Show r 4 o by rU r The Century Co gi Y d go CHAPTER VIII Continued 1 11 As the thc girl 1 ki knelt elt and drew her purple purple pur pur- pIc veil ven about her losing herself withIn within within with with- in n poison polson that was scented like cinnamon cin cn namon and musty wine an nn aged abed slave sla arose from the thc bower and came before the the although the monarch pro probably could not see him for a a. cloud of lilac butterflies The slave bore a silver er Jar In his hands and over O his gaunt shoulder was a square of white satin He ne spread the satin upon the stones before the palanquin and then d deftly Wy set spinning upon upraised fing finger fin fin- g ger gerthe r th the jar jm of dull silver sll Faster It spun span until Its Us very cry stillness blent with th the monotony of of the drug Lc knew that he re should go away from the gate gat lf If he wished to keep from dreamIng dreaming dreamIng dream- dream Ing but he was ns too curious to leave len The he odor from the thc yellow bowl touched a Sheaf heal of memories In him and this pain was more re real l than the grace of the limbed brown maid But the silver sll Jar stood motionless on the poised gray finger The juggler u withdrew his arm and the Ole jar remained remained re re- suspended near the Silence was heavy hemy and the spicy per pcr- perfume fume ume overspread the thc white man at the gate Con Cor tried trie to retain the solid world to remember that this drug had teen sold In Dory street that It had killed his own o father and he breathed hard liard with the old anger sharpened In his heart He swore to settle this matter matter mat mat- ter tel either privately or for fOl his govern govern- government ment But ut the moment he lie let go that thought he be could not avoid seeing the ju Juggler as he plucked the magic Jar jardo do down n to his bosom and began to pour purple wine upon th the square of satin But the white cloth remained spotless and dry At this conclusion the gaunt aunt performer dipped Into the bowl and pressed the soul-dark soul upon his own sunken eyes Swift strong hands had hal found Lev- Lev Ington They rhey came came out of the world he had been unable to o hold The rudeness rudeness rudeness rude rude- ness of the hands was satisfying to him It aided greatly In throwing off the effects of koresh They placed him upon his roof again and left a guard at nt the head of the stairs Con cursed himself for having wasted his only chance to seek a warto way war to liberty He lie trod about the high Inclosure unmindful of the sun picking his wn way mentally b between tween doubt and evidence e. It wa was depressing to remember that long-ago long hour of his departure from the March house lie He longed to find March now and talk things out with him Their best po possibility was to find i friends somehow by hy whatever policy I They would need to operate co-operate In such sucha a n plan to play It exactly together Chee Ming had no heart but but buthe he possessed pos- pos a brain The himself had not a clean thread of nerve anywhere anywhere any any- where by which he might consider an appeal And Aud so sought and sought Before noon a stranger appeared ared at atthe atthe atthe the t top p of the stairway with a curt bow and and greeting for the prisoner He was perhaps a n slave and yet et a person of privilege of privilege privilege-a a wizened with man narrow narrow narrow nar nar- row shoulders Chinese Chines his face a desert desert desert des des- ert yellow and furrowed cheeks like fruit that has hns never fallen He TIe was noticeably clean his tunic giving of off the faint smell of recent laundering Thu veins In his old hands stood out blue biu cords as ns he again signified Levington's LevIngton's Lev- Lev Ington's s superiority over all living men This slow salaam was merel merely the the Tau o command to follow A double double double dou dou- ble r was crossed upon the servants servant's servants servant's servants servant's ser ser- ser ser- vant's neck suggesting the strokes of two swords on a single errand Now the thin ancient lips formed the English word Come There was nothing to lose hose so Lev Ington was willing It might ht be an nn opportunity opportunity op op- though h he rather rathel feared It was cans as connected connected with his delinquency In Inthe Inthe inthe the matter of race race They proceeded proceeded proceeded pro pro- through the inner corridors past the ever-burning ever lamps lumps of alabaster alabaster alabaster ter but did not turn In beneath the darkened arch of the throne room Instead Instead Instead In- In In In- stead they went on to the cud end of the passage passage e.