“'Not at all! Not at all,' said Jones.
“The secretary backed away into a corner and watched me like a wary cat. In fact, they both were visibly on their guard.
“'I am come,' I told them, 'to let you know that my servant has deserted—gone off.'
“At first they looked at each other as if they had not understood what I was saying; but very soon they seemed quite concerned.
“'You mean to say your Chink's cleared out?' said Ricardo, coming forward from his corner. 'Like this—all at once? What did he do it for?'
“I said that a Chinaman had always a simple and precise reason for what he did, but that to get such a reason out of him was not so easy. All he told me, I said, was that he 'didn't like'.
“They were extremely disturbed at this. Didn't like what, they wanted to know.
“'The looks of you and your party,' I told Jones.
“'Nonsense!' he cried out, and immediately Ricardo, the short man, struck in.
“'Told you that? What did he take you for, sir—an infant? Or do you take us for kids?—meaning no offence. Come, I bet you will tell us next that you've missed something.'”