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| author | Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> | 2025-10-15 05:18:15 -0700 |
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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/2035-0.txt b/2035-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..261810a --- /dev/null +++ b/2035-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,4861 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Stories by English Authors: Orient, by Various + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Stories by English Authors: Orient + +Author: Various + +Release Date: March 25, 2006 [EBook #2035] +Last Updated: September 21, 2016 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: UTF-8 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES BY ENGLISH AUTHORS: ORIENT *** + + + + +Produced by Dagny; and John Bickers + + + + + +STORIES BY ENGLISH AUTHORS + +ORIENT + + + + +CONTENTS: + + THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, Rudyard Kipling + TAJIMA, Miss Mitford + A CHINESE GIRL GRADUATE, R. K. Douglas + THE REVENGE OF HER RACE, Mary Beaumont + KING BILLY OF BALLARAT, Morley Roberts + THY HEART’S DESIRE, Netta Syrett + + + + +THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, By Rudyard Kipling + + Brother to a Prince and fellow to a beggar if he be found + worthy + +The Law, as quoted, lays down a fair conduct of life, and one not +easy to follow. I have been fellow to a beggar again and again under +circumstances which prevented either of us finding out whether the other +was worthy. I have still to be brother to a Prince, though I once came +near to kinship with what might have been a veritable King, and was +promised the reversion of a Kingdom--army, law-courts, revenue, and +policy all complete. But, to-day, I greatly fear that my King is dead, +and if I want a crown I must go hunt it for myself. + +The beginning of everything was in a railway-train upon the road to Mhow +from Ajmir. There had been a Deficit in the Budget, which necessitated +travelling, not Second-class, which is only half as dear as First-Class, +but by Intermediate, which is very awful indeed. There are no cushions +in the Intermediate class, and the population are either Intermediate, +which is Eurasian, or native, which for a long night journey is nasty, +or Loafer, which is amusing though intoxicated. Intermediates do not buy +from refreshment-rooms. They carry their food in bundles and pots, and +buy sweets from the native sweetmeat-sellers, and drink the roadside +water. This is why in hot weather Intermediates are taken out of the +carriages dead, and in all weathers are most properly looked down upon. + +My particular Intermediate happened to be empty till I reached +Nasirabad, when the big black-browed gentleman in shirt-sleeves entered, +and, following the custom of Intermediates, passed the time of day. He +was a wanderer and a vagabond like myself, but with an educated +taste for whisky. He told tales of things he had seen and done, of +out-of-the-way corners of the Empire into which he had penetrated, and +of adventures in which he risked his life for a few days’ food. + +“If India was filled with men like you and me, not knowing more than +the crows where they’d get their next day’s rations, it isn’t seventy +millions of revenue the land would be paying--it’s seven hundred +millions,” said he; and as I looked at his mouth and chin I was disposed +to agree with him. + +We talked politics,--the politics of Loaferdom that sees things from +the under side where the lath and plaster is not smoothed off,--and we +talked postal arrangements because my friend wanted to send a telegram +back from the next station to Ajmir, the turning-off place from the +Bombay to the Mhow line as you travel westward. My friend had no money +beyond eight annas which he wanted for dinner, and I had no money at +all, owing to the hitch in the Budget before mentioned. Further, I was +going into a wilderness where, though I should resume touch with the +Treasury, there were no telegraph offices. I was, therefore, unable to +help him in any way. + +“We might threaten a Station-master, and make him send a wire on tick,” + said my friend, “but that’d mean inquiries for you and for me, and +_I_‘ve got my hands full these days. Did you say you were travelling +back along this line within any days?” + +“Within ten,” I said. + +“Can’t you make it eight?” said he. “Mine is rather urgent business.” + +“I can send your telegrams within ten days if that will serve you,” I +said. + +“I couldn’t trust the wire to fetch him, now I think of it. It’s this +way. He leaves Delhi on the 23rd for Bombay. That means he’ll be running +through Ajmir about the night of the 23rd.” + +“But I’m going into the Indian Desert,” I explained. + +“Well _and_ good,” said he. “You’ll be changing at Marwar Junction to +get into Jodhpore territory,--you must do that,--and he’ll be coming +through Marwar Junction in the early morning of the 24th by the +Bombay Mail. Can you be at Marwar Junction on that time? ‘T won’t be +inconveniencing you, because I know that there’s precious few pickings +to be got out of these Central India States--even though you pretend to +be correspondent of the ‘Backwoodsman.’” + +“Have you ever tried that trick?” I asked. + +“Again and again, but the Residents find you out, and then you get +escorted to the Border before you’ve time to get your knife into them. +But about my friend here. I _must_ give him a word o’ mouth to tell him +what’s come to me, or else he won’t know where to go. I would take it +more than kind of you if you was to come out of Central India in time to +catch him at Marwar Junction, and say to him, ‘He has gone South for the +week.’ He’ll know what that means. He’s a big man with a red beard, and +a great swell he is. You’ll find him sleeping like a gentleman with +all his luggage round him in a Second-class apartment. But don’t you be +afraid. Slip down the window and say, ‘He has gone South for the week,’ +and he’ll tumble. It’s only cutting your time of stay in those parts +by two days. I ask you as a stranger--going to the West,” he said, with +emphasis. + +“Where have _you_ come from?” said I. + +“From the East,” said he, “and I am hoping that you will give him the +message on the Square--for the sake of my Mother as well as your own.” + +Englishmen are not usually softened by appeals to the memory of their +mothers; but for certain reasons, which will be fully apparent, I saw +fit to agree. + +“It’s more than a little matter,” said he, “and that’s why I asked +you to do it--and now I know that I can depend on you doing it. A +Second-class carriage at Marwar Junction, and a red-haired man asleep +in it. You’ll be sure to remember. I get out at the next station, and I +must hold on there till he comes or sends me what I want.” + +“I’ll give the message if I catch him,” I said, “and for the sake of +your Mother as well as mine I’ll give you a word of advice. Don’t try +to run the Central India States just now as the correspondent of the +‘Backwoodsman.’ There’s a real one knocking about here, and it might +lead to trouble.” + +“Thank you,” said he, simply; “and when will the swine be gone? I +can’t starve because he’s ruining my work. I wanted to get hold of the +Degumber Rajah down here about his father’s widow, and give him a jump.” + +“What did he do to his father’s widow, then?” + +“Filled her up with red pepper and slippered her to death as she hung +from a beam. I found that out myself, and I’m the only man that would +dare going into the State to get hush-money for it. They’ll try to +poison me, same as they did in Chortumna when I went on the loot there. +But you’ll give the man at Marwar Junction my message?” + +He got out at a little roadside station, and I reflected. I had heard, +more than once, of men personating correspondents of newspapers and +bleeding small Native States with threats of exposure, but I had never +met any of the caste before. They lead a hard life, and generally die +with great suddenness. The Native States have a wholesome horror of +English newspapers, which may throw light on their peculiar methods of +government, and do their best to choke correspondents with champagne, +or drive them out of their mind with four-in-hand barouches. They do not +understand that nobody cares a straw for the internal administration +of Native States so long as oppression and crime are kept within decent +limits, and the ruler is not drugged, drunk, or diseased from one end +of the year to the other. They are the dark places of the earth, full +of unimaginable cruelty, touching the Railway and the Telegraph on one +side, and, on the other, the days of Harun-al-Raschid. When I left the +train I did business with divers Kings, and in eight days passed through +many changes of life. Sometimes I wore dress-clothes and consorted with +Princes and Politicals, drinking from crystal and eating from silver. +Sometimes I lay out upon the ground and devoured what I could get, from +a plate made of leaves, and drank the running water, and slept under the +same rug as my servant. It was all in the day’s work. + +Then I headed for the Great Indian Desert upon the proper date, as I +had promised, and the night Mail set me down at Marwar Junction, where +a funny little, happy-go-lucky, native-managed railway runs to Jodhpore. +The Bombay Mail from Delhi makes a short halt at Marwar. She arrived +just as I got in, and I had just time to hurry to her platform and go +down the carriages. There was only one Second-class on the train. +I slipped the window and looked down upon a flaming-red beard, half +covered by a railway-rug. That was my man, fast asleep, and I dug him +gently in the ribs. He woke with a grunt, and I saw his face in the +light of the lamps. It was a great and shining face. + +“Tickets again?” said he. + +“No,” said I. “I am to tell you that he is gone South for the week. He +has gone South for the week!” + +The train had begun to move out. The red man rubbed his eyes. “He +has gone South for the week,” he repeated. “Now that’s just like his +impidence. Did he say that I was to give you anything? ‘Cause I won’t.” + +“He didn’t,” I said, and dropped away, and watched the red lights die +out in the dark. It was horribly cold because the wind was blowing off +the sands. I climbed into my own train--not an Intermediate carriage +this time--and went to sleep. + +If the man with the beard had given me a rupee I should have kept it as +a memento of a rather curious affair. But the consciousness of having +done my duty was my only reward. + +Later on I reflected that two gentlemen like my friends could not do any +good if they foregathered and personated correspondents of newspapers, +and might, if they blackmailed one of the little rat-trap States +of Central India or Southern Rajputana, get themselves into serious +difficulties. I therefore took some trouble to describe them as +accurately as I could remember to people who would be interested in +deporting them; and succeeded, so I was later informed, in having them +headed back from the Degumber borders. + +Then I became respectable, and returned to an office where there were no +Kings and no incidents outside the daily manufacture of a newspaper. A +newspaper office seems to attract every conceivable sort of person, to +the prejudice of discipline. Zenana-mission ladies arrive, and beg that +the Editor will instantly abandon all his duties to describe a Christian +prize-giving in a back slum of a perfectly inaccessible village; +Colonels who have been overpassed for command sit down and sketch the +outline of a series of ten, twelve, or twenty-four leading articles on +Seniority _versus_ Selection; missionaries wish to know why they have +not been permitted to escape from their regular vehicles of abuse, and +swear at a brother missionary under special patronage of the editorial +We; stranded theatrical companies troop up to explain that they cannot +pay for their advertisements, but on their return from New Zealand +or Tahiti will do so with interest; inventors of patent punka-pulling +machines, carriage couplings, and unbreakable swords and axletrees call +with specifications in their pockets and hours at their disposal; tea +companies enter and elaborate their prospectuses with the office pens; +secretaries of ball committees clamour to have the glories of their last +dance more fully described; strange ladies rustle in and say, “I want +a hundred lady’s cards printed _at once_, please,” which is manifestly +part of an Editor’s duty; and every dissolute ruffian that ever tramped +the Grand Trunk Road makes it his business to ask for employment as a +proof-reader. And, all the time, the telephone-bell is ringing madly, +and Kings are being killed on the Continent, and Empires are saying, +“You’re another,” and Mister Gladstone is calling down brimstone upon +the British Dominions, and the little black copyboys are whining, +“_kaa-pi chay-ha-yeh_” (“Copy wanted”), like tired bees, and most of the +paper is as blank as Modred’s shield. + +But that is the amusing part of the year. There are six other months +when none ever come to call, and the thermometer walks inch by inch +up to the top of the glass, and the office is darkened to just above +reading-light, and the press-machines are red-hot to touch, and nobody +writes anything but accounts of amusements in the Hill-stations or +obituary notices. Then the telephone becomes a tinkling terror, because +it tells you of the sudden deaths of men and women that you knew +intimately, and the prickly heat covers you with a garment, and you +sit down and write: “A slight increase of sickness is reported from +the Khuda Janta Khan District. The outbreak is purely sporadic in +its nature, and, thanks to the energetic efforts of the District +authorities, is now almost at an end. It is, however, with deep regret +we record the death,” etc. + +Then the sickness really breaks out, and the less recording and +reporting the better for the peace of the subscribers. But the Empires +and the Kings continue to divert themselves as selfishly as before, and +the Foreman thinks that a daily paper really ought to come out once in +twenty-four hours, and all the people at the Hill-stations in the +middle of their amusements say, “Good gracious! why can’t the paper be +sparkling? I’m sure there’s plenty going on up here.” + +That is the dark half of the moon, and, as the advertisements say, “must +be experienced to be appreciated.” + +It was in that season, and a remarkably evil season, that the paper +began running the last issue of the week on Saturday night, which is to +say Sunday morning, after the custom of a London paper. This was a great +convenience, for immediately after the paper was put to bed the dawn +would lower the thermometer from 96 degrees to almost 84 degrees for +half an hour, and in that chill--you have no idea how cold is 84 degrees +on the grass until you begin to pray for it--a very tired man could get +off to sleep ere the heat roused him. + +One Saturday night it was my pleasant duty to put the paper to bed +alone. A King or courtier or a courtesan or a Community was going to +die or get a new Constitution, or do something that was important on +the other side of the world, and the paper was to be held open till the +latest possible minute in order to catch the telegram. + +It was a pitchy-black night, as stifling as a June night can be, and +the _loo_, the red-hot wind from the westward, was booming among the +tinder-dry trees and pretending that the rain was on its heels. Now and +again a spot of almost boiling water would fall on the dust with the +flop of a frog, but all our weary world knew that was only pretence. It +was a shade cooler in the press-room than the office, so I sat there, +while the type ticked and clicked, and the night-jars hooted at the +windows, and the all but naked compositors wiped the sweat from their +foreheads and called for water. The thing that was keeping us back, +whatever it was, would not come off, though the loo dropped and the last +type was set, and the whole round earth stood still in the choking heat, +with its finger on its lip, to wait the event. I drowsed, and wondered +whether the telegraph was a blessing, and whether this dying man, or +struggling people, might be aware of the inconvenience the delay was +causing. There was no special reason beyond the heat and worry to make +tension, but, as the clock-hands crept up to three o-clock and the +machines spun their fly-wheels two and three times to see that all was +in order, before I said the word that would set them off, I could have +shrieked aloud. + +Then the roar and rattle of the wheels shivered the quiet into little +bits. I rose to go away, but two men in white clothes stood in front +of me. The first one said, “It’s him!” The second said, “So it is!” And +they both laughed almost as loudly as the machinery roared, and mopped +their foreheads. “We seed there was a light burning across the road, +and we were sleeping in that ditch there for coolness, and I said to my +friend here, ‘The office is open. Let’s come along and speak to him as +turned us back from Degumber State,’” said the smaller of the two. +He was the man I had met in the Mhow train, and his fellow was the +red-bearded man of Marwar Junction. There was no mistaking the eyebrows +of the one or the beard of the other. + +I was not pleased, because I wished to go to sleep, not to squabble with +loafers. “What do you want?” I asked. + +“Half an hour’s talk with you, cool and comfortable, in the office,” + said the red-bearded man. “We’d _like_ some drink,--the Contrack doesn’t +begin yet, Peachey, so you needn’t look,--but what we really want is +advice. We don’t want money. We ask you as a favour, because we found +out you did us a bad turn about Degumber State.” + +I led from the press-room to the stifling office with the maps on the +walls, and the red-haired man rubbed his hands. “That’s something +like,” said he. “This was the proper shop to come to. Now, Sir, let +me introduce you to Brother Peachey Carnehan, that’s him, and Brother +Daniel Dravot, that is _me_, and the less said about our professions +the better, for we have been most things in our time--soldier, +sailor, compositor, photographer, proof-reader, street-preacher, and +correspondents of the ‘Backwoodsman’ when we thought the paper wanted +one. Carnehan is sober, and so am I. Look at us first, and see that’s +sure. It will save you cutting into my talk. We’ll take one of your +cigars apiece, and you shall see us light up.” + +I watched the test. The men were absolutely sober, so I gave them each a +tepid whisky-and-soda. + +“Well _and_ good,” said Carnehan of the eyebrows, wiping the froth +from his moustache. “Let me talk now, Dan. We have been all over India, +mostly on foot. We have been boiler-fitters, engine-drivers, petty +contractors, and all that, and we have decided that India isn’t big +enough for such as us.” + +They certainly were too big for the office. Dravot’s beard seemed to +fill half the room and Carnehan’s shoulders the other half, as they sat +on the big table. Carnehan continued: “The country isn’t half worked +out because they that governs it won’t let you touch it. They spend all +their blessed time in governing it, and you can’t lift a spade, nor +chip a rock, nor look for oil, nor anything like that, without all the +Government saying, ‘Leave it alone, and let us govern.’ Therefore, such +_as_ it is, we will let it alone, and go away to some other place where +a man isn’t crowded and can come to his own. We are not little men, and +there is nothing that we are afraid of except Drink, and we have signed +a Contrack on that. _Therefore_ we are going away to be Kings.” + +“Kings in our own right,” muttered Dravot. + +“Yes, of course,” I said. “You’ve been tramping in the sun, and it’s +a very warm night, and hadn’t you better sleep over the notion? Come +to-morrow.” + +“Neither drunk nor sunstruck,” said Dravot. “We have slept over the +notion half a year, and require to see Books and Atlases, and we have +decided that there is only one place now in the world that two strong +men can Sar-a-_whack_. They call it Kafiristan. By my reckoning it’s the +top right-hand corner of Afghanistan, not more than three hundred miles +from Peshawar. They have two and thirty heathen idols there, and we’ll +be the thirty-third and fourth. It’s a mountaineous country, the women +of those parts are very beautiful.” + +“But that is provided against in the Contrack,” said Carnehan. “Neither +Women nor Liqu-or, Daniel.” + +“And that’s all we know, except that no one has gone there, and they +fight, and in any place where they fight a man who knows how to drill +men can always be a King. We shall go to those parts and say to any King +we find, ‘D’ you want to vanquish your foes?’ and we will show him how +to drill men; for that we know better than anything else. Then we will +subvert that King and seize his Throne and establish a Dy-nasty.” + +“You’ll be cut to pieces before you’re fifty miles across the Border,” + I said. “You have to travel through Afghanistan to get to that country. +It’s one mass of mountains and peaks and glaciers, and no Englishman has +been through it. The people are utter brutes, and even if you reached +them you couldn’t do anything.” + +“That’s more like,” said Carnehan. “If you could think us a little more +mad we would be more pleased. We have come to you to know about this +country, to read a book about it, and to be shown maps. We want you to +tell us that we are fools and to show us your books.” He turned to the +bookcases. + +“Are you at all in earnest?” I said. + +“A little,” said Dravot, sweetly. “As big a map as you have got, even +if it’s all blank where Kafiristan is, and any books you’ve got. We can +read, though we aren’t very educated.” + +I uncased the big thirty-two-miles-to-the-inch map of India and two +smaller Frontier maps, hauled down volume INF-KAN of the “Encyclopaedia +Britannica,” and the men consulted them. + +“See here!” said Dravot, his thumb on the map. “Up to Jagdallak, Peachey +and me know the road. We was there with Robert’s Army. We’ll have to +turn off to the right at Jagdallak through Laghmann territory. Then we +get among the hills--fourteen thousand feet--fifteen thousand--it will +be cold work there, but it don’t look very far on the map.” + +I handed him Wood on the “Sources of the Oxus.” Carnehan was deep in the +“Encyclopaedia.” + +“They’re a mixed lot,” said Dravot, reflectively; “and it won’t help +us to know the names of their tribes. The more tribes the more they’ll +fight, and the better for us. From Jagdallak to Ashang. H’mm!” + +“But all the information about the country is as sketchy and inaccurate +as can be,” I protested. “No one knows anything about it really. Here’s +the file of the ‘United Services’ Institute.’ Read what Bellew says.” + +“Blow Bellew!” said Carnehan. “Dan, they’re a stinkin’ lot of heathens, +but this book here says they think they’re related to us English.” + +I smoked while the men poured over Raverty, Wood, the maps, and the +“Encyclopaedia.” + +“There is no use your waiting,” said Dravot, politely. “It’s about four +o’clock now. We’ll go before six o’clock if you want to sleep, and we +won’t steal any of the papers. Don’t you sit up. We’re two harmless +lunatics, and if you come to-morrow evening down to the Serai we’ll say +good-bye to you.” + +“You _are_ two fools,” I answered. “You’ll be turned back at the +Frontier or cut up the minute you set foot in Afghanistan. Do you want +any money or a recommendation down-country? I can help you to the chance +of work next week.” + +“Next week we shall be hard at work ourselves, thank you,” said Dravot. +“It isn’t so easy being a King as it looks. When we’ve got our Kingdom +in going order we’ll let you know, and you can come up and help us +govern it.” + +“Would two lunatics make a Contrack like that?” said Carnehan, with +subdued pride, showing me a greasy half-sheet of notepaper on which was +written the following. I copied it, then and there, as a curiosity. + + This Contracx between me and you persuing witnesseth in + the name of God--Amen and so forth. + + (One) That me and you will settle this matter + together; i.e., to be Kings of Kafiristan. + + (Two) That you and me will not, while this + matter is being settled, look at any + Liquor, nor any Woman, black, white, + or brown, so as to get mixed up with + one or the other harmful. + + (Three) That we conduct ourselves with Dignity + and Discretion, and if one of us gets + into trouble the other will stay by him. + + Signed by you and me this day. + Peachey Taliaferro Carnehan. + Daniel Dravot. + Both Gentlemen at Large. + +“There was no need for the last article,” said Carnehan, blushing +modestly; “but it looks regular. Now you know the sort of men that +loafers are,--we _are_ loafers, Dan, until we get out of India,--and +_do_ you think that we would sign a Contrack like that unless we was +in earnest? We have kept away from the two things that make life worth +having.” + +“You won’t enjoy your lives much longer if you are going to try this +idiotic adventure. Don’t set the office on fire,” I said, “and go away +before nine o’clock.” + +I left them still poring over the maps and making notes on the back +of the “Contrack.” “Be sure to come down to the Serai to-morrow,” were +their parting words. + +The Kumharsen Serai is the great foursquare sink of humanity where the +strings of camels and horses from the North load and unload. All the +nationalities of Central Asia may be found there, and most of the folk +of India proper. Balkh and Bokhara there meet Bengal and Bombay, and try +to draw eye-teeth. You can buy ponies, turquoises, Persian pussy-cats, +saddle-bags, fat-tailed sheep, and musk in the Kumharsen Serai, and get +many strange things for nothing. In the afternoon I went down to see +whether my friends intended to keep their word or were lying there +drunk. + +A priest attired in fragments of ribbons and rags stalked up to me, +gravely twisting a child’s paper whirligig. Behind him was his servant +bending under the load of a crate of mud toys. The two were loading up +two camels, and the inhabitants of the Serai watched them with shrieks +of laughter. + +“The priest is mad,” said a horse-dealer to me. “He is going up to Kabul +to sell toys to the Amir. He will either be raised to honour or have his +head cut off. He came in here this morning and has been behaving madly +ever since.” + +“The witless are under the protection of God,” stammered a flat-cheeked +Usbeg in broken Hindi. “They foretell future events.” + +“Would they could have foretold that my caravan would have been cut up +by the Shinwaris almost within shadow of the Pass!” grunted the Eusufzai +agent of a Rajputana trading-house whose goods had been diverted into +the hands of other robbers just across the Border, and whose misfortunes +were the laughing-stock of the bazaar. “Ohe, priest, whence come you and +whither do you go?” + +“From Roum have I come,” shouted the priest, waving his whirligig; “from +Roum, blown by the breath of a hundred devils across the sea! O thieves, +robbers, liars, the blessing of Pir Khan on pigs, dogs, and perjurers! +Who will take the Protected of God to the North to sell charms that are +never still to the Amir? The camels shall not gall, the sons shall not +fall sick, and the wives shall remain faithful while they are away, +of the men who give me place in their caravan. Who will assist me to +slipper the King of the Roos with a golden slipper with a silver heel? +The protection of Pir Khan be upon his labours!” He spread out the +skirts of his gabardine and pirouetted between the lines of tethered +horses. + +“There starts a caravan from Peshawar to Kabul in twenty days, +_Huzrut_,” said the Eusufzai trader. “My camels go therewith. Do thou +also go and bring us good luck.” + +“I will go even now!” shouted the priest. “I will depart upon my winged +camels, and be at Peshawar in a day! Ho! Hazar Mir Khan,” he yelled to +his servant, “drive out the camels, but let me first mount my own.” + +He leaped on the back of his beast as it knelt, and, turning round to +me, cried, “Come thou also, Sahib, a little along the road, and I will +sell thee a charm--an amulet that shall make thee King of Kafiristan.” + +Then the light broke upon me, and I followed the two camels out of the +Serai till we reached open road and the priest halted. + +“What d’ you think o’ that?” said he in English. “Carnehan can’t talk +their patter, so I’ve made him my servant. He makes a handsome servant. +‘T isn’t for nothing that I’ve been knocking about the country for +fourteen years. Didn’t I do that talk neat? We’ll hitch on to a caravan +at Peshawar till we get to Jagdallak, and then we’ll see if we can get +donkeys for our camels, and strike into Kafiristan. Whirligigs for the +Amir, O Lor’! Put your hand under the camelbags and tell me what you +feel.” + +I felt the butt of a Martini, and another and another. + +“Twenty of ‘em,” said Dravot, placidly. “Twenty of ‘em and ammunition to +correspond, under the whirligigs and the mud dolls.” + +“Heaven help you if you are caught with those things!” I said. “A +Martini is worth her weight in silver among the Pathans.” + +“Fifteen hundred rupees of capital--every rupee we could beg, borrow, +or steal--are invested on these two camels,” said Dravot. “We won’t get +caught. We’re going through the Khaiber with a regular caravan. Who’d +touch a poor mad priest?” + +“Have you got everything you want?” I asked, overcome with astonishment. + +“Not yet, but we shall soon. Give us a momento of your kindness, +_Brother_. You did me a service yesterday, and that time in Marwar. Half +my Kingdom shall you have, as the saying is.” I slipped a small charm +compass from my watch-chain and handed it up to the priest. + +“Good-bye,” said Dravot, giving me hand cautiously. “It’s the last time +we’ll shake hands with an Englishman these many days. Shake hands with +him, Carnehan,” he cried, as the second camel passed me. + +Carnehan leaned down and shook hands. Then the camels passed away along +the dusty road, and I was left alone to wonder. My eye could detect no +failure in the disguises. The scene in the Serai proved that they were +complete to the native mind. There was just the chance, therefore, that +Carnehan and Dravot would be able to wander through Afghanistan without +detection. But, beyond, they would find death--certain and awful death. + +Ten days later a native correspondent, giving me the news of the day +from Peshawar, wound up his letter with: “There has been much laughter +here on account of a certain mad priest who is going in his estimation +to sell petty gauds and insignificant trinkets which he ascribes as +great charms to H. H. the Amir of Bokhara. He passed through Peshawar +and associated himself to the Second Summer caravan that goes to Kabul. +The merchants are pleased because through superstition they imagine that +such mad fellows bring good fortune.” + +The two, then, were beyond the Border. I would have prayed for them, but +that night a real King died in Europe, and demanded an obituary notice. + + +The wheel of the world swings through the same phases again and again. +Summer passed and winter thereafter, and came and passed again. The +daily paper continued and I with it, and upon the third summer there +fell a hot night, a night issue, and a strained waiting for something to +be telegraphed from the other side of the world, exactly as had happened +before. A few great men had died in the past two years, the machines +worked with more clatter, and some of the trees in the office garden +were a few feet taller. But that was all the difference. + +I passed over to the press-room, and went through just such a scene as +I have already described. The nervous tension was stronger than it +had been two years before, and I felt the heat more acutely. At three +o’clock I cried, “Print off,” and turned to go, when there crept to my +chair what was left of a man. He was bent into a circle, his head was +sunk between his shoulders, and he moved his feet one over the other +like a bear. I could hardly see whether he walked or crawled--this +rag-wrapped, whining cripple who addressed me by name, crying that he +was come back. “Can you give me a drink?” he whimpered. “For the Lord’s +sake, give me a drink!” + +I went back to the office, the man following with groans of pain, and I +turned up the lamp. + +“Don’t you know me?” he gasped, dropping into a chair, and he turned his +drawn face, surmounted by a shock of gray hair, to the light. + +I looked at him intently. Once before had I seen eyebrows that met over +the nose in an inch-broad black band, but for the life of me I could not +tell where. + +“I don’t know you,” I said, handing him the whisky. “What can I do for +you?” + +He took a gulp of the spirit raw, and shivered in spite of the +suffocating heat. + +“I’ve come back,” he repeated; “and I was the King of Kafiristan--me and +Dravot--crowned Kings we was! In this office we settled it--you setting +there and giving us the books. I am Peachey,--Peachey Taliaferro +Carnehan,--and you’ve been setting here ever since--O Lord!” + +I was more than a little astonished, and expressed my feelings +accordingly. + +“It’s true,” said Carnehan, with a dry cackle, nursing his feet, which +were wrapped in rags--“true as gospel. Kings we were, with crowns upon +our heads--me and Dravot--poor Dan--oh, poor, poor Dan, that would never +take advice, not though I begged of him!” + +“Take the whisky,” I said, “and take your own time. Tell me all you can +recollect of everything from beginning to end. You got across the Border +on your camels, Dravot dressed as a mad priest and you his servant. Do +you remember that?” + +“I ain’t mad--yet, but I shall be that way soon. Of course I remember. +Keep looking at me, or maybe my words will go all to pieces. Keep +looking at me in my eyes and don’t say anything.” + +I leaned forward and looked into his face as steadily as I could. He +dropped one hand upon the table and I grasped it by the wrist. It +was twisted like a bird’s claw, and upon the back was a ragged, red, +diamond-shaped scar. + +“No, don’t look there. Look at _me_,” said Carnehan. “That comes +afterward, but for the Lord’s sake don’t distrack me. We left with that +caravan, me and Dravot playing all sorts of antics to amuse the people +we were with. Dravot used to make us laugh in the evenings when all the +people was cooking their dinners--cooking their dinners, and . . . +what did they do then? They lit little fires with sparks that went into +Dravot’s beard, and we all laughed--fit to die. Little red fires they +was, going into Dravot’s big red beard--so funny.” His eyes left mine +and he smiled foolishly. + +“You went as far as Jagdallak with that caravan,” I said, at a venture, +“after you had lit those fires. To Jagdallak, where you turned off to +try to get into Kafiristan.” + +“No, we didn’t, neither. What are you talking about? We turned off +before Jagdallak, because we heard the roads was good. But they wasn’t +good enough for our two camels--mine and Dravot’s. When we left the +caravan, Dravot took off all his clothes and mine too, and said we would +be heathen, because the Kafirs didn’t allow Mohammedans to talk to them. +So we dressed betwixt and between, and such a sight as Daniel Dravot +I never saw yet nor expect to see again. He burned half his beard, and +slung a sheepskin over his shoulder, and shaved his head into patterns. +He shaved mine too, and made me wear outrageous things to look like +a heathen. That was in a most mountaineous country, and our camels +couldn’t go along any more because of the mountains. They were tall and +black, and coming home I saw them fight like wild goats--there are lots +of goats in Kafiristan. And these mountains, they never keep still, no +more than the goats. Always fighting they are, and don’t let you sleep +at night.” + +“Take some more whisky,” I said, very slowly. “What did you and Daniel +Dravot do when the camels could go no farther because of the rough roads +that led into Kafiristan?” + +“What did which do? There was a party called Peachey Taliaferro Carnehan +that was with Dravot. Shall I tell you about him? He died out there in +the cold. Slap from the bridge fell old Peachey, turning and twisting in +the air like a penny whirligig that you can sell to the Amir. No; they +was two for three ha’pence, those whirligigs, or I am much mistaken and +woful sore. . . . And then these camels were no use, and Peachey said to +Dravot, ‘For the Lord’s sake let’s get out of this before our heads +are chopped off,’ and with that they killed the camels all among the +mountains, not having anything in particular to eat, but first they took +off the boxes with the guns and the ammunition, till two men came along +driving four mules. Dravot up and dances in front of them, singing, +‘Sell me four mules.’ Says the first man, ‘If you are rich enough to +buy, you are rich enough to rob;’ but before ever he could put his hand +to his knife, Dravot breaks his neck over his knee, and the other party +runs away. So Carnehan loaded the mules with the rifles that was taken +off the camels, and together we starts forward into those bitter-cold +mountaineous parts, and never a road broader than the back of your +hand.” + +He paused for a moment, while I asked him if he could remember the +nature of the country through which he had journeyed. + +“I am telling you as straight as I can, but my head isn’t as good as it +might be. They drove nails through it to make me hear better how Dravot +died. The country was mountaineous and the mules were most contrary, +and the inhabitants was dispersed and solitary. They went up and up, and +down and down, and that other party, Carnehan, was imploring of Dravot +not to sing and whistle so loud, for fear of bringing down the tremenjus +avalanches. But Dravot says that if a King couldn’t sing it wasn’t worth +being King, and whacked the mules over the rump, and never took no +heed for ten cold days. We came to a big level valley all among the +mountains, and the mules were near dead, so we killed them, not having +anything in special for them or us to eat. We sat upon the boxes, and +played odd and even with the cartridges that was jolted out. + +“Then ten men with bows and arrows ran down that valley, chasing twenty +men with bows and arrows, and the row was tremenjus. They was fair +men--fairer than you or me--with yellow hair and remarkable well built. +Says Dravot, unpacking the guns, ‘This is the beginning of the business. +We’ll fight for the ten men,’ and with that he fires two rifles at the +twenty men, and drops one of them at two hundred yards from the rock +where he was sitting. The other men began to run, but Carnehan and +Dravot sits on the boxes picking them off at all ranges, up and down the +valley. Then we goes up to the ten men that had run across the snow too, +and they fires a footy little arrow at us. Dravot he shoots above their +heads, and they all falls down flat. Then he walks over them and kicks +them, and then he lifts them up and shakes hands all round to make them +friendly like. He calls them and gives them the boxes to carry, and +waves his hand for all the world as though he was King already. They +takes the boxes and him across the valley and up the hill into a pine +wood on the top, where there was half a dozen big stone idols. Dravot +he goes to the biggest--a fellow they call Imbra--and lays a rifle and +a cartridge at his feet, rubbing his nose respectfuly with his own nose, +patting him on the head, and nods his head, and says, ‘That’s all right. +I’m in the know too, and these old jimjams are my friends.’ Then he +opens his mouth and points down it, and when the first man brings him +food, he says, ‘No;’ and when the second man brings him food, he says +‘no;’ but when one of the old priests and the boss of the village brings +him food, he says, ‘Yes;’ very haughty, and eats it slow. That was how +he came to our first village without any trouble, just as though we +had tumbled from the skies. But we tumbled from one of those damned +rope-bridges, you see, and--you couldn’t expect a man to laugh much +after that?” + +“Take some more whisky and go on,” I said. “That was the first village +you came into. How did you get to be King?” + +“I wasn’t King,” said Carnehan. “Dravot he was the King, and a handsome +man he looked with the gold crown on his head and all. Him and the other +party stayed in that village, and every morning Dravot sat by the side +of old Imbra, and the people came and worshipped. That was Dravot’s +order. Then a lot of men came into the valley, and Carnehan Dravot picks +them off with the rifles before they knew where they was, and runs down +into the valley and up again the other side, and finds another village, +same as the first one, and the people all falls down flat on their +faces, and Dravot says, ‘Now what is the trouble between you two +villages?’ and the people points to a woman, as fair as you or me, that +was carried off, and Dravot takes her back to the first village and +counts up the dead--eight there was. For each dead man Dravot pours +a little milk on the ground and waves his arms like a whirligig, and +‘That’s all right,’ says he. Then he and Carnehan takes the big boss of +each village by the arm, and walks them down the valley, and shows them +how to scratch a line with a spear right down the valley, and gives each +a sod of turf from both sides of the line. Then all the people comes +down and shouts like the devil and all, and Dravot says, ‘Go and dig the +land, and be fruitful and multiply,’ which they did, though they didn’t +understand. Then we asks the names of things in their lingo--bread and +water and fire and idols and such; and Dravot leads the priest of each +village up to the idol, and says he must sit there and judge the people, +and if anything goes wrong he is to be shot. + +“Next week they was all turning up the land in the valley as quiet as +bees and much prettier, and the priests heard all the complaints and +told Dravot in dumb-show what it was about. ‘That’s just the beginning,’ +says Dravot. ‘They think we’re Gods.’ He and Carnehan picks out twenty +good men and shows them how to click off a rifle and form fours and +advance in line; and they was very pleased to do so, and clever to see +the hang of it. Then he takes out his pipe and his baccy-pouch, and +leaves one at one village and one at the other, and off we two goes to +see what was to be done in the next valley. That was all rock, and there +was a little village there, and Carnehan says, ‘Send ‘em to the old +valley to plant,’ and takes ‘em there and gives ‘em some land that +wasn’t took before. They were a poor lot, and we blooded ‘em with a kid +before letting ‘em into the new Kingdom. That was to impress the people, +and then they settled down quiet, and Carnehan went back to Dravot, who +had got into another valley, all snow and ice and most mountaineous. +There was no people there, and the Army got afraid; so Dravot shoots +one of them, and goes on till he finds some people in a village, and the +Army explains that unless the people wants to be killed they had better +not shoot their little matchlocks, for they had matchlocks. We makes +friends with the priest, and I stays there alone with two of the Army, +teaching the men how to drill; and a thundering big Chief comes across +the snow with kettledrums and horns twanging, because he heard there was +a new God kicking about. Carnehan sights for the brown of the men half +a mile across the snow and wings one of them. Then he sends a message +to the Chief that, unless he wished to be killed, he must come and shake +hands with me and leave his arms behind. The Chief comes alone first, +and Carnehan shakes hands with him and whirls his arms about, same as +Dravot used, and very much surprised that Chief was, and strokes +my eyebrows. Then Carnehan goes alone to the Chief, and asks him in +dumb-show if he had an enemy he hated. ‘I have,’ says the chief. So +Carnehan weeds out the pick of his men, and sets the two of the Army to +show them drill, and at the end of two weeks the men can manoeuvre about +as well as Volunteers. So he marches with the Chief to a great big plain +on the top of a mountain, and the Chief’s men rushes into a village and +takes it; we three Martinis firing into the brown of the enemy. So we +took that village too, and I gives the Chief a rag from my coat, and +says, ‘Occupy till I come;’ which was scriptural. By way of a reminder, +when me and the Army was eighteen hundred yards away, I drops a bullet +near him standing on the snow, and all the people falls flat on their +faces. Then I sends a letter to Dravot wherever he be by land or by +sea.” + +At the risk of throwing the creature out of train I interrupted: “How +could you write a letter up yonder?” + +“The letter?--oh!--the letter! Keep looking at me between the eyes, +please. It was a string-talk letter, that we’d learned the way of it +from a blind beggar in the Punjab.” + +I remember that there had once come to the office a blind man with +a knotted twig, and a piece of string which he wound round the twig +according to some cipher of his own. He could, after the lapse of days +or hours, repeat the sentence which he had reeled up. He had reduced the +alphabet to eleven primitive sounds, and tried to teach me his method, +but I could not understand. + +“I sent that letter to Dravot,” said Carnehan, “and told him to come +back because this Kingdom was growing too big for me to handle; and then +I struck for the first valley, to see how the priests were working. They +called the village we took along with the Chief, Bashkai, and the first +village we took, Er-Heb. The priests at Er-Heb was doing all right, but +they had a lot of pending cases about land to show me, and some men from +another village had been firing arrows at night. I went out and looked +for that village, and fired four rounds at it from a thousand yards. +That used all the cartridges I cared to spend, and I waited for Dravot, +who had been away two or three months, and I kept my people quiet. + +“One morning I heard the devil’s own noise of drums and horns, and Dan +Dravot marches down the hill with his Army and a tail of hundreds of +men, and, which was the most amazing, a great gold crown on his head. +‘My Gord, Carnehan,’ says Daniel, ‘this is a tremenjus business, and +we’ve got the whole country as far as it’s worth having. I am the son +of Alexander by Queen Semiramis, and you’re my younger brother and a +God too! It’s the biggest thing we’ve ever seen. I’ve been marching and +fighting for six weeks with the Army, and every footy little village for +fifty miles has come in rejoiceful; and more than that, I’ve got the key +of the whole show, as you’ll see, and I’ve got a crown for you! I told +‘em to make two of ‘em at a place called Shu, where the gold lies in the +rock like suet in mutton. Gold I’ve seen, and turquoise I’ve kicked out +of the cliffs, and there’s garnets in the sands of the river, and here’s +a chunk of amber that a man brought me. Call up all the priests and, +here, take your crown.’ + +“One of the men opens a black hair bag, and I slips the crown on. It was +too small and too heavy, but I wore it for the glory. Hammered gold it +was--five pounds weight, like a hoop of a barrel. + +“‘Peachey,’ says Dravot, ‘we don’t want to fight no more. The Craft’s +the trick, so help me!’ and he brings forward that same Chief that I +left at Bashkai--Billy Fish we called him afterward, because he was so +like Billy Fish that drove the big tank-engine at Mach on the Bolan in +the old days. ‘Shake hands with him,’ says Dravot; and I shook hands +and nearly dropped, for Billy Fish gave me the Grip. I said nothing, but +tried him with the Fellow-craft Grip. He answers all right, and I tried +the Master’s Grip, but that was a slip. ‘A Fellow-craft he is!’ I says +to Dan. ‘Does he know the word?’ ‘He does,’ says Dan, ‘and all the +priests know. It’s a miracle! The Chiefs and the priests can work a +Fellow-craft Lodge in a way that’s very like ours, and they’ve cut the +marks on the rocks, but they don’t know the Third Degree, and they’ve +come to find out. It’s Gord’s Truth. I’ve known these long years that +the Afghans knew up to the Fellow-craft Degree, but this is a miracle. +A God and a Grand Master of the Craft am I, and a Lodge in the Third +Degree I will open, and we’ll raise the head priests and the Chiefs of +the villages.’ + +“‘It’s against all the law,’ I says, ‘holding a Lodge without warrant +from any one; and you know we never held office in any Lodge.’ + +“‘It’s a master stroke o’ policy,’ says Dravot. ‘It means running the +country as easy as a four-wheeled bogie on a down grade. We can’t stop +to inquire now, or they’ll turn against us. I’ve forty Chiefs at my +heel, and passed and raised according to their merit they shall be. +Billet these men on the villages, and see that we run up a Lodge of some +kind. The temple of Imbra will do for a Lodge-room. The women must make +aprons as you show them. I’ll hold a levee of Chiefs to-night and Lodge +to-morrow.’ + +“I was fair run off my legs, but I wasn’t such a fool as not to see what +a pull this Craft business gave us. I showed the priests’ families how +to make aprons of the degrees, but for Dravot’s apron the blue border +and marks was made of turquoise lumps on white hide, not cloth. We took +a great square stone in the temple for the Master’s chair, and little +stones for the officer’s chairs, and painted the black pavement with +white squares, and did what we could to make things regular. + +“At the levee which was held that night on the hillside with big +bonfires, Dravot gives out that him and me were Gods and sons of +Alexander, and Passed Grand Masters in the Craft, and was come to make +Kafiristan a country where every man should eat in peace and drink in +quiet, and specially obey us. Then the Chiefs come round to shake hands, +and they were so hairy and white and fair it was just shaking hands with +old friends. We gave them names according as they was like men we had +known in India--Billy Fish, Holly Dilworth, Pikky Kergan, that was +Bazaar-master when I was at Mhow, and so on, and so on. + +“_The_ most amazing miracles was at Lodge next night. One of the old +priests was watching us continuous, and I felt uneasy, for I knew we’d +have to fudge the Ritual, and I didn’t know what the men knew. The old +priest was a stranger come in from beyond the village of Bashkai. The +minute Dravot puts on the Master’s apron that the girls had made for +him, the priest fetches a whoop and a howl, and tries to overturn the +stone that Dravot was sitting on. ‘It’s all up now,’ I says. ‘That comes +of meddling with the Craft without warrant!’ Dravot never winked an +eye, not when ten priests took and tilted over the Grand Master’s +chair--which was to say, the stone of Imbra. The priest begins rubbing +the bottom end of it to clear away the black dirt, and presently he +shows all the other priests the Master’s Mark, same as was on Dravot’s +apron, cut into the stone. Not even the priests of the temple of Imbra +knew it was there. The old chap falls flat on his face at Dravot’s feet +and kisses ‘em. ‘Luck again,’ says Dravot, across the Lodge, to me; +‘they say it’s the missing Mark that no one could understand the why of. +We’re more than safe now.’ Then he bangs the butt of his gun for a gavel +and says, ‘By virtue of the authority vested in me by my own right +hand and the help of Peachey, I declare myself Grand Master of all +Freemasonry in Kafiristan in this the Mother Lodge o’ the country, and +King of Kafiristan equally with Peachey!’ At that he puts on his crown +and I puts on mine,--I was doing Senior Warden,--and we opens the Lodge +in most ample form. It was an amazing miracle! The priests moved in +Lodge through the first two degrees almost without telling, as if the +memory was coming back to them. After that Peachey and Dravot raised +such as was worthy--high priests and Chiefs of far-off villages. Billy +Fish was the first, and I can tell you we scared the soul out of him. +It was not in any way according to Ritual, but it served our turn. We +didn’t raise more than ten of the biggest men, because we didn’t want to +make the Degree common. And they was clamouring to be raised. + +“‘In another six months,’ says Dravot, ‘we’ll hold another Communication +and see how you are working.’ Then he asks them about their villages, +and learns that they was fighting one against the other, and were sick +and tired of it. And when they wasn’t doing that they was fighting with +the Mohammedans. ‘You can fight those when they come into our country,’ +says Dravot. ‘Tell off every tenth man of your tribes for a Frontier +guard, and send two hundred at a time to this valley to be drilled. +Nobody is going to be shot or speared any more so long as he does well, +and I know that you won’t cheat me, because you’re white people--sons of +Alexander--and not like common black Mohammedans. You are _my_ people, +and, by God,’ says he, running off into English at the end, ‘I’ll make a +damned fine Nation of you, or I’ll die in the making!’ + +“I can’t tell all we did for the next six months, because Dravot did a +lot I couldn’t see the hang of, and he learned their lingo in a way I +never could. My work was to help the people plough, and now and again +go out with some of the Army and see what the other villages were doing, +and make ‘em throw rope bridges across the ravines which cut up the +country horrid. Dravot was very kind to me, but when he walked up and +down in the pine wood pulling that bloody red beard of his with both +fists I knew he was thinking plans I could not advise about, and I just +waited for orders. + +“But Dravot never showed me disrespect before the people. They were +afraid of me and the Army, but they loved Dan. He was the best of +friends with the priests and the Chiefs; but any one could come across +the hills with a complaint, and Dravot would hear him out fair, and call +four priests together and say what was to be done. He used to call in +Billy Fish from Bashkai, and Pikky Kergan from Shu, and an old Chief +we called Kafuzelum,--it was like enough to his real name,--and hold +councils with ‘em when there was any fighting to be done in small +villages. That was his Council of War, and the four priests of Bashkai, +Shu, Khawak, and Madora was his Privy Council. Between the lot of ‘em +they sent me, with forty men and twenty rifles, and sixty men carrying +turquoises, into the Ghorband country to buy those hand-made Martini +rifles, that come out of the Amir’s workshops at Kabul, from one of the +Amir’s Herati regiments that would have sold the very teeth out of their +mouths for turquoises. + +“I stayed in Ghorband a month, and gave the Governor there the pick of +my baskets for hush-money, and bribed the Colonel of the regiment some +more, and, between the two and the tribes-people, we got more than a +hundred hand-made Martinis, a hundred good Kohat Jezails that’ll throw +to six hundred yards, and forty man-loads of very bad ammunition for the +rifles. I came back with what I had, and distributed ‘em among the men +that the Chiefs sent in to me to drill. Dravot was too busy to attend +to those things, but the old Army that we first made helped me, and we +turned out five hundred men that could drill, and two hundred that knew +how to hold arms pretty straight. Even those cork-screwed, hand-made +guns was a miracle to them. Dravot talked big about powder-shops and +factories, walking up and down in the pine wood when the winter was +coming on. + +“‘I won’t make a Nation,’ says he. ‘I’ll make an Empire! These men +aren’t niggers; they’re English! Look at their eyes--look at their +mouths. Look at the way they stand up. They sit on chairs in their own +houses. They’re the Lost Tribes, or something like it, and they’ve grown +to be English. I’ll take a census in the spring if the priests don’t get +frightened. There must be a fair two million of ‘em in these hills. The +villages are full o’ little children. Two million people--two hundred +and fifty thousand fighting men--and all English! They only want the +rifles and a little drilling. Two hundred and fifty thousand men, ready +to cut in on Russia’s right flank when she tries for India! Peachey, +man,’ he says, chewing his beard in great hunks, ‘we shall be +Emperors--Emperors of the Earth! Rajah Brooke will be a suckling to +us. I’ll treat with the Viceroy on equal terms. I’ll ask him to send me +twelve picked English--twelve that I know of--to help us govern a bit. +There’s Mackray, Serjeant Pensioner at Segowli--many’s the good dinner +he’s given me, and his wife a pair of trousers. There’s Donkin, the +Warder of Tounghoo Jail; there’s hundreds that I could lay my hand on if +I was in India. The Viceroy shall do it for me; I’ll send a man through +in the spring for those men, and I’ll write for a dispensation from +the Grand Lodge for what I’ve done as Grand Master. That--and all the +Sniders that’ll be thrown out when the native troops in India take up +the Martini. They’ll be worn smooth, but they’ll do for fighting in +these hills. Twelve English, a hundred thousand Sniders run through the +Amir’s country in driblets,--I’d be content with twenty thousand in one +year,--and we’d be an Empire. When everything was shipshape I’d hand +over the crown--this crown I’m wearing now--to Queen Victoria on my +knees, and she’d say, “Rise up, Sir Daniel Dravot.” Oh, it’s big! It’s +big, I tell you! But there’s so much to be done in every place--Bashkai, +Khawak, Shu, and everywhere else.’ + +“‘What is it?’ I says. ‘There are no more men coming in to be drilled +this autumn. Look at those fat black clouds. They’re bringing the snow.’ + +“‘It isn’t that,’ says Daniel, putting his hand very hard on my +shoulder; ‘and I don’t wish to say anything that’s against you, for no +other living man would have followed me and made me what I am as you +have done. You’re a first-class Commander-in-Chief, and the people know +you; but--it’s a big country, and somehow you can’t help me, Peachey, in +the way I want to be helped.’ + +“‘Go to your blasted priests, then!’ I said, and I was sorry when I made +that remark, but it did hurt me sore to find Daniel talking so superior, +when I’d drilled all the men and done all he told me. + +“‘Don’t let’s quarrel, Peachey,’ says Daniel, without cursing. ‘You’re +a King too, and the half of this Kingdom is yours; but can’t you see, +Peachey, we want cleverer men than us now--three or four of ‘em, that +we can scatter about for our Deputies. It’s a hugeous great State, and +I can’t always tell the right thing to do, and I haven’t time for all +I want to do, and here’s the winter coming on and all.’ He put half his +beard into his mouth, all red like the gold of his crown. + +“‘I’m sorry, Daniel,’ says I. ‘I’ve done all I could. I’ve drilled +the men and shown the people how to stack their oats better; and I’ve +brought in those tinware rifles from Ghorband--but I know what you’re +driving at. I take it Kings always feel oppressed that way.’ + +“‘There’s another thing too,’ says Dravot, walking up and down. ‘The +winter’s coming, and these people won’t be giving much trouble, and if +they do we can’t move about. I want a wife.’ + +“‘For Gord’s sake leave the women alone!’ I says. ‘We’ve both got all +the work we can, though I _am_ a fool. Remember the Contrack, and keep +clear o’ women.’ + +“‘The Contrack only lasted till such time as we was Kings; and Kings +we have been these months past,’ says Dravot, weighing his crown in his +hand. ‘You go get a wife too, Peachey--a nice, strappin’, plump girl +that’ll keep you warm in the winter. They’re prettier than English +girls, and we can take the pick of ‘em. Boil ‘em once or twice in hot +water, and they’ll come out like chicken and ham.’ + +“‘Don’t tempt me!’ I says. ‘I will not have any dealings with a woman, +not till we are a dam’ side more settled than we are now. I’ve been +doing the work o’ two men, and you’ve been doing the work of three. +Let’s lie off a bit, and see if we can get some better tobacco from +Afghan country and run in some good liquor; and no women.’ + +“‘Who’s talking o’ _women_?’ says Dravot. ‘I said _wife_--a Queen to +breed a King’s son for the King. A Queen out of the strongest tribe, +that’ll make them your blood-brothers, and that’ll lie by your side and +tell you all the people thinks about you and their own affairs. That’s +what I want.’ + +“‘Do you remember that Bengali woman I kept at Mogul Serai when I was +a plate-layer?’ says I. ‘A fat lot o’ good she was to me. She taught me +the lingo and one or two other things; but what happened? She ran away +with the Station-master’s servant and half my month’s pay. Then +she turned up at Dadur Junction in tow of a half-caste, and had the +impidence to say I was her husband--all among the drivers in the +running-shed too!’ + +“‘We’ve done with that,’ says Dravot; ‘these women are whiter than you +or me, and a Queen I will have for the winter months.’ + +“‘For the last time o’ asking, Dan, do _not_,’ I says. ‘It’ll only bring +us harm. The Bible says that Kings ain’t to waste their strength on +women, ‘specially when they’ve got a new raw Kingdom to work over.’ + +“‘For the last time of answering, I will,’ said Dravot, and he went away +through the pine-trees looking like a big red devil, the sun being on +his crown and beard and all. + +“But getting a wife was not as easy as Dan thought. He put it before the +Council, and there was no answer till Billy Fish said that he’d better +ask the girls. Dravot damned them all round. ‘What’s wrong with me?’ he +shouts, standing by the idol Imbra. ‘Am I a dog, or am I not enough of +a man for your wenches? Haven’t I put the shadow of my hand over this +country? Who stopped the last Afghan raid?’ It was me really, but Dravot +was too angry to remember. ‘Who bought your guns? Who repaired the +bridges? Who’s the Grand Master of the sign cut in the stone?’ says he, +and he thumped his hand on the block that he used to sit on in Lodge, +and at Council, which opened like Lodge always. Billy Fish said nothing, +and no more did the others. ‘Keep your hair on, Dan,’ said I, ‘and ask +the girls. That’s how it’s done at Home, and these people are quite +English.’ + +“‘The marriage of the King is a matter of State,’ says Dan, in a +white-hot rage, for he could feel, I hope, that he was going against +his better mind. He walked out of the Council-room, and the others sat +still, looking at the ground. + +“‘Billy Fish,’ says I to the Chief of Bashkai, ‘what’s the difficulty +here? A straight answer to a true friend.’ + +“‘You know,’ says Billy Fish. ‘How should a man tell you who knows +everything? How can daughters of men marry Gods or Devils? It’s not +proper.’ + +“I remembered something like that in the Bible; but, if after seeing us +as long as they had, they still believed we were Gods, it wasn’t for me +to undeceive them. + +“‘A God can do anything,’ says I. ‘If the King is fond of a girl he’ll +not let her die.’ ‘She’ll have to,’ said Billy Fish. ‘There are all +sorts of Gods and Devils in these mountains, and now and again a girl +marries one of them and isn’t seen any more. Besides, you two know the +Mark cut in the stone. Only the Gods know that. We thought you were men +till you showed the sign of the Master.’ + +“I wished then that we had explained about the loss of the genuine +secrets of a Master Mason at the first go-off; but I said nothing. All +that night there was a blowing of horns in a little dark temple half-way +down the hill, and I heard the girl crying fit to die. One of the +priests told us that she was being prepared to marry the King. + +“‘I’ll have no nonsense of that kind,’ says Dan. ‘I don’t want to +interfere with your customs, but I’ll take my own wife.’ ‘The girl’s a +little bit afraid,’ says the priest. ‘She thinks she’s going to die, and +they are a-heartening of her up down in the temple.’ + +“‘Hearten her very tender, then,’ says Dravot, ‘or I’ll hearten you with +the butt of a gun so you’ll never want to be heartened again.’ He licked +his lips, did Dan, and stayed up walking about more than half the night, +thinking of the wife that he was going to get in the morning. I wasn’t +any means comfortable, for I knew that dealings with a woman in foreign +parts, though you was a crowned King twenty times over, could not but be +risky. I got up very early in the morning while Dravot was asleep, and +I saw the priests talking together in whispers, and the Chiefs talking +together too, and they looked at me out of the corners of their eyes. + +“‘What is up, Fish?’ I say to the Bashkai man, who was wrapped up in his +furs and looking splendid to behold. + +“‘I can’t rightly say,’ says he; ‘but if you can make the King drop all +this nonsense about marriage, you’ll be doing him and me and yourself a +great service.’ + +“‘That I do believe,’ says I. ‘But sure, you know, Billy, as well as me, +having fought against and for us, that the King and me are nothing more +than two of the finest men that God Almighty ever made. Nothing more, I +do assure you.’ + +“‘That may be,’ says Billy Fish, ‘and yet I should be sorry if it was.’ +He sinks his head upon his great fur cloak for a minute and thinks. +‘King,’ says he, ‘be you man or God or Devil, I’ll stick by you to-day. +I have twenty of my men with me, and they will follow me. We’ll go to +Bashkai until the storm blows over.’ + +“A little snow had fallen in the night, and everything was white except +the greasy fat clouds that blew down and down from the north. Dravot +came out with his crown on his head, swinging his arms and stamping his +feet, and looking more pleased than Punch. + +“‘For the last time, drop it, Dan,’ says I, in a whisper; ‘Billy Fish +here says that there will be a row.’ + +“‘A row among my people!’ says Dravot. ‘Not much. Peachey, you’re a fool +not to get a wife too. Where’s the girl?’ says he, with a voice as loud +as the braying of a jackass. ‘Call up all the Chiefs and priests, and +let the Emperor see if his wife suits him.’ + +“There was no need to call any one. They were all there leaning on their +guns and spears round the clearing in the centre of the pine wood. A lot +of priests went down to the little temple to bring up the girl, and the +horns blew fit to wake the dead. Billy Fish saunters round and gets as +close to Daniel as he could, and behind him stood his twenty men with +matchlocks--not a man of them under six feet. I was next to Dravot, and +behind me was twenty men of the regular Army. Up comes the girl, and a +strapping wench she was, covered with silver and turquoises, but white +as death, and looking back every minute at the priests. + +“‘She’ll do,’ said Dan, looking her over. ‘What’s to be afraid of, lass? +Come and kiss me.’ He puts his arm round her. She shuts her eyes, +gives a bit of a squeak, and down goes her face in the side of Dan’s +flaming-red beard. + +“‘The slut’s bitten me!’ says he, clapping his hand to his neck, and, +sure enough, his hand was red with blood. Billy Fish and two of his +matchlock men catches hold of Dan by the shoulders and drags him into +the Bashkai lot, while the priests howls in their lingo, ‘Neither God +nor Devil, but a man!’ I was all taken aback, for a priest cut at me in +front, and the Army behind began firing into the Bashkai men. + +“‘God A’mighty!’ says Dan, ‘what is the meaning o’ this?’ + +“‘Come back! Come away!’ says Billy Fish. ‘Ruin and Mutiny is the +matter. We’ll break for Bashkai if we can.’ + +“I tried to give some sort of orders to my men,--the men o’ the regular +Army,--but it was no use, so I fired into the brown of ‘em with an +English Martini and drilled three beggars in a line. The valley was full +of shouting, howling creatures, and every soul was shrieking, ‘Not a God +nor a Devil, but only a man!’ The Bashkai troops stuck to Billy Fish all +they were worth, but their matchlocks wasn’t half as good as the Kabul +breech-loaders, and four of them dropped. Dan was bellowing like a bull, +for he was very wrathy; and Billy Fish had a hard job to prevent him +running out at the crowd. + +“‘We can’t stand,’ says Billy Fish. ‘Make a run for it down the valley! +The whole place is against us.’ The matchlock-men ran, and we went down +the valley in spite of Dravot. He was swearing horrible and crying +out that he was a King. The priests rolled great stones on us, and +the regular Army fired hard, and there wasn’t more than six men, not +counting Dan, Billy Fish, and Me, that came down to the bottom of the +valley alive. + +“Then they stopped firing, and the horns in the temple blew again. ‘Come +away--for Gord’s sake come away!’ says Billy Fish. ‘They’ll send runners +out to all the villages before ever we get to Bashkai. I can protect you +there, but I can’t do anything now.” + +“My own notion is that Dan began to go mad in his head from that hour. +He stared up and down like a stuck pig. Then he was all for walking back +alone and killing the priests with his bare hands; which he could have +done. ‘An Emperor am I,’ says Daniel, ‘and next year I shall be a Knight +of the Queen.’ + +“‘All right, Dan,’ says I; ‘but come along now while there’s time.’ + +“‘It’s your fault,’ says he, ‘for not looking after your Army better. +There was mutiny in the midst, and you didn’t know--you damned +engine-driving, plate-laying, missionary’s-pass-hunting hound!’ He sat +upon a rock and called me every foul name he could lay tongue to. I was +too heart-sick to care, though it was all his foolishness that brought +the smash. + +“‘I’m sorry, Dan,’ says I, ‘but there’s no accounting for natives. This +business is our Fifty-seven. Maybe we’ll make something out of it yet, +when we’ve got to Bashkai.’ + +“‘Let’s get to Bashkai, then,’ says Dan, ‘and, by God, when I come +back here again I’ll sweep the valley so there isn’t a bug in a blanket +left!’ + +“We walked all that day, and all that night Dan was stumping up and down +on the snow, chewing his beard and muttering to himself. + +“‘There’s no hope o’ getting clear,’ said Billy Fish. ‘The priests have +sent runners to the villages to say that you are only men. Why didn’t +you stick on as Gods till things was more settled? I’m a dead man,’ says +Billy Fish, and he throws himself down on the snow and begins to pray to +his Gods. + +“Next morning we was in a cruel bad country--all up and down, no level +ground at all, and no food, either. The six Bashkai men looked at Billy +Fish hungry-way as if they wanted to ask something, but they never said +a word. At noon we came to the top of a flat mountain all covered with +snow, and when we climbed up into it, behold, there was an Army in +position waiting in the middle! + +“‘The runners have been very quick,’ says Billy Fish, with a little bit +of a laugh. ‘They are waiting for us.’ + +“Three or four men began to fire from the enemy’s side, and a chance +shot took Daniel in the calf of the leg. That brought him to his senses. +He looks across the snow at the Army, and sees the rifles that we had +brought into the country. + +“‘We’re done for,’ says he. ‘They are Englishmen, these people,--and +it’s my blasted nonsense that has brought you to this. Get back, Billy +Fish, and take your men away; you’ve done what you could, and now cut +for it. Carnehan,’ says he, ‘shake hands with me and go along with +Billy, Maybe they won’t kill you. I’ll go and meet ‘em alone. It’s me +that did it! Me, the King!’ + +“‘Go!’ says I. ‘Go to Hell, Dan! I’m with you here. Billy Fish, you +clear out, and we two will meet those folk.’ + +“‘I’m a Chief,’ says Billy Fish, quite quiet. ‘I stay with you. My men +can go.’ + +“The Bashkai fellows didn’t wait for a second word, but ran off, and Dan +and Me and Billy Fish walked across to where the drums were drumming and +the horns were horning. It was cold--awful cold. I’ve got that cold in +the back of my head now. There’s a lump of it there.” + +The punka-coolies had gone to sleep. Two kerosene lamps were blazing in +the office, and the perspiration poured down my face and splashed on the +blotter as I leaned forward. Carnehan was shivering, and I feared that +his mind might go. I wiped my face, took a fresh grip of the piteously +mangled hands, and said, “What happened after that?” + +The momentary shift of my eyes had broken the clear current. + +“What was you pleased to say?” whined Carnehan. “They took them without +any sound. Not a little whisper all along the snow, not though the King +knocked down the first man that set hand on him--not though old Peachey +fired his last cartridge into the brown of ‘em. Not a single solitary +sound did those swines make. They just closed up tight, and I tell you +their furs stunk. There was a man called Billy Fish, a good friend of us +all, and they cut his throat, Sir, then and there, like a pig; and the +King kicks up the bloody snow and says, ‘We’ve had a dashed fine run for +our money. What’s coming next?’ But Peachey, Peachey Taliaferro, I tell +you, Sir, in confidence as betwixt two friends, he lost his head, Sir. +No, he didn’t, neither. The King lost his head, so he did, all along o’ +one of those cunning rope bridges. Kindly let me have the paper-cutter, +Sir. It tilted this way. They marched him a mile across that snow to a +rope bridge over a ravine with a river at the bottom. You may have seen +such. They prodded him behind like an ox. ‘Damn your eyes!’ says +the King. ‘D’ you suppose I can’t die like a gentleman?’ He turns to +Peachey--Peachey that was crying like a child. ‘I’ve brought you to +this, Peachey,’ says he. ‘Brought you out of your happy life to be +killed in Kafiristan, where you was late Commander-in-Chief of the +Emperor’s forces. Say you forgive me, Peachey.’ ‘I do,’ says Peachey. +‘Fully and freely do I forgive you, Dan.’ ‘Shake hands, Peachey,’ says +he. ‘I’m going now.’ Out he goes, looking neither right nor left, and +when he was plumb in the middle of those dizzy dancing ropes, ‘Cut you +beggars,’ he shouts; and they cut, and old Dan fell, turning round and +round and round, twenty thousand miles, for he took half an hour to fall +till he struck the water, and I could see his body caught on a rock with +the gold crown close beside. + +“But do you know what they did to Peachey between two pine-trees? They +crucified him, Sir, as Peachey’s hand will show. They used wooden pegs +for his hands and feet; but he didn’t die. He hung there and screamed, +and they took him down next day, and said it was a miracle that he +wasn’t dead. They took him down--poor old Peachey that hadn’t done them +any harm--that hadn’t done them any--” + +He rocked to and fro and wept bitterly, wiping his eyes with the back of +his scarred hands and moaning like a child for some ten minutes. + +“They was cruel enough to feed him up in the temple, because they said +he was more of a God than old Daniel that was a man. Then they turned +him out on the snow, and told him to go home, and Peachey came home in +about a year, begging along the roads quite safe; for Daniel Dravot he +walked before and said, ‘Come along, Peachey. It’s a big thing we’re +doing.’ The mountains they danced at night, and the mountains they tried +to fall on Peachey’s head, but Dan he held up his hand, and Peachey came +along bent double. He never let go of Dan’s hand, and he never let go +of Dan’s head. They gave it to him as a present in the temple, to remind +him not to come again; and though the crown was pure gold and Peachey +was starving, never would Peachey sell the same. You know Dravot, Sir! +You knew Right Worshipful Brother Dravot! Look at him now!” + +He fumbled in the mass of rags round his bent waist; brought out a black +horsehair bag embroidered with silver thread; and shook therefrom on to +my table--the dried, withered head of Daniel Dravot! The morning sun, +that had long been paling the lamps, struck the red beard and blind +sunken eyes; struck, too, a heavy circlet of gold studded with raw +turquoises, that Carnehan placed tenderly on the battered temples. + +“You be’old now,” said Carnehan, “the Emperor in his ‘abit as he +lived--the King of Kafiristan with his crown upon his head. Poor old +Daniel that was a monarch once!” + +I shuddered, for, in spite of defacements manifold, I recognised the +head of the man of Marwar Junction. Carnehan rose to go. I attempted to +stop him. He was not fit to walk abroad. “Let me take away the whisky, +and give me a little money,” he gasped. “I was a King once. I’ll go to +the Deputy Commissioner and ask to set in the Poorhouse till I get my +health. No, thank you, I can’t wait till you get a carriage for me. I’ve +urgent private affairs--in the south--at Marwar.” + +He shambled out of the office and departed in the direction of the +Deputy Commissioner’s house. That day at noon I had occasion to go down +the blinding-hot Mall, and I saw a crooked man crawling along the white +dust of the roadside, his hat in his hand, quavering dolorously after +the fashion of street-singers at Home. There was not a soul in sight, +and he was out of all possible earshot of the houses. And he sang +through his nose, turning his head from right to left: + + “The Son of Man goes forth to war, + A golden crown to gain; + His blood-red banner streams afar-- + Who follows in His train?” + +I waited to hear no more, but put the poor wretch into my carriage and +drove him off to the nearest missionary for eventual transfer to the +Asylum. He repeated the hymn twice while he was with me, whom he did not +in the least recognise, and I left him singing it to the missionary. + +Two days later I inquired after his welfare of the Superintendent of the +Asylum. + +“He was admitted suffering from sunstroke. He died early yesterday +morning,” said the Superintendent. “Is it true that he was half an hour +bareheaded in the sun at midday?” + +“Yes,” said I; “but do you happen to know if he had anything upon him by +any chance when he died?” + +“Not to my knowledge,” said the Superintendent. + +And there the matter rests. + + + + +TAJIMA, By Miss Mitford + + +Once upon a time, a certain ronin, Tajima Shume by name, an able and +well-read man, being on his travels to see the world, went up to Kiyoto +by the Tokaido. [The road of the Eastern Sea, the famous highroad +leading from Kiyoto to Yedo. The name is also used to indicate the +provinces through which it runs.] One day, in the neighbourhood of +Nagoya, in the province of Owari, he fell in with a wandering priest, +with whom he entered into conversation. Finding that they were bound for +the same place, they agreed to travel together, beguiling their weary +way by pleasant talk on divers matters; and so by degrees, as they +became more intimate, they began to speak without restraint about their +private affairs; and the priest, trusting thoroughly in the honour of +his companion, told him the object of his journey. + +“For some time past,” said he, “I have nourished a wish that has +engrossed all my thoughts; for I am bent on setting up a molten image +in honour of Buddha; with this object I have wandered through various +provinces collecting alms, and (who knows by what weary toil?) we have +succeeded in amassing two hundred ounces of silver--enough, I trust, to +erect a handsome bronze figure.” + +What says the proverb? “He who bears a jewel in his bosom bears poison.” + Hardly had the ronin heard these words of the priest than an evil heart +arose within him, and he thought to himself, “Man’s life, from the womb +to the grave, is made up of good and of ill luck. Here am I, nearly +forty years old, a wanderer, without a calling, or even a hope of +advancement in the world. To be sure, it seems a shame; yet if I could +steal the money this priest is boasting about, I could live at ease for +the rest of my days;” and so he began casting about how best he might +compass his purpose. But the priest, far from guessing the drift of his +comrade’s thoughts, journeyed cheerfully on till they reached the +town of Kuana. Here there is an arm of the sea, which is crossed in +ferry-boats, that start as soon as some twenty or thirty passengers +are gathered together; and in one of these boats the two travellers +embarked. About half-way across, the priest was taken with a sudden +necessity to go to the side of the boat; and the ronin, following him, +tripped him up while no one was looking, and flung him into the sea. +When the boatmen and passengers heard the splash, and saw the priest +struggling in the water, they were afraid, and made every effort to +save him; but the wind was fair, and the boat running swiftly under +the bellying sails; so they were soon a few hundred yards off from the +drowning man, who sank before the boat could be turned to rescue him. + +When he saw this, the ronin feigned the utmost grief and dismay, and +said to his fellow-passengers, “This priest, whom we have just lost, was +my cousin; he was going to Kiyoto, to visit the shrine of his patron; +and as I happened to have business there as well, we settled to travel +together. Now, alas! by this misfortune, my cousin is dead, and I am +left alone.” + +He spoke so feelingly, and wept so freely, that the passengers believed +his story, and pitied and tried to comfort him. Then the ronin said to +the boatmen: + +“We ought, by rights, to report this matter to the authorities; but as I +am pressed for time, and the business might bring trouble on yourselves +as well, perhaps we had better hush it up for the present; I will at +once go on to Kiyoto and tell my cousin’s patron, besides writing home +about it. What think you, gentlemen?” added he, turning to the other +travellers. + +They, of course, were only too glad to avoid any hindrance to their +onward journey, and all with one voice agreed to what the ronin had +proposed; and so the matter was settled. When, at length, they reached +the shore, they left the boat, and every man went his way; but the +ronin, overjoyed in his heart, took the wandering priest’s luggage, and, +putting it with his own, pursued his journey to Kiyoto. + +On reaching the capital, the ronin changed his name from Shume to +Tokubei, and, giving up his position as a samurai, turned merchant, and +traded with the dead man’s money. Fortune favouring his speculations, +he began to amass great wealth, and lived at his ease, denying himself +nothing; and in course of time he married a wife, who bore him a child. + +Thus the days and months wore on, till one fine summer’s night, some +three years after the priest’s death, Tokubei stepped out on the veranda +of his house to enjoy the cool air and the beauty of the moonlight. +Feeling dull and lonely, he began musing over all kinds of things, when +on a sudden the deed of murder and theft, done so long ago, vividly +recurred to his memory, and he thought to himself, “Here am I, grown +rich and fat on the money I wantonly stole. Since then, all has gone +well with me; yet, had I not been poor, I had never turned assassin nor +thief. Woe betide me! what a pity it was!” and as he was revolving the +matter in his mind, a feeling of remorse came over him, in spite of all +he could do. While his conscience thus smote him, he suddenly, to his +utter amazement, beheld the faint outline of a man standing near a +fir-tree in the garden; on looking more attentively, he perceived that +the man’s whole body was thin and worn, and the eyes sunken and dim; +and in that poor ghost that was before him he recognised the very priest +whom he had thrown into the sea at Kuana. Chilled with horror, he looked +again, and saw that the priest was smiling in scorn. He would have fled +into the house, but the ghost stretched forth its withered arm, and, +clutching the back of his neck, scowled at him with a vindictive glare +and a hideous ghastliness of mien so unspeakably awful that any ordinary +man would have swooned with fear. But Tokubei, tradesman though he was, +had once been a soldier, and was not easily matched for daring; so he +shook off the ghost, and, leaping into the room for his