"While he was still looking at me, but stealing side-glances at a
doorway before which was draped a most wonderful curtain of a
sort of flamingo colour, this curtain was suddenly pulled aside,
and a girl came in.
"Of course, you must remember that at the time of which I am
speaking the scandal respecting the mandarin had not yet come to
light. Consequently I had no idea who the girl could be. I saw
she was a Eurasian. But of her striking beauty there could be no
doubt whatever. She was dressed in magnificent robes, and she
literally glittered with jewels. She even wore jewels upon the
toes of her little bare feet. But the first thing that struck me
at the moment of her appearance was that her presence there was
contrary to her wishes and inclinations. I have never seen a
similar expression in any woman's eyes. She looked at Adderley
as though she would gladly have slain him!
"Seeing this look, his mocking smile in which there was something
of triumph--of the joy of possession--turned to a scowl of
positive brutality. He clenched his fists in a way that set me
bristling. He advanced toward the girl--and although the width
of the room divided them, she recoiled--and the significance of
expression and gesture was unmistakable.
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