Page:Henry rideout--The siamese cat.djvu/113

 He bought a few things, handled many more, called for a list of prices. Ho Kong the clerk, rattling the abacus, jotted down figures on a sheet of paper, which he folded trimly, and delivered with a bow. Then, clapping on a rakish Panama hat, he escorted Owen to his carriage, and as it rolled away, bowed again in best European fashion.

"I startled him about that bracelet," thought Owen. "The writing on this price-list looks familiar, too. Where could I have seen it? Hmm! So he comes into the affair, too; but what affair?"

The drowsy afternoon lagged by, the sun dropped behind the teak-mills, the brown smoke of twilight swiftly turned to darkness. At last it was time to dress for dinner. Returning to his room, he switched on the swinging bulb just in time to see, on the back-verandah rail, a pair of green-sleeved arms