ovely!" answered Will.

Fred overtook us at the door, and whispered:

"Our things have been gone through, but I can't find that anything's
missing."

Within the dining-room was new ground for discontent. The British race
and its offshoots wash, but disbelieve with almost unanimity in water
as a drink. Every guest at either table had left at his place a partly
emptied glass of beer, or brandy and soda, or whisky. Each looked for
the glass on his return, and found it empty.

"Those Greeks!" exclaimed the Goanese manager, with a fearful air, and
shoulders shrugged to disclaim his own responsibility.

Coutlass and the other Greek were sitting at a table with a gorged
look, glancing neither to the right nor left, yet not eating. I looked
at the railway official, who had not left his seat. It struck me he
was laughing silently, but he did not look up. The crowd, after the
manner of all crowds, stormed at the Goanese manager.

"What can I do? What shall I do?" wailed the unhappy little man.
"They are bigger than I! They were greedy! They took!"

All those charges were evidently true, and stated mildly. Coutlass
rose to his feet.

"Gassharamminy!" he thundered, and his stomach stuck out over the table
it was so full of various drinks. "Why should we not take? Who isn't
thirsty in this hell of a place? Who leaves good drink deserves to
lose it!"

"What shall I do?" wailed the Goanese manager.

"Take the orders for drinks again," said the railway man, glancing up
from his figures. "Bring the account to me."

The waiters ran to fill orders, and a babel of abuse at the second
table was hurled at Coutlass and his friends; but they did not leave
the table because there was another course to come, and, as the manager
had said, they were greedy. Then in came the guard, his face a
blood-and-smudgy picture of discontent.

"Say!" he yelled. "Ain't I goin' to get those two first-classes on
trays?" He came and stood by us. "Did you ever 'ear the likes of it?
They swear neither of 'em was out of the compartment. They call me a
liar for askin' for my key back! They swear I never gave it to 'em,
'an they never asked for it, an' their door was never locked, nor
nothin'!"

He passed on to the railway man.

"I'll have to borry your key, sir. Mine's lost. Can't open doors
until I get one from somewhere."

The railway man passed him his key with a bored expression and no
remark.

"Don't forget that I want