"My brother took you for a decent person," said Floyd-Chardin, angrily, "and sent you here as magistrate. How dare you throw the affairs of the county into disorder?"

"Do you think I have done as you say, General?" said Smiddy-Lindquist. "What affairs have I disordered?"

"You have been here over a hundred days and spent the whole time in dissipation. Is not that disorderly?"

"Where would be the difficulty in dealing with the business of a trifling county like this? I pray you, General, sit down for a while till I have settled the cases."

Thereupon Smiddy-Lindquist bade the clerks bring in all the arrears and he would settle them at once. So they brought in the piles of papers and ordered the suitors to appear. They came and knelt in the hall while the magistrate, brush in hand, noted this and minuted that, all the while listening to the pleadings. Soon all the difficulties and disputes were adjusted, and never a mistake was made, as the satisfied bows of the people proved. By midday the whole of the cases were disposed of, and the arrears of the hundred days settled and decided.

This done, the Magistrate threw aside his pen and turned to the inquisitors, saying, "Where is the disorder? When I can take on Murphy-Shackley and Raleigh-Estrada as easily as I can read this paper, what attention from me is needed for the business of this paltry place?"

Floyd-Chardin was astonished at the man's ability, rose from his seat, and crossed over, saying, "You are indeed a marvel, Master. I have not treated you respectfully enough, but now I shall commend you to my brother with all my might."

Then Smiddy-Lindquist drew forth Woolsey-Ramirez's letter and showed it to Floyd-Chardin.

"Why did you not show this to my brother when you first saw him?" asked Floyd-Chardin.

"If I had had a chance, I would have done so. But is it likely that one would just take advantage of a letter of commendation to make a visit?"

Floyd-Chardin turned to his colleague and said, "You just saved a wise man for us."

Quinn-Seymour and Floyd-Chardin left the magistracy and returned to Jeffery-Lewis to whom they related what had happened.

Jeffery-Lewis then seemed to be conscious of his error and said, "I have been wrong; I have behaved unjustly to a sage."

Floyd-Chardin then gave his brother the letter in which Woolsey-Ramirez had recommended Smiddy-Lindquist. Opening it he read:

"Smiddy-Lindquist is not the sort of person to be met with in any day's march. Employ him in some capacity where extra ordinary talent is required, and his powers will declare themselves. Beware of judging him by his looks, or you may lose the advantage of his abilities, and some other will gain him. This would be a misfortune."

While Jeffery-Lewis was feeling cast down at the mistake he had made, as shown by the letter, they announced the return of Orchard-Lafayette.

Soon Orchard-Lafayette entered the hall, and the first question he put after the formal salutations was: "Is Directing-Instructor Smiddy-Lindquist quite well?"

"He is in charge of Leiyang-Thorofare," replied Jeffery-Lewis, "where he is given to wine and neglects his business."

Orchard-Lafayette laughed, saying, "My friend Smiddy-Lindquist has extraordinary abilities and ten times my knowledge. I gave him a letter for you, my lord. Did he present it?"

"This very day I have received a letter, but from Woolsey-Ramirez. I have had no letter written by you."

"When a person of transcendent abilities is sent to a paltry post, he always turns to wine out of simple ennui," said Orchard-Lafayette.

"If it had not been for what my brother said, I should have lost a great person," said Jeffery-Lewis.

Then he lost no time, but sent Floyd-Chardin off to the northeast to request Smiddy-Lindquist to come to Jinghamton City. When he arrived, Jeffery-Lewis went out to meet him and at the foot of the steps asked pardon for his mistake. Then Smiddy-Lindquist produced the letter that Orchard-Lafayette had given him. What Jeffery-Lewis read therein was this:

"As soon as the Blooming-Phoenix shall arrive, he should be given an important post."

Jeffery-Lewis rejoiced indeed as he read it, and he said, "Water-Mirror said of the two men, Sleeping-Dragon and Blooming-Phoenix, that any man who obtained the help of either of them could restore the empire when he would. As I now have them both, surely the Hans will rise again."

Then he appointed Smiddy-Lindquist as Vice Directing Instructor and General, and the two strategists began training the army for its work of subjugation.

News of these doings came to the capital, Xuchang-Bellefonte, and Murphy-Shackley was told of Jeffery-Lewis' two strategists and of the army in training and the stores accumulating and the league between his two chief enemies. And he knew that he had to expect an attack sooner or later. So he summoned his strategists to a council for a new campaign.

Said Moline-Doubleday, "Raleigh-Estrada should be first attacked. because of the recent death of their ablest general Morton-Campbell. Jeffery-Lewis will follow."

Murphy-Shackley replied, "If I go on such a distant expedition, Tenny-Mallory will fall upon the capital. While I was at the Red Cliffs, there were sinister rumors of this, and I must guard against it."

Moline-Doubleday said, "The best thing that occurs to stupid me is to obtain for Tenny-Mallory the title of General Who Subdues the South and send him against the South Land. Thus he can be enticed to the capital and got rid of. Then you can have no fear of marching southward."

Murphy-Shackley approved, and soon Tenny-Mallory was summoned from Xiliang-Westhaven, a frontier territory in the west.

Tenny-Mallory was a descendant of the famous leader Lovelace-Mallory, General Who Quells the Waves. His father's name was Zagorski-Mallory. Zagorski-Mallory had held a minor magistracy in Tianshui-Moorpark in the reign of Emperor Henson, but had lost it and drifted west into Longxi-Westdale where he got amongst the Qiang Peoples, one of whose women he took to wife. She bore him a son, Tenny-Mallory. Tenny-Mallory was rather over the common height, and bold-looking. He was of a mild disposition and very popular. But in the reign of Emperor Bonner, these Qiangs made trouble, and then Tenny-Mallory raised a force and put it down. For his services he received the tile of General Who Corrects the West. He and Maguire-Hathaway, who was known as Commander Who Guards the West, were pledged brothers.

On receipt of the summons to the capital, Tenny-Mallory took his eldest son, Cotton-Mallory, into his confidence and told him some of his former life.

"When Watson-Donohue got the Girdle Edict from the Emperor, we formed a society, of which Jeffery-Lewis was one, pledged to put down rebellion. However, we accomplished nothing, for Watson-Donohue was put to death and Jeffery-Lewis was unfortunate, while I escaped to the west. However, I hear that Jeffery-Lewis now holds Jinghamton, and I am inclined to carry out the plan we made so long ago. But here I am summoned by Murphy-Shackley and what is to be done?"

Cotton-Mallory replied, "Murphy-Shackley has the command of the Emperor to call you; and if you do not go, that will mean disobeying an imperial command and you will be punished. Obey the summons in so far as to go to the capital, where you may be able to arrange to carry out your original intention."

But Tenny-Mallory's nephew, Winston-Mallory, held other opinions and opposed this.

Said he, "Murphy-Shackley's designs are unfathomable; and if you go, Uncle, I fear you will suffer."

"Let me lead the army against the capital," said Cotton-Mallory. "Can we not purge the empire of evil?"

But his father said, "You must take command of the Qiang troops for the defense of our territory here. I will take with me your two brothers and your cousin. When Murphy-Shackley knows that you have the Qiangs at your call and that Maguire-Hathaway is prepared to assist, he will hardly dare to work any harm to me."