The Phantom of the Temple

VIII

All the lamps were burning brightly in the large dining-room of Judge Dee's residence, and a bevy of maids were hanging garlands of coloured lampions on the low branches of the trees in the front garden. The First Lady, in a long-sleeved robe of shimmering violet brocade em­broidered with gold, was seeing off the last lady guest from her tea party. After she had made her final bow, she cast an anxious glance at the back gate of the chancery. The housemaster had told her that the judge had come back from the temple an hour before, but he had not yet made his appearance. Turning to the Third Lady, who looked very fragile in her rustling long robe of stiff white gauze, she said, 'I do hope our husband will come in time to receive the Abbess! Dinner will start in an hour!'

The conference in Judge Dee's private office was nearing its end. The judge was leaning back in his armchair, slowly combing his long black beard with outspread fingers. The light of the silver candlestick shone on his drawn face. Sergeant Hoong sat huddled on the bamboo chair in the corner, tired after the hot afternoon in the temple and the long search in the dusty chancery archives afterwards. His thin hands were in his lap, folding and unfolding mechanically his sheet of notes. Ma Joong, sitting opposite the judge, was looking glum. After the judge had told him about the search of the deserted temple, Ma Joong had reported his visit to the sorceress, and Judge Dee had made him repeat their conversation word for word. Although his prolonged session with Tulbee had rid him of the haunting fear that he could never love a woman again, the recounting of the harrow­ing interview with Tala had upset him more than he cared to admit.

At last Judge Dee spoke:

'As to the general remarks of that woman Tala, I prefer not to go further into those. They refer to a per­fidious teaching that foully debases what any decent man holds most sacred. As to her astonishing references to the girl named Jade, her knowing that you are concerned with her is easily explained, Ma Joong. While waiting for the sorceress to finish with the old crone, you were con­centrating your thoughts on Jade. And Tala, like most women of her strange profession, evidently possesses the faculty of reading other people's thoughts — up to a cer­tain point, of course. Part of their success as soothsayers depends on that faculty. As to how she knew the dates of Jade's birth and alleged demise, I wouldn't even hazard a guess.'

'Let's arrest the awful woman and beat the truth out of her!' Ma Joong burst out.

Judge Dee took an official form from the pile on his desk and filled it out with his red writing-brush. After he had impressed the large seal of the tribunal on it, he said, shaking his head, 'It is indeed my duty to try to arrest her. But I haven't the faintest hope that we shall succeed. She fully realizes, of course, that a warrant for her arrest will be issued. Even now she may be crossing the frontier into Tartar territory! Especially since her own people in the north-west quarter are turning against her. Anyway, give this paper to the headman, Ma Joong, and explain to him where Tala lives!'

After Ma Joong had gone, the sergeant asked, 'Why should she have given Ma Joong that information, sir?'

'I haven't the slightest idea, Hoong! At any rate, we know now that the message in the ebony box can't have been a complete hoax. As to its real meaning, though ...' His voice trailed off. He stared sombrely at the ebony box, which he was using as a paper-weight. The polished jade disc shone in the light of the candle with a malignant gleam.

Tugging at his moustache he let his eyes wander towards the pile of dossiers on his desk, but every time they came back again to the ebony box.

When Ma Joong returned, Judge Dee sat up in his chair.

'Take a brush and a piece of paper, Ma Joong,' he said curtly. 'Write down what I shall dictate you.' After his lieutenant had moistened the writing-brush, the judge went on: Anyone who can supply information about the full name and present whereabouts of a woman called Jade who disappeared in the ninth month of the year of the Snake, is urgently requested to report to this tribunal at his earliest convenience. Magistrate Dee. That is all, Ma Joong. Take it to the chancery, and order the clerks to write it out a few dozen times, to be posted this very night throughout the city. Putting up this proclamation is the best I can do with regard to the vexing puzzle of the ebony box.'

He sat back in his chair again and told the sergeant briskly, 'Tell Ma Joong what you have learned about the deserted temple!’

