It was 1:00pm, and I had just gotten back to the office from lunch.

"Who's my next patient?" I asked my secretary.

"A lady," she said. "She only gave her name as Miss Kim. She's waiting in the 1st examining room."

"Did she say what her ailment was?"

"No, she didn't; however, she was hobbling on her left foot."

"Thank you, Miss Johnson."

I went into the room.

Miss Kim was a beautiful Chinese woman. She was sitting on the examining table with her shoes and stockings off. Her toes were painted bright red.

"Miss Kim, I presume."

"And you are Dr. Petrie?"

"Yes, that's right."

I looked closely at her—and realized who she really was:

Fah Lo Suee, the very beautiful, but very dangerous, daughter of Fu Manchu!

She smiled. "You know who I am."

"Yes, Miss Suee."

"You fear me, a little."

"Yes."

"But you also respect me."

"Yes."

"I assure you, Dr. Petrie, my visit here is…'on the up and up,' as the saying goes."

I nodded. "All right. My secretary says she suspects this has to do with your foot?"

"That is correct. I had a recent…'misadventure.'"

"All right. Let me have a look."

I knelt and examined her feet. It was indeed the left one. She winced a little when I felt it. "Forgive me if that hurts a little." I continued looking at it. "It appears that no bones have been broken, fortunately. Let me prepare an Epson Salt bath for your feet; that should sooth it. You can sit in the chair."

She got up and sat in one of the chairs. I picked up a large tub and prepared the bath. When it was ready, I put it down at her feet, and she put them into it.

"I trust the water isn't too hot."

"It feels very nice."

"A lot of Chinese ladies have bound feet. I'm very glad you didn't do that!"

"My father wanted me to do it, but I absolutely refused."

"Good for you, Miss Suee! You should soak your feet for ten minutes."

"All right. You do not approve of the practice of foot binding?"

"I find it very deplorable. You have very attractive feet, Miss Suee."

She smiled. "My admiration for you has increased, Dr. Petrie!"

I filled out a prescription for her and gave it to her. "Pain medicine. Please take this sparingly, as it has opium in it. You can have the pharmacy downstairs fill it out."

"Thank you. I promise I will not abuse it."

"Try not to walk too much, if you can help it. Wear low-heeled shoes for a while. Or better still, go bare footed, if you can."

"I quite like to go bare footed."

"Good."

The ten minutes passed. I gave her a towel, and she wiped her feet with it.

"May I have my shoes and stockings, please?"

I gave them to her, and she put them back on. Then she got up. Digging into her purse, she gave me a 10pound note.

"You are most generous, Miss Suee!"

"And you are most honorable, Dr. Petrie."

She gave me her right hand, which I kissed, and then she left.

I later told Sir Denis Nayland Smith about this encounter. He said he suspected that she involved herself in an adventure that she didn't want her father to know about—and I suspect this to be true.