t was a scarcely healed wound when he
met him with Clive on that unfortunate occasion in Billiter Street.

"Surely, ma'am, you don't mean--the highwayman?"

"Indeed I do. That is just it. Your highwayman was--Mr. Merriman. Fancy
the hurt to his feelings, to say nothing of his good looks. Fie, fie, Mr.
Burke!"

For a moment Desmond did not know whether embarrassment or amazement was
uppermost with him. It was bad enough to have tripped Mr. Merriman up in
the muddy street; but to have also dealt him a blow of which he would
retain the mark to his dying day--"This is terrible!" he thought. Still
there was an element of absurdity in the adventure that appealed to his
sense of the ridiculous. But he felt the propriety of being apologetic,
and was about to express his regret for his mistake when Mrs. Merriman
interrupted him with a smile:

"But there, Mr. Burke, he bears you no grudge, I am sure. He is the
essence of good temper. It was a mistake; he saw that when I explained;
and when he had vented his spleen on the coachman next day he owned that
it was a plucky deed in you to take charge of us, and indeed he said that
you was a mighty good whip; although," she added laughing, "you was a
trifle heavy in hand."

Desmond felt bound to make a full confession. He related the incident of
his encounter with Merriman in London--how he had toppled him over in the
mud--wondering how the ladies would take it. He was relieved when they
received his story with a peal of laughter.

"Oh, mamma; and it was his new frock!" said Phyllis.

"La, so it was, just fresh from Mr. Small's in Wigmore Street--forty
guineas and no less!"

"Well, ma'am, I'm already forgiven for that; I trust that with your good
favor my earlier indiscretion will be forgiven."

"Indeed it shall be, Mr. Burke, I promise you. Now tell me: what brings
you here?"

Desmond explained his errand in a few words. The ladies wished him a
prosperous journey, and said they would hope to see him in a few days on
his return. He left them, feeling that he had gained friends, and with a
new motive, of which he was only vaguely conscious, to a speedy
accomplishment of his business.

On the evening of the sixth day after leaving Calcutta there came into
sight a church of considerable size, which Surendra Nath explained was
the temple of the Armenian colony of Cossimbazar. Passing this, and
leaving a maze of native dwellings and the French factory on the left,
the trave