"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 089 - The Chinese Tapestry" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

in his approach to the lamplight.

His shoulders were mantled by a sable-hued cloak. His head was topped by a broad-brimmed slouch
hat. Of his features, only his eyes were discernible. Fiery, they glowed from beneath the hat brim.

Doctor Tam's visitor was The Shadow. The rigidity of Tam's features showed a startlement that the
Chinese doctor could not repress. Then the slow smile that appeared upon Tam's yellowish face was
proof that the visit was a welcome one.

RISING, Doctor Tam bowed and indicated a chair close beside The Shadow. The cloaked visitor
seated himself; Tam did the same. Leaning both elbows upon the desk, Tam spoke in perfect English.

"I had not expected you to arrive so soon," stated the physician. "It is a long journey from New York to
San Francisco, even when one travels by air."

"Speed was imperative," replied The Shadow, his voice a weird whisper. "Our friend, Yat Soon,
informed me that you had immediate need of my presence."

"That is true," nodded Tam. "The cause was urgent, although time still remains. Here, in San Francisco, I
have encountered one of the strangest cases that I have ever seen in all my career as a physician.

"That is why I telegraphed Yat Soon, asking that he communicate with you at once. I urged that you
should come here, to take my place, my hope being that you could gain the answer which I have failed to
obtain."

The Shadow remained silent. Doctor Tam took this as a sign that he was to continue. Briskly, the
Chinaman resumed his statements.

"I came to San Francisco," declared Tam, "to continue the work that I had begun when we first met:
namely, to aid fellow Chinese in their efforts to adopt American ways and methods, to throw off
superstition and achieve progress.

"In this work, I discovered that my fame as a physician was valuable. I was recognized because of my
medical knowledge. As a consultant, I was welcomed in many quarters where ordinarily a man of my
advanced views might not have been received. It was in the capacity of physician that I visited the home
of Ku Luan."

There was something significant in the way that Doctor Tam pronounced the name Ku Luan. His
emphasis expressed both awe and admiration.

"A dead man who lives."

DOCTOR TAM pronounced the sentence solemnly. His face was tense; his eyes strained as he stared
toward The Shadow. Sincerely hoping to gain belief, Tam repeated the amazing statement.

"A dead man who lives!" Awe tinged Tam's tone. "That is the only way to describe Ku Luan. He is of old
China, Ku Luan. He is one who served the Manchu dynasty in the last years of its reign. When the
Emperor Suan-t'ung abdicated, nearly twenty-five years ago, Ku Luan left China. He came to America
and has lived in San Francisco ever since.