"This's the tai-pan, I wan—""This phone is terrible." The amah doubled her volume. "He's sick," she shouted. "Call back later."Dunross called in ten minutes. Now the line was busy. He kept on trying with no luck.There was a knock and the harassed chief cashier hurried in. "Sorry, sir, but there's no let up in the queues, we've a quarter of an hour to go. I suggest we limit withdrawals now, say a thou—""No," Havergill said at once."But sir, we're almost empty. Don't y—""No. The Victoria must keep going. We must. No. Keep honoring every penny."The man hesitated, then went out. Havergill mopped his brow.Johnjohn too. Dunross dialed again. Still busy. Just before three he tried a last time, then dialed the phone company asking them to check the line. "It's temporarily out of order, sir," the operator said. Dunross put the phone down. "Twenty to a brass farthing it's deliberately off the hook." His watch read 3:01. "Let's find out about the market."Havergill wiped the palms of his hands. Before he could dial, the phone rang. "Chief cashier, sir. We've … we're all right now. Last customer has been paid. The doors've closed. Blacs just made it too, sir.""Good. Check the remaining currency in the vault and call me back.""Thank God it's Friday," Johnjohn said. Havergill dialed. "Charles? What's the latest?" "The market finished off 37 points. Our stock's off 8 points." "Christ," Johnjohn said. The bank had never fallen so much before, even during the '56 riots. "Struan's?" "9.50."Both bankers looked at Dunross. His face was impassive. He redialed Tiptop as the stockbroker continued to reel off the closing prices. Again a busy signal. "I'll call again from the office," he said. "The moment I get him I'll call you. If no China money, what are you going to do?""There are only two solutions. We wait for the pounds, the governor declaring Monday a bank holiday or as long as we need. Or we accept the Moscow trade-bank offer.""Tiptop was bloody clear that'll backfire. That'll throw a monkey wrench in Hong Kong forever." "Those are the only solutions."Dunross got up. "There's only one. By the way, did the governor phone you?""Yes," Havergill said. "He wants us to open the vaults at 6:00 P.M. for him, you, Roger Crosse and some fellow called Sinders. What's all that about?" "Didn't he tell you?""No. Just that it was something covered by the Official Secrets Act.""See you at six." Dunross walked out. Havergill wiped more sweat off with a handkerchief. "The only good thing about all this is that that arrogant sod's in worse trouble," he muttered angrily. He dialed Tiptop's number. And again. The interoffice phone rang. Johnjohn picked it up for Havergill. "Yes?""This is the chief cashier, sir. There's only 716,027 HK in the vault." The man's voice trembled. "We're . . . that's all we've left, sir.""Thank you." Johnjohn put the phone down and told Havergill. The deputy chairman did not answer, just redialed Tiptop's number. It was still busy. "You'd better open a dialogue with the Soviet contact."Johnjohn went red. "But that's impossible—""Do it! Do it now!" Havergill, equally choleric, redialed Tiptop. Still busy.Dunross went into his office."Mr. Toda's here with the usual entourage, tai-pan." Claudia did not hide her distaste or nervousness."Show them in please.""Mr. Alastair called twice—asked that you call him back the moment you come in. And your father.""I'll call them later.""Yes sir. Here's the telex for Nelson Trading from Switzerland confirming that they've purchased triple the regular order of gold for the Great Good Luck Company of Macao.""Good. Send a copy to Lando at once and request the funds.""This telex is from Orlin Merchant Bank confirming they regret they cannot renew the loan and require payment.""Telex them, Thank you.' ""I checked with Mrs. Dunross and they arrived safely.""Good. Get Kathy's specialist's home number so I can call him over the weekend."Claudia made another note. "Master Duncan called from Sydney to say he had a great evening and he's on the Monday Qantas flight. Here's a list of your other calls."He glanced at the long list, wondering fleetingly if his son was no longer a virgin, or was not even before the lovely Sheila. Thinking of a lovely sheila reminded him again of the exquisite Snow Jade. Curious her name was Snow Jade—she reminded me so much of Elegant Jade who's somewhere in Taipei in charge of a House of Many Pleasures. Perhaps the time's come to find Elegant Jade and thank her. Once more he remembered old Chen-chen's admonition when he was dying. "Listen, my son," old Chen-chen had whispered, his voice failing, "never try to find her. You will take away her face and take away beauty, both from her and from you. Now she'll be old, her Jade Gate withered and her pleasures will come from good food and good brandy. Children of the Pleasure World do not age well, nor do their tempers. Leave her to her joss and to her memories. Be kind. Always be kind to those who give you their youth and their yin to succor your yang. Eeeee, how I wish I was as young as you again. . . ."Dunross sighed. His evening with Snow Jade had been impeccable. And filled with laughter."I don't eat dessert," he had replied at once. "I'm on a diet." "Oh ko, not you, tai-pan. I help you lose weight never mind." "Thank you but no dessert and never in Hong Kong." "Ah! Four Fingers said you'd say that, tai-pan, and for me not to be shamed." She had beamed and poured him a whiskey. "I'm to say, Have passport can travel."They had laughed together. "What else did Four Fingers say?"The tip of her tongue touched her lips. "Only that foreign devils are mighty very peculiar in some things. Like saying no dessert! As if it mattered." She watched him. "I've never been with a barbarian before.""Oh? Some of us are really quite civilized." Dunross smiled to himself, remembering how tempted he was, their banter and the great meal, everything good-humored and satisfying. Yes. But that doesn't forgive that old bastard Four Fingers, nor the half-coin, nor the theft of the half-coin, he thought grimly, nor the trap that he thinks he has me in. But all that comes later. First things come first. Concentrate, there's a lot to do before you sleep tonight!The list Claudia had given him was long, most of the calls urgent, and two hours of work were ahead of him. Tiptop wasn't on the list, nor Lando Mata, Tightfist Tung, Four Fingers or Paul Choy. Casey and Bartlett were there. Travkin, Robert Armstrong. Jacques de-Ville, Gavallan, Phillip Chen, Dianne Chen, Alan Holdbrook— Struan's in-house stockbroker—Sir Luis, and dozens of others spread throughout the world. "We'll get to them after Hiro Toda, Claudia.""Yes sir.""After Toda, I want to see Jacques—then Phillip Chen. Anything on Mrs. Riko Gresserhoff?""Her plane's due in at 7:00 P.M. She's booked into the V and A and she'll be met. Flowers are in her room.""Thank you." Dunross went into his office and stared out of the window. For the time being he had done everything he could for the Nobie House and for Hong Kong. Now it was up to joss. And the next problem. The ships. His excitement picked up."Hello, tai-pan.""Hello, Hiro." Dunross shook the outstretched hand warmly.Hiro Toda, managing director of Toda Shipping Industries was of an age with Dunross, trim, hard, and much shorter, with wise eyes and a ready smile, his accent slightly American from two years of postgraduate work at UCLA in the late forties. "May I introduce my associates: Mr. Kazunari, Mr. Ebe, Mr. Kasigi."