122 A TALE OF THE BORDER 



He considered it prudent to retain the original, 

 and handed over a very excellent copy upon which 

 he had spent the intervening time. Staggering 

 back with his booty, for two hundred taels is a 

 heavy weight, he spent the rest of tlie night 

 chuckling at his own astuteness and inventing a 

 satisfactory lie with whicli to stave off the inquiries 

 of old Wong. A few days later the Chinese official 

 who lived ninety U from the village received a visit 

 from Lao's stepmother. After a long conversation 

 she departed. 



On his arrival back from the fields on the 

 following evening Lao was greeted by half a dozen 

 dirty yamen runners and soldiers, who told him 

 they had been sent to fetch him. 



Lao, on his arrival at the yamen — to make a 

 long story short — was charged with plotting to 

 murder his stepmother ! Though somewhat taken 

 aback and nonplussed, he retained enough presence 

 of mind to deny the accusation. Proof, he knew, 

 was superfluous. His stepmother would bring a 

 number of witnesses against him. Deprived of 

 his official position, his power would be seriously 

 shaken. There was nothing to be done but put 

 his hand into his pocket and recoup himself when 

 opportunity arose. 



He assured the taotai that his suspicions were 

 entirely unfounded ; that the information laid 

 against him was absolutely false ; that, pained as 

 he was, he had only to look at the taotai to feel 

 sure that a man of his integrity and penetration 

 would look at the matter in its true light ; a bit 

 of spite on the part of a woman. Finally he told 

 his accuser that in the course of a long and varied 



