tice is to find out where men have made money
unjustly, and then by certain means at my command I deprive them of
some of their unlawful gains and distribute them amongst the people
they have wronged. In this way I have been the means of bringing
suitable punishment on the heads of the guilty, and at the same time of
relieving the necessities of those who have suffered at their hands."

"I am astonished at what you tell me," replied the son, "though I do
not believe all you say about not taking a share in the plunder you
get. But now that you have opened your heart to me, I shall repay your
confidence by telling you what I am. I am a real thief, and I support
my mother, who does not suspect the truth, and keep the home together,
simply by what I steal from others."

He then proceeded to give an account of some of the adventures he had
met with in the course of his expeditions by night to rooms and houses
which, as he always found out beforehand by careful spying, contained
valuables that could be easily carried away.

While he was relating these stories, Shih-Kung's eyes gleamed with
delight, for he saw that the man had fallen into the trap which had
been laid for him, and felt confident that before the night was over he
would be in possession of some clue to the mystery he was endeavouring
to solve. He was disgusted with the sordid details of the criminal
life of which the man before him seemed to be proud; yet with wonderful
patience this mandarin, with his large powers of mind, and with a
genius for statesmanship which had made him famous throughout the
Empire, sat for hours enduring the wretched talk of this common thief.
But his reward came in due time.

"By the way," exclaimed this man whose business it was to break into
homes when the small hours of the morning found their inmates wrapped
in slumber, "some time ago I had a most remarkable experience, and as
you have shown yourself such a good fellow, I will tell you about it,
if you do not think it too late to do so."

"I shall be most delighted to hear you relate it," said his guest. "I
have been greatly entertained by your vivid way of describing the
adventures through which you have passed. You deserve to be classed
amongst the great heroes of old, who have made their names famous by
their deeds of daring. Go on, I pray you, and tell me the particulars
of this unusual experience."

"Well," proceeded the man, "I had very carefully planned to pay a