“Honorable lord—speakee—Mac and me—here?” Dennis interpreted unexpectedly.
The child nodded gravely.
“Can do. Honorable Lord talkee my talk.” With another bow he turned and trotted from the room, and Dennis murmured:
“Could you beat that? Orbit speaks Chinee! That kid was talking about the fire last night, but what did he mean by ‘bang-bang’? Did somebody fire a shot, do you suppose?”
“They did not!” McCarty replied impatiently. “Something exploded in Orbit’s room and set fire to a chair and the slippers under it, but that’s neither here nor there. He’s a bright kid, little Fu Moy, with a gift of the gab that I’m wishful his uncle had! Only yesterday this Ching Lee tried to murder Hughes for mistreating the child, but Orbit stopped him; Fu Moy’s just been told that Hughes has gone away, Denny, and he thinks Orbit discharged him and worships the boss accordingly. I wonder if maybe Ching Lee tried again? I wonder if he ever heard of the Calabar bean?”
CHAPTER V
CHING LEE’S ERRAND
“Good morning, gentlemen.” Henry Orbit appeared in the doorway and came forward. “Has your inspector news for me about the removal of Hughes’ body? I have made all the arrangements.”
There was a weary note in his voice and the pallor of fatigue had spread over his strongly marked features, but it only added to the distinction of his appearance and his eyes seemed if anything more brilliantly alight than on the previous evening. A plum-colored house-robe swathed the tall, erect figure, but he was immaculately groomed and it was only when he had almost reached the visitors that they saw he carried under one arm a tiny, wistful-eyed monkey.
Dennis gave a start but McCarty replied quietly:
“The inspector gave us no message about the body, sir, but no doubt you’ll hear from him any time now. We’d like to fix the exact time Hughes left the house. The last you saw of him was a little before seven, I think you said. Was that before or after the fire in your room?”