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see me through. We'll defeat them yet. Hi, pup!... He's gone. Absolutely disappeared!' He sighed with relief, and I caught the lucky moment. 'Good business! I expect he only came to have a look at me,' I said. 'Now, get this drink down and turn in to the lower bunk.' He obeyed, protesting that he could not inconvenience me, and in the midst of apologies sank into a dead sleep. I expected a wakeful night, having a certain amount to think over; but no sooner had I scrambled into the top bunk than sleep came on me like a wave from the other side of the world. In the morning there were apologies, which we got over at breakfast before our party were about. 'I suppose--after this--well, I don't blame you. I'm rather a lonely chap, though.' His eyes lifted dog-like across the table. 'Shend,' I replied, 'I'm not running a Sunday school. You're coming home with me in my car as soon as we land.' 'That is kind of you--kinder than you think.' 'That's because you're a little jumpy still. Now, I don't want to mix up in your private affairs--' 'But I'd like you to,' he interrupted. 'Then, would you mind telling me the Christian name of a girl who was insulted by a man called Clements?' 'Moira,' he whispered; and just then Mrs. Godfrey and Milly came to table with their shore-going hats on. We did not tie up till noon, but the faithful Leggatt had intrigued his way down to the dock-edge, and beside him sat Malachi, wearing his collar of gold, or Leggatt makes it look so, as eloquent as Demosthenes. Shend flinched a little when he saw him. We packed Mrs. Godfrey and Milly into Attley's car--they were going with him to Mittleham, of course--and drew clear across the railway lines to find England all lit and perfumed for spring. Shend sighed with happiness. 'D'you know,' he said, 'if--if you'd chucked me--I should have gone down to my cabin after breakfast and cut my throat. And now--it's like a dream--a good dream, you know.' We lunched with the other three at Romsey. Then I sat in front for a little while to talk to my Malachi. When I looked back, Shend was solidly asleep, and stayed so for the next two hours, while Leggatt chased Attley's fat Daimler along the green-speckled hedges. He woke up when we said good-bye at Mittleham, with promises to meet again very soon. 'And I hope,' said Mrs. Godfrey, 'that everything pleasant will happen to you.' 'Heaps and heaps--all at once,' cried long, weak Milly,
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