J. Allan Dunn

“ But man may weight the scales.
A maid and a flower—both are beautiful.
Yet, when the wind blows from the East,
Lo, they perish as straws in the furnace!"
"The wind—from the East—from China!" groaned Remsden. "The maid, that means Helen!"
There was a real note of anguish in his voice that surprized McNeill. He had not thought that Remsden was capable of such genuine affection for the girl. He himself plainly understood the subtle threat and his jaw set hard before he took up the reading:
"Who shall stay the hand of the Reaper? ”

“ Only he who hath a clear conscience need not fear him.
Yet restitution may purge the soul,
But the path of the perverse one shall be sown with knives.
Wo, wo unto him who mocks the ghosts of a thousand generations! ”

“ He had risen and was towering over the crumpled Remsden, who was whining in his chair.
"Don't go back on me, McNeill! For Helen's sake! I did not dream of the jeweler's going to Hoang Lung.
"The lives of the three of us are in jeopardy. Yours is forfeit."
"There must be some way out, McNeill—some way."
"There is one chance—to make restitution of the claw. It is possible they may make terms—may keep them. I can see these two princes. They have evidently been communicated with by cable from China. For all their avowal of modern thought, they have still to play politic! at home. ”

“ Remsden, after all.' That was a threat, all right—a touch of the velvet glove. Nothing of the hatchetman method about those two slick yellow devils, McNeill. And they smiled when they handled the claw. I had a wild idea that they might try to claim it. I would never have made the presentation if I had known of their presence in the country, but they just smiled with their eyes and gave it back to Forsythe, our curator, who was watching them as he does every one, even me, with the eyes of a hawk. The gift belongs to the museum and he is responsible. Every one is a possible thief in his eyes. ”

“ They are both in it. They mean to get it. They were at the bottom of the attempted robbery last night."
"If it had been possible for the duplicated claw to get across," said McNeill, "they might have made a shift. That would have eased matters. But it would take some powerful influence to make Tao Chan let even the copy go. The shrine has worshipers and he will not let the common people know of the substitution. It would spell peril for him to be without the fetish.
"But I will let you know the result of my interview. Now, for my own business. I would like to see Miss Helen. ”