Page:Mr. Wu (IA mrwumilnlouisejo00milniala).pdf/219

 The woman leaned forward towards him quickly, her hands knotted at her knee. "Yes—yes—my son," she began eagerly.

"What the matter was," Wu went on smoothly, "he did not say. Of course, I knew of your son's disappearance—everybody in Hong Kong knows that—so I fancied that your husband wished, perhaps, to ask me that any influence I might possess among my countrymen should be exerted to assist you in your search"

"Yes—yes," she said, "if you could!"

"Could!" Gregory muttered, "he knows all about it."

"To assist you in your search," Wu repeated blandly. "His reception of me, however, was strangely unlike that of a man—asking a favor."

"Favor!" Gregory flamed out—he couldn't help it—"I was going to ask no favor, I can tell you."

His wife sent him a peremptory glance, but Wu paid him no attention, but continued:

"And in the end, Mrs. Gregory, he presented a revolver at me, and practically held me prisoner."

"Yes," Gregory snarled, "and by a cunning ruse, like a man of your crafty nature"

Wu Li Chang smiled deprecatingly. "Listen to him, Mrs. Gregory! It is cunning of me to endeavor to save my own life. It is not cunning of him to beguile me here under the pretext of"

"Pretext be damned!" Gregory blustered, beside himself now, rising and going to the window. His face was twitching. He stood looking out at the seething humans on the dock-side, but it is doubtful if he saw them.

"You see," Wu said gently, "the strange means by which your husband seeks to enlist my help and sympathy."

Florence Gregory hung her head.