Page:Henry rideout--The siamese cat.djvu/159

 be pebble, or ruby, or child's marble. "I must get a silversmith to file it off."

He screwed home the shutter, locked his door, and ongoing to breakfast hired a Malay to stand guard. The ship lay anchored in Singapore harbour; on their port hand rose the city. The flat stretch of Collyer Quai, the low billows of arsenical verdure, slept cool and silent; but sunrise tipped the pale Memorial tower, and the signal masts on the hill.

Beside the breakfast table, already being laid on deck, Mrs. Holborow and Laura stood facing their guide,—all three, from heel to helmet, rigid with anger.

"That will do! That is quite sufficient!" snapped Aunt Julia, her voice trembling like a plucked bow-string. "Mr. Scarlett, will you please—Good-morning—will you please see us to our hotel presently, or at least to the Johnston Pier? And kindly inform this—this