The Mandarin's Fan
"What. Was he killed in the same way as Miss Wharf?"
Lo-Keong bowed his stately head. "Yes, and by the same person----"
"Tung-yu," cried Olivia starting to her feet in her turn.
"Exactly, Mrs. Ainsleigh. I know that Tung-yu strangled Mr. Markham
Ainsleigh, and I believe that he strangled your aunt."
Rupert sat down on the sofa and drew his wife down beside him. "But
Tung-yu was the man who was to buy the fan----"
"Quite so." Lo-Keong folded and unfolded the fan calmly. "You know of
the god Kwang-ho."
"Yes--but I can't understand----"
"Naturally," the Marquis laughed quietly, "that is a thing beyond the
comprehension of a Western barbarian--your pardon for so calling you.
Kwang-ho," went on the Mandarin, "is an ancestor of mine who lived
during the Ming dynasty. He was a sage, and very famous, so I took him
as my private god."
Olivia looked amazed and a little shocked. "A private god. I never knew
that anyone could have a private god even in China," she said.
"If you have read Roman history, Mrs. Ainsleigh, you will remember the
Lares and Penates, which were something of the same kind. I was very
unfortunate with the public gods of my country, so I chose Kwang-ho to
be my genius--my destiny. I had an image made and offered him incense.
It was, in fact what you might call ancestral worship; only I looked
upon Kwang-ho as one who could control my destiny. I was right," said
Lo-Keong emphatically, "for, from the moment I sacrificed to Kwang-ho,
my fortunes changed."
"In what way?" asked Rupert, wondering that a clever man like this
should talk so superstitiously.
"In every way. The priest of my new god Kwang-ho consulted the deity and
ordered that I should leave the Boxers and attach myself to the party of
the Empress Dowager, who was to be all powerful in the future. I think,"
added Lo-Keong smiling blandly, "that Kwang-ho was right in that. Who is
so powerful as my august mistress."
"True enough," admitted Ainsleigh impatiently, "but what has this to do
with the death of my father?"
"Patience, Mr. Ainsleigh. I arranged to leave the Boxers. We were
fighting for the Emperor, who was then being crushed by the Empress
Dowager. I had many papers showing my devotion to the Boxer cause and to
His Imperial Majesty. These papers I intended to destroy: but
remembering that some day the Emperor might overcome the Empress, I
decided to keep the papers. They would show that I had worked for the
Emperor, and thus my fortunes would be secure should His Imperial
Majesty reign alone. As yet," added Lo-Keong with a shrug, "he has not
reigned alone and my august mistress still rules the destinies of the
middle kingdom."
"Ah. And if she got those papers?----"
"She would cut off my head," replied Lo-Keong quietly, "so now you see
why I thought it best to conceal them. I wished to preserve the papers
so as to keep myself in favour with the Emperor, when he became supreme,
and I wished to conceal them from the Empress Dowager and her spies,
while she ruled China. You understand?"
"We do," said the young couple. "So you used the means of the fan to
tell where they were hidden?" asked Rupert.
The Mandarin assented. "I did. I spoke to your father about this plan of
concealment. I knew the papers would not be safe in China, as the
emissaries of Hop Sing would find them, and I should be ruined, so on
the suggestion of your father, I decided to hide them in England."
"But why in the Abbey?"
"Mr. Markham Ainsleigh's suggestion, sir. He said that this place had
been in the possession of his family for years and would likely continue
to remain under the Ainsleigh--"
"Alas--alas," sighed Rupert.
"Not at all, sir," was Lo-Keong's brisk reply, "you will have enough
money to keep this place I assure you. But to continue--your father,
whose health was very bad, arranged to take his money back to this
place, and to take also the papers I wished to hide. We arranged that
they should be concealed in the third tree and then I hit upon the plan
of an invisible picture on the fan with the assistance of the beads to
identify the hiding-place."
"But was that necessary when you knew the hiding-place?"
"I wished my heirs to benefit by my services to the Emperor during the
Boxer rising; and they were not to know of the existence of these papers
till I died. So you will understand--"
"Yes! It's very interesting, so please go on."
"Well while we were arranging these things Forge went to Pekin, and got
a concession to work the mine from the Empress through the influence of
Hop Sing. Meanwhile, I arranged to enter the service of my Imperial
Mistress, and left your father ill of dysentery."
"Of which, according to Forge, he died."
"No," said the Mandarin decisively, "he was recovering. He had the
packet and the fan which he was to take to this place. Hwei was to go
with him, and design the invisible picture and hide the packet. I went
to see about letting your father have the money which I had invested for
him. All was ready and he was winding up his affairs. Then the emissary
of Hop Sing strangled your father--"
"Tung-yu," said Rupert much agitated.
"I have already said that," replied the Marquis rather tartly, "your
father died, and Forge obtained the mine. But he did not hold it long. I
represented that Forge had obtained the death of Mr. Markham Ainsleigh
through Hop Sing. The Empress took my view. Hop Sing was disgraced and I
was promoted. Forge had to leave China for the time being, but he came
back several times. I sent Hwei to this place with your father's effects
and with the fan. He concealed the packet and drew the picture. Your
mother was alive then, Mr. Ainsleigh, and Hwei showed her the fan,
though he did not tell her the secret."
"Ah," cried Rupert, "now I remember where I saw the fan."
