He could have taken an auto-rickshaw, which was the only vehicle other 
than a bicycle or skateboard narrow enough to negotiate the old streets. But 
you never could tell what kind of surveillance might be present in a Shanghai 
taxi. The departure of a New Atlantis gentleman from the Flea Circus late at 
night could only stimulate the imaginations of the gendarmes, who had 
intimidated the criminal element to such a degree that they were now feeling 
restless and looking for ways to diversify. Sages, seers, and theoretical 
physicists could only speculate at what, if any, relationship might exist 
between the Shanghai Police Department's astonishing scope of activities and 
actual law enforcement.