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. Picture Post, September
9, 1939
someone up, I know. But I just
thought I'd tell you I'm back in
, town."_
"That's wonderful news," said
Callighan.
"I
say, d'you mind if
I ring you back as soon as I've
woken up properly?"
=If<
=If<
=If<
=1I<-
The old Bumnan, Tun Pe, had no
fault to find with his accommodation
under Mrs. Monteiro's roof. The
house had no,basement; the washing
and ironing by which she made her
living were done on the , ground
floor; the two beqrooms of the little
family occupied the first floor and
the one room which comprised the
second was now tenanted by Tun
P€. No strangers came to the house.
Mrs. Montei,ro was not so happy.
Her uneasiness had started the night
of his arriv.al. She had come into
his room to put clean line!). on the
bed and had heard a queer rustling
noise coming out of the large wieker
basket which the Burman had
carried on his back.
Also~
the old
. man had given strict injunctions
that she was not to enter his room.
He kept it in order himself. When
he went out he invariably locked
the door. Mrs. Monteiro, unable to
restrain her cumosity, had ptefited
by one of his absences to reconnoitre
through the keyhole, but the old
man had evidently hung a garment
on the doorknob. Refusing to
a~cept
defeat, she then bored ,a peephole
in the panel.of the dOQr.
At first her
espioriag~ re~aled
nothing unusual. But ohe day it was
rewarded by an alarming discoyery.
,Mrs. Monteiro saw something Jpove
under the bedspread. Her eye glued
to the peephole with a horrid
fascination, she watched the emer–
gence 0f the flat hegd of a snake.
The body followed slowly, reddish
brown and criss-crossed with black–
ish markings. The SNake wriggled
out on to the floor and crawled
towards a saucer of toilk which
stood beside the fireplace. The
reptile's body seemed to her inter–
minable.
It
was m)t untll the head
had reached the saucer that the tail
finally appeared
fr~m
under the
bedspread. The monster was ' at
least ten foot'.long.
Panic-stricken; Mrs. Monteiro
ran as fast as her fat legs could carry
her to Chang Ling Kai and told
him of her terrifying discovery.
From Isabel's description of the
snake it was clear to the Chinaman
that it must be a
python reticulatus.
"There is 1I0thing to be afraid of, .
Jsabel," he reassured her. "These
snakes are quite cOInmon in Burma.
They're not poisonous. And if they
are regularly fed, they're perfe.ctly
harmless."
Mrs. Monteiro was not so easily
consoled.
"But why do he keep so 'orrible a
creature? 'E sure no good, your
friend. Bringin' vermin into my
'ouse
!"
"Don't talk such nonsense, Isabel.
60
On the contrary, the snake will rid trouble if you start gossiping."
into the loveliest girl
in
Dramo,
you of vermin. They are
fin~
rat-
Isabel was anything but satisfied. that is not the fond
imaginat~on
of
catchers. I expect that is why Tun "'E SUFe up to no good, Mr. Chang. parental vanity.
It
was the opinion
Pe kept -this one in- his house in Many
~; 'ti.~
'e go out in t;4e mornjng of
~l
wp.o knew her.
/
Burma. Probably he got attached to at eight .,eiQck and no come 'ome
"Suitors were not lacking. "She
it and brought it
with
him, just like till midmght. · What do 'e do for a flirted with them all, but showed no
any other pet."
living? Whe.l I ask 'im questions,'e particular preference for anyone of
But soon Mrs. Monteiro made make imSelf otTend ·d' and say: 'Me them. And I was glad, for she was
another discovery-'even more dis- never other man
~rvant.
Burman still too young for marriage, and I
quieting than the first.
no coolie.' "
could hardly bear the thought of
One night she was awakened
'!\'
=If<
=If<
=If<
parting from her.
,
shortly after midnight by curious
It
was now a month since-Tun.
"Now every year I
~d
to make
crooning, gurgling noises. Her first Pe's arrival in London and the several business trips into China,
thought was that a third crime was Burman had spent many evenings in mostly to Yunnanfu. At such times
in process of being committed. the Chinaman's h0use. He never I left Ma Khin Sint at home in the ,
Holding her breath and trembling participated in the gambling that guardianship of her old-nurse."
in every limb, she sat up in bed and went on, but willingly devoted a few
Tun J>e broke off his story. The
listened. But seemingly -it was ,only hours to the enjoyment of a pipe. sad r€c0llection seemed to over–
the voice of her lodger talking to But as often as not he would remain power him,
~for
he leant back his
himself in his outlandish language. ' upstairs in the shop, chatting with head and closed his eyes while th€
Mrs. Monteiro's curiosity overcame Chang Ling Kai over
a
cup of tea. puckers ' of his yellow parchment
her fear. She stole barefodted up the The two Orientals had become good face twitched nervously.
staircase to the upper floor and friends, although the Chinaman.had
Chang Ling Kai
w~ted
pre–
adjusted her eye to the peephole in never made any allusion to the mys- tending 'not to remark the other's
Tun Pe's door panel.
terious practices reported to him by . emotion and refilling the tea cups in
, The room was lit only by the Tun Pe's landlady.
considerate silence.
flickering firelight from the gr!lte. .
