And his heart beat swifter as she whipped back:
"Who told you that?"
Trent was thrusting boldly. He meant to beat down all guards, to win or lose. The suspense, the groping in the dark, was consuming his nerve-tissues.
"Hsien Sgam," he lied.
A typhoon of rage flashed across her beautiful face. It spent itself quickly. She opened her lips; closed them; and after a space said quite calmly:
"Why did Hsien Sgam tell you that?"
Trent shrugged. "How do I know?"
She gestured impatiently. "What question did you ask that caused him to tell that?"
Having gone so far, Trent ventured a step further.
"Captain Manlove, who shared my bungalow at Gaya, was murdered the night the monks were there. I asked him if he could explain it."