“If I were to die,” I said. “Yes if I died tomorrow, everything would be in trust for Jason and Adam would be his guardian.”

“Sylvester didn’t know that you and I would be married,” said Joliffe.

I was thoughtful. What had Sylvester thought? He knew of the sorrow I had endured when I had lost Joliffe. Had it ever occurred to him that Joliffe would come back, that we would be married. Of course it would have, yet he had appointed Adam—perhaps for that very reason.

Joliffe said: “It should be changed. It would be quite easy. You could do it. You have the power to.”

I said: “I’m not sure. These were the terms of the will.”

And I thought: Why did Sylvester appoint Adam? Because he believed that I would marry Adam? Because he had wanted me to marry Adam?

“Jane, you should do it. Jason is my son.” He kissed my ear tenderly. “I cannot endure its being written even that someone else could be his guardian.”

“I am not going to die for a long time, Joliffe.”

“My God, no! You are going to live for years. And we will go back to England. Shall we go to Roland’s Croft? I always liked the place. It’s yours now. I wonder what old Mrs. Couch is doing? Wouldn’t she be glad to see us. And wouldn’t you like to go?”

“How I should love to be there… to go to the forest where we met! Do you remember that day? The rain… how we sheltered?”

“I shall never forget it.”

“I don’t think Jason remembers much of Roland’s Croft now.”

“He’ll have to go to school. We’ll all go back then.”

“Yes,” I said, “we’ll all go back. Toby can look after things here. But first I want to discover the secret of the thousand lanterns.”

“We’ll discover it together… among other things.”

“Such as?”

“You will have to learn how much I love you and how much you love me.”

“Do you think I don’t know how much I love you now?”

“These are far more important matters than this affair of the lanterns. And, Jane, just to put things right, step along to the lawyer and make it clear. I am my son’s guardian and no one else.”

“I’ll go to see the lawyer tomorrow,” I promised.


* * *

Mr. Lampton, who had looked after Sylvester’s affairs for many years, listened intently to what I had to say. It was clear that he knew a great deal about family matters and I was sure Sylvester had discussed the advisability of making his will as he had.

“It was Mr. Sylvester Milner’s wish that your son Jason should be cared for in the event of your death. It was a matter of grave concern to him.”

“I know,” I said, “but my son has a father. No father would wish to see someone else guardian of his son.”

Mr. Lampton nodded. “It is the business which is really in question, Mrs. Milner. Mr. Sylvester Milner wished his nephew Adam to be in charge of it in the event of your death before your son was of an age to manage it himself. This nephew was the one he chose.”

“I know he considered him to be steady and serious, which he is. But my marriage changes everything. My husband is working with me now. It would surely be wrong to put what he is building up into the hands of someone else… if I were to die.”

“There is nothing, of course, to prevent your making a will in favor of your husband, but there is a possibility that in the event of your death Adam Milner might dispute that will. No court would give another man custody of a child when his father was living, but the business would provide certain complications. I repeat, though, that you could certainly make a will in favor of your husband.”

“I will do that,” I said.


* * *

When I went back to the house I told Joliffe what I had done.

“So you will make sure that Jason is not taken from me.”

“I certainly will and without delay. Adam will be annoyed, I expect.”

“Don’t tell him.”

“You think that’s fair?”

“Look here, Jane, you aren’t going to die. Things are going on as they are now for years and years. There’s no need to make bad feeling.”

“But he will go on thinking…”

“Let him. If he has any sense he’d know I’d never allow anyone to take charge of my son.”

“Somehow I feel it’s only right…”

He put his arms about me and laughed. “We don’t want any bad feeling. Relations with Adam are fairly friendly just now. Let’s keep them that way.”

“And if I were to die…?”

“You’re not going to. I won’t allow it.”

He held me tightly and temporarily I forgot my qualms. But that night I dreamed of Sylvester. In the dream he regarded me steadily for a few seconds, just as he had all those years ago at Roland’s Croft when I had told him I was going to marry Joliffe; then he shook his head sadly.


* * *

It was a few weeks later when I had the first of my dizzy turns.

I felt perfectly normal when I awoke but as I rose from my bed the room seemed to totter about me. It was only for a second, but as I sank back onto my bed I felt a wave of nausea.

I lay back on my pillows. Joliffe had left early that morning. He was going to see some ivory pieces some miles out of Kowloon.

I felt better as I lay back and I wondered whether I was pregnant. There were no other signs. I contemplated what joy it would be to have another child.

I had made the will nominating Joliffe his son’s guardian and providing that he should be in charge of everything until Jason was of age if I should die. It was absurd but it gave me an uneasy feeling to think of dying and leaving Jason and Joliffe. I supposed most people felt that when they made wills.

Joliffe was working enthusiastically in the business which had been Sylvester’s. He had said how could a husband and wife be business rivals? Toby didn’t like it very much, although he gave no obvious indication of this, but I knew him well and I detected a certain sadness in his manner.

