“He went away,” growled Foy. “I was not soon enough to strike him.”
“That is no excuse, Foy.” Ling Soo eyed the servant coldly. “It is not like Foy to say that one went away before Foy could strike. This has happened twice, Foy. It shall not happen again.”
Ling Soo paused reflectively and changed the subject with a thoughtful, even tone.
“The man whom we call Barnes,” he said. “He has another name. He is the man who came here before, with Darley. He thinks that he is wise; but he is not so wise as Ling Soo.
“I have been told that he is in these streets tonight. So I have sent two of the Wu-Fan who know him, to bring him hither.
“I wish to speak with him, Foy. But we must remember that you sought to slay him last night. He may have known your wish. He may be suspicious tonight. Do nothing, Foy, to make him view you as an enemy.”
SCARCELY had Ling Soo finished speaking, before a bell rang softly close by. Ling Soo nodded to Foy. The servant left the inner room toward the hallway.
Ling Soo sat serenely on his throne.
He was blinking mildly when the door opened and Foy entered, followed by the man who called himself Hugo Barnes.
To Cleve Branch, firm-faced in spite of his disguise, this meeting was an important one. Since that event at Joseph Darley’s last night, he had been wondering whether it would be wise to again visit Ling Soo. For there, he knew, he might encounter Foy, the insidious slayer who had so mysteriously escaped after The Shadow had wounded him.