n; probably in three or four days; and after a week or two there,
she must go on to Dalhousie till September. Can you see a chink of
daylight now?"

"Why, naturally. You want Quita to go up with her? A capital notion!"

His eagerness was an unconscious revelation of all that he had endured.

"Yes. I want you to tell her, from me, that she would be doing us both
a very real kindness. Honor would break her poor heart alone at Sheik
Budeen; and if you put it to Quita that way, I don't think she will
take your suggestion amiss."

"I'm positive she won't. I'll speak to her to-morrow."

He got up; squared his shoulders, with a great sigh of relief; helped
himself to whisky-and-soda; and emptied half the tumbler at a draught.

"By Jove, Desmond, you've put fresh spirit into me. This will give me
a chance to fight the thing squarely; and I hope to God I may
succeed,--even yet."

"Of course you'll succeed. We may take that for granted," Desmond
answered, smiling. "You've won the great talisman that puts failure
out of the question. As soon as we are officially through with the
cholera, you should take sick leave, and go off into the hills. You'll
not fight to any purpose, till you're in sound health again."

"How about Dick, though? It's his turn for leave."

"He'll survive missing it. He's in splendid condition; and this is a
life-and-death matter for you. Besides, Courtenay will never let you
start duty till you've been away. 'Dick' can take fifteen days when
you get back."

"Poor chap! But I'm afraid that's the only programme possible."

He sat down at last; and for a time they smoked contentedly; then Lenox
drew a letter from his breast-pocket.

"From Sir Henry Forsyth at Simla," he explained, "about my chances up
Gilgit way. If we decide on re-establishing the Agency there, he
evidently counts on sending me up again, with young Travers as my
Assistant. He and I have done some decent work together in that part
of the world. Nothing I should like better, of course. But . . in the
face of recent developments, I swear I don't know how to answer him."

He handed the letter to Desmond, who read it and looked thoughtful

"If you get this chance, I think you must take it," he said. "With
your special knowledge, you'd be the right man in the right place, up
there: and apart from your own ambition, you owe something to India,
after what you've done already."

Lenox sighed.

"I owe something to