The good lady from Southern India was out of her chair with the little girl in her arms by this time.
"What—what did the man do?" sobbed the child.
"Why, dearest, he did nothing but pull my steamer rug up around my neck and tuck me in nice and warm. They were good, harmless men and had only stopped to rest after their long climb. I was a foolish, easily frightened woman. And do you know, dear, the song they had been singing? I found out afterwards that it was simply this, variations of which they chant to every passenger: 'Such a big lady! Such a big lady!' the first two sang and the answer from the other two was, 'Such a big present! Such a big present!'
"And I did give them a good big present when I got safely home, you may be sure, because I was so greatly pleased to find all my trouble had been in my own mind, as almost all of my troubles have always been.
"Now, for bed, little girl, and I'll tell you a really nice story to go to sleep on."
And the lady from Southern India bore Gladys away to her stateroom before the rest of the company had time to make any comments upon her narration.