"You are a pair of pessimists," he pronounced. "For some reason
best known to themselves Jennings and Knox have decided upon a
Busman's Holiday. Very well. Why grumble?"
"You are quite right, Doctor," Jennings admitted. "When I was on
service here in the Straits Settlements I declared heaven knows
how often that the country would never see me again once I was
demobbed. Yet here you see I am; Burton belongs here; but here's
Knox, and we are all as fed up as we can be!"
"Yes," said Burton slowly. "I may be a bit tired of Singapore.
It's a queer thing, though, that you fellows have drifted back
here again. The call of the East is no fable. It's a call that
one hears for ever."
The conversation drifted into another channel, and all sorts of
topics were discussed, from racing to the latest feminine
fashions, from ballroom dances to the merits and demerits of
coalition government. Then suddenly:
"What became of Adderley?" asked Jennings.
There were several men in the party who had been cronies of ours
during the time that we were stationed in Singapore, and at
Jennings's words a sort of hush seemed to fall on those who had
known Adderley. I cannot say if Jennings noticed this, but it
was perfectly evident to me that Dr.
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