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THE WRECK

don't worry about it. I'll be in the next cabin and I shan't go to bed just yet."

Chakrabartti came to her door next. "Don't be frightened, dear; I dare this cursed storm to touch you!" Cursed though the storm might be, there was no doubt about its effect on Kamala. She sprang to the door and cried beseechingly, "Come in and sit be- side me, please, Uncle!"

Chakrabartti hestitated. "It's time you people were in bed. I had better- " He stepped inside as he spoke and at once noticed that Ramesh was not in the cabin. "Why, where's Ramesh Babu?" he ex- claimed in surprise; "he surely hasn't gone off to steal vegetables on a wild night like this!"

"Hallo, is that you, Uncle? I'm in here, next door."

Chakrabartti peeped into the adjoining cabin and saw Ramesh lying propped up in bed reading a book in the lamplight.

"Your good lady's nervous, all by herself," he re- marked, "you had better put away your book seeing that you can't frighten the storm away with it! Come along in here."

An uncontrollable instinct deprived Kamala of her self-command. "No, no, Uncle!" she ejaculated in a half-stifled voice, seizing him by the hand. In that howling tempest her voice did not penetrate to Ramesh's ears, but Chakrabartti heard and turned back in dismay.

Ramesh laid down his book and entered the other cabin. "What's the matter. Uncle Chakrabartti?" he asked ; "Kamala and you seem to be -"

"No, no!" interjected Kamala, without looking up at Ramesh; "I just asked him to come in for a chat." What she was negativing when she exclaimed, "No, no!" she did not herself know, but the meaning be- hind the words was, "If you think I need some one to

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