"The _miriok_?" said Mr. Kit-ze softly and looking at her with eyes whose confidence touched her beyond expression. "He will give you the _miriok_. He has said it."
Then, as a sudden, strange expression came into his eyes, he glanced up quickly and straight toward the line of spectators. "There is another,"
he said, his lips moving nervously, "and I must!" He paused; then she heard him say again, "Oh, I must!"
Helen"s heart leaped. Did he mean Mr. Choi-So? Had he seen him among the spectators? It was more than likely that he had, as the latter stood near to where Mr. Kit-ze was when he began to gesticulate to the magistrate.
"I can"t see why your request shouldn"t be granted," said the magistrate after a pause, and to Mr. Kit-ze; "especially as you have brought that at sight of which no gentleman could break his word," and he pointed to the streamer of yellow ribbon that Mr. Kit-ze still held. "I remember the service. Now let me hear the request again."
Mr. Kit-ze repeated it with all the eloquence that heart and tongue could bestow upon it.
"Take the image from the old woman and give it to the young foreigner,"
said the magistrate, "and there will be no cutting of her hair," he added firmly.
As he uttered the last sentence, he threw his head up and glanced somewhat defiantly at the screen behind which he knew his wives were sitting. But the chief lady of his household was inexorable. Another message came to him, and quickly. She would renounce her desire for all of Helen"s hair, but she must have some of it. A strand would now suffice her.
"No," said Mr. Kit-ze, "no!" and moved nearer to Helen as though to protect her. "It must not be!"
"I can spare a strand," said Helen soothingly to Mr. Kit-ze, "without its ever showing where it has been cut."
Then she turned to Dorothy. "Help me undo the braids quickly, dear, and get a part of one of them. You will know where to cut. Get a good-sized piece," she added with a smile. "We must give her her curiosity"s worth."
As the braids were loosened and the strands swept in shining waves over Helen"s shoulders, falling below her waist, there was a chorus of quick exclamations, followed by prolonged murmurs of astonishment. Only Mr.
Kit-ze groaned.
Urged by Helen, Dorothy severed the portion of hair, which was at once conveyed to the _yangban"s_ chief wife. They could hear the excited expressions that sounded from behind the screen.
Mr. Kit-ze looked miserable. He stood with folded hands mournfully regarding Helen. His eyes said plainly, though his lips did not, "I tried to save it. If only you had let me!"
"Dear Mr. Kit-ze," said Helen, "how I do thank you for----"
But here she stopped, for the runner, who had at length succeeded, with the a.s.sistance of another, in getting the _miriok_ from the old _mutang_ was now offering it to her. He was also demanding for the magistrate the yen that had been mentioned.
Helen gave them to him, then reached for the _miriok_. But how her hand trembled! A pang too struck her heart. How different was the feeling to that with which she had thought she would receive the _miriok_ if only she could succeed in recovering it! Though it had been stolen from Mr.
Kit-ze, yet her chief thought when pursuing the old _mutang_ had been of poor Choi-So, and of how frantic he would be should the _miriok_ pa.s.s away from him. Now the _miriok_ had been given back to her. She stood there with it in her hand. But there too stood Mr. Kit-ze, and she felt, if she did not see, his burning glance fixed upon the image in her clasp. How much he had dared for her! For it is considered a serious matter in Korea to interrupt a magistrate in the midst of his court.
With what earnestness and eloquence had he pleaded for her hair, seeming to forget even the precious _miriok_ in his desire to save to her that which he knew was pleasing to herself and a delight to her loved ones.
He had even used his one claim to the favor of the magistrate in her behalf.
Yes, there stood Mr. Kit-ze with burning eyes regarding her, and there too, not more than ten paces away, was Choi-So. Only the moment before she had seen him, standing at almost the same spot and in almost the same position, his eyes riveted upon her every movement. How singularly quiet he had been! But it was, she felt, the quiet of concentrated emotion--emotion that might at any moment break forth.
Oh, what was she to do? A fervent prayer winged its way upward as she thought quickly, intently. Now of all times she must not make a mistake.
The peace of a soul, maybe in the end the peace of two souls, was at stake. Suddenly her resolution was formed. She would give the _miriok_ to Mr. Kit-ze, then, when they were released from the court and were away from all those inquisitive eyes, she would bravely plead with him to return it to Choi-So. She would see Choi-So too. She would entreat him to wait and to leave it to her.
