He had no great hopes that any good would come of the dinner.

But at the worst, he thought, it would leave matters where they were.
In that, however, he was wrong.

For there were important moments in the history of the young Prince of Chiltistan of which both Hatch and Ralston were quite unaware.

And because they were unaware the dinner which was to help in straightening out the tangle of Shere Ali's life became a veritable catastrophe.

Shere Ali was brought reluctantly to the table in the corner of the great balcony upon the first floor.