tch and
placed it carefully in the ash-tray on the centre of the table.

"The man is sleeping on the Terrace of Night," said Ling Chu simply.

"Dead?" said the startled Tarling.

The Chinaman nodded.

"Did you kill him?"

Again Ling Chu paused and puffed a cloud of cigarette smoke into the air.

"He was dying for many days, so the doctor at the big hospital told me. I
hit his head once or twice, but not very hard. He cut me a little with
a knife, but it was nothing."

"Sam Stay is dead, eh?" said Tarling thoughtfully. "Well, that removes a
source of danger to Miss Rider, Ling Chu."

The Chinaman smiled.

"It removes many things, master, because before this man died, his head
became good."

"You mean he was sane?"

"He was sane, master," said Ling Chu, "and he wished to speak to paper.
So the big doctor at the hospital sent for a judge, or one who sits in
judgment."

"A magistrate?"

"Yes, a magistrate," said Ling Chu, nodding, "a little old man who lives
very near the hospital, and he came, complaining because it was so late
an hour. Also there came a man who wrote very rapidly in a book, and when
the man had died, he wrote more rapidly on a machine and gave me these
papers to bring to you, detaining others for himself and for the judge
who spoke to the man."

He fumbled in his blouse and brought out a roll of paper covered with
typewriting.

Tarling took the documents and saw that it consisted of several pages.
Then he looked up at Ling Chu.

"First tell me, Ling Chu," he said, "what happened? You may sit."

Ling Chu with a jerky little bow pulled a chair from the wall and sat at
a respectful distance from the table, and Tarling, noting the rapid
consumption of his cigarette, passed him the box.

"You must know, master, that against your wish and knowledge, I took the
large-faced man and put him to the question. These things are not done in
this country, but I thought it best that the truth should be told.
Therefore, I prepared to give him the torture when he told me that the
small-small girl was in danger. So I left him, not thinking that your
excellency would return until the morning, and I went to the big house
where the small-small girl was kept, and as I came to the corner of the
street I saw her get into a quick-quick car.

"It was moving off long before I came to it, and I had to run; it was
very fast. But I held on behind, and presently when it stopped at this
street to cross, I scramb