true British doggedness warmed her blood; after all, she was
there to fight for her rights and she would stand her ground. Almost
before she realised, the dominant air of superiority which characterises
her nation, no matter whither its subjects may roam, crept out above her
brief touch of timidity, and she found that she could stare defiantly
into the swarthy ranks.

"Is there no British agent here?" she demanded imperatively, perhaps a
little more shrilly than usual.

No one deigned to answer; glances of indifference, even scorn, passed
among the silent lookers-on, but that was all. It was more than her
pride could endure. Her smooth cheeks turned a deeper pink and her blue
eyes flashed.

"Does no one here understand the English language?" she demanded. "I
don't mean you, Mr. Saunders," she added sharply, as the little clerk
set the suitcase down abruptly and stepped forward, again fumbling his
much-fumbled straw hat. This was the moment when the red cocker's tail
came to grief. The dog arose with an astonished yelp and fled to his
mistress; he had never been so outrageously set upon before in all his
pampered life. Seizing the opportunity to vent her feelings upon one who
could understand, even as she poured soothings upon the insulted Pong,
whom she clasped in her arms, Lady Agnes transformed the unlucky
Saunders into a target for a most ably directed volley of wrath. The
shadow of a smile swept down the threatening row of dark faces.

Lord Deppingham, a slow and cumbersome young man, stood by nervously
fingering his eyeglass. For the first time he felt that the clerk was
better than a confounded dog, after all. He surprised every one, his
wife most of all, by coolly interfering, not particularly in defence of
the clerk but in behalf of the Deppingham dignity.

"My dear," he said, waving Saunders into the background, "I think it was
an accident. The dog had no business going to sleep--" he paused and
inserted his monocle for the purpose of looking up the precise spot
where the accident had occurred.

"He wasn't asleep," cried his wife.

"Then, my dear, he has positively no excuse to offer for getting his
tail in the way of the bag. If he was awake and didn't have sense
enough--"

"Oh, rubbish!" exclaimed her ladyship. "I suppose you expect the poor
darling to apologise."

"All this has nothing to do with the case. We're more interested in
learning where we are and where we are to go. Permit me to have a