their clownish humour, and they danced in front of her balcony, shouting out rude witticisms that caused much amusement to the lookers-on.  Fortunately the girl’s command of the language, fairly good though it was, was insufficient to enable her to understand their coarse jests.  But their intention to insult her became obvious.  The leaping, howling mob of strangely apparelled performers threatened to storm her balcony.  Some climbed on each other’s shoulders to get nearer her, others even began to swarm up the pillars supporting her balcony.  To the delight of the audience the noisy mob eventually clambered up to the railing of the balcony and, jesting, laughing, uttering weird cries, perched on it and shouted and jeered at her.

Her face flaming, the girl drew back and was about to retire into her room when suddenly she stopped, rigid with surprise.  For above the shouts of the maskers, the roars of the spectators and the din of the clashing cymbals and braying trumpets, she heard her name spoken distinctly.  Incredulous she stood rooted to the ground and stared at the yelling clowns perched on the railing.  The uproar redoubled; but again she distinguished one word above it all: 

“Muriel!”

A wild hope flashed into her heart.  Pretending to be amused at the antics of the performers she advanced laughingly towards them.  They gesticulated and shouted more furiously than ever.  But in the medley of strange sounds she distinctly heard the words: 

“It’s I, Frank.  Don’t be afraid.”

They seemed to come from the papier mache head of a grotesque serpent worn by a man who was foremost among her tormentors and wildest in his frenzied gestures.  Smiling the girl stood her ground even when some of the maskers, encouraged by her attitude, climbed down from the rail and surrounded her, dancing, hallooing, leaping.  The snake-headed one was the wildest in his antics and shrieked and shouted loudest of them all.  But mixed up with incoherent cries and sounds she caught the words: 

“Are you guarded?” A wild yell followed.  “Can you get out?” Then he yelled like a mad jackal.

With wildly-beating heart the girl pretended to repulse the advances of the maskers good-humouredly and spoke to all in English, telling them to leave her balcony and cease to molest her.  But with her laughing remonstrances she mingled the words: 

“I am not guarded.  I can leave my room.  I will go down to the temple and wait behind the statue of Buddha.”

Then the serpent-headed one, aided by another with dragon mask, both uttering fiendish yells, pushed his companions back to the railing, just as the Penlop spoke to one of his officials who shouted across to them an angry command to leave the white woman alone.  The scared maskers tumbled over each other in their hurry to quit the balcony.