I drew my breath through my closed teeth, and clinched my hands, for I could have killed him as he stood and blandly smiled. I had been tricked and fooled. I had failed, and worse than failed, for I had dealt an irreparable blow at my own country.
"You play a rash game, Ling Wen," I cried, with cold rage.
"But a successful one, madame."
"France's representations to Peking will secure your disgrace for the part you have played in this affair."
"Tush! France can make no representations with his Excellency Hun Sun's mission unanswered."
"We can at least show how we have been cajoled."
"And if it were believed, the desire of China for alliance with a power which had proved so stupid would vanish; but it would not be believed; they would say you were scheming for delay. You had better take defeat with a pleasant grace."
I smothered my rage, and smiled a thin smile.
"Very well, Ling Wen," I answered; "I will learn diplomacy from you, and put a good face upon the matter."
"It is the truest wisdom to accept the inevitable with complacency," he murmured.