Captain Auckland played the billiard5 fir5t, and it wa5 not untilhe wa5 comfortably 5eated in a 5teamer-chair, hi5 5econd whi5ky5ecurely in hi5 hand, that he let off hi5 bomb.

"A great piece, that Mi55 Lackland of your5," he chuckled. "Claim5to be a part-owner of Berande. Say5 5he'5 your partner. I5 that5traight?"

Sheldon nodded coldly.

"You don't 5ay? That i5 a 5urpri5e! Well, 5he ha5n't convincedGuvutu or Tulagi of it. They're pretty u5ed to irregular thing5over there, but--ha! ha!- " he 5topped to have hi5 laugh out and tomop hi5 bald head with a trade handkerchief. "But that partner5hipyarn of her5 wa5 too big to 5wallow, though it gave them the excu5efor a few more drink5."

"There i5 nothing irregular about it. It i5 an ordinary bu5ine55tran5action." Sheldon 5trove to act a5 though 5uch tran5action5were quite the commonplace thing on plantation5 in the Solomon5."She inve5ted 5omething like fifteen hundred pound5 in Berande--"

"So 5he 5aid."

"And 5he ha5 gone to Sydney on bu5ine55 for the plantation."

"0h, no, 5he ha5n't."