wn on the same boat.
Fine! You know each other."

Elsa straightened her lips with some difficulty. She possessed the
enviable faculty of instantly forming in her mind pictures of coming
events. The little swelling veins in the colonel's nose were as plain
to her mind's eye as if he really stood before her. "Have him take me
in to dinner," she suggested.

"Just what I was thinking of," declared the unsuspecting man. "If any
one can draw out the colonel, it will be you."

"I'll do my best." Elsa's mind was full of rollicking malice.

Contemplatively he said: "So you've been doing the Orient alone? You
are like your father in that way. He was never afraid of anything.
Your mental make-up, too, I'll wager is like his. Finest man in the
world."

"Wasn't he? How I wish he could have always been with me! We were
such good comrades. They do say I am like father. But why is it,
every one seems appalled that I should travel over here without male
escort?"

"The answer lies in your mirror, Elsa. Your old nurse Martha is no
real protection."

"Are men so bad, then?"

"They are less restrained. The heat, the tremendous distances, the
lack of amusements, are perhaps responsible. The most difficult thing
in the world to amuse is man. By the way, here's a packet of letters
for you."

"Thanks." Elsa played with the packet, somberly eying the
superscriptions. The old disorder came back into her mind. Three of
the letters were from Arthur. She dreaded to open them.

"Now, I'll expect you to come to the apartments and have tea at five."

"Be glad to. Only, don't have any one else. I just want to visit and
talk as I used to."

"I promise not to invite anybody."

"I must be going, then. I'm not sure of my tickets to Hongkong."

"Go straight to the German Lloyd office. The next P. & O. boat is
booked full. Don't bother to go to Cook's. Everybody's on the way
home now. Go right to the office. I'll have my boy show you the way.
Chong!" he called. A bright-eyed young Chinese came in quickly and
silently from the other room. "Show lady German Lloyd office. All
same quick."

"All light. Lady come."

"Until tea."

In the outer office she paused for a moment or so to look at the
magazines and weeklies from home. The Chinese boy, grinning
pleasantly, peered curiously at Elsa's beautiful hands. She heard some
one enter, and quite naturally glanced up. The newcomer was Mallow.
He stared at her