Chapter TwoLord Hawkston decided that he would speak to the Governor about his problem of finding a wife for his nephew, Gerald.
He was wondering what he would tell Sir Arthur about Emily Ludgrove, only to find the moment he opened the conversation that she had forestalled him.
Sir Arthur Gordon, a grandson of the Earl of Aberdeen, whom Lord Hawkston had known slightly before he left for England, was a man of austere dignity who inspired his subordinates with awe as well as respect.
When he had assumed charge in Ceylon in 1883, the island was still racked by the economic crisis of the coffee slump, but the tide was turning slowly and the plantations were exploring the possibilities not only of tea but also of cinchong.
Sir Arthur took a personal interest in these developments especiall
