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Fifty Candles

along with Doctor Parker here,” the woman went on. “I believe the quarreling continued.” She looked questioningly at Parker.

“It did,” the doctor said. “For several days after they came aboard. I’ll swear to that. Then they stopped speaking to each other.”

“And yet”—Barnes turned to me—“you were a guest at dinner?”

“Yes,” I said. “I believe that for some reason Drew wanted to smooth the matter out. He suggested I come here to meet his partner in the mines, Doctor Su Yen Hun, a Chinese merchant in this town. I agreed to come, but I told him I’d rather not discuss business.”

“If you didn’t want to talk business, why did you come?”

“I came because———” I stopped. But I was resolved to tell the truth from start to finish. “I came because I wished to see again Mrs. Drew’s companion, Miss Tellfair.”

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