dirk, laid about +him boldly enough; but, strike as he would, the spirit, fading into the +air, eluded his blows, and suddenly reappeared only to vanish again; +and from that time forth Tokubei knew no rest, and was haunted night and +day. + +At length, undone by such ceaseless vexation, Tokubei fell ill, and +kept muttering, “Oh, misery! misery! the wandering priest is coming to +torture me!” Hearing his moans and the disturbance he made, the +people in the house fancied he was mad, and called in a physician, who +prescribed for him. But neither pill nor potion could cure Tokubei, +whose strange frenzy soon became the talk of the whole neighbourhood. + +Now it chanced that the story reached the ears of a certain wandering +priest who lodged in the next street. When he heard the particulars, +this priest gravely shook his head as though he knew all about it, +and sent a friend to Tokubei’s house to say that a wandering priest, +dwelling hard by, had heard of his illness, and, were it never so +grievous, would undertake to heal it by means of his prayers; and +Tokubei’s wife, driven half wild by her husband’s sickness, lost not +a moment in sending for the priest and taking him into the sick man’s +room. + +But no sooner did Tokubei see the priest than he yelled out, “Help! +help! Here is the wandering priest come to torment me again. Forgive! +forgive!” and hiding his head under the coverlet, he lay quivering all +over. Then the priest turned all present out of the room, put his mouth +to the affrighted man’s ear, and whispered: + +“Three years ago, at the Kuana ferry, you flung me into the water; and +well you remember it.” + +But Tokubei was speechless, and could only quake with fear. + +“Happily,” continued the priest, “I had learned to swim and to dive as +a boy; so I reached the shore, and, after wandering through many +provinces, succeeded in setting up a bronze figure to Buddha, thus +fulfilling the wish of my heart. On my journey homeward, I took a +lodging in the next street, and there heard of your marvellous ailment. +Thinking I could divine its cause, I came to see you, and am glad to +find I was not mistaken. You have done a hateful deed; but am I not a +priest, and have I not forsaken the things of this world, and would it +not ill become me to bear malice? Repent, therefore, and abandon your +evil ways. To see you do so I should esteem the height of happiness. Be +of good cheer, now, and look me in the face, and you will see that I am +really a living man, and no vengeful goblin come to torment you.” + +Seeing he had no ghost to deal with, and overwhelmed by the priest’s +kindness, Tokubei burst into tears, and answered, “Indeed, indeed, I +don’t know what to say. In a fit of madness I was tempted to kill and +rob you. Fortune befriended me ever after; but the richer I grew, the +more keenly I felt how wicked I had been, and the more I foresaw that my +victim’s vengeance would some day overtake me. Haunted by this thought, +I lost my nerve, till one night I beheld your spirit, and from that time +fell ill. But how you managed to escape, and are still alive, is more +than I can understand.” + +“A guilty man,” said the priest, with a smile, “shudders at the rustling +of the wind or the chattering of a stork’s beak; a murderer’s conscience +preys upon his mind till he sees what is not. Poverty drives a man to +crimes which he repents of in his wealth. How true is the doctrine of +Moshi [Mencius], that the heart of man, pure by nature, is corrupted by +circumstances!” + +Thus he held forth; and Tokubei, who had long since repented of his +crime, implored forgiveness, and gave him a large sum of money, saying, +“Half of this is the amount I stole from you three years since; the +other half I entreat you to accept as interest, or as a gift.” + +The priest at first refused the money; but Tokubei insisted on his +accepting it, and did all he could to detain him, but in vain; for the +priest went on his way, and bestowed the money on the poor and needy. As +for Tokubei himself, he soon shook off his disorder, and thenceforward +lived at peace with all men, revered both at home and abroad, and ever +intent on good and charitable deeds. + + + + +A CHINESE GIRL GRADUATE, By R. K. Douglas + + +Who among the three hundred million sons of Han does not know the +saying: + + There’s Paradise above, ‘t is true; + But here below we’ve Hang and Soo? + [Hangchow and Soochow] + +And though no one will deny the beauty of those far-famed cities, they +cannot compare in grandeur of situation and boldness of features with +many of the towns of the providence of the “Four Streams.” Foremost +among the favoured spots of this part of the empire is Mienchu, which, +as its name implies, is celebrated for the silky bamboos which grow +in its immediate neighbourhood. These form, however, only one of the +features of its loveliness. Situated at the foot of a range of mountains +which rise through all the gradations from rich and abundant verdure +to the region of eternal snow, it lies embosomed in groves of beech, +cypress, and bamboo, through the leafy screens of which rise the +upturned yellow roofs of the temples and official residences, which dot +the landscape like golden islands in an emerald sea; while beyond the +wall hurries, between high and rugged banks, the tributary of the Fu +River, which bears to the mighty waters of the Yangtsze-Kiang the goods +and passengers which seek an outlet to the eastern provinces. + +The streets within the walls of the city are scenes of life and bustle, +while in the suburbs stand the residences of those who can afford to +live in peace and quiet, undisturbed by the clamour of the Les and +Changs [i.e., the people. Le and Chang are the two commonest names in +China.] of the town. There, in a situation which the Son of Heaven might +envy, stands the official residence of Colonel Wen. Outwardly it has +all the appearance of a grandee’s palace, and within the massive +boundary-walls which surround it, the courtyards, halls, grounds, +summer-houses, and pavilions are not to be exceeded in grandeur and +beauty. The office which had fallen to the lot of Colonel Wen was one +of the most sought after in the province, and commonly only fell to +officers of distinction. Though not without fame in the field, Colonel +Wen’s main claim to honour lay in the high degrees he had taken in the +examinations. His literary acquirements gained him friends among +the civil officers of the district, and the position he occupied was +altogether one of exceptional dignity. + +Unfortunately, his first wife had died, leaving only a daughter to +keep her memory alive; but at the time when our story opens, his second +spouse, more kind than his first, had presented him with a much-desired +son. The mother of this boy was one of those bright, pretty, gay +creatures who commonly gain the affections of men much older than +themselves. She sang in the most faultless falsetto, she played the +guitar with taste and expression, and she danced with grace and agility. +What wonder, then, that when the colonel returned from his tours of +inspections and parades, weary with travel and dust, he found relief and +relaxation in the joyous company of Hyacinth! And was she not also the +mother of his son? Next to herself, there can be no question that this +young gentleman held the chief place in the colonel’s affections; while +poor Jasmine, his daughter by his first venture, was left very much to +her own resources. No one troubled themselves about what she did, and +she was allowed, as she grew up, to follow her own pursuits and to +give rein to her fancies without let or hindrance. From her earliest +childhood one of her lonely amusements had been to dress as a boy, and +so unchecked had the habit become that she gradually drifted into the +character which she had chosen to assume. She even persuaded her father +to let her go to the neighbouring boys’ school. Her mother had died +before the colonel had been posted to Mienchu, and among the people of +that place, who had always seen her in boy’s attire, she was regarded as +an adopted son of her father. Hyacinth was only too glad to get her out +of the way as much as possible, and so encouraged the idea of allowing +her to learn to read and write in the company of their neighbours’ +urchins. + +Being bright and clever, she soon gained an intellectual lead among the +boys, and her uncommon beauty, coupled with the magnetism belonging +to her sex, secured for her a popularity which almost amounted to +adoration. She was tall for her age, as are most young daughters of Han; +and her perfectly oval face, almond-shaped eyes, willow-leaf eyebrows, +small, well-shaped mouth, brilliantly white teeth, and raven-black hair, +completed a face and figure which would have been noticeable anywhere. +By the boys she was worshipped, and no undertaking was too difficult or +too troublesome if it was to give pleasure to Tsunk’ing, or the “Young +Noble,” as she was called; for to have answered to the name of Jasmine +would have been to proclaim her sex at once. Even the grim old +master smiled at her through his horn spectacles as she entered the +school-house of a morning, and any graceful turn in her poetry or +scholarly diction in her prose was sure to win for her his unsparing +praise. Many an evening he invited the “young noble” to his house to +read over chapters from Confucius and the poems of Le Taipoh; and years +afterward, when he died, among his most cherished papers were found +odes signed by Tsunk’ing, in which there was a good deal about bending +willows, light, flickering bamboos, horned moons, wild geese, the sound +of a flute on a rainy day, and the pleasures of wine, in strict accord +with the models set forth in the “Aids to Poetry-making” which are +common in the land. + +If it had not been for the indifference with which she was treated in +her home, the favour with which she was regarded abroad would have +been most prejudicial to Jasmine; but any conceit which might have been +engendered in the school-house was speedily counteracted when she got +within the portals of the colonel’s domain. Coming into the presence of +her father and his wife, with all the incense of kindness, affection, +and, it must be confessed, flattery, with which she was surrounded by +her school-fellows, fresh about her, was like stepping into a cold bath. +Wholesome and invigorating the change may have been, but it was very +unpleasant, and Jasmine often longed to be alone to give vent to her +feelings in tears. + +One deep consolation she had, however: she was a devoted student, and in +the society of her books she forgot the callousness of her parents, and, +living in imagination in the bygone annals of the empire, she was able +to take part, as it were, in the great deeds which mark the past history +of the state, and to enjoy the converse and society of the sages and +poets of antiquity. When the time came that she had gained all the +knowledge which the old schoolmaster could impart to her, she left the +school, and formed a reading-party with two youths of her own age. +These lads, by name Wei and Tu, had been her school-fellows, and were +delighted at obtaining her promise to join them in their studies. So +industriously were these pursued that the three friends succeeded in +taking their B.A. degree at the next examination, and, encouraged by +this success, determined to venture on a struggle for a still higher +distinction. + +Though at one in their affection for Jasmine, Tu and Wei were unlike +in everything else, which probably accounted for the friendship which +existed between them. Wei was the more clever of the two. He wrote +poetry with ease and fluency, and his essays were marked by correctness +of style and aptness of quotation. But there was a want of strength in +his character. He was exceedingly vain, and was always seeking to excite +admiration among his companions. This unhappy failing made him very +susceptible of adverse criticism, and at the same time extremely jealous +of any one who might happen to excel him in any way. Tu, on the other +hand, though not so intellectually favoured, had a rough kind of +originality, which always secured for his exercises a respectful +attention, and made him at all times an agreeable companion. Having +no exaggerated ideas of his capabilities, he never strove to appear +otherwise than he was, and being quite independent of the opinions of +others, he was always natural. Thus he was one who was sought out by +his friends, and was best esteemed by those whose esteem was best worth +having. In outward appearance the youths were as different as their +characters were diverse. Wei was decidedly good-looking, but of a kind +of beauty which suggested neither rest nor sincerity; while in Tu’s +features, though there was less grace, the want was fully compensated +for by the strength and honest firmness of his countenance. + +For both these young men Jasmine had a liking, but there was no question +as to which she preferred. As she herself said, “Wei is pleasant enough +as a companion, but if I had to look to one of them for an act of true +friendship--or as a lover,” she mentally added--“I should turn at once +to Tu.” It was one of her amusements to compare the young men in her +mind, and one day when so occupied Tu suddenly looked up from his book +and said to her: + +“What a pity it is that the gods have made us both men! If _I_ were a +woman, the object of my heart would be to be your wife, and if _you_ +were a woman, there is nothing I should like better than to be your +husband.” + +Jasmine blushed up to the roots of her hair at having her own thoughts +thus capped, as it were; but before she could answer, Wei broke in with: + +“What nonsense you talk! And why, I should like to know, should you be +the only one the ‘young noble’ might choose, supposing he belonged to +the other sex?” + +“You are both talking nonsense,” said Jasmine, who had had time to +recover her composure, “and remind me of my two old childless aunts,” + she added, laughing, “who are always quarrelling about the names they +would have given their children if the goddess Kwanyin had granted them +any half a century ago. As a matter of act, we are three friends reading +for our M.A. degrees, neither more nor less. And I will trouble you, +my elder brother,” she added, turning to Tu, “to explain to me what the +poet means by the expression ‘tuneful Tung’ in the line: + + ‘The greedy flames devour the tuneful Tung.’” + +A learned disquisition by Tu on the celebrated musician who recognised +the sonorous qualities of a piece of Tung timber burning in the kitchen +fire effectually diverted the conversation from the inconvenient +direction it had taken, and shortly afterward Jasmine took her leave. + +Haunted by the thought of what had passed, she wandered on to the +veranda of her archery pavilion, and while gazing half unconsciously +heavenward her eyes were attracted by a hawk which flew past and +alighted on a tree beyond the boundary-wall, and in front of the study +she had lately left. In a restless and thoughtless mood, she took up her +bow and arrow, and with unerring aim compassed the death of her victim. +No sooner, however, had the hawk fallen, carrying the arrow with it, +than she remembered that her name was inscribed on the shaft, and +fearing lest it should be found by either Wei or Tu, she hurried round +in the hope of recovering it. But she was too late. On approaching +the study, she found Tu in the garden in front, examining the bird and +arrow. + +“Look,” he said, as he saw her coming, “what a good shot some one has +made! and whoever it is, he has a due appreciation of his own skill. +Listen to these lines which are scraped on the arrow: + + ‘Do not lightly draw your bow; + But if you must, bring down your foe.’” + +Jasmine was glad enough to find that he had not discovered her name, +and eagerly exchanged banter with him on the conceit of the owner of the +arrow. But before she could recover it, Wei, who had heard the talking +and laughter, joined them, and took the arrow out of Tu’s hand to +examine it. Just at that moment a messenger came to summon Tu to his +father’s presence, and he had no sooner gone than Wei exclaimed: + +“But see, here is the name of the mysterious owner of the arrow, and, as +I live, it is a girl’s name--Jasmine! Who, among the goddesses of heaven +can Jasmine be?” + +“Oh, I will take the arrow then,” said Jasmine. “It must belong to my +sister. That is her name.” + +“I did not know that you had a sister,” said Wei. + +“Oh yes, I have,” answered Jasmine, quite forgetful of the celebrated +dictum of Confucius: “Be truthful.” “She is just one year younger than I +am,” she added, thinking it well to be circumstantial. + +“Why have you never mentioned her?” asked Wei, with animation. “What is +she like? Is she anything like you?” + +“She is the very image of me.” + +“What! In height and features and ways?” + +“The very image, so that people have often said that if we changed +clothes each might pass for the other.” + +“What a good-looking girl she must be!” said Wei, laughing. “But, +seriously, I have not, as you know, yet set up a household; and if your +sister has not received bridal presents, I would beg to be allowed to +invite her to enter my lowly habitation. What does my elder brother say +to my proposal?” + +“I don’t know what my sister would feel about it,” said Jasmine. “I +would never answer for a girl, if I lived to be as old as the God of +Longevity.” + +“Will you find out for me?” + +“Certainly I will. But remember, not a word must be mentioned on the +subject to my father, or, in fact, to anybody, until I give you leave.” + +“So long as my elder brother will undertake for me, I will promise +anything,” said the delighted Wei. “I already feel as though I were +nine-tenths of the way to the abode of the phenix. Take this box of +precious ointment to your sister as an earnest of my intentions, and I +will keep the arrow as a token from her until she demands its return. I +feel inclined to express myself in verse. May I?” + +“By all means,” said Jasmine, laughing. + +Thus encouraged, Wei improvised as follows: + + “‘T was sung of old that Lofu had no mate, + Though Che was willing; for no word was said. + At last an arrow like a herald came, + And now an honoured brother lends his aid.” + +“Excellent,” said Jasmine, laughing. “With such a poetic gift as you +possess, you certainly deserve a better fate than befell Lofu.” + +From this day the idea of marrying Jasmine’s sister possessed the +soul of Wei. But not a word did he say to Tu on the matter, for he was +conscious that, as Tu was the first to pick up the arrow through which +he had become acquainted with the existence of Jasmine’s sister, his +friend might possibly lay a claim to her hand. To Jasmine also the +subject was a most absorbing one. She felt that she was becoming most +unpleasantly involved in a risky matter, and that, if the time should +ever come when she should have to make an explanation, she might in +honour be compelled to marry Wei--a prospect which filled her with +dismay. The turn events had taken had made her analyse her feelings more +than she had ever done before, and the process made her doubly conscious +of the depth of her affection for Tu. “A horse,” she said to herself, +“cannot carry two saddles, and a woman cannot marry more than one man.” + Wise as this saw was, it did not help her out of her difficulty, and +she turned to the chapter of accidents, and determined to trust to time, +that old disposer of events, to settle the matter. But Wei was inclined +to be impatient, and Jasmine was obliged to resort to more of those +departures from truth which circumstances had forced upon this generally +very upright young lady. + +“I have consulted my father on the subject,” she said to the expectant +Wei, “and he insists on your waiting until the autumn examination is +over. He has every confidence that you will then take your M.A. degree, +and your marriage will, he hopes, put the coping-stone on your happiness +and honour.” + +“That is all very well,” said Wei; “but autumn is a long time hence, and +how do I know that your sister may not change her mind?” + +“Has not your younger brother undertaken to look after your interests, +and cannot you trust him to do his best on your behalf?” + +“I can trust my elder brother with anything in the world. It is your +sister that I am afraid of,” said Wei. “But since you will undertake for +her--” + +“No, no,” said Jasmine, laughing, “I did not say that I would undertake +for her. A man who answers for a woman deserves to have ‘fool’ written +on his forehead.” + +“Well, at all events, I will be content to leave the matter in your +hands,” said Wei. + +At last the time of the autumn examination drew near, and Tu and Wei +made preparations for their departure to the provincial capital. They +were both bitterly disappointed when Jasmine announced that she was not +going up that time. This determination was the result of a conference +with her father. She had pointed out to the colonel that if she passed +and took her M.A. degree she might be called upon to take office at any +time, and that then she would be compelled to confess her sex; and as +she was by no means disposed to give up the freedom which her doublet +and hose conferred upon her, it was agreed between them that she should +plead illness and not go up. Her two friends, therefore, went alone, and +brilliant success attended their venture. They both passed with honours, +and returned to Mienchu to receive the congratulations of their friends. +Jasmine’s delight was very genuine, more especially as regarded Tu, and +the first evening was spent by the three students in joyous converse and +in confident anticipation of the future. As Jasmine took leave of the +two new M.A.’s, Wei followed her to the outer door and whispered at +parting: + +“I am coming to-morrow to make my formal proposal to your sister.” + +Jasmine had no time to answer, but went home full of anxious and +disturbed thoughts, which were destined to take a more tragic turn than +she had ever anticipated even in her most gloomy moments. The same cruel +fate had also decreed that Wei’s proposal was to be suspended, like +Buddha, between heaven and earth. The blow fell upon him when he was +attiring himself in the garments of his new degree, in preparation for +his visit. He was in the act of tying his sash and appending it to +his purse and trinkets, when Jasmine burst into the young men’s study, +looking deadly pale and bearing traces of acute mental distress on her +usually bright and joyous countenance. + +“What is the matter?” cried Tu, with almost as much agitation as was +shown by Jasmine. “Tell me what has happened.” + +“Oh, my father, my poor father!” sobbed Jasmine. + +“What is the matter with your father? He is not dead, is he?” cried the +young men in one breath. + +“No, it is not so bad as that,” said Jasmine, “but a great and bitter +misfortune has come upon us. As you know, some time ago my father had +a quarrel with the military intendant, and that horrid man has, out of +spite, brought charges against him for which he was carried off this +morning to prison.” + +The statement of her misery and the shame involved in it completely +unnerved poor Jasmine, who, true to her inner sex, burst into tears +and rocked herself to and fro in her grief. Tu and Wei, on their knees +before her, tried to pour in words of consolation. With a lack of reason +which might be excused under the circumstances, they vowed that her +father was innocent before they knew the nature of the charges against +him, and they pledged themselves to rest neither day nor night until +they had rescued him from his difficulty. When, under the influence of +their genuine sympathy, Jasmine recovered some composure, Tu begged her +to tell him of what her father was accused. + +“The villain,” said Jasmine, through her tears, “has dared to say +that my father has made use of government taxes, has taken bribes +for recommending men for promotion, has appropriated the soldiers’ +ration-money, and has been in league with highwaymen.” + +“Is it possible?” said Tu, who was rather staggered by this long +catalogue of crimes. “I should not have believed that any one could have +ventured to have charged your honoured father with such things, least of +all the intendant, who is notoriously possessed of an itching palm. But +I tell you what we can do at once. Wei and I, being M.A.’s, have a right +to call on the prefect, and it will be a real pleasure to us to exercise +our new privilege for the first time in your service. We will urge him +to inquire into the matter, and I cannot doubt that he will at once +quash the proceedings.” + +Unhappily, Tu’s hopes were not realised. The prefect was very civil, +but pointed out that, since a higher court had ordered the arrest of +the colonel, he was powerless to interfere in the matter. Many were +the consultations held by the three friends, and much personal relief +Jasmine got from the support and sympathy of the young men. One hope +yet remained to her: Tu and Wei were about to go to Peking for their +doctor’s degrees, and if they passed they might be able to bring such +influence to bear as would secure the release of her father. + +“Let not the ‘young noble’ distress himself overmuch,” said Wei to her, +with some importance. “This affair will be engraven on our hearts and +minds, and if we take our degrees we will use our utmost exertions to +wipe away the injustice which has been done your father.” + +“Unhappily,” said the more practical Tu, “it is too plain that the +examining magistrates are all in league to ruin him. But let our elder +brother remain quietly at home, doing all he can to collect evidence +in the colonel’s favour, while we will do our best at the capital. If +things turn out well with us there, our elder brother had better follow +at once to assist us with his advice.” + +Before the friends parted, Wei, whose own affairs were always his first +consideration, took an opportunity of whispering to Jasmine, “Don’t +forget your honoured sister’s promise, I beseech you. Whether we succeed +or not, I shall ask for her in marriage on my return.” + +“Under present circumstances, we must no longer consider the +engagement,” said Jasmine, shocked at his introducing the subject at +such a moment, “and the best thing that you can do is to forget all +about it.” + +The moment for the departure of the young men had come, and they had no +time to say more. With bitter tears, the two youths took leave of the +weeping Jasmine, who, as their carts disappeared in the distance, felt +for the first time what it was to be alone in misery. She saw little of +her stepmother in those days. That poor lady made herself so ill with +unrestrained grief that she was quite incapable of rendering either help +or advice. Fortunately the officials showed no disposition to proceed +with the indictment, and by the judicious use of the money at her +command Jasmine induced the prison authorities to make her father’s +confinement as little irksome as possible. She was allowed to see him at +almost any time, and on one occasion, when he was enjoying her presence +as in his prosperous days he had never expected to do, he remarked: + +“Since the officials are not proceeding with the business, I think my +best plan will be to send a petition to Peking asking the Board of War +to acquit me. But my difficulty is that I have no one whom I can send to +look after the business.” + +“Let _me_ go,” said Jasmine. “When Tu and Wei were leaving, they begged +me to follow them to consult as to the best means of helping you, and +with them to depend on I have nothing to fear.” + +“I quite believe that you are as capable of managing the matter as +anybody,” said her father, admiringly; “but Peking is a long way off, +and I cannot bear to think of the things which might happen to you on +the road.” + +“From all time,” answered Jasmine, “it has been considered the duty of +a daughter to risk anything in the service of her father; and though the +way is long, I shall have weapons to defend myself with against injury, +and a clear conscience with which to answer any interrogatories which +may be put to me. Besides, I will take our messenger, ‘The Dragon,’ and +his wife with me. I will make her dress as a man--what fun it will be +to see Mrs. Dragon’s portly form in trousers, and gabardine! When that +transformation is made, we shall be a party of three men. So, you see, +she and I will have a man to protect us, and I shall have a woman to +wait upon me; and if such a gallant company cannot travel from this to +Peking in safety, I’ll forswear boots and trousers and will retire into +the harem for ever.” + +“Well,” said her father, laughing, “if you can arrange in that way, go +by all means, and the sooner you start the sooner I hope you will be +back.” + +Delighted at having gained the approval of her father to her scheme, +Jasmine quickly made the arrangements for her journey. On the morning +of the day on which she was to start, the results of the doctors’ +examination at Peking reached Mienchu, and, to Jasmine’s infinite +delight, she found the names of Tu and Wei among the successful +candidates. Armed with this good news, she hurried to the prison. All +difficulties seemed to disappear like mist before the sun as she thought +of the powerful advocates she now had at Peking. + +“Tu and Wei have passed,” she said, as she rushed into her father’s +presence, “and now the end of our troubles is approaching.” + + + +With impatient hope Jasmine took leave of her father, and started on +her eventful journey. As evening drew on she entered the suburbs of +Ch’engtu, the provincial capital, and sent “The Dragon” on to find +a suitable inn for the couple of nights which she knew she would be +compelled to spend in the city. “The Dragon” was successful in his +search, and conducted Jasmine and his wife to a comfortable hostelry in +one of the busiest parts of the town. Having refreshed herself with an +excellent dinner, Jasmine was glad to rest from the fatigues and heat +of the day in the cool courtyard into which her room opened. Fortune and +builders had so arranged that a neighbouring house, towering above the +inn, overlooked this restful spot, and one of the higher windows faced +exactly the position which Jasmine had taken up. Such a fact would not, +in ordinary circumstances, have troubled her in the least; but she +had not been sitting long before she began to feel an extraordinary +attraction toward the window. She did her best to look the other way, +but she was often unconsciously impelled to glance up at the lattice. +Once she fancied she saw the curtain move. Determined to verify +her impression, she suddenly raised her eyes, after a prolonged +contemplation of the pavement, and caught a momentary sight of a girl’s +face, which as instantly disappeared, but not before Jasmine had been +able to recognise that it was one of exceptional beauty. + +“Now, if I were a young man,” said she to herself, “I ought to feel my +heart beat at the sight of such loveliness, and it would be my bounden +duty to swear that I would win the owner of it in the teeth of dragons. +But as my manhood goes no deeper than my outer garments, I can afford to +sit here with a quiet pulse and a whole skin.” + +The next day Jasmine was busily engaged in interviewing some officials +in the interest of her father, and only reached the shelter of her inn +toward evening. As she passed through the courtyard she instinctively +looked up at the window, and again caught a glimpse of the vision +of beauty which she had seen the evening before. “If she only knew,” + thought Jasmine, “that I was such a one as herself, she would be less +anxious to see me, and more likely to avoid me.” + +While amusing herself at the thought of the fair watcher, the inn +door opened, and a waiting-woman entered carrying a small box. As she +approached Jasmine she bowed low, and with bated breath thus addressed +her: + +“May every happiness be yours, sir. My young lady, Miss King, whose +humble dwelling is the adjoining house, seeing that you are living +in solitude, has sent me with this fruit and tea as a complimentary +offering.” + +So saying, she presented to Jasmine the box, which contained pears and a +packet of scented tea. + +“To what am I indebted for this honour?” replied Jasmine; “I can +claim no relationship with your lady, nor have I the honour of her +acquaintance.” + +“My young lady says,” answered the waiting-woman, “that, among the +myriads who come to this inn and the thousands who go from it, she has +seen no one to equal your Excellency in form and feature. At sight of +you she was confident that you came from a lofty and noble family, and +having learned from your attendants that you are the son of a colonel, +she ventured to send you these trifles to supplement the needy fare of +this rude inn.” + +“Tell me something about your young lady,” said Jasmine, in a moment of +idle curiosity. + +“My young lady,” said the woman, “is the daughter of Mr. King, who was +a vice-president of a lower court. Her father and mother having both +visited the ‘Yellow Springs’ [Hades], she is now living with an aunt, +who has been blessed by the God of Wealth, and whose main object in life +is to find a husband whom her niece may be willing to marry. The +young gentleman, my young lady’s cousin, is one of the richest men in +Ch’engtu. All the larger inns belong to him, and his profits are as +boundless as the four seas. He is as anxious as his mother to find a +suitable match for the young lady, and has promised that so soon as she +can make a choice he will arrange the wedding.” + +“I should have thought,” said Jasmine, “that, being the owner of so much +wealth and beauty, the young lady would have been besieged by suitors +from all parts of the empire.” + +“So she is,” said the woman, “and from her window yonder she espies +them, for they all put up at this inn. Hitherto she has made fun of them +all, and describes their appearance and habits in the most amusing way. +‘See this one,’ says she, ‘with his bachelor cap on and his new official +clothes and awkward gait, looking for all the world like a barn-door +fowl dressed up as a stork; or that one, with his round shoulders, +monkey-face, and crooked legs;’ and so she tells them off.” + +“What does she say of me, I wonder?” said Jasmine, amused. + +“Of your Excellency she says that her comparisons fail her, and that she +can only hope that the Fates who guided your jewelled chariot hitherward +will not tantalise her by an empty vision, but will bind your ankles to +hers with the red matrimonial cords.” + +“How can I hope for such happiness?” said Jasmine, smiling. “But please +to tell your young lady that, being only a guest at this inn, I have +nothing worthy of her acceptance to offer in return for her bounteous +gifts, and that I can only assure her of my boundless gratitude.” + +With many bows, and with reiterated wishes for Jasmine’s happiness and +endless longevity, the woman took her leave. + +“Truly this young lady has formed a most perverted attachment,” said +Jasmine to herself. “She reminds me of the man in the fairy tale who +fell in love with a shadow, and, so far as I can see, she is not likely +to get any more satisfaction out of it than he did.” So saying, she took +up a pencil and scribbled the following lines on a scrap of paper: + + “With thoughts as ardent as a quenchless thirst, + She sends me fragrant and most luscious fruit; + Without a blush she seeks a phenix guest [a bachelor] + Who dwells alone like case-enveloped lute.” + +After this mental effort Jasmine went to bed. Nor had her interview with +the waiting-woman made a sufficient impression on her mind to interfere +in any way with her sleep. She was surprised, however, on coming into +her sitting-room in the morning, to meet the same messenger, who, laden +with a dish of hot eggs and a brew of tea, begged Jasmine to “deign to +look down upon her offerings.” + +“Many thanks,” said Jasmine, “for your kind attention.” + +“You are putting the saddle on the wrong horse,” replied the woman. “In +bringing you these I am but obeying the orders of Miss King, who herself +made the tea of leaves from Pu-erh in Yunnan, and who with her own fair +hands shelled the eggs.” + +“Your young lady,” answered Jasmine, “is as bountiful as she is kind. +What return can I make her for her kindness to a stranger? Stay,” she +said, as the thought crossed her mind that the verses she had written +the night before might prove a wholesome tonic for this effusive young +lady, “I have a few verses which I will venture to ask her to accept.” + So saying, she took a piece of peach-blossom paper, on which she +carefully copied the quatrain and handed it to the woman. “May I trouble +you,” said she, “to take this to your mistress?” + +“If,” said Jasmine to herself as the woman took her departure, “Miss +King is able to penetrate the meaning of my verses, she won’t like them. +Without saying so in so many words, I have told her with sufficient +plainness that I will have nothing to say to her. But stupidity is a +shield sent by Providence to protect the greater part of mankind from +many evils; so perhaps she will escape.” + +It certainly in this case served to shield Miss King from Jasmine’s +shafts. She was delighted at receiving the verses, and at once sat down +to compose a quatrain to match Jasmine’s in reply. With infinite labour +she elaborated the following: + + “Sung Yuh on th’ eastern wall sat deep in thought, + And longed with P’e to pluck the fragrant fruit. + If all the well-known tunes be newly set, + What use to take again the half-burnt lute?” + +Having copied these on a piece of silk-woven paper, she sent them to +Jasmine by her faithful attendant. On looking over the paper, Jasmine +said, smiling, “What a clever young lady your mistress must be! These +lines, though somewhat inconsequential, are incomparable.” + +But, though Jasmine was partly inclined to treat the matter as a joke, +she saw that there was a serious side to the affair, more especially as +the colours under which she was sailing were so undeniably false. She +knew well that for Sung Yuh should be read Miss King, and for P’e +her own name; and she determined, therefore, to put an end to the +philandering of Miss King, which, in her present state of mind, was +doubly annoying to her. + +“I am deeply indebted to your young lady,” she said, and then, being +determined to make a plunge into the morass of untruthfulness, for a +good end as she believed, added, “and, if I had love at my disposal, I +should possibly venture to make advances toward the feathery peach [a +nuptial emblem]; but let me confess to you that I have already taken +to myself a wife. Had I the felicity of meeting Miss King before I +committed myself in another direction, I might perhaps have been a +happier man. But, after all, if this were so, my position is no worse +than that of most other married men, for I never met one who was not +occasionally inclined to cry, like the boys at ‘toss cash,’ ‘Hark back +and try again.’” + +“This will be sad news for my lady, for she has set her heart upon you +ever since you first came to the inn; and when young misses take that +sort of fancy and lose the objects of their love, they are as bad as +children when forbidden their sugar-plums. But what’s the use of talking +to you about a young lady’s feelings!” said the woman, with a vexed toss +of her head; “I never knew a man who understood a woman yet.” + +“I am extremely sorry for Miss King,” said Jasmine, trying to suppress a +smile. “As you wisely remark, a young lady is a sealed book to me, but +I have always been told that their fancies are as variable as the shadow +of the bamboo; and probably, therefore, though Miss King’s sky may +be overcast just now, the gloom will only make her enjoy to-morrow’s +sunshine all the more.” + +The woman, who was evidently in a hurry to convey the news to her +mistress, returned no answer to this last sally, but, with curtailed +obeisance, took her departure. + +Her non-appearance the next morning confirmed Jasmine in the belief +that her bold departure from truth on the previous evening had had +its curative effect. The relief was great, for she had felt that +these complications were becoming too frequent to be pleasant, and, +reprehensible though it may appear, her relief was mingled with no sort +of compassion for Miss King. Hers was not a nature to sympathise with +such sudden and fierce attachments. Her affection for Tu had been the +growth of many months, and she had no feeling in common with a young +lady who could take a violent liking for a young man simply from seeing +him taking his post-prandial ease. It was therefore with complete +satisfaction that she left the inn in the course of the morning to pay +her farewell visits to the governor and the judge of the province, who +had taken an unusual interest in Colonel Wen’s case since Jasmine had +become his personal advocate. Both officials had promised to do all they +could for the prisoner, and had loaded Jasmine with tokens of good will +in the shape of strange and rare fruits and culinary delicacies. On this +particular day the governor had invited her to the midday meal, and it +was late in the afternoon before she found her way back to the inn. + +The following morning she rose early, intending to start before noon, +and was stepping into the courtyard to give directions to “The Dragon,” + when, to her surprise, she was accosted by Miss King’s servant, who, +with a waggish smile and a cunning shake of the head, said: + +“How can one so young as your Excellency be such a proficient in the art +of inventing flowers of the imagination?” + +“What do you mean?” said Jasmine. + +“Why, last night you told me you were married, and my poor young lady +when she heard it was wrung with grief. But, recovering somewhat, she +sent me to ask your servants whether what you had said was true or not, +for she knows what she’s about as well as most people, and they both +with one voice assured me that, far from being married you had not even +exchanged nuptial presents with anybody. You may imagine Miss King’s +delight when I took her this news. She at once asked her cousin to call +upon you to make a formal offer of marriage, and she has now sent me to +tell you that he will be here anon.” + +Every one knows what it is to pass suddenly from a state of pleasurable +high spirits into deep despondency, to exchange in an instant bright +mental sunshine for cloud and gloom. All, therefore, must sympathise +with poor Jasmine, who believing the road before her to be smooth and +clear, on a sudden became thus aware of a most troublesome and difficult +obstruction. She had scarcely finished calling down anathemas on the +heads of “The Dragon” and his wife, and cursing her own folly for +bringing them with her, than the inn doors were thrown open, and a +servant appeared carrying a long red visiting-card inscribed with the +name of the wealthy inn-proprietor. On the heels of this forerunner +followed young Mr. King, who, with effusive bows, said, “I have ventured +to pay my respects to your Excellency.” + +Poor Jasmine was so upset by the whole affair that she lacked some of +the courtesy that was habitual to her, and in her confusion very nearly +seated her guest on her right hand. Fortunately this outrageous breach +of etiquette was avoided, and the pair eventually arranged themselves in +the canonical order. + +“This old son of Han,” began Mr. King, “would not have dared to intrude +himself upon your Excellency if it were not that he has a matter of +great delicacy to discuss with you. He has a cousin, the daughter of +Vice-President King, for whom for years he has been trying to find +a suitable match. The position is peculiar, for the lady declares +positively that she will not marry any one she has not seen and approved +of. Until now she has not been able to find any one whom she would care +to marry. But the presence of your Excellency has thrown a light across +her path which has shown her the way to the plum-groves of matrimonial +felicity.” + +Here King paused, expecting some reply; but Jasmine was too absorbed in +thought to speak, so Mr. King went on: + +“This old son of Han, hearing that your Excellency is still unmarried, +has taken it upon himself to make a proposal of marriage to you, and to +offer his cousin as your ‘basket and broom.’ [wife] His interview with +you has, he may say, shown him the wisdom of his cousin’s choice, and he +cannot imagine a pair better suited for one another, or more likely to +be happy, than your Excellency and his cousin.” + +“I dare not be anything but straightforward with your worship,” said +Jasmine, “and I am grateful for the extraordinary affection your cousin +has been pleased to bestow upon me; but I cannot forget that she belongs +to a family which is entitled to pass through the gate of the palace [a +family of distinction], and I fear that my rank is not sufficient for +her. Besides, my father is at present under a cloud, and I am now on +my way to Peking to try to release him from his difficulties. It is no +time, therefore, for me to be binding myself with promises.” + +“As to your Excellency’s first objection,” replied King, “you are +already the wearer of a hat with a silken tassel, and a man need not be +a prophet to foretell that in time to come any office, either civil or +military, will be within your reach. No doubt, also, your business in +Peking will be quickly brought to a satisfactory conclusion, and there +can be no objection, therefore, to our settling the preliminaries now, +and then, on your return from the capital, we can celebrate the wedding. +This will give rest and composure to my cousin’s mind, which is now like +a disturbed sea, and will not interfere, I venture to think, with the +affair which calls you to Peking.” + +As King proceeded, Jasmine felt that her difficulties were on the +increase. It was impossible that she should explain her position in +full, and she had no sufficient reason at hand to give for rejecting the +proposal made her, though, as the same time, her annoyance was not small +at having such a matter forced upon her at a moment when her mind was +filled with anxieties. “Then,” she thought to herself, “there is ahead +of me that explanation which must inevitably come with Wei; so that, +altogether, if it were not for the deeply rooted conviction which I have +that Tu will be mine at last, when he knows what I really am, life would +not be worth having. As for this inn-proprietor, if he has so little +delicacy as to push his cousin upon me at this crisis, I need not have +any compunction regarding him; so perhaps my easiest way of getting out +of the present hobble will be to accept his proposal and to present the +box of precious ointment handed me by Wei for my sister to this ogling +love-sick girl.” So turning to King, she said: + +“Since you, sir, and your cousin have honoured me with your regard, I +dare not altogether decline your proposal, and I would therefore beg +you, sir, to hand this,” she added, producing the box of ointment, “to +your honourable cousin, as a token of the bond between us, and to convey +to her my promise that, if I don’t marry her, I will never marry another +lady.” + +Mr. King, with the greatest delight, received the box, and handing it +to the waiting-woman, who stood expectant by, bade her carry it to her +mistress, with the news of the engagement. Jasmine now hoped that her +immediate troubles were over, but King insisted on celebrating the +event by a feast, and it was not until late in the afternoon that she +succeeded in making a start. Once on the road, her anxiety to reach +Peking was such that she travelled night and day, “feeding on wind and +lodging in water.” Nor did she rest until she reached a hotel within the +Hata Gate of the capital. + + + +Jasmine’s solitary journey had given her abundant time for reflection, +and for the first time she had set herself seriously to consider +her position. She recognised that she had hitherto followed only the +impulses of the moment, of which the main one had been the desire +to escape complications by the wholesale sacrifice of truth; and she +acknowledged to herself that, if justice were evenly dealt out, there +must be a Nemesis in store for her which would bring distress +and possibly disaster upon her. In her calmer moments she felt an +instinctive foreboding that she was approaching a crisis in her fate, +and it was with mixed feelings, therefore, that on the morning after her +arrival she prepared to visit Tu and Wei, who were as yet ignorant of +her presence. + +She dressed herself with more than usual care for the occasion, choosing +to attire herself in a blue silk robe and a mauve satin jacket which Tu +had once admired, topped by a brand-new cap. Altogether her appearance +as she passed through the streets justified the remark made by a +passerby: “A pretty youngster, and more like a maiden of eighteen than a +man.” + +The hostelry at which Tu and Wei had taken up their abode was an inn +befitting the dignity of such distinguished scholars. On inquiring at +the door, Jasmine was ushered by a servant through a courtyard to an +inner enclosure, where, under the grateful shade of a wide-spreading +cotton-tree, Tu was reclining at his ease. Jasmine’s delight at meeting +her friend was only equalled by the pleasure with which Tu greeted her. +In his strong and gracious presence she became conscious that she was +released from the absorbing care which had haunted her, and her soul +leaped out in new freedom as she asked and answered questions of her +friend. Each had much to say, and it was not for some time, when an +occasional reference brought his name forward that Jasmine noticed the +absence of Wei. When she did, she asked after him. + +“He left this some days ago,” said Tu, “having some special business +which called for his presence at home. He did not tell me what it was, +but doubtless it was something of importance.” Jasmine said nothing, but +felt pretty certain in her mind as to the object of his hasty return. + +Tu, attributing her silence to a reflection on Wei for having left the +capital before her father’s affair was settled, hastened to add: + +“He was very helpful in the matter of your honoured father’s difficulty, +and only left when he thought he could not do any more.” + +“How do matters stand now?” asked Jasmine, eagerly. + +“We have posted a memorial at the palace gate,” said Tu, “and have +arranged that it shall reach the right quarter. Fortunately, also, I +have an acquaintance in the Board of War who has undertaken to do all he +can in that direction, and promises an answer in a few days.” + +“I have brought with me,” said Jasmine, “a petition prepared by my +father. What do you think about presenting it?” + +“At present I believe that it would only do harm. A superabundance of +memorials is as bad as none at all. Beyond a certain point, they only +irritate officials.” + +“Very well,” said Jasmine; “I am quite content to leave the conduct of +affairs in your hands.” + +“Well then,” said Tu, “that being understood, I propose that you should +move your things over to this inn. There is Wei’s room at your disposal, +and your constant presence here will be balm to my lonely spirit. At +the Hata Gate you are almost as remote as if you were in our study at +Mienchu.” + +Jasmine was at first startled by this proposal. Though she had been +constantly in the company of Tu, she had never lived under the same roof +with him, and she at once recognised that there might be difficulties in +the way of her keeping her secret if she were to be constantly under the +eyes of her friend. But she had been so long accustomed to yield to the +present circumstances, and was so confident that Fortune, which, with +some slight irregularities, had always stood her friend, would not +desert her on the present occasion, that she gave way. + +“By all means,” she said. “I will go back to my inn, and bring my things +at once. This writing-case I will leave here. I brought it because it +contains my father’s petition.” + +So saying, she took her leave, and Tu retired to his easy-chair under +the cotton-tree. But the demon of curiosity was abroad, and alighting on +the arm of Tu’s chair, whispered in his ear that it might be well if he +ran his eye over Colonel Wen’s petition to see if there was any argument +in it which he had omitted in his statement to the Board of War. At +first, Tu, whose nature was the reverse of inquisitive, declined to +listen to these promptings, but so persistent did they become that he +at last put down his book--“The Spring and Autumn Annals”--and, +seating himself, at the sitting-room table, opened the writing-case +so innocently left by Jasmine. On the top were a number of red +visiting-cards bearing the inscription, in black, of Wen Tsunk’ing, and +beneath these was the petition. Carefully Tu read it through, and passed +mental eulogies on it as he proceeded. The colonel had put his case +skilfully, but Tu had no difficulty in recognising Jasmine’s hand, +both in the composition of the document and in the penmanship. “If my +attempt,” he thought, “does not succeed, we will try what this will do.” + He was on the point of returning it to its resting-place, when he +saw another document in Jasmine’s handwriting lying by it. This was +evidently a formal document, probably connected, as he thought, with the +colonel’s case, and he therefore unfolded it and read as follows: + +“The faithful maiden, Miss Wen of Mienchu Hien, with burning incense +reverently prays the God of War to release her father from his +present difficulties, and speedily to restore peace to her own soul by +nullifying, in accordance with her desire, the engagement of the bamboo +arrow and the contract of the box of precious ointment. A respectful +petition.” + +As Tu read on, surprise and astonishment took possession of his +countenance. A second time he read it through, and then, throwing +himself back in his chair, broke out into a fit of laughter. + +“So,” he said to himself, “I have allowed myself to be deceived by a +young girl all these years. And yet not altogether deceived,” he added, +trying to find an excuse for himself; “for I have often fancied that +there was the savour of a woman about the ‘young noble.’ I hope she is +not one of those heaven-born genii who appear on earth to plague men, +and who, just when they have aroused the affections they wished to +excite, ascend through the air and leave their lovers mourning.” + +Just at this moment the door opened, and Jasmine entered, looking more +lovely than ever, with the flush begotten by exercise on her beautifully +moulded cheeks. At sight of her Tu again burst out laughing, to +Jasmine’s not unnatural surprise, who, thinking that there must be +something wrong with her dress, looked herself up and down, to the +increasing amusement of Tu. + +“So,” said he at last, “you deceitful little hussy, you have been +deceiving me all these years by passing yourself off as a man, when in +reality you are a girl.” + +Overcome with confusion, Jasmine hung her head, and murmured: + +“Who has betrayed me?” + +“You have betrayed yourself,” said Tu, holding up the incriminating +document; “and here we have the story of the arrow with which you shot +the hawk, but what the box of precious ointment means I don’t know.” + +Confronted with this overwhelming evidence, poor Jasmine remained +speechless, and dared not even lift her eyes to glance at Tu. That young +man, seeing her distress, and being in no wise possessed by the scorn +which he had put into his tone, crossed over to her and gently led her +to a seat by him. + +“Do you remember,” he said, in so altered a voice that Jasmine’s heart +ceased to throb as if it wished to force an opening through the finely +formed bosom which enclosed it, “on one occasion in our study at home I +wished that you were a woman that you might become my wife? Little did +I think that my wish might be gratified. Now it is, and I beseech you to +let us join our lives in one, and seek the happiness of the gods in each +other’s perpetual presence.” + +But, as if suddenly recollecting herself, Jasmine withdrew her hand from +his, and, standing up before him with quivering lip and eyes full of +tears, said: + +“No. It can never be.” + +“Why not?” said Tu, in alarmed surprise. + +“Because I am bound to Wei.” + +“What! Does Wei know your secret?” + +“No. But do you remember when I shot that arrow in front of your study?” + +“Perfectly,” said Tu. “But what has that to do with it?” + +“Why, Wei discovered my name on the shaft, and I, to keep my secret, +told him that it was my sister’s name. He then wanted to marry my +sister, and I undertook, fool that I was, to arrange it for him. Now I +shall be obliged to confess the truth, and he will have a right to claim +me instead of my supposed sister.” + +“But,” said Tu, “I have a prior right to that of Wei, for it was I who +found the arrow. And in this matter I shall be ready to outface him at +all hazards. But,” he added, “Wei, I am sure, is not the man to take an +unfair advantage of you.” + +“Do you really think so?” asked Jasmine. + +“Certainly I do,” said Tu. + +“Then--then--I shall be--very glad,” said poor Jasmine, hesitatingly, +overcome with bashfulness, but full of joy. + +At which gracious consent Tu recovered the hand which had been withdrawn +from his, and Jasmine sank again into the chair at his side. + +“But, Tu, dear,” she said, after a pause, “there is something else that +I must tell you before I can feel that my confessions are over.” + +“What! You have not engaged yourself to any one else, have you?” said +Tu, laughing. + +“Yes, I have,” she replied, with a smile; and she then gave her lover +a full and particular account of how Mr. King had proposed to her on +behalf of his cousin, and how she had accepted her. + +“How could you frame your lips to utter such untruths?” said Tu, half +laughing and half in earnest. + +“O Tu, falsehood is so easy and truth so difficult sometimes. But I feel +that I have been very, very wicked,” said poor Jasmine, covering her +face with her hands. + +“Well, you certainly have got yourself into a pretty hobble. So far as +I can make out, you are at the present moment engaged to one young lady +and two young men.” + +The situation, thus expressed, was so comical that Jasmine could +not refrain from laughing through her tears; but, after a somewhat +lengthened consultation with her lover, her face recovered its wonted +serenity, and round it hovered a halo of happiness which added light and +beauty to every feature. There is something particularly entrancing in +receiving the first confidences of a pure and loving soul. So Tu thought +on this occasion, and while Jasmine was pouring the most secret workings +of her inmost being into his ear, those lines of the poet of the Sung +dynasty came irresistibly into his mind: + + ‘T is sweet to see the flowers woo the sun, + To watch the quaint wiles of the cooing dove, + But sweeter far to hear the dulcet tones + Of her one loves confessing her great love. + +But there is an end to everything, even to the “Confucian Analects,” + and so there was also to this lovers’ colloquy. For just as Jasmine was +explaining, for the twentieth time, the origin and basis of her love for +Tu, a waiter entered to announce the arrival of her luggage. + +“I don’t know quite,” said Tu, “where we are to put your two men. But, +by-the-bye,” he added, as the thought struck him, “did you really travel +all the way in the company of these two men only?” + +“O Tu,” said Jasmine, laughing, “I have something else to confess to +you.” + +“What! another lover?” said Tu, affecting horror and surprise. + +“No; not another lover, but another woman. The short, stout one is a +woman, and came as my maid. She is the wife of ‘The Dragon.’” + +“Well, now have you told me all? For I am getting so confused about the +people you have transformed from women to men, that I shall have doubts +about my own sex next.” + +“Yes, Tu, dear; now you know all,” said Jasmine, laughing. But not all +the good news which was in store for him, for scarcely had Jasmine done +speaking when a letter arrived from his friend in the Board of War, who +wrote to say that he had succeeded in getting the military intendant of +Mienchu transferred to a post in the province of Kwangsi, and that +the departure of this noxious official would mean the release of the +colonel, as he alone was the colonel’s accuser. This news added one more +chord of joy which had been making harmony in Jasmine’s heart for some +hours, and readily she agreed with Tu that they should set off homeward +on the following morning. + +With no such adventure as that which had attended Jasmine’s journey to +the capital, they reached Mienchu, and, to their delight, were received +by the colonel in his own yamun. After congratulating him on his +release, which Jasmine took care he should understand was due +entirely to Tu’s exertions, she gave him a full account of her various +experiences on the road and at the capital. + +“It is like a story out of a book of marvels,” said her father, “and +even now you have not exhausted all the necessary explanations. For, +since my release, your friend Wei has been here to ask for my daughter +in marriage. From some questions I put to him, he is evidently unaware +that you are my only daughter, and I therefore put him off and told him +to wait until you returned. He is in a very impatient state, and, no +doubt, will be over shortly.” + +Nor was the colonel wrong, for almost immediately Wei was announced, +who, after expressing the genuine pleasure he felt at seeing Jasmine +again, began at once on the subject which filled his mind. + +“I am so glad,” he said, “to have this opportunity of asking you to +explain matters. At present I am completely nonplussed. On my return +from Peking I inquired of one of your father’s servants about his +daughter. ‘He has not got one,’ quoth the man. I went to another, and he +said, ‘You mean the “young noble,” I suppose.’ ‘No, I don’t,’ I said; ‘I +mean his sister.’ ‘Well, that is the only daughter I know of,’ said he. +Then I went to your father, and all I could get out of him was, ‘Wait +until the “young noble” comes home.’ Please tell me what all this +means.” + +“Your great desire is to marry a beautiful and accomplished girl, is it +not?” said Jasmine. + +“That certainly is my wish,” said Wei. + +“Well then,” said Jasmine, “I can assure you that your betrothal present +is in the hand of such a one, and a girl whom to look at is to love.” + +“That may be,” said Wei, “But my wish is to marry your sister.” + +“Will you go and talk to Tu about it?” said Jasmine, who felt that the +subject was becoming too difficult for her, and whose confidence in Tu’s +wisdom was unbounded, “and he will explain it all to you.” + +Even Tu, however, found it somewhat difficult to explain Jasmine’s +sphinx-like mysteries, and on certain points Wei showed a disposition +to be anything but satisfied. Jasmine’s engagement to Tu implied his +rejection, and he was disposed to be splenetic and disagreeable about +it. His pride was touched, and in his irritation he was inclined to +impute treachery to his friend and deceit to Jasmine. To the first +charge Tu had a ready answer, but the second was all the more annoying +because there was some truth in it. However, Tu was not in the humour to +quarrel, and being determined to seek peace and ensue it, he overlooked +Wei’s innuendos and made out the best case he could for his bride. On +Miss King’s beauty, virtues, and ability he enlarged with a wealth of +diction and power of imagination which astonished himself, and Jasmine +also, to whom he afterward repeated the conversation. “Why, Tu, dear,” + said that artless maiden, “how can you know all this about Miss King? +You have never seen her, and I am sure I never told you half of all +this.” + +“Don’t ask questions,” said the enraptured Tu. “Let it be enough for you +to know that Wei is as eager for the possession of Miss King as he +was for your sister, and that he has promised to be my best man at our +wedding to-morrow.” + +And Wei was as good as his word. With every regard to ceremony and +ancient usage, the marriage of Tu and Jasmine was celebrated in the +presence of relatives and friends, who, attracted by the novelty of the +antecedent circumstances, came from all parts of the country to witness +the nuptials. By Tu’s especial instructions also a prominence was +allowed to Wei, which gratified his vanity and smoothed down the ruffled +feathers of his conceit. + +Jasmine thought that no time should be lost in reducing Miss King to the +same spirit of acquiescence to which Wei had been brought, and on the +evening of her wedding-day she broached the subject to Tu. + +“I shall not feel, Tu, dear,” she said, “that I have gained absolution +for my many deceptions until that very forward Miss King has been talked +over into marrying Wei; and I insist, therefore,” she added, with an +amount of hesitancy which reduced the demand to the level of a plaintive +appeal, “that we start to-morrow for Ch’engtu to see the young woman.” + +“Ho! ho!” replied Tu, intensely amused at her attempted bravado. +“These are brave words, and I suppose that I must humbly register your +decrees.” + +“O Tu, you know what I mean. You know that, like a child who takes a +delight in conquering toy armies, I love to fancy that I can command so +strong a man as you are. But, Tu, if you knew how absolutely I rely on +your judgment, you would humour my folly and say yes.” + +There was a subtle incense of love and flattery about this appeal +which, backed as it was by a look of tenderness and beauty, made it +irresistible; and the arrangements for the journey were made in strict +accordance with Jasmine’s wishes. + +On arriving at the inn which was so full of chastening memories to +Jasmine, Tu sent his card to Mr. King, who, flattered by the attention +paid him by so eminent a scholar, cordially invited Tu to his house. + +“To what,” he said, as Tu, responding to his invitation, entered +his reception-hall, “am I to attribute the honour of receiving your +illustrious steps in my mean apartments?” + +“I have heard,” said Tu, “that the beautiful Miss King is your +Excellency’s cousin, and having a friend who is desirous of gaining her +hand, I have come to plead on his behalf.” + +“I regret to say,” replied King, “that your Excellency has come too +late, as she has already received an engagement token from a Mr. Wen, +who passed here lately on his way to Peking.” + +“Mr. Wen is a friend of mine also,” said Tu, “and it was because I knew +that his troth was already plighted that I ventured to come on behalf of +him of whom I have spoken.” + +“Mr. Wen,” said King, “is a gentleman and a scholar, and having given a +betrothal present, he is certain to communicate with us direct in case +of any difficulty.” + +“Will you, old gentleman,” [a term of respect] said Tu, producing the +lines which Miss King had sent Jasmine, “just cast your eyes over these +verses, written to Wen by your cousin? Feeling most regretfully that he +was unable to fulfil his engagement, Wen gave these to me as a testimony +of the truth of what I now tell you.” + +King took the paper handed him by Tu, and recognised at a glance his +cousin’s handwriting. + +“Alas!” he said, “Mr Wen told us he was engaged, but, not believing him, +I urged him to consent to marry my cousin. If you will excuse me, sir,” + he added, “I will consult with the lady as to what should be done.” + +After a short absence he returned. + +“My cousin is of the opinion,” he said, “that she cannot enter into any +new engagement until Mr. Wen has come here himself and received back the +betrothal present which he gave her on parting.” + +“I dare not deceive you, old gentleman, and will tell you at once that +that betrothal present was not Wen’s but was my unworthy friend Wei’s, +and came into Wen’s possession in a way that I need not now explain.” + +“Still,” said King, “my cousin thinks Mr. Wen should present himself +here in person and tell his own story; and I must say that I am of her +opinion.” + +“It is quite impossible that Mr. Wen should return here,” replied Tu; +“but my ‘stupid thorn’ [wife] is in the adjoining hostelry, and would be +most happy to explain fully to Miss King Wen’s entire inability to play +the part of a husband to her.” + +“If your honourable consort would meet my cousin, she, I am sure, will +be glad to talk the matter over with her.” + +With Tu’s permission, Miss King’s maid was sent to the inn to invite +Jasmine to call on her mistress. The maid, who was the same who had +acted as Miss King’s messenger on the former occasion, glanced long and +earnestly at Jasmine. Her features were familiar to her, but she could +not associate them with any lady of her acquaintance. As she conducted +her to Miss King’s apartments, she watched her stealthily, and became +more and more puzzled by her appearance. Miss King received her with +civility, and after exchanging wishes that each might be granted ten +thousand blessings, Jasmine said, smiling: + +“Do you recognise Mr. Wen?” + +Miss King looked at her, and seeing in her a likeness to her beloved, +said: + +“What relation are you to him, lady?” + +“I am his very self!” said Jasmine. + +Miss King opened her eyes wide at this startling announcement, and gazed +earnestly at her. + +“_Haiyah!_” cried her maid, clapping her hands, “I thought there was +a wonderful likeness between the lady and Mr. Wen. But who would have +thought that she was he?” + +“But what made you disguise yourself in that fashion?” asked Miss King, +in an abashed and somewhat vexed tone. + +“My father was in difficulties,” said Jasmine, “and as it was necessary +that I should go to Peking to plead for him, I dressed as a man for the +convenience of travel. You will remember that in the first instance I +declined your flattering overtures, but when I found that you persisted +in your proposal, not being able to explain the truth, I thought the +best thing to do was to hand you my friend’s betrothal present which I +had with me, intending to return and explain matters. And you will admit +that in one thing I was truthful.” + +“What was that?” asked the maid. + +“Why,” answered Jasmine, “I said that if I did not marry your lady I +would never marry any woman.” + +“Well, yes,” said the maid, laughing, “you have kept your faith royally +there.” + +“The friend I speak of,” continued Jasmine, “has now taken his doctor’s +degree, and this stupid husband and wife have come from Mienchu to make +you a proposal on his behalf.” + +Miss King was not one who could readily take in an entirely new and +startling idea, and she sat with a half-dazed look, staring at +Jasmine without uttering a word. If it had not been for the maid, the +conversation would have ceased; but that young woman was determined to +probe the matter to the bottom. + +“You have not told us,” she said, “the gentleman’s name. And will you +explain why you call him your friend? How could you be on terms of +friendship with him?” + +“From my childhood,” said Jasmine, “I have always dressed as a boy. I +went to a boy’s school--” + +“_Haiyah!_” interjected the maid. + +“And afterward I joined my husband and this gentleman, Mr. Wei, in a +reading-party.” + +“Didn’t they discover your secret?” + +“No.” + +“Never?” + +“Never.” + +“That’s odd,” said the maid. “But will you tell us something about this +Mr. Wei?” + +Upon this, Jasmine launched out in a glowing eulogy upon her friend. +She expatiated with fervour on his youth, good looks, learning, and +prospects, and with such effect did she speak that Miss King, who +began to take in the situation, ended by accepting cordially Jasmine’s +proposal. + +“And now, lady, you must stay and dine with me,” said Miss King, when +the bargain was struck, “while my cousin entertains your husband in the +hall.” + +At this meal the beginning of a friendship was formed between the two +ladies which lasted ever afterward, though it was somewhat unevenly +balanced. Jasmine’s stronger nature felt compassion mingled with liking +for the pretty doll-like Miss King, while the young lady entertained the +profoundest admiration for her guest. + +There was nothing to delay the fulfilment of the engagement thus happily +arranged, and at the next full moon Miss King had an opportunity of +comparing her bridegroom with the picture which Jasmine had drawn of +him. + +Scholars are plentiful in China, but it was plainly impossible that men +of such distinguished learning as Tu and Wei should be left among +the unemployed, and almost immediately after their marriage they were +appointed to important posts in the empire. Tu rose rapidly to the +highest rank, and died, at a good old age, viceroy of the metropolitan +province and senior guardian to the heir apparent. Wei was not so +supremely fortunate, but then, as Tu used to say, “he had not a Jasmine +to help him.” + + + + +THE REVENGE OF HER RACE, By Mary Beaumont + + +The low hedge, where the creepers climbed, divided the lawn and its +magnificent Wellingtonias from the meadow. There was little grass to be +seen, for it was at this time one vast profusion of delicate ixias of +every bright and tender shade. + +The evening was still, and the air heavy with scent. In a room opening +upon the veranda wreathed with white-and-scarlet passion-flowers, where +she could see the garden and the meadow, and, beyond all, the Mountain +Beautiful, lay a sick woman. Her dark face was lovely as an autumn leaf +is lovely--hectic with the passing life. Her eyes wandered to the upper +snows of the mountain, from time to time resting upon the brown-haired +English girl who sat on a low stool by her side, holding the frail hand +in her cool, firm clasp. + +The invalid was speaking; her voice was curiously sweet, and there was a +peculiarity about the “s,” and an occasional turn of the sentence, which +told the listener that her English was an acquired language. + +“I am glad he is not here,” she said slowly. “I do not want him to have +pain.” + +“But perhaps, Mrs. Denison, you will be much better in a day or two, and +able to welcome him when he comes back.” + +“No, I shall not be here when he comes back, and it is just as it should +be. I asked him to turn round as he left the garden, and I could see +him, oh, so well! He looked kind and so beautiful, and he waved to me +his hand. Now he will come back, and he will be sad. He did not want +to leave me, but the governor sent for him. He will be sad, and he will +remember that I loved him, and some day he will be glad again.” She +smiled into the troubled face near her. + +The girl stroked the thick dark hair lovingly. + +“Don’t,” she implored; “it hurts me. You are better to-night, and the +children are coming in.” Mrs. Denison closed her eyes, and with her left +hand she covered her face. + +“No, not the children,” she whispered, “not my darlings. I cannot bear +it. I must see them no more.” She pressed her companion’s hand with a +sudden close pressure. “But you will help them, Alice; you will make +them English like you--like him. We will not pretend to-night; it is not +long that I shall speak to you. I ask you to promise me to help them to +be English.” + +“Dear,” the girl urged, “they are such a delicious mixture of England +and New Zealand--prettier, sweeter than any mere English child could +ever be. They are enchanting.” + +But into the dying woman’s eyes leaped an eager flame. + +“They must all be English, no Maori!” she cried. A violent fit of +coughing interrupted her, and when the paroxysm was over she was +too exhausted to speak. The English nurse, Mrs. Bentley, an elderly +Yorkshire woman, who had been with Mrs. Denison since her first baby +came six years ago, and who had, in fact, been Horace Denison’s own +nurse-maid, came in and sent the agitated girl into the garden. “For you +haven’t had a breath of fresh air to-day,” she said. + +At the door Alice turned. The large eyes were resting upon her with an +intent and solemn regard, in which lay a message. “What was it?” she +thought, as she passed through the wide hall sweet with flowers. “She +wanted to say something; I am sure she did. To-morrow I will ask her.” + But before the morrow came she knew. Mrs. Dennison had said _good-bye_. + +The funeral was over. Mr. Denison, who had looked unaccountably ill and +weary for months, had been sent home by Mr. Danby for at least a year’s +change and rest, and the doctor’s young sister had yielded to various +pressure, and promised to stay with the children until he returned. +There was every reason for it. She had loved and been loved by the +gentle Maori mother; she delighted in the dark beauty and sweetness of +the children. And they, on their side, clung to her as to an adorable +fairy relative, dowered with love and the fruits of love--tales and new +games and tender ways. Best reason of all, in a sense, Mrs. Bentley, +that kind autocrat, entreated her to stay, “as the happiest thing for +the children, and to please that poor lamb we laid yonder, who fair +longed that you should! She was mightily taken up with you, Miss +Danby, and you’ve your brother and his wife near, so that you won’t be +lonesome, and if there’s aught I can do to make you comfortable, you’ve +only to speak, miss.” As for Mr. Denison, he was pathetically grateful +and relieved when Alice promised to remain. + +After the evening romp and the last good-night, when the two elder +children, Ben and Marie, called after her mother, Maritana, had given +her their last injunctions to be sure and come for them “her very own +self” on her way down to breakfast in the morning, she usually rode down +between the cabbage-trees, down by the old rata, fired last autumn, +away through the grasslands to the doctor’s house, a few miles nearer +Rochester; or he and his wife would ride out to chat with her. But there +were many evenings when she preferred the quiet of the airy house and +the garden. The colonial life was new to her, everything had its charm, +and in the colonies there is always a letter to write to those at +home--the mail-bag is never satisfied. On such evenings it was her +custom to cross the meadow to the copse of feathery trees beyond, where, +sung to by the brook and the Tui, the children’s mother slept. And from +the high presence of the Mountain Beautiful there fell a dew of peace. + +She would often ask Mrs. Bentley to sit with her until bedtime, +and revel in the shrewd north-country woman’s experiences, and her +impressions of the new land to which love had brought her. Both women +grew to have a sincere and trustful affection for each other, and one +night, seven or eight months after Mrs. Denison’s death, Mrs. Bentley +told a story which explained what had frequently puzzled Alice--the +patient sorrow in Mrs. Denison’s eyes, and Mr. Denison’s harassed and +dejected manner. “But for your goodness to the children,” said the old +woman, “and the way that precious baby takes to you, I don’t think I +should be willing to say what I am going to do, miss. Though my dear +mistress wished it, and said, the very last night, ‘You must tell her +all about it, some day, Nana,’--and I promised, to quiet her,--I don’t +think I could bring myself to it if I hadn’t lived with you and known +you.” And then the good nurse told her strange and moving tale. + +She described how her master had come out young and careless-hearted to +New Zealand in the service of the government, and how scandalised and +angry his father and mother, the old Tory squire and his wife, had been +to receive from him, after a year or two, letters brimming with a boyish +love for his “beautiful Maori princess,” whom he described as having +“the sweetest heart and the loveliest eyes in the world.” It gave them +little comfort to hear that her father was one of the wealthiest Maoris +in the island, and that, though but half civilised himself, he had had +his daughter well educated in the “bishop’s” and other English schools. +To them she was a savage. There was no threat of disinheritance, for +there was nothing for him to inherit. There was little money, and the +estate was entailed on the elder brother. But all that could be done +to intimidate him was done, and in vain. Then silence fell between the +parents and the son. + +But one spring day came the news of a grandson, called Benjamin after +his grandfather, and an urgent letter from their boy himself, enclosing +a prettily and humbly worded note from the new strange daughter, begging +for an English nurse. She told them that she had now no father and no +mother, for they had died before the baby came, and if she might love +her husband’s parents a little she would be glad. + +“My lady read the letters to me herself,” Mrs. Bentley said; “I’d taken +the housekeeper’s place a bit before, and she asked me to find her a +sensible young woman. Well, I tried, but there wasn’t a girl in the +place that was fit to nurse Master Horace’s child. And the end of it +was, I came myself, for Master Horace had been like my own when he was a +little lad. My lady pretended to be vexed with me, but the day I sailed +she thanked me in words I never thought to hear from her, for she was +a bit proud always.” The faithful servant’s voice trembled. She leaned +back in her chair, and forgot for the moment the new house and the new +duties. She was back again in the old nursery with the fair-haired +child playing about her knees. But Alice’s face recalled her, and she +continued the story. She had, she said, dreaded the meeting with her new +mistress, and was prepared to find her “a sort of a heathen woman, who’d +pull down Master Horace till he couldn’t call himself a gentleman.” + +But when she saw the graceful creature who received her with gentle +words and gestures of kindliness, and when she found her young master +not only content, but happy, and when she took in her arms the +laughing healthy baby, she felt--though she regretted its dark eyes and +hair--more at home than she could have believed possible. The nurseries +were so large and comfortable, and so much consideration was shown to +her, that she confessed, “I should have been more ungrateful than a cat +if I hadn’t settled comfortable.” + +Then came nearly five happy years, during which time her young mistress +had found a warm and secure place in the good Yorkshire heart. “She was +that loving and that kind that Dick Burdas, the groom, used to say that +he believed she was an angel as had took up with them dark folks, to +show ‘em what an angel was like.” Mrs. Bentley went on: + +“She wasn’t always quite happy, and I wondered what brought the shadow +into her face, and why she would at times sigh that deep that I could +have cried. After a bit I knew what it was. It was the Maori in her. She +told me one night that she was a wicked woman, and ought never to have +married Master Horace, for she got tired sometimes of the English house +and its ways, and longed for her father’s _whare_; (that’s a native hut, +miss). She grieved something awful one day when she had been to see old +Tim, the Maori who lives behind the stables. She called herself a bad +and ungrateful woman, and thought there must be some evil spirit in her +tempting her into the old ways, because, when she saw Tim eating, and +you know what bad stuff they eat, she had fair longed to join him. She +gave me a fright I didn’t get over for nigh a week. She leaned her bonny +head against my knee, and I stroked her cheek and hummed some silly +nursery tune,--for she was all of a tremble and like a child,--and she +fell asleep just where she was.” + +“Poor thing!” said Alice, softly. + +“Eh, but it’s what’s coming that upsets me, ma’am. Eh, what suffering +for my pretty lamb, and her that wouldn’t have hurt a worm! Baby would +be about six months old when she came in one day with him in her arms, +and they _were_ a picture. His little hand was fast in her hair. She +always walked as if she’d wheels on her feet, that gliding and graceful. +She had on a sort of sheeny yellow silk, and her cheeks were like them +damask roses at home, and her eyes fair shone like stars. ‘Isn’t he a +beauty, Nana?’ she asked me. ‘If only he had blue eyes, and that hair +of gold like my husband’s, and not these ugly eyes of mine!’ And as she +spoke she sighed as I dreaded to hear. Then she told me to help her to +unpack her new dress from Paris, which she was to wear at the Rochester +races the next day. Master Horace always chose her dresses, and he was +right proud of her in them. And next morning he came into the nursery +with her, and she was all in pale red, and that beautiful! ‘Isn’t she +scrumptious, Nana?’ he said, in his boyish way. ‘Don’t spoil her dress, +children. How like her Marie grows!’ Those two little ones they had got +her on her knees on the ground, and were hugging her as if they couldn’t +let her go. But when he said that, she got up very still and white. + +“‘I am sorry,’ she said; ‘they must never be like me.’ + +“‘They can’t be any one better, can they, baby?’ he answered her, and he +tossed the child nearly up to the ceiling. But he looked worried as he +went out. I saw them drive away, and they looked happy enough. And oh, +miss, I saw them come back. We were in the porch, me and the children. +Master Horace lifted her down, and I heard him say, ‘Never mind, Marie.’ +But she never looked his way nor ours; she walked straight in and +upstairs to her room, past my bonny darling with his arm stretched out +to her, and past Miss Marie, who was jumping up and down, and shouting +‘Muvver’; and I heard her door shut. Then Master Horace took baby from +me. + +“‘Go up to her,’ he said, and I could scarce hear him. His face was all +drawn like, but I felt that silly and stupid that I could say nothing, +and just went upstairs.” Mrs. Bentley put her knitting down, and +throwing her apron over her head sobbed aloud. + +“O nurse, what was it?” cried Alice, and the colour left her cheeks. “Do +tell me. I am so sorry for them. What was it?” It was several minutes +before the good woman could recover herself; then she began: + +“She told me, and Dick Burdas he told me, and it was like this. When +they got to the race-course,--it was the first races they’d had in +Rochester,--all the gentry was there, and those that knew her always +made a deal of her, she had such half-shy, winning ways. And she seemed +very bright, Dick said, talking with the governor’s lady, who is full of +fun and sparkle. The carriages were all together, and Major Beaumont, +a kind old gentleman who’s always been a good friend to Master Horace, +would have them in his carriage for luncheon, or whatever it was. Dick +says he was thinking that she was the prettiest lady there, when his eye +was caught by two or three parties of Maoris setting themselves right +in front of the carriages. There were four or five in each lot, and they +were mostly old. They got out their sharks’ flesh and that bad corn they +eat, and began to make their meal of them. Near Mrs. Denison there +was one old man with a better sort of face, and Dick heard her say to +master, ‘Isn’t he like my father?’ What Master Horace answered he didn’t +hear; he says he never saw anything like her face, so sad and wild, and +working for all the world as if something were fighting her within. +Then all in a minute she ran out and slipped down in her beautiful +dress close by the old Maori in his dirty rags, and was rubbing her +face against his, as them folks do when they meet. She had just taken +a mouthful of the raw fish when Master Horace missed her. He hadn’t +noticed her slip away. But in a moment he seemed to understand what it +meant. He saw the Maori come out strong in her face, and he knew the +Maori had got the better of everything, husband and friends and all. +He gave a little cry, and in a minute he had her on her feet and was +bringing her back to the carriage. Some folks thought Dick Burdas +a rough hard man, and I know he was a shocker of a lad (he was fra +Whitby), but that night he cried like a baby when he tell ‘t me,” and +Mrs. Bentley fell for a moment into the dialect of her youth. + +“He said,” she continued, “that she looked like a poor stricken thing +condemned, and let herself be led back as submissive as a child, and +Master Horace’s face was like the dead. He didn’t think any one but the +major and Dr. Danby saw her go, all was done in a minute. But it was +done, and some few had seen, and it got out, and things were said that +wasn’t true. Not the doctor! No, miss, you needn’t tell me that; he’s +told none, that I’ll warrant. He’s faithful and he’s close.” + +“O Mrs. Bentley, how dreadful for her, how dreadful!” and the girl went +down on her knees by the old woman, her tears flowing fast. + +“That’s it, miss, you understand. I feel like that. It was bad enough +for Master Horace with the future before him, and his children to +think of, but for her it was desperate cruel. Eh, ma’am, what she went +through! She loved more than you’d have thought us poor human beings +could. And, after all, the nature was in her; she didn’t put it there. +I’ve had a deal to do to keep down sinful thoughts since then; there’s a +lot of things that’s wrong in this world, ma’am.” + +“What did she do?” Alice whispered. + +“She! She was for going away and leaving everything; she felt herself +the worst woman in the world. It was only by begging and praying of her +on my knees that I got her to stay in the house that night, for she was +so far English, and had such a fancy, that she saw everything blacker +than any Englishwoman would, even the partick’lerest. Afterward Master +Horace was that good and gentle, and she loved him so much, that he +persuaded her to say nothing more about it, and to try to live as if it +hadn’t been. And so she seemed to do, outward like, to other people. But +it wasn’t ever the same again. Something had broken in them both; with +him it was his trust and his pride, but in her it was her heart.” + +“But the children--surely they comforted her.” + +“Eh, miss, that was the worst. Poor lamb, poor lamb! Never after that +day, though they were more to her nor children ever were to a mother +before, would she have them with her. Just a morning and a good-night +kiss, and a quarter of an hour at most, and I must take them away. +She watched them play in the garden from her window or the little hill +there, and when they were asleep she would sit by them for hours, saying +how bonny they were and how good they were growing. And she looked after +their clothes and their food and every little toy and pleasure, but +never came in for a romp and a chat any more.” + +“Dear, brave heart!” murmured the girl. + +“Yes, ma’am, you feel for her, I know. She was fair terrified of them +turning Maori and shaming their father. That was it. You didn’t notice? +No; after you came she was too ill to bear them about, and it seemed +natural, I dare say. The Maoris are a fearful delicate set of folks. A +bad cold takes them off into consumption directly. And with her there +was the sorrow as well as the cold. It was wonderful that she lived so +long.” + +Alice threw her arms round Mrs. Bentley’s neck. + +“O nurse, it is all so dreadful and sad. Couldn’t we have somehow kept +her with us and made her happy?” + +The old woman held her close. “Nay, my dear bairn, never after that +happened. It, or worse, might have come again. It’s something stronger +in them than we know; it’s the very blood, I’m thinking. But she’s gone +to be the angel that Dick always said she was.” + +Alice looked away over the starlit garden to where the plumy trees +stirred in the night wind. “No,” she said, fervently, “not ‘gone to be,’ +nurse dear; she was an angel always. Dick was right.” + + + + +KING BILLY OF BALLARAT, By Morley Roberts + + +King Billy was given to strolling up and down the streets of Ballarat +when that eviscerated city was merely in process of disembowelment, +before alluvial mining gave way to quartz-crushing, when the individual +had a chance, if a very vague one, of sudden and delightful fortune. The +Ballarat blacks were a scaly lot, to talk of them like ill-fed hogs, as +men were wont to do. They dwined and dwindled, as natives will before +the resources of civilisation: the bloodthirsty ones got killed out; +the rumthirsty ones died out; the wild corroboree was reduced to a +poverty-stricken imitation of its former glory. King Billy’s authority +grew less with the increase of his clothes. The brass plate with his +name on it was about the last relic of his precarious power, and was +chiefly valued as a means of notifying the public generally that they +might stand drinks to a monarch if they saw fit and were not too humble. +He was not haughty, and never presumed on his plate, as parvenus will. +He came of an ancient stock, and could afford to condescend, even if he +could not afford to pay for drinks. He was very kind to children,--white +children, of course,--and was hale-fellow-well-met with many of them. + +He was particularly fond of Annie Colborn, whose father was a magistrate +and a gold commissioner, and a person of very great importance. Whether +or not King Billy was wise in his generation, and out of the unwritten +Scriptures of the somber bush had culled a maxim inculcating the wisdom +of making friends of the sons of Mammon, I cannot say, but he was always +good to Annie. For my own part, I do not believe the simple-hearted old +king had any such notion inside his thick antipodean skull. He was good +because he was not bad, which is the very best morality after all, and a +great advance on much we hear of. And, besides, he was sometimes +hungry, and Mr. Colborn’s Chinese cook was very haughty, and not to +be approached except through an intermediary. And who so capable of +conciliating Wong as Annie? Wong would make her cakes even when his +pigtail hung despondently from his aching head after an opium debauch, +and his cheeks were shining with anything but gladness; for if you get +drunk very often on opium you shine. + +Old Billy was mostly to be found where there was a chance of a drink; +but if the fountains were dried up, or he had been insulted by some +democratic, revolutionary, king-hating miner knocking his high hat down +over his eyes, he usually went up to Mr. Colborn’s place, and sat on +the fence, or on a log outside the gate. So he was often very melancholy +when Annie came out. One day his hat was very, very badly bulged indeed. + +“Your hat is very bad to-day, King Billy,” said six-year-old Annie, as +she stood in front of him critically, with her head on one side. Without +knowing it, the child had come to look upon the state of the poor king’s +hat as emblematical of his state of mind. When it shut up like a closed +concertina his barometer was low. + +“Yes, missy,” said the king; “white man knock ‘um over eyes, and”--with +a rub down his face--“skin ‘um nose.” + +She inspected his nose carefully--though from a certain distance, +because her own nose was very good, both inside and out, and she knew +the king never got washed unless it rained when he was very drunk. And +this was the end of summer. It had not rained since November. + +“There is not very much skin off,” said Annie. “You had better wash it.” + +The king made a wry face and changed the conversation. + +“You got ‘um hat, Missy Annie? One hat baal brokum, allasame white +fellow hat. Bad hat, King Billy bad; black fellow, white fellow laugh.” + +He peered into his hat, and, trying to straighten it out, put his fist +through the side. Poor Billy looked as if he could cry. + +“You stop a minute,” said Annie, and, flying indoors, she brought out a +very good high hat indeed. “Budgeree!” thought the king, that was a good +hat. He could go down the streets like a king indeed, able to hold up +his head with any rich man in Ballarat. He tried it on, and though it +was much too big, he knew it shone. And the glory of a hat is in its +shining as much as its shape; even a black fellow knows that. + +But that hat very nearly led to serious trouble. For one thing, Mr. +Colborn missed it; and never thinking Annie had given it away, when +he saw the king sitting on the fence decorated with it, he stopped and +interviewed him. + +“Where did you get that hat, you old thief?” asked the magistrate, +without any politeness to him who ruled the land before white men broke +into the country. Some in authority are polite to those they dispossess; +the Prussians, for instance, to the miserable King Billys who strut +about the empire. But the Anglo-Saxon only respects himself, and even +that to a limited extent, in new conquests. + +The question troubled King Billy greatly. He did not know that Mr. +Colborn would as soon have thought of murdering Annie as of bullying +her; so he lied promptly: “Me buy ‘um, Mistah Cobon!” + +Mr. Colborn took it off of his head, and saw that it was his, as he had +thought. What he would have said I do not know, for just then he heard a +voice behind him: + +“Papa, it is my fault; I gave it to King Billy.” + +Colborn turned round and took her up, letting fall the hat as he did +so. Billy made a jump, picked it up, and, in his agitation, brushed it +carefully the wrong way. + +“My dear, if you gave it to him it’s all right. But why didn’t the old +fool tell me?” + +“He’s not an old fool, papa, and you must not say so. He’s a good man, +and I think he thought you would be angry with me. Didn’t you, King +Billy?” And the king, with a smile of conscious rectitude, admitted it +was so. + +Mr. Colborn gave him sixpence; and he gave Annie a great many kisses, +declaring, with uncommon thoughtlessness, that whatever she did was +right, and that she could give the king all his house, and Australia to +boot. Whereon King Billy smiled a smile that was portentous, and showed +his teeth to the uttermost recesses of his ample mouth. Looking down, he +surveyed the rest of his clothes, which in parts resembled the child’s +definition of a net as a lot of holes tied together with string, and, +looking up, he inspected Mr. Colborn as if estimating the resources of +his wardrobe. But being urgently smitten with the necessity of getting +rid of his sixpence, he shambled off into the town. Other matters might +wait; that admitted of no delay. + +The mind of King Billy was not a big mind; it would no more have taken +in an abstract idea than his _gunyah_ would have accommodated a grand +piano. He was as simple as sunlight, and to resolve his intellect into +seven colours would want the most ingenious spectroscope. But he could +make an inference from a positive fact, and, having made it, he did not +allow more remote deductions to trouble his legitimate conclusion. He +ceased to fear Mr. Colborn, and began to look upon the magistrate’s +property as if it were at least half his own. So he got very drunk +on the hospitality of a new chum miner who had been successful, and +presently, presuming on his new possessions, got into a fight with +his entertainer and a disrespectful subking of his own blacks, and was +reduced to worse rags than ever. + +Next morning he sat outside the magistrate’s house, on the lowest log he +could find, and when Mr. Colborn came out he tackled him with the air of +a subject king demanding redress of his suzerain. + +“Well, Billy, what is it?” asked the suzerain. + +“You belong gublement?” said Billy the king, with a question, an implied +doubt, and a great complaint in his voice. Colborn laughed. + +“Why, yes, Billy; I belong to the government, I suppose.” + +“Then,” said Billy, “what you say to white fellow make ‘um black fellow +drunk, knock ‘um all about? Call you that gublement?” And he showed his +kingly robe, which had once been a frock-coat, with great disgust. + +However, he met with no favour, and was told that he should not get +drunk--that it served him right; with which magisterial decision Colborn +got on his horse and rode off to the flat. + +The king sat down sadly and considered thickly in his slow brain. +Annie did not come out, and he knew better than to ask for her, for Mr. +Colborn’s niece, who kept house for him, was but newly come from home, +and thought all black fellows congenital murderers, which indeed they +are in some parts of the north. So Billy sat and waited, for he wanted a +new coat. How could he be respected in one whose natural divisions were +unnaturally extended to the very neck? It was obviously necessary to get +a new garment at once, and the best chance of a good one lay in little +Annie’s kindness. But in order to obviate the slightest chance of his +girl patron’s refusing, he must bring her some offering. He went off +into the bush at the back of the town, and, coming to where three or +four black fellows were camped, he sat down and talked with them. In +spite of the heat, a wretched old gin, muffled up in her one garment, +a ragged blanket, held her hands over the few burning sticks which +represent an Australian native’s idea of a fire. Presently King Billy +rose, and, taking a tomahawk, went farther into the bush. He looked +about, and at last came to a tree, which he climbed native fashion, +first discarding his clothes. When near the first big branches he came +to a hole, and, putting in his hand, he extracted a lively young possum +by the tail. + +Next morning he was sitting on the Colborns’ fence as usual. At his +feet was a little box with two or three slats nailed roughly across it. +Inside was the possum. King Billy wondered what kind of a coat he could +get. He liked a frock-coat; there was something majestic about it, +something fine and ample. Common morning coats would not do; no one +would insult a king by offering him tweed; even little Annie knew +better than that, especially if he gave her a live possum he had caught +himself. And when Annie did come out, she was in the seventh heaven of +delight with the possum, and ready to bestow anything in the world on +King Billy. + +“You give poor Billy one fellow coat, missy, and he go down along street +like a king.” + +Annie flew into the house and seized the first garment she laid her +little hands on. It was her father’s dress-coat. She rolled it up, and, +running out, thrust it excitedly into the king’s black paw. As he went +off, she carried the possum indoors, and was deliriously happy for +hours. + +King Billy hurried into the bush till he came to a water-hole, and, +stripping off his rags, he held up the coat. His jaw fell; there was a +remarkable exiguity about the coat which was inexplicable. He had never +observed such in his life. He put it on, and, bending over the surface +of the still pool, took a good look at the general effect. It was not +bad from some points of view, but Billy had his doubts as to whether +he would be received with the respect due to his title if he went into +Ballarat clothed thus. He tried to button it, but discovered that, if it +had ever been intended for buttoning, he could not get it to meet +across his chest. He picked up his discarded frock-coat, which was held +together by the collar; then he felt the stuff of which the dress-coat +was made, and the material pleased him. “Oh, why,” asked Billy, “had it +not been made with front tails?” He saw at last that this coat and his +high hat alone were insufficient for civilisation. For full dress in +a corroboree it might do. Unconsciously, he was so wrought upon by the +purpose for which the coat had been built that he determined to reserve +it for parties in the seclusion of the bush, where any merriment could +be rightly checked by a crack from his waddy. He planted it carefully +in a hollow log, and, having inserted himself with as much care into his +discarded rags, he wondered off into the town. He got very intoxicated +that night, and determined to have a party all by himself. + +Now it may seem very annoying, and I confess I find it so myself; but, +having got so far, I don’t see my way to tell the rest, even if Annie +Colborn told me the story herself. For after her father’s death she +married a man who had a small sheep-station and a hotel not forty miles +from Carabobla, in New South Wales. I stayed there a couple of days when +I was going north to the Murrumbidgee. But though she told me, I cannot +tell it again, at least not in bold, bad print. Still, it will occur +to most that a man of King Billy’s sweet and innocent disposition might +very likely create a sensation, when his natural discretion was drowned +in bad whisky, if he ended his solitary corroboree in the moonlight by +going up to Colborn’s house in order to deliver a speech of gratitude +through the French windows. + +So Colborn and the king had a corroboree all to themselves in the open +space before the house, while the gold commissioner’s guests roared with +laughter to find out where the missing dress-coat was. Next day King +Billy resumed the split frock-coat. + + + + +THY HEART’S DESIRE, By Netta Syrett + + +The tents were pitched in the little plain surrounded by hills. Right +and left there were stretches of tender, vivid green where the young +corn was springing; farther still, on either hand, the plain was yellow +with mustard-flower; but in the immediate foreground it was bare and +stony. A few thorny bushes pushed their straggling way through the dry +soil, ineffectively as far as the grace of the landscape was concerned, +for they merely served to emphasise the barren aridness of the land that +stretched before the tents, sloping gradually to the distant hills. + +The hills were uninteresting enough in themselves; they had no grandeur +of outline, no picturesqueness even, though at morning and evening the +sun, like a great magician, clothed them with beauty at a touch. + +They had begun to change, to soften, to blush rose red in the evening +light, when a woman came to the entrance of the largest of the tents and +looked toward them. She leaned against the support on one side of the +canvas flap, and, putting back her head, rested that, too, against it, +while her eyes wandered over the plain and over the distant hills. + +She was bareheaded, for the covering of the tent projected a few feet to +form an awning overhead. The gentle breeze which had risen with sundown +stirred the soft brown tendrils of hair on her temples, and fluttered +her pink cotton gown a little. She stood very still, with her arms +hanging and her hands clasped loosely in front of her. There was about +her whole attitude an air of studied quiet which in some vague fashion +the slight clasp of her hands accentuated. Her face, with its tightly, +almost rigidly closed lips, would have been quite in keeping with the +impression of conscious calm which her entire presence suggested, had it +not been that when she raised her eyes a strange contradiction to this +idea was afforded. They were large gray eyes, unusually bright and +rather startling in effect, for they seemed the only live thing about +her. Gleaming from her still, set face, there was something almost +alarming in their brilliancy. They softened with a sudden glow of +pleasure as they rested on the translucent green of the wheat-fields +under the broad generous sunlight, and then wandered to where the pure +vivid yellow of the mustard-flower spread in waves to the base of the +hills, now mystically veiled in radiance. She stood motionless, watching +their melting, elusive changes from palpitating rose to the transparent +purple of amethyst. The stillness of evening was broken by the +monotonous, not unmusical creaking of a Persian wheel at some little +distance to the left of the tent. The well stood in a little grove of +trees; between their branches she could see, when she turned her head, +the coloured saris of the village women, where they stood in groups +chattering as they drew the water, and the little naked brown babies +that toddled beside them or sprawled on the hard ground beneath the +trees. From the village of flat-roofed mud houses under the low hill at +the back of the tents, other women were crossing the plain toward the +well, their terra-cotta water-jars poised easily on their heads, casting +long shadows on the sun-baked ground as they came. + +Presently, in the distance, from the direction of the sunlit +hills opposite a little group of men came into sight. Far off, the +mustard-coloured jackets and the red turbans of the orderlies made vivid +splashes of colour on the dull plain. As they came nearer, the guns +slung across their shoulders, the cases of mathematical instruments, +the hammers, and other heavy baggage they carried for the sahib, became +visible. A little in front, at walking pace rode the sahib himself, +making notes as he came in a book he held before him. The girl at the +tent entrance watched the advance of the little company indifferently, +it seemed; except for a slight tightening of the muscles about her +mouth, her face remained unchanged. While he was still some little +distance away, the man with the notebook raised his head and smiled +awkwardly as he saw her standing there. Awkwardness, perhaps, best +describes the whole man. He was badly put together, loose-jointed, +ungainly. The fact that he was tall profited him nothing, for it merely +emphasised the extreme ungracefulness of his figure. His long pale face +was made paler by the shock of coarse, tow-coloured hair; his +eyes, even, looked colourless, though they were certainly the least +uninteresting feature of his face, for they were not devoid of +expression. He had a way of slouching when he moved that singularly +intensified the general uncouthness of his appearance. “Are you very +tired?” asked his wife, gently, when he had dismounted close to the +tent. The question would have been an unnecessary one had it been put +to her instead of to her husband, for her voice had that peculiar flat +toneless sound for which extreme weariness is answerable. + +“Well, no, my dear, not very,” he replied, drawling out the words with +an exasperating air of delivering a final verdict, after deep reflection +on the subject. + +The girl glanced once more at the fading colours on the hills. “Come in +and rest,” she said, moving aside a little to let him pass. + +She stood lingering a moment after he had entered the tent, as though +unwilling to leave the outer air; and before she turned to follow him +she drew a deep breath, and her hand went for one swift second to her +throat as though she felt stifled. + +Later on that evening she sat in her tent, sewing by the light of the +lamp that stood on her little table. + +Opposite to her, her husband stretched his ungainly length in a +deck-chair, and turned over a pile of official notes. Every now and +then her eyes wandered from the gay silks of the table-cover she was +embroidering to the canvas walls which bounded the narrow space into +which their few household goods were crowded. Outside there was a deep +hush. The silence of the vast empty plain seemed to work its way slowly, +steadily in toward the little patch of light set in its midst. The girl +felt it in every nerve; it was as though some soft-footed, noiseless, +shapeless creature, whose presence she only dimly divined, was +approaching nearer--_nearer_. The heavy outer stillness was in some +way made more terrifying by the rustle of the papers her husband was +reading, by the creaking of his chair as he moved, and by the little +fidgeting grunts and half-exclamations which from time to time broke +from him. His wife’s hand shook at every unintelligible mutter from him, +and the slight habitual contraction between her eyes deepened. + +All at once she threw her work down on to the table. “For heaven’s +sake--_please_, John, _talk_!” she cried. Her eyes, for the moment’s +space in which they met the startled ones of her husband, had a wild, +hunted look, but it was gone almost before his slow brain had time to +note that it had been there--and was vaguely disturbing. She laughed a +little unsteadily. + +“Did I startle you? I’m sorry. I”--she laughed again--“I believe I’m +a little nervous. When one is all day alone--” She paused without +finishing the sentence. The man’s face changed suddenly. A wave +of tenderness swept over it, and at the same time an expression of +half-incredulous delight shone in his pale eyes. + +“Poor little girl, are you really lonely?” he said. Even the real +feeling in his tone failed to rob his voice of its peculiarly irritating +grating quality. He rose awkwardly, and moved to his wife’s side. + +Involuntarily she shrank a little, and the hand which he had stretched +out to touch her hair sank to his side. She recovered herself +immediately, and turned her face up to his, though she did not raise +her eyes; but he did not kiss her. Instead, he stood in an embarrassed +fashion a moment by her side, and then went back to his seat. + +There was silence again for some time. The man lay back in his chair, +gazing at his big, clumsy shoes as though he hoped for some inspiration +from that quarter, while his wife worked with nervous haste. + +“Don’t let me keep you from reading, John,” she said, and her voice had +regained its usual gentle tone. + +“No, my dear; I’m just thinking of something to say to you, but I don’t +seem--” + +She smiled a little. In spite of herself, her lip curled faintly. “Don’t +worry about it; it was stupid of me to expect it. I mean--” she added, +hastily, immediately repenting the sarcasm. She glanced furtively at +him, but his face was quite unmoved; evidently he had not noticed it, +and she smiled faintly again. + +“O Kathie, I knew there was _something_ I’d forgotten to tell you, my +dear; there’s a man coming down here. I don’t know whether--” + +She looked up sharply. “A man coming _here_? What for?” she interrupted, +breathlessly. + +“Sent to help me about this oil-boring business, my dear.” + +He had lighted his pipe, and was smoking placidly, taking long whiffs +between his words. + +“Well?” impatiently questioned his wife, fixing her bright eyes on his +face. + +“Well--that’s all, my dear.” + +She checked an exclamation. “But don’t you know anything about him--his +name? where he comes from? what he is like?” She was leaning forward +against the table, her needle, with a long end of yellow silk drawn +half-way through her work, held in her upraised hand, her whole attitude +one of quivering excitement and expectancy. + +The man took his pipe from his mouth deliberately, with a look of slow +wonder. + +“Why, Kathie, you seem quite anxious. I didn’t know you’d be so +interested, my dear. Well,”--another long pull at his pipe,--“his name’s +Brook--_Brookfield_, I think.” He paused again. “This pipe doesn’t draw +well a bit; there’s something wrong with it, I shouldn’t wonder,” he +added, taking it out and examining the bowl as though struck with the +brilliance of the idea. + +The woman opposite put down her work and clinched her hands under the +table. + +“Go on, John,” she said, presently, in a tense, vibrating voice; “his +name is Brookfield. Well, where does he come from?” + +“Straight from home, my dear, I believe.” He fumbled in his pocket, and +after some time extricated a pencil, with which he began to poke +the tobacco in the bowl in an ineffectual aimless fashion, becoming +completely engrossed in the occupation apparently. There was another +long pause. The woman went on working, or feigning to work, for her +hands were trembling a good deal. + +After some moments she raised her head again. “John, will you mind +attending to me one moment, and answering these questions as quickly as +you can?” The emphasis on the last word was so faint as to be almost as +imperceptible as the touch of exasperated contempt which she could not +absolutely banish from her tone. + +Her husband, looking up, met her clear bright gaze, and reddened like a +school-boy. + +“Whereabouts ‘_from home_’ does he come?” she asked, in a studiedly +gentle fashion. + +“Well, from London, I think,” he replied, almost briskly for him, though +he stammered and tripped over the words. “He’s a university chap; I used +to hear he was clever; I don’t know about that, I’m sure; he used to +chaff me, I remember, but--” + +“Chaff _you_? You have met him then?” + +“Yes, my dear,”--he was fast relapsing into his slow drawl +again,--“that is, I went to school with him; but it’s a long time ago. +Brookfield--yes, that must be his name.” + +She waited a moment; then, “When is he coming?” she inquired, abruptly. + +“Let me see--to-day’s--” + +“_Monday_;” the word came swiftly between her set teeth. + +“Ah, yes--Monday; well,” reflectively, “_next_ Monday, my dear.” + +Mrs. Drayton rose, and began to pace softly the narrow passage between +the table and the tent wall, her hands clasped loosely behind her. + +“How long have you known this?” she said, stopping abruptly. “O John, +you _needn’t_ consider; it’s quite a simple question. To-day? Yesterday?” + +Her foot moved restlessly on the ground as she waited. + +“I think it was the day before yesterday,” he replied. + +“Then why, in heaven’s name, didn’t you tell me before?” she broke out, +fiercely. + +“My dear, it slipped my memory. If I’d thought you would be +interested--” + +“Interested!” She laughed shortly. “It _is_ rather interesting to hear +that after six months of this”--she made a quick comprehensive gesture +with her hand--“one will have some one to speak to--some one. It is the +hand of Providence; it comes just in time to save me from--” She checked +herself abruptly. + +He sat staring up at her stupidly, without a word. + +“It’s all right, John,” she said, with a quick change of tone, gathering +up her work quietly as she spoke. “I’m not mad--yet. You--you must get +used to these little outbreaks,” she added, after a moment, smiling +faintly; “and, to do me justice, I don’t _often_ trouble you with them, +do I? I’m just a little tired, or it’s the heat or--something. No--don’t +touch me!” she cried, shrinking back; for he had risen slowly and was +coming toward her. + +She had lost command over her voice, and the shrill note of horror in it +was unmistakable. The man heard it, and shrank in his turn. + +“I’m so sorry, John,” she murmured, raising her great bright eyes to his +face. They had not lost their goaded expression, though they were full +of tears. “I’m awfully sorry; but I’m just nervous and stupid, and I +can’t bear _any one_ to touch me when I’m nervous.” + + + +“Here’s Broomhurst, my dear! I made a mistake in his name after all, +I find. I told you _Brookfield_, I believe, didn’t I? Well, it isn’t +Brookfield, he says; it’s Broomhurst.” + +Mrs. Drayton had walked some little distance across the plain to meet +and welcome the expected guest. She stood quietly waiting while her +husband stammered over his incoherent sentences, and then put out her +hand. + +“We are very glad to see you,” she said, with a quick glance at the +new-comer’s face as she spoke. + +As they walked together toward the tent, after the first greetings, she +felt his keen eyes upon her before he turned to her husband. + +“I’m afraid Mrs. Drayton finds the climate trying?” he asked. “Perhaps +she ought not to have come so far in this heat?” + +“Kathie is often pale. You _do_ look white to-day, my dear,” he +observed, turning anxiously toward his wife. + +“Do I?” she replied. The unsteadiness of her tone was hardly +appreciable, but it was not lost on Broomhurst’s quick ears. “Oh, I +don’t think so. I _feel_ very well.” + +“I’ll come and see if they’ve fixed you up all right,” said Drayton, +following his companion toward the new tent that had been pitched at +some little distance from the large one. + +“We shall see you at dinner then?” Mrs. Drayton observed in reply to +Broomhurst’s smile as they parted. + +She entered the tent slowly, and, moving up to the table already laid +for dinner, began to rearrange the things upon it in a purposeless, +mechanical fashion. + +After a moment she sank down upon a seat opposite the open entrance, and +put her hand to her head. + +“What is the matter with me?” she thought, wearily. “All the week I’ve +been looking forward to seeing this man--_any_ man, _any one_ to take +off the edge of this.” She shuddered. Even in thought she hesitated to +analyse the feeling that possessed her. “Well, he’s here, and I think I +feel _worse_.” Her eyes travelled toward the hills she had been used to +watch at this hour, and rested on them with a vague, unseeing gaze. + +“Tired Kathie? A penny for your thoughts, my dear,” said her husband, +coming in presently to find her still sitting there. + +“I’m thinking what a curious world this is, and what an ironical vein +of humour the gods who look after it must possess,” she replied, with a +mirthless laugh, rising as she spoke. + +John looked puzzled. + +“Funny my having known Broomhurst before, you mean?” he said doubtfully. + + + +“I was fishing down at Lynmouth this time last year,” Broomhurst said at +dinner. “You know Lynmouth, Mrs. Drayton? Do you never imagine you hear +the gurgling of the stream? I am tantalised already by the sound of it +rushing through the beautiful green gloom of those woods--_aren’t_ they +lovely? And _I_ haven’t been in this burnt-up spot as many hours as +you’ve had months of it.” + +She smiled a little. + +“You must learn to possess your soul in patience,” she said, and glanced +inconsequently from Broomhurst to her husband, and then dropped her eyes +and was silent a moment. + +John was obviously, and a little audibly, enjoying his dinner. He sat +with his chair pushed close to the table, and his elbows awkwardly +raised, swallowing his soup in gulps. He grasped his spoon tightly in +his bony hand, so that its swollen joints stood out larger and uglier +than ever, his wife thought. + +Her eyes wandered to Broomhurst’s hands. They were well shaped, and, +though not small, there was a look of refinement about them; he had a +way of touching things delicately, a little lingeringly, she noticed. +There was an air of distinction about his clear-cut, clean-shaven face, +possibly intensified by contrast with Drayton’s blurred features; and it +was, perhaps, also by contrast with the gray cuffs that showed beneath +John’s ill-cut drab suit that the linen Broomhurst wore seemed to her +particularly spotless. + +Broomhurst’s thoughts, for his part, were a good deal occupied with his +hostess. + +She was pretty, he thought, or perhaps it was that, with the wide, +dry lonely plain as a setting, her fragile delicacy of appearance was +invested with a certain flower-like charm. + +“The silence here seems rather strange, rather appalling at first, when +one is fresh from a town,” he pursued, after a moment’s pause; “but I +suppose you’re used to it, eh, Drayton? How do _you_ find life here, +Mrs. Drayton?” he asked, a little curiously, turning to her as he spoke. + +She hesitated a second. “Oh, much the same as I should find it anywhere +else, I expect,” she replied; “after all, one carries the possibilities +of a happy life about with one; don’t you think so? The Garden of Eden +wouldn’t necessarily make my life any happier, or less happy, than a +howling wilderness like this. It depends on one’s self entirely.” + +“Given the right Adam and Eve, the desert blossoms like the rose, in +fact,” Broomhurst answered, lightly, with a smiling glance inclusive of +husband and wife; “you two don’t feel as though you’d been driven out of +Paradise, evidently.” + +Drayton raised his eyes from his plate with a smile of total +incomprehension. + +“Great heavens! what an Adam to select!” thought Broomhurst, +involuntarily, as Mrs. Drayton rose rather suddenly from the table. + +“I’ll come and help with that packing-case,” John said, rising, in his +turn, lumberingly from his place; “then we can have a smoke--eh! Kathie +don’t mind, if we sit near the entrance.” + +The two men went out together, Broomhurst holding the lantern, for the +moon had not yet risen. Mrs. Drayton followed them to the doorway, and, +pushing the looped-up hanging farther aside, stepped out into the cool +darkness. + +Her heart was beating quickly, and there was a great lump in her throat +that frightened her as though she were choking. + +“And I am his _wife_--I _belong_ to him!” she cried, almost aloud. + +She pressed both her hands tightly against her breast, and set her +teeth, fighting to keep down the rising flood that threatened to sweep +away her composure. “Oh, what a fool I am! What an hysterical fool of a +woman I am!” she whispered below her breath. She began to walk slowly up +and down outside the tent, in the space illumined by the lamplight, as +though striving to make her outwardly quiet movements react upon the +inward tumult. In a little while she had conquered; she quietly entered +the tent, drew a low chair to the entrance, and took up a book, just as +footsteps became audible. A moment afterward Broomhurst emerged from the +darkness into the circle of light outside, and Mrs. Drayton raised her +eyes from the pages she was turning to greet him with a smile. + +“Are your things all right?” + +“Oh, yes, more or less, thank you. I was a little concerned about a case +of books, but it isn’t much damaged fortunately. Perhaps I’ve some you +would care to look at?” + +“The books will be a godsend,” she returned, with a sudden brightening +of the eyes; “I was getting _desperate_--for books.” + +“What are you reading now?” he asked, glancing at the volume that lay in +her lap. + +“It’s a Browning. I carry it about a good deal. I think I like to have +it with me, but I don’t seem to read it much.” + +“Are you waiting for a suitable optimistic moment?” Broomhurst inquired, +smiling. + +“Yes, now that you mention it, I think that must be why I am waiting,” + she replied, slowly. + +“And it doesn’t come--even in the Garden of Eden? Surely the serpent, +pessimism, hasn’t been insolent enough to draw you into conversation +with him?” he said, lightly. + +“There has been no one to converse with at all--when John is away, +I mean. I think I should have liked a little chat with the serpent +immensely by way of a change,” she replied, in the same tone. + +“Ah, yes,” Broomhurst said, with sudden seriousness; “it must be +unbearably dull for you alone here, with Drayton away all day.” + +Mrs. Drayton’s hand shook a little as she