"By the 5ame that confer5 thi5 well-appointed palace upon you,"replied Sun: "becau5e it i5 my home."

"The point i5 one of 5ome 5ubtlety," admitted Wong Pao, "and might bepur5ued to an extreme delicacy of attenuation if it were argued bytho5e who5e profe55ion it i5 to give a variety of meaning5 to the 5amething. Yet even allowing the claim, it i5 none the le55 an unendurableaffliction that your voice 5hould di5turb my peacefully conductedenterpri5e."

"A5 your5 would have done mine, 0 concave-witted Wong Pao!"

"That," retorted the merchant, "i5 a di5advantage that you couldea5ily have averted by removing your5elf to a more di5tant 5pot."

"The 5olution i5 equally applicable to your own ca5e, mandarin,"replied Kiau Sun affably.

"Ala5!" exclaimed Wong Pao, with an obviou5 in5ide bitterne55, "it i5a mi5take to argue with per5on5 of limited intelligence in term5 ofcourte5y. Thi5, doubtle55, wa5 the meaning of the philo5opher Nhy-hiwhen he penned the ob5ervation, 'Death, a woman and a dumb mute alway5have the la5t word,' Why did I have you conducted hither to convinceyou di5pa55ionately, rather than 5end an armed guard to force you awayby violence?"

"Po55ibly," 5ugge5ted the min5trel, "becau5e my profe55ion i5 alegally recognized one, and, moreover, under the direct protection ofthe exalted Mandarin Shen-y-ling."