The Mandarin's Fan

"Consequently the third tree. We will look for the packet, as soon as I explain myself. The packet must be safe, as you have the fan, and I know, Mr. Ainsleigh, you are my friend, as I was the friend of your father before you."

"What," Rupert threw back his head. "I understood from Dr. Forge, that you were my enemy."

Lo-Keong frowned. "Ah! he goes as far as that," said he, then paused a moment. "I will explain."

Olivia would have interrupted, but he threw out a long arm in an imperious manner, and began his story without further preamble, playing with the fan all the time.

"My name," said the Marquis, "is Lo-Keong, and I am a native of the province of Kan-Su – "

"Where the mine is," murmured Rupert.

"Exactly, Mr. Ainsleigh. My native town is on the Hwei River, and not far from the mine your father bought – "

"Along with Dr. Forge,"

"Pardon me, sir, but Dr. Forge did not buy it. He was merely a servant of your father's. The mine was owned by your father alone. I conducted the negotiations on behalf of the owner of the land."

"But Forge says – "

"I can guess." Lo-Keong waved his hand coldly. "He blackens my name to you, and lies about the mine. Always bad – always foul, always a liar – that man must be killed. I have spared him too long."

Olivia shuddered. "No Marquis," said she, "I beg that there may be no more murders."

"Not in England, but when this Forge comes again to China," here the Marquis smiled in a cruel way, but made no further remark. The young people shuddered. He smiled benignly on them, and went on with his story in a calm level voice.

"My respected parent was a merchant," said he calmly, "and he gave me a fine education, of which, as you know, we think greatly in the Middle Kingdom. I secured the Hanlin degree, which is very high, and so became greater than my friend Hop Sing, who failed. That success made Hop Sing my enemy. I returned home, and Hop Sing made trouble. It is not necessary to explain how," added the Marquis with another wave of his hand. "But the trouble resulted in my leaving my parental roof, and becoming a soldier with the Boxers who then conspired against the Empress Dowager. But before I left my native town, I acted as the middle man between a respected resident and Mr. Markham Ainsleigh who desired to lease a gold mine on the Hwei River. I left him in full possession of the rights to work the mine, and Dr. Forge assisted him."

"Not as a partner?" asked Rupert breathlessly.

"By no means, Mr. Ainsleigh. Forge was a good doctor, but he knew nothing about mining. He doctored the Coolies, and attended to minor matters. Your father looked after the mine personally. I understand he learned how to do so in California."

"Yes – He was there before I was born, but – "

"Permit me to continue, Mr. Ainsleigh. Well then, I left your father in possession of the mine, and joined the Boxers. I rose to be a leader, and afterwards returned to see my parents. At that time the rebellion – for that it was – proved unfortunate, so it was necessary that I should conceal myself, I took service with your father as a foreman of the mine, and I can safely say," said Lo-Keong with a certain show of emotion, "that your father saved my life. I consider myself indebted to him, and now I am indebted to his son."

"It is very good of you," said Rupert. "I need a friend."

"You have one in me," said the Marquis courteously. "But to proceed, as the night grows darker. I was your father's friend, Hop Sing was his enemy, and Forge sided with Hop Sing."

"But why did he do that?" asked Ainsleigh impetuously. "Forge was at college with my father – they were great friends – "

"So Mr. Markham Ainsleigh thought. But Dr. Forge was greedy and wished to have the mine to himself. Hop Sing, who had some influence at the Imperial Court, promised to help Dr. Forge to get rid of your father and secure the mine provided I was ruined."

"And Forge acted this base part."

"He did," said the Mandarin quietly. "I may tell you Mr. Ainsleigh that I was completely in your father's confidence. He made a great deal of money out of the mine, and I arranged for it to be turned into safe investments through a third person whose name need not be mentioned. A large sum was placed out at interest and all these many years the interest has been accumulating. You will receive a handsome sum I assure you, Mr. Ainsleigh."

"But," broke in Olivia perplexed. "Dr. Forge told my husband that the whole amount was eighteen thousand, of which ten thousand belonged to him and eight thousand to Rupert."

