is?"
I replied, taking my note-book out of a drawer preparatory to writing
down what they had to say.

"In the first place, sir," the man began, "we of course understand that
everything we have to tell you will be regarded by you as strictly
private and confidential?"

"That goes without saying," I replied. "If I were to divulge what my
clients tell me, my business would not be worth a day's purchase. You
can rest assured that everything you may impart to me will be treated in
strictest confidence."

"We thank you," said Kitwater. "The story I have to tell you is perhaps
the strangest that has ever been told to mortal man. To begin with, you
must understand that my companion and myself have but lately arrived in
England. We have been for many years missionaries in China, sowing the
good seed in the Western Provinces. I do not know whether you have ever
visited that country, but even if you have not you must be aware to some
extent of the dangers to which our calling is subjected. We carry our
lives in our hands from the moment we leave civilization until we enter
it again. There are times, however, that compensate one for all the
trials that have to be undergone."

"You must excuse me," I said, "if I remind you that my time is valuable,
and that, however interested I may be in the missionary work of China, I
cannot allow it to interfere with my business. The sooner you tell me in
what way you want me to help you, the sooner I shall be able to give you
the answer you are seeking."

"I must implore your pardon," the man continued, humbly enough, "I am
afraid our calling, however, is apt to make us a trifle verbose. If you
will allow me, I will put what I have to say in as few words as
possible."

I bowed and signed to him to proceed.

"Our case is as follows," he began. "As I have told you, we have been in
China for several years, and during that time we have had the good
fortune to enroll not a few well-known names among our converts. To make
a long story short, we were so successful as to be able to persuade even
the Mandarin of the Province to listen to our message. He was an
enormously rich man, one of the richest perhaps in China, and was so
impressed by the good news we brought to him that, on his death-bed, he
left to us for the benefit of the mission all his wealth, in gold,
silver, and precious stones. It was a princely legacy, and one that
would have enabled us to carry on our mission with such success