at have you been saying about me to the
governor?"

She was spluttering with rage. There was a moment's pause. Then the
missionary drew forward a chair.

"Won't you be seated, Miss Thompson? I've been hoping to have another
talk with you."

"You poor low-life bastard."

She burst into a torrent of insult, foul and insolent. Davidson kept his
grave eyes on her.

"I'm indifferent to the abuse you think fit to heap on me, Miss
Thompson," he said, "but I must beg you to remember that ladies are
present."

Tears by now were struggling with her anger. Her face was red and
swollen as though she were choking.

"What has happened?" asked Dr Macphail.

"A feller's just been in here and he says I gotter beat it on the next
boat."

Was there a gleam in the missionary's eyes? His face remained impassive.

"You could hardly expect the governor to let you stay here under the
circumstances."

"You done it," she shrieked. "You can't kid me. You done it."

"I don't want to deceive you. I urged the governor to take the only
possible step consistent with his obligations."

"Why couldn't you leave me be? I wasn't doin' you no harm."

"You may be sure that if you had I should be the last man to resent it."

"Do you think I want to stay on in this poor imitation of a burg? I
don't look no busher, do I?"

"In that case I don't see what cause of complaint you have," he
answered.

She gave an inarticulate cry of rage and flung out of the room. There
was a short silence.

"It's a relief to know that the governor has acted at last," said
Davidson finally. "He's a weak man and he shilly-shallied. He said she
was only here for a fortnight anyway, and if she went on to Apia that
was under British jurisdiction and had nothing to do with him."

The missionary sprang to his feet and strode across the room.

"It's terrible the way the men who are in authority seek to evade their
responsibility. They speak as though evil that was out of sight ceased
to be evil. The very existence of that woman is a scandal and it does
not help matters to shift it to another of the islands. In the end I had
to speak straight from the shoulder."

Davidson's brow lowered, and he protruded his firm chin. He looked
fierce and determined.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Our mission is not entirely without influence at Washington. I pointed
out to the governor that it wouldn't do him any good if there was a
complaint about the way he managed things