"Dr. Forge places the money obtained from the mine at a low figure," said the Chinaman smiling, "what the amount is, I shall tell you later. Meanwhile I must explain the intrigue which led to your father's murder – "

"Ah," Rupert leaped to his feet, "then he was murdered."

"He was – by the emissary of Hop Sing. Be calm, Mr. Ainsleigh, and be seated. Your father died quietly enough by strangulation – "

"What. Was he killed in the same way as Miss Wharf?"

Lo-Keong bowed his stately head. "Yes, and by the same person – "

"Tung-yu," cried Olivia starting to her feet in her turn.

"Exactly, Mrs. Ainsleigh. I know that Tung-yu strangled Mr. Markham Ainsleigh, and I believe that he strangled your aunt."

Rupert sat down on the sofa and drew his wife down beside him. "But Tung-yu was the man who was to buy the fan – "

"Quite so." Lo-Keong folded and unfolded the fan calmly. "You know of the god Kwang-ho."

"Yes – but I can't understand – "

"Naturally," the Marquis laughed quietly, "that is a thing beyond the comprehension of a Western barbarian – your pardon for so calling you. Kwang-ho," went on the Mandarin, "is an ancestor of mine who lived during the Ming dynasty. He was a sage, and very famous, so I took him as my private god."

Olivia looked amazed and a little shocked. "A private god. I never knew that anyone could have a private god even in China," she said.

"If you have read Roman history, Mrs. Ainsleigh, you will remember the Lares and Penates, which were something of the same kind. I was very unfortunate with the public gods of my country, so I chose Kwang-ho to be my genius – my destiny. I had an image made and offered him incense. It was, in fact what you might call ancestral worship; only I looked upon Kwang-ho as one who could control my destiny. I was right," said Lo-Keong emphatically, "for, from the moment I sacrificed to Kwang-ho, my fortunes changed."

"In what way?" asked Rupert, wondering that a clever man like this should talk so superstitiously.

"In every way. The priest of my new god Kwang-ho consulted the deity and ordered that I should leave the Boxers and attach myself to the party of the Empress Dowager, who was to be all powerful in the future. I think," added Lo-Keong smiling blandly, "that Kwang-ho was right in that. Who is so powerful as my august mistress."

"True enough," admitted Ainsleigh impatiently, "but what has this to do with the death of my father?"

"Patience, Mr. Ainsleigh. I arranged to leave the Boxers. We were fighting for the Emperor, who was then being crushed by the Empress Dowager. I had many papers showing my devotion to the Boxer cause and to His Imperial Majesty. These papers I intended to destroy: but remembering that some day the Emperor might overcome the Empress, I decided to keep the papers. They would show that I had worked for the Emperor, and thus my fortunes would be secure should His Imperial Majesty reign alone. As yet," added Lo-Keong with a shrug, "he has not reigned alone and my august mistress still rules the destinies of the middle kingdom."

"Ah. And if she got those papers? – "

"She would cut off my head," replied Lo-Keong quietly, "so now you see why I thought it best to conceal them. I wished to preserve the papers so as to keep myself in favour with the Emperor, when he became supreme, and I wished to conceal them from the Empress Dowager and her spies, while she ruled China. You understand?"

"We do," said the young couple. "So you used the means of the fan to tell where they were hidden?" asked Rupert,

The Mandarin assented. "I did. I spoke to your father about this plan of concealment. I knew the papers would not be safe in China, as the emissaries of Hop Sing would find them, and I should be ruined, so on the suggestion of your father, I decided to hide them in England."

"But why in the Abbey?"

"Mr. Markham Ainsleigh's suggestion, sir. He said that this place had been in the possession of his family for years and would likely continue to remain under the Ainsleigh – "

"Alas – alas," sighed Rupert.

"Not at all, sir," was Lo-Keong's brisk reply, "you will have enough money to keep this place I assure you. But to continue – your father, whose health was very bad, arranged to take his money back to this place, and to take also the papers I wished to hide. We arranged that they should be concealed in the third tree and then I hit upon the plan of an invisible picture on the fan with the assistance of the beads to identify the hiding-place."