Adventure Magazine Cover — page 186: what you’re looking at

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

172 Mandarin dialect, “save as it may accom- plish an end and, if it is wiped out, there are others who possess the actual evidence I am about to present to you.” Again there was that hint of a look, the swift shuttling of agate eyes, but the princes said nothing. “I do not know how intimate you have become with the workings of American justice—”’ Neill went on, his voice as cold as ever theirs had sounded—“the justice that you spoke of adapting to your own new republic. But there is such a thing as international law and you have made the mistake of supposing Mr. Remsden to be purely a private citizen without influence at Washington. You can easily assure yourselves of this mistake by discussion with your embassy, I am very certain. He has a great deal of power. “You affect to disdain the matter of the claw in-your affectation of new Chinese policies which you are forced to adopt by the trend of the times in China. You are particularly anxious, not merely to remain upon good terms with the United States and her allies, but also to negotiate a loan of considerable magnitude. This has not been made public and my knowledge of it should show you that I have not been idle and that Mr. Remsden, from whom I ob- tained the information, is in touch with international affairs. “You sent some roses to Miss Remsden. J have the full evidence. You will be held responsible for the actions of your secretary, despite any denial he may make. The thorns were impregnated with the virus of leprosy, which was communicated to Miss Remsden, as you hoped, by the pricking of her hand. Those thorns have been sub- jected to analysis, not thrown away, as you expected. I know the symptoms of leprosy. “To that and the fact that the virus was so strong as to bring out swiftly those symptoms, is due the fact that the roses were rescued in time. you from imprisonment, but your failure to make the loan, the general loathing and ‘suspicion that will be cast upon all Chinese diplomacy and personality will not serve to make you popular with your govern- ment. The evidence is in the hands of our Secret Service, or will be turned over to them either upon my order or in case I do not leave these rooms unscathed or am in Your rank may keep ~ Adventure any way interfered with. I have spoken.” McNeill stopped talking, unable to tell from those impassive masks what effect his powerful indictment had made. It was largely bluff. Remsden did have influence and the wires had been busy ever since he had disclosed to Remsden the state of his daughter’s health. But they had been unable to recover the roses. Still the cards were hidden and the stakes were big. ‘We will converse in English,”’ answered Ten Shin imperturbably. ‘You have de- livered your tirade, Mr. McNeill. If such a misfortune has overtaken Miss Remsden, we can understand your feelings and those of her father, powerless as we may be to avert them.” “Remsden is not her father,” said McNeill. ‘No blood of his is in her veins and she is innocent of any complicity in his affairs.” ‘She is not his own daughter?” “No.” There was silence for several moments. The two princes seemed to be, in some occult way, transferring thoughts. “You play a good game, Mr. McNeill,” said Liu Chi at last. “And you place your cards on the table, but they are not face up, and some of them may be spurious. I may say, without prejudice to our own disclaimer in this matter, that the question of Chinese vengeance lies largely in the permanent punishment of offenders, even to the third and fourth generation. The fact that Miss Remsden is not of Howard Remsden’s own blood is, I should imagine, quite a factor. It is a pity it was not known before—to Tao Chan, for example. “As for your threats against us, we will dismiss them as quite natural under the circumstances. It is true that China is anxious, through all her representatives, to stand well with America; to prove to your people that we are not utter bar- barians, that we can even look at things from the same standpoint of humanity, the principles upon which your country is so deeply founded. “Tf. you, with Mr. Remsden and Miss Remsden, will attend the banquet to- morrow evening—twenty-four hours will. not alter the medical situation—we may be able to assist you. We shall expect Mr. Remsden to come half-way. We accept no responsibility in this. We act merely as mediators. We can understand that Mr. (EO AMICEl ovexoy <S (E(0) im