Kelly looked at him with his kindly, curious eyes.  “Can’t you get things fixed up here and bring her along to Brennerstadt for the races and the diamond gamble?  It would do you both good to have a change.”

Burke shook his head, “I doubt if she would care for it.  And young Guy would want to come too.  If he did, he would soon get up to mischief again.  He has gone back to his hut this morning, cleared out early.  I hope he is to be trusted to behave himself.”

“Oh, leave the boy alone!” said Kelly.  “He’s got some decent feelings of his own, and it doesn’t do to mother him too much.  Give him his head for a bit!  He’s far less likely to bolt.”

Burke shrugged his shoulders.  “I can’t hold him if he means to go, I quite admit.  But I haven’t much faith in his keeping on the straight, and that’s a fact.  I don’t like his going back to the hut, and I’d have prevented it if I’d known.  But I slept in the sitting-room last night, and I was dead beat.  He cleared out early.”

“Didn’t anyone see him go?” queried Kelly keenly.

“Yes.  My wife.”  Again Burke’s tone was curt, repressive.  “She couldn’t stop him.”

“She made him hold hard with the brandy-bottle last night,” said Kelly.  “I admired her for it.  She’s got a way with her, Burke.  Sure, the devil himself couldn’t have resisted her then.”

Burke’s faint smile showed for a moment; he said nothing.

“How you must worship her!” went on Kelly, with amiable effusion.  “Some fellows have all the luck.  Sure, you’re never going to let that sweet angel languish here like that poor little Mrs. Merston!  You wouldn’t now!  Come, you wouldn’t!”

But Burke passed the matter by.  He had pressing affairs on hand, and obviously it was not his intention to discuss his conduct towards his wife even with the worthy Kelly whose blundering goodness so often carried him over difficult ground that few others would have ventured to negotiate.

He left Kelly to dress, and went back to the bungalow where Sylvia was busy with a duster trying to get rid of some of the sand that thickly covered everything.  He had scarcely spoken to her that morning except for news Of Guy, but now he drew her aside.

“Look here!” he said.  “Don’t wear yourself out!”

She gave him a quick look.  “Oh, I shan’t do that.  Work is good for me.  Isn’t this sand too awful for words?”

She spoke with a determined effort to assume the old careless attitude towards him, but the nervous flush on her cheeks betrayed her.

He put his hand on her shoulder, and wheeled her round somewhat suddenly towards the light.  “You didn’t sleep last night,” he said.

She tried to laugh, but she could not check the hot flush of embarrassment that raced into her pale cheeks under his look.  “I couldn’t help it,” she said.  “I was rather wound up yesterday.  It—­was an exciting day, wasn’t it?”