Bright lights began to flash. Long rows of bulbs showed on the sides of buildings. Strange music blared from up the street.
Small crowds were forming along the sidewalks — solemn, aged Chinamen, dainty Chinese flappers, old and young were gathering to witness another of the many parades that cleaved their way along this teeming thoroughfare.
The crowd was not as large as it had been on the last pageant night. Nevertheless, it obscured the view of Ling Soo’s entrance. The lobby of the Mukden Theater was on a higher level, for the street sloped upward in that direction.
Cleve pushed his way to the curb, and moved across the street ahead of the approaching procession. He stationed himself at a new spot, and was pleased to note that here he could observe both Ling Soo’s door and the front of the theater.
Someone jostled against Cleve. He turned and stared squarely into the face of Joseph Darley!
An exclamation stopped on Cleve’s lips. His features formed a pleased grin. As Hugo Barnes, Cleve had escaped recognition. Darley had viewed him as a total stranger!
CLEVE watched the committeeman work his way along the street. What was Darley’s mission here tonight? A visit to Ling Soo?
Yes — the surmise was correct. The man had turned into the little entrance.
Knowing the comparative frequency of Darley’s visits to Ling Soo, Cleve realized that the meeting of the two men might be of small significance. Whatever might be discussed in relation to the Wu-Fan could be learned from Darley afterward.
But there was a very definite reason why Cleve could not communicate with Darley. That very morning, Cleve had announced that he was through with his investigation. Right now, he was supposed to be traveling east, away from San Francisco.