his feet and demanded news of Absalom.

"There is none yet," said Hartley, sitting down. "Now, Mhtoon Pah, are
you quite sure that it was Mr. Heath that you saw that evening?"

"I saw him with these eyes. I saw him pass, and he was going quickly. I
read the walk of men and tell much by it. The Reverend was in a great
hurry. Twice did he pull out his watch as he came along the street, and
he pushed through the crowd like a rogue elephant going through a rice
crop. I have seen the Reverend walking before, and he walked slowly, he
spoke with the _Babus_ from the Baptist mission, but this day," Mhtoon
Pah flung his hands to the roof, "shall I forget it? This day he walked
with speed, and when my little Absalom salaamed before him, he hardly
stopped, which is not the habit of the Reverend."

"Did you see him come back? Mr. Heath, I mean?"

Mhtoon Pah stood and looked curiously at Hartley, and remained in a
state of suspended animation for a second.

"How could I see him come back?" he said, in a flat, expressionless
voice. "I went to the Pagoda, _Thakin_. I am building a shrine there,
and shall thereby acquire much merit. I did not see the Reverend return.
Besides, he might not have come by the way of Paradise Street."

"He might not."

"It is not known," said Mhtoon Pah, shaking his head dubiously, and then
rage seemed to flare up in him once more. "It is Leh Shin, the
Chinaman," he said, violently. "Let it be known to you, _Thakin_, they