once, prepared for trouble. The Japanese agent began to assume a sinister aspect, as he stood there facing the man who had made no secret of his interest in the China Doll.
‘I do not think you will reach your ship by six o’clock,’ came in the sibilant tones. ‘I do not think you will ever again see her.’
Carter clutched the arms of his chair; the China Doll slid from the couch with a little cry.
‘What the heck do you mean?’ demanded Carter.
Yumasaki shrugged his shoulders.
‘It is a matter of the greatest regret to me,’ he remarked politely, and as though he were discussing the weather, ‘but I have reached the conclusion that you know too much. Consequently, it would be the height of unwisdom to allow you to live.’
‘Don’t be a sap!’ growled Carter. ‘Your ideas of a joke don’t appeal to me.’
‘I am not joking, my dear friend. There are great issues at stake and, under such circumstances, one life more or less makes little difference. You forced yourself upon the China Doll who, I should like to remind you, is my property. Incidentally, you have become mixed up with affairs of which you most certainly should know nothing. You will, doubtless, agree that you have only yourself to blame, and be prepared, I hope, to meet your death with the fortitude of a gentleman who recognises the necessity of it.’
The girl’s face had turned white beneath her make-up, with the result that she looked rather ghastly. She grasped Yumasaki’s arm, and spoke to him pleadingly in rapid Chinese. Carter realised he was in a desperate position. However, he had been in others even more dangerous, and his cheerful spirits were in no way dampened. On the contrary, he rather gloried in the situation, and laughed quite naturally. The China Doll stopped talking; turned to regard him with wonder. Yumasaki’s cold, threatening assurance received something of a setback. He had not anticipated this extraordinary young man receiving sentence of death in such a manner.
‘You are amused,’ he commented frigidly. ‘I am glad. Such disregard of dying will enable you to face the transition to another existence with equanimity.’
‘I have not the slightest intention of dying, Mr Yumasaki,’ replied Carter coolly. ‘I guess I enjoy living a whole heap too much to feel any hankering after that other existence you speak of.’
At the use of his name, the Japanese scowled ominously, but made no comment on it.
‘I very much regret your attitude,’ he remarked smoothly, as though reproaching a child for being unreasonable. ‘I am sorry to say I entirely disagree with you concerning your expressed intention of not dying. As I have said, it is a necessity.’
‘Look here,’ remonstrated Carter, ‘you asked me to say nothing about meeting you here and, I guess, I said I wouldn’t. Isn’t that enough for you?’
Yumasaki shook his head.
‘There is too much at stake,’ he pronounced. ‘You have also forfeited your life,’ he added, his tone becoming harsh for the first time, ‘because you have dared to cast eyes of desire on this lady who belongs to me. That, in itself, deserves execution.’ At that, the China Doll once again broke into vehement protests. He silenced her with a gesture. ‘Your pleading for him,’ he declared, still speaking in English, ‘but proves that he has roused your interest, which I will not tolerate. You will go. I cannot escort you to your abode this morning, for reasons you will appreciate. T’so Lin Tao will afford you the protection necessary. Go!’
The China Doll turned her eyes, full of misery and compassion, on Carter, who grinned cheerfully at her and rose from his chair.
‘So long, Joy,’ he cried. ‘Say, there’s nothing to look down in the mouth about. I’ll be seeing you.’
‘You are a brave man, Mr – er—’
‘Call me Tommy,’ he invited. ‘I guess it’ll sound kinda cute coming from you.’
His good spirits actually brought a smile to her
‘I do not think you will reach your ship by six o’clock,’ came in the sibilant tones. ‘I do not think you will ever again see her.’
Carter clutched the arms of his chair; the China Doll slid from the couch with a little cry.
‘What the heck do you mean?’ demanded Carter.
Yumasaki shrugged his shoulders.
‘It is a matter of the greatest regret to me,’ he remarked politely, and as though he were discussing the weather, ‘but I have reached the conclusion that you know too much. Consequently, it would be the height of unwisdom to allow you to live.’
‘Don’t be a sap!’ growled Carter. ‘Your ideas of a joke don’t appeal to me.’
‘I am not joking, my dear friend. There are great issues at stake and, under such circumstances, one life more or less makes little difference. You forced yourself upon the China Doll who, I should like to remind you, is my property. Incidentally, you have become mixed up with affairs of which you most certainly should know nothing. You will, doubtless, agree that you have only yourself to blame, and be prepared, I hope, to meet your death with the fortitude of a gentleman who recognises the necessity of it.’
The girl’s face had turned white beneath her make-up, with the result that she looked rather ghastly. She grasped Yumasaki’s arm, and spoke to him pleadingly in rapid Chinese. Carter realised he was in a desperate position. However, he had been in others even more dangerous, and his cheerful spirits were in no way dampened. On the contrary, he rather gloried in the situation, and laughed quite naturally. The China Doll stopped talking; turned to regard him with wonder. Yumasaki’s cold, threatening assurance received something of a setback. He had not anticipated this extraordinary young man receiving sentence of death in such a manner.
‘You are amused,’ he commented frigidly. ‘I am glad. Such disregard of dying will enable you to face the transition to another existence with equanimity.’
‘I have not the slightest intention of dying, Mr Yumasaki,’ replied Carter coolly. ‘I guess I enjoy living a whole heap too much to feel any hankering after that other existence you speak of.’
At the use of his name, the Japanese scowled ominously, but made no comment on it.
‘I very much regret your attitude,’ he remarked smoothly, as though reproaching a child for being unreasonable. ‘I am sorry to say I entirely disagree with you concerning your expressed intention of not dying. As I have said, it is a necessity.’
‘Look here,’ remonstrated Carter, ‘you asked me to say nothing about meeting you here and, I guess, I said I wouldn’t. Isn’t that enough for you?’
Yumasaki shook his head.
‘There is too much at stake,’ he pronounced. ‘You have also forfeited your life,’ he added, his tone becoming harsh for the first time, ‘because you have dared to cast eyes of desire on this lady who belongs to me. That, in itself, deserves execution.’ At that, the China Doll once again broke into vehement protests. He silenced her with a gesture. ‘Your pleading for him,’ he declared, still speaking in English, ‘but proves that he has roused your interest, which I will not tolerate. You will go. I cannot escort you to your abode this morning, for reasons you will appreciate. T’so Lin Tao will afford you the protection necessary. Go!’
The China Doll turned her eyes, full of misery and compassion, on Carter, who grinned cheerfully at her and rose from his chair.
‘So long, Joy,’ he cried. ‘Say, there’s nothing to look down in the mouth about. I’ll be seeing you.’
‘You are a brave man, Mr – er—’
‘Call me Tommy,’ he invited. ‘I guess it’ll sound kinda cute coming from you.’
His good spirits actually brought a smile to her
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