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. "One more load, Jan. You go in with the loaded truck and I'll follow with the last one."
"Aye aye, sir." The young man climbed on the tail of the truck and told the driver to take it away. An empty truck pulled into its place. It loaded quickly as the ship's master seemed to find fewer things to argue about with the inspectors. Then he was not satisfied and demanded that it be done over. The boss stevedore was pained but the master soothed him, glanced at his watch again and said, "There's time. I don't want these crates cracked before we get them into the ship; the stuff costs money. So let's do it right."
The sedan chair had moved on along the fence. Shortly it was dark; the veiled lady looked at the glowing face of her finger watch and urged her bearers into a trot.
They came at last to the gate reserved for nobles. The veiled lady leaned her head out and snapped, "Open up!"
There were two guards on the gate, one in a little watch room, the other lounging outside. The one outside opened the gate, but placed his staff across it when the sedan chair started to go through. Stopped, the bearers lowered it to the ground with the right-hand or door side facing into the gate.
The veiled lady called out, "Clear the way, you! Lord Marlin's yacht."
The guard blocking the gate hesitated. "My lady has a pass?"
"Are you a fool?"
"If my lady has no pass," he said slowly, "perhaps my lady will suggest some way to assure the guard that My Lord Marlin is expecting her?"
The veiled lady was a voice in the dark -- the guard had sense enough not to shine the light in her face; he had long experience with nobles and fumed
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