CHAPTER VI.
HEARD IN THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN DELIGHTS.
Harry did not have long to wait before Ah Lung got up and came to him.
His brother Wun, making a few remarks in Chinese, excused himself andleft.
"You will pardon me, Mr. Brady, for making it necessary for you tofollow me here," said the merchant. "I wanted to find out whether thegods were propitious to our undertaking, as you would say. I have beenso busy to-day that I got no chance until now."
"And the result?" asked Harry.
"We shall win out in the end, but not without trouble."
"Yon believe in your joss sticks, I see, Mr. Lung?"
"Firmly; and why should I not? For untold ages my people have employedthem to predict the future."
"Does it always come out true as they say?"
"By no means. Just about as often as what is told us by people in thisworld comes true."
"Of what use to consult them then?"
"Listen! If you have a friend upon whom you rely, who you have knownfor years, and who has never lied to you, then you unhesitatinglybelieve him, do you not?"
"Most assuredly."
"It is precisely the same with me. I believe that the movement of thejoss sticks in my case is controlled by the spirit of my dead father. Henever lied to me living. Why should he do so now that he has dropped thebody and is living in the world of spirits?"
"It is too deep for me. It would seem, though, that you must be aspiritualist."
Ah Lung shrugged his shoulders.
"I know very little about your American spiritualists," he replied, "butwe will not continue the subject. I am ready."
"Where do we go?"
"We will talk of that outside."
"Am I made up to suit you?"
"Yes, yes. As I look at you I fail to see how any one could see throughyour disguise."
They passed out of the joss house and walked down Jackson street hill.
"One thing," said Harry. "You must pretend to talk to me with yourfingers deaf and dumb fashion when we come into the presence of others."
"Oh, I can actually do it," replied Wun Lung. "I have a sister who isdeaf and dumb. We were able to put her through the deaf and dumb school.She knows only English. I am the only one who can talk to her. But Isuppose you cannot do the deaf and dumb finger speech?"
"Indeed I can," replied Harry, with his fingers.
"Then let us begin now," responded Ah Lung in the same fashion, "for weare liable to be seen by some one whom we may meet in the House of theSeven Delights."
"And what may that be?"
"A sort of club. A secret society. But I must say no more. You promisednot to press me, you know."
"All right. I am in your hands, but I just want to ask have you spokenof the princess to any of the members of this club?"
"Why yes, to one or two whom I can trust."
Harry shook his head.
"I am afraid you are the author of your own troubles, then, Mr. Lung,"he said.
"I shouldn't wonder. It is a matter I should not have spoken about toany one. I see it now."
They turned up China alley at last, entering the long building intowhich Alice had been taken on the night of her capture.
Harry now traveled over the same ground.
They ascended one flight, entered that elevator, and Ah Lung let themdown to the long corridor under ground.
Harry wondered at the many doors.
"What new organization am I up against?" he asked himself.
But of Ah Lung he asked no questions, feeling that he was in the man'shands for better or for worse.
"Now I don't know whether anything is going to come out of this or not,"Lung said with his fingers. "I am expecting to meet a certain party onbusiness. I shall bring the conversation around to the princess. The manis supposed to be my friend. If he has betrayed me I want to know it. Atall events, it is my only chance of giving you a clew on which to startyour search."
"Right," said Harry. "Lead on."
Lung stopped before a door, on which he knocked three times.
It was immediately opened by a young Chinaman in a white native dress.
The room was quite a large one, well fitted up with comfortable Americanfurniture.
It looked what it actually was, a club-room. Several Chinamen, mostly inAmerican dress, were sitting or standing in groups.
One came forward looking questioningly at Harry.
Lung said something, apparently vouching for him as a friend, and theman walked away.
Nobody else spoke to them.
Going up to a handsome buffet, Lung poured out tea for himself andHarry, helping him also to sweetmeats and Chinese cakes.
"Is this just a business club?" asked Young King Brady.
"Just that and nothing else," was the reply; "there are several clubsmeeting down here. While the members are all part of one grandorganization, these clubs are organized for different purposes, and aman may belong to one without belonging to another or knowing anythingabout the others. That's the way we work it."
"Is your man here?"
"Not yet. He is expected, however. I must hurry and get you placed."
They now left the club-room, Ah Lung, opening the next door beyond witha latch-key.
This ushered them into a narrow corridor lighted by colored redlanterns.
From it opened several small alcoves before which fancy-colored curtainshung.
Harry saw that they were intended for opium smokers, and that each wouldhold two persons. They were provided with soft couches instead of theusual Chinese wooden bunks.
An attendant in white came forward. Ah Lung spoke to him in Chinese andgave him money.
"I have engaged two of these rooms," he said. "You must take one now andpretend to smoke and go to sleep. Watch and listen for me, for I shallcome into the next alcove with my man. I never smoke opium myself, buthe does, and he always prefers to talk business over a pipe."
And this programme was carried out.
