teward that the food on his plate wasn't fit
to be set before a gentleman. The individual addressed seemed much too
unhappy to groan. He cast his eyes up to the punkah and that was all.

Captain Giles and I got up from the table, and the stranger next to
Hamilton followed our example, manoeuvring himself to his feet with
difficulty. He, poor fellow, not because he was hungry but I verily
believe only to recover his self-respect, had tried to put some of that
unworthy food into his mouth. But after dropping his fork twice and
generally making a failure of it, he had sat still with an air of
intense mortification combined with a ghastly glazed stare. Both Giles
and I had avoided looking his way at table.

On the verandah he stopped short on purpose to address to us anxiously
a long remark which I failed to understand completely. It sounded like
some horrible unknown language. But when Captain Giles, after only an
instant for reflection, assured him with homely friendliness, "Aye, to
be sure. You are right there," he appeared very much gratified indeed,
and went away (pretty straight, too) to seek a distant long chair.

"What was he trying to say?" I asked with disgust.

"I don't know. Mustn't be down too much on a fellow. He's feeling pretty
wretched, you may be sure; and to-morrow he'll feel worse yet."

Judging by the man's appearance it seemed impossible. I wondered
what sort of complicated debauch had reduced him to that unspeakable
condition. Captain Giles' benevolence was spoiled by a curious air of
complacency which I disliked. I said with a little laugh:

"Well, he will have you to look after him." He made a deprecatory
gesture, sat down, and took up a paper. I did the same. The papers
were old and uninteresting, filled up mostly with dreary stereotyped
descriptions of Queen Victoria's first jubilee celebrations. Probably we
should have quickly fallen into a tropical afternoon doze if it had not
been for Hamilton's voice raised in the dining room. He was finishing
his tiffin there. The big double doors stood wide open permanently, and
he could not have had any idea how near to the doorway our chairs
were placed. He was heard in a loud, supercilious tone answering some
statement ventured by the Chief Steward.

"I am not going to be rushed into anything. They will be glad enough to
get a gentleman I imagine. There is no hurry."

A loud whispering from the Steward succeeded and then again Hamilton was
heard w