here. He is come with me to--"

It was then and not until then that his lordship turned his stare from
the sea to the clerk and his companion.

"Aw," he interrupted, "glad to see you, I'm sure. Would you be good
enough to tell us how we are to reach the--er--chateau, and why the
devil we can't get anybody to move our luggage?"

Mr. Bowles, who had lived in Japat for sixteen years, was a tortuously
slow Englishman with the curse of the clime still growing upon him. He
was half asleep quite a good bit of the time, and wholly asleep during
the remainder. A middle-aged man was he, yet he looked sixty. He
afterward told Saunders that it seemed to take two days to make one in
the beastly climate; that was why he was misled into putting off
everything until the second day. The department had sent him out long
ago at the request of Mr. Wyckholme; he had lost the energy to give up
the post.

"Mr.--er--Mr. Saunders, my lord, has told me that you have been unable
to secure assistance in removing your belongings--" he began politely,
but Deppingham interrupted him.

"Where is the chateau? Are there no vans to be had?"

"Everything is transferred by hand, my lord, and the chateau is two
miles farther up the side of the mountain. It's quite a walk, sir."

"Do you mean to say we are to walk?"

"Yes, my lord, if you expect to go there."

"Of course, we expect to go there. Are there no horses on the beastly
island?"

"Hundreds, my lord, but they belong to the people and no one but their
owners ride them. One can't take them by the hour, you know. The
servants at the chateau turned Mr. Skaggs's horses out to pasture before
they left."

"Before who left?"

"The servants, my lord."

Lady Deppingham's eyes grew wide with understanding.

"You don't mean to say that the servants have left the place?" she
cried.

"Yes, my lady. They were natives, you know."

"What's that got to do with it?" demanded Deppingham.

"I'm afraid you don't understand the situation," said Mr. Bowles
patiently. "You see, it's really a triangular controversy, if I may be
so bold as to say so. Lady Deppingham is one of the angles; Mr. Browne,
the American gentleman, is another; the native population is the last.
Each wants to be the hypothenuse. While the interests of all three are
merged in the real issue, there is, nevertheless, a decided disposition
all around to make it an entirely one-sided affair."

"I don't believe I grasp--" muttered Depp