buying blankets and a carpet and other small luxuries, to
break the Mandalay monastery to him as gently as possible.

When three days passed and he made no sign of moving on, she quietly
intimated that it might be as well to begin the new life without delay,
and said she had written to her brother, himself a priest in the
monastery, to meet Dr Groene at Mandalay and present him to the
authorities at the monastery.

This must probably have been about the time that I asked him innocently
how long he would be staying in Rangoon.

His plan had doubtless been to go to Mandalay in a dilettante sort of
fashion, and to live in the monastery for a time, with the hope of
getting access to some valuable and little known MSS.; but it did not
suit his plans at all to be met at once by the brother of his
benefactress, and kept under the eye of this priest, who knew exactly
the circumstances under which he had been enabled to take the long
journey from Marseilles.

Being evidently a prudent man, he determined to seize the first
opportunity for retreat from an impossible situation. How he raised
enough money for the return voyage is not known. My Burmese acquaintance
thought he must have applied to one of the Consulates, and that his
university position would doubtless ensure his raising a loan.

Anyway, he shipped himself surreptitiously once more on board the
_Devonshire_, and arranged that the letter, containing the usual excuse
of a "sudden telegram from Marseilles announcing the unexpected death of
a near relation," should not be handed to his benefactress until the
anchor was safely weighed.

It was not a pleasant story, and treachery is no less perfidious for
having an intellectual motive. I felt glad that Dr Groene was not a
fellow-countryman.

Having disburdened herself on this one point of righteous indignation,
our little Burmese lady became as bright and cheery as a child, wearing
her collection of pretty native dresses, which could all have been
packed easily into a fair-sized doll's trunk, with singular grace and
charm. When the tender arrived to disembark us in Calcutta, her husband
came with it, and was speedily introduced.

We had tea with them a few days later in their handsome Calcutta flat,
and this gave me the opportunity for a long and interesting talk with
the husband, who proved to be a most intelligent and open-minded man.

He spoke of Fielding Hall's delightful book with appreciation tinged by
kindl