on either
hand, and the German ensign at the stern.

"Pretty fair impudence, paying official honors to our undesirables, yet
I don't see what we can do," said the senior from the Residency.

Yerkes drew me aside.

"Did you ever see anything more stupidly British?" he demanded.

"It's as obvious as the nose on your face that she's up to some game.
It's as plain as twice two that the Germans are backing her whether the
British like it or not. Look at those two Heinies now!"

We faced about and watched them. After bowing Lady Waldon to her
cabin, they approached our party with brazen claim to recognition--and
received it. They were met, and spoken to apparently as cordially as
if their friendship had been indisputable.

"Did you ever see anything to beat it? Why not kick 'em into the sea?
Either that woman's a crook or she isn't. If she isn't, then the
British have treated her shamefully, turning their backs on her. But
we know she is a crook! And so do they. The Germans know it, too, and
they're flaunting her under official British noses! They're using her
to start something the British won't like, and the British know it!
Yet she's going to be allowed to travel to British territory on a
British ship, and the Heinies are shaken hands with! If you complained
to Monty I bet he'd say, 'Don't talk fight unless you mean fight!'"

"Monty might also add, 'Don't talk-fight!'" said I.

"Oh, rot!" Will answered. "British individuals may bridle a bit, but
their government'll shut its eyes until too late, whatever happens!
You mark my words!"

We strolled back toward our party in great discontent, I as much as he,
never supposing there was another country in the world that could so
deliberately shut its eyes to dog's work until absolutely forced to
interfere, by a hair not quite too late.

Coutlass and Hassan traveled second-class--the Arab and half-Arab
contingent third--and none of them troubled us, at present, except that
Will swore at sight of Coutlass swaggering as if the ship and her
contents were all his.

"To hear him brag you'd believe the British government afraid of him!"
he grumbled.

But an immediate problem drove Coutlass out of mind. Lady Isobel
Saffren Waldon had been given a cabin in line with ours, at the end of
our corridor. Her maid, and her two Swahili servants were obliged to
pass our doors to get to her cabin at all. As nearly all ships' cabins
on those hot routes do, ours intercomm