With some men there might have been a very difficult situation but Toby was not the sort to assert himself. He ran the business; he was the best manager in the profession. Adam would have liked to get him, but he remained loyal, even now when Joliffe had come in and was taking over so much.

Lottie came and stood by my bed.

“You not well this day, Lady?”

“I felt a little unwell when I got up.”

“You stay in bed.”

“I don’t think so. I’ll get up now.”

She looked at me anxiously and brought my dressing gown to wrap round me.

I stood up. The room was steady. “I’m better now,” I said. “It was nothing.”

Yet all that day I felt listless and in the afternoon I slept.

I thought of Sylvester. He used to complain of feeling dizzy when he arose and on such days he would sleep a great deal and feel disinclined to do anything else.

It was a wretched feeling.

Poor Sylvester, I thought. I wish I could let him know that he is often in my thoughts.


* * *

A ship was in from England—always an exciting occasion. Then they would be busy at the loading docks and in due course goods would be brought into the Go-Downs. We were always interested to see what our London agents had shipped out to us.

There were passengers, too, and for so many it was a time of entertaining old friends. Joliffe had had hosts of friends and he liked to entertain them at the house. Social activities had increased since my marriage. Sometimes we would have dinner in the Chinese manner which was always of great interest to people who had just arrived, particularly if they had never before been to Hong Kong. The servants liked it too. They thought the house gained “face” when Europeans came and were entertained in the Chinese manner.

Joliffe was becoming more friendly with Adam. It was as though he wanted to make up for what he had done about the will, but I always felt uneasy in Adam’s presence because of this and would rather have told him what I had done. After all, it was reasonable. Naturally I would wish my husband not only to be the guardian of my son but of his business interests, particularly as he was now working in that business. Adam was a logical man; I was sure he would understand.

A great deal of that reserve which had irritated me at the beginning of our acquaintance returned. I was glad, however, that he and Joliffe were on better terms.

When Joliffe wanted us to give a dinner party he always included Adam and he would say: “Is there anyone you want to ask? Let’s make it a family affair.” This was typical of Joliffe’s free and easy nature, and consequently Adam was often at The House of a Thousand Lanterns.

One night a rather disturbing thing happened.

I opened one of my drawers and inside found an object I had not seen before. Puzzled, I took it out and examined it.

It was a number of old coins in each of which a square hole had been made; they were held together by a piece of iron which was shaped like a sword with a cross hilt.

I could not understand who had put it there.

As I sat turning it over and examining it, Lottie came in.

She said: “You wish to wear your blue silk dress tomorrow. I wash…”

Then she stopped short and stared at the object in my hand.

“What’s the matter, Lottie?” I asked.

She stood staring; then she hunched her shoulders and giggled, but it was the giggle I had come to associate with horror or fear.

“You have money sword,” she said. “Who gave?”

“It was in my drawer. Who put it there and what is it? What does it mean?”

She shook her head once and turned her face to the wall.

“Oh Lottie,” I said impatiently, “what is it all about?”

“Someone put,” she said.

“Undoubtedly someone has put it into my drawer. Do you know anything about it?”

She shook her head.

“It must have been one of the servants.”

“It for luck,” she said. “Should hang over bed.”

I looked at the wall. “I don’t think so,” I said. “But I’d like to know who put it there.”

Lottie picked up the money sword gingerly and looked at the coins.

“You see date on coin. If these hung over bed the Emperor who reign when coins made will watch over you. Keep evil spirits away.”

“That’s interesting,” I said.

She nodded. “These always in houses where death come. If there is murder in the house… or someone take own life… then there must be a money sword to keep evil spirit away and protect.”

“In a house where there has been murder or suicide… But…”

Lottie shook her head. “There are bad spirits when someone takes life… his own or someone else. So in such a house there is money sword. It protect.”

“There has been no murder or suicide in this family.”

Lottie was silent.

“All right,” I said. “I’ll wear the silk tomorrow. Good night Lottie.”

She lingered. “You hang over bed,” she said. “Keep good here, evil out.”

I shook my head. “It’s an interesting piece. I wonder who put it into my drawer?”


* * *

I told Joliffe about it.

“Joliffe, have you ever heard of a money sword?”

“Of course. Fascinating things. The Chinese are very superstitious about them.”

“Lottie told me something about it.”

“The old ones fetch quite a price. It depends on the date of the coins of course. They hang them up over their beds as a sort of charm. They’re used in houses where there has been violent death and particularly in case of suicide.”

“One was put in my drawer. I wonder who put it there? You didn’t, Joliffe, did you?”

“My dear, if I was going to make you a present of such a thing I wouldn’t have hidden it in a drawer.”

“But who could have put it there?”

“Did you ask Lottie?”

“She knew nothing. She was quite upset though. Apparently it’s a sort of talisman.”

“Interesting,” said Joliffe.

Then we forgot it for we could not yet overcome the sense of excitement which being together brought us. I thought of the talisman later though.


* * *

We were to give a dinner party and had decided that it should be in the Chinese manner. All day long dishes were being prepared and there was a pleasant bustle of excitement among the servants.