One evening, however, when the
The Burman sipped the scented
Near the fireplace, with his back to old Burman seemed unusually de- liquid gratefully; and went on in a
the fire, the Burman squatted on the . pressed, Chang said: "I have not firm voice. :
"
floor. Round his chest and shoulders failed to observe, Maung Tun' Pe,
"When I
retu~ed
from this last'
writhed the smooth bodv of the that some trouble is weighing on trip to China I found my house
snake, its head flat against his cheek, your mind-. Can I be of some empty. A letter which my child
while Tun 'pe, gabbling with a trivial assistance
tQ
you in some had left behind gave me the expla–
frighfening intensity, stared fixedly small way perhaps
?"
nation: a stranger, a European,
at a strange object placed in front. . - "I think that oply Chance can whose -name and nationality she
of him.
It
was a glittering crystal . help me,''' replied the Burman, sigh- 'did not mention., ha-d passed through
ball, of the shape and size ef a hen's ing. "But if it would interest' , to Bhamo 0n his travels, seen Ma Khin
egg, embedded in the black velvet ' hear my stpry it would be a relief Sint and fallen in love :with her.
, lining of alwooden box. The box, to me to tell it you."
She had returned his love. She had
propped on its open lid, stood on
The Chip.aman promised -to ob- gone away-with him.
the carpet about two feet away from serve the strictest confidence and
"For weeks I hoped vainly for _
him. The expression on the old Tun Pe -continued: 'IFirst I must news or for the r€tum of Ma Khin
man's face turned Mrs.
Mont~ro's
make you a confession. Tun Pe is Sint. Then in my despair
1
sought
stomacn.
$
nQt my real name'. I begged your out my · former teacher at" the
At last the Burman uttered a deep unCle to put this name in his letter menastery and laid my grief befoFe
sigh and the tension of his face .of recommendation to. you be- him. And as he had much wisdom
relaxed. He-Ulade a few-passes with cause...."
_
I begged..him to advise me How to
his right hand over the surface ' of
"Doubtless you ' had your rea- - find out :where my daughter
was ~
the crystal and shyt .the box: _Then, - sons," interposed the Chinaman.
"In silence the monk went to a
hampered by the burden of the "A name is but an echo. The true cupboard in the wall, took out a
:t:eptile' stilfcoiled around his shoul- voice is the man."
little box and opened it. On
a
bed
ders, he struggled to ., his feet,
The .old man nodded. "That is of black velvet lay a large, flawless
crossed the room and let' it slowly so. Yet the knowledge of a name rock crystal. He propped the open
writhe into his bed. There he ,took may.- be of great importarrce. I, for box against the wall and ",bade me
the hideous creature's head between
inst~nce,
woula give much to know kneel ·in front of it. He knelt
his hands', whispered seme words the name .of a man whose face has down beside 'me, commanded me
that sounsded like an endearment of been only too ' familiar to me for to' breathe deeply a few times, took
the greatest tenderness and kissed it., many years. Howeve.r ..." he both my hands in his and went on:
This was tO.o much. The next day shrugged, and .sat forward in his 'Now fix your eyes on the crystal;
Mrs. Monteiro again ,hurried to chair.
gaze at it steadily and collect all
Chang Ling Kai and gave him an
"I am the son of a w<;!althy your thoughts in a single wish: to
.outragedaccountofthisfreshrevela- merchant and was born
i~
ou!' see your daughter in the-place and
tion of her lodger's devilry.
~
The ancient capital, Mandalay. When I situation in whieh she is at this
-Chinaman heard..her with interest. - was still a child my parents removed moment.'
"You would ,do better to
giv~
up to the ChiNese-border, for my father
"I did as the monk bade me, but
your spying, Isabel," he said at last. traded with China. I was sent I saw nothing except my own
"Be thankful that you have
a
respec- to a monastery school. One day, reflection mirrored, in the ,crystal.
table tenant for your room: one who as I was cdllecting alms on the I said so. He told me tQ be silent
gives you no bother and regul,arly: outskirts of the city, I came into a" and to
hav~
patience. After some
pays his rent. What you saw last' village where I met a girt I fell in minutes
of
perseverance a strange'
night was crystal-gazing. There is love. And. I left the monastery to sensation, ran through 'my li.n,lbs, my
no .devilry about it. People do it marry her.
. ,' reflection faded
aIi9-
the crystal
in all parts of the world.
If
Tun Pe
"My happiness was not for long. seemed to fill with a blackish smoke.
finds an enjoyment ,in the yisions ,My wife died bearing our
~t ~lllldw ~~ 1tl:~nroV!.fsthisch8z€fnanother
which appear in
~he
crystal to
a~yo~e
Of all my
dea~
ones, ne'tfw
onrY
m
pictu~etto.rme
at first
mdi~tinctly,
who has the patience to stare.mto it daught,er remamed to
e.
bUi4
m
III .
er and.
~or
long enough., he is
~oing
you no -whole life and care
nw'
~ f~
w ,m.,y
harm. Take my adVice and hold centred on her.
Aft
t r
a
he was.
your tongue. You will only cause_
"If
I tell you that
in
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PICTURE POST
I