_ayah_ softly opened the door. "Shall I
remove myself?"

"Of course not, Nick! Smoke a cigarette while I open them. They can't
be anything very much."

The _ayah,_ smiling broadly, laid two parcels on the table by Olga's
bedside. A third one, which was very small, she dropped with a
mysterious gesture into her hand.

"What can this be?" questioned Olga. "Sambaji, what is it?"

But Sambaji shook her head. "Miss _sahib,_ how should I know?"

Olga suddenly turned crimson. She held out the tiny packet to Nick.

"You open it!" she said. "I'm sure it's something I don't want."

Nick made no movement to take it! "Sorry, dear. Two hands are better
than one," he said.

Sambaji withdrew, still smiling.

Olga looked at the thing in the palm of her hand. She was trembling a
little. "I don't want it, Nick," she said almost piteously.

Nick was heartless enough to laugh.

"Don't!" she pleaded, real distress in her tone. "Can't I send it back
unopened?"

"Whom do you propose to send it to?" asked Nick, still chuckling.

She smiled faintly in spite of herself. "It's pretty certain where it
comes from, isn't it?"

"Is it?" said Nick.

"Well, isn't it?" she persisted, still dubiously eyeing the unwelcome
gift.

"I really can't say. But I don't see why you should be afraid of it in
any case. To judge by the size of it, I shouldn't say it could be a very
dangerous explosive."

She smiled again with obvious reluctance, and began to study the address
on the packet. It was written in a very minute hand.

There followed a pause; then with abrupt resolution Olga's fingers
began to work at the outer covering.

Nick watched her, amusement on his yellow face. "I'm not quite sure that
two hands are better than one when they shake like that," he observed.
"Ah, here comes the dedication!" as a tiny strip of paper fluttered from
Olga's fingers. "It reminds me--vividly--of my own courtship. Quite sure
you don't want me to go?"

"Nick!" she protested, with burning cheeks. "It's very horrid of you to
laugh. Do you know what it is?"

"I can almost guess," he said, as a small leather case emerged from the
paper. "I've seen 'em before."

Olga opened the case. It was lined with white velvet, and in the centre
of it there flashed and glittered a diamond and emerald ring.

"Hullo!" said Nick.

Olga looked up at him with gleaming eyes. "Nick! How--how dare he!"

"It is pretty daring certainly," agreed Nick. "It's a valuable
tr