"Good morning, Miss Lingard," he said, looking more wooden-faced than ever. "Good morning, Lingard. Ahem--I've come on a rather unpleasant duty. Your presence is required in the orderly-room. The colonel has told me to receive your sword, and to place you under close arrest."
With a face as wooden as the adjutant's, and without a word, Ronnie went inside in search of his sword, and Captain Gloag turned to me and said:
"This is pretty awful for you, Miss Lingard. There has been some sort of mystery about the canteen funds, so the safe in the orderly-room was opened this morning--the drawer and the partition in which Lingard was understood to keep the notes was found empty. The safe has two keys; he had one when acting adjutant. Of course he _may_ be able to explain all this, but the colonel is in a terrible state--regimental funds should never be removed."
Here Ronnie appeared with his sword and handed it over in silence.
"Better start at once," said the adjutant. "Will you send for your pony?"
Ronnie gave the order, but otherwise remained dumb, and in less than five minutes I saw him ride away with Captain Gloag, who carried his sword in the sight of all spectators--our servants, and the Millses' servants--every one of whom realised what this portended as well as I did myself.
After the departure of Ronnie I sat as if stunned; possibly I could not have felt more utterly wretched had he been dead. Indeed, it almost seemed to me as if there were an element of death in the bungalow, such was the silence. Not a sound to be heard, except the dripping of a tap and a casual lizard pattering on the matting; all the servants (and other people's servants) were collected in our cookhouse, discussing the catastrophe. As a rule the usual daily routine is carried on, no matter what trouble overtakes a household, and presently I saw the butler preparing breakfast in the dining-room. Then he came to the door, salaamed with both hands, and said:
"Please, missie, to come and take something. Last night missie no dinner having; missie will be sick, and that plenty bad business for everyone."
This was true. If I were to collapse I would be of no use, nor able to face the struggle and strain which lay before me. I accepted the kind advice of Michael, ate a little breakfast and felt better. If Ronnie was about to fall into this awful trouble, I must consider how I could best assist him. I had already written home for money; I would arrange for the sale of everything, and if the worst came to the worst, we should have to go away somewhere together and hide our heads until the first fury of the storm had abated.