do much, but to make advances to another woman she has once condemned and cut is a hard task that few women are equal to. But I hid what I thought from Boy, though I couldn't meet those honest eyes of his, and I too looked out to sea—to be able to do which is so great a compensation for so many of the trials that life on board ship brings.
'You will do it, won't you?' he said eagerly. 'She's an awfully good sort really, but these people here misunderstand her and don't appreciate her. You see, half of them are officials, who of course keep to themselves and look down on the non-officials, while the other half are Delhi-Durbarites out from home, who don't have much to say to anyone outside their own circle either.'
'And did she know no one when she came on board?' I asked.
'Not a soul, she told me so herself.' Poor Boy! the thought of doubting her word never so much as entered his head.
The end of it was, of course, that I promised, and was straightway perfectly miserable for the next two days. Boy tactfully didn't mention the subject again, but I knew he was wondering when I was going to fulfil my promise. Time after time I wandered round the deck in a restless sort of way, trying to make up my mind to go and speak to her. But always something happened to prevent it. That evil old General was sitting with her mostly, or else her chair was packed in so closely among a crowd of other chairs that it was impossible to get near her. I had hoped to begin by being more
