is nonsense!" the collector interrupted. "Professor
Schillingschen is the honored friend of the British government. He
came to us here with the most influential backing--letter of
introduction from very exalted personages, I assure you! Professor
Schillingschen is one of the most, if not the most, learned
ethnologists in the world to-day. How dare you traduce him!"

"But you heard him tell lies in court!" I gasped. "You were there.
You heard his evidence absolutely disproved. How do you explain that
away?"

"I don't attempt to! The explanation is for you to make!" he answered.
"The fact that he did not succeed in proving his case against
you is nothing in itself! Many a case in court is lost from lack of
proper evidence! And one more matter! Lady Isobel Saffren Waldon is
staying--or rather, I should say, was staying at the hotel. She is now
staying at my house. She complains to me of very rude treatment at the
hands of you three men--insolent treatment I should call it! I can
assure you that the way to get on in this Protectorate is not to behave
like cads toward ladies of title! I understand that her maid is afraid
to be caught alone by any one of you, and that Lady Saffren Waldon
herself feels scarcely any safer!"

Fred and I saw the humor of the thing, and that enabled us to save Will
from disaster. There never was a man more respectful of women than
Will. He would even get off the sidewalk for a black woman, and would
neither tell nor laugh at the sort of stories that pass current about
women in some smoking-rooms. His hair bristled. His ears stuck out on
either side of his head. He leaned forward--laid one strong brown hand
on the desk--and shook his left fist under the collector's nose.

"You poor boob!" he exploded. Then he calmed himself. "I'm sorry for
your government if you're the brightest jewel it has for this job!
That Jane will use everything you've got except the squeal! Great
suffering Jemima! Your title is collector, is it? Do you collect bugs
by any chance? You act like it! So help you two men and a boy, a
bughouse is where I believe you belong! Come along, fellows, he'll
bite us if we stay!"

"Be advised" said the collector, leaning back in his chair and
sneering. "Behave yourselves! This is no country for taking chances
with the law!"

"Remember Courtney's advice," said Fred when we got outside. "Suppose
we give him a few days to learn the facts about Lady Isobel