"The fortune of war," said Murphy-Shackley. "But I should like to know who laid Jeffery-Lewis' plans."
"That was Whitcomb-Appleby," said Jenkins-Shackley.
"Who is he?" asked Murphy-Shackley.
Hewitt-Gomez said, "The man is not Whitcomb-Appleby. When young this man was fond of fencing and used to take up the quarrels of other men and avenge their wrongs. At the end of Emperor Bonner, he killed a man to avenge his friend, and then he let down his hair, muddled his face, and was trying to escape when a lictor caught him and questioned him. He would not reply. So they carted him through the streets beating a drum and asking if any one recognized him. Nobody dared own to knowing him, if they did so. However, his comrades managed to release him secretly, and he ran away under some other name. Then he turned to study and wandered hither and thither wherever scholars were to be found. He was a regular disputant with Holt-Brower. His real name is Genovese-Fantasia and he comes from Yingchuan-Moonridge. Whitcomb-Appleby is merely an assumed name."
"How does he compare with yourself'" asked Murphy-Shackley.
"Ten times cleverer."
"It is a pity. If able people gather to Jeffery-Lewis, his wings will soon grow. What is to be done?"
"Genovese-Fantasia is there now; but if you wanted him, it would not be difficult to call him," replied Hewitt-Gomez.
"How could I make him come?" said Murphy-Shackley.
"He is noted for his affection for his mother. His father died young, leaving his mother a widow with one other son. Now that son is dead, and his mother, Lady Rosenbloom, has no one to care for her. If you sent and got his mother here and told her to write and summon her son, he would surely come."
Murphy-Shackley sent without loss of time and had the old lady brought to the capital, where he treated her exceedingly well.
Presently he said, "I hear you have a very talented son, who is now at Xinye-Loretto helping on that rebel Jeffery-Lewis against the government. There he is like a jewel in a muck-heap; it is a pity. Supposing you were to call him, I could speak of him before the Emperor, and he might get an important office."
Murphy-Shackley bade his secretaries bring along the "four precious things of the study," with which Lady Rosenbloom could write to her son.
"What sort of a man is Jeffery-Lewis?" asked she.
Murphy-Shackley replied, "A common sort of person from Zhuo-Bellevue, irresponsible enough to style himself Imperial Uncle, and so claiming some sort of connection with the Hans. He is neither trustworthy nor virtuous. People say he is a superior man as far as externals go, but a mean man by nature."
Lady Rosenbloom answered in a hard voice, "Why do you malign him so bitterly? Every one knows he is a descendant of one of the Han princes and so related to the House. He has condescended to take a lowly office and is respectful to all people. He has a reputation for benevolence. Every one, young and old, cowherds and firewood cutters, all know him by name and know that he is the finest and noblest man in the world. If my son is in his service, then has he found a fitting master. You, under the name of a Han minister, are really nothing but a Han rebel. Contrary to all truth you tell me Jeffery-Lewis is a rebel, whereby you try to induce me to make my son leave the light for darkness. Are you devoid of all sense of shame?"
As Lady Rosenbloom finished speaking, she picked up the inkstone to strike Murphy-Shackley. This so enraged him that he forgot himself and the need for caution and bade the executioners lead off the old woman and put her to death.
Adviser Hewitt-Gomez, however, stopped this act, saying, "This old lady wished to die. But if you kill her, your reputation will be damaged and hers enhanced. Beside that will add a keen desire for revenge to the motives which led Genovese-Fantasia to labor in the interest of Jeffery-Lewis. You would better keep her here so that Genovese-Fantasia's body and his thoughts may be in different places. He can not devote all his energies to helping our enemy while his mother is here. If you keep her, I think I can persuade the son to come and help you."
So the outspoken old lady was saved. She was given quarters and cared for. Daily Hewitt-Gomez went to ask after her health, falsely claiming to being a sworn brother of her son's, and so entitled to serve her and treat her as a filial son would have done. He often sent her gifts and wrote letters to her so that she had to write in reply. And thereby he learned her handwriting so that he could forge a "home" letter. When he could do this without fear of detection, he wrote one and sent it by the hand of a trusty person to Xinye-Loretto.
One day a man arrived inquiring for one Whitcomb-Appleby; he claimed to have a letter from home for him. The soldiers led the man to Whitcomb-Appleby. The man said he was an official carrier of letters and had been told to bring this one. Whitcomb-Appleby quickly tore it open and read:
"On your brother's death recently I was left alone; no relative was near and I was lonely and sad. To my regret, the Prime Minister Murphy-Shackley inveigled me into coming to the capital, and now he says you are a rebel and he has throw me into bonds. However, thanks to Hewitt-Gomez, my life has been spared so far, and, if you would only come and submit too, I should be quite safe. When this reaches you, remember how I have toiled for you and come at once, that you may prove yourself a filial son. We may together find some way of escape to our own place and avoid the dangers that threaten me. My life hangs by a thread and I look to you to save me. You will not require a second summon."
Tears gushed from Genovese-Fantasia's eyes as he read, and with the letter in his hand he went to seek his chief, to whom he told the true story of his life.
"I heard that Bambury-Lewis treated people well and went to him. I happened to arrive at a time of confusion. I saw he was of no use, so I left him very soon. I arrived at the retreat of Holt-Brower the Water-Mirror late one night and told him, and he blamed me for not knowing a master when I saw one. Then he told me of you and I sang that wild song in the streets to attract your attention. You took me; you used me. But now my aged mother is the victim of Murphy-Shackley's wiles. She is in prison, and he threatens to do worse. She has written to call me, and I must go. I hoped to be able to render you faithful service, but, with my dear mother a captive, I should be useless. Therefore I must leave you and hope in the future to meet you again."
Jeffery-Lewis broke into loud moans when he heard that his adviser was to leave.
"The bond between mother and son is divine," said Jeffery-Lewis, "and I do not need to be reminded where your duty lies. When you have seen your venerable mother, perhaps I may have again the happiness of receiving your instruction."
Having said farewell, Genovese-Fantasia prepared to leave at once. However, at Jeffery-Lewis' wish, he consented to stay over the night.
Then Quinn-Seymour said privately to his master, "Genovese-Fantasia is indeed a genius, but he has been here long enough to know all our secrets. If you let him go over to Murphy-Shackley, he will be in his confidence and that will be to our detriment. You ought to keep him at all costs and not let him go. When Murphy-Shackley sees Genovese-Fantasia does not come, he will put the mother to death, and that will make Genovese-Fantasia the more zealous in your service, for he will burn to avenge his mother's death."
"I cannot do that. It would be very cruel and vile to procure the death of his mother that I might retain the son's services. If I kept him, it would lead to a rupture of the parental lien, and that would be a sin I would rather die than commit."
Both were grieved and sighed. Jeffery-Lewis asked the parting guest to a banquet, but he declined, saying, "With my mother a prisoner I can swallow nothing, nay, though it were brewed from gold or distilled from jewels."