neer shrinking behind the others with an expression of amazed
terror on his face, called to him:

"Would you kindly send one of your friends to open the door, Mr.
Chunerbutty? It seems to have got shut by some unfortunate accident."

He brought the elephant to its knees and dismounted. Then as it rose he
pointed to the gateway and said in the _mahout's_ tongue:

"Return to your stall."

The animal walked away submissively. The two surviving natives shrank
against the buildings in deadly fear, but the animal disappeared quietly.

Dermot went to the door and waited. Soon he heard the key turned in the
lock and the rusty bolts drawn back. The door was then flung open by one of
the porters, while the others huddled against the wall, for Barclay stood
in front of them with a pistol raised. He sprang forward and seized
Dermot's hand.

"Heaven and earth! How are you alive?" he cried. "I thought the devils had
got you this time. I was tempted to shoot these swine here for being so
long in opening the door."

There was a clatter of boots on the marble floor, as Payne and Granger,
followed by the rest of the Englishmen, ran up the hall, cheering. They
crowded round Dermot, nearly shook his arm off, thumped him on the back,
and overwhelmed him with congratulations.

As Dermot thanked them he said:

"I didn't know that you fellows were looking on, otherwise I wouldn't have
done that little bit of gallery-play. But I had a reason for it." "Yes; we
know," said Payne significantly. "Barclay told us."

Then they dragged him protesting upstairs to the lounge, that the women
might congratulate him too; which they did each in her own fashion. Ida was
effusive and sentimental, Mrs. Rice fatuous, and Noreen timid and almost
stiff. The girl, who had endured an agony worse than many deaths, could not
voice her feelings, and her congratulations seemed curt and cold to others
besides Dermot.

She had no opportunity of speaking to him apart, even for a minute, for the
men surrounded him and insisted on toasting him and questioning him until
it was time to dress for dinner. And even then they formed a guard of
honour and escorted him to his room.

Noreen, utterly worn out by her sleepless nights and the storm of emotions
that had shaken her, was unable to come down to dinner, and at her
brother's wish went to bed instead. And so she did not learn that Dermot
was leaving the Palace at the early hour of four o'clock in the morning.