- e. The old Chinese paused Through a closed door Con heard the voice of Andrew March lie He opened the door and entered A stood beside a long mission mission mis mis- sion Mon table on which were books and a yellow lamp An American college pennant pennant pennant pen pen- nant was pinned above a brown mission couch There were sofa pillows and a shelf of books A kodak kodal and a riding riding- crop hung from a dragger das stuck In th the e wall vall v vone A morris chair chatI was set before beCore e one ne of the windows March sat upon the arm of the chair fingering the lace e curtain Con stood bUll Near March was a n young girl who 0 seemed subtly afraid of something something-of of f himself She wore a silken blouse open at the throat and a skirt skir t of the smartly defined mode modo of American Ameri Ameri- can avenues following the line of he her r slender body Her Iler timidity was nevertheless nevertheless never never- tireless brightened with pleasure The fhe e face tace was suti suu the eyes held a diamond light Here was the lovel lovely P brown golden hair that had flown tree free e upon upon the gray cloak of the rider th the e same ame that pf yesterday esterday stefa ha h had d bound up high In co cost lt fashion She e Vo pc Iq at him p hi who spoke first an and d the young oung man saw that no had tears In his bis eyes es Ills His voice was unreliable able just now I J 1 have haye found m my little girl bowed struggling with nn an Inner tidal wave Andrew March seized the girls girl's hands add and she turned to him frankly lie was saying But nut our little mother mother lie He kissed ed edher her hair hah and nud she placed her hand upon his arm as ns If to ease his pain She was frail beside the veteran veteran of the sands She did not embrace him and March seemed not to expect any demonstration tion of sentiment He re regained self- self control and faced Con with an nn effort to smile This is Con he said to the girl To 10 Con Corf My J da c v Helen Her name leaped leaned in Cons Con's heart He bowed over oyer her hand and and round himself himself him him- self sell murmuring In In Inthe the blur of his Inward excitement ment her voice was like sunlight as It falls rich and mellow across an oaken staircase He FIe was strongly affected by it ft There There rc was an embarrassed moment luring during which Con glanced out Olit at the window til nt the moving branches of the white oaks Quickly he swung back bac to add It Is a n great privilege to be summoned sum sum- Helen said simply If I I am not sure how haw to speak I never saw saw a white whiteman roan man up to this hour She Int Intended this to be a compliment ment meat for fOl she was smiling yet he could not forget the fact that she was the royal roal creature who had glanced across the thc throne room yesterday Why have they been so extremely careful to keep us away awny he be wondered aloud It Is Asia she replied and truly he lie had forgotten that There was no mistaking the grandchild grandchild grandchild grand grand- child of the aged Stephen March She was fiS the embodiment of all that men hold dear Her Hel eyes ees made bold hold to tell all an that In another would have been held secret It was the old story of Asia Perhaps her days In this desert fastness had been a monotony of Innocence Innocence Inno Inno- cence but the they had not made her smile a blank Con could not estimate anything anything anything any any- thing beyond the fact that when she swayed slightly beside her father deeply searching for the right word her young oung grace was matchless Do not be sorrowful she whis whis- whispered whispered to h her r father March nodded Yes that Is right and his face brightened as he regarded her She cr crossed crossed the room Mom om lightly a rapId rapId rapi rap- rap i Id tilting gait that somehow express expressed d the far Eastern feminine Yet the clean whip of the West was there also and through her personality these qualities were a smooth soft ma madness ness to Levington He ne was aware that all the journeys of his life had either end end- here or r just begun beg All the Intimations that had troubled the lad Ind Stephen March when he had crossed America before the thedas theda's days das of railroads were In Helen the same Ull that t had drawn him against the winds of ot the Pacific so long ago ngo the thc kingly unrest that had led him deep Into Cathay beyond the Tartar wall to the sands of m mystery and and death Perhaps in some dim way way he had this daughter of ot his line with her shining fatal dominion a princess In the Gobi It Is most mot delightful you delightful you coming ou coming here she said to ConI ConI Con I think Ive I've always alwa's headed this way he said because he believed It it I cannot Imagine the courage that brought you ou said sale the princess ShaMo Sha ShaMo Mo 10 Is ver very very confusing Yes It might have been simpler if I had known Imo replied And March Mn was smiling broadly now She She had finished rearranging ln the tawn tawny lilies on the table tahle arid and with with with-a a courteous Oriental movement of the arm she Indicated a deep her younger guest Levington went to It turned It from the window and offered It to o her He lIe felt nearl nearly royal himself as she accepted Andrew March sat In hr Inthe the window seat and con contented eon con tented tenter himself with the leather sofa that hail hatI been blou brought ht in In pieces like the mission furniture from Grand Hap Hap- irIs Ids Michigan l The college p pennant was over his head I f have lime learned said Helen that white men rnea are really white How now We are a bit tanned tanne admitted her father but for that matter so are ure you loll White people usually sta stay 1 under undercover cover when the sun sun tines lInes That Is a part or o o tradition I hadnot hadnot hadnot had had- not known she said I shall tell tell Chee MIng 1 Why by trouble asked Levi If