"What did you ask for last night, then? Come on, tell me!"
"Aw, no, no!" He shook his head, still laughing sillily.
"Money, King? I'll bet you prayed for money!"
"Aw, no, no! I tell you. I play for Miss Fielding."
I had stumbled upon a live wire! Instantly I was aroused, and careful
to say no tactless word. What I had already got from him was an
extraordinary amount for a Chinese of his caste to discover to a white
man. So I went witfully to lead him on to tell me more.
"That's good, King; I pray for Miss Fielding, too. I want her to get
well. Don't you?"
"Yep. She good lady, you bet. Maybe she get well, I dunno."
"What you think the matter with her, King? I'm worried about her."
He emptied his dish-water out, and wiped his hands first. Then he
stopped suddenly and said:
"Miss Fielding, she got one no-good debbil on inside. You know?
Sometime he heap bad, sometime he keep still. Plenty people have debbil
in China; all time go pliest, he dlive 'em away easy."
"The priest drives the devils away, King! How does he do it?"
"Oh, flighten debbil, tha's all. Stlike gong, burn fire-clackers, make
all time heap loud noise and debbil go away flighten'."
"I wish Miss Fielding could be cured as easy as that, King!"
For the first time during the conversation his grin disappeared. He
came up to me, gesticulating.
"You likee flighten away debbil? Maybe I help you sometime?"
"Could you do it?" I laughed.
"Sure! Aw! you no think so?" He returned to wipe his dishes
philosophically. I smiled at his earnestness and walked away.
I sat down in the library to wait till the doctor came down. I found
that he would have to walk to the station, as Uncle Jerdon was away, and
I determined to have another talk with him, if I could manage to see him
alone. I had decided on a _coup d'etat_.
In a half-hour they reappeared, Edna showing traces of heaviness about
her eyes, as if she had been asleep. The doctor looked at his watch,
and found that he had just time to walk to the train. I offered to
accompany him, and, though he appeared surprised, he assented with a
good grace. Edna did not care to go with us. It seemed to me that she
not only perceived the antagonism between the doctor and me, but
fostered it for her own ends. It was as if we were fighting for her and
she had decided to let the best man win. So we left her and started
out.