fluttered a page of her open +book. + +“I should think it quite natural you would be irritated beyond endurance +to hear that all’s right with the world, for instance, when you were +sighing for the long day to pass,” he continued. + +“I don’t mind the day so much; it’s the evenings.” She abruptly checked +the swift words, and flushed painfully. “I mean--I’ve grown stupidly +nervous, I think--even when John is here. Oh, you have no idea of the +awful _silence_ of this place at night,” she added, rising hurriedly +from her low seat, and moving closer to the doorway. “It is so close, +isn’t it?” she said, almost apologetically. There was silence for quite +a minute. + +Broomhurst’s quick eyes noted the silent momentary clinching of the +hands that hung at her side, as she stood leaning against the support at +the entrance. + +“But how stupid of me to give you such a bad impression of the camp--the +first evening, too!” Mrs. Drayton exclaimed, presently; and her +companion mentally commended the admirable composure of her voice. + +“Probably you will never notice that it _is_ lonely at all,” she +continued; “John likes it here. He is immensely interested in his work, +you know. I hope _you_ are too. If you are interested it is all quite +right. I think the climate tries me a little. I never used to be +stupid--and nervous. Ah, here’s John; he’s been round to the kitchen +tent, I suppose.” + +“Been looking after that fellow cleanin’ my gun, my dear,” John +explained, shambling toward the deck-chair. + +Later Broomhurst stood at his own tent door. He looked up at the +star-sown sky, and the heavy silence seemed to press upon him like an +actual, physical burden. + +He took his cigar from between his lips presently, and looked at the +glowing end reflectively before throwing it away. + +“Considering that she has been alone with him here for six months, she +has herself very well in hand--_very_ well in hand,” he repeated. + + + +It was Sunday morning. John Drayton sat just inside the tent, presumably +enjoying his pipe before the heat of the day. His eyes furtively +followed his wife as she moved about near him, sometimes passing close +to his chair in search of something she had mislaid. There was colour +in her cheeks; her eyes, though preoccupied, were bright; there was a +lightness and buoyancy in her step which she set to a little dancing air +she was humming under her breath. + +After a moment or two the song ceased; she began to move slowly, +sedately; and, as if chilled by a raw breath of air, the light faded +from her eyes, which she presently turned toward her husband. + +“Why do you look at me?” she asked, suddenly. + +“I don’t know, my dear,” he began slowly and laboriously, as was his +wont. “I was thinkin’ how nice you looked--jest now--much better, you +know; but somehow,”--he was taking long whiffs at his pipe, as usual, +between each word, while she stood patiently waiting for him to +finish,--“somehow, you alter so, my dear--you’re quite pale again, all +of a minute.” + +She stood listening to him, noticing against her will the more than +suspicion of cockney accent and the thick drawl with which the words +were uttered. + +His eyes sought her face piteously. She noticed that too, and stood +before him torn by conflicting emotions, pity and disgust struggling in +a hand-to-hand fight within her. + +“Mr. Broomhurst and I are going down by the well to sit; it’s cooler +there. Won’t you come?” she said at last, gently. + +He did not reply for a moment; then he turned his head aside, sharply +for him. + +“No, my dear, thank you; I’m comfortable enough here,” he returned, +huskily. + +She stood over him, hesitating a second; then moved abruptly to the +table, from which she took a book. + +He had risen from his seat by the time she turned to go out, and he +intercepted her timorously. + +“Kathie, give me a kiss before you go,” he whispered, hoarsely. “I--I +don’t often bother you.” + +She drew her breath in deeply as he put his arms clumsily about her; +but she stood still, and he kissed her on the forehead, and touched the +little wavy curls that strayed across it gently with his big, trembling +fingers. + +When he released her, she moved at once impetuously to the open doorway. +On the threshold she hesitated, paused a moment irresolutely, and then +turned back. + +“Shall I--does your pipe want filling, John?” she asked, softly. + +“No, thank you, my dear.” + +“Would you like me to stay, read to you, or anything?” + +He looked up at her wistfully. “N-no, thank you; I’m not much of a +reader, you know, my dear--somehow.” + +She hated herself for knowing that there would be a “my dear,” probably +a “somehow,” in his reply, and despised herself for the sense of +irritated impatience she felt by anticipation, even before the words +were uttered. + +There was a moment’s hesitating silence, broken by the sound of quick, +firm footsteps without. Broomhurst paused at the entrance, and looked +into the tent. + +“Aren’t you coming, Drayton?” he asked, looking first at Drayton’s wife +and then swiftly putting in his name with a scarcely perceptible pause. +“Too lazy? But you, Mrs. Drayton?” + +“Yes, I’m coming,” she said. + +They left the tent together, and walked some few steps in silence. + +Broomhurst shot a quick glance at his companion’s face. + +“Anything wrong?” he asked, presently. + +Though the words were ordinary enough, the voice in which they were +spoken was in some subtle fashion a different voice from that in +which he had talked to her nearly two months ago, though it would have +required a keen sense of nice shades in sound to have detected the +change. + +Mrs. Drayton’s sense of niceties in sound was particularly keen, but she +answered quietly, “Nothing, thank you.” + +They did not speak again till the trees round the stone well were +reached. + +Broomhurst arranged their seats comfortably beside it. + +“Are we going to read or talk?” he asked, looking up at her from his +lower place. + +“Well, we generally talk most when we arrange to read; so shall we agree +to talk to-day for a change, by way of getting some reading done?” she +rejoined, smiling. “_You_ begin.” + +Broomhurst seemed in no hurry to avail himself of the permission; he +was apparently engrossed in watching the flecks of sunshine on Mrs. +Drayton’s white dress. The whirring of insects, and the creaking of a +Persian wheel somewhere in the neighbourhood, filtered through the hot +silence. + +Mrs. Drayton laughed after a few minutes; there was a touch of +embarrassment in the sound. + +“The new plan doesn’t answer. Suppose you read, as usual, and let me +interrupt, also as usual, after the first two lines.” + +He opened the book obediently, but turned the pages at random. + +She watched him for a moment, and then bent a little forward toward him. + +“It is my turn now,” she said, suddenly; “is anything wrong?” + +He raised his head, and their eyes met. There was a pause. “I will be +more honest than you,” he returned; “yes, there is.” + +“What?” + +“I’ve had orders to move on.” + +She drew back, and her lips whitened, though she kept them steady. + +“When do you go?” + +“On Wednesday.” + +There was silence again; the man still kept his eyes on her face. + +The whirring of the insects and the creaking of the wheel had suddenly +grown so strangely loud and insistent that it was in a half-dazed +fashion she at length heard her name--“_Kathleen!_” + +“Kathleen!” he whispered again, hoarsely. + +She looked him full in the face, and once more their eyes met in a long, +grave gaze. + +The man’s face flushed, and he half rose from his seat with an impetuous +movement; but Kathleen stopped him with a glance. + +“Will you go and fetch my work? I left it in the tent,” she said, +speaking very clearly and distinctly; “and then will you go on reading? +I will find the place while you are gone.” + +She took the book from his hand, and he rose and stood before her. + +There was a mute appeal in his silence, and she raised her head slowly. + +Her face was white to the lips, but she looked at him unflinchingly; and +without a word he turned and left her. + + + +Mrs. Drayton was resting in the tent on Tuesday afternoon. With the help +of cushions and some low chairs, she had improvised a couch, on which +she lay quietly with her eyes closed. There was a tenseness, however, in +her attitude which indicated that sleep was far from her. + +Her features seemed to have sharpened during the last few days, and +there were hollows in her cheeks. She had been very ill for a long time, +but all at once, with a sudden movement, she turned her head and buried +her face in the cushions with a groan. Slipping from her place, she fell +on her knees beside the couch, and put both hands before her mouth to +force back the cry that she felt struggling to her lips. + +For some moments the wild effort she was making for outward calm, which +even when she was alone was her first instinct, strained every nerve and +blotted out sight and hearing, and it was not till the sound was very +near that she was conscious of the ring of horse’s hoofs on the plain. + +She raised her head sharply, with a thrill of fear, still kneeling, and +listened. + +There was no mistake. The horseman was riding in hot haste, for the thud +of the hoofs followed one another swiftly. + +As Mrs. Drayton listened her white face grew whiter, and she began to +tremble. Putting out shaking hands, she raised herself by the arms of +the folding-chair and stood upright. + +Nearer and nearer came the thunder of the approaching sound, mingled +with startled exclamations and the noise of trampling feet from the +direction of the kitchen tent. + +Slowly, mechanically almost, she dragged herself to the entrance, and +stood clinging to the canvas there. By the time she had reached it +Broomhurst had flung himself from the saddle, and had thrown the reins +to one of the men. + +Mrs. Drayton stared at him with wide, bright eyes as he hastened toward +her. + +“I thought you--you are not--” she began, and then her teeth began to +chatter. “I am so cold!” she said, in a little, weak voice. + +Broomhurst took her hand and led her over the threshold back into the +tent. + +“Don’t be so frightened,” he implored; “I came to tell you first. I +thought it wouldn’t frighten you so much as--Your--Drayton is--very ill. +They are bringing him. I--” + +He paused. She gazed at him a moment with parted lips; then she broke +into a horrible, discordant laugh, and stood clinging to the back of a +chair. + +Broomhurst started back. + +“Do you understand what I mean?” he whispered. “Kathleen, for God’s +sake--_don’t_--he is _dead_.” + +He looked over his shoulder as he spoke, her shrill laughter ringing in +his ears. The white glare and dazzle of the plain stretched before him, +framed by the entrance to the tent; far off, against the horizon, there +were moving black specks, which he knew to be the returning servants +with their still burden. + +They were bringing John Drayton home. + + +One afternoon, some months later, Broomhurst climbed the steep lane +leading to the cliffs of a little English village by the sea. He had +already been to the inn, and had been shown by the proprietress the +house where Mrs. Drayton lodged. + +“The lady was out, but the gentleman would likely find her if he went +to the cliffs--down by the bay, or thereabouts,” her landlady explained; +and, obeying her directions, Broomhurst presently emerged from the shady +woodland path on to the hillside overhanging the sea. + +He glanced eagerly round him, and then, with a sudden quickening of the +heart, walked on over the springy heather to where she sat. She turned +when the rustling his footsteps made through the bracken was near enough +to arrest her attention, and looked up at him as he came. Then she rose +slowly and stood waiting for him. He came up to her without a word, and +seized both her hands, devouring her face with his eyes. Something he +saw there repelled him. Slowly he let her hands fall, still looking +at her silently. “You are not glad to see me, and I have counted the +hours,” he said, at last, in a dull, toneless voice. + +Her lips quivered. “Don’t be angry with me--I can’t help it--I’m not +glad or sorry for anything now,” she answered; and her voice matched his +for grayness. + +They sat down together on a long flat stone half embedded in a wiry +clump of whortleberries. Behind them the lonely hillsides rose, +brilliant with yellow bracken and the purple of heather. Before them +stretched the wide sea. It was a soft, gray day. Streaks of pale +sunlight trembled at moments far out on the water. The tide was rising +in the little bay above which they sat, and Broomhurst watched the lazy +foam-edged waves slipping over the uncovered rocks toward the shore, +then sliding back as though for very weariness they despaired of +reaching it. The muffled, pulsing sound of the sea filled the silence. +Broomhurst thought suddenly of hot Eastern sunshine, of the whir of +insect wings on the still air, and the creaking of a wheel in the +distance. He turned and looked at his companion. + +“I have come thousands of miles to see you,” he said; “aren’t you going +to speak to me now I am here?” + +“Why did you come? I told you not to come,” she answered, falteringly. +“I--” she paused. + +“And I replied that I should follow you--if you remember,” he answered, +still quietly. “I came because I would not listen to what you said then, +at that awful time. You didn’t know _yourself_ what you said. No wonder! +I have given you some months, and now I have come.” + +There was silence between them. Broomhurst saw that she was crying; her +tears fell fast on to her hands, that were clasped in her lap. Her face, +he noticed, was thin and drawn. + +Very gently he put his arm round her shoulder and drew her nearer to +him. She made no resistance; it seemed that she did not notice the +movement; and his arm dropped at his side. + +“You asked me why I had come. You think it possible that three months +can change one very thoroughly, then?” he said, in a cold voice. + +“I not only think it possible; I have proved it,” she replied, wearily. + +He turned round and faced her. + +“You _did_ love me, Kathleen!” he asserted. “You never said so in words, +but I know it,” he added, fiercely. + +“Yes, I did.” + +“And--you mean that you don’t now?” + +Her voice was very tired. “Yes; I can’t help it,” she answered; “it has +gone--utterly.” + +The gray sea slowly lapped the rocks. Overhead the sharp scream of a +gull cut through the stillness. It was broken again, a moment afterward, +by a short hard laugh from the man. + +“Don’t!” she whispered, and laid a hand swiftly on his arm. “Do you +think it isn’t worse for me? I wish to God I _did_ love you!” she cried, +passionately. “Perhaps it would make me forget that, to all intents and +purposes, I am a murderess.” + +Broomhurst met her wide, despairing eyes with an amazement which yielded +to sudden pitying comprehension. + +“So that is it, my darling? You are worrying about _that_? You who were +as loyal as--” + +She stopped him with a frantic gesture. + +“Don’t! _don’t!_” she wailed. “If you only knew! Let me try to tell +you--will you?” she urged, pitifully. “It may be better if I tell some +one--if I don’t keep it all to myself, and think, and _think_.” + +She clasped her hands tight, with the old gesture he remembered when she +was struggling for self-control, and waited a moment. + +Presently she began to speak in a low, hurried tone: “It began +before you came. I know now what the feeling was that I was afraid to +acknowledge to myself. I used to try and smother it; I used to repeat +things to myself all day--poems, stupid rhymes--_anything_ to keep my +thoughts quite underneath--but I--_hated_ John before you came! We had +been married nearly a year then. I never loved him. Of course you are +going to say, ‘Why did you marry him?’” She looked drearily over the +placid sea. “Why _did_ I marry him? I don’t know; for the reason that +hundreds of ignorant, inexperienced girls marry, I suppose. My home +wasn’t a happy one. I was miserable, and oh--_restless_. I wonder if +men know what it feels like to be restless? Sometimes I think they +can’t even guess. John wanted me very badly; nobody wanted me at home +particularly. There didn’t seem to be any point in my life. Do you +understand? . . . Of course, being alone with him in that little camp +in that silent plain”--she shuddered--“made things worse. My nerves went +all to pieces. Everything he said, his voice, his accent, his walk, +the way he ate, irritated me so that I longed to rush out sometimes and +shriek--and go _mad_. Does it sound ridiculous to you to be driven mad +by such trifles? I only know I used to get up from the table sometimes +and walk up and down outside, with both hands over my mouth to keep +myself quiet. And all the time I _hated_ myself--how I hated myself! I +never had a word from him that wasn’t gentle and tender. I believe he +loved the ground I walked on. Oh, it is _awful_ to be loved like that +when you--” She drew in her breath with a sob. “I--I--it made me sick +for him to come near me--to touch me.” She stopped a moment. + +Broomhurst gently laid his hand on her quivering one. “Poor little +girl!” he murmured. + +“Then _you_ came,” she said, “and before long I had another feeling +to fight against. At first I thought it couldn’t be true that I loved +you--it would die down. I think I was _frightened_ at the feeling; I +didn’t know it hurt so to love any one.” + +Broomhurst stirred a little. “Go on,” he said, tersely. + +“But it didn’t die,” she continued, in a trembling whisper, “and the +other _awful_ feeling grew stronger and stronger--hatred; no, that is +not the word--_loathing_ for--for--John. I fought against it. Yes,” she +cried, feverishly, clasping and unclasping her hands; “Heaven knows I +fought it with all my strength, and reasoned with myself, and--oh, I did +_everything_, but--” Her quick-falling tears made speech difficult. + +“Kathleen!” Broomhurst urged, desperately, “you couldn’t help it, you +poor child. You say yourself you struggled against your feelings. You +were always gentle; perhaps he didn’t know.” + +“But he did--he _did_,” she wailed; “it is just that. I hurt him +a hundred times a day; he never said so, but I knew it; and yet I +_couldn’t_ be kind to him,--except in words,--and he understood. +And after you came it was worse in one way, for he knew--I _felt_ he +knew--that I loved you. His eyes used to follow me like a dog’s, and +I was stabbed with remorse, and I tried to be good to him, but I +couldn’t.” + +“But--he didn’t suspect--he trusted you,” began Broomhurst. “He had +every reason. No woman was ever so loyal, so--” + +“Hush!” she almost screamed. “Loyal! it was the least I could do--to +stop you, I mean--when you--After all, I knew it without your telling +me. I had deliberately married him without loving him. It was my own +fault. I felt it. Even if I couldn’t prevent his knowing that I hated +him, I could prevent _that_. It was my punishment. I deserved it for +_daring_ to marry without love. But I didn’t spare John one pang after +all,” she added, bitterly. “He knew what I felt toward him; I don’t +think he cared about anything else. You say I mustn’t reproach myself? +When I went back to the tent that morning--when you--when I stopped +you from saying you loved me, he was sitting at the table with his head +buried in his hands; he was crying--bitterly. I saw him,--it is terrible +to see a man cry,--and I stole away gently, but he saw me. I was torn +to pieces, but I _couldn’t_ go to him. I knew he would kiss me, and I +shuddered to think of it. It seemed more than ever not to be borne that +he should do that--when I knew _you_ loved me.” + +“Kathleen,” cried her lover, again, “don’t dwell on it all so +terribly--don’t--” + +“How can I forget?” she answered, despairingly. “And then,”--she lowered +her voice,--“oh, I can’t tell you--all the time, at the back of my mind +somewhere, there was a burning wish that he might _die_. I used to lie +awake at night, and, do what I would to stifle it, that thought used to +_scorch_ me, I wished it so intensely. Do you believe that by willing +one can bring such things to pass?” she asked, looking at Broomhurst +with feverishly bright eyes. “No? Well, I don’t know. I tried to smother +it,--I _really_ tried,--but it was there, whatever other thoughts I +heaped on the top. Then, when I heard the horse galloping across +the plain that morning, I had a sick fear that it was _you_. I knew +something had happened, and my first thought when I saw you alive and +well, and knew it was _John_, was _that it was too good to be true_. I +believe I laughed like a maniac, didn’t I? . . . Not to blame? Why, if +it hadn’t been for me he wouldn’t have died. The men say they saw him +sitting with his head uncovered in the burning sun, his face buried in +his hands--just as I had seen him the day before. He didn’t trouble to +be careful; he was too wretched.” + +She paused, and Broomhurst rose and began to pace the little hillside +path at the edge of which they were seated. + +Presently he came back to her. + +“Kathleen, let me take care of you,” he implored, stooping toward her. +“We have only ourselves to consider in this matter. Will you come to me +at once?” + +She shook her head sadly. + +Broomhurst set his teeth, and the lines round his mouth deepened. He +threw himself down beside her on the heather. + +“Dear,” he urged, still gently, though his voice showed he was +controlling himself with an effort, “you are morbid about this. You +have been alone too much; you are ill. Let me take care of you; I _can_, +Kathleen,--and I love you. Nothing but morbid fancy makes you imagine +you are in any way responsible for--Drayton’s death. You can’t bring him +back to life, and--” + +“No,” she sighed, drearily, “and if I could, nothing would be altered. +Though I am mad with self-reproach, I feel _that_--it was all so +inevitable. If he were alive and well before me this instant, my feeling +toward him wouldn’t have changed. If he spoke to me he would say ‘my +dear’--and I should _loathe_ him. Oh, I know! It is _that_ that makes it +so awful.” + +“But if you acknowledge it,” Broomhurst struck in, eagerly, “will you +wreck both of our lives for the sake of vain regrets? Kathleen, you +never will.” + +He waited breathlessly for her answer. + +“I won’t wreck both our lives by marrying again without love on my +side,” she replied, firmly. + +“I will take the risk,” he said. “You _have_ loved me; you will love +me again. You are crushed and dazed now with brooding over this--this +trouble, but--” + +“But I will not allow you to take the risk,” Kathleen answered. “What +sort of woman should I be to be willing again to live with a man I +don’t love? I have come to know that there are things one owes to _one’s +self_. Self-respect is one of them. I don’t know how it has come to be +so, but all my old feeling for you has _gone_. It is as though it had +burned itself out. I will not offer gray ashes to any man.” + +Broomhurst, looking up at her pale, set face, knew that her words were +final, and turned his own aside with a groan. + +“Ah,” cried Kathleen, with a little break in her voice, “_don’t!_ Go +away, and be happy and strong, and all that I loved in you. I am so +sorry--so sorry to hurt you. I--” her voice faltered miserably; “I--I +only bring trouble to people.” + +There was a long pause. + +“Did you never think that there is a terrible vein of irony running +through the ordering of this world?” she said, presently. “It is a +mistake to think our prayers are not answered--they are. In due time we +get our heart’s desire--when we have ceased to care for it.” + +“I haven’t yet got mine,” Broomhurst answered, doggedly, “and I shall +never cease to care for it.” + +She smiled a little, with infinite sadness. + +“Listen, Kathleen,” he said. They had both risen, and he stood before +her, looking down at her. “I will go now, but in a year’s time I shall +come back. I will not give you up. You shall love me yet.” + +“Perhaps--I don’t think so,” she answered, wearily. + +Broomhurst looked at her trembling lips a moment in silence; then he +stooped and kissed both her hands instead. + +“I will wait till you tell me you love me,” he said. + +She stood watching him out of sight. He did not look back, and she +turned with swimming eyes to the gray sea and the transient gleams of +sunlight that swept like tender smiles across its face. + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg’s Stories by English Authors: Orient, by Various + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES BY ENGLISH AUTHORS: ORIENT *** + +***** This file should be named 2035-0.txt or 2035-0.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/2/0/3/2035/ + +Produced by Dagny; John Bickers and David Widger + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Stories by English Authors: Orient + +Author: Various + +Release Date: March 25, 2006 [EBook #2035] +Last Updated: Last Updated: September 21, 2016 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: UTF-8 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES BY ENGLISH AUTHORS: ORIENT *** + + + + +Produced by Dagny; John Bickers and David Widger + + + + + +</pre> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h2> + STORIES BY ENGLISH AUTHORS + </h2> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <h1> + ORIENT + </h1> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <h2> + By Various Authors + </h2> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h2> + Contents + </h2> + <table summary="" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto"> + <tr> + <td> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0001"> THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, By Rudyard + Kipling </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0002"> TAJIMA, By Miss Mitford </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0003"> A CHINESE GIRL GRADUATE, By R. K. Douglas + </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0004"> THE REVENGE OF HER RACE, By Mary Beaumont + </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0005"> KING BILLY OF BALLARAT, By Morley Roberts + </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0006"> THY HEART’S DESIRE, By Netta Syrett </a> + </p> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0001" id="link2H_4_0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h2> + THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, By Rudyard Kipling + </h2> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Brother to a Prince and fellow to a beggar if he be found + worthy +</pre> + <p> + The Law, as quoted, lays down a fair conduct of life, and one not easy to + follow. I have been fellow to a beggar again and again under circumstances + which prevented either of us finding out whether the other was worthy. I + have still to be brother to a Prince, though I once came near to kinship + with what might have been a veritable King, and was promised the reversion + of a Kingdom—army, law-courts, revenue, and policy all complete. + But, to-day, I greatly fear that my King is dead, and if I want a crown I + must go hunt it for myself. + </p> + <p> + The beginning of everything was in a railway-train upon the road to Mhow + from Ajmir. There had been a Deficit in the Budget, which necessitated + travelling, not Second-class, which is only half as dear as First-Class, + but by Intermediate, which is very awful indeed. There are no cushions in + the Intermediate class, and the population are either Intermediate, which + is Eurasian, or native, which for a long night journey is nasty, or + Loafer, which is amusing though intoxicated. Intermediates do not buy from + refreshment-rooms. They carry their food in bundles and pots, and buy + sweets from the native sweetmeat-sellers, and drink the roadside water. + This is why in hot weather Intermediates are taken out of the carriages + dead, and in all weathers are most properly looked down upon. + </p> + <p> + My particular Intermediate happened to be empty till I reached Nasirabad, + when the big black-browed gentleman in shirt-sleeves entered, and, + following the custom of Intermediates, passed the time of day. He was a + wanderer and a vagabond like myself, but with an educated taste for + whisky. He told tales of things he had seen and done, of out-of-the-way + corners of the Empire into which he had penetrated, and of adventures in + which he risked his life for a few days’ food. + </p> + <p> + “If India was filled with men like you and me, not knowing more than the + crows where they’d get their next day’s rations, it isn’t seventy millions + of revenue the land would be paying—it’s seven hundred millions,” + said he; and as I looked at his mouth and chin I was disposed to agree + with him. + </p> + <p> + We talked politics,—the politics of Loaferdom that sees things from + the under side where the lath and plaster is not smoothed off,—and + we talked postal arrangements because my friend wanted to send a telegram + back from the next station to Ajmir, the turning-off place from the Bombay + to the Mhow line as you travel westward. My friend had no money beyond + eight annas which he wanted for dinner, and I had no money at all, owing + to the hitch in the Budget before mentioned. Further, I was going into a + wilderness where, though I should resume touch with the Treasury, there + were no telegraph offices. I was, therefore, unable to help him in any + way. + </p> + <p> + “We might threaten a Station-master, and make him send a wire on tick,” + said my friend, “but that’d mean inquiries for you and for me, and <i>I</i>’ve + got my hands full these days. Did you say you were travelling back along + this line within any days?” + </p> + <p> + “Within ten,” I said. + </p> + <p> + “Can’t you make it eight?” said he. “Mine is rather urgent business.” + </p> + <p> + “I can send your telegrams within ten days if that will serve you,” I + said. + </p> + <p> + “I couldn’t trust the wire to fetch him, now I think of it. It’s this way. + He leaves Delhi on the 23rd for Bombay. That means he’ll be running + through Ajmir about the night of the 23rd.” + </p> + <p> + “But I’m going into the Indian Desert,” I explained. + </p> + <p> + “Well <i>and</i> good,” said he. “You’ll be changing at Marwar Junction to + get into Jodhpore territory,—you must do that,—and he’ll be + coming through Marwar Junction in the early morning of the 24th by the + Bombay Mail. Can you be at Marwar Junction on that time? ‘T won’t be + inconveniencing you, because I know that there’s precious few pickings to + be got out of these Central India States—even though you pretend to + be correspondent of the ‘Backwoodsman.’” + </p> + <p> + “Have you ever tried that trick?” I asked. + </p> + <p> + “Again and again, but the Residents find you out, and then you get + escorted to the Border before you’ve time to get your knife into them. But + about my friend here. I <i>must</i> give him a word o’ mouth to tell him + what’s come to me, or else he won’t know where to go. I would take it more + than kind of you if you was to come out of Central India in time to catch + him at Marwar Junction, and say to him, ‘He has gone South for the week.’ + He’ll know what that means. He’s a big man with a red beard, and a great + swell he is. You’ll find him sleeping like a gentleman with all his + luggage round him in a Second-class apartment. But don’t you be afraid. + Slip down the window and say, ‘He has gone South for the week,’ and he’ll + tumble. It’s only cutting your time of stay in those parts by two days. I + ask you as a stranger—going to the West,” he said, with emphasis. + </p> + <p> + “Where have <i>you</i> come from?” said I. + </p> + <p> + “From the East,” said he, “and I am hoping that you will give him the + message on the Square—for the sake of my Mother as well as your + own.” + </p> + <p> + Englishmen are not usually softened by appeals to the memory of their + mothers; but for certain reasons, which will be fully apparent, I saw fit + to agree. + </p> + <p> + “It’s more than a little matter,” said he, “and that’s why I asked you to + do it—and now I know that I can depend on you doing it. A + Second-class carriage at Marwar Junction, and a red-haired man asleep in + it. You’ll be sure to remember. I get out at the next station, and I must + hold on there till he comes or sends me what I want.” + </p> + <p> + “I’ll give the message if I catch him,” I said, “and for the sake of your + Mother as well as mine I’ll give you a word of advice. Don’t try to run + the Central India States just now as the correspondent of the + ‘Backwoodsman.’ There’s a real one knocking about here, and it might lead + to trouble.” + </p> + <p> + “Thank you,” said he, simply; “and when will the swine be gone? I can’t + starve because he’s ruining my work. I wanted to get hold of the Degumber + Rajah down here about his father’s widow, and give him a jump.” + </p> + <p> + “What did he do to his father’s widow, then?” + </p> + <p> + “Filled her up with red pepper and slippered her to death as she hung from + a beam. I found that out myself, and I’m the only man that would dare + going into the State to get hush-money for it. They’ll try to poison me, + same as they did in Chortumna when I went on the loot there. But you’ll + give the man at Marwar Junction my message?” + </p> + <p> + He got out at a little roadside station, and I reflected. I had heard, + more than once, of men personating correspondents of newspapers and + bleeding small Native States with threats of exposure, but I had never met + any of the caste before. They lead a hard life, and generally die with + great suddenness. The Native States have a wholesome horror of English + newspapers, which may throw light on their peculiar methods of government, + and do their best to choke correspondents with champagne, or drive them + out of their mind with four-in-hand barouches. They do not understand that + nobody cares a straw for the internal administration of Native States so + long as oppression and crime are kept within decent limits, and the ruler + is not drugged, drunk, or diseased from one end of the year to the other. + They are the dark places of the earth, full of unimaginable cruelty, + touching the Railway and the Telegraph on one side, and, on the other, the + days of Harun-al-Raschid. When I left the train I did business with divers + Kings, and in eight days passed through many changes of life. Sometimes I + wore dress-clothes and consorted with Princes and Politicals, drinking + from crystal and eating from silver. Sometimes I lay out upon the ground + and devoured what I could get, from a plate made of leaves, and drank the + running water, and slept under the same rug as my servant. It was all in + the day’s work. + </p> + <p> + Then I headed for the Great Indian Desert upon the proper date, as I had + promised, and the night Mail set me down at Marwar Junction, where a funny + little, happy-go-lucky, native-managed railway runs to Jodhpore. The + Bombay Mail from Delhi makes a short halt at Marwar. She arrived just as I + got in, and I had just time to hurry to her platform and go down the + carriages. There was only one Second-class on the train. I slipped the + window and looked down upon a flaming-red beard, half covered by a + railway-rug. That was my man, fast asleep, and I dug him gently in the + ribs. He woke with a grunt, and I saw his face in the light of the lamps. + It was a great and shining face. + </p> + <p> + “Tickets again?” said he. + </p> + <p> + “No,” said I. “I am to tell you that he is gone South for the week. He has + gone South for the week!” + </p> + <p> + The train had begun to move out. The red man rubbed his eyes. “He has gone + South for the week,” he repeated. “Now that’s just like his impidence. Did + he say that I was to give you anything? ‘Cause I won’t.” + </p> + <p> + “He didn’t,” I said, and dropped away, and watched the red lights die out + in the dark. It was horribly cold because the wind was blowing off the + sands. I climbed into my own train—not an Intermediate carriage this + time—and went to sleep. + </p> + <p> + If the man with the beard had given me a rupee I should have kept it as a + memento of a rather curious affair. But the consciousness of having done + my duty was my only reward. + </p> + <p> + Later on I reflected that two gentlemen like my friends could not do any + good if they foregathered and personated correspondents of newspapers, and + might, if they blackmailed one of the little rat-trap States of Central + India or Southern Rajputana, get themselves into serious difficulties. I + therefore took some trouble to describe them as accurately as I could + remember to people who would be interested in deporting them; and + succeeded, so I was later informed, in having them headed back from the + Degumber borders. + </p> + <p> + Then I became respectable, and returned to an office where there were no + Kings and no incidents outside the daily manufacture of a newspaper. A + newspaper office seems to attract every conceivable sort of person, to the + prejudice of discipline. Zenana-mission ladies arrive, and beg that the + Editor will instantly abandon all his duties to describe a Christian + prize-giving in a back slum of a perfectly inaccessible village; Colonels + who have been overpassed for command sit down and sketch the outline of a + series of ten, twelve, or twenty-four leading articles on Seniority <i>versus</i> + Selection; missionaries wish to know why they have not been permitted to + escape from their regular vehicles of abuse, and swear at a brother + missionary under special patronage of the editorial We; stranded + theatrical companies troop up to explain that they cannot pay for their + advertisements, but on their return from New Zealand or Tahiti will do so + with interest; inventors of patent punka-pulling machines, carriage + couplings, and unbreakable swords and axletrees call with specifications + in their pockets and hours at their disposal; tea companies enter and + elaborate their prospectuses with the office pens; secretaries of ball + committees clamour to have the glories of their last dance more fully + described; strange ladies rustle in and say, “I want a hundred lady’s + cards printed <i>at once</i>, please,” which is manifestly part of an + Editor’s duty; and every dissolute ruffian that ever tramped the Grand + Trunk Road makes it his business to ask for employment as a proof-reader. + And, all the time, the telephone-bell is ringing madly, and Kings are + being killed on the Continent, and Empires are saying, “You’re another,” + and Mister Gladstone is calling down brimstone upon the British Dominions, + and the little black copyboys are whining, “<i>kaa-pi chay-ha-yeh</i>” + (“Copy wanted”), like tired bees, and most of the paper is as blank as + Modred’s shield. + </p> + <p> + But that is the amusing part of the year. There are six other months when + none ever come to call, and the thermometer walks inch by inch up to the + top of the glass, and the office is darkened to just above reading-light, + and the press-machines are red-hot to touch, and nobody writes anything + but accounts of amusements in the Hill-stations or obituary notices. Then + the telephone becomes a tinkling terror, because it tells you of the + sudden deaths of men and women that you knew intimately, and the prickly + heat covers you with a garment, and you sit down and write: “A slight + increase of sickness is reported from the Khuda Janta Khan District. The + outbreak is purely sporadic in its nature, and, thanks to the energetic + efforts of the District authorities, is now almost at an end. It is, + however, with deep regret we record the death,” etc. + </p> + <p> + Then the sickness really breaks out, and the less recording and reporting + the better for the peace of the subscribers. But the Empires and the Kings + continue to divert themselves as selfishly as before, and the Foreman + thinks that a daily paper really ought to come out once in twenty-four + hours, and all the people at the Hill-stations in the middle of their + amusements say, “Good gracious! why can’t the paper be sparkling? I’m sure + there’s plenty going on up here.” + </p> + <p> + That is the dark half of the moon, and, as the advertisements say, “must + be experienced to be appreciated.” + </p> + <p> + It was in that season, and a remarkably evil season, that the paper began + running the last issue of the week on Saturday night, which is to say + Sunday morning, after the custom of a London paper. This was a great + convenience, for immediately after the paper was put to bed the dawn would + lower the thermometer from 96 degrees to almost 84 degrees for half an + hour, and in that chill—you have no idea how cold is 84 degrees on + the grass until you begin to pray for it—a very tired man could get + off to sleep ere the heat roused him. + </p> + <p> + One Saturday night it was my pleasant duty to put the paper to bed alone. + A King or courtier or a courtesan or a Community was going to die or get a + new Constitution, or do something that was important on the other side of + the world, and the paper was to be held open till the latest possible + minute in order to catch the telegram. + </p> + <p> + It was a pitchy-black night, as stifling as a June night can be, and the + <i>loo</i>, the red-hot wind from the westward, was booming among the + tinder-dry trees and pretending that the rain was on its heels. Now and + again a spot of almost boiling water would fall on the dust with the flop + of a frog, but all our weary world knew that was only pretence. It was a + shade cooler in the press-room than the office, so I sat there, while the + type ticked and clicked, and the night-jars hooted at the windows, and the + all but naked compositors wiped the sweat from their foreheads and called + for water. The thing that was keeping us back, whatever it was, would not + come off, though the loo dropped and the last type was set, and the whole + round earth stood still in the choking heat, with its finger on its lip, + to wait the event. I drowsed, and wondered whether the telegraph was a + blessing, and whether this dying man, or struggling people, might be aware + of the inconvenience the delay was causing. There was no special reason + beyond the heat and worry to make tension, but, as the clock-hands crept + up to three o-clock and the machines spun their fly-wheels two and three + times to see that all was in order, before I said the word that would set + them off, I could have shrieked aloud. + </p> + <p> + Then the roar and rattle of the wheels shivered the quiet into little + bits. I rose to go away, but two men in white clothes stood in front of + me. The first one said, “It’s him!” The second said, “So it is!” And they + both laughed almost as loudly as the machinery roared, and mopped their + foreheads. “We seed there was a light burning across the road, and we were + sleeping in that ditch there for coolness, and I said to my friend here, + ‘The office is open. Let’s come along and speak to him as turned us back + from Degumber State,’” said the smaller of the two. He was the man I had + met in the Mhow train, and his fellow was the red-bearded man of Marwar + Junction. There was no mistaking the eyebrows of the one or the beard of + the other. + </p> + <p> + I was not pleased, because I wished to go to sleep, not to squabble with + loafers. “What do you want?” I asked. + </p> + <p> + “Half an hour’s talk with you, cool and comfortable, in the office,” said + the red-bearded man. “We’d <i>like</i> some drink,—the Contrack + doesn’t begin yet, Peachey, so you needn’t look,—but what we really + want is advice. We don’t want money. We ask you as a favour, because we + found out you did us a bad turn about Degumber State.” + </p> + <p> + I led from the press-room to the stifling office with the maps on the + walls, and the red-haired man rubbed his hands. “That’s something like,” + said he. “This was the proper shop to come to. Now, Sir, let me introduce + you to Brother Peachey Carnehan, that’s him, and Brother Daniel Dravot, + that is <i>me</i>, and the less said about our professions the better, for + we have been most things in our time—soldier, sailor, compositor, + photographer, proof-reader, street-preacher, and correspondents of the + ‘Backwoodsman’ when we thought the paper wanted one. Carnehan is sober, + and so am I. Look at us first, and see that’s sure. It will save you + cutting into my talk. We’ll take one of your cigars apiece, and you shall + see us light up.” + </p> + <p> + I watched the test. The men were absolutely sober, so I gave them each a + tepid whisky-and-soda. + </p> + <p> + “Well <i>and</i> good,” said Carnehan of the eyebrows, wiping the froth + from his moustache. “Let me talk now, Dan. We have been all over India, + mostly on foot. We have been boiler-fitters, engine-drivers, petty + contractors, and all that, and we have decided that India isn’t big enough + for such as us.” + </p> + <p> + They certainly were too big for the office. Dravot’s beard seemed to fill + half the room and Carnehan’s shoulders the other half, as they sat on the + big table. Carnehan continued: “The country isn’t half worked out because + they that governs it won’t let you touch it. They spend all their blessed + time in governing it, and you can’t lift a spade, nor chip a rock, nor + look for oil, nor anything like that, without all the Government saying, + ‘Leave it alone, and let us govern.’ Therefore, such <i>as</i> it is, we + will let it alone, and go away to some other place where a man isn’t + crowded and can come to his own. We are not little men, and there is + nothing that we are afraid of except Drink, and we have signed a Contrack + on that. <i>Therefore</i> we are going away to be Kings.” + </p> + <p> + “Kings in our own right,” muttered Dravot. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, of course,” I said. “You’ve been tramping in the sun, and it’s a + very warm night, and hadn’t you better sleep over the notion? Come + to-morrow.” + </p> + <p> + “Neither drunk nor sunstruck,” said Dravot. “We have slept over the notion + half a year, and require to see Books and Atlases, and we have decided + that there is only one place now in the world that two strong men can + Sar-a-<i>whack</i>. They call it Kafiristan. By my reckoning it’s the top + right-hand corner of Afghanistan, not more than three hundred miles from + Peshawar. They have two and thirty heathen idols there, and we’ll be the + thirty-third and fourth. It’s a mountaineous country, the women of those + parts are very beautiful.” + </p> + <p> + “But that is provided against in the Contrack,” said Carnehan. “Neither + Women nor Liqu-or, Daniel.” + </p> + <p> + “And that’s all we know, except that no one has gone there, and they + fight, and in any place where they fight a man who knows how to drill men + can always be a King. We shall go to those parts and say to any King we + find, ‘D’ you want to vanquish your foes?’ and we will show him how to + drill men; for that we know better than anything else. Then we will + subvert that King and seize his Throne and establish a Dy-nasty.” + </p> + <p> + “You’ll be cut to pieces before you’re fifty miles across the Border,” I + said. “You have to travel through Afghanistan to get to that country. It’s + one mass of mountains and peaks and glaciers, and no Englishman has been + through it. The people are utter brutes, and even if you reached them you + couldn’t do anything.” + </p> + <p> + “That’s more like,” said Carnehan. “If you could think us a little more + mad we would be more pleased. We have come to you to know about this + country, to read a book about it, and to be shown maps. We want you to + tell us that we are fools and to show us your books.” He turned to the + bookcases. + </p> + <p> + “Are you at all in earnest?” I said. + </p> + <p> + “A little,” said Dravot, sweetly. “As big a map as you have got, even if + it’s all blank where Kafiristan is, and any books you’ve got. We can read, + though we aren’t very educated.” + </p> + <p> + I uncased the big thirty-two-miles-to-the-inch map of India and two + smaller Frontier maps, hauled down volume INF-KAN of the “Encyclopaedia + Britannica,” and the men consulted them. + </p> + <p> + “See here!” said Dravot, his thumb on the map. “Up to Jagdallak, Peachey + and me know the road. We was there with Robert’s Army. We’ll have to turn + off to the right at Jagdallak through Laghmann territory. Then we get + among the hills—fourteen thousand feet—fifteen thousand—it + will be cold work there, but it don’t look very far on the map.” + </p> + <p> + I handed him Wood on the “Sources of the Oxus.” Carnehan was deep in the + “Encyclopaedia.” + </p> + <p> + “They’re a mixed lot,” said Dravot, reflectively; “and it won’t help us to + know the names of their tribes. The more tribes the more they’ll fight, + and the better for us. From Jagdallak to Ashang. H’mm!” + </p> + <p> + “But all the information about the country is as sketchy and inaccurate as + can be,” I protested. “No one knows anything about it really. Here’s the + file of the ‘United Services’ Institute.’ Read what Bellew says.” + </p> + <p> + “Blow Bellew!” said Carnehan. “Dan, they’re a stinkin’ lot of heathens, + but this book here says they think they’re related to us English.” + </p> + <p> + I smoked while the men poured over Raverty, Wood, the maps, and the + “Encyclopaedia.” + </p> + <p> + “There is no use your waiting,” said Dravot, politely. “It’s about four + o’clock now. We’ll go before six o’clock if you want to sleep, and we + won’t steal any of the papers. Don’t you sit up. We’re two harmless + lunatics, and if you come to-morrow evening down to the Serai we’ll say + good-bye to you.” + </p> + <p> + “You <i>are</i> two fools,” I answered. “You’ll be turned back at the + Frontier or cut up the minute you set foot in Afghanistan. Do you want any + money or a recommendation down-country? I can help you to the chance of + work next week.” + </p> + <p> + “Next week we shall be hard at work ourselves, thank you,” said Dravot. + “It isn’t so easy being a King as it looks. When we’ve got our Kingdom in + going order we’ll let you know, and you can come up and help us govern + it.” + </p> + <p> + “Would two lunatics make a Contrack like that?” said Carnehan, with + subdued pride, showing me a greasy half-sheet of notepaper on which was + written the following. I copied it, then and there, as a curiosity. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + This Contracx between me and you persuing witnesseth in + the name of God—Amen and so forth. + + (One) That me and you will settle this matter + together; i.e., to be Kings of Kafiristan. + + (Two) That you and me will not, while this + matter is being settled, look at any + Liquor, nor any Woman, black, white, + or brown, so as to get mixed up with + one or the other harmful. + + (Three) That we conduct ourselves with Dignity + and Discretion, and if one of us gets + into trouble the other will stay by him. + + Signed by you and me this day. + Peachey Taliaferro Carnehan. + Daniel Dravot. + Both Gentlemen at Large. +</pre> + <p> + “There was no need for the last article,” said Carnehan, blushing + modestly; “but it looks regular. Now you know the sort of men that loafers + are,—we <i>are</i> loafers, Dan, until we get out of India,—and + <i>do</i> you think that we would sign a Contrack like that unless we was + in earnest? We have kept away from the two things that make life worth + having.” + </p> + <p> + “You won’t enjoy your lives much longer if you are going to try this + idiotic adventure. Don’t set the office on fire,” I said, “and go away + before nine o’clock.” + </p> + <p> + I left them still poring over the maps and making notes on the back of the + “Contrack.” “Be sure to come down to the Serai to-morrow,” were their + parting words. + </p> + <p> + The Kumharsen Serai is the great foursquare sink of humanity where the + strings of camels and horses from the North load and unload. All the + nationalities of Central Asia may be found there, and most of the folk of + India proper. Balkh and Bokhara there meet Bengal and Bombay, and try to + draw eye-teeth. You can buy ponies, turquoises, Persian pussy-cats, + saddle-bags, fat-tailed sheep, and musk in the Kumharsen Serai, and get + many strange things for nothing. In the afternoon I went down to see + whether my friends intended to keep their word or were lying there drunk. + </p> + <p> + A priest attired in fragments of ribbons and rags stalked up to me, + gravely twisting a child’s paper whirligig. Behind him was his servant + bending under the load of a crate of mud toys. The two were loading up two + camels, and the inhabitants of the Serai watched them with shrieks of + laughter. + </p> + <p> + “The priest is mad,” said a horse-dealer to me. “He is going up to Kabul + to sell toys to the Amir. He will either be raised to honour or have his + head cut off. He came in here this morning and has been behaving madly + ever since.” + </p> + <p> + “The witless are under the protection of God,” stammered a flat-cheeked + Usbeg in broken Hindi. “They foretell future events.” + </p> + <p> + “Would they could have foretold that my caravan would have been cut up by + the Shinwaris almost within shadow of the Pass!” grunted the Eusufzai + agent of a Rajputana trading-house whose goods had been diverted into the + hands of other robbers just across the Border, and whose misfortunes were + the laughing-stock of the bazaar. “Ohe, priest, whence come you and + whither do you go?” + </p> + <p> + “From Roum have I come,” shouted the priest, waving his whirligig; “from + Roum, blown by the breath of a hundred devils across the sea! O thieves, + robbers, liars, the blessing of Pir Khan on pigs, dogs, and perjurers! Who + will take the Protected of God to the North to sell charms that are never + still to the Amir? The camels shall not gall, the sons shall not fall + sick, and the wives shall remain faithful while they are away, of the men + who give me place in their caravan. Who will assist me to slipper the King + of the Roos with a golden slipper with a silver heel? The protection of + Pir Khan be upon his labours!” He spread out the skirts of his gabardine + and pirouetted between the lines of tethered horses. + </p> + <p> + “There starts a caravan from Peshawar to Kabul in twenty days, <i>Huzrut</i>,” + said the Eusufzai trader. “My camels go therewith. Do thou also go and + bring us good luck.” + </p> + <p> + “I will go even now!” shouted the priest. “I will depart upon my winged + camels, and be at Peshawar in a day! Ho! Hazar Mir Khan,” he yelled to his + servant, “drive out the camels, but let me first mount my own.” + </p> + <p> + He leaped on the back of his beast as it knelt, and, turning round to me, + cried, “Come thou also, Sahib, a little along the road, and I will sell + thee a charm—an amulet that shall make thee King of Kafiristan.” + </p> + <p> + Then the light broke upon me, and I followed the two camels out of the + Serai till we reached open road and the priest halted. + </p> + <p> + “What d’ you think o’ that?” said he in English. “Carnehan can’t talk + their patter, so I’ve made him my servant. He makes a handsome servant. ‘T + isn’t for nothing that I’ve been knocking about the country for fourteen + years. Didn’t I do that talk neat? We’ll hitch on to a caravan at Peshawar + till we get to Jagdallak, and then we’ll see if we can get donkeys for our + camels, and strike into Kafiristan. Whirligigs for the Amir, O Lor’! Put + your hand under the camelbags and tell me what you feel.” + </p> + <p> + I felt the butt of a Martini, and another and another. + </p> + <p> + “Twenty of ‘em,” said Dravot, placidly. “Twenty of ‘em and ammunition to + correspond, under the whirligigs and the mud dolls.” + </p> + <p> + “Heaven help you if you are caught with those things!” I said. “A Martini + is worth her weight in silver among the Pathans.” + </p> + <p> + “Fifteen hundred rupees of capital—every rupee we could beg, borrow, + or steal—are invested on these two camels,” said Dravot. “We won’t + get caught. We’re going through the Khaiber with a regular caravan. Who’d + touch a poor mad priest?” + </p> + <p> + “Have you got everything you want?” I asked, overcome with astonishment. + </p> + <p> + “Not yet, but we shall soon. Give us a momento of your kindness, <i>Brother</i>. + You did me a service yesterday, and that time in Marwar. Half my Kingdom + shall you have, as the saying is.” I slipped a small charm compass from my + watch-chain and handed it up to the priest. + </p> + <p> + “Good-bye,” said Dravot, giving me hand cautiously. “It’s the last time + we’ll shake hands with an Englishman these many days. Shake hands with + him, Carnehan,” he cried, as the second camel passed me. + </p> + <p> + Carnehan leaned down and shook hands. Then the camels passed away along + the dusty road, and I was left alone to wonder. My eye could detect no + failure in the disguises. The scene in the Serai proved that they were + complete to the native mind. There was just the chance, therefore, that + Carnehan and Dravot would be able to wander through Afghanistan without + detection. But, beyond, they would find death—certain and awful + death. + </p> + <p> + Ten days later a native correspondent, giving me the news of the day from + Peshawar, wound up his letter with: “There has been much laughter here on + account of a certain mad priest who is going in his estimation to sell + petty gauds and insignificant trinkets which he ascribes as great charms + to H. H. the Amir of Bokhara. He passed through Peshawar and associated + himself to the Second Summer caravan that goes to Kabul. The merchants are + pleased because through superstition they imagine that such mad fellows + bring good fortune.” + </p> + <p> + The two, then, were beyond the Border. I would have prayed for them, but + that night a real King died in Europe, and demanded an obituary notice. + </p> + <p> + The wheel of the world swings through the same phases again and again. + Summer passed and winter thereafter, and came and passed again. The daily + paper continued and I with it, and upon the third summer there fell a hot + night, a night issue, and a strained waiting for something to be + telegraphed from the other side of the world, exactly as had happened + before. A few great men had died in the past two years, the machines + worked with more clatter, and some of the trees in the office garden were + a few feet taller. But that was all the difference. + </p> + <p> + I passed over to the press-room, and went through just such a scene as I + have already described. The nervous tension was stronger than it had been + two years before, and I felt the heat more acutely. At three o’clock I + cried, “Print off,” and turned to go, when there crept to my chair what + was left of a man. He was bent into a circle, his head was sunk between + his shoulders, and he moved his feet one over the other like a bear. I + could hardly see whether he walked or crawled—this rag-wrapped, + whining cripple who addressed me by name, crying that he was come back. + “Can you give me a drink?” he whimpered. “For the Lord’s sake, give me a + drink!” + </p> + <p> + I went back to the office, the man following with groans of pain, and I + turned up the lamp. + </p> + <p> + “Don’t you know me?” he gasped, dropping into a chair, and he turned his + drawn face, surmounted by a shock of gray hair, to the light. + </p> + <p> + I looked at him intently. Once before had I seen eyebrows that met over + the nose in an inch-broad black band, but for the life of me I could not + tell where. + </p> + <p> + “I don’t know you,” I said, handing him the whisky. “What can I do for + you?” + </p> + <p> + He took a gulp of the spirit raw, and shivered in spite of the suffocating + heat. + </p> + <p> + “I’ve come back,” he repeated; “and I was the King of Kafiristan—me + and Dravot—crowned Kings we was! In this office we settled it—you + setting there and giving us the books. I am Peachey,—Peachey + Taliaferro Carnehan,—and you’ve been setting here ever since—O + Lord!” + </p> + <p> + I was more than a little astonished, and expressed my feelings + accordingly. + </p> + <p> + “It’s true,” said Carnehan, with a dry cackle, nursing his feet, which + were wrapped in rags—“true as gospel. Kings we were, with crowns + upon our heads—me and Dravot—poor Dan—oh, poor, poor + Dan, that would never take advice, not though I begged of him!” + </p> + <p> + “Take the whisky,” I said, “and take your own time. Tell me all you can + recollect of everything from beginning to end. You got across the Border + on your camels, Dravot dressed as a mad priest and you his servant. Do you + remember that?” + </p> + <p> + “I ain’t mad—yet, but I shall be that way soon. Of course I + remember. Keep looking at me, or maybe my words will go all to pieces. + Keep looking at me in my eyes and don’t say anything.” + </p> + <p> + I leaned forward and looked into his face as steadily as I could. He + dropped one hand upon the table and I grasped it by the wrist. It was + twisted like a bird’s claw, and upon the back was a ragged, red, + diamond-shaped scar. + </p> + <p> + “No, don’t look there. Look at <i>me</i>,” said Carnehan. “That comes + afterward, but for the Lord’s sake don’t distrack me. We left with that + caravan, me and Dravot playing all sorts of antics to amuse the people we + were with. Dravot used to make us laugh in the evenings when all the + people was cooking their dinners—cooking their dinners, and . . . + what did they do then? They lit little fires with sparks that went into + Dravot’s beard, and we all laughed—fit to die. Little red fires they + was, going into Dravot’s big red beard—so funny.” His eyes left mine + and he smiled foolishly. + </p> + <p> + “You went as far as Jagdallak with that caravan,” I said, at a venture, + “after you had lit those fires. To Jagdallak, where you turned off to try + to get into Kafiristan.” + </p> + <p> + “No, we didn’t, neither. What are you talking about? We turned off before + Jagdallak, because we heard the roads was good. But they wasn’t good + enough for our two camels—mine and Dravot’s. When we left the + caravan, Dravot took off all his clothes and mine too, and said we would + be heathen, because the Kafirs didn’t allow Mohammedans to talk to them. + So we dressed betwixt and between, and such a sight as Daniel Dravot I + never saw yet nor expect to see again. He burned half his beard, and slung + a sheepskin over his shoulder, and shaved his head into patterns. He + shaved mine too, and made me wear outrageous things to look like a + heathen. That was in a most mountaineous country, and our camels couldn’t + go along any more because of the mountains. They were tall and black, and + coming home I saw them fight like wild goats—there are lots of goats + in Kafiristan. And these mountains, they never keep still, no more than + the goats. Always fighting they are, and don’t let you sleep at night.” + </p> + <p> + “Take some more whisky,” I said, very slowly. “What did you and Daniel + Dravot do when the camels could go no farther because of the rough roads + that led into Kafiristan?” + </p> + <p> + “What did which do? There was a party called Peachey Taliaferro Carnehan + that was with Dravot. Shall I tell you about him? He died out there in the + cold. Slap from the bridge fell old Peachey, turning and twisting in the + air like a penny whirligig that you can sell to the Amir. No; they was two + for three ha’pence, those whirligigs, or I am much mistaken and woful + sore. . . . And then these camels were no use, and Peachey said to Dravot, + ‘For the Lord’s sake let’s get out of this before our heads are chopped + off,’ and with that they killed the camels all among the mountains, not + having anything in particular to eat, but first they took off the boxes + with the guns and the ammunition, till two men came along driving four + mules. Dravot up and dances in front of them, singing, ‘Sell me four + mules.’ Says the first man, ‘If you are rich enough to buy, you are rich + enough to rob;’ but before ever he could put his hand to his knife, Dravot + breaks his neck over his knee, and the other party runs away. So Carnehan + loaded the mules with the rifles that was taken off the camels, and + together we starts forward into those bitter-cold mountaineous parts, and + never a road broader than the back of your hand.” + </p> + <p> + He paused for a moment, while I asked him if he could remember the nature + of the country through which he had journeyed. + </p> + <p> + “I am telling you as straight as I can, but my head isn’t as good as it + might be. They drove nails through it to make me hear better how Dravot + died. The country was mountaineous and the mules were most contrary, and + the inhabitants was dispersed and solitary. They went up and up, and down + and down, and that other party, Carnehan, was imploring of Dravot not to + sing and whistle so loud, for fear of bringing down the tremenjus + avalanches. But Dravot says that if a King couldn’t sing it wasn’t worth + being King, and whacked the mules over the rump, and never took no heed + for ten cold days. We came to a big level valley all among the mountains, + and the mules were near dead, so we killed them, not having anything in + special for them or us to eat. We sat upon the boxes, and played odd and + even with the cartridges that was jolted out. + </p> + <p> + “Then ten men with bows and arrows ran down that valley, chasing twenty + men with bows and arrows, and the row was tremenjus. They was fair men—fairer + than you or me—with yellow hair and remarkable well built. Says + Dravot, unpacking the guns, ‘This is the beginning of the business. We’ll + fight for the ten men,’ and with that he fires two rifles at the twenty + men, and drops one of them at two hundred yards from the rock where he was + sitting. The other men began to run, but Carnehan and Dravot sits on the + boxes picking them off at all ranges, up and down the valley. Then we goes + up to the ten men that had run across the snow too, and they fires a footy + little arrow at us. Dravot he shoots above their heads, and they all falls + down flat. Then he walks over them and kicks them, and then he lifts them + up and shakes hands all round to make them friendly like. He calls them + and gives them the boxes to carry, and waves his hand for all the world as + though he was King already. They takes the boxes and him across the valley + and up the hill into a pine wood on the top, where there was half a dozen + big stone idols. Dravot he goes to the biggest—a fellow they call + Imbra—and lays a rifle and a cartridge at his feet, rubbing his nose + respectfuly with his own nose, patting him on the head, and nods his head, + and says, ‘That’s all right. I’m in the know too, and these old jimjams + are my friends.’ Then he opens his mouth and points down it, and when the + first man brings him food, he says, ‘No;’ and when the second man brings + him food, he says ‘no;’ but when one of the old priests and the boss of + the village brings him food, he says, ‘Yes;’ very haughty, and eats it + slow. That was how he came to our first village without any trouble, just + as though we had tumbled from the skies. But we tumbled from one of those + damned rope-bridges, you see, and—you couldn’t expect a man to laugh + much after that?” + </p> + <p> + “Take some more whisky and go on,” I said. “That was the first village you + came into. How did you get to be King?” + </p> + <p> + “I wasn’t King,” said Carnehan. “Dravot he was the King, and a handsome + man he looked with the gold crown on his head and all. Him and the other + party stayed in that village, and every morning Dravot sat by the side of + old Imbra, and the people came and worshipped. That was Dravot’s order. + Then a lot of men came into the valley, and Carnehan Dravot picks them off + with the rifles before they knew where they was, and runs down into the + valley and up again the other side, and finds another village, same as the + first one, and the people all falls down flat on their faces, and Dravot + says, ‘Now what is the trouble between you two villages?’ and the people + points to a woman, as fair as you or me, that was carried off, and Dravot + takes her back to the first village and counts up the dead—eight + there was. For each dead man Dravot pours a little milk on the ground and + waves his arms like a whirligig, and ‘That’s all right,’ says he. Then he + and Carnehan takes the big boss of each village by the arm, and walks them + down the valley, and shows them how to scratch a line with a spear right + down the valley, and gives each a sod of turf from both sides of the line. + Then all the people comes down and shouts like the devil and all, and + Dravot says, ‘Go and dig the land, and be fruitful and multiply,’ which + they did, though they didn’t understand. Then we asks the names of things + in their lingo—bread and water and fire and idols and such; and + Dravot leads the priest of each village up to the idol, and says he must + sit there and judge the people, and if anything goes wrong he is to be + shot. + </p> + <p> + “Next week they was all turning up the land in the valley as quiet as bees + and much prettier, and the priests heard all the complaints and told + Dravot in dumb-show what it was about. ‘That’s just the beginning,’ says + Dravot. ‘They think we’re Gods.’ He and Carnehan picks out twenty good men + and shows them how to click off a rifle and form fours and advance in + line; and they was very pleased to do so, and clever to see the hang of + it. Then he takes out his pipe and his baccy-pouch, and leaves one at one + village and one at the other, and off we two goes to see what was to be + done in the next valley. That was all rock, and there was a little village + there, and Carnehan says, ‘Send ‘em to the old valley to plant,’ and takes + ‘em there and gives ‘em some land that wasn’t took before. They were a + poor lot, and we blooded ‘em with a kid before letting ‘em into the new + Kingdom. That was to impress the people, and then they settled down quiet, + and Carnehan went back to Dravot, who had got into another valley, all + snow and ice and most mountaineous. There was no people there, and the + Army got afraid; so Dravot shoots one of them, and goes on till he finds + some people in a village, and the Army explains that unless the people + wants to be killed they had better not shoot their little matchlocks, for + they had matchlocks. We makes friends with the priest, and I stays there + alone with two of the Army, teaching the men how to drill; and a + thundering big Chief comes across the snow with kettledrums and horns + twanging, because he heard there was a new God kicking about. Carnehan + sights for the brown of the men half a mile across the snow and wings one + of them. Then he sends a message to the Chief that, unless he wished to be + killed, he must come and shake hands with me and leave his arms behind. + The Chief comes alone first, and Carnehan shakes hands with him and whirls + his arms about, same as Dravot used, and very much surprised that Chief + was, and strokes my eyebrows. Then Carnehan goes alone to the Chief, and + asks him in dumb-show if he had an enemy he hated. ‘I have,’ says the + chief. So Carnehan weeds out the pick of his men, and sets the two of the + Army to show them drill, and at the end of two weeks the men can manoeuvre + about as well as Volunteers. So he marches with the Chief to a great big + plain on the top of a mountain, and the Chief’s men rushes into a village + and takes it; we three Martinis firing into the brown of the enemy. So we + took that village too, and I gives the Chief a rag from my coat, and says, + ‘Occupy till I come;’ which was scriptural. By way of a reminder, when me + and the Army was eighteen hundred yards away, I drops a bullet near him + standing on the snow, and all the people falls flat on their faces. Then I + sends a letter to Dravot wherever he be by land or by sea.” + </p> + <p> + At the risk of throwing the creature out of train I interrupted: “How + could you write a letter up yonder?” + </p> + <p> + “The letter?—oh!—the letter! Keep looking at me between the + eyes, please. It was a string-talk letter, that we’d learned the way of it + from a blind beggar in the Punjab.” + </p> + <p> + I remember that there had once come to the office a blind man with a + knotted twig, and a piece of string which he wound round the twig + according to some cipher of his own. He could, after the lapse of days or + hours, repeat the sentence which he had reeled up. He had reduced the + alphabet to eleven primitive sounds, and tried to teach me his method, but + I could not understand. + </p> + <p> + “I sent that letter to Dravot,” said Carnehan, “and told him to come back + because this Kingdom was growing too big for me to handle; and then I + struck for the first valley, to see how the priests were working. They + called the village we took along with the Chief, Bashkai, and the first + village we took, Er-Heb. The priests at Er-Heb was doing all right, but + they had a lot of pending cases about land to show me, and some men from + another village had been firing arrows at night. I went out and looked for + that village, and fired four rounds at it from a thousand yards. That used + all the cartridges I cared to spend, and I waited for Dravot, who had been + away two or three months, and I kept my people quiet. + </p> + <p> + “One morning I heard the devil’s own noise of drums and horns, and Dan + Dravot marches down the hill with his Army and a tail of hundreds of men, + and, which was the most amazing, a great gold crown on his head. ‘My Gord, + Carnehan,’ says Daniel, ‘this is a tremenjus business, and we’ve got the + whole country as far as it’s worth having. I am the son of Alexander by + Queen Semiramis, and you’re my younger brother and a God too! It’s the + biggest thing we’ve ever seen. I’ve been marching and fighting for six + weeks with the Army, and every footy little village for fifty miles has + come in rejoiceful; and more than that, I’ve got the key of the whole + show, as you’ll see, and I’ve got a crown for you! I told ‘em to make two + of ‘em at a place called Shu, where the gold lies in the rock like suet in + mutton. Gold I’ve seen, and turquoise I’ve kicked out of the cliffs, and + there’s garnets in the sands of the river, and here’s a chunk of amber + that a man brought me. Call up all the priests and, here, take your + crown.’ + </p> + <p> + “One of the men opens a black hair bag, and I slips the crown on. It was + too small and too heavy, but I wore it for the glory. Hammered gold it was—five + pounds weight, like a hoop of a barrel. + </p> + <p> + “‘Peachey,’ says Dravot, ‘we don’t want to fight no more. The Craft’s the + trick, so help me!’ and he brings forward that same Chief that I left at + Bashkai—Billy Fish we called him afterward, because he was so like + Billy Fish that drove the big tank-engine at Mach on the Bolan in the old + days. ‘Shake hands with him,’ says Dravot; and I shook hands and nearly + dropped, for Billy Fish gave me the Grip. I said nothing, but tried him + with the Fellow-craft Grip. He answers all right, and I tried the Master’s + Grip, but that was a slip. ‘A Fellow-craft he is!’ I says to Dan. ‘Does he + know the word?’ ‘He does,’ says Dan, ‘and all the priests know. It’s a + miracle! The Chiefs and the priests can work a Fellow-craft Lodge in a way + that’s very like ours, and they’ve cut the marks on the rocks, but they + don’t know the Third Degree, and they’ve come to find out. It’s Gord’s + Truth. I’ve known these long years that the Afghans knew up to the + Fellow-craft Degree, but this is a miracle. A God and a Grand Master of + the Craft am I, and a Lodge in the Third Degree I will open, and we’ll + raise the head priests and the Chiefs of the villages.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘It’s against all the law,’ I says, ‘holding a Lodge without warrant from + any one; and you know we never held office in any Lodge.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘It’s a master stroke o’ policy,’ says Dravot. ‘It means running the + country as easy as a four-wheeled bogie on a down grade. We can’t stop to + inquire now, or they’ll turn against us. I’ve forty Chiefs at my heel, and + passed and raised according to their merit they shall be. Billet these men + on the villages, and see that we run up a Lodge of some kind. The temple + of Imbra will do for a Lodge-room. The women must make aprons as you show + them. I’ll hold a levee of Chiefs to-night and Lodge to-morrow.’ + </p> + <p> + “I was fair run off my legs, but I wasn’t such a fool as not to see what a + pull this Craft business gave us. I showed the priests’ families how to + make aprons of the degrees, but for Dravot’s apron the blue border and + marks was made of turquoise lumps on white hide, not cloth. We took a + great square stone in the temple for the Master’s chair, and little stones + for the officer’s chairs, and painted the black pavement with white + squares, and did what we could to make things regular. + </p> + <p> + “At the levee which was held that night on the hillside with big bonfires, + Dravot gives out that him and me were Gods and sons of Alexander, and + Passed Grand Masters in the Craft, and was come to make Kafiristan a + country where every man should eat in peace and drink in quiet, and + specially obey us. Then the Chiefs come round to shake hands, and they + were so hairy and white and fair it was just shaking hands with old + friends. We gave them names according as they was like men we had known in + India—Billy Fish, Holly Dilworth, Pikky Kergan, that was + Bazaar-master when I was at Mhow, and so on, and so on. + </p> + <p> + “<i>The</i> most amazing miracles was at Lodge next night. One of the old + priests was watching us continuous, and I felt uneasy, for I knew we’d + have to fudge the Ritual, and I didn’t know what the men knew. The old + priest was a stranger come in from beyond the village of Bashkai. The + minute Dravot puts on the Master’s apron that the girls had made for him, + the priest fetches a whoop and a howl, and tries to overturn the stone + that Dravot was sitting on. ‘It’s all up now,’ I says. ‘That comes of + meddling with the Craft without warrant!’ Dravot never winked an eye, not + when ten priests took and tilted over the Grand Master’s chair—which + was to say, the stone of Imbra. The priest begins rubbing the bottom end + of it to clear away the black dirt, and presently he shows all the other + priests the Master’s Mark, same as was on Dravot’s apron, cut into the + stone. Not even the priests of the temple of Imbra knew it was there. The + old chap falls flat on his face at Dravot’s feet and kisses ‘em. ‘Luck + again,’ says Dravot, across the Lodge, to me; ‘they say it’s the missing + Mark that no one could understand the why of. We’re more than safe now.’ + Then he bangs the butt of his gun for a gavel and says, ‘By virtue of the + authority vested in me by my own right hand and the help of Peachey, I + declare myself Grand Master of all Freemasonry in Kafiristan in this the + Mother Lodge o’ the country, and King of Kafiristan equally with Peachey!’ + At that he puts on his crown and I puts on mine,—I was doing Senior + Warden,—and we opens the Lodge in most ample form. It was an amazing + miracle! The priests moved in Lodge through the first two degrees almost + without telling, as if the memory was coming back to them. After that + Peachey and Dravot raised such as was worthy—high priests and Chiefs + of far-off villages. Billy Fish was the first, and I can tell you we + scared the soul out of him. It was not in any way according to Ritual, but + it served our turn. We didn’t raise more than ten of the biggest men, + because we didn’t want to make the Degree common. And they was clamouring + to be raised. + </p> + <p> + “‘In another six months,’ says Dravot, ‘we’ll hold another Communication + and see how you are working.’ Then he asks them about their villages, and + learns that they was fighting one against the other, and were sick and + tired of it. And when they wasn’t doing that they was fighting with the + Mohammedans. ‘You can fight those when they come into our country,’ says + Dravot. ‘Tell off every tenth man of your tribes for a Frontier guard, and + send two hundred at a time to this valley to be drilled. Nobody is going + to be shot or speared any more so long as he does well, and I know that + you won’t cheat me, because you’re white people—sons of Alexander—and + not like common black Mohammedans. You are <i>my</i> people, and, by God,’ + says he, running off into English at the end, ‘I’ll make a damned fine + Nation of you, or I’ll die in the making!’ + </p> + <p> + “I can’t tell all we did for the next six months, because Dravot did a lot + I couldn’t see the hang of, and he learned their lingo in a way I never + could. My work was to help the people plough, and now and again go out + with some of the Army and see what the other villages were doing, and make + ‘em throw rope bridges across the ravines which cut up the country horrid. + Dravot was very kind to me, but when he walked up and down in the pine + wood pulling that bloody red beard of his with both fists I knew he was + thinking plans I could not advise about, and I just waited for orders. + </p> + <p> + “But Dravot never showed me disrespect before the people. They were afraid + of me and the Army, but they loved Dan. He was the best of friends with + the priests and the Chiefs; but any one could come across the hills with a + complaint, and Dravot would hear him out fair, and call four priests + together and say what was to be done. He used to call in Billy Fish from + Bashkai, and Pikky Kergan from Shu, and an old Chief we called Kafuzelum,—it + was like enough to his real name,—and hold councils with ‘em when + there was any fighting to be done in small villages. That was his Council + of War, and the four priests of Bashkai, Shu, Khawak, and Madora was his + Privy Council. Between the lot of ‘em they sent me, with forty men and + twenty rifles, and sixty men carrying turquoises, into the Ghorband + country to buy those hand-made Martini rifles, that come out of the Amir’s + workshops at Kabul, from one of the Amir’s Herati regiments that would + have sold the very teeth out of their mouths for turquoises. + </p> + <p> + “I stayed in Ghorband a month, and gave the Governor there the pick of my + baskets for hush-money, and bribed the Colonel of the regiment some more, + and, between the two and the tribes-people, we got more than a hundred + hand-made Martinis, a hundred good Kohat Jezails that’ll throw to six + hundred yards, and forty man-loads of very bad ammunition for the rifles. + I came back with what I had, and distributed ‘em among the men that the + Chiefs sent in to me to drill. Dravot was too busy to attend to those + things, but the old Army that we first made helped me, and we turned out + five hundred men that could drill, and two hundred that knew how to hold + arms pretty straight. Even those cork-screwed, hand-made guns was a + miracle to them. Dravot talked big about powder-shops and factories, + walking up and down in the pine wood when the winter was coming on. + </p> + <p> + “‘I won’t make a Nation,’ says he. ‘I’ll make an Empire! These men aren’t + niggers; they’re English! Look at their eyes—look at their mouths. + Look at the way they stand up. They sit on chairs in their own houses. + They’re the Lost Tribes, or something like it, and they’ve grown to be + English. I’ll take a census in the spring if the priests don’t get + frightened. There must be a fair two million of ‘em in these hills. The + villages are full o’ little children. Two million people—two hundred + and fifty thousand fighting men—and all English! They only want the + rifles and a little drilling. Two hundred and fifty thousand men, ready to + cut in on Russia’s right flank when she tries for India! Peachey, man,’ he + says, chewing his beard in great hunks, ‘we shall be Emperors—Emperors + of the Earth! Rajah Brooke will be a suckling to us. I’ll treat with the + Viceroy on equal terms. I’ll ask him to send me twelve picked English—twelve + that I know of—to help us govern a bit. There’s Mackray, Serjeant + Pensioner at Segowli—many’s the good dinner he’s given me, and his + wife a pair of trousers. There’s Donkin, the Warder of Tounghoo Jail; + there’s hundreds that I could lay my hand on if I was in India. The + Viceroy shall do it for me; I’ll send a man through in the spring for + those men, and I’ll write for a dispensation from the Grand Lodge for what + I’ve done as Grand Master. That—and all the Sniders that’ll be + thrown out when the native troops in India take up the Martini. They’ll be + worn smooth, but they’ll do for fighting in these hills. Twelve English, a + hundred thousand Sniders run through the Amir’s country in driblets,—I’d + be content with twenty thousand in one year,—and we’d be an Empire. + When everything was shipshape I’d hand over the crown—this crown I’m + wearing now—to Queen Victoria on my knees, and she’d say, “Rise up, + Sir Daniel Dravot.” Oh, it’s big! It’s big, I tell you! But there’s so + much to be done in every place—Bashkai, Khawak, Shu, and everywhere + else.