The young English consul's wife who arrived in Shanghai to join him just as he is arrested by the nationalist troops charged with supporting the"enemy". Mary is also arrested and her device of pretending to be a Russian agitatress doesn't work: the Chinese general has seen a photo Ralph's freedom is offered by the general in exchange for the possession of Mary, but before this awful bargain is concluded, the British fleet shells the general's headquarters. He dies, a glass of champagne held aloft:"To China, the country that is strong enough to wait for more centuries."(extracted from J.L pp 70 )