‘I knew you wouldn’t,’ said William, contentedly, ’Here’s your fifty.’

Scott bent forward and kissed the hand that held the greasy notes.  Its fellow patted him awkwardly but very tenderly on the head.

‘And you knew, too, didn’t you?’ said William, in a new voice.

’No, on my honour, I didn’t.  I hadn’t the—­the cheek to expect anything of the kind, except...  I say, were you out riding anywhere the day I passed by to Khanda?’

William nodded, and smiled after the manner of an angel surprised in a good deed.

‘Then it was just a speck I saw of your habit in the—­’

’Palm-grove on the Southern cart-road.  I saw your helmet when you came up from the nullah by the temple—­just enough to be sure that you were all right.  D’you care?’

This time Scott did not kiss her hand, for they were in the dusk of the dining-tent, and, because William’s knees were trembling under her, she had to sit down in the nearest chair, where she wept long and happily, her head on her arms; and when Scott imagined that it would be well to comfort her, she needed nothing of the kind; she ran to her own tent; and Scott went out into the world, and smiled upon it largely and idiotically.  But when Faiz Ullah brought him a drink, he found it necessary to support one hand with the other, or the good whisky and soda would have been spilled abroad.  There are fevers and fevers.

But it was worse—­much worse—­the strained, eye-shirking talk at dinner till the servants had withdrawn, and worst of all when Mrs. Jim, who had been on the edge of weeping from the soup down, kissed Scott and William, and they drank one whole bottle of champagne, hot, because there was no ice, and Scott and William sat outside the tent in the starlight till Mrs. Jim drove them in for fear of more fever.

Apropos of these things and some others William said:  ’Being engaged is abominable, because, you see, one has no official position.  We must be thankful that we’ve lots of things to do.’

‘Things to do!’ said Jim, when that was reported to him.  ’They’re neither of them any good any more.  I can’t get five hours’ work a day out of Scott.  He’s in the clouds half the time.’

’Oh, but they’re so beautiful to watch, Jimmy.  It will break my heart when they go.  Can’t you do anything for him?’

’I’ve given the Government the impression—­at least, I hope I have—­that he personally conducted the entire famine.  But all he wants is to get on to the Luni Canal Works, and William’s just as bad.  Have you ever heard ’em talking of barrage and aprons and wastewater.  It’s their style of spooning, I suppose.’

Mrs. Jim smiled tenderly.  ’Ah, that’s in the intervals—­bless ’em.’

And so Love ran about the camp unrebuked in broad daylight, while men picked up the pieces and put them neatly away of the Famine in the Eight Districts.

* * * * *