o-and-so's. But he knew that she was lying. She was in her best
clothes; her eyes were shining, and she looked lovely.

"Don't try any monkey tricks on me, my girl," he said, "or I'll break
every bone in your body."

"You drunken beast," she said, scornfully.

He fancied that Mrs Brevald and the old grandmother looked at him
maliciously and he ascribed Brevald's good-humour with him, so unusual
those days, to his satisfaction at having something up his sleeve
against his son-in-law. And then, his suspicions aroused, he imagined
that the white men gave him curious glances. When he came into the
lounge of the hotel the sudden silence which fell upon the company
convinced him that he had been the subject of the conversation.
Something was going on and everyone knew it but himself. He was seized
with furious jealousy. He believed that Ethel was carrying on with one
of the white men, and he looked at one after the other with scrutinising
eyes; but there was nothing to give him even a hint. He was helpless.
Because he could find no one on whom definitely to fix his suspicions,
he went about like a raving maniac, looking for someone on whom to vent
his wrath. Chance caused him in the end to hit upon the man who of all
others least deserved to suffer from his violence. One afternoon, when
he was sitting in the hotel by himself, moodily, Chaplin came in and sat
down beside him. Perhaps Chaplin was the only man on the island who had
any sympathy for him. They ordered drinks and chatted a few minutes
about the races that were shortly to be run. Then Chaplain said:

"I guess we shall all have to fork out money for new dresses."

Lawson sniggered. Since Mrs Chaplin held the purse-strings if she wanted
a new frock for the occasion she would certainly not ask her husband for
the money.

"How is your missus?" asked Chaplin, desiring to be friendly.

"What the hell's that got to do with you?" said Lawson, knitting his
dark brows.

"I was only asking a civil question."

"Well, keep your civil questions to yourself."

Chaplin was not a patient man; his long residence in the tropics, the
whisky bottle, and his domestic affairs had given him a temper hardly
more under control than Lawson's.

"Look here, my boy, when you're in my hotel you behave like a gentleman
or you'll find yourself in the street before you can say knife."

Lawson's lowering face grew dark and red.

"Let me just tell you once for all and you can pass it on