est dinner of which
he has ever partaken in his life. How little he guessed the tragedy
that was overhanging it all! Of the quartette, Maas was the only one
in any way silent. For some reason or another _he_ seemed strangely
preoccupied. It was not until some months later that Browne heard from
Jimmy Foote that that afternoon, during their perambulations of the
city, he had excused himself, and having discovered the direction of
the telegraph station, had left them for upwards of three-quarters of
an hour.

"I am not quite myself to-night," he remarked, in reply to a remark
from Browne. "But I have no doubt I shall be all right again
to-morrow."

Dinner being at an end, they adjourned to the deck, where they settled
down to coffee and cigars. The myriad lights of the city ashore
flashed out, and were reflected like countless diamonds in the still
waters of the bay. Browne was irresistibly reminded of another
harbour-scene. At another momentous epoch of his life, he had sat on
this self-same deck, and looked across the water at the lights ashore.
And what a different man he had been then to the man he was now! So
much had happened that it seemed scarcely possible it could be the same.

Their friend of the afternoon proved a most interesting companion. He
had spent the greater portion of his life in the Farthest East, and was
full of anecdotes of strange men he had met, and still stranger things
he had seen. They reclined in their deck-chairs and smoked until close
upon ten o'clock. Then the new-comer thought it was time for him to
see about getting ashore. He accordingly rose from his chair, and was
commencing the usual preparatory speeches, when a hail from alongside
reached their ears. A quartermaster went to the bulwark and inquired
who was calling, and what he wanted. A voice answered him in educated
English:--

"Can you tell me if this is the _Lotus Blossom_?" it said.

"Yes," answered the quartermaster. "What do you want?"

"I want to see Mr. Browne, if he is aboard," the other answered.

"He is aboard," returned the quartermaster. "But I don't know whether
he can see you. I will inquire."

"Who is he?" asked Browne. "Tell him to give you his name."

The quartermaster hailed the sampan again. "He says his name is
MacAndrew, sir," he replied after a short pause, "and if you will see
him, he says he will not detain you many minutes."

"Let him come aboard, then," said Browne. "Just te