y。
〃Hey； Martin！ What's the latest from the stock market？〃
Martin Haply dialed a number without looking at the phone； then called back to the editor。 〃Ho…Pak's down to 24。60； four points from yesterday。 Struan's are down a point though there's been some heavy buying。 Hong Kong Lan Tao up three points … the story's just been confirmed。 Dunstan Barre took their money out yesterday。〃
〃They did？ Then you were right again！ Shit！〃
〃Victoria's off half a point … all banks are edgy and no buyers。 There's a rumor a line's forming outside Blacs and the Victoria's head office in Central。〃 Both men gasped。
〃Send someone to check the Vic！〃 Mac hurried out。 Jesus Christ； Toxe thought； his stomach churning； Jesus Christ if a run starts on the Vic the whole sodding island'll collapse and my sodding savings with it。
He leaned back in his old chair and put his feet on the desk； loving his job； loving the pressure and immediacy。
〃Do you want me to call her？〃 his secretary asked。 She was round and unflappable。
〃Who？ Oh shit； Peg； I'd forgotten。 Yes … call the Dragon。〃
The Dragon was the wife of the publisher； Mong Pa…tok； the present head of the sprawling Mong family who owned this paper and three Chinese newspapers and five magazines； whose antecedents went back to the earliest days。 The Mongs were supposed to have descended from the first editor…owner…publisher of the paper； Morley Skinner。 The story was that Dirk Struan had given Skinner control of the paper in return for helping him against Tyler Brock and his son Gorth by hushing up the killing of Gorth in Macao。 It was said Dirk Struan had provoked the duel。 Both men had used fighting irons。 Once； some years ago； Toxe had heard old Sarah Chen in her cups relate that when the Brocks came to collect Gorth's body they did not recognize him。 The old woman had added that her father； Sir Gordon Chen； had had to mobilize most of Chinatown to prevent the Brocks from setting afire the Struan warehouses。 Tyler Brock had set Tai…ping Shan alight instead。 Only the great typhoon that came that night stopped the whole city from going up in flames … the same holocaust that had destroyed Dirk Struan's Great House and him and his secret Chinese wife； May…may。
〃She's on line two。〃
〃Eh？ Oh！ All right； Peg。〃 Toxe sighed。
〃Ah Mr。 Toxe； I was waiting your call； heya？〃
〃What can I do for you； or Mr。 Mong？〃
〃Your pieces on the Ho…Pak Bank； yesterday and today； that the adverse rumors about the Ho…Pak are untrue and started by tai…pans and another big bank。 I see more today。〃
〃Yes。 Haply's quite sure。〃
〃My husband and I hear this not true。 No tai…pans or banks are putting out rumors or have put out rumors。 Perhaps wise to drop this attack。〃
〃It's not an attack； Mrs。 Mong； just an attitude。 You know how susceptible Chinese are to rumors。 The Ho…Pak's as strong as any bank in the Colony。 We feel sure the rumors were started by a bi… 〃
〃Not by tai…pans and not big bank。 My husband and I not like this attitude never mind。 Please to change；〃 she said and he heard the granite in her voice。
〃That's editorial policy and I have control over editorial policy；〃 he said grimly。
〃We are publisher。 It is our newspaper。 We tell you to stop so you will stop。〃
〃You're ordering me to stop？〃
〃Of course it is order。〃
〃Very well。 As you order it； it's stopped。〃
〃Good！〃 The phone went dead。 Christian Toxe snapped his pencil and threw it against the wall and began to curse。 His secretary sighed and discreetly closed the door and when he was done Toxe opened the door。 〃Peg； how about some coffee？ Mac！ Martin！〃
Toxe sat back at his desk。 The chair creaked。 He mopped the sweat off his cheeks and lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply。
〃Yes； Chris？〃 Haply asked。
〃Martin； cancel the piece I asked for and do another on Hong Kong banking and the need to have some form of banking insurance。 。。。〃
Both men gaped at him。
〃Our publisher doesn't like the rumors approach。〃
Martin Haply flushed。 〃Well screw him！ You heard the guys yourself at the tai…pan's party！〃
