"Oh, a man will die when he dies. Life, death, riches, poverty--they are man's fate. But my plans--they are much to me and my people."
Big Sam then pulled a cord that swung behind him. The door opened and the Chinese girl, frightened and tearful, was pushed in.
"The decision is for you, Mr. Hampden," he said.
I looked upon her and thought what the decision meant to her.
"Does she go with you, or with the tongs?" he asked.
"I have decided. I will take her," I said with sudden resolution.
"On the conditions I mentioned this morning?"
"It is late to bargain," said I.
"On the contrary," he said, "it is necessary. It is only with these conditions of compromise that I can hope to make my peace with the tongs."
"You have my promise," I said, rising.