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘What is it?’ I says. ‘There are no more men coming in to be drilled this + autumn. Look at those fat black clouds. They’re bringing the snow.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘It isn’t that,’ says Daniel, putting his hand very hard on my shoulder; + ‘and I don’t wish to say anything that’s against you, for no other living + man would have followed me and made me what I am as you have done. You’re + a first-class Commander-in-Chief, and the people know you; but—it’s + a big country, and somehow you can’t help me, Peachey, in the way I want + to be helped.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Go to your blasted priests, then!’ I said, and I was sorry when I made + that remark, but it did hurt me sore to find Daniel talking so superior, + when I’d drilled all the men and done all he told me. + </p> + <p> + “‘Don’t let’s quarrel, Peachey,’ says Daniel, without cursing. ‘You’re a + King too, and the half of this Kingdom is yours; but can’t you see, + Peachey, we want cleverer men than us now—three or four of ‘em, that + we can scatter about for our Deputies. It’s a hugeous great State, and I + can’t always tell the right thing to do, and I haven’t time for all I want + to do, and here’s the winter coming on and all.’ He put half his beard + into his mouth, all red like the gold of his crown. + </p> + <p> + “‘I’m sorry, Daniel,’ says I. ‘I’ve done all I could. I’ve drilled the men + and shown the people how to stack their oats better; and I’ve brought in + those tinware rifles from Ghorband—but I know what you’re driving + at. I take it Kings always feel oppressed that way.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘There’s another thing too,’ says Dravot, walking up and down. ‘The + winter’s coming, and these people won’t be giving much trouble, and if + they do we can’t move about. I want a wife.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘For Gord’s sake leave the women alone!’ I says. ‘We’ve both got all the + work we can, though I <i>am</i> a fool. Remember the Contrack, and keep + clear o’ women.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘The Contrack only lasted till such time as we was Kings; and Kings we + have been these months past,’ says Dravot, weighing his crown in his hand. + ‘You go get a wife too, Peachey—a nice, strappin’, plump girl + that’ll keep you warm in the winter. They’re prettier than English girls, + and we can take the pick of ‘em. Boil ‘em once or twice in hot water, and + they’ll come out like chicken and ham.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Don’t tempt me!’ I says. ‘I will not have any dealings with a woman, not + till we are a dam’ side more settled than we are now. I’ve been doing the + work o’ two men, and you’ve been doing the work of three. Let’s lie off a + bit, and see if we can get some better tobacco from Afghan country and run + in some good liquor; and no women.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Who’s talking o’ <i>women</i>?’ says Dravot. ‘I said <i>wife</i>—a + Queen to breed a King’s son for the King. A Queen out of the strongest + tribe, that’ll make them your blood-brothers, and that’ll lie by your side + and tell you all the people thinks about you and their own affairs. That’s + what I want.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Do you remember that Bengali woman I kept at Mogul Serai when I was a + plate-layer?’ says I. ‘A fat lot o’ good she was to me. She taught me the + lingo and one or two other things; but what happened? She ran away with + the Station-master’s servant and half my month’s pay. Then she turned up + at Dadur Junction in tow of a half-caste, and had the impidence to say I + was her husband—all among the drivers in the running-shed too!’ + </p> + <p> + “‘We’ve done with that,’ says Dravot; ‘these women are whiter than you or + me, and a Queen I will have for the winter months.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘For the last time o’ asking, Dan, do <i>not</i>,’ I says. ‘It’ll only + bring us harm. The Bible says that Kings ain’t to waste their strength on + women, ‘specially when they’ve got a new raw Kingdom to work over.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘For the last time of answering, I will,’ said Dravot, and he went away + through the pine-trees looking like a big red devil, the sun being on his + crown and beard and all. + </p> + <p> + “But getting a wife was not as easy as Dan thought. He put it before the + Council, and there was no answer till Billy Fish said that he’d better ask + the girls. Dravot damned them all round. ‘What’s wrong with me?’ he + shouts, standing by the idol Imbra. ‘Am I a dog, or am I not enough of a + man for your wenches? Haven’t I put the shadow of my hand over this + country? Who stopped the last Afghan raid?’ It was me really, but Dravot + was too angry to remember. ‘Who bought your guns? Who repaired the + bridges? Who’s the Grand Master of the sign cut in the stone?’ says he, + and he thumped his hand on the block that he used to sit on in Lodge, and + at Council, which opened like Lodge always. Billy Fish said nothing, and + no more did the others. ‘Keep your hair on, Dan,’ said I, ‘and ask the + girls. That’s how it’s done at Home, and these people are quite English.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘The marriage of the King is a matter of State,’ says Dan, in a white-hot + rage, for he could feel, I hope, that he was going against his better + mind. He walked out of the Council-room, and the others sat still, looking + at the ground. + </p> + <p> + “‘Billy Fish,’ says I to the Chief of Bashkai, ‘what’s the difficulty + here? A straight answer to a true friend.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘You know,’ says Billy Fish. ‘How should a man tell you who knows + everything? How can daughters of men marry Gods or Devils? It’s not + proper.’ + </p> + <p> + “I remembered something like that in the Bible; but, if after seeing us as + long as they had, they still believed we were Gods, it wasn’t for me to + undeceive them. + </p> + <p> + “‘A God can do anything,’ says I. ‘If the King is fond of a girl he’ll not + let her die.’ ‘She’ll have to,’ said Billy Fish. ‘There are all sorts of + Gods and Devils in these mountains, and now and again a girl marries one + of them and isn’t seen any more. Besides, you two know the Mark cut in the + stone. Only the Gods know that. We thought you were men till you showed + the sign of the Master.’ + </p> + <p> + “I wished then that we had explained about the loss of the genuine secrets + of a Master Mason at the first go-off; but I said nothing. All that night + there was a blowing of horns in a little dark temple half-way down the + hill, and I heard the girl crying fit to die. One of the priests told us + that she was being prepared to marry the King. + </p> + <p> + “‘I’ll have no nonsense of that kind,’ says Dan. ‘I don’t want to + interfere with your customs, but I’ll take my own wife.’ ‘The girl’s a + little bit afraid,’ says the priest. ‘She thinks she’s going to die, and + they are a-heartening of her up down in the temple.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Hearten her very tender, then,’ says Dravot, ‘or I’ll hearten you with + the butt of a gun so you’ll never want to be heartened again.’ He licked + his lips, did Dan, and stayed up walking about more than half the night, + thinking of the wife that he was going to get in the morning. I wasn’t any + means comfortable, for I knew that dealings with a woman in foreign parts, + though you was a crowned King twenty times over, could not but be risky. I + got up very early in the morning while Dravot was asleep, and I saw the + priests talking together in whispers, and the Chiefs talking together too, + and they looked at me out of the corners of their eyes. + </p> + <p> + “‘What is up, Fish?’ I say to the Bashkai man, who was wrapped up in his + furs and looking splendid to behold. + </p> + <p> + “‘I can’t rightly say,’ says he; ‘but if you can make the King drop all + this nonsense about marriage, you’ll be doing him and me and yourself a + great service.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘That I do believe,’ says I. ‘But sure, you know, Billy, as well as me, + having fought against and for us, that the King and me are nothing more + than two of the finest men that God Almighty ever made. Nothing more, I do + assure you.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘That may be,’ says Billy Fish, ‘and yet I should be sorry if it was.’ He + sinks his head upon his great fur cloak for a minute and thinks. ‘King,’ + says he, ‘be you man or God or Devil, I’ll stick by you to-day. I have + twenty of my men with me, and they will follow me. We’ll go to Bashkai + until the storm blows over.’ + </p> + <p> + “A little snow had fallen in the night, and everything was white except + the greasy fat clouds that blew down and down from the north. Dravot came + out with his crown on his head, swinging his arms and stamping his feet, + and looking more pleased than Punch. + </p> + <p> + “‘For the last time, drop it, Dan,’ says I, in a whisper; ‘Billy Fish here + says that there will be a row.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘A row among my people!’ says Dravot. ‘Not much. Peachey, you’re a fool + not to get a wife too. Where’s the girl?’ says he, with a voice as loud as + the braying of a jackass. ‘Call up all the Chiefs and priests, and let the + Emperor see if his wife suits him.’ + </p> + <p> + “There was no need to call any one. They were all there leaning on their + guns and spears round the clearing in the centre of the pine wood. A lot + of priests went down to the little temple to bring up the girl, and the + horns blew fit to wake the dead. Billy Fish saunters round and gets as + close to Daniel as he could, and behind him stood his twenty men with + matchlocks—not a man of them under six feet. I was next to Dravot, + and behind me was twenty men of the regular Army. Up comes the girl, and a + strapping wench she was, covered with silver and turquoises, but white as + death, and looking back every minute at the priests. + </p> + <p> + “‘She’ll do,’ said Dan, looking her over. ‘What’s to be afraid of, lass? + Come and kiss me.’ He puts his arm round her. She shuts her eyes, gives a + bit of a squeak, and down goes her face in the side of Dan’s flaming-red + beard. + </p> + <p> + “‘The slut’s bitten me!’ says he, clapping his hand to his neck, and, sure + enough, his hand was red with blood. Billy Fish and two of his matchlock + men catches hold of Dan by the shoulders and drags him into the Bashkai + lot, while the priests howls in their lingo, ‘Neither God nor Devil, but a + man!’ I was all taken aback, for a priest cut at me in front, and the Army + behind began firing into the Bashkai men. + </p> + <p> + “‘God A’mighty!’ says Dan, ‘what is the meaning o’ this?’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Come back! Come away!’ says Billy Fish. ‘Ruin and Mutiny is the matter. + We’ll break for Bashkai if we can.’ + </p> + <p> + “I tried to give some sort of orders to my men,—the men o’ the + regular Army,—but it was no use, so I fired into the brown of ‘em + with an English Martini and drilled three beggars in a line. The valley + was full of shouting, howling creatures, and every soul was shrieking, + ‘Not a God nor a Devil, but only a man!’ The Bashkai troops stuck to Billy + Fish all they were worth, but their matchlocks wasn’t half as good as the + Kabul breech-loaders, and four of them dropped. Dan was bellowing like a + bull, for he was very wrathy; and Billy Fish had a hard job to prevent him + running out at the crowd. + </p> + <p> + “‘We can’t stand,’ says Billy Fish. ‘Make a run for it down the valley! + The whole place is against us.’ The matchlock-men ran, and we went down + the valley in spite of Dravot. He was swearing horrible and crying out + that he was a King. The priests rolled great stones on us, and the regular + Army fired hard, and there wasn’t more than six men, not counting Dan, + Billy Fish, and Me, that came down to the bottom of the valley alive. + </p> + <p> + “Then they stopped firing, and the horns in the temple blew again. ‘Come + away—for Gord’s sake come away!’ says Billy Fish. ‘They’ll send + runners out to all the villages before ever we get to Bashkai. I can + protect you there, but I can’t do anything now.” + </p> + <p> + “My own notion is that Dan began to go mad in his head from that hour. He + stared up and down like a stuck pig. Then he was all for walking back + alone and killing the priests with his bare hands; which he could have + done. ‘An Emperor am I,’ says Daniel, ‘and next year I shall be a Knight + of the Queen.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘All right, Dan,’ says I; ‘but come along now while there’s time.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘It’s your fault,’ says he, ‘for not looking after your Army better. + There was mutiny in the midst, and you didn’t know—you damned + engine-driving, plate-laying, missionary’s-pass-hunting hound!’ He sat + upon a rock and called me every foul name he could lay tongue to. I was + too heart-sick to care, though it was all his foolishness that brought the + smash. + </p> + <p> + “‘I’m sorry, Dan,’ says I, ‘but there’s no accounting for natives. This + business is our Fifty-seven. Maybe we’ll make something out of it yet, + when we’ve got to Bashkai.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Let’s get to Bashkai, then,’ says Dan, ‘and, by God, when I come back + here again I’ll sweep the valley so there isn’t a bug in a blanket left!’ + </p> + <p> + “We walked all that day, and all that night Dan was stumping up and down + on the snow, chewing his beard and muttering to himself. + </p> + <p> + “‘There’s no hope o’ getting clear,’ said Billy Fish. ‘The priests have + sent runners to the villages to say that you are only men. Why didn’t you + stick on as Gods till things was more settled? I’m a dead man,’ says Billy + Fish, and he throws himself down on the snow and begins to pray to his + Gods. + </p> + <p> + “Next morning we was in a cruel bad country—all up and down, no + level ground at all, and no food, either. The six Bashkai men looked at + Billy Fish hungry-way as if they wanted to ask something, but they never + said a word. At noon we came to the top of a flat mountain all covered + with snow, and when we climbed up into it, behold, there was an Army in + position waiting in the middle! + </p> + <p> + “‘The runners have been very quick,’ says Billy Fish, with a little bit of + a laugh. ‘They are waiting for us.’ + </p> + <p> + “Three or four men began to fire from the enemy’s side, and a chance shot + took Daniel in the calf of the leg. That brought him to his senses. He + looks across the snow at the Army, and sees the rifles that we had brought + into the country. + </p> + <p> + “‘We’re done for,’ says he. ‘They are Englishmen, these people,—and + it’s my blasted nonsense that has brought you to this. Get back, Billy + Fish, and take your men away; you’ve done what you could, and now cut for + it. Carnehan,’ says he, ‘shake hands with me and go along with Billy, + Maybe they won’t kill you. I’ll go and meet ‘em alone. It’s me that did + it! Me, the King!’ + </p> + <p> + “‘Go!’ says I. ‘Go to Hell, Dan! I’m with you here. Billy Fish, you clear + out, and we two will meet those folk.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘I’m a Chief,’ says Billy Fish, quite quiet. ‘I stay with you. My men can + go.’ + </p> + <p> + “The Bashkai fellows didn’t wait for a second word, but ran off, and Dan + and Me and Billy Fish walked across to where the drums were drumming and + the horns were horning. It was cold—awful cold. I’ve got that cold + in the back of my head now. There’s a lump of it there.” + </p> + <p> + The punka-coolies had gone to sleep. Two kerosene lamps were blazing in + the office, and the perspiration poured down my face and splashed on the + blotter as I leaned forward. Carnehan was shivering, and I feared that his + mind might go. I wiped my face, took a fresh grip of the piteously mangled + hands, and said, “What happened after that?” + </p> + <p> + The momentary shift of my eyes had broken the clear current. + </p> + <p> + “What was you pleased to say?” whined Carnehan. “They took them without + any sound. Not a little whisper all along the snow, not though the King + knocked down the first man that set hand on him—not though old + Peachey fired his last cartridge into the brown of ‘em. Not a single + solitary sound did those swines make. They just closed up tight, and I + tell you their furs stunk. There was a man called Billy Fish, a good + friend of us all, and they cut his throat, Sir, then and there, like a + pig; and the King kicks up the bloody snow and says, ‘We’ve had a dashed + fine run for our money. What’s coming next?’ But Peachey, Peachey + Taliaferro, I tell you, Sir, in confidence as betwixt two friends, he lost + his head, Sir. No, he didn’t, neither. The King lost his head, so he did, + all along o’ one of those cunning rope bridges. Kindly let me have the + paper-cutter, Sir. It tilted this way. They marched him a mile across that + snow to a rope bridge over a ravine with a river at the bottom. You may + have seen such. They prodded him behind like an ox. ‘Damn your eyes!’ says + the King. ‘D’ you suppose I can’t die like a gentleman?’ He turns to + Peachey—Peachey that was crying like a child. ‘I’ve brought you to + this, Peachey,’ says he. ‘Brought you out of your happy life to be killed + in Kafiristan, where you was late Commander-in-Chief of the Emperor’s + forces. Say you forgive me, Peachey.’ ‘I do,’ says Peachey. ‘Fully and + freely do I forgive you, Dan.’ ‘Shake hands, Peachey,’ says he. ‘I’m going + now.’ Out he goes, looking neither right nor left, and when he was plumb + in the middle of those dizzy dancing ropes, ‘Cut you beggars,’ he shouts; + and they cut, and old Dan fell, turning round and round and round, twenty + thousand miles, for he took half an hour to fall till he struck the water, + and I could see his body caught on a rock with the gold crown close + beside. + </p> + <p> + “But do you know what they did to Peachey between two pine-trees? They + crucified him, Sir, as Peachey’s hand will show. They used wooden pegs for + his hands and feet; but he didn’t die. He hung there and screamed, and + they took him down next day, and said it was a miracle that he wasn’t + dead. They took him down—poor old Peachey that hadn’t done them any + harm—that hadn’t done them any—” + </p> + <p> + He rocked to and fro and wept bitterly, wiping his eyes with the back of + his scarred hands and moaning like a child for some ten minutes. + </p> + <p> + “They was cruel enough to feed him up in the temple, because they said he + was more of a God than old Daniel that was a man. Then they turned him out + on the snow, and told him to go home, and Peachey came home in about a + year, begging along the roads quite safe; for Daniel Dravot he walked + before and said, ‘Come along, Peachey. It’s a big thing we’re doing.’ The + mountains they danced at night, and the mountains they tried to fall on + Peachey’s head, but Dan he held up his hand, and Peachey came along bent + double. He never let go of Dan’s hand, and he never let go of Dan’s head. + They gave it to him as a present in the temple, to remind him not to come + again; and though the crown was pure gold and Peachey was starving, never + would Peachey sell the same. You know Dravot, Sir! You knew Right + Worshipful Brother Dravot! Look at him now!” + </p> + <p> + He fumbled in the mass of rags round his bent waist; brought out a black + horsehair bag embroidered with silver thread; and shook therefrom on to my + table—the dried, withered head of Daniel Dravot! The morning sun, + that had long been paling the lamps, struck the red beard and blind sunken + eyes; struck, too, a heavy circlet of gold studded with raw turquoises, + that Carnehan placed tenderly on the battered temples. + </p> + <p> + “You be’old now,” said Carnehan, “the Emperor in his ‘abit as he lived—the + King of Kafiristan with his crown upon his head. Poor old Daniel that was + a monarch once!” + </p> + <p> + I shuddered, for, in spite of defacements manifold, I recognised the head + of the man of Marwar Junction. Carnehan rose to go. I attempted to stop + him. He was not fit to walk abroad. “Let me take away the whisky, and give + me a little money,” he gasped. “I was a King once. I’ll go to the Deputy + Commissioner and ask to set in the Poorhouse till I get my health. No, + thank you, I can’t wait till you get a carriage for me. I’ve urgent + private affairs—in the south—at Marwar.” + </p> + <p> + He shambled out of the office and departed in the direction of the Deputy + Commissioner’s house. That day at noon I had occasion to go down the + blinding-hot Mall, and I saw a crooked man crawling along the white dust + of the roadside, his hat in his hand, quavering dolorously after the + fashion of street-singers at Home. There was not a soul in sight, and he + was out of all possible earshot of the houses. And he sang through his + nose, turning his head from right to left: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “The Son of Man goes forth to war, + A golden crown to gain; + His blood-red banner streams afar— + Who follows in His train?” + </pre> + <p> + I waited to hear no more, but put the poor wretch into my carriage and + drove him off to the nearest missionary for eventual transfer to the + Asylum. He repeated the hymn twice while he was with me, whom he did not + in the least recognise, and I left him singing it to the missionary. + </p> + <p> + Two days later I inquired after his welfare of the Superintendent of the + Asylum. + </p> + <p> + “He was admitted suffering from sunstroke. He died early yesterday + morning,” said the Superintendent. “Is it true that he was half an hour + bareheaded in the sun at midday?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said I; “but do you happen to know if he had anything upon him by + any chance when he died?” + </p> + <p> + “Not to my knowledge,” said the Superintendent. + </p> + <p> + And there the matter rests. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0002" id="link2H_4_0002"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + TAJIMA, By Miss Mitford + </h2> + <p> + Once upon a time, a certain ronin, Tajima Shume by name, an able and + well-read man, being on his travels to see the world, went up to Kiyoto by + the Tokaido. [The road of the Eastern Sea, the famous highroad leading + from Kiyoto to Yedo. The name is also used to indicate the provinces + through which it runs.] One day, in the neighbourhood of Nagoya, in the + province of Owari, he fell in with a wandering priest, with whom he + entered into conversation. Finding that they were bound for the same + place, they agreed to travel together, beguiling their weary way by + pleasant talk on divers matters; and so by degrees, as they became more + intimate, they began to speak without restraint about their private + affairs; and the priest, trusting thoroughly in the honour of his + companion, told him the object of his journey. + </p> + <p> + “For some time past,” said he, “I have nourished a wish that has engrossed + all my thoughts; for I am bent on setting up a molten image in honour of + Buddha; with this object I have wandered through various provinces + collecting alms, and (who knows by what weary toil?) we have succeeded in + amassing two hundred ounces of silver—enough, I trust, to erect a + handsome bronze figure.” + </p> + <p> + What says the proverb? “He who bears a jewel in his bosom bears poison.” + Hardly had the ronin heard these words of the priest than an evil heart + arose within him, and he thought to himself, “Man’s life, from the womb to + the grave, is made up of good and of ill luck. Here am I, nearly forty + years old, a wanderer, without a calling, or even a hope of advancement in + the world. To be sure, it seems a shame; yet if I could steal the money + this priest is boasting about, I could live at ease for the rest of my + days;” and so he began casting about how best he might compass his + purpose. But the priest, far from guessing the drift of his comrade’s + thoughts, journeyed cheerfully on till they reached the town of Kuana. + Here there is an arm of the sea, which is crossed in ferry-boats, that + start as soon as some twenty or thirty passengers are gathered together; + and in one of these boats the two travellers embarked. About half-way + across, the priest was taken with a sudden necessity to go to the side of + the boat; and the ronin, following him, tripped him up while no one was + looking, and flung him into the sea. When the boatmen and passengers heard + the splash, and saw the priest struggling in the water, they were afraid, + and made every effort to save him; but the wind was fair, and the boat + running swiftly under the bellying sails; so they were soon a few hundred + yards off from the drowning man, who sank before the boat could be turned + to rescue him. + </p> + <p> + When he saw this, the ronin feigned the utmost grief and dismay, and said + to his fellow-passengers, “This priest, whom we have just lost, was my + cousin; he was going to Kiyoto, to visit the shrine of his patron; and as + I happened to have business there as well, we settled to travel together. + Now, alas! by this misfortune, my cousin is dead, and I am left alone.” + </p> + <p> + He spoke so feelingly, and wept so freely, that the passengers believed + his story, and pitied and tried to comfort him. Then the ronin said to the + boatmen: + </p> + <p> + “We ought, by rights, to report this matter to the authorities; but as I + am pressed for time, and the business might bring trouble on yourselves as + well, perhaps we had better hush it up for the present; I will at once go + on to Kiyoto and tell my cousin’s patron, besides writing home about it. + What think you, gentlemen?” added he, turning to the other travellers. + </p> + <p> + They, of course, were only too glad to avoid any hindrance to their onward + journey, and all with one voice agreed to what the ronin had proposed; and + so the matter was settled. When, at length, they reached the shore, they + left the boat, and every man went his way; but the ronin, overjoyed in his + heart, took the wandering priest’s luggage, and, putting it with his own, + pursued his journey to Kiyoto. + </p> + <p> + On reaching the capital, the ronin changed his name from Shume to Tokubei, + and, giving up his position as a samurai, turned merchant, and traded with + the dead man’s money. Fortune favouring his speculations, he began to + amass great wealth, and lived at his ease, denying himself nothing; and in + course of time he married a wife, who bore him a child. + </p> + <p> + Thus the days and months wore on, till one fine summer’s night, some three + years after the priest’s death, Tokubei stepped out on the veranda of his + house to enjoy the cool air and the beauty of the moonlight. Feeling dull + and lonely, he began musing over all kinds of things, when on a sudden the + deed of murder and theft, done so long ago, vividly recurred to his + memory, and he thought to himself, “Here am I, grown rich and fat on the + money I wantonly stole. Since then, all has gone well with me; yet, had I + not been poor, I had never turned assassin nor thief. Woe betide me! what + a pity it was!” and as he was revolving the matter in his mind, a feeling + of remorse came over him, in spite of all he could do. While his + conscience thus smote him, he suddenly, to his utter amazement, beheld the + faint outline of a man standing near a fir-tree in the garden; on looking + more attentively, he perceived that the man’s whole body was thin and + worn, and the eyes sunken and dim; and in that poor ghost that was before + him he recognised the very priest whom he had thrown into the sea at + Kuana. Chilled with horror, he looked again, and saw that the priest was + smiling in scorn. He would have fled into the house, but the ghost + stretched forth its withered arm, and, clutching the back of his neck, + scowled at him with a vindictive glare and a hideous ghastliness of mien + so unspeakably awful that any ordinary man would have swooned with fear. + But Tokubei, tradesman though he was, had once been a soldier, and was not + easily matched for daring; so he shook off the ghost, and, leaping into + the room for his dirk, laid about him boldly enough; but, strike as he + would, the spirit, fading into the air, eluded his blows, and suddenly + reappeared only to vanish again; and from that time forth Tokubei knew no + rest, and was haunted night and day. + </p> + <p> + At length, undone by such ceaseless vexation, Tokubei fell ill, and kept + muttering, “Oh, misery! misery! the wandering priest is coming to torture + me!” Hearing his moans and the disturbance he made, the people in the + house fancied he was mad, and called in a physician, who prescribed for + him. But neither pill nor potion could cure Tokubei, whose strange frenzy + soon became the talk of the whole neighbourhood. + </p> + <p> + Now it chanced that the story reached the ears of a certain wandering + priest who lodged in the next street. When he heard the particulars, this + priest gravely shook his head as though he knew all about it, and sent a + friend to Tokubei’s house to say that a wandering priest, dwelling hard + by, had heard of his illness, and, were it never so grievous, would + undertake to heal it by means of his prayers; and Tokubei’s wife, driven + half wild by her husband’s sickness, lost not a moment in sending for the + priest and taking him into the sick man’s room. + </p> + <p> + But no sooner did Tokubei see the priest than he yelled out, “Help! help! + Here is the wandering priest come to torment me again. Forgive! forgive!” + and hiding his head under the coverlet, he lay quivering all over. Then + the priest turned all present out of the room, put his mouth to the + affrighted man’s ear, and whispered: + </p> + <p> + “Three years ago, at the Kuana ferry, you flung me into the water; and + well you remember it.” + </p> + <p> + But Tokubei was speechless, and could only quake with fear. + </p> + <p> + “Happily,” continued the priest, “I had learned to swim and to dive as a + boy; so I reached the shore, and, after wandering through many provinces, + succeeded in setting up a bronze figure to Buddha, thus fulfilling the + wish of my heart. On my journey homeward, I took a lodging in the next + street, and there heard of your marvellous ailment. Thinking I could + divine its cause, I came to see you, and am glad to find I was not + mistaken. You have done a hateful deed; but am I not a priest, and have I + not forsaken the things of this world, and would it not ill become me to + bear malice? Repent, therefore, and abandon your evil ways. To see you do + so I should esteem the height of happiness. Be of good cheer, now, and + look me in the face, and you will see that I am really a living man, and + no vengeful goblin come to torment you.” + </p> + <p> + Seeing he had no ghost to deal with, and overwhelmed by the priest’s + kindness, Tokubei burst into tears, and answered, “Indeed, indeed, I don’t + know what to say. In a fit of madness I was tempted to kill and rob you. + Fortune befriended me ever after; but the richer I grew, the more keenly I + felt how wicked I had been, and the more I foresaw that my victim’s + vengeance would some day overtake me. Haunted by this thought, I lost my + nerve, till one night I beheld your spirit, and from that time fell ill. + But how you managed to escape, and are still alive, is more than I can + understand.” + </p> + <p> + “A guilty man,” said the priest, with a smile, “shudders at the rustling + of the wind or the chattering of a stork’s beak; a murderer’s conscience + preys upon his mind till he sees what is not. Poverty drives a man to + crimes which he repents of in his wealth. How true is the doctrine of + Moshi [Mencius], that the heart of man, pure by nature, is corrupted by + circumstances!” + </p> + <p> + Thus he held forth; and Tokubei, who had long since repented of his crime, + implored forgiveness, and gave him a large sum of money, saying, “Half of + this is the amount I stole from you three years since; the other half I + entreat you to accept as interest, or as a gift.” + </p> + <p> + The priest at first refused the money; but Tokubei insisted on his + accepting it, and did all he could to detain him, but in vain; for the + priest went on his way, and bestowed the money on the poor and needy. As + for Tokubei himself, he soon shook off his disorder, and thenceforward + lived at peace with all men, revered both at home and abroad, and ever + intent on good and charitable deeds. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0003" id="link2H_4_0003"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + A CHINESE GIRL GRADUATE, By R. K. Douglas + </h2> + <p> + Who among the three hundred million sons of Han does not know the saying: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + There’s Paradise above, ‘t is true; + But here below we’ve Hang and Soo? + [Hangchow and Soochow] +</pre> + <p> + And though no one will deny the beauty of those far-famed cities, they + cannot compare in grandeur of situation and boldness of features with many + of the towns of the providence of the “Four Streams.” Foremost among the + favoured spots of this part of the empire is Mienchu, which, as its name + implies, is celebrated for the silky bamboos which grow in its immediate + neighbourhood. These form, however, only one of the features of its + loveliness. Situated at the foot of a range of mountains which rise + through all the gradations from rich and abundant verdure to the region of + eternal snow, it lies embosomed in groves of beech, cypress, and bamboo, + through the leafy screens of which rise the upturned yellow roofs of the + temples and official residences, which dot the landscape like golden + islands in an emerald sea; while beyond the wall hurries, between high and + rugged banks, the tributary of the Fu River, which bears to the mighty + waters of the Yangtsze-Kiang the goods and passengers which seek an outlet + to the eastern provinces. + </p> + <p> + The streets within the walls of the city are scenes of life and bustle, + while in the suburbs stand the residences of those who can afford to live + in peace and quiet, undisturbed by the clamour of the Les and Changs + [i.e., the people. Le and Chang are the two commonest names in China.] of + the town. There, in a situation which the Son of Heaven might envy, stands + the official residence of Colonel Wen. Outwardly it has all the appearance + of a grandee’s palace, and within the massive boundary-walls which + surround it, the courtyards, halls, grounds, summer-houses, and pavilions + are not to be exceeded in grandeur and beauty. The office which had fallen + to the lot of Colonel Wen was one of the most sought after in the + province, and commonly only fell to officers of distinction. Though not + without fame in the field, Colonel Wen’s main claim to honour lay in the + high degrees he had taken in the examinations. His literary acquirements + gained him friends among the civil officers of the district, and the + position he occupied was altogether one of exceptional dignity. + </p> + <p> + Unfortunately, his first wife had died, leaving only a daughter to keep + her memory alive; but at the time when our story opens, his second spouse, + more kind than his first, had presented him with a much-desired son. The + mother of this boy was one of those bright, pretty, gay creatures who + commonly gain the affections of men much older than themselves. She sang + in the most faultless falsetto, she played the guitar with taste and + expression, and she danced with grace and agility. What wonder, then, that + when the colonel returned from his tours of inspections and parades, weary + with travel and dust, he found relief and relaxation in the joyous company + of Hyacinth! And was she not also the mother of his son? Next to herself, + there can be no question that this young gentleman held the chief place in + the colonel’s affections; while poor Jasmine, his daughter by his first + venture, was left very much to her own resources. No one troubled + themselves about what she did, and she was allowed, as she grew up, to + follow her own pursuits and to give rein to her fancies without let or + hindrance. From her earliest childhood one of her lonely amusements had + been to dress as a boy, and so unchecked had the habit become that she + gradually drifted into the character which she had chosen to assume. She + even persuaded her father to let her go to the neighbouring boys’ school. + Her mother had died before the colonel had been posted to Mienchu, and + among the people of that place, who had always seen her in boy’s attire, + she was regarded as an adopted son of her father. Hyacinth was only too + glad to get her out of the way as much as possible, and so encouraged the + idea of allowing her to learn to read and write in the company of their + neighbours’ urchins. + </p> + <p> + Being bright and clever, she soon gained an intellectual lead among the + boys, and her uncommon beauty, coupled with the magnetism belonging to her + sex, secured for her a popularity which almost amounted to adoration. She + was tall for her age, as are most young daughters of Han; and her + perfectly oval face, almond-shaped eyes, willow-leaf eyebrows, small, + well-shaped mouth, brilliantly white teeth, and raven-black hair, + completed a face and figure which would have been noticeable anywhere. By + the boys she was worshipped, and no undertaking was too difficult or too + troublesome if it was to give pleasure to Tsunk’ing, or the “Young Noble,” + as she was called; for to have answered to the name of Jasmine would have + been to proclaim her sex at once. Even the grim old master smiled at her + through his horn spectacles as she entered the school-house of a morning, + and any graceful turn in her poetry or scholarly diction in her prose was + sure to win for her his unsparing praise. Many an evening he invited the + “young noble” to his house to read over chapters from Confucius and the + poems of Le Taipoh; and years afterward, when he died, among his most + cherished papers were found odes signed by Tsunk’ing, in which there was a + good deal about bending willows, light, flickering bamboos, horned moons, + wild geese, the sound of a flute on a rainy day, and the pleasures of + wine, in strict accord with the models set forth in the “Aids to + Poetry-making” which are common in the land. + </p> + <p> + If it had not been for the indifference with which she was treated in her + home, the favour with which she was regarded abroad would have been most + prejudicial to Jasmine; but any conceit which might have been engendered + in the school-house was speedily counteracted when she got within the + portals of the colonel’s domain. Coming into the presence of her father + and his wife, with all the incense of kindness, affection, and, it must be + confessed, flattery, with which she was surrounded by her school-fellows, + fresh about her, was like stepping into a cold bath. Wholesome and + invigorating the change may have been, but it was very unpleasant, and + Jasmine often longed to be alone to give vent to her feelings in tears. + </p> + <p> + One deep consolation she had, however: she was a devoted student, and in + the society of her books she forgot the callousness of her parents, and, + living in imagination in the bygone annals of the empire, she was able to + take part, as it were, in the great deeds which mark the past history of + the state, and to enjoy the converse and society of the sages and poets of + antiquity. When the time came that she had gained all the knowledge which + the old schoolmaster could impart to her, she left the school, and formed + a reading-party with two youths of her own age. These lads, by name Wei + and Tu, had been her school-fellows, and were delighted at obtaining her + promise to join them in their studies. So industriously were these pursued + that the three friends succeeded in taking their B.A. degree at the next + examination, and, encouraged by this success, determined to venture on a + struggle for a still higher distinction. + </p> + <p> + Though at one in their affection for Jasmine, Tu and Wei were unlike in + everything else, which probably accounted for the friendship which existed + between them. Wei was the more clever of the two. He wrote poetry with + ease and fluency, and his essays were marked by correctness of style and + