ed his, but she could hardly explain her rather complicated
reasons to Peter, who told the Eurasian assistant to bring topees for
her inspection.

Jan tried vainly to efface herself behind a tailor's dummy, but her back
was reflected in the very mirror which also reproduced Sir Langham in
the act of trying on a khaki-coloured topee. He saw her and at once
hurried in her direction, exclaiming:

"Ah, Miss Ross, run to earth! You slipped off this morning without
bidding me good-bye, and I've been wonderin' all day where we should
meet. Now let me advise you about your topee. _I'll_ choose it for you,
then you can't go wrong. Get a large one, mind, or the back of your nice
little neck will be burnt the colour of the toast they gave us on the
_Carnduff_--shockin' toast, wasn't it? No, not that shape, idiot ...
unless you're goin' to ride, are you? If so, you must have one of
each--a large one, I said--what the devil's the use of that? You must
wear it _well_ on your head, mind; you can't show much of that pretty
grey hair that puzzled us all so--eh, w'at?"

Jan had been white enough as she entered the shop, for she was beginning
to feel quite amazingly tired; but now the face under the overshadowing
topee was crimson and she was hopelessly confused and helpless in the
overpowering of Sir Langham, who, when he could for a moment detach his
mind from Jan, looked with considerable curiosity at Peter.

Peter stood there silent, aloof, detached; and he appeared quite cool.
Jan felt the atmosphere to be almost insufferably close, and heaved a
sigh of gratitude when he suddenly turned on an electric fan above her
head.

"I think this will do," she said, in a faint voice to the assistant,
though the crinkly green lining round the crown seemed searing her very
brain.

Peter intervened, asking: "Is it comfortable? No ..." as she took it
off. "I can see it isn't. It has marked your forehead already. Don't be
in a hurry. They'll probably need to alter the lining. Some women have
it taken out altogether. Pins keep it on all right."

Thus encouraged, she tried on others, and all the time Sir Langham held
forth at the top of his voice, interrupting his announcement that he was
dining at Government House that very night to swear at the assistant
when he brought topees that did not fit, and giving his opinion of her
appearance with the utmost frankness, till Jan found one that seemed
rather less uncomfortable than the rest. Then in d