I might have been moved to ask her if she had remained free much longer." "I wish to Heaven you had!" said Tommy bluntly.
And again Monck uttered his short, sardonic laugh.

"Thank you, Tommy," he said.
There fell a silence between them, and a hot draught eddied up through the parched compound and rattled the scorched twigs of the creeping rose on the verandah with a desolate sound, as if skeleton hands were feeling along the trellis-work.

Tommy suppressed a shudder and got to his feet.
In the same moment Monck spoke again, deliberately, emotionlessly, with a hint of grimness.

"By the way, Tommy, I've a piece of news for you.
That letter I had from my brother this, evening contained news of an urgent business matter which only I can deal with.

It has come at a rather unfortunate moment as Barnes, the policeman, brought some disturbing information this evening from Khanmulla and the Chief wanted to make use of me in that quarter.