"Mr. Kit-ze," she said, speaking slowly and trying to make each expression plain to him, "I saw the old woman when she robbed you. I called to Dorothy, for I knew I had not the time to awaken you and the others, and we chased her. Oh, how anxious we were to get the _miriok_ for--for----"
But she could not tell him yet. Besides, the magistrate was through with them, and was even now instructing the runners to conduct them away.
As they turned to leave the room, Helen gently pressed the _miriok_ into Mr. Kit-ze"s hands. "Take it," she said; "but later, when we get away from here, I must tell you something."
His fingers closed about it nervously, and he paused for a moment as though his emotion at receiving it again had overcome him. Then she heard him murmur, "Wrong, wrong. I must give it back," and, ere she could speak to him, he had moved hastily away.
Surprised, Helen, with a word to Dorothy, turned to follow him. After so bravely coming to the rescue, was he going to abandon them in that strange place to make their way back to the sampan alone?
"Stop, Mr. Kit-ze, stop!" entreated Helen.
"Oh, do wait for us, Mr. Kit-ze!" pleaded Dorothy.
He paid no heed to them, only kept on; and now Helen, for the first time, realized whither he was going. It was straight toward Mr. Choi-So.
Her heart almost stopped beating. What would happen? She must follow him and know. As she reached them, it was to see Mr. Kit-ze holding the image toward Choi-So, and to hear his tremulously uttered words, "Sorry.
Sorry. It was wrong. She showed me."
Then he raised his head and added another word, but with almost pathetic entreaty, "Go!"
"No," said Helen quickly, "no," and reached out her hand to detain Mr.
Choi-So, but too late.
With a m.u.f.fled cry of joy that fell distinctly upon the ears of those around him, Mr. Choi-So grasped the image, dropped something into Mr.
Kit-ze"s hand and, turning, sprang away. He pa.s.sed swiftly through the crowd that opened at once to let him by, believing that he was running in search of his mind, as they expressed it, and to their journey"s end the inmates of the sampan did not see nor hear of him again.
[Ill.u.s.tration: ""SORRY. SORRY. IT WAS WRONG! SHE SHOWED ME.""]
"Oh, Mr. Kit-ze," said Helen, "I----"
But the sentence was never finished, for a joyous cry from Dorothy arrested her in the act of speaking the words, and, at the same time, she felt an arm slipped about her waist and heard a voice deep with emotion saying, "My daughter, this has been dreadful for you."
It was her father, and there too, was Mallard. How rejoiced they were to find her and Dorothy safe.
Soon the story of the search for them was told, and then Helen, for the first time, had light on a subject that even in the midst of far more engrossing things had caused her much wonder. This was as to how Mr.
Kit-ze had found his way to the court-room without the others.
The old boatman had slept on until sunrise. The other inmates too had finished their morning naps, had performed their toilets, and were ready for breakfast ere the disappearance of the two girls was discovered. It was after repeated calls and numerous sarcastic remarks on Clarence"s part had failed either to bring them forth or to win even a retort from them, that Mr. Reid had raised the curtain of their sleeping apartment for an examination. But still their absence had not caused alarm, for the first thought was that they might be walking on the bank near by.
However, as a search in that direction failed to discover them, a well defined fear soon spread. In a short time it became evident that they had either wandered away and become lost or had been abducted.
It was quickly arranged that Mr. Reid, Mr. Kit-ze, and Mallard should set off in search for them, while Mr. Wilburn, Clarence, and Joyce remained to take care of the sampan.
In the town they soon heard of the arrest; but as there were two magistrates, there were, of course, two trails to follow, as no one they met seemed to know before which one the girls had been carried. In the eagerness of inquiry, Mr. Kit-ze became separated from Mr. Reid and Mallard and, while they went on the wrong trail at first, he went on the right one, arriving almost as soon as the court had begun.
There was a joyful reunion at the sampan. Only Mr. Kit-ze looked sad.
Helen watched for the first opportunity to speak to him when alone and said: "Oh, Mr. Kit-ze, that was a good, brave thing you did. How glad it has made me!"
The gloomy look began to leave his face. He turned toward her, a joy awakening in his eyes. "I did it," he said, "because you told me."
"I?" asked Helen astonished. "Oh, no, Mr. Kit-ze, I never told you."
"Not with lips, but with eyes," declared Mr. Kit-ze. "Oh, when you looked at me so, I knew I must. I felt it here," laying his hand with a pathetic movement on his heart. "And when you talked to me, daughter of the most honorable teacher, oh, it was like light coming, coming, that is almost here."
"But how did you know that I knew about the _miriok_?" she asked, now more astonished than ever.
"I heard him. The day on the bluff. Oh, how frightened poor Kit-ze, and wretched, wretched!"