Hoong drew his chair closer to the candle. He consulted the paper on his lap and began: 'The Temple of the Purple Clouds was built two hundred and eighty years ago by Indian monks, the funds being provided by the local foreign community, which was greatly prospering at that time. The temple suffered various misfortunes during the border wars but the religious services were never interrupted for long. Thirty years ago, however, three priests of the new creed arrived from over the border, accompanied by three nuns. Having settled down in the temple, they converted some of the inmates; the others left in disgust and were replaced by new converts, some Tartar, some Chinese. The new creed was spreading like wildfire among the barbarians, and the foreign popu­lation of this district visited the temple in crowds. Then, about fifteen years ago, some leading citizens lodged a complaint with this tribunal, denouncing the obscene rituals conducted in the temple. The magistrate instituted a close inquiry. As a result the Abbot was sent in chains to the capital, all the pictures, statues and other para­phernalia were publicly burned in the market, and the inmates banished.'

'Good man!’ Judge Dee said approvingly. 'That's the only way to deal with such excesses.'

The sergeant glanced at his notes and resumed: 'These stern measures created unrest among the Tartar popu­lation; there was even an attempt at armed rebellion. To placate the excited people, the magistrate allowed one Chinese priest and one Tartar priestess who had recanted to build the Hermitage and to practise there the old Buddhist ritual approved by the authorities. However, the number of visitors dwindled. After a few years the priestess left, and some time after the priest also went away. The authorities sealed the Hermitage. Two years ago, the highway to the tributary kingdoms of the west was moved from Lan-fang up north, and the foreign population of Lan-fang shrunk. Last year the magistrate planned to close down the Hermitage permanently. Then, however, the well-known goldsmith Chang sud­denly died, leaving no offspring. His widow, who had always been a fervent Buddhist, became a nun and requested that the Hermitage be assigned to her. The Hermitage was dedicated in the autumn of the year of the Snake, on the twentieth day of the ninth month. That is all.'

'A rather interesting story, Ma Joong,' Judge Dee com­mented. 'But it doesn't shed any light on our problem. I had hoped for data on old buried treasure there.' He sighed. For a while silence reigned in the small, hot office. Then Ma Joong pushed his cap back and said:

'Since my trip to the north-west quarter didn't produce any data regarding the murder, what about my trying the neighbourhood of the east gate tonight, sir? There are a lot of cheap eating-houses and taverns. Seng-san was a well-known underworld figure, it won't be difficult to locate people there who knew him well, and make them talk about him.'

'Do that,' the judge said. 'There must be a Head of the Beggars here, and he will know much about what's going on in the underworld. Have a talk with him too, Ma Joong.'

'Then, as regards the missing head and body, sir, I too believe they were buried in the temple garden. The headman and the constables searched it, but I can tell you from my experience in the "green woods" that in the dark a forest looks completely different. The constables may well have overlooked in broad daylight features that spring to the eye at night. I would like to go there tonight, sir, to have a look around. See the situation through the eyes of the murderer, so to speak.'

The judge nodded slowly. 'There's a lot in what you say, Ma Joong. All right, have a try! I put two constables on guard there and they can help by clearing a path for you. Don't forget to put on thick leggings, for I am told there are poisonous snakes.' He rose. 'Well, I shall now take a quick bath and change for the festive dinner.'

Half an hour later Judge Dee entered the main dining-room, clad in his ceremonial robe of gold-embroidered green brocade and wearing his high black cap. He was just in time. His First Lady was leading the Abbess in through the front entrance, followed by his Second and Third Ladies.

The judge hastily went to meet the Abbess. Making a bow, he bade her welcome to his residence. She bowed three times in succession, her hands folded in the long sleeves of her wide, saffron-coloured robe. Modestly keep­ing her eyes down, she thanked the judge in a few well-chosen words for his kind invitation. He regarded her curiously, for up to now he had only got occasional glimpses of her tall figure when she was crossing the yard to his women's quarters to give her lessons in flower arrangement. Knowing that she was about forty, he thought she was still rather good-looking, in a cold, rather austere way. Her head and shoulders were covered by a black hood that left the oval of her face free. He noticed the high, curved nose, and the thin, determined mouth.

