It was in fact the size of two or three cabins thrown into one and there was in one corner a large four-poster brass bedstead of the type with which the P & O had furnished their latest Steamship, the fastest and most luxurious vessel afloat.

The mosquito net used for Far Eastern runs was swirled round the top and, supported by its four shining posts, it looked rather like a galleon waiting to set its sails.

There was a thick carpet on the floor and two comfortable armchairs, beside a table fixed to the floor in case of rough weather and several other pieces of furniture.

The portholes were large and curtained and there was, the best luxury of all, a bathroom opening out of the cabin.

Lord Castleford smiled.

“I think I can manage with this,” he said. “After all, it is only for one or two nights.”

“I am glad it is to your satisfaction, my Lord,” Jenkins replied.

There had been a slightly worried look on his thin face as he watched Lord Castleford looking round the cabin.

If his Master was made uncomfortable, Jenkins always took it as a personal insult to himself.

He had been in Lord Castleford’s service for eight years and he was an excellent traveller. In fact his Lordship had said often enough that half of his success in the East was due entirely to Jenkins’s care of him.

“I’ve arranged, my Lord,” the valet went on now, “for you to have your meals here and I have already spoken to the chef who is only too grateful for me to give him a hand in the preparation of your dishes.”

He paused before he added,

“I have, of course, brought a considerable amount of food with me from the Embassy. His Excellency’s chef was most obliging!”

“I am sure you have thought of everything, Jenkins,” Lord Castleford said in a slightly bored voice.

He enjoyed the results of Jenkins’s meticulous planning, but he found it tedious to listen to long explanations as to how his successes, as they undoubtedly were, were achieved.

“Would you like anything now, my Lord?”

“Nothing, thank you,” Lord Castleford replied. “I had a light meal with His Excellency before we left the Embassy. It was early, but, as I was out riding at seven o’clock this morning, I was hungry enough to enjoy what I ate.”

“I can believe that, my Lord.”

“You can bring me some tea at four o’clock. Until then I intend to work on my papers. You have managed to procure a desk for me, I see.”

“Yes, my Lord. I had it moved in from one of the holds where quite a large amount of furniture has been stored while the ship is carrying troops.”

“Thank you, Jenkins.”