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“come into the guard room, the tsumesho. ”
    That suited Kurt very well, and he was escorted out of the enclosure and ordered to sit down along the wall beside a small heater. The soldiers there looked curiously at him.
    When the officer had gone, a small fellow with a pale face and a scholarly air said politely, “How do you do,” in English. It was probably all that he knew.
    In Japanese, the others began to talk about Kurt and wonder why he was there. Their conversation continued for a half hour and was of a very personal and critical nature. They discussed how pale Kurt was and how big, and said that he must be a very great thief because all foreign devils were great thieves.
    Kurt listened to them with a blank face for a while. Their inquisitiveness made him forget Varinka and Anne Carsten and Lin Wang. He began to cheer up.
    In Japanese, Kurt said, “Would you mind getting me a glass of water, tomodachi ?”
    The scholarly little man leaped up in surprise and scurried to the skin bag which hung in the corner. He came back with the drink.
    “Thank you,” said Kurt, drinking. “Tell me, tomodachi, is it a crime here in Kalgan to speak of Takeki ?”
    The scholarly one shook his head. “No, but it is dangerous. Takeki is one we call the Courageous. I cannot say any more. Is that why you are here?”
    “I merely wanted to see Takeki . I had some information for him.”
    “For him?” said the soldiers all together.
    The officer had said that. Kurt thought it queer. He decided not to talk about Takeki .
    A larger Japanese, with rugged features, almost Western, said in a complimentary tone, “That was a good job you did on that Chinese one. He looked very strong. Why did he go in there to attack you?”
    “He didn’t like me,” said Kurt.
    “All these Chinese are fools,” said the scholarly one. “For a long time we left them alone and did nothing to them. For centuries. They tried to take our country from us twice, and now when we merely want to police theirs and wipe out some of their so-called warlords such as Lin Wang, the whole world cries against it. It is very strange. I cannot understand it at all.”
    “They think you are trying to capture China,” said Kurt.
    “No, that isn’t what they think,” said the big one. “They are afraid of us. It would be a good thing if someone took over China and made a nation out of it and cut down this killing and made the people behave. All Chinese are fools. The world is afraid that Japan will grow powerful if Japan has China’s manpower. Perhaps it will. Can you blame Japan for trying?”
    Kurt nodded. He could see the Japanese side of things and he had no particular political views. Japan and China were farthest from his worries at that minute.
    He was thinking furiously about that confession. He would have to get it somehow. He couldn’t run away from the law the rest of his life. Maybe if he explained to Yang . . .
    A door swung open and a voice said, “Foreigner, Takeki is waiting to speak with you.”
    Kurt got to his feet. He was about to face the man he had been sent to kill. He wondered what he would say to the Japanese.
    He walked slowly out into the other room and stared across the desks.
    “There is Takeki, foreigner,” said the officer again.
    Kurt swallowed hard.
    He was staring at Varinka Savischna.

CHAPTER FIVE
     
    The Japanese Spy
     
    I T took a moment or two for Kurt Reid to recover from his surprise, but his silence was unnoticed. Varinka Savischna came forward, holding out her hands to him, smiling.
    “My dear Kurt,” said Varinka. “I am surprised, but very glad to see you. I hope these compatriots of mine did not cause you any inconvenience.”
    She was taller than the Japanese, and she carried herself with a conscious pride of beauty. Her beautiful broad face was smiling.
    Kurt took her hands. He could do nothing else. “I did not know that you—”
    “And what news do you bring me from the south?” she said, interrupting