"Let's have a drink!" he said without rancor.

She was gasping for breath. "You bastard!"

"I'm not actually. I'm very legitimate." Gornt propped himself on an elbow, his eyes crinkling. "But you, Ciranoush, you're a liar."

"Go to hell!"

His voice was calm and genially taunting. "I will, soon enough. Far be it for me to ask a lady to prove such a thing."

She threw herself at him, her nails hacking for his face, furious that he was so controlled when she was not. Easily he caught her hands and held her. "Gently gently catchee monkeeee,it he said even more genially. "Calm down, Ciranoush. Remember, we're both over twenty-one, I've already seen you almost naked, and if I really wanted to rape you I'm afraid it wouldn't be much of a contest. You could scream bloody murder and my crew wouldn't hear a thing."

"You're a goddamn lou"

"Stop!" Gornt kept his smile but she stopped, sensing danger. "The tumble was not to frighten, just to amuse," he said gently. "A prank, nothing more. Truly." He released her and she scrambled off the bed, her breathing still heavy.

Angrily she walked over to the mirror and pushed her hair book into place, then saw him in the mirror, still lying casually on the bed watching her, and she whirled, "You're a black-eyed bastard!"

Gornt let out a bellow of laughter, infectious, belly-shaking, and, all at once, seeing the foolishness of it all, she began to laugh too. In a moment they were both aching with laughter, he spread out on the bed and Casey leaning against the sea chest.

On deck, as good friends, they drank some champagne that was already opened in a silver bucket, the silent, obsequious steward serving them, then going away.

At the dock in Kowloon, she kissed him again. "Thanks for a lovely time. Tuesday, if not before!" She went ashore and waved the ship good-bye a long time, then hurried home.

Spectacles Wu was also hurrying home. He was tired and anxious and filled with dread. The way up through the maze of dwellings and hovels in the resettlement area high above Aberdeen was difficult, slippery and dangerous, mud and mess everywhere, and he was breathing hard from the climb. The runoff in the concrete storm drain had overflowed its banks many times in many places, the flood shoving structures aside and spreading more havoc. Smoke hung over many of the wrecked dwellings, some still smoldering from the fires that had spread so quickly when the slides began. He skirted the deep slide where Fifth Niece had almost perished the day before yesterday, a hundred or more hovels wrecked by new slides in the same area.

The candy shop had vanished and the old woman with it. "Where is she?" he asked.

The scavenger shrugged and continued to sift through wreckage, seeking good wood or good cardboard or corrugated iron.

"How is it above?" he asked.

"As below," the man said in halting Cantonese. "Some good, some bad. Joss."

Wu thanked him. He was barefoot, carrying his shoes to protect them and now he left the storm drain and forced his way over some of the debris wreckage to find the path that meandered upward. From where he was he could not see his area though it seemed there were no slides there. Armstrong had allowed him to come home to check when the radio news had again reported bad slides in this part of the resettlement area. "But be back as quickly as you can. Another interrogation's scheduled for seven o'clock."

"Oh yes, I'll be back," he muttered out loud.

The sessions had been very tiring but for him good, with much praise from Armstrong and the chief of SI, his place in SI assured now, transfer and training to begin next week. He had had little sleep, partially because the session hours bore no relationship to day or night, and partially because of his wish to succeed. The client was shifting from English to Ning-tok dialect to Cantonese and back again and it had been hard to follow all the ramblings. It was only when his fingers had touched the wonderful, rare roll of bills in his pocket, his winnings at the races, that a lightness had taken hold and carried him through the difficult hours. Again he touched them to reassure himself, blessing his joss,as he climbed the narrow pathway, the path at times a rickety bridge over small ravines, climbing steadily. People passed by, going down, and others were following going up, the noise of hammers and rebuilding, reroofing all over the mountainside.

His area was a hundred yards ahead now, around this corner, and he turned it and stopped. His area was no more, just a deep scar in the earth, the piled-up avalanche of mud and debris two hundred feet below. No dwellings where there had been hundreds.

Numbly he climbed, skirting the treacherous slide, and went to the nearest hovel, banging on the door. An old woman opened it suspiciously.

"Excuse me, Honored Lady, I'm Wu Cho-tam's son from Ningtoka~'

The woman, One Tooth Yang, stared at him blankly, then started speaking but Wu did not understand her language so he thanked her and went off, remembering that this was one of the areas settled by the Yang, some of the northern foreigners who came from Shanghai.

