Shanghai Sparrow Read Free Page B

that single notation in the margins of Lathrop’s work, of course – but the man had had no idea what he had found.
    And Wu Jisheng’s ability seemed to militate against the idea that it was a female trait. Perhaps it had to do with his being Oriental.
    In any case there was little doubt, in what few works he had managed to find that actually took Etherics seriously, that innate ability was a factor. Lathrop would have to be brought here. His vanity would no doubt be flattered.
    Holmforth would show his superiors what Etheric mechanisms could do, in the right hands. His hands. And they would see that he had been right, that the borders of the British Empire should not stop with India, or Russia. The borders of Empire should extend beyond this world, to encompass and bring under its wing not just the primitive and barbaric peoples of the Earth, but the Folk as well. Others might believe they were no longer relevant, the last fragment of a dying race, but Holmforth knew better. They had wealth that could be put to good use. Besides, their arrogance was an insult to the Empire, and their immorality a bad example. It was beyond time they were brought to heel.

 
    The Crepuscular
     
     
    “O M OST E XALTED, Highly Honoured, and Elegant Mistress; I humble myself at your feet, which allows me to appreciate your exquisite slippers. As always, you outdo all others in taste.”
    The fox, his tail quivering and his eyes brilliant, tilted his head at an angle precisely calculated to charm.
    The lady at whose feet he sat smiled. Her slippers were indeed exquisite, embroidered all over with mermaid scales whose constantly shifting sea-shades echoed those of her eyes. The eyes themselves, at this moment, danced merrily, sunlight upon gentle waves. She was fond, in her way, of the fox, and found him a source of amusement.
    “Well, little fox, what do you want?”
    “Lady, I bring news.”
    “I know you would not be so foolish as to come here without something to entertain me. What news?”
    “Pearl divers off an island under the sway of Oro have found a great treasure. A pearl of exceptional beauty and size, dark as my lady’s hair, and nearly as lustrous. Already it is on its way to the temple, where it will be placed in a statue of laughable ugliness but great value in the eyes of the priests. And it will become an offering, and a Gift.”
    “I see. And why should this concern me?”
    “Because it is a Gift of some... merit, Lady. In my unworthy and no doubt mistaken opinion.”
    “Some merit. How much merit?”
    “A thousand hours of work by three separate craftsmen, one of whom lost his sight on the endeavour, the eldest of them dying as he set his chisel, having prayed and fasted overmuch in order that he might be inspired, and the youngest, possibly the best craftsman the island has ever produced, having cut his thumb, an injury that will eventually cripple him and prevent his ever creating so fine a piece again.”
    “Ah.” In her eyes, a thin cloud veiled the sun, the sparkle faded from the sea.
    “Forgive my presumption, but I thought your Ladyship would wish to know.”
    “You are correct, little fox. And what, in your opinion , do you deserve in return for this information?”
    “What could I ask more than your Ladyship’s pleasure?”
    “Oh, you could ask many things. Some of them I might even grant.”
    “Your Ladyship’s generosity is outweighed only by your Ladyship’s beauty. I ask merely the freedom to suggest something that might, if your Ladyship should deign to consider it, outweigh this Gift in value.”
    “And what has my clever fox found, to overbear so weighty a Gift?”
    “A pebble.”
    The fox kept his eyes on her slippers, but from their darkening colours he could see that in her eyes, now, there would be the suggestion of reefs, of depths where no diver would ever find the wreckage. He was something of a gambler by nature, and rather enjoyed the shiver of risk.
    “A pebble.”
    “Yes,