Dunross held his aching disappointment off his face. It must be a turndown, he thought. "Whiskey?"

"Sure, with soda. Thanks. Jesus I'm tired."

Dunross went to the decanter and poured, and a brandy and soda for himself. "Health," he said, resisting the urge to ask.

They touched glasses.

"Health. And you got your deal!" The young man's face cracked into an enormous grin. "We did it!" he almost shouted. "They screamed and they hollered but an hour ago they agreed. We got everything! 120 percent of the ships and a $50 million U.S. revolving fund, cash's up Wednesday, but you can commit Monday at 10:00 AM., the offer of the tanker deals was the clincher. Jesus, we did it for chrissake!'i It took all of Dunross's training to hold in his bellow of triumph and keep the joy off his face and say calmly, "Oh, jolly good," and take another sip of his brandy. "What's the matter?" he asked, seeing the shock on the younger man's face.

Murtagh shook his head and slumped down exhaustedly. "You limeystre something else! I'll never understand you. I give you a hundred percent parole with the sweetest deal God ever gave man and all you say is 'Oh jolly good.'"

Dunross laughed. It was a great bellow of laughter and all his happiness spilled out. He pummeled Murtagh's hand and thanked him. "How's that?" he asked, beaming.

"That's better!" He grabbed his briefcase and opened it and pulled out a sheaf of contracts and papers. "These're just as we agreed. I was up all night drafting them. Here's the main loan agreement, this's your personal guarantee, these're for the corporate seal, ten copies of everything."

"I'll initial one set now which you keep, you initial one which I'll keep and then we'll sign formally tomorrow morning. Can you meet me in my office tomorrow morning, say at 7:30? We'll chop all the documents an"

The young man let out an involuntary moan. "How 'bout 8:00, tai-pan, or 8:307 I just gotta catch up on some sleep."

"7:30. You can sleep all day." Dunross added at a sudden thought, "Tomorrow night your evening's reserved."

"It is?"

"Yes. You best get all the rest you can, your evening will be busy."

"Doing what?"

"You're not married, you're not attached, so an entertaining evening wouldn't be bad. Eh?"

"Gee." Murtagh brightened perceptibly. "it'd be terrific."

"Good. I'll send you to a friend of mine at Aberdeen. Goldtooth Wu."

"Who?"

"An old friend of the family. Perfectly safe. While I think of it, lunch at the races next week?"

"Oh Jesus, thanks. Yesterday Casey gave me a hot tip and I won a bundle. The rumor is you're going to ride Noble Star Saturday. Are you?"

"Perhaps." Dunross kept his eyes on him. "The deal's really through? No chance of a foul-up?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die! Oh here I forgot." He handed him the confirming telex. "It's as we agreed." Murtagh glanced at his watch. "It's 6:00 A.M. New York time now but you're to call S. J. Beverly, our chairman of the board, in an hour he's expecting your call. Here's his number." The young man beamed. "They made me VP in charge of all Asia."

"Congratulations."

Dunross saw the time. He would have to leave soon or he would be late and he did not want to keep Riko waiting. His heart picked up a beat. "Let's initial now, shall we?"

Murtagh was already sorting the papers. "Just one thing, tai-pan, S.J. said we got to keep this secret."

"That's going to be difficult. Who typed these?"

"My secretary but she's American, she's as tight as a clam."

Dunross nodded but inside he was unconvinced. The telex opera- tor didn't Phillip Chen say he had already had copies of some of the telexes? or cleaners, or phone operators, it would be impossible to gauge who but the news would be common knowledge soon, whatever he or Murtagh did. Now, how to use everything to the best advantage while it's still secret? he was asking himself, hard put not to dance with joy, the fact of the deal unprecedented and almost impossible to believe. He began to initial his set of papers, Murtagh another. He stopped as he heard the front door open and slam. Adryon shrieked, "Ah Tall" and followed up with a flood of amah Cantonese ending, "a and did you iron my new blouse by all the gods?"

"Blouse? What blouse, Young Miss with the piercing voice and no patience? The red one? The red one belonging to Chief Wife who told y"

"Oh, it's mine now, Ah Tat! I told you very seriously to iron it."