The five of them sat down on low tabourets of carved sandalwood at the square marble corner table. The six­fold lattice doors had been opened wide to let in the cool evening air. From where they were sitting they had a fine view of the front garden, where the gaily coloured paper lanterns lit up the dark-green foliage. While two maids filled their cups with fragrant jasmine tea, another placed platters with candied fruit and dried melon seeds on the table. The four women waited respectfully for the judge to open the conversation.

'I must warn Your Reverence in advance,' he began, 'that tonight's dinner is only a small family affair. I can only hope that our simple fare won't seem wholly devoid of taste to you.'

'It is the company rather than the fare that sets the tone of a gathering, Excellency,' the Abbess said gravely. 'I must offer my humble apologies for the extremely rude behaviour of my maid this afternoon. She ought to have informed me at once of Your Excellency's arrival, of course. She's a stupid, uneducated girl from down town. I chastised her, but ...' She raised her plump hand in a resigned gesture. The crystal beads of the rosary round her right wrist made a tinkling sound.

'It didn't matter at all!' Judge Dee assured her. 'I just wanted to check whether you had been bothered by vagabonds who made trouble in the deserted temple last night. The maid told me that in the Hermitage nothing special was seen or heard.'

The Abbess raised her head and fastened her large, vacant eyes on the judge.

'The temple has been desecrated by heterodox rites, for­merly practised there by misguided sectarians. But the Lord Buddha will in His infinite mercy bless also those apos­tates.' She stretched out her white hand and took a sip from her tea. 'As to my maid, I wonder whether she really told you all she knew.' As the judge raised his eyebrows, she went on: 'I suspect her of a lewd disposition. She is always trying to strike up acquaintance with the vaga­bonds that roam the woods. The other night I caught her talking and giggling with a wretched beggar right in front of the gate. I gave her a thorough caning, but I doubt whether that will help. I can only pray for her.' She began automatically to count the beads of the crystal rosary.

THE BIRTHDAY DINNER

'You shouldn't keep that girl!' the First Lady ex­claimed. Turning to the Second, she added: 'You'd better make inquiries among your Buddhist acquaintances. They might know a suitable girl for Her Reverence!’

The Second cast an apprehensive look at her husband. She had embraced Buddhism after their arrival in Lan-fang. Having received only an elementary education, the simple teachings and the colourful ritual had appealed to her. Although the judge had raised no objections, she knew that he had not been too happy about her con­version. But Judge Dee's thoughts were elsewhere at the moment. The maid evidently sought to brighten up the dreary life in the Hermitage by associating with the vagabonds, and therefore she might be able to supply valuable information.

'I ordered my lieutenant Ma Joong to make a thorough search of the deserted temple tonight,' he told the Abbess. 'Perhaps he could call at the Hermitage and question your maidservant.'

'It would be better if she is interrogated in my presence, sir,' the Abbess said primly. 'If she's alone with your man, she might ... eh, put him off.'

'Of course. I shall ... Ha, there are the children!’

The nurse led Judge Dee's sons and his daughter into the hall. The youngest, a sturdy small boy of three, she carried in her arms. After the First Lady had presented them to the Abbess, the housemaster came to report that dinner was ready.

They went to the large round table at the other end of the hall. The judge sat down at the head, directly in front of the carved ebony altar table against the back wall. Above the table hung the large character for 'long life' he had written at noon. He invited the Abbess to take the seat at his right, the First Lady sat down on his left, and the Second and Third took their places opposite them. The First Lady told the nurse to take the children back to their room, but the small boy had taken a fancy to the flowers stuck in her golden hairband and would not let go of them. So she said that the nurse could stay, standing behind her chair.

While they were tasting the cold entrees, the house­master brought in the first warm dish of roasted bean-curd, and the eldest maid filled the wine-cups. Judge Dee raised his cup and gave a toast. Now the dinner had really begun.