CHAPTER XXII
"Did you find your friend Schmidt?" inquired their host of Browne as heseated himself in a chair and lit a cigar.
"Yes," the latter answered, "I found him, and a curious character heis. He has some wonderful curios in his shop, and I could have spent aday there overhauling them."
"I should be very careful, if I were you, what sort of dealings youhave with him," said the other, with what struck Browne as a peculiarmeaning. "He does not bear any too good a reputation in these parts.I have heard some funny stories about him at one time and another."
"Oh, you need not be afraid on my account," replied Browne. "As I toldyou in your office, my dealings with him are of a purely commercialcharacter, and I don't think he has robbed me of very much so far.Now, what would you say if we were to make our way to the yacht?"
They accordingly adjourned to the boat. Perhaps, as the result of hisinterview that afternoon, Browne was in the highest of spirits. He didthe honours of his table royally, and the new-comer, ever since thatday, has been wont to declare that it was the jolliest dinner of whichhe has ever partaken in his life. How little he guessed the tragedythat was overhanging it all! Of the quartette, Maas was the only onein any way silent. For some reason or another _he_ seemed strangelypreoccupied. It was not until some months later that Browne heard fromJimmy Foote that that afternoon, during their perambulations of thecity, he had excused himself, and having discovered the direction ofthe telegraph station, had left them for upwards of three-quarters ofan hour.
"I am not quite myself to-night," he remarked, in reply to a remarkfrom Browne. "But I have no doubt I shall be all right againto-morrow."
Dinner being at an end, they adjourned to the deck, where they settleddown to coffee and cigars. The myriad lights of the city ashoreflashed out, and were reflected like countless diamonds in the stillwaters of the bay. Browne was irresistibly reminded of anotherharbour-scene. At another momentous epoch of his life, he had sat onthis self-same deck, and looked across the water at the lights ashore.And what a different man he had been then to the man he was now! Somuch had happened that it seemed scarcely possible it could be the same.
Their friend of the afternoon proved a most interesting companion. Hehad spent the greater portion of his life in the Farthest East, and wasfull of anecdotes of strange men he had met, and still stranger thingshe had seen. They reclined in their deck-chairs and smoked until closeupon ten o'clock. Then the new-comer thought it was time for him tosee about getting ashore. He accordingly rose from his chair, and wascommencing the usual preparatory speeches, when a hail from alongsidereached their ears. A quartermaster went to the bulwark and inquiredwho was calling, and what he wanted. A voice answered him in educatedEnglish:--
"Can you tell me if this is the _Lotus Blossom_?" it said.
"Yes," answered the quartermaster. "What do you want?"
"I want to see Mr. Browne, if he is aboard," the other answered.
"He is aboard," returned the quartermaster. "But I don't know whetherhe can see you. I will inquire."
"Who is he?" asked Browne. "Tell him to give you his name."
The quartermaster hailed the sampan again. "He says his name isMacAndrew, sir," he replied after a short pause, "and if you will seehim, he says he will not detain you many minutes."
"Let him come aboard, then," said Browne. "Just tell him to looksharp." Then, turning to his guests, he continued, "I wonder who thefellow is, and what he wants with me at this hour of the night." Inhis own heart he thought he knew pretty well.
"By the way," remarked his guest, "I should advise you to keep youreyes open while you are in this port. You can have no idea what queersort of people you will have to do with; but when I tell you that it isthe favourite meeting-place for half the villains of the East, you willhave some very good notion."
"Thanks for the warning," returned Browne. "I'll bear it in mind."
He had scarcely finished speaking, before the figure of a man appearedat the top of the gangway and came towards them. He was tall andslimly built, was dressed entirely in white, and wore a helmet of thesame colour upon his head. From an indescribable something abouthim--it may possibly have been his graceful carriage or the drawl inhis voice when he spoke--he might very well have passed for a gentleman.
"Mr. Browne?" he began, lifting his hat, and, as he did so, lookingfrom one to another of the group.
"My name is Browne," said the young man, stepping forward. "What can Ido for you?"
"I should be glad if you would favour me with a few minutes' privateconversation," answered the other. "My business is important, but itwill not detain you very long."
"I can easily do that," replied Browne, and as he said it his guest ofthe evening came forward to bid him good-bye.
"Must you really go?" Browne inquired.
"I am afraid I must," the other responded; "the boat has been alongsidefor some considerable time, and to-morrow the homeward mail goes out,and I have my letters to finish. I must thank you for a very jollyevening. My only regret is that you are not staying longer inHong-kong. However, I hope we shall see you on the return voyage, whenyou must let us entertain you, in a somewhat better fashion, than wehave been able to do to-day."
"I shall be delighted," said Browne as he shook hands; but in his ownheart he was reflecting that, when he did return that way, there would,in all probability, be some one with him, who would exercise suchcontrol over his time and amusements, that bachelor pleasures would beout of the question. The man having taken his departure, Browne beggedhis friends to excuse him for a few moments, and then passed down thedeck towards the tall individual, whom he could see waiting for him atthe saloon entrance. "Now, sir," he began, "if you wish to see me, Iam at your disposal."
"In that case, let us walk a little farther aft," replied the tall man."Let us find a place where we shall run no risks of being disturbed."
