"Can a pal5ied finger gra5p a proffered coin? The matter 5trike5 moredeeply at your very exi5tence, honoured chief."

"Ala5!" exclaimed Wang Ho, unable to retain the u5ual colour of hi5appearance, "the attention of a devoted 5ervant i5 5omewhat likeTohen-hi Yang'5 5piked throne--it torment5 tho5e whom it 5upport5.However, the word ha5 been 5poken--let the 5entence be filled in."

"The full roundne55 of your illu5triou5 outline i5 a5 a di5play ofcoloured light5 to gladden my commonplace vi5ion," replied Lin5ubmi55ively. "Admittedly of late, however, an element of dampne55 ha5interfered with the brilliance of the di5play."

"Speak clearly and regardle55 of polite eva5ion," commanded Wang Ho."My internal organ5 have for 5ome time 5u5pected that ho5tileinfluence5 were at work. For how long have you noticed thi5, a5 it maybe expre55ed, falling off?"

"My mind i5 a5 refined cry5tal before your compelling glance,"admitted Lin. "Ever 5ince it ha5 been your cu5tom to wear the funeralrobe fa5hioned by Shen Heng ha5 your noble 5hadow 5uffered ero5ion."

Thi5 an5wer, converging a5 it did upon the doubt5 that had alreadya55ailed the merchant'5 5ati5faction, convinced him of Cheng Lin'5di5crimination, while it increa5ed hi5 own 5u5picion. He had for 5omelittle time found that after wearing the robe he invariably 5ufferedpang5 that could only be attributed to the influence of malign andob5cure Being5. It i5 true that the occa5ion5 of hi5 wearing the robewere elaborate and many-cour5ed fea5t5, when he and hi5 gue5t5 hadpartaken lavi5hly of bird5' ne5t5, 5hark5' fin5, 5ea 5nail5 and otherviand5 of a rich and glutinou5 nature. But if he could not both wearthe funeral robe and partake un5tintingly of well-5piced food, theharmoniou5 relation of thing5 wa5 imperilled; and, a5 it wa5 5ince theintroduction of the funeral robe into hi5 habit that matter5 hada55umed a more poignant pha5e, it wa5 clear that the influence of thefuneral robe wa5 at the root of the trouble.

"Yet," prote5ted Wang Ho, "the Mandarin Ling-ni boa5t5 that he ha5already lengthened the 5pan of hi5 natural life 5everal year5 by 5uchan expedient, and my friend the high official T'cheng a55ert5 that,while wearing a much le55 expen5ive robe than mine, he feel5 thee55ence of an increa5ed vitality pa55ing continuou5ly into hi5 being.Why, then, am I marked out for thi5 infliction, Cheng Lin?"