Closer to the top of the slide he stopped and knocked on another door.

"Excuse me, Honored Sir, but what happened? I'm Wu Chotam's son from Ning-tok and my family were there." He pointed at the scar.

"It happened in the night, Honorable Wu," the man told him, speaking a Cantonese dialect he could understand. "It was like the sound of the old Canton express train and then a rumbling from the earth, then screams then some fires came. It happened the same last year over there. Ah yes, the fires began quickly but the rains doused them. Dew neh lob mob but the night was very bad." The neighbor was an old man with no teeth and his mouth split into a grimace. "Bless all gods you weren't sleeping there, heya?" He shut the door.

Wu looked back at the scar, then picked his way down the hill. At length he found one of the elders of his area who was also from Ning-tok.

"Ah, Spectacles Wu, Policeman Wu! Several of your family are there." His gnarled old finger pointed above. "There, in the house of your cousin, Wu Wam-pak."

"How many were lost, Honorable Sir?"

"Fornicate all mud slides how do I know? Am I keeper of the mountainside? There are dozens missing."

Spectacles Wu thanked him. When he found the hut, Ninth Uncle was there, Grandmother, Sixth Uncle's wife and their four children, Third Uncle's wife and baby. Fifth Uncle had a broken arm, now in a crude splint.

"And the rest of us?" he asked. Seven were missing.

"In the earth," grandmother said. "Here's tea, Spectacles Wu."

"Thank you, Honored Grandmother. And Grandfather?"

"He went to the Void before the slide. He went to the Void in the night, before the slide."

"Joss. And Fifth Niece."

"Gone. Vanished, somewhere."

"Could she still be alive?"

"Perhaps. Sixth Uncle's searching for her now, below, and the others, even though she's a useless mouth. But what about my sons, and their sons, and theirs?"

"Joss," Wu said sadly, not cursing the gods or blessing them. Gods make mistakes. "We will light joss sticks for them that they may be reborn safely, if there is rebirth. Joss." He sat down on a broken crate. "Ninth Uncle, our factory, was the factory damaged?"

"No, thank all gods." The man was numbed. He had lost his wife and three children, somehow scrambling out of the sea of mud that had swallowed them all. "The factory is undamaged."

"Good." All the papers and research materials for Freedom Fighter were there along with the old typewriter and ancient Gestetner copying machine. "Very good. Now, Fifth Uncle, tomorrow you will buy a plastic-making machine. From now on we'll make our own flowers. Sixth Uncle will help you and we will begin again."

The man spat disgustedly, "How can we pay, eh? How can we start? How can wea" He stopped and stared. They all gasped. Spectacles Wu had brought out the roll of bills. "Ayeeyah, Honored Younger Brother, I can see that at long last you have seen the wisdom of joining the Snake!"

"How wise!" the others chorused proudly. "All gods bless Younger Brother!"

The young man said nothing. He knew they would not believe him if he said otherwise, so he let them believe. "Tomorrow begin looking for a good secondhand machine. You can pay only $900," he told the older man, knowing that 1,500 was available if necessary. Then he went outside and arranged with their cousin, the owner of this hut, to lease them a corner until they could rebuild, haggling over the price until it was correct. Satisfied that he had done what he could for the Wu clan, he left them and plodded downhill back to headquarters, his heart weeping, his whole soul wanting to shriek at the gods for their unfairness, or carelessness, for taking so many of them away, taking Fifth Niece who but a day or so ago was given back her life in another slide.

Don't be a fool, he ordered himself. Joss is joss. You have wealth in your pocket, a vast future with Sl, Freedom Fighter to manufacture, and the time of dying is up to the gods.

Poor little Fifth Niece. So pretty, so sweet.

"Gods are gods," he muttered wearily, echoing the last words he remembered her ever saying, then put her out of his mind.

77 - 6:30 P.M.:.

Ah Tat hobbled up the wide staircase in the Great House, her old joints creaking, muttering to herself, and went along the Long Gallery, hating the gallery and the faces that seemed ever to be watching her. Too many ghosts here, she thought with superstitious dread, knowing too many of the faces in life, growing up in this house, born in this house eighty-five years ago. Uncivilized to hold their spirits in thrall by hanging their likenesses on the wall. Better to act civilized and cast them into memory where spirits belong.

As always when she saw the Hag's knife stuck through the heart of her father's portrait a shudder went through her. Dew neh lob mob, she thought, now there was a wild one, her with the unquenchable demon in her Jade Gate, ever secretly bemoaning the loss of the tai-pan, her husband's father, bemoaning her fate that she had married the weakling son and not the father, never to be bedded by the father, her Jade Gate unquenchable because of that.

Ayecyah, and all the strangers that climbed these stairs over the years to enter her bed, barbarians of all nations, of all ages, shapes and sizes, to be cast aside like so much chaff once their essence had been taken and used up, the fire never touched.

Ah Tat shuddered again. All gods bear witness! The Jade Gate and the One-Eyed Monk are truly yin and yang, truly everlasting, truly godlike, both insatiable however much one consumes the other. Thank all gods my parents allowed me to take the vow of chastity, to devote my life to bringing up children, never to be split by a Steaming Stalk, never to be the same ever after. Thank all gods all women do not need men to elevate them to be one with the gods. Thank all gods some women wisely prefer women to cuddle and touch and kiss and enjoy. The Hag had had women too, many, when she was old, finding in their youth-filled arms pleasure but never satisfaction, not like me. Curious she would pillow with a civilized girl but not a civilized man who would surely have put out her fire one way or another, with pillow tools or without. All gods bear witness, how many times did I tell her? Me the only one she would talk to about such things!

Poor fool, her with her twisted dreams of power, twisted dreams of lust, just like the old dowager empress nightmares of a lifetime that no shaft could allay.

Ah Tat pulled her eyes off the knife and plodded onward. The House will never be whole until someone pulls out the knife and casts it into the sea curse or no curse.

The old woman did not knock on the bedroom door but went in noiselessly so as not to wake him and stood over the vast double bed and looked down. This was the time she enjoyed the most, when her man-child was still sleeping, alone, and she could see his sleeping face and study it and not have to worry about Chief Wife's spleen and ill-temper over her comings and goings.

Silly woman, she thought gravely, seeing the lines in his face. Why doesn't she do her duty as Chief Wife and provide my son with another wife, young, child bearing, a civilized person, like old Green-Eyed Devil had. Then this house would be bright again. Yes, the house needs more sons stupid to risk posterity on the shoul- ders of one son. And stupid to leave this bull alone, stupid to leave this bed empty, stupid to leave him to be tempted by some mealymouthed whore to waste his essence in alien pastures. Why doesn't she realize we have the house to protect! Barbarians.

She saw his eyes open and focus and then he stretched luxuri- ously. "Time to get up, my son," she said, trying to sound harsh and commanding. "You have to bathe and get dressed and make more phone calls, heya, and leave your poor old Mother with more chores and more work, heya?"

"Yes, Mother," Dunross mumbled through a yawn in Cantonese, then shook himself like a dog, stretched once more and got out of bed and strode naked for the bathroom.

She studied his tall body critically, the crinkled, savage scars of the old burns from his airplane crash covering most of his legs. But the legs were strong, the flanks strong and the yang resolute and healthy. Good, she thought. I'm glad to see all's well. Even so, she was concerned at his perpetual leanness, with no substantial belly that his wealth and position merited. "You're not eating enough, my son!"

"More than enough!"

"There's hot water in the bucket. Don't forget to wash your teeth."

Contentedly she began to remake the bed. "He needed that rest," she muttered, not realizing she was talking aloud. "He's been like a man possessed for the last week, working all hours, fear in his face and over him. Such fear can kill." When she had finished the bed she called out, "Now don't stay out late tonight. You must take care of yourself and if you go with a whore bring her here like a sensible person, heya?"

She heard him laugh and she was glad for it. There hasn't been enough laughter from him the last few days, she thought. "A man needs laughter and youthful yin to nourish the yang. Eh what, what did you say?"

"I said, where's Number One Daughter?"

"In, out, always out, out with that new barbarian," she said going to the bathroom door and peering at him as he doused water over himself. "The one with long hair and crumpled clothes who works for the China Guardian. I don't approve of him, my son. No, not at all!"

"Where are they 'out,' Ah Tat?"

