ing dinner; a wild
affair, with unlimited quantities of champagne, loud patriotic
speeches, songs and shouts of "Deutschland ueber Alles," and finally a
smashing of glass, a breaking of furniture, and the customary wrecking
of the premises.

In her frequent journeys from Rangoon, the popular _Blankshire_ had
never been so crowded as on the present occasion; every berth was
taken, chiefly by German passengers, who had also bespoken the chief
seats at table and the best positions for their deck chairs; such was
the crush that there would be no room whatever for casual travellers
from Colombo or Port Said. The British, who were in a comparatively
small minority, realised what a very bad time lay before them, when
they and their country's enemies must pass weeks and weeks in close
proximity. Many had caught the previous steamer, but the remnant
included Mrs. Gregory, Sophy, Shafto and MacNab--who was actually
paying the passage out of his hoarded funds, and sternly resolved to
join the Cameronians. The party were figuratively swamped by the
multitude of Teutons, who had swarmed on board, already looking
truculent, arrogant and victorious--drinking and toasting one another
noisily in vast libations at the bar. On the wharf an immense
gathering of natives assembled to speed numbers of kind and generous
patrons, who (with an eye to the future) had distributed a considerable
amount of largesse and flattery, as well as silk and satin finery.
What with the Germans and their native friends, egress from and ingress
to the steamer were almost impossible; the gangway was choked, and the
shouting and hurrahing actually drowned the noise of the donkey-engine.

Many friends had come to see the last of Mrs. Gregory and her party;
the military and official element were bound to remain in Rangoon.
Sophy was talking to Miss Maitland and Ella Pomeroy, when a fresh
influx of joyous and exultant Germans came pouring down the gangway
with the force and violence of a human cataract. Sophy and her friends
were thrust rudely apart and, from where she had been pushed against
the bulwarks, she saw Frau Wurm pass by, also Frau Muller, who threw
her a glance that seemed to distil hatred. She was immediately
followed by Bernhard, looking extraordinarily elated and deeply
flushed. Catching sight of Sophy he halted, clicked his heels
together, and said, with a sort of savage courtesy:

"Ach, so here we are again, you and I, Miss Leigh, on the o