ing to get fat too.'

So up we went to bed, full of peace. There was a big black centipede
crawling on the bedroom wall, a sinister-looking object, looking on the
white surface like mysterious handwriting, bringing with it to the
fanciful mind suggestions of 'Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.' My wife has
a horror of centipedes. I was at once detailed to destroy it: a feat
soon accomplished.

'That dispels the bank clerk idea altogether, does it not?' one of us
remarked to the other. 'Bank clerks at Tooting don't have centipedes on
their bedroom walls, do they?'

When I had gone to my dressing-room, I heard the sound below of a key
turning in a lock. It was a servant opening the back door.

A moment later I heard the tread of the servant's bare feet on the
stairs. This was unusual. My bearer does not voluntarily visit me at
this hour.

Yes, it was the bearer. He came to the dressing-room door and presented
me with a telegram. It was 'urgent,' as denoted by the yellow colour of
the envelope. 'Urgent' telegrams when addressed to officers on leave are
apt to involve some interference with their plans.

I read the telegram and signed the receipt. The servant asked if he was
wanted any more. 'Yes, very much wanted,' I answered; 'but go downstairs
now and I'll call you later.'

Then came the process of breaking the news to my wife. It is difficult
not to be clumsy on these occasions. I went into the bedroom with the
telegram concealed somewhere on my person. There she sat unconcerned,
and I had to break it to her and did not know how to begin. I got to
within a foot or two of her and then stopped, held out a beckoning hand
to her, and said roughly:

'Come here.'

'What is it?' she said, sitting transfixed. There was something in my
face which alarmed her.

I beckoned again, and again said, 'Come here.'

'Oh!' she cried, 'take it off, take it off! It must be a centipede on my
shoulder that you are pointing at. I know it must be.'

'No, dear, it's not half so bad as that: it's only that I'm ordered to
Tibet.'

CHAPTER II

PRELIMINARIES

The next day was Sunday--not a good day on which to start preparations.
I had a great many things to do. The first was to visit the civil
surgeon, and be examined for fitness for residing in high altitudes. He
lived at the top of a steep hill himself, and as I arrived there on foot
but alive, he passed me without difficulty. Then my pony who had come
with me had to be des