"No, sahib. What did sahib eat last night?"

"Nothing that would have kept me awake," answered Duncan. "I had an early dinner in the city, and I read for a while in the evening, after I came home. I did eat one of those peppermints in the dish over there on the table not long before I went to bed."

The Hindu went to the table. He took a peppermint from the dish and tasted it.

"At what time did sahib go to bed?" he asked. "You will recall, sahib, that I was not here."

"That's right," replied Duncan. "You went out for the evening, after I came in, didn't you? I guess it was about midnight when I retired."

"Sahib had dreams last night?"

Duncan hesitated a moment before replying.

"Unusual dreams," he said. "They were very vivid, as though they were real. They seemed like something was going to happen — as if I were waiting."

"And time went very slowly?" questioned Abdul.

"Yes," admitted Duncan. "Why do you ask that, Abdul?"