"Your
husband was murdered eighteen moons ago by Wang Foo-lin, who is now
living in Hankow." It was too dark to see the man's face and the voice
she did not know, but it was probably one of the sailors of the
missing junk who had some grievance to avenge. From the effect these
words had on the woman's fallen strength it might have been a message
from the gods pointing afresh the path of duty. She sought her friend
the hermit and related to him what had befallen her, and explained
that she would now go to Hankow in quest of the murderer, for that her
husband's spirit could never rest until his assassin had been brought
to justice.

How she travelled the one hundred and twenty miles from Kiukiang to
Hankow I do not know, but it is certain that she appeared in the
latter place begging from house to house, and after a time recognised
Wang Foo-lin trading under an assumed name in a shop of considerable
size. Wang on his part did not recognise the feeble and unkempt old
beggar-woman, so changed was she from the prosperous Mrs Chin, and
took but little notice of this one amongst many tens of other
mendicants, so that she was able to stand for some time at the shop
door without attracting undue attention, when she carefully noted the
contents of the store, and amongst other things recognised the gilt
joss which her husband had taken with him. Her next step was to
procure an audience of the local magistrate, and to do this she was
obliged to expend a considerable part of her remaining cash in bribing
the yamen underlings ere they would consent to lay her case before the
official or give her admittance to his court. After waiting many days
the audience was granted, and kneeling on the filthy floor before the
judgment seat she unfolded her story, accusing Wang Foo-lin of the
murder of her husband. The magistrate listened to her tale, but at the
end said, "You accuse this man of murder but produce no evidence in
support of your statements, and your bare word is not sufficient. If
you can bring forward any actual proof I will then take action." Mrs
Chin replied that in Wang's shop she had seen a gilt image of Buddha
which her husband had taken with him on his ill-fated voyage. That
many years ago at Kanchow she had knocked over and broken the nose off
this same image, and that to repair the damage she had melted down one
of her gold earrings and replaced the nose. If, therefore, it were
found that this gilt joss had a gold nose the