yes; of Ruth herself he knew much; but the
more he mulled over what he knew, the deeper grew his chagrin. The
real Ruth was as completely hidden as though she stood behind the
walls of Agra Fort. But after all, what did it matter whether she
had secrets or not? To him she was not a woman but a symbol; and
one did not investigate the antecedents of symbols.

"She tells me there was a Kanaka cook; been in the family as long
as she can remember."

"I see. I deal with the Malay mostly; but twice a year I visit
islands occupied by the true blacks, recently cured of their
ancient taste for long-pig."

"What's that?"

"Think it over," said McClintock, grimly.

"Good Lord!--cannibals?"

"Aye. Someday I'll take you down there and have them rig up the
coconut dance for you. The Malays have one, too, but it's a rank
imitation, tom-toms and all. But what I want to get at is this. If
your wife can coach you a bit in native lingo, it will help all
round. I have two Malay clerks in the store; but I'm obliged to
have a white man to watch over them, or they'd clean me out. Single
pearls--Lord knows where they come from!--are always turning up,
some of them of fine lustre; but I never set eyes on them. My boys
buy them with beads or bolts of calico of mine. They steal over to
Copeley's at night and dispose of the pearl for cash. That's how I
finally got wind of it. Primarily your job will be to balance the
stores against the influx of coconut and keep an eye on these boys.
There'll be busy days and idle. Everything goes--the copra for oil,
the fibre of the husk for rope, and the shell for carbon. If you
fall upon a good pearl, buy it in barter and pay me out of your
salary."

"Pearls!"

"Sounds romantic, eh? Well, forty years ago the pearl game
hereabouts was romantic; but there's only one real pearl region
left--the Persian Gulf. In these waters the shell has about given
out. Still, they bob up occasionally. I need a white man, if only
to talk to; and it will be a god send to talk to someone of your
intelligence. The doctor said you wrote."

"Trying to."

"Well, you'll have lots of time down there."

Here Ruth returned with the broth; and McClintock strode aft,
convinced that he was going to have something far more interesting
than books to read.

Spurlock stared at Ruth across the rim of his bowl. He was vaguely
uneasy; he knew not what about. Here was the same Ruth who had left
him a few minutes since: the same out