"This way, then," said Browne, and led him along the deck towards thetaffrail. He climbed up on to the rail, while his companion seatedhimself on the stern grating. The light from the after-skylight fellupon his face, and Browne saw that it was a countenance cast in asingularly handsome mould. The features were sharp and clear cut, theforehead broad, and the mouth and chin showing signs of considerabledetermination. Taken altogether, it was the face of a man who, havingembarked upon a certain enterprise, would carry it through, or perishin the attempt. Having lit a cigarette and thrown the match overboard,he began to speak.
"It has been brought to my knowledge," he began, "that you are anxiousto carry out a certain delicate piece of business connected with anisland, a short distance to the north of Japan. Is that so?"
"Before you go any farther," continued Browne, "perhaps it would be aswell for you to say whether or not you come from Johann Schmidt."
"Johann Schmidt!" replied the other, with some little astonishment."Who the devil is he? I don't know that I ever heard of him."
It was Browne's turn this time to feel surprised. "I asked because Iunderstood that he was going to send some one to me this evening."
"That is very possible," MacAndrew answered; "but let me make it clearto you that I know nothing whatsoever of him; in matters like this, Mr.Browne, you will find it best to know nothing of anybody."
After this plain speech, Browne thought he had grasped the situation."We will presume, then, that you know nothing of our friend Johann," hesaid. "Perhaps you have a plan worked out, and can tell me exactlywhat I ought to do to effect the object I have in view."
"It is for that reason that I am here," resumed MacAndrew, withbusiness-like celerity, as he flicked the ash from his cigarette."I've got the plan fixed up, and I think I can tell you exactly how thematter in question is going to be arranged. To begin with, I may aswell inform you that it is going to be an expensive business."
"Expense is no difficulty to me," replied Browne. "I am, of course,quite prepared to pay a large sum, provided it is in reaso
n, and I amassured in my own mind, that the work will be carried out in a propermanner. How much do you think it will cost me?"
"Five thousand pounds in good, solid English gold," answered MacAndrew;"and what is more, the money must be paid down before I put my hand tothe job."
"Five thousand pounds in good, solid English gold."]
"But, pardon my alluding to it, what sort of a check am I going to haveupon you?" Browne next inquired. "How am I to know that you won't takethe money and clear out?"
"You've got to risk that," said MacAndrew calmly. "I see no other wayout of it. You must trust me absolutely; if you don't think you can,say so, and I'll have nothing whatever to do with it. I won't make youany promises, because that's not my way; but I fancy when the businessis finished you'll be satisfied."
"I hope so," returned Browne, with a smile. "But can you give me nosort of guarantee at all?"
"I don't see that I can," muttered MacAndrew. "In cases like this aguarantee is a thing which would be a very unmarketable commodity. Inother words, we don't keep them in stock."
"It's to be a case of my putting my money in the slot, then, and you dothe rest?"
"As the Yankees say," said the other, "I reckon that is so. No, Mr.Browne, I'm very much afraid you must rest content with my bare word.If you think I'm straight enough to pull you through, try me; if not,as I said just now, have nothing more to do with me. I cannot speakfairer than that, I think, and I shall now leave it to you to decide."
"Well, I must see your plan," continued Browne. "When I have done thatit is just possible that I may see my way to undertaking the business."
"The plan, then, by all means," replied the other, and, as he did so,he thrust his hand into his pocket and drew out an envelope, which hehanded to Browne. "Here it is. I have roughly sketched it all out foryou. You had better read it when you are alone in your cabin, andafter you have got it by heart be sure to burn it carefully. I wroteit down in case I should not be able to see you, and also fearing, evenif I did have speech with you, I might not be able to say what I wantedto, without being overheard. I will come off at daybreak to-morrowmorning for your answer. In the meantime you can think it over. Willthat suit you?"
"Admirably," said Browne. "I will let you know my decision thenwithout fail."
"In that case, good-night."
"Good-night. I shall expect you in the morning."
"In the morning."
A quarter of an hour later Browne was alone in his own cabin. Havinglocked his door, he took the letter, the other had given him, from hispocket and opened it. A half-sheet of note-paper, upon which scarcelyfive hundred words were written, was all he found. But these words, heknew, meant all the world to him. He read and re-read them, and, assoon as he had got them by heart, lit a match and set fire to thepaper, which was reduced to ashes. Then he returned to the deck, whereMaas and Foote were still seated, and settled himself down for a chat.They had not been there many minutes before Maas found, that he hadsmoked the last cigar of a particular brand he affected, and rose to goto his cabin in search of another. He had not been very long absentbefore Browne remembered that he had left the envelope of MacAndrew'sletter on his dressing-table. Accordingly he set off in search of it,intending to destroy it as he had done its contents. Having reachedthe companion, he was descending to the saloon below, when a soundresembling the careful, though hurried, closing of a door attracted hisattention. A moment later he stepped into the saloon, to find Maasthere, who, for once in his life, appeared to be flurried and put outby something.
"I have lost my cigar-case, my dear Browne," he said, as if inexplanation. "Is it not annoying?"
Browne felt sure that this was not the truth. However, he did not sayso, but when he had condoled with him, entered his own cabin, where asurprise was in store for him. The envelope he had come down to burn,and which he distinctly remembered having placed upon the table lessthan half an hour before, was missing. Some one had taken it!