at sight of Honor the blood
rushed back into her face.

"This is pretty behaviour!" she said with a little broken laugh. "I'm
so sorry. It must have been the reaction, the relief, after that
excruciating journey."

"No need to apologise!" Desmond answered, a twinkle of amusement in his
eyes. "No use either to try and push my arm away. Let me get you to
the sofa first."

Honor piled two cushions behind her; and as she sank back into their
silken softness, leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"You very wonderful person," she said. "How on earth did you pull
through it, all alone?"

Quita shrugged her shoulders.

"It was not amusing," she answered with her whimsical smile. "But it
was an experience: and that is always something,--when it is over! I
think I never realised before how big and how terrible a country India
is; or how kind people are out here," she added, looking from one to
the other with misty eyes.

"Kind? Nonsense!" It was Honor who spoke. "Now . . will you have a
peg, or some tea?"

"Tea, please. And after that, I may see . . Eldred, mayn't I?"

Instinctively she appealed to Desmond, who knitted his brows in
distress. "I'm afraid that's out of the question, . . yet awhile," he
said.

"Well then . . when?"

"Can't say for certain. Probably not for two or three days. I
wouldn't so much as risk telling him that you are here till then."

The mist on her lashes overflowed; and she dashed an impatient hand
across them with small result.

"But I have waited three days already. And since this morning I have
been counting the hours . . the minutes . ."

It was no use. She could not go on without further loss of dignity;
and Honor hastened into the breach.

"Drink your tea first, dear. You can talk afterwards."

And as she obeyed, Desmond came round and sat beside her.

"See here, Miss Maurice," he began. But she raised an imploring hand.

"Oh, don't call me that . . now. It hurts. It makes me feel I have no
manner of right to be here. And I have a little right, haven't I?"

"More than a little, I should say, . . Mrs Lenox. Is that better?"

She flushed to the eyes, and glanced down at her bare left hand. It
was the first time she had heard her married name; and the sound of it
was music in her ears. But she shook her head.

"No. It's almost worse, till I know for certain what's going to come
of my mad leap in the dark."

"Well then . . . ?"

"Why not . . 'Quita'