Miss One Thousand Spring Blossoms/The Hurricane Years/The Wine and the Music/On Reflection/The Black Ship [antikvár]

Richard Seaton sat alone and gazed out at the lights of San Francisco from the Top of the Mark. His left arm throbbed painfully from the second of his two cholera shots. But his mind was fixed on other matters. He had begun to feel a growing sense of adventure. He had never been west of Chicago; now he was going to Japan. The Orient! The word was sheer magic to him. He realized that many had been there before him; but still, he would be an unofficial ambassador, a representative of his country abroad. He gave silent thanks that he had been raised in the old tradition, that he understood courtesy and dignified deportment. Perhaps that, as much as his engineering skills, accounted for his being sent on this mission. He knew almost nothing about the Japanese except that they spoke an impossible language. But they could make very fine electronic equipment. Professionally, he should be able to establish the necessary liaison with them. Once again he saw himself seated in Mr. Mercer's office, glancing in fond farewell at the pleasant roll of the Massachusetts hills outside. He had received final instructions from the president himself. Seaton would not have thought of visiting the Top of the Mark—but during this last conversation the president had advised him to do so, and failure to act on a presidential recommendation