Poets and Murder

'I want to tell you that I have reconsidered, Magistrate. I accept your kind invitation.'

'Excellent, my dear lady, excellent! Shao and Chang are both looking forward to meeting you again. Sexton Loo is here too, you know. And let me introduce to you another admirer of yours! This is my friend Dee, the magistrate of our neighbour-district, Poo-yang. I present the great Yoo-lan to you, Dee!'

She gave the judge a cursory look from her vivacious, long-lashed eyes, and made a perfunctory bow. When the judge had acknowledged the greeting by inclining his head, she turned her attention to the small magistrate, who was setting out on a detailed description of the courtyard he had prepared for her, next door to his own women's quarters, at the back of his residence.

Judge Dee put her age at about thirty. Formerly she must have been remarkably beautiful. She still had a regular, ex­pressive face, but there were heavy pouches under her eyes, a deep furrow between her long, curved eyebrows, and thin lines by the side of her full mouth, very red in her pallid face, devoid of rouge and powder. Her hair was done up in a high coiffure of three jet-black coils, held in place by two simple ivory needles. The severe black dress accentuated her broad hips, slender waist and rather too heavy bosom. When she bent over the desk to pour herself a cup of tea, he noticed her white, sensitive hands, unadorned by rings or bracelets.

'A thousand thanks for all your trouble,' she cut short her host's harangue. A soft smile lighting up her face, she con­tinued, 'And ten thousand thanks for showing me that I still have friends! I was beginning to think I had none left, during the past few weeks. I gather there will be a dinner tonight?'

'Certainly, but just a small affair, in my residence. To­morrow night we shall all go to the Emerald Cliff, and cele­brate the Mid-autumn Festival there together!’

'That sounds most attractive, Magistrate. Especially after six weeks spent in various prisons. They treated me well, П must say, but still ... Well, tell your headman to take me to your residence and introduce me to the matron of your women's quarters. I must take a good rest, and change before dinner. Even a woman past her prime likes to look her best on such occasions.'

'Of course, my dear!’ Lo exclaimed. 'Take all the time you want! We'll start dinner late, and go on till deep into the night, in the style of the ancients!’ As he clapped his hands for the headman, the poetess said:

'Oh, yes, I brought Small Phoenix with me. She wanted to have a look at the hall where she's supposed to dance tonight. You made a good choice there, Magistrate.' And to the head­man who came in, 'Bring the young woman here!’

A slender girl of about eighteen stepped inside and dropped a curtsey. She was dressed in a plain dark-blue gown, a red sash wound tightly round her wasp-like waist. Magistrate Lo surveyed her critically, a frown creasing his thin eyebrows.

'Ah, yes. Ha hm,' he said vaguely. 'Well, my girl, I don't think you'll find anything wrong with my hall.'

'Don't try to be nasty, Magistrate!’ the poetess intervened curtly. 'She's very serious about her art, and wants to adapt her dances to the floor-space available. Tonight she's going to dance to that enchanting tune "A Phoenix among Purple Clouds". That's her most popular number. The title goes well with her name too! Come on, don't be shy, dear! Always remember that a handsome young girl needn't be afraid of any gentleman, high official or not.'

The dancer looked up. Judge Dee was struck by her curious still face. The long, pointed nose and the large, lacklustre eyes with a pronounced upward slant gave it a mask-like quality. Her hair was drawn back tightly from her smooth high brow, and gathered in a simple coil at the nape of her long, thin neck. She had angular shoulders and thin, long arms. There was a strange, sexless aura about her. The judge could well imagine that his colleague was not greatly impressed, for he knew that Lo went for flamboyant women, with obvious and very feminine charms.

'This person regrets her slender abilities,' the dancer said in a voice so low as to be hardly audible. 'It is too great an honour to be allowed to dance before such distinguished com­pany.'

The poetess patted her lightly on the shoulder.

"That'll do, dear. I'll see you tonight at dinner, gentlemen!'

Again she made a perfunctory bow and went out with her quick, long stride, followed by the shy dancer.

Magistrate Lo raised both his hands and cried out:

'That woman had absolutely everything! Great beauty, extraordinary talent, and a forceful personality. To think that a cruel fate ordained that I should meet her ten years too late!’ Sadly shaking his head, he pulled a drawer out and took from it a bulky dossier. He resumed briskly, 'I collected copies of all relevant documents concerning the murder for you, Dee. Thought you'd like to know all the circumstances of the White Heron murder case. Added a brief note on her career too, for your orientation. Here, you had better have a look at these papers before dinner.'

The judge was touched. His colleague had really gone to a great deal of trouble just to see that he, his guest, wouldn't be bored. He said gratefully: