"Not to helping, or anything of the kind. She told us that she was another man's wife by now." "Well, that shows that she was cognisant of the matter; and I say that we ought to make a clean breast of the affair." "Well, I'm such a pusillanimous coward, that I can't screw myself up to doing anything of the kind. One can't help feeling foolish over the matter. Hang it all, no, keep it quiet! We are in an out-of-the-way place certainly; but this is an awfully small marble of a world, and if we tell our story, it would get into the _Straits Times_, and from that into the Calcutta papers; and once there, the tit-bit of two officers being carried off by a wicked Eastern princess will soon run over to England, and go the round of the press. Why, hang it, man, we had better retire from the service!" Hilton stood leaning half out of the window of their quarters listening to his friend. "It would be awkward," he said. "Awkward's nothing to it, my dear boy. And besides, you know what comes about if we make all known. Harley will consider that he is in duty bound to arrest the Inche Maida, or something of the kind, and then look at the consequences!" "But the woman ought to be punished." "Yes, of course; but the punishment is coming. You see by her act she has shut herself out from all connection with the station, and I daresay if the truth is known she has collected her valuables and fled." "I hope she has," replied Hilton, "for if steps are taken to arrest her, I should be, I confess, sorry for her to be caught." "Let it slide then," cried Chumbley; "we can't war against a woman. Come, you'll oblige me, old fellow, greatly, by giving way." "What do you want me to do then?" "A little ill that good may come: keep to our story of having been seized and not knowing where we were taken." Hilton nodded and looked thoughtful. "You give way then?" "Yes, I give way." "Hilton, old fellow, I'm much obliged. I know we shall have, perhaps, to do a little bit of invention, but it is invention to save a woman, and there is a lot of truth in it. Then, too, see how it saves us." "Still, I can't help thinking that, if she had anything to do with carrying off Helen Perowne, she ought to be punished; and mind this, though I care nothing for Helen now, if it proves afterwards that she helped in that cruel affair, I'll have no mercy upon her." "She had nothing to do with it, take my word," said Chumbley, who had grown so excited that he forgot to drawl. "Here's the case, depend upon it. She got to know that Murad meant to carry off Helen, and she thought that she would do the same by you." "Wretched creature!" "Say silly child," said Chumbley. "These people have half of them the cleverness and weak, petty ways of children combined." "Then you feel certain that Murad alone carried off Helen?" "I lay a hundred to one he has. Harley's right. When do we start?"