Murtagh had stopped too, listening to the stream of screeching Cantonese from both of them. "Jesus," he said tiredly. "I'll never get used to the way the servants go on, no matter what you tell 'em!"

Dunross laughed and beckoned him, opening the door softly. Murtagh gasped. Adryon had her hands on her hips and she was going at Ah Tat who gave it back to her, both of them raucous, both talking over the other and neither listening.

"Quietl " Dunross said. Both stopped. "Thank you. You really do go on a bit, AdryonI" he said mildly.

She beamed. "Oh hello, Father. Do you th " She stopped, seeing Murtagh. Dunross noticed the instant change. A warning shaft soared through him.

"Oh, Adryon, may I introduce Dave Murtagh, Vice-President for Asia of the Royal Belgium and Far East Bankl" He looked at Murtagh and saw the stunned expression on his face. "This is my daughter, Adryon."

"You, er, speak Chinese, Miss, er, Dunross?"

"Oh yes, yes of course, Cantonese. Of course. You're new in Hong Kong?"

"Oh no, ma'am, no, I've, er, I've been here half a year or more."

Dunross was watching both of them with growing amusement, knowing that for the moment he was totally forgotten. Ah, boy meets girl, girl meets boy and maybe this one'd be the perfect foil to throw into Haply's works. "Would you like to join us for a drink, Adryon?" he asked casually, the moment their conversation lapsed and she prepared to leave.

"Oh. Oh thank you, Father, but I don't want to disturb you."

"We're just finishing. Come along. How're things?"

"Oh fine, fine." Adryon turned back to Ah Tat who still stood there solidly she too had noticed the instant mutual attraction. "You'll iron my blouse! Please," she said imperiously in Cantonese. "I have to leave in fifteen minutes."

"Ayeeyah on your fifteen minutes, Young Empress."- Ah lot huffed, and went back into the kitchen, grumbling.

Adryon focused on Murtagh who blossomed noticeably, his fatigue vanished. "What part of the States are you from?"

"Texas, ma'am, though I've spent time in Los Angeles, New York and New Orleans. You play tennis?"

"Oh, yes, I do."

"We've some good courts at the American Club. You, maybe you'd like a game next week?"

"I'd love that. I've played there before. Are you good?"

"Oh no, ma'am, er, Miss Dunross, just college class."

"College class could mean very good. Why don't you call me Adryon?"

Dunross gave her the glass of sherry he had poured and she thanked him with a smile though still concentrating on Murtagh. You'd better be top of your class, young fellow, he thought, knowing how competitive she was, or you're in for a drubbing. Carefully keeping his amusement private, he went back to the papers. When he finished initialing his set, he watched the two of them critically his daughter sitting casually on the edge of the sofa, beautiful and so assured, very much a woman, and Murtagh tall and well mannered, a little shy, but holding his own very well.

Could I stand a banker in the family? I'd better check up on him! God help us, an American? Well he's Texan, and that's not the same, is it? I wish Penn were back here.

"a oh no, Adryon," Murtagh was saying. "I've a company apartment over at West Point. It's a little billy place but great."

"That makes such a difference, doesn't it? I live here but I'm going to have my own apartment soon." She added pointedly, "Aren't I, Father?"

"Of course." Dunross added at once, "After university! Here's my set, Mr. Murtagh, do you think you could sign yours?"

"Oh yesa oh sorry!" Murtagh almost ran over, hurriedly initialed his set with a flourish. "Here you are, sir. You, er, you said 7:30 at your office tomorrow morning, huh?"

Adryon arched an eyebrow. "You'd better be punctual, Dave, the tai-pan's uncomfortably ornery at unpunctuality."

"Rubbish," Dunross said.

"I love you, Father, but that's not rubbish!"

They chatted for a minute then Dunross glanced at his watch, pretending to be concerned. "Damn! I've got to make a phone call then rush." At once Murtagh picked up his briefcase but Dunross added blandly, "Adryon, you said you were leaving in a few min- utes. I wonder, would you have time to drop Mr. Murtagh?"

The young man said at once, "Oh, I can get a cab, there's no need to trouble yoursel"

"Oh it's no trouble," she said happily, "no trouble at all. West Point's on my way."

Dunross said good night and left them. They hardly noticed his going. He went to his study and closed the door and with the closing of the door, shut out everything else but Tiptop. From the fireplace Dirk Struan watched him. Dunross stared back a moment.

