Pallidar whistled. "That means at least one of them, unbeknownst to our people, secretly understands English--or at the very least pidgin."

"We came to the same conclusion." With an effort Tyrer threw off his fear. "To hell with that, I'm delighted to see you. What else is new?"

Pallidar was idly watching Hiraga. "The General believes there's more to the increased barricades and native troop movements than meets the eye. The traders say their Jappo contacts whisper that all roads out of Yedo are strangled and that the real reason's civil war's brewing. Damn nuisance not knowing.

We should be moving around like the Treaty allows, should be finding out for ourselves--the General and Admiral agree for once we should operate here like in India, anywhere else, send out patrols or a regiment or two to show the flag, by God, and contact some of the discontented kings to use them against the others. Do you have a beer?"

"Oh of course, sorry. Chen!"

"Yes Mass'r?"

"Beeru chop chop." Tyrer said, not at all sure his friend's militancy was the correct approach. The foreman of the gardeners came nearer and stood in the garden below and bowed deeply.

To Pallidar's surprise Tyrer bowed back though his bow was slight. "Hai, Shikisha?

Nan desu ka?" Yes, Shikisha, what do you want?

With even more astonishment Pallidar listened as the man asked something, Tyrer replied fluently and their conversation went back and forth. At length the man bowed and left. "Hai, Taira-sama, domo."

"My God, Phillip, what was all that about?"

"Eh? Oh, old Shikisha? It was just that he wanted to know if it was all right for the gardeners to prepare the garden in the back. Sir William wants fresh vegetables, cauliflower, onions, brussels sprouts, baking potatoes and... what's the matter?"

"You're really speaking Jappo then?"

Tyrer laughed. "Oh no, not really, but I've been cooped up here for ten days with nothing to do so I've been swotting and trying to learn words and phrases. Actually, though Sir William read me the Riot Act about pulling my finger out, I'm enjoying it immensely. I get a tremendous charge out of being able to communicate."

Fujiko's face leapt to the forefront of his mind, communicating with her, the hours spent with her --the last time ten days ago when he had returned to Yokohama for a day and the night. Hooray for Sir William, tonight or tomorrow I'll see her again, wonderful.

"Wonderful!" he said without thinking, beaming.

"Oh," he added hastily, "oh, er, yes, I enjoy trying to speak and read and write it. Old Shikisha's given me lots of words, mostly work words, and Ukiya," he pointed to Hiraga who was gardening industriously, always within distance, not knowing that "Ukiya" was an alias and just meant "gardener," "he's helping me with writing--jolly intelligent fellow for a Japanese."

During a writing lesson yesterday, he checked rumors he had heard, he asked him with signs and words Poncin had given him, to write the characters for "war," senso, and "soon," jiki-ni. Then he combined his crudely written attempts as "war, in Nippon, soon.

Please?"' He had seen a sudden change and surprise.

"Gai-jin toh nihon-go ka?"' Foreigners and Japanese?

"Iy`e, Ukiya. Nihonjin to nihonjin." No, Ukiya, Japanese and Japanese.

The man had laughed suddenly and Tyrer had seen how good-looking he was and how different from the other gardeners, wondering why he was seemingly so much more intelligent than the others, though, unlike the British equivalent worker, most Japanese could read and write. "Nihonjin tsuneni senso nihonjin! Japanese are always fighting Japanese," Ukiya had said with another laugh and Tyrer laughed with him, liking him even more.

Tyrer grinned at Pallidar. "Come on, what's new? Not business, for goodness' sake, Angelique?"

Pallidar grunted. "Oh, are you interested in her?" he asked flatly, greatly savoring the joke inside himself.

"Not at all." Tyrer was equally flat, equally teasing, and they chuckled together.

"Tomorrow's the engagement party."

"Lucky Malcolm! Thank God I'm released, marvelous! I'd hate to miss that party. How is she?"

"As pretty as ever. We had her as guest of honor at the mess. She arrived looking like a goddess, escorted by the frog Minister, pompous ass, and that Andr`e Poncin chap--don't like either of them. It was--"

"Andr`e's rather nice actually--he's helping me a lot with my Japanese."

"Perhaps he is but I don't trust him. There's a long article in the Times about the coming European conflict: France and probably Russia against Germany. We'll be dragged in again."

"That's one war we can do without. You were saying?"

An immense grin. "It was a terrific evening. Had one dance with her. It was smashing. A polka--danced my heart out. Close up her, well, without being disrespectful, I have to say her bosoms are like milk and honey and her perfume ..." For a moment Pallidar was reliving that heady moment, the center of attention on the hastily constructed dance floor, gorgeous sparkling uniforms, she the only woman present, candles and oil lamps and the Guards Band playing lustily, dancing on and on, the perfect couple, everyone else consumed with jealousy. "Don't mind admitting I envy Struan."

"How is he?"

"Eh? Oh, Struan? Slightly better so the story goes. I haven't seen him but they say he's out of bed. I asked Angelique and she only said, He's much better." Another beam.

"The new doctor, Dr. Hoag, their family doctor has taken over. I hear he's pretty damn good." Pallidar finished his beer.

Another appeared from the ever attentive Chen, smiling and round and a pattern of Lim, equally a plant, and also a distant cousin of the Struan compradore. "Thanks." Pallidar sipped it appreciatively. "Damn good beer."

"It's local. Ukiya says Japanese've brewed it for years, the best from Nagasaki. I imagine they copied some Portuguese beer years centuries ago.

What else's new?"

Pallidar looked at Tyrer thoughtfully.

"What do you make of Hoag's assassin story?

The operation and mysterious girl?"

"Don't know what to think. I thought I recognized one of them, remember? The fellow was wounded in exactly the same place. Everything adds up. Pity you and Marlowe didn't catch him. Ironic if one of our side cured him, so that he can murder more of us." Tyrer dropped his voice, always servants nearby and soldiers.

"Between you and me, old boy, Sir William's sending for more troops and ships from Hong Kong."

"I'd heard the same. It'll be war soon, or we'll have to intervene if they start fighting amongst themselves..."

Hiraga was listening carefully as he weeded and hoed, and though he missed many words he caught the marrow and their news confirmed his own, increasing his worries.

After setting the Utani mansion on fire, he and his friends had reached their nearby safe house without incident. Todo and others wanted to return to Kanagawa as soon as the barriers opened at dawn, and left. He, Joun, and Akimoto decided to remain in hiding at separate dwellings, to await an opportunity to attack the Legation.

That same dawn with eerie, unprecedented speed the Bakufu doubled the barriers on the Tokaido, and extended their grasp on all the four main trunk roads and all roads, paths and even tracks leading out of Yedo. With stepped-up surveillance, this effectively locked them in, along with all shishi and other antagonists throughout the capital.

Four days ago the mama-san Noriko sent a letter from Kanagawa, saying that with all the increased, hostile activity, this was her first opportunity, relating about Ori and Sumomo and the gai-jin doctor, and ended: Still no sign of Todo and the other two shishi-- they have vanished without trace. We know they passed the first barrier but nothing more. We fear they were betrayed and you are betrayed. Escape while you can. Ori is much stronger every day, his wound still clean. I have sent him to safety near Yokohama--the last place the Bakufu will expect him to go. Your Lady refuses to leave without your order--send it at once for I fear that my House is being watched. If we are attacked seek word from Raiko, the House of the Three Carp at Yokohama. News of Utani's assassination speeds throughout Nippon, and terror with it. Sonno-joi!