ntinued
he. "But I will do de best I can. If you write me now on a paper de
name of your frien, and de place where he is--what shall we say?--now
staying, I will let you know what de price would be, and when der work
can be done. It will be--how you call it?--a ready-money transaction."

"I desire it to be so," replied Browne a little shortly.

There was silence between them for a few moments. Then Schmidt
inquired where Browne's yacht was anchored. Browne informed him; and
as he did so, it struck him that this was a rather curious remark upon
his companion's part, if, as he had led him to believe at the beginning
of the interview, he knew nothing whatever about his coming to
Hong-kong. However, he did not comment upon it.

"Dat is goot, den," said Schmidt. "If I find a man who will run de
risk, den I will gommunicate mit you before den o'clock to-night."

Browne thanked him; and, feeling that they had reached the end of the
interview, bade him good-bye and passed through the shop out into the
street once more. His coolie was still seated on the shafts of his
_ricksha_; and, when Browne had mounted, they returned at a smart trot,
by the way they had come, to the Club. Here he found his friends
awaiting him. They had done the sights of the city, and were now eager
to get back to the yacht once more.

CHAPTER XXII

"Did you find your friend Schmidt?" inquired their host of Browne as he
seated himself in a chair and lit a cigar.

"Yes," the latter answered, "I found him, and a curious character he
is. He has some wonderful curios in his shop, and I could have spent a
day there overhauling them."

"I should be very careful, if I were you, what sort of dealings you
have with him," said the other, with what struck Browne as a peculiar
meaning. "He does not bear any too good a reputation in these parts.
I have heard some funny stories about him at one time and another."

"Oh, you need not be afraid on my account," replied Browne. "As I told
you in your office, my dealings with him are of a purely commercial
character, and I don't think he has robbed me of very much so far.
Now, what would you say if we were to make our way to the yacht?"

They accordingly adjourned to the boat. Perhaps, as the result of his
interview that afternoon, Browne was in the highest of spirits. He did
the honours of his table royally, and the new-comer, ever since that
day, has been wont to declare that it was the jolli