scent of pine and sea. To her
had come Sami, appearing out of nothing as by magic, his butter-colored
face aglow with joy. Sami had almost broken up her weary calm. He was
so glad, so warm, so alive, so little! But even while he snuggled
against her side, her Self had drifted away. It would not feel or know.
It was not ready yet for anything save rest.

Li Ho had made luncheon, Li Ho had brought tea. Otherwise Li Ho had
left her alone. About one thing only had he been fussy. She must not
sleep in her old room. It was not aired. It needed "heap scrub." He had
arranged, he said, a little tent "all velly fine." Desire was passive.
She did not care where she slept.

When bedtime had come, Li Ho had taken her to the tent. It was cozily
hidden in the bush and, as he had promised, quite comfortable. But she
thought his manner odd. "Are you nervous, Li Ho?" she asked with a
smile.

The Chinaman blinked rapidly, disdaining reply. But in his turn asked a
question--his first since her arrival. Had the honorable Professor
Spence received an insignificant parcel? Desire replied vaguely that
she did not know. What was in the parcel?

"Velly implotant plasel," said Li Ho gravely. "Honorable husband arrive
plenty click when read um insides."

There had seemed no sense to this. But Desire did not argue. She did
not even attend very carefully when Li Ho added certain explanations.
He had found, it appeared, some papers which had belonged to her mother
and had felt it his duty to send them on.

"Where did you find them, Li Ho?"

Instead of answering this, Li Ho, after a moment's hesitation, had
produced from some recess of his old blue coat an envelope which he
handled with an air of awed respect.

"Li Ho find more plasel too. Pletty soon put um back. Honorable Boss
indulge in fit if missing."

"Which means that it belongs to father and that you have--borrowed it?"
suggested she, delicately.

"No b'long him. B'long you," said Li Ho, thrusting the packet into her
hand. And, as if fearful of being questioned further, he had taken the
candle and departed.

"Leave me the candle, Li Ho," she had called to him. But he had not
returned. And a candle is a small matter. She was used to undressing in
the dusk. Almost at once she had fallen asleep.

Now in the morning, as she lay and watched the shadows of the leaves,
she remembered that, though he had taken the candle, he had left the
letter. It lay there on the strip of old carpet