Adventure, July 1, 1928 — page 167: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE THRALDOM OF SINGAN ‘for that reason he was frightened of me.” She had spoken in a quick, breathless voice; and having finished her story, she closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened them and looked round the veranda, as if she saw everything there for the first time. “But it is impossible,” said she, “that Liu Tang is not here! He must have been miles in front of me.” is “That’s true enough,” said Eade. “If the man has been here at all, 1t was more than six hours ago.” “Then he has come!” she cried, in new alarm. “NMfadame, I know nothing for certain. But to tell you the truth, there’s evidence that he may have come and gone.” Again she carried her hand to her heart. “E fear for Charles,” she said. A heavy step on the veranda caused them both to turn. John Eade recog- nized his cousin at once, though he had not seen him for more than twenty years. Well over six feet in height, clean shaven, fair haired and powerfully built, Cart- wright looked younger than his years. He was wearing breeches and puttees, a flan- nel shirt open at the neck and a pith helmet. He stood at the head of the steps with his legs wide parted. He glanced first at Eade and then at the lady. Though he had not the remotest idea who his cousin was, he recognized Madame Scala at once. “Valérie!” he cried. She turned quickly gave him one glance and then closed her eyes. “Thank God, you are safe!’’ she breathed, in a voice little above a whisper. And had John Eade not caught her in his arms, she would have fallen to the ground. p> CHAPTER V NEWS OF BATTISTA SCALA T WAS as if the life had gone out of her. Her powers of endurance had been taxed to the utmost. By sheer will power alone she had managed to tell Eade the greater part of her story; and _he went on to explain. 161 nothing but anxiety and suspense had kept her going, until the tension was sud- denly relieved and she had fallen forward in a swoon. When John Eade made known his identity to his cousin, Cartwright showed little or no surprise. His sole concern seemed to be for Madame Scala, whom he took from Eade’s arms, and for a moment stood irresolute as if he didn’t know what to do with her. “T’ll take her to Mrs. Headley,” said he. *She’s certain to be at home now, in the heat of the day. Headley’s our manager,” “His wife’ll look after her. There’s not a doctor within ten miles of us.” Eade went to the head of the steps and looked up and down the road. He had no particular object in doing so. He merely felt that he wanted to do something, and could think of nothing that could be in any way useful, just as he could think of nothing to say. . He saw the red road in the glaring light—shadowless, though it ran like an avenue between towering trees. The sun’s rays were vertical. The elongated, glaucous leaves of a shrub at the foot of the veranda steps shone in the glare as if they were of silver. Not far away, leaning against the low fence that divided the garden of Cart- wright’s bungalow from that next door, was a man whose personal appearance was as unprepossessing as it was singular. Had that not been so, John Eade would not have looked at him twice, instead of staring at him, as he did, for the best part of a minute. At first he could not decide whether the man was an Asiatic or a European. He was certainly dressed like a white man, in a dust colored suit of. crumpled Shantung silk that included even a waistcoat. He wore both a soft collar and a necktie, as well as a white sun- helmet. His face, however, was that of a Mongol. For he had Chinese eyes—ex- traordinary big eyes, but almond shaped —beneath which were repulsive looking comnliclbooks.com