b--with his
wretchedly paid little Government job, which they maintained for no
altruistic or moral reasons. To suppress gambling amongst the
Chinese? Perhaps. Incidentally, on the surface, it looked well. Looked
well, he considered, coming from those who never helped the Chinese in
anything else. Who exploited them, in all possible ways, and
undermined them--undermined the Chinese who were pretty well done for
anyway, by nature, being Chinese. No, he reflected savagely--he had
heard the story--one night some big personage living in one of the big
houses, to which he was never invited--had given a big dinner, with
much wine and fine food and many guests and all the rest of it--and
what happened? No servants, or rather many servants without liveries
or clothing of any kind, everything having been pawned the evening
before over the fan-tan tables. Therefore he, Lawson, was employed by
Government to suppress these gambling houses, to keep the servants
from stealing and pawning their liveries, making embarrassment in the
big, foreign-style houses, making amusement and consternation and
scandal. He had happened along shortly after this affair, and so
obtained the appointment.

Lawson leaned his forehead against the cold glass, down which the rain
poured in sheets. The lights of the French mail glimmered
intermittently through the darkness--to-morrow she would weigh anchor
and be off for Marseilles, for Home. Not that he had a home, as we
have said, but he longed for the familiar look of things, for the
crowds all speaking his own tongue, for the places he knew, the well
known street signs, and the big hoardings. And he couldn't go back. He
had not money enough to go back. Every penny of his little salary went
for living expenses and living comes high in China. To say nothing of
the passage money and the money for afterwards---- A gentle cough
behind him made him turn round in a hurry. His China-boy stood
expectantly in the doorway.

"What is it?" demanded Lawson sharply. Ah Chang drew in his breath,
not wishing to breathe upon his superior. The indrawn, hissing noise
irritated Lawson immensely. He had been out ten years, and in that
time had never learned that Ah Chang and the others were showing him
respect, deep proofs of Oriental respect, when they sucked in their
breath with that hissing noise, to avoid breathing upon a superior. To
Lawson it was just another horrid trait, another horrid native
characteristic.

"Man