Page:Henry rideout--The siamese cat.djvu/191

 an underswing outrageously swift and violent, struck twice and thrice, seemed to wrench his fist away, turned. The slant eyes of Ho Kong blinked at the nearing lights. Then the blade of his knife gleamed as he dived into black leafage. The kneeling figure lurched to its feet, rose; and in a drunken stagger Borkman reeled past, his white tunic badged with blood.

"Giles! Giles!" screamed a woman's voice at the gate.

Scarlett, transfixed, stared into the darkness, turned to speak, and found the rickshaw coolie trotting on as though nothing had occurred. He overtook Aunt Julia at the carriage steps, in time to hear Laura call from the stair-head—"Why, there she is! Where have you been all this time, Auntie?"

"Here, quick!" he panted. "Take Chao Phya! Quick! I must go see what happened."

"What was it? What was it?" begged Aunt