“Not an insurmountable difficulty, sir,” he replied, “but Sin Sin Wa is a marked man. He has the longest and thickest pigtail which I ever saw on a human scalp. I take it he is a Southerner of the old school; therefore, he won’t cut it off. He has also only one eye, and while there are many one-eyed Chinamen, there are few one-eyed Chinamen who possess pigtails like a battleship’s hawser. Furthermore, he travels with a talking raven, and I’ll swear he won’t leave it behind. On the other hand, he is endowed with an amount of craft which comes very near to genius.”
“And—Mrs. Monte Irvin?”
Quentin Gray turned suddenly, and his boyish face was very pale.
“Seton, Seton!” he said. “For God’s sake tell me the truth! Do you think—”
He stopped, choking emotionally. Seton Pasha watched him with that cool, confident stare which could either soothe or irritate; and:
“She was alive this morning, Gray,” he replied quietly, “we heard her. You may take it from me that they will offer her no violence. I shall say no more.”
Lord Wrexborough cleared his throat and took up a document from the table.
“Your remark raises another point, Quentin,” he said sternly, “which has to be settled today. Your appointment to Cairo was confirmed this morning. You sail on Tuesday.”
Quentin Gray turned again abruptly and stared out of the window.
“You’re practically kicking me out, sir,” he said. “I don’t know what I’ve done.”