The Mystery of the Fire Dragon - Carolyn Keene [5]
“What a gorgeous hand-painted scroll!” Bess remarked, gazing at the lovely ancient Chinese garden scene with men and ladies strolling about.
Before leaving the apartment, Nancy and the other girls took a quick glance around. The room was tastefully furnished with a Chinese teakwood table, chest, and chairs. There were hand-painted parchment shades on the lamps, and the floor was almost entirely covered by a heavy Oriental rug richly colored in blue and tawny yellow and bordered with a floral design.
“There are two bedrooms and a kitchen,” Aunt Eloise explained. “Grandpa Soong does all his writing in his bedroom.”
Quietly the visitors went back to Miss Drew’s apartment and the girls unpacked their clothes. Presently preparations for supper were started, and when everything was ready, Miss Drew went to call Grandpa Soong.
As she brought him in, the teacher teasingly remarked that it was hard to get him away from his writing. “Perhaps we shouldn’t ask,” she said to him, “but if we promise not to tell, will you give us an idea of what you were adding to your manuscript this afternoon?”
The elderly Chinese smiled, put his fingers together, and looked into space. “The manuscript is finished but I want to write a foreword. I am sure there is no harm in revealing the material I inserted. It is known to many people. In my archaeological work I dug up an ancient frieze. Until my book is printed no one will know its exact origin.
“On the frieze,” he continued, “is pictured one of the early heroes of Chinese history—Fu Hsi. He lived over 4,800 years ago.”
“Whew!” George cried out. “He’s a prehistoric man, no less! What did he look like?”
Once more Grandpa Soong’s eyes twinkled. “Fu Hsi had the head of a man and the body of a dragon!”
“Ugh!” Bess remarked. “I’m glad there aren’t any such people around today. What did this man do?”
“Legend tells us that he was the king. He had six counselors, all of them dragons. In fact, there was a line of kings, called the Man Kings, who had faces of men and bodies of dragons. This probably explains why China has often been called Dragon Land.”
“Where is this frieze now?” Nancy queried.
“In a museum in China.” Grandpa Soong suddenly looked pensive. “I hope to be able to go back home sometime and see it.”
As soon as the group had finished eating supper, Grandpa Soong expressed his thanks for their hospitality, then said he would like to return to his own apartment and do more writing.
By ten-thirty Miss Drew and her guests were sound asleep. All were up early the next morning. After Miss Drew had left for school, Bess said to Nancy, “What’s on our girl detective’s calendar?”
“I thought you and I might go to Stromberg’s Bookshop and see if we can pick up a clue about Chi Che. If we fail, then George can take over.”
The two girls set out, and after walking a few blocks, came to Stromberg’s Bookshop. There was one woman customer inside, but no salesclerk. Seeing the girls, the woman, who was portly and unbecomingly dressed in a ruffled blouse and bouffant skirt and carrying her coat on her arm, came up to them immediately.
“This is most annoying!” she complained. “I don’t know where Mr. Stromberg can be and I’m in a great hurry. I come here often and it’s always the same story. Nobody to wait on me!”
Nancy and Bess merely smiled, wondering why the woman bothered to come back if she were displeased with the service.
As if reading their thoughts, she said, “But Mr. Stromberg has such a fine collection of foreign books that I hate to go elsewhere.” She smiled in a tolerant sort of way, however, and said, “But Mrs. Horace Truesdale is not one to lose her temper. No doubt Mr. Stromberg has a good reason for not being here.”
“Doesn’t Mr. Stromberg have a salesclerk?” Bess asked Mrs. Truesdale.
“I believe so, but she’s a college student and doesn’t work here full time.”
The girls began to look around at the books on the shelves, trying to conceal their own impatience