Adventure, June 1911 — page 169: what you’re looking at

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

The Emerald Buddha seen him? The only possible solution filled me with horror—that Miss Temple and Li Min were acting together—that her father, too, was in the plot, as he must have been if he rebolted the window. The thing was clearly impossible, yet otherwise the China- man was clearly innocent, for I believed without question that had he entered the room and committed the murder he could in no possible way have bolted the window himself from without. Yet as I looked at the strong, beautiful face of the girl beside me I could not think that, whatever she might be led to do for the sake of some one else, she could never have committed such a crime herself! _ I also remembered suddenly Major Tem- ple’s angry remark, made to Robert Ashton the night before, that he would never allow Ashton to leave the house with the emerald in his possession. Was she shielding her father? Was it he, then, that she had seen upon the roof? CHAPTER VII THE TRON POKER AS I WENT to my room I met Sergeant McQuade in the hall. The divisional surgeon had returned to the town, the body had been removed to a large, unused billiard- room on the ground floor, and the inquest was set for the following morning at eleven. Aisc, the two Chinamen who had left Exeter ‘on the morning train had been ap- prehended in London and were being held there. He proposed to run up to town as soon as the inquest was over. A careful and detailed search of Mr. Ashton’s room and belongings had failed to reveal any further light upon the murder or anv traces of the missing Emerald Buddha. After luncheon Sergeant McQuade asked Major Temple to meet him in the library, accompanied by Li Min, and at the Major’s request I joined them. The Chinaman was stolidly indifferent and perfectly collected and calm. His right hand was bound up with a strip of white cloth. He spoke Eng- lish brokenly, but seemed to understand quite well all that was said to him. “Ti Min,” said Major Temple, address- ing the man, “this gentleman wishes to ask you some questions.” “All light.” The Chinaman faced Mc- Quade with a look of bland inquiry. 399 ‘“‘Where did you spend last night?” “Me spend him with blother at Exeter.” ‘What time did you leave there?” “‘P’laps ‘leven o’clock, sometime.” “Was it raining?” “Ves, velly much lain.” “Vou did not go to bed, then?” “No, no go to bed; go Exeter.”’ The Sergeant looked at him sternly. “Your bed was not made this morning. You are lying to me.” “No, no lie. Bed not made flom day before. I make him myself.”’ The detective turned to Major Temple. “Ts this fellow telling the truth?” he asked. “Does he make his own bed?” ““Ves,”’ replied the Major. “The other servants refused to have anything to do with him. They are afraid to enter his room.” “What did you do in Exeter?” asked McQuade. ““P’laps talkee some, smokee some, eatee some—play fan-tan—bimeby sleep.” ‘““What’s the matter with your hand?” “Me cuttee hand, bloken bottle—Exe- ter.” “What kind of a bottle?” ““Whisky-bottle,” answered Li Min, with a childlike smile. McQuade turned away with a gesture of impatience. “He knows a great deal more than he lets on, but there’s no way to get it out of him. Do any of the other servants sleep near him?” “‘He sleeps in a small room on the third floor of the east wing, which has a back stairway to the ground floor,” said the Major. “The other house servants sleep on the second floor of the rear extension, over the kitchen and pantries. My daugh- ter generally sees to the locking up of the house.” “Did she do so last night? ye ““No. I locked the rear entrance before I retired shortly before midnight.” “After Mr. Ashton had left your” “Immediately after.” “Then if Li Min had left the house by that time, you would not have known it?”’ “No. I sat up with Mr. Ashton until quite late—perhaps for two hours or more after dinner.”’ “Did you have any quarrel with Mr. Ashton before he left youe”’ Major Temple glanced at me with a slight frown. “We had some words,” he Go JOO AMG SoCO