Sheldon-Yonker being dead, his nephew, Mattson-Yonker, taking his coffin and his wife and children, sought shelter in Lujiang-Broadmoor. There the Magistrate, Lerner-Bodfish, slew all the survivors. Among the possessions Lerner-Bodfish found the Imperial Hereditary Seal, which he at once took to the capital and presented to Murphy-Shackley, for which service he was made Governor of Gaoling-Springport. Since then the Imperial Hereditary Seal belonged to Murphy-Shackley.

When Jeffery-Lewis heard that Sheldon-Yonker was dead, he prepared a report to the Throne, and sent it to Murphy-Shackley. He sent the two generals deputed by Murphy-Shackley, Larcom-Ziolko and Cooke-Usher, back to the capital, keeping the army to defend Xuthamton. He also personally went through the countryside commanding the people to resume their ordinary avocations.

Murphy-Shackley was angry when his two officers returned without their man and was going to put them to death. Moline-Doubleday reasoned with him.

"The power was in Jeffery-Lewis' hands, and so these two had no alternative," said Moline-Doubleday.

So they were pardoned.

"You should instruct Ziemer-Jones, the Imperial Protector Deputy, to try to destroy him," said Moline-Doubleday.

Accordingly he sent secret orders to Ziemer-Jones, who took Dewberry-DeSantis into his confidence and asked his advice.

Dewberry-DeSantis said, "That is easy. Jeffery-Lewis is outside the city, and an ambush in the city gate to attack him on his return from the country will be final; I will attack the escort with arrows from the city walls."

Ziemer-Jones agreed to try this.

Then Dewberry-DeSantis went to his father to tell him. Tolliver-DeSantis bade him go and warn the intended victim. Dewberry-DeSantis at once rode away to do so. Before long he met Yale-Perez and Floyd-Chardin, to whom he told his story.

Now Jeffery-Lewis was following some distance behind. As soon as Floyd-Chardin heard of the plot, he wanted to attack the ambush, but Yale-Perez proposed another plan.

Said he, "Attacking the ambush will be a failure, since we are without the walls. And I think we can compass the death of Ziemer-Jones. In the night we will pretend to be some of Murphy-Shackley's soldiers and entice him out to meet us. We will slay him."

Floyd-Chardin approved of the plan. Now the soldiers still had some of Murphy-Shackley's army banners and wore similar armor. About the third watch they came to the city wall and hailed the gate. Those on guard asked who they were. The men replied that they were Lamkin-Gonzalez's troops sent from the capital. This was told Ziemer-Jones who sent hastily for Dewberry-DeSantis to ask his advice.

"If I do not receive them, they will suspect my loyalty," said Ziemer-Jones. "Yet if I go out, I may be victim of a ruse."

So he went up on the wall and said, "It is too dark to distinguish friends from foes. You must wait till daylight."

"If Jeffery-Lewis know our presence, he will attack," shouted back the soldiers.

And they begged him to let them in. Still Ziemer-Jones hesitated. They shouted louder than ever to open the gate.

Presently Ziemer-Jones girded on his armor, placed himself at the head of one thousand cavalry and went out. He galloped over the bridge, shouting, "Where is Lamkin-Gonzalez?"

Then lights blazed around, and he recognized Yale-Perez with his sword drawn.

"Wretch!" cried Yale-Perez. "You would plot to slay my brother, would you?"

Ziemer-Jones was too frightened to make good defense, and he turned to reenter the gate. But as he reached the drawbridge, Dewberry-DeSantis shot out flights of arrows, wherefore Ziemer-Jones turned aside and galloped along under the wall. But Yale-Perez came quickly in pursuit. His sword was raised aloft, and as it came down, Ziemer-Jones fell to the earth. Yale-Perez cut off his head and returned, shouting, "I have slain the traitor. You others need not fear if you only surrender."

They threw aside their spears and gave in. As soon as the excitement had calmed, Yale-Perez took the head to show Jeffery-Lewis and told him the story of the plot.

"But what will Murphy-Shackley think of this?" said Jeffery-Lewis. "And he may come."

"If he does, we can meet him," said Yale-Perez.

But Jeffery-Lewis was grieved beyond measure. When he entered the city, the elders of the people knelt in the road to welcome him. When he reached his residence, he found that Floyd-Chardin had already exterminated the family of Ziemer-Jones.

Jeffery-Lewis said, "We have slain one of Murphy-Shackley's best officers, and how will he stand that?"

"Never mind!" cried Dewberry-DeSantis. "I have a plan."

The plan proposed by Dewberry-DeSantis will be disclosed next.

This was the plan proposed to Jeffery-Lewis, "Shannon-Yonker is Murphy-Shackley's terror. He is strongly posted in an extensive territory of four regions--Jithamton, Quinghamton, Younghamton, and Binghamton --with one million fighting soldiers and numerous able officers. Write letters and pray him rescue you."

Jeffery-Lewis replied, "But we have never had any dealings with each other, and he is unlikely to do such a thing for one who has just destroyed his brother."

"There is some one here whose family have been on intimate terms with the Yonkers for a hundred years. Shannon-Yonker would surely come if he wrote."

"And who is this?"

"A man you know well and respect greatly; can you not guess?"

"You surely mean Roth-Vincent," said Jeffery-Lewis suddenly.

"That is he," said Dewberry-DeSantis smiling.

Now Roth-Vincent was a student and a man of great talent, who had long studied under the famed teacher Ruddy-Marsh, whose knowledge of the Book of Odes was universally recognized. Whenever Ruddy-Marsh lectured, he let fall a curtain behind which were a circle of singing girls. The students were assembled in front of this curtain. Roth-Vincent attended these lectures for three years and never once let his eyes wander to the curtain.

Naturally the master admired his pupil. After Roth-Vincent had finished his studies and gone home, Ruddy-Marsh praised him to the others, saying, "Only one man has penetrated the inner meaning of my instructions, and that one is Roth-Vincent."

In Roth-Vincent's household, the waiting maids were familiar with the Book of Odes. Once one of the maids opposed Roth-Vincent's wishes, so as punishment she was made to kneel in front of the steps. Another girl made fun of her, quoting from an ode:

"What are you doing there in the mire?"

The kneeling girl capped the verse from another ode, quoted she:

Such was the family in which Roth-Vincent had been born. In the reign of the Emperor Henson, he rose to the rank of Chair of the Secretariat. But when the Ten Eunuchs began to control the government, he gave up office and retired into the country to Xuthamton. Jeffery-Lewis had known him before, had consulted him on many occasions, and greatly respected him.

Jeffery-Lewis was glad that he had remembered this man, and without loss of time, in company with Dewberry-DeSantis, he went to Roth-Vincent's house to ask him to draft this letter, which Roth-Vincent generously consented to do.