truggling baby was borne back to the nursery.

As the yells died away in the distance, Tony turned right round on
Peter's knee and faced him: "She does what she says," he remarked in an
awestruck whisper.

"And a jolly good thing too," answered Peter.

When Jan came back she brought her sister with her. Lalkhan brought tea,
and Tony went with him quite meekly to the nursery. They heard him
chattering to Lalkhan in Hindustani as they went along the passage.

Fay looked a thought less haggard than in the morning. She had slept
after tiffin; the fact that her sister was actually in the bungalow had
a calming effect upon her. She was quite cheerful and full of plans for
Jan's amusement; plans in which, of course, she proposed to take no part
herself. Jan listened in considerable dismay to arrangements which
appeared to her to make enormous inroads into Peter Ledgard's leisure
hours. He and his motor seemed to be quite at Fay's disposal, and Jan
found the situation both bewildering and embarrassing.

"What a nuisance for him," she reflected, "to have a young woman thrust
upon him in this fashion. It won't do to upset Fay, but I must tell him
at the first opportunity that none of these projects hold good."

Directly tea was over Fay almost hustled them out to go and buy a topee
for Jan, and suggested that, having accomplished this, they should look
in at the Yacht Club for an hour, "because it was band-night," and Jan
would like the Yacht Club lawn, with the sea and the boats and all the
cheerful people.

As the car slid into the crowded traffic of the Esplanade Road, Peter
pointed to a large building on the left, saying, "There's the Army and
Navy Stores, quite close to you, you see. You can always get anything
you want there. I'll give you my number ... not that it matters."

"I've belonged for years to the one at home," said Jan, "and I
understand the same number will do."

She felt she really could not be beholden to this strange young man for
everything, even a Stores number; and that she had better make the
situation clear at once that she had come to take care of Fay and not to
be an additional anxiety to him. At that moment she felt almost jealous
of Peter. Fay seemed to turn to him for everything.

When they reached the shop where topees were to be got, she heard a
familiar, booming voice. Had she been alone she would certainly have
turned and fled, deferring her purchase till Sir Langham Sykes had
conclud