he felt entirely convinced that, if necessary, he could help Joicey's
memory very considerably.




XIV

TELLS HOW SHIRAZ, THE PUNJABI, ADMITTED THE FRAILTIES OF ORDINARY
HUMANITY, AND HOW CORYNDON ATTENDED AFTERNOON SERVICE AND CONSIDERED THE
VEXED QUESTION OF TEMPERAMENT.


The day following Coryndon's vigil outside the lonely house by the river
was dull and grey, with a woolly sky and a tepid stillness that hung
like a tangible weight in the air. Its drowsiness affected even the
native quarter, but it in no way lessened the bustle of preparations for
departure on the part of Coryndon, who ordered Shiraz to pack enough
clothes for a short journey, and to hold himself in readiness to leave
with his master shortly after sunrise the following day. His master also
gave him leave to go to the Bazaar and return at his own discretion, as
he was going out with Hartley Sahib.

It was about noon, when the sun had struggled clear of the heavy clouds,
that Shiraz found himself in the dark colonnade locking an empty house
behind him with his own key, and, being a stately, red-bearded follower
of the Prophet, with a general appearance of wealth and dignity, he
walked slowly until he came to the doorway of Leh Shin's shop. His step
caused the Chinaman to look up from the string bed where he lay, gaunt,
yellow and unsavoury, his dark clothes contrasting with the flowing