"Don't forget to ask your sister's husband about that chap in the
P.W.D.," he called after her. "He's sure to know all about it. What's
his name?--your brother-in-law, I mean."

But Miss Ross had disappeared.

"Now how the devil," he muttered, "am I to make my mind, _my_ mind, a
perfect blank?"

Two hours later Sir Langham's snores grievously disturbed the occupants
of adjacent cabins.

In hers, Miss Ross sat by the open porthole reading and re-reading the
mail that had reached her at Aden.

CHAPTER II

JAN'S MAIL

_Bombay, December 13th._

My Dear Jan,

It was a great relief to get your cable saying definitely
that you were sailing by the _Carnduff_. Misfortunes seem
to have come upon us in such numbers of late that I dreaded
lest your departure might be unavoidably delayed or
prevented. I will not now enter into the painful question
of my shameful treatment by Government, but you can well
understand that I shall leave no stone unturned to reverse
their most unfair and unjust decision, and to bring my
traducers to book. Important business having reference to
these matters calls me away at once, as I feel it is most
essential not to lose a moment, my reputation and my whole
future being at stake. I shall therefore, to my great
regret, be unable to meet you on your arrival in Bombay,
and, as my movements for the next few months will be rather
uncertain, I may find it difficult to let you have regular
news of me. I would therefore advise you to take Fay and
the children home as soon as all is safely over and she is
able to travel, and I will join you in England if and when
I find I can get away. I know, dear Jan, that you will not
mind financing Fay to this extent at present; as, owing to
these wholly unexpected departmental complications, I am
uncommonly hard up. I will, of course, repay you at the
earliest possible opportunity.

Poor Fay is not at all well; all these worries have been
very bad for her, and I have been distracted by anxiety on
her behalf, as well as about my own most distressing
position, and a severe attack of fever has left me weak and
ailing. I thought it better to bring Fay down to Bombay,
where she can get the best medical advice, and her being
there will