was married to the dearest, sweetest woman in the world. Her name was Liane Warburton, sister of the comrade who had deserted me down there in the jungle."
"That was rather an odd coincidence," declared Coningsby, breaking into the conversation for the first time."
"Yes," replied Mowbray, "extremely odd. But I never told my wife the truth, nor would I have her know for the world. In the old days she thought a great deal of Morris, and if she knew the truth it would break her heart. And now for the first time since that day I have heard news of Warburton. He is somewhere down in the Rana Country in East Africa. He has no supplies and he cannot come back. At present he is staying at a little native village. Someone must go down and bring him back. I cannot go, for he would not trust me after what has happened. As I pondered over the problem, I thought of you. … I want you to go down into the Rana country and find Warburton, no matter what it costs, you must find him, and when you do you must tell him that for his sister's sake, all is forgotten."
A few hours later the contracts had been duly signed and sworn to, and Coningsby returned to his own rooms in the same building feeling happier than he had been for weeks. For now he had a great work to do, down in the country where a man must work like a man.
******
