result -of my own sin. And I want you to know that I've come to see it for what -it was.” - -“H'm!” mused Brachey. They were standing by a pile of weathering -timbers, beside the old Chinese highway. “Shall we sit a while?” - Then--“I'd have to think about that.” Finally--“I don't know but what -your analysis is sound. But”--he mused longer, then, his voice clouded -with emotion, broke out with--“God, man, what you must have suffered! -And after our row.... I can't bear to think of it.” And then, quite -forgetting himself, he rested a hand on Doane's arm. It was perhaps the -first time in his adult life that he had done so demonstrative a thing. - -Doane compressed his lips, in the darkness, and stared away. - -“Oh, yes,” he replied, after a moment, “I've suffered, of course. I even -made a rather cowardly try at suicide.” - -“No--not--” - -“On my return from Shau T'ing I walked into the Looker lines in broad -daylight. I rather hoped to go out that way. But the fighting was over. -I couldn't even get killed.” - -He seemed as confiding as a child, this grave powerful man. And he was -Betty's father! Brachey was sensitively eager to help him. - -“Betty said you had new plans. I wonder if you would feel like telling -me of them.” - -“Yes. I've meant to.” - -“Are you going back to the States?” - -“No. Not now. Not with things like this. My worldly possessions, when -everything is sold, will probably come down to a thousand or fifteen -hundred dollars. My library is worth a good deal more than that, but -won't bring it. I have a little in cash; not much. I've estimated that -two hundred dollars--gold, not Mex.--will get me down to Shanghai -and tide me over the first few delays. I'm giving Betty the rest, and -arranging for Withery to turn over to her the proceeds of any sale.” - -“But what are you going to do down there?” - -“Work. Preferably, for a while, with my hands.” - -“You don't mean at common labor?” - -“Yes. Why not? I have a real gift for it. And I'm very strong.” - -“That would mean putting yourself with yellow coolies. The whites -wouldn't like it; probably they wouldn't let you. And you have a brain. -You're a trained executive.” - -“I won't take a small mental job. A large one---that would really keep -me busy--yes. But there'll be no chance of that at first. And I must -be fully occupied. I want to be outdoors. I may take up some branch of -engineering, by way of private study. But at the moment I really don't -care....” He smiled, in the dark. Brachey felt the smile in his voice -when he spoke again. “I was forty-five years old this spring, Brachey. -That's young, really. I have this great physical strength. And I'm free. -If I have sinned, I have really no bad habits. I probably shan't be -happy long without slipping my shoulders under some new burden--a good -heavy one. But don't you see how interesting it will be to start new, at -nothing, with nothing? What an adventure?” - -“It won't be with nothing, quite. There's your experience, your -mental equipment. With that, and health, and a little luck you can do -anything.” - -“Yes,” said Doane, “it is, after all, a clean start. I've been terribly -shaken.” - -“So have I,” said Brachey gently. “And I'm starting new, too.” He rose; -stood for a moment quietly thinking; then turned and extended his hand. -“Mr. Doane, here we are, meeting at life's crossroads. You're starting -out on something pretty like my old road, and I'm starting on a road not -altogether unlike yours. The next few years are going to mean everything -to each of us. And what we both do with our lives is going to mean -everything to Betty. Let's, between us, make Betty happy.” His voice was -a little out of control, but he went resolutely on. “Let's, between us, -help her to grow--enrich her life all we can--give her every chance to -develop into the woman your daughter has a right to become!” - -Doane sprang up; stood over him; enveloped his hand in a huge fist and -nearly crushed it. - -4 - -The Reverend Henry Withery came in that night, on a shaggy Manchu pony, -with his luggage behind on a cart. And late the following afternoon a -wedding took place at the residence. A great event was made of it by -the young people of the compound. The hills were searched for flowers. -A surprising array of presents appeared. Mrs. Boatwright was prevented -from attending by a severe headache, but her husband, at the last -moment, came. The other T'ainan folk were there. His Excellency, Pao -Ting Chuan, with fifteen attendant mandarins, in full official costume, -among whom was Mr. Po Sui-an, lent the color of Oriental splendor to the -occasion. His Excellency's gift was a necklace of jade with a pendant of -ancient worked gold. Withery performed the ceremony; and Griggsby Doane -gave the bride. - -The young couple were leaving in the morning for Peking, at which city -the groom purposed continuing for the present his study of the elements -of unrest in China. - -Directly after the wedding and reception a remarkably elaborate dinner -was served in the large diningroom, at winch Griggsby Doane appeared for -a brief time to join in the merrymaking with an appearance of _savoir -faire_ that M. Pourmont, shrewdly taking in, found reassuring; but he -early took a quiet leave. - -At dusk, after the talking machine had been turned on and the many young -men were dancing enthusiastically with the few young women, the newly -wedded couple slipped out and walked down to the gate. Here, outside in -the purple shadows, they waited until a huge man appeared, dressed in -knickerbockers, a knapsack on his back and a weatherbeaten old walking -stick in his hand. - -The bride clung to him for a long moment. The groom wrung his hand. -Then the two stood, arm in arm, looking after him as he descended to -the highroad and strode firmly, rapidly eastward, disappearing in the -village and reappearing on the slope beyond, waving a final farewell -with stick and cap--very dimly they could see him--just before he -stepped through the old scenic arch at the top of the hill. - - -THE END - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Hills of Han, by Samuel Merwin - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HILLS OF HAN *** - -***** This file should be named 53997-0.txt or 53997-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/9/9/53997/ - -Produced by David Widger from page images generously -provided by the Internet Archive - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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