"Well, none of the crowd were better than they should be. Still, I am glad that someone has whacked Maur. I can't quite believe in his injured innocence. If he didn't deserve a licking for this he's simply asked for it elsewhere, for many moons. But I hate a rotten show of this sort in any Station. I wish Sterne would hurry up and get out. But wherever they go in Burma now, people can hardly be expected to call."
* * * * * *
Yes, most decidedly Cyprian would have to go. The children complicated matters, particularly Thu Daw. Otherwise, things were made easier by Peter's telegram which Cyprian had forgotten to give Ferlie until the morning after that interview in Digby Maur's garden.
It was a long telegram explaining that Maddock had been invited to betake himself, and party, on a visit to the Andaman Islands, where an old friend of his was acting as Chief Commissioner.
"Bring John and come self Cyprian if possible," ended the telegram.
"It's so like Peter to prepay the reply in order to give me no time to think," said Ferlie. "Do we go, Cyprian?"
That they should separate she did not contemplate for a moment. But he glanced at Thu Daw before raising questioning eyes to her.
She picked up the gurgling golden-skinned atom and smiled at him over its head.
"Why! We have no choice in the matter."
"I haven't, my dear, but you..."