They descended the dark stairs in silence. The novice led them through a narrow passage; then they went up a steep staircase. On top was a landing, surrounding a large square well. The heavy scent of Indian incense wafted up through the lattice work screen that lined the well on all four sides.

"Deep down there is the nave of the monastery's temple," the novice explained. "Here we are on the same level as Your Honour's floor in the east wing." Entering a long, narrow corridor he added: "This leads to the store-room—"

Judge Dee stood still. Smoothing down his long black beard he looked at the three high windows in the plaster wall on his right. Their sills were only about two feet above the floor.

The novice had pushed a heavy door open. He preceded the two men into an oblong, low-ceilinged room. The light of two candles shone on piles of boxes and bundles.

"Why are those candles burning here?" the judge asked.

"The monks go in and out of here all the time, sir, to fetch the masks and the stage dresses," the novice replied. He pointed at the row of large wooden masks and gorgeous brocade robes that covered the wall on their left. The wall on the right was taken up entirely by a wooden rack, stacked with halberds, spears, tridents, flagpoles and other paraphernalia used in the mystery plays. The judge noticed that neither wall had a single window; there were only two small ones in the back wall opposite them. He estimated that those two windows must be facing east, in the outer wall of the monastery. He turned to the novice and said: "Wait for us outside."

Tao Gan had been surveying the room, pensively playing with the three long hairs that sprouted from a wart on his left cheek. Now he asked in a low voice: "What is wrong with this store-room, Your Honour?"

Judge Dee told him about the weird scene he had witnessed when looking out of the window in the guest building opposite. "The prior remarked," he concluded, "that there is no window in the wall of this store-room facing the building where our quarters are, and apparently he was right. Yet I could hardly have dreamt it all! The naked woman must have lost her left arm some time ago, for I didn't notice any blood. If I had, I would have rushed to her at once to investigate, of course."