The Lacquer Screen

'Well, the jade wearing the earrings you showed me went there two times. I couldn't see her face because she wore a veil, but I did see those earrings peeping out from under. When she comes out with the young fellow, she looks at me and says to him, "Give the poor man ten coppers." Which he did.'

'You needn't look so astonished,' the Corporal said to Judge Dee. 'Those beggars make good money, you know! You should try it yourself, some day!'

The judge managed to mutter something. This was a totally unexpected development. Barring the most unlikely eventuality — that there existed a second pair of those ear­rings in Wei-ping — Mrs Teng must have had a secret lover, which was not only unlikely, but wholly unthinkable! He asked the beggar sharply: 'Are you quite sure she was actually wearing those same earrings?'

'Look here, you!' the old man said indignantly. 'My eyes may run a little bit now and then, and then only on really windy days, but I'll wager they're better than yours, see!'

'Drip-eye knows his job,' the Corporal said impatiently. 'Now you go to work on that young man, brother. That's your murderer! What did he look like, Drip-eye?'

'Oh, just a well-dressed youngster. Bit of a tippler, I'd say, for he had red patches on his cheeks. Never seen him anywhere else.'

Judge Dee slowly stroked his beard. He said to the Corporaclass="underline"

'I'd better be off and question the people in that house.'

The Corporal guffawed. He poked the judge in the ribs and said:

'You think you're still a headman, eh? Arrest the people, put them on the rack, and they'll tell you everything! What do you think the madame would do when you went there asking questions? Offer you a turn, on the house?'

The judge bit his lip. Things were moving too fast, he was making bad mistakes. The Corporal went on seriously:

'The only way to learn something there is to go with Carnation and rent a room, businesslike! Those people know her, so nobody'll get suspicious. If you can't trace your murderer, then you'll at least learn something from the wench. She knows her job, eh, Carnation? And gratis too!'

'You'll have to invest a few strings of coppers,' the girl said listlessly. 'It's not a cheap place. And, as for me being gratis, we'll have to see about that. Here at home I go with the room, but outside work is different'

'Don't worry about that,' the judge said. 'When can we go there?'

'After the noon meal,' she replied. 'Those places don't open earlier than that.'

Judge Dee offered a cup of wine to the Corporal and the beggar. The latter set out on a long tale about some of the queer things he had seen in his career. Presently Chiao Tai came back and joined them. They had a few rounds together, then Carnation went to the kitchen to prepare the noon rice. The judge said to Chiao Tai:

'This afternoon I am taking her to a nice house near the west gate.'

'I thought you had better things to do than to go whor­ing!' an unpleasant voice spoke up behind them. Kun-shan had come in noiselessly on his felt shoes.

'I settled the affair we talked about,' Judge Dee told him. 'Come on, we'll take you to a restaurant. We feel we owe you a meal!'

Kun-shan nodded and the three men left the inn together.

In the next street they found a small eating-house. Judge Dee took a table somewhat apart from the others and ordered a large platter of fried rice and pork, salted vegetables and three jars of wine. As soon as the waiter had left, Kun-shan asked eagerly:

'Did Leng Chien pay up? We'll have to hurry, for they have just arrested him, I hear.'

Silently Judge Dee took the two drafts from his sleeve and displayed them. Kun-shan put out his hand with a sup­pressed cry of delight. But the judge quickly put the papers back in his sleeve. He said coldly: 'Not so fast, my friend!'