Tao Gan noticed that Judge Dee did not seem to have heard her last words. Staring straight ahead, he was caressing his sidewhiskers, his thoughts apparently elsewhere. It struck Tao Gan that the judge seemed rather depressed, and he wondered what had caused this sudden change, for before the interview with Miss Seng he had been keen enough on obtaining more clues to the smuggling case. And the girl had unwittingly supplied them with valuable information. The judge too must have deduced from her rambling account that Twan had joined the gangsters only as a cover for his illegal activities; probably Twan had been the paymaster of the smuggling ring. An excellent cover, too, for who would suspect a tramp roaming the country with a couple of outlaws? And the man Twan had gone to visit in the morning must be one of the agents who distributed the contraband. A house-to-house search of all the shops in the market-place and a close interrogation of the owners would doubtless bring to light who that agent was. And through him they could find out who the ringleader was ... the man the central authorities were so eager to discover! Tao Gan cleared his throat several times, but Judge Dee did not seem to notice it. The matron also was astonished at the prolonged silence. She darted a questioning look at Tao Gan, but the thin man could only shake his head.
The girl began to fidget. 'Stand still!' the matron snapped at her. Judge Dee looked up, startled from his musings. He pushed his cap back and told Miss Seng quietly:
'Mr Twan was murdered last night.'
'Murdered you say?' the girl burst out. 'Uncle Twan murdered? Who did it?'
'I thought you would be able to tell us,' the judge replied.
'Where was he found?' she asked tensely.
'In a deserted hut, in the forest. Half-way up the mountain slope.'
She hit her small fist on the desk and shouted with sparkling eyes:
'That bastard Lew did it! The Baker sent his men after him, because Uncle Twan had helped us to leave that rotten crowd of his! And Uncle Twan fell into the trap! The bastard, the stinking bastard!'
She buried her face in her hands and burst out in sobs.
Judge Dee waited till she had calmed down a bit. He pointed at her cup and when she had drunk again he asked:
'Did Mr Twan, when he joined you, also cut off the tip of his left little finger?'
She smiled through her tears.
'He wanted to, but he didn't have the guts! I don't know how many times he tried, him standing with his left hand on a tree trunk and a chopper in his right, and me standing beside him and counting one two three! But he always funked it!'
The judge nodded. He thought for a few moments, then he shook his head, heaved a deep sigh and took his writing-brush. He jotted down a brief message on one of his large red visiting-cards, put it in an envelope and wrote a few words on the outside. 'Call a clerk!' he ordered Tao Gan.
When Tao Gan came back with the senior scribe, the judge gave him the envelope and said: 'Let the headman deliver this at once.' Then he turned to the girl again, gave her a thoughtful look and asked: 'Haven't you got a regular young man somewhere?'
'Yes. He's a boatman in Chiang-pei. He wants to marry me, but I told him to wait a year or two. Then he'll have a boat of his own, and I'll have had the fun I want. We'll travel up and down the canal carrying freight, making enough to keep our ricebowl filled and having a good time into the bargain!' She darted an anxious look at the judge. 'Are you really going to have my face branded, like the beanpole there said?'
'No, we won't. But you'll have to do with less freedom, for some time to come. One can have too much even of that, you know!'
He gave a sign to the matron. She took the girl's arm and led her away.
'How she rattled on!' Tao Gan exclaimed. 'It was hard to get her started, but then she went on and on without stopping!'
'I let her tell everything in her own way. A strict cross-examination is indicated only when you notice that a person is telling lies. Remember that for a subsequent occasion, Tao Gan.' He clapped his hands, and ordered the clerk who answered his summons to bring a hot towel.
'Twan Mou-tsai was a clever scoundrel, sir,' Tao Gan resumed. 'That girl is no fool, but she never understood that Twan was directing a smuggling ring.'
Judge Dee made no comment. He rearranged the papers on his desk and placed the emerald ring in the cleared space, right in front of him. The clerk brought a copper basin of hot scented water. The judge picked a towel from it, and thoroughly rubbed his face and hands. Then he leaned back in his chair and said:
'Open the window, Tao Gan. It's getting stuffy here.' He thought for a brief while, then looked up at Tao Gan and resumed: 'I don't know whether Twan was clever or not. The picture Miss Seng gave was drawn from life: an elderly man who suddenly begins to doubt the validity of all accepted standards, and wonders what he has been living for, all those years. Many men pass through this stage after they have reached a certain age. For a year or two they are a nuisance to themselves and their housemates, then they usually come round again, and laugh at their own folly. With Twan, however, it was different. He decided to make a clean break, and carried that decision to its logical conclusion, namely the starting of an entirely new life. Whether he would have regretted that decision after a few years must remain an open question. He must have been an interesting man, that Mr Twan. Eccentric, but certainly of strong character.'
The judge fell silent. Tao Gan began to shift impatiently in his chair. He was eager to discuss the next phase of the investigation. He cleared his throat a few times, then asked a bit diffidently:
'Shall we have Chang brought in for questioning now, sir?'
Judge Dee looked up.
'Chang? Oh yes, that friend of Seng Kiu, you mean. You can take care of that, Tao Gan, tomorrow. Just the routine questions. He and Seng Kiu are no problem. I was wondering about the girl, really. I don't know what to do about her! The government takes a grave view of vagrancy because it may lead to robbery and other disturbances of the peace. And also of unlicensed prostitution, because that is a form of tax evasion and therefore affects the Treasury. According to the law, she should be flogged and put in prison for two years. But I am convinced that that would turn her into a hardened criminal, who would end up either on the scaffold or in the gutter. That would be a pity, for she certainly has some sterling qualities. We must try to find another solution.'
He worriedly shook his head, and resumed:
As to Seng Kiu and that other rascal, I'll sentence them to one year's compulsory service with the labour corps of our Northern Army. That'll cure them of their lazy habits, and give them an opportunity to show what they are worth. If they do well, they can in due course request to be enlisted as free soldiers. As regards Seng's sister ... Yes, that's the solution, of course! I'll assign her as a bondmaid to Mr Han Yung-han! Han is a very strict, old-fashioned gentleman who keeps his large household in excellent order. If she works there for a year, she'll come to know all the advantages of a more regular life, and in due time make that young boatman of hers a good housewife!'