'I did not,' said the coward. 'It was my mother who stole the child and hid her from me. I was taking her back to Peking.'
'Very well,' said Mr. Grey, 'I must hand you over to the magistrate.'
This was quite enough for Hung Li, who knew that if he were once inside a Chinese prison he might have to stay there a very long time.
'Don't tell me any lies,' Mr. Grey continued. 'You kept my daughter shut up in your house, and she might have died if it had not been for your wife.'
Hung Li grunted, but said nothing.
'But,' went on Mr. Grey, 'I will let you go on one condition, that you give up all claim to your wife and let her come to live with my daughter in Peking, and I will give you fifty taels for her.'
Hung Li did not expect to be let off so easily. 'Take the woman,' he said. 'She has no children and I don't want her.'
'All right,' replied Mr. Grey. 'I take all these people to witness our bargain.'