Trapped by Malays | Page 9

a habit of contracting his nerves and muscles so that a
pretty good display of wrinkles came into view all over his forehead
and at the corners of his lips and eyes, presenting to him quite a
different-looking sort of fellow from the one known to his friends.
The morning after the mess dinner, he had given a parting glance in his
little mirror, looking very much screwed-up, for his mind was busy
with rather troublous thoughts, among which were the events of the
past day, especially those connected with his interview with the Major.
Then he had hurried off to take advantage of what little time he had
before going on duty, and made for the Doctor's bungalow. It was not
much of a place; but the glorious tropic foliage, the distant view of the
river, and, above all, the flowers of the most brilliant colours that were
always rushing into bloom or tumbling off to deck the ground made it a
brilliant spot in the station, and as he neared it his face smoothed, his
sun-browned forehead lost its wrinkles, and, just as he expected, he
caught sight of the two reasons for the bungalow looking so bright and
gay.
One reason was the Doctor's wife busy in the garden with a basket and
a pair of scissors, snipping off bunch and cluster ready for filling vase
and basin in the shaded rooms; the other was standing upon a chair
helping climber to twine and tendril to catch hold of trellis and wire
which made the front of the cottage-like structure one blaze of colour.
"Morning, ladies," cried the lad.
"Morning, Archie," cried the Doctor's wife, a pleasant, middle-aged,
pink, sunshiny-looking lady, whose smooth skin seemed to possess the
power of reflecting all sun-rays that played upon it so that they never
fixed there a spot of tan. "Come to help garden?"
"Yes; all right. What shall I do?" cried the lad.

"Make Minnie jump down off that chair, and tuck up the wild tendrils
of that climber."
"No, no, auntie; I don't want him," cried the owner of the busy hands,
as she reached up higher to hook on one tendril, and failed; for the long
strand laden with blossom missed the wire that ought to have held it,
fell backwards, and, as if directed by invisible fairy hands, formed itself
into a wreath over her hair, startling her so that she would have lost her
footing upon the chair had she not made a quick leap to the floor of the
veranda, bringing down another trailing strand.
"Ha, ha! Serve you right, Miss Independence!" cried Archie, running to
her help.
"No, no, don't. I can do it myself," cried the girl. "Mind; that flower's so
tender, and I know you will break it."
"Suppose I do," said Archie. "No, you don't; I'll take it off and twine it
up myself, even if my fingers are so clumsy. I say, Minnie, it's lucky
for you that it isn't that climbing rose, or there would be some
scratches."
He sprang upon the chair, busied himself for a few minutes, and then
leaped down again, to stand with brow wrinkled, gazing up at his work.
"There," he said; "won't that do?"
"Yes," said the girl, with a slight pout of two rather pretty lips. "It will
do; but it isn't high enough."
"Oh, come, it's higher than you could have reached.--Don't say the
Doctor's out, Mrs Morley?"
"No; but he's got somebody with him;" and the speaker glanced at her
niece, who turned away and looked conscious. "I am not surprised,"
continued the Doctor's wife, and she looked fixedly now at her visitor.
"What at?" replied the lad wonderingly.

"How innocent!--What do you say, Minnie? Look at him!"
The girl turned sharply, fixed her eyes upon the young officer's face,
and laughed merrily.
"What are you laughing at?" he cried, hurriedly taking out a
handkerchief. "Have I made my face dirty?"
"No, sir.--We were quite right, auntie. I can't think how young men can
be so stupid."
"'Tis their nature to," said Archie, laughing, as he replaced his
handkerchief. "But what have I been doing stupid now, Minnie?"
"Sitting in a hot room and drinking what doesn't agree with you, sir."
"I couldn't help the room being hot," replied the lad, rather indignantly.
"No, sir; but you could have helped giving yourself a headache and
coming here this morning to ask uncle for a cooling draught."
"Oh, that's it, is it, Miss Clever? Well, you are all wrong."
"I am glad to hear it, Archie," said Mrs Morley. "I thought you had
come to see the Doctor."
"That's right," said the lad, screwing up his face again and nodding
rather defiantly, boy and girl fashion, at the young lady gardener.
"Somebody