Ah Lung left Harry, who lost no time in pretending to go to sleep. Thecurtain was drawn before the alcove.
Harry waited an hour and grew so drowsy that at last he actually diddrop off, to be suddenly awakened by hearing somebody give a loud cough.As he opened his eyes he saw a hand draw his curtain shut.
He was on the alert instantly, for he could hear two men entering thenext alcove.
"And now for business," one said. Harry recognized the voice of Ah Lung.
"Wait till I get my pipe going," replied the second person.
The voice and accent were peculiar.
It seemed to Young King Brady that he recognized both.
"Surely I have heard that voice before," he said to himself. "Butwhere?"
This was a question that as Harry lay listening he found himself unableto decide.
The pipe filling was so quickly completed and the smell which arose sodifferent from ordinary opium that Harry concluded the man must bemerely smoking some sort of opium saturated tobacco.
The talk then began.
It was precisely what Ah Lung had hinted at, a transaction in cheapopium.
The word smuggled was not used.
Ah Lung bought a thousand dollars worth, which was to be delivered nextday at the store.
There was considerable haggling, the talk lasting all of twenty minutes,and all this time Young King Brady was puzzling his brains to know wherehe had heard that voice before, but memory refused to serve him.
As for the man's English, it was almost as good as Ah Lung's, whichamounts to saying that it was nearly perfect.
Harry heard, although their voices were keyed low. It vexed him to thinkthat Ah Lung could not have spoken the man's name, but he never didonce.
Now suddenly the conversation took a different turn.
"Ah, my good friend," said Ah Lung with a sigh, "I am in deep trouble. Iknow you will sympathize with me when I tell you what it is."
"Of course," was the r
eply. "I always have sympathy for those introuble. What is the matter now?"
"My princess."
"Ah, ha! She is ill?"
"Not that. She failed to arrive on the Manchuria."
"Is it so? Did she not sail then?"
Ah Lung told the story he had given the Bradys.
"It must be very hard for you, Lung," replied the other. "I wish I couldhelp you. Perhaps I can."
"You? How can that be possible?"
"Listen! I heard it rumored--only rumored by men--you know who--thatthere was a Chinese woman of high rank who was a passenger on the DoverCastle. With her was a man who claimed to be her cousin. The man wassmuggled in, Lung. I saw and talked with him. His name was Wang Foo!"
"You don't mean it!" cried Ah Lung, excitedly.
"Hush! We shall be heard."
"No, no! I tell you the man in the next bunk is deaf and dumb. Besides,he is a good friend of mine."
"But on the other side?"
"It is empty."
"Sure? Some one may have come in."
"I'll look and see."
Ah Lung did so and reported the alcove empty.
"Go on!" he said eagerly. "You are interesting me greatly. What becameof this woman of high rank?"
"Ah! That I do not know, my friend, but I do know that she did not landopenly. Then she must have been smuggled ashore. Probably she isconcealed somewhere in Chinatown now."
"I must find out. I will employ detectives."
"Do nothing of the sort. If the woman is here, if she really is thePrincess Skeep Hup, then I am the man who can get her for you. What willyou pay, Ah Lung?"
"Pay! I thought you were my friend."
"I am out for the dollars, brother. Out for the dollars every time."
"What is it worth to you then to go to the trouble to make theseinquiries?"
"Nothing to make inquiries, but if this Chinese woman should prove to bethe Princess Skeep Hup, and I am the means of delivering her up to you,I shall expect half of that money you told me you were going to get withher, or, in other words, $5,000."
Harry heard Ah Lung give an angry exclamation, and he feared that he wasgoing to say something which would spoil everything, but the Chinamancontrolled himself.
"Why, this is almost as bad as blackmail," he said, sarcastically. "Idon't mind paying a thousand dollars, but five thousand! It isnonsense!"
"It has to be or I won't work."
"Come, I'll be liberal with you. I'll make it two thousand. Go ahead andfind out for me."
"Not a cent less than $5,000, Brother Lung."
"Dr. Garshaski, I believe you know something definite, that this is adeal to blackmail me."
Dr. Garshaski! Harry almost jumped off the couch.
Now he knew whose voice he had been listening to.
He wondered at himself.
How could he ever have forgotten?
"That scoundrel!" he thought. "Alice in his hands? This is terrible, butit explains her disappearance, all right."
Meanwhile the talk was going right on.
"Have it your own way, Mr. Lung," said the doctor, "but you want todecide. Do I work or don't I work? Which?"
"I will give up no more than I said. I won't be swindled."
"Very well. Then I won't do anything about your Chinese princess. Youropium will be delivered. I am going now. Good-night."
"Go," replied Lung. "I shall not forget this, doctor."
"No, I don't think you will," replied the doctor, and Harry heard himleave the room.
Instantly Ah Lung drew aside the curtain.
But Harry did not wait for him to speak.
"After him!" he whispered. "I know that fellow! He is a scoundrel! Nodoubt he is at the bottom of this whole business, and of thedisappearance of Miss Montgomery, too."