e was no one capable of relieving
me," said the nurse looking distressed. "There was only the ayah, and
she was supposed to be watching, yet allowed the patient to sit up in
bed in her delirium when to lift an arm had been forbidden. All she
could do was to cry aloud and remonstrate, which woke me and before I
could do anything, the poor girl was--gone! Simply fell back dead. It
was terrible! I fear I shall get into trouble, but the Meeks could not
afford more than one nurse and Mrs. Meek and I were both worn out. I
knew the ayah would blame me, as I blame her; but, humanly speaking, it
would have happened in any case--even had her mother been in the room.
It was truly most unfortunate. If the doctor had only been here he might
have seen the necessity for a sedative or something!"

It was the same cry: "If the doctor had only been here!" From all she
could gather, Elsie had passed a restless night and had died of heart
failure in the morning. An overtaxed heart had given out by the exertion
of suddenly rising in bed.

Honor doubted if Captain Dalton could have done anything by visiting his
patient at night, yet his not having done so would always leave a
reproach against him. She felt it and, yet, strangely enough, wanted to
combat every argument that would have held him to blame.

When she was leaving the bungalow she came face to face with Captain
Dalton descending from his car; and so moved was she for the moment,
that she would not trust herself to do more than bow stiffly as she
passed, her face white in its repression, her eyes cold and distant. At
sight of him her agony returned in force; her heart for a moment stood
still. Why had he lied to them about visiting Sombari when it was Joyce
Meredith he had meant to see? Joyce with her lovely face and winning,
childish ways? Everyone must love Joyce because of her ingenuousness and
extraordinary beauty. The doctor had nursed her in camp under intimate
conditions ... and he had stolen a visit to her when duty had required
him in an opposite direction.

How was it possible to feel the same friendliness towards him with that
wild resentment raging at her heart? So Honor ran out to her pony,
sprang nimbly into the saddle, and rode rapidly away, feeling his
searching eyes upon her till she was out of sight.

CHAPTER XI

A SUNDAY OBSERVANCE

Honor Bright rode straight to the Bara Koti to tell Joyce of Elsie
Meek's death, not without a grim satisfaction in t