His culture was a veneer. It was
his check-book that spoke all the time."
"Everybody would have forgiven Adderley his vulgarity," said Dr.
Matheson, quietly, "if the man's heart had been in the right
place."
"Surely an instance of trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's
ear," someone murmured.
Burton gazed rather hard at the last speaker.
"So far as I am aware," he said, "the poor devil is dead, so go
easy."
"Are you sure he is dead?" asked Dr. Matheson, glancing at
Burton in that quizzical, amused way of his.
"No, I am not sure; I am merely speaking from hearsay. And now I
come to think of it, the information was rather vague. But I
gathered that he had vanished, at any rate, and remembering
certain earlier episodes in his career, I was led to suppose that
this vanishing meant------"
He shrugged his shoulders significantly.
"You mean the old mandarin?" suggested Dr. Matheson.
"Yes."
"Was there really anything in that story, or was it suggested by
the unpleasant reputation of Adderley?" Jennings asked.
"I can settle any doubts upon that point," said I; whereupon I
immediately became a focus of general attention.
"What! were you ever at that place of Adderley's at Katong?"
asked Jennings with intense curiosity.
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