"Yes," Lo-Keong nodded, "as a boy of five you may remember it."
"I certainly do. But Marquis, why did you not send my father's money to
my mother?"
"Ah. She died, and although I knew you were the heir and in the
guardian-ship of Forge who was your enemy I could do nothing. Hop Sing
got the upper hand again and I was in my turn disgraced. Then Hop Sing
learned about the papers, and about the fan being the means of finding
the hiding-place. He ordered Tung-yu to find the fan. Hwei was bringing
the fan back from England to me. He was assaulted when he landed in
China, but he luckily had given the fan to a brother of his, so Hop Sing
could not find it. Then the brother was killed and a coolie, who knew
nothing of the fan, took possession of it. Afterwards, I wanted the fan.
Hop Sing told me what he suspected, so I applied to the god Kwang-ho.
The god declared, through his priest, that Hop Sing was to come with me
to the shrine. He did so, and thus, bitter enemies as we were, we came
for a time to be in peace."
"And then the arrangement was made?"
"Yes. The god said that an equal chance must be given to good and evil.
Hwei was appointed to find the fan for me, and to give death to the
person who had it. Tung-yu acted for Hop Sing and was to give a reward
of not less than five thousand pounds so that the person who held the
fan should be rich for life. Each was to hold sway for twenty-four
hours. I caused this to be published in the Chinese newspaper in Pekin.
The coolie heard it and being fearful lest he should be killed, he kept
the fan for years and said nothing. Then Major Tidman--"
"Ah I know. He came to see how my father died."
"Quite so, Mr. Ainsleigh, and the coolie, knowing the fan was connected
with the death--for he afterwards went to Kan-su mine and asked
questions--gave the fan to the Major to get rid of it, and--"
"And we know the rest," said Rupert rising. "Tidman gave it to Dr.
Forge, and he gave it to you--or rather you caused it to be taken from
him."
"No," said the Mandarin, "that is not true. I never saw the fan till
now. All these years I have never set eyes on it."
"But Dr. Forge said--"
"Whatever he said he speaks falsely," said Lo-Keong, "but it is growing
late, Mr. Ainsleigh, and I see that your wife is weary. Let us retire
and I shall tell you the rest of the story to-morrow. But before I go to
rest," added the Mandarin decidedly, "I must assure myself that the
packet is still in the trunk of the third tree."
Rupert was quite ready and lighted the lantern. The two men went to the
Abbey into the pitchy darkness, and walked to the third tree near the
bare spot. Lo-Keong who seemed to be able to see in the dark like a cat
looked round, and laid his finger on a huge oak. "This is the tree,"
said he confidently.
"But I can't very well see," said Rupert, "from which side do you
count?"
"From the left to right," explained the mandarin, "in these robes, Mr.
Ainsleigh, I cannot climb the tree, will you please to do so. You will
find the hollow trunk and the line. Pull it up: the papers will be at
the end. Bring them to me if you please."
So speaking Lo-Keong took the light and Rupert although in thin evening
dress began to climb the tree. Luckily it was not difficult as the
branches hung low, but it was disagreeable on account of the dripping
wet. Every movement shook down much moisture. However, the active young
man disappeared in the foliage and then felt round. He could not see,
and came down to get the lantern, which the Chinaman passed to him. Then
he found that the trunk of the tree was broken off, amidst the thick
branches, and that the centre was hollow. He espied a rusty thin chain,
and pulled it up. At the end there was a small box, which he brought
down. With an exclamation of joy Lo-Keong took it. It opened easily in
his hand.
"Gone," cried the Marquis in a voice of anguish.
He spoke truly. The box was empty.
CHAPTER XXI
WHO IS GUILTY?
Next morning at the early hour of nine o'clock Orlando Rodgers drove up
to Royabay filled with curiosity. He had received Rupert's letter which
summoned him to come down on matters connected with the murder, and he
was eager to learn details. Rodgers himself, had been unlucky. He had
traced The Stormy Petrel to the Thames near Rotherhithe, and had learned
from the Captain that two Chinamen had hired the boat for a couple of
days. They went down to Marport and had gone ashore early in the
evening. They came on board again after midnight, and then had requested
to be put ashore at Rotherhithe. The Captain confessed that he had been
paid well for the job, and thought--with a wink--that there was no
chance of his knowing his employers again.
Rodgers of course recognised that Tung-yu and Hwei in their queer
partnership had hired the yacht--which it seems was a public boat anyone
could take for a period,--and he knew also that the den, where Rupert
and Clarence had met with their adventures, was in Rotherhithe. He
learned of this from no less a person than Mr. Burgh himself, for the
buccaneer called at the police office in London to ask if the Chinamen
had been caught. Rodgers had extracted a full account of the adventures,
and had gone to the den only to find it empty, and the Chinamen
conspicuous by their absence. Burgh himself had not returned as he
promised, and the detective was annoyed at this, after he heard Rupert's
story. Had he known what this was, he certainly would have arrested
Burgh there and then, for participation in the murder. But the astute
Clarence in telling his Penter's Alley adventure, had taken care not to
incriminate himself.
On arrival the detective was shown into the drawing-room where Rupert
was sitting with the stately Mandarin. Olivia was not present as she had
heard quite enough about the fan, and wished to hear no more, not even
the end of Lo-Keong's very interesting story. Rodgers recognised that