lie Ife a knows knous But It Is not written and all nIl th the the e tradition of the world Is written here since the flue days of th the Tower of Folly You know that first Tau Kuan Iuan Is to be bo th the e school for the perfect age Chee Ming t says tradition Is the treasure of life Rather an Oriental statement suggested suggested sug sug- Bested March Yes rejoined Con I could mention mention men men- tion one or two things to fo be be written n Into his library You are nrc laughing at me said lichen Helen en T sternly Not at all nil I replied Con hastily I Only the world a large larg place I I 1 understand said the princess conciliated I did not suppose her bel father said that anyone c considered d Chee Ming Ung as ns seriously as you do Do I the English she asked Ignoring the words of her father You do assured Levington beautifully beautifully beautifully beau Counting the warriors who live beyond be be- beyond yond the walls In the rock ca caves caes es to the south as well as the workers In Inthe Inthe inthe the pits eastward and those who deliver deliver de de- de- de liver livel the vines of their fruit Helen fruit Helen paused to align her English then proceeded pro pro- west west of the city ad th the who dwell within the wall the caste of oP merchants too and the women of the palace who b belong long to the there are ma y tunny nan souls In the keeping of Chee riling Ming Including your own own asked Lev Lev- Ington The princess s felt the tIle trouble In hl InCon's InCon's Cons Con's heart and slid did not not know how to reply properly so sor met merely ely nodded Iam I Iam 1 am the only white person person at at court or orel el elsewhere an They that once an Englishman rome came I did not see soo him He Ho dIed tiled before he could he be married and begin his fa family nUy Con on began to t to realize fre f afresh h how holy different dif dif- different ferent her training had been been to speak calmly of or these matters In America Ameria the subject of breeding I Is with propriety pro pro- discussed ed beforehand only In regard to cattle and pups hit but conce concerning concerning con con- ce nin human beings never until afterward afterward aft aft- erward when too late lute Levington Le s sad Bald You have ra e no difficulty with the En English Ush speech Helens Helen's Intuitions were bridging the gaps of lonely years In her life She was catching up with the world of her fathers and this was a breathless business before strangers She was meeting the unknown In Levington ton The quality of him the way he talked and moved were matters new new and Stimulating She openly studied his face a alid id beneath her calm of the Orient was a warm confusion According According Ac Ac- According cording to her studies they had no princes In America Trusting to alter nIter the direction of their conversation the father observed observed observed ob ob- served All these things seem to have come com from the United States Yes Sir Father the music machine only a week since I cannot comprehend comprehend comprehend compre compre- hend It it ma may he be a devil but what of that Chee Ming learned In San Francisco to produce sweet singing from It It Con rose to meet this occasion approached approached approached ap ap- the music machine and chose a record He glanced back atthe at atthe the princess who was awaiting with H 1 l q This Seemed to Give a New Pleasure I to o the the- Prince Princess pure pure Interest the result of his activity She hn hall had quite naturally crossed her ankles inkles as a white woman should but buther buther her c eyebrows had l a deceptive e upward tire slant slant the thc Ion l Mongol mark that chilled Con unreasonably Her IIer hands became Idle die lIe He set pt the record going and into nto his own onn emotions entire came the hothouse hot hot- house louse sentiments of the thc big American tenor who san sang strenuously f Con was glad for this further f touch of ot home nun Helen was pleased yet et neither was vas moved by the singing The They were vere pitched more Intensely ly than thun the thc music And for or or the girl Irl there thereas was as u a yellow web of tradition b between tween the Western son song and herself She found this merely n It wonder toy part of the American tradition that lint had hind been Ito her three costly tru a across ross two continents and the thc lar largest est ocean over deserts and mountains sleep leep p Into the wilderness of Sun Sha Mo She thanked Levington ton for his courte courtesy courtesy cour cour- te tesy y and unil her small hands came to liCen life liCe n again aln as she talked to Sir Father Sunshine flickered through h the tie leaves of the white oaks at the window trees rees cs that had been transplanted at what knew Inhuman cost eighteen eight eight- eighteen l ht- ht een years yeal'S before when she was a n babe babee at nt Eithna's breast The rhe oaks onks had been imported also to sustain North AmerICan American Ameri Amen can tradition Chee Circe Ming bung as to he the monarch was as a man of perfection In details I In at the window bounded a tiny fi figure fig fig- ure tire the pale-faced pale monkey Helen made soft noises with her lips and leaned forward Each of ot the three persons In the room rec received ived the monkeys monkey's monkeys |