"My name," said the Marquis, "is Lo-Keong, and I am a native of the province of Kan-Su----"
"Where the mine is," murmured Rupert.
"Exactly, Mr. Ainsleigh. My native town is on the Hwei River, and not far from the mine your father bought----"
"Along with Dr. Forge."
"Pardon me, sir, but Dr. Forge did not buy it. He was merely a servant of your father's. The mine was owned by your father alone. I conducted the negotiations on behalf of the owner of the land."
"But Forge says----"
"I can guess." Lo-Keong waved his hand coldly. "He blackens my name to you, and lies about the mine. Always bad--always foul, always a liar--that man must be killed. I have spared him too long."
Olivia shuddered. "No Marquis," said she, "I beg that there may be no more murders."
"Not in England, but when this Forge comes again to China," here the Marquis smiled in a cruel way, but made no further remark. The young people shuddered. He smiled benignly on them, and went on with his story in a calm level voice.
"My respected parent was a merchant," said he calmly, "and he gave me a fine education, of which, as you know, we think greatly in the Middle Kingdom. I secured the Hanlin degree, which is very high, and so became greater than my friend Hop Sing, who failed. That success made Hop Sing my enemy. I returned home, and Hop Sing made trouble. It is not necessary to explain how," added the Marquis with another wave of his hand. "But the trouble resulted in my leaving my parental roof, and becoming a soldier with the Boxers who then conspired against the Empress Dowager. But before I left my native town, I acted as the middle man between a respected resident and Mr. Markham Ainsleigh who desired to lease a gold mine on the Hwei River. I left him in full possession of the rights to work the mine, and Dr. Forge assisted him."