t a tiger," Richards said. "When I came
out to India I thought there was going to be lots of tiger shooting, and
I bought a rifle on purpose, but I have never had a chance yet. Yes, we
will certainly get up a tiger hunt, won't we, Wilson? You will tell us
how to set about it, won't you, Doolan?"

"I don't shoot," Captain Doolan said; "and if I wanted to, I am not sure
that my wife would give me leave."

"Certainly I would not," Mrs. Doolan said promptly. "Married men have no
right to run into unnecessary danger."

"Dr. Wade will be able to put you in the way, Mr. Richards," Isobel
said.

"Dr. Wade!" Mrs. Rintoul exclaimed. "You don't mean to say, Miss Hannay,
that he is going with us?"

"Yes, he is going for a time, Mrs. Rintoul. My uncle told me that he had
applied to go with the detachment, and that the surgeon there would come
back to the regiment while he is away."

"I do call that hard," Mrs. Rintoul said. "The only thing I was glad we
were going for was that we should be under Mr. M'Alaster, who is very
pleasant, and quite understands my case, while Dr. Wade does not seem to
understand it at all, and is always so very brusque and unsympathetic."

There was a general smile.

"Wade is worth a hundred of M'Alaster," Captain Roberts said. "There is
not a man out here I would rather trust myself to if I were ill. He is
an awfully good fellow, too, all round, though he may be, as you say, a
little brusque in manner."

"I call him a downright bear," Mrs. Rintoul said angrily. "Why, only
last week he told me that if I would get up two hours earlier and go for
a brisk walk just after sunrise, and give up eating meat at tiffin, and
confine myself to two or three dishes at dinner, I should be perfectly
well in the course of a month; just as if I was in the habit of
overeating myself, when I have scarcely the appetite of a sparrow. I
told Captain Rintoul afterwards that I must consult someone else, for
that really I could not bear such rudeness."

"I am afraid we are all against you, Mrs. Rintoul," Mrs. Doolan said,
with a little shake of her head at Isobel, who was, she saw, going to
speak out strongly. "No one could possibly be kinder than he is when
anyone is really ill. I mean seriously ill," she added, as Mrs. Rintoul
drew herself up indignantly. "I shall never forget how attentive he was
to the children when they were down with fever just before he went to
England. He missed his ship and lost a month of his