ve talked with no
one."

"Then you will stay in this room until we leave?"

"But why did you send for them? It was foolish! How will you explain?"

"They are friends. Such men ask no questions."

"But there was no need!" She made a despairing gesture with her hands.
"Your friends could have gone safely. Jen has no interest in--_them_!"

Peter nodded indifferently. "But my ship sails."

"Very good. But you must not leave this house until sunrise."

"When the sailors come from the _Madrusa_ I shall walk out of here----"

"And into the arms of death, Peter!"

Peter lighted a cigarette and puffed thoughtfully in silence. Romola's
gaze was upon his lips, as though the next words he would utter meant
to her the difference between life and death.

And what he might have said was forestalled by a heavy battering at the
outer door. These deep vibrations seemed on the sudden to stir Peggy
out of her sleep. She sat upright, digging fists into tired eyes.

"Gracious! Where's everybody?"

The hammering ceased, and a high-pitched crash followed an instant of
hush.

"The men from the _Madrusa_!" cried Anthony. He dragged the bench
away; flung the door open with a grand gesture.

And into the room strode a blandly smiling Chinese, magnificent in gold
and blue and red. He was flanked by three large and watchful coolies,
armed with clubs.

"Mr. Moore; I am the man from the Jen Kee Road place!" He radiated a
splendid calm.

Peggy cowered against her sister, with a look of sleepy mystification,
while Anthony, glancing to Peter for command, was fingering his
revolver in anxious indecision. Already one of the coolies was sidling
toward him.

"You were a deck coolie this morning," Peter replied.

The Chinese took a step toward him. Peter felt Romola cringe at his
side. He wondered at this.

"Shall we wait until sunrise, or----"

A sudden babble of men's voices on the other side of the partition
checked the Chinese, while a look of misunderstanding came over his
bland countenance.

"Moore! Moore! Where are you?" These were the rich tones of a man
accustomed to command.

And instantly the small room seemed to be overflowing with the white
and blue of uniforms.

Peggy stood straight up with a wondering gasp. Confronting her was a
tall and handsome youth with the gold-and-black epaulets of his
majesty's service at the shoulder-straps of his splendid white uniform.
A cutlass in a nickeled case hu