"I've plan A, B or C," he said aloud. "They all add up to disaster if Sinders doesn't perform."

The eyes just smiled in their curious way.

"It was easy for you," Dunross muttered. "When someone got in your way you could kill them, even the Hag."

Earlier he had discussed the plans with Phillip Chen. "They're all fraught with danger," his compradore had said, very concerned.

"Which do you advise?"

"The choice must be yours, tai-pan. You will have to make per- sonal guarantees. It's face too, though I'd support you in everything, and you did ask for a favor as an Old Friend."

"What about Sir Luis?"

"I've arranged to see him tonight, tai-pan. I hope for coopera- tion." Phillip Chen had seemed grayer and older than ever. "It's a pity there's nothing we can give Tiptop in case Sinders reneges."

"What about bartering the tanker fleet? Can we lean on Vee Cee? What about thoriums or Joseph Yu?"

"Tiptop needs something to barter with, not a threat, tai-pan. Did P.B. say he'd help?"

"He promised to phone Tiptop this afternoon he said he'd also try one of his friends in Peking."

At exactly seven o'clock Dunross dialed. "Mr. Tip, please. Ian Dunross."

"Good evening, tai-pan. How are you? I hear you may be riding Noble Star next Saturday?"

"That's possible." They talked about inconsequential matters, then Tiptop said, "And that unfortunate person? At the latest, when is he going to be released?"

Dunross held on to himself, then committed his future. "Sunset tomorrow, at Lo Wu."

"Do you personally guarantee he will be there?"

"I personally guarantee I've done everything in my power to persuade the authorities to release him."

"That's not the same as saying the man will be there. Is it?"

"No. But he'll be there. I'ma" Dunross stopped. He was going to say, "almost certain" and then he knew he would surely fail not daring to guarantee it because a failure to perform would take away his face, his credulity, forever but he remembered something Phillip Chen had said about Tiptop having something to barter with and all at once he had an opening. "Listen, Mr. Tip," he began, his sudden excitement almost nauseating. "These are foul times. Old Friends need Old Friends like never before. Privately, very privately, I hear that our Special Branch in the last two days discovered there's a major Soviet spy ring here, a deep-cover ring, the code name of the operation Sevrin. The purpose of Sevrin's the destruction of the Middle Kingdom's link with the rest of the world."

"That's nothing new, tai-pan. Hegemonists will always be hegemonists, Tsarist Russia or Soviet Russia, there's no difference. For four hundred years it's been that way. Four hundred years since their first incursions and theft of our lands. But please go on."

"It's my belief Hong Kong and the Middle Kingdom are equal targets. We're your only window on the world. Old Green-Eyed Devil was the first to see that and it's true. Any interruption here and only the hegemonists will gain. Some documentation, part of the Special Branch documentation has come into my hands." With complete accuracy Dunross began to quote verbatim from the stolen head documents in AMG's report, his mind seeming to read from the pages that effortlessly appeared from his memory. He gave Tiptop all the pertinent details of Sevrin, the spies, and about the police mole.

There was a shocked silence. "What's the date on the Sevrin head document, tai-pan?"

"It was approved by an 'L.B.' on March 14, 1950."

A long sigh. Very long. "Lavrenti Beria?"

"I don't know." The more Dunross thought about this new ploy the more excited he became, certain now that this information and proof positive in the right Peking hands would cause a tidal wave in Soviet-Chinese relations.

"Is it possible to see this document?"

"Yes. Yes it would be possible," Dunross said, sweat on his back, thanking his foresight in photocopying the Sevrin sections of AMG's report.

"And the Czechoslovak STB document you referred to?"

"Yes. The part I have."

"When was that dated?"

"April 6, 1959."

"So our so-called allies were always wolf's heart and dog's lungs?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Why is it Europe and those capitalists in America don't under- stand who the real enemy in the world is? Hera?"

"It's difficult to understand," Dunross said, playing a waiting game now.

After a pause, controlled once more, Tiptop said, "I'm sure my friends would like a copy of this, this Sevrin paper, and any supporting documents."

Dunross wiped the sweat offhis forehead but kept his voice calm. "As an Old Friend, it's my privilege to assist in any way I can."