〃That proves nothing。 You've no proof。 We're stopping that approach。 It's not proven so I can't take a stand。〃
〃But； lo… 〃
Toxe's neck went purple。 〃It's bloody well stopped；〃 he roared。 〃Understand？〃
Haply began to say something but changed his mind。 Choked with rage he turned on his heel and left。 He walked across the big room and jerked the front door open and slammed it behind him。
Christian Toxe exhaled。 〃He's got a lousy bloody temper that lad！〃
He stubbed his cigarette out and lit another。 〃Christ； I'm smoking too much！〃 Still seething； his brown eyes watched the older man。 〃Someone must have called her； Mac。 Now what would you like as a return favor if you were Mrs。 Dragon Mong？〃
Suddenly Mac beamed。 〃Na a voting membership of the Turf Club！〃
〃Go to the head of the class！〃
Singh； the Indian reporter； came in with a foot of teletype。 〃You might need this for the extra； Chris。〃
It was a series of Reuters reports from the Middle East。 〃Teheran 0832 hours： High…level diplomatic sources in Iran report sudden extensive Soviet military maneuvers have begun close to their north border near the oil…rich border area of Azerbaijan where more rioting took place。 Washington is reported to have asked permission to send observers to the area。〃
The next paragraph was： 〃Tel Aviv 0600 hours： The Knesset confirmed late last night that another huge irrigation project had been funded to further divert the waters of the River Jordan into the southern Negev Desert。 There was immediate adverse and hostile reaction from Jordan； Egypt and Syria。〃
〃Negev？ Isn't Israel's brand spanking new atomic plant in the Negev？〃 Toxe asked。
〃Aye。 Now there's another splendid addition to the peace conference tables。 Would the water be for that？〃
〃I don't know Mac； but this's certainly going to parch a few Jordanian and Palestinian throats。 Water water everywhere but not a drop to shower in。 I wish to Christ it would rain。 Singh； tidy up these reports and we'll put them on the back page。 They won't sell a single bloody paper。 Do a follow…up piece on the Werewolves for the front page： The police have a vast dragnet out but the vicious kidnappers of Mr。 John Chen continue to elude them。 According to sources close to the family of his father； pradore of Struan's； no ransom note has yet been received but one is expected imminently。 The China Guardian asks all its readers to assist in the capture of these fiends 。。。 ' That sort of thing。〃
At Aberdeen Spectacles Wu saw the old woman e out of the tenement building； a shopping basket in her hand； and join the noisy crowds in the narrow alley。 He followed cautiously feeling very pleased with himself。 While he had waited for her to reappear he had struck up a conversation with a street hawker whose permanent place of business was a patch of broken pavement opposite。 The hawker sold tea and small bowls of hot congee … rice gruel。 Wu had ordered a bowl； and during his meal； the hawker had told him about the old woman； Ah Tam； who had been in the neighborhood since last year。 She'd e to the Colony from a village near Canton with the huge waves of immigrants who had flooded over the border last summer。 She didn't have any family of her own and the people she worked for had no sons around twenty； though he had seen her with a young man early this morning。 〃She says her village was Ning…tok。 。。。〃
It was then that Wu had felt a glow at this stroke of luck。 Ning…tok was the same village his own parents had e from and he spoke that dialect。
Now he was twenty paces behind her and he watched her haggle brilliantly for vegetables； selecting only the very best onions and greens； all just a few hours fresh from the fields in the New Territories。 She bought very little so he knew that the family she worked for was poor。 Then she was standing in front of the poultry stall with its layers of barely alive； scrawny chickens crammed helplessly into cages； their legs tied。 The rotund stall owner bartered with her； both sides enjoying the foul language； insults； choosing this bird； then that； then another； prodding them； discarding them； until the bargain was made。 Because she