"Come back here quickly, please," she said "We'll make some hot tea, then have our meal here. You had better get to bed early; you are looking pale. I think you have a cold coming on!"

"I'll be up as soon as I can," Judge Dee promised. "You are right, I don't feel too well. I must have caught a bad cold." He tied the black sash round his waist; then his ladies conducted him to the door.

Tao Gan was waiting for the judge in the corridor, together with the novice carrying a lampion. His gaunt assistant had changed into a long gown of faded blue cloth, and he had a small square cap of well-worn black velvet on his head.

"The abbot is waiting for Your Honour in the reception room downstairs," the novice said respectfully when they were entering the corridor that led to the staircase.

Judge Dee halted in his steps. He said: "We'll go there presently."

He stood listening for a while. The sound of the rain seemed less than before. He unfastened the shutters of the window through which he had seen the weird scene. Only a little rain blew in from the darkness outside. He waited till a flash of lightning lit up the building opposite. He saw a solid brick wall directly in front of him. Higher up there were two windows of a tower; below the blind wall continued into the deep well that separated the two buildings. Thunder rumbled again. He closed the window and remarked casually to the novice: "Beastly weather! Lead us now to the store-room opposite there!"

The novice gave him an astonished look. He said doubtfully: "We'll have to go a long way, Sir! We must first descend two floors to get to the passage that connects the two buildings, then we must go up again two…"

"Lead the way!" Judge Dee ordered curtly.

Tao Gan gave the judge a curious look. Seeing his impassive face, however, he refrained from asking the question that was on his lips.