The old woman shrugged, chomping her gums. "The sooner Number One Daughter's married the better. Better for her to be another man's problem than yours. Or you should give her a good whip to her rump." He laughed again and she wondered why he laughed this time. "He's getting simple in the head," she muttered, then turned away. At the far door, remembering, she called out, "There's small chow for you before you leave."

"Don't worry about fooda" Dunross stopped, knowing it was a waste of time. He heard her go off mumbling, closing the door after her.

He was standing in the bath and bailed more cold water over himself. Christ, I wish this bloody water shortage'd cease, he thought. I could use a really long hot shower, his mind inexorably zeroing in on Adryon. At once he heard Penelope's admonition, "Do grow up, fan! It really is her own life, do grow up!"

"I'm trying," he muttered, toweling himself vigorously. Just before he had slept he had called Penelope. She was already at Castle Avisyard, Kathy still in the London clinic for more tests. "She'll be coming up next week. I do so hope everything will be all right."

"I'm in touch with the doctors, Penn." He told her about sending Gavallan to Scotland. "He's always wanted to be there, Kathy too, it'll be better for both of them, eh?"

"Oh, that's marvelous, Ian. That'll be a marvelous tonic."

"They can take over the whole east wing."

"Oh yes. Ian, the weather's wonderful today, wonderful, and the house so lovely. No chance you can come for a few days I suppose?"

"I'm up to my nose in it, Penn! You heard about the market?"

He had heard the momentary silence and he could see her face change and within her head hear her impotent raging against the market and Hong Kong and business, as much as she tried to cast it away.

"Yes. It must be terrible," she had said, still a thread in her voice. "Poor you. Alastair was carrying on a bit last night. It'll be all right, won't it?"

"Oh yes," he said with great confidence, wondering what she would say if he told her that he would have to guarantee personally the Murtagh loan if it came through. Oh Christ let it come through. He gave her all the news, then told her that AMG had sent him a very interesting message that he would tell her about when he saw her, adding that the messenger was a Japanese-Swiss woman. "She's quite a bird!"

"I hope not too much!"

"Oh no! How's Glenna and how're you?"

"Just fine. Have you heard from Duncan?"

"Yes. He arrives tomorrow I'll get him to phone you the moment he's home. That's about it, Penn, love you!"

"I love you too and wish you were here. Oh, how's Adryon?"

"More of the same. She and that Haply fellow seem to be inseparable!"

"Do remember she's very grown up, darling, and don't worry about her. Just try to grow up yourself."

He finished drying himself and looked at his reflection in the mirror, wondering if he was old for his years or young, not feeling any different from when he was nineteen at university or at war. After a moment, he said, "You're lucky to be alive, old chum. You're oh so lucky." His sleep had been heavy and he had been dreaming about Tiptop and, just at waking, someone had said in his dream, "What're you going to do?" I don't know, he thought. How far do I trust that bugger Sinders? Not far. But I got under his guard with my threata no, my promise to publish the eleven pieces of paper. And I will, by God!

I'd better call Tiptop before I leave for Plumm's. I'd better His ears heard the bedroom door swing open again and Ah Tat padded back across the room to stand at the bathroom door. "Ah my son, I forgot to tell you, there's a barbarian waiting for you downstairs."

"Oh? Who?"

She shrugged. "A barbarian. Not as tall as you. He has a strange name, and he's more ugly than usual with hair of straw!" She searched in her pocket and found the card. "Here."

The card read, Dave Murtagh III, Royal Belgium and Far East Bank. Dunross's stomach twisted. "How long's he been waiting?"

"An hour, perhaps more."

"What? Fornicate all gods. Why didn't you wake me?"

"Eh? Why didn't I wake you?" she asked caustically. "Why? Why do you think? Am I a fool? A foreign devil? Ayecyah, what is more important, him waiting or your rest? Ayeeyah/" she added disdainfully and stalked off, grumbling, "As if I didn't know what was best for you."

Dunross dressed hurriedly and rushed downstairs. Murtagh was sprawled out in an easy chair. He awoke with a start as the door opened. "Oh, hi!"

"I'm terribly sorry, I was having a kip and didn't know you were here."

"That's all right, tai-pan." Dave Murtagh was haggard. "The old biddy threatened the hell out of me if I so much as murmured but it didn't matter, I dropped off." He stretched wearily, stifling a yawn and shook his head to try to clear it. "Jesus, sorry to come uninvited but it's better than on the phone."