byLeaning over the random scatter of ancient objects on the table, Howard Mitchell was visited by the sudden, almost intolerable excitement of the avid collector who spots a treasure.
His heart lurched. He drew in a deep breath and leaned closer to the ceramic figure of the lute-player, breathing mental thanks to the clerk at his Hong Kong hotel who had directed him to Mr. Cheong’s Emporium of the Suffering Dragon.
Mr. Cheong’s antique shop presented a hodgepodge of supposed antiquities for sale to the credulous tourist, from Chinese weapons and armor to tatters of resplendent costumes once worn, no doubt, by noblemen and prostitutes before China became The New China.
Mitchell knew very little about antique armor or clothing but he did pride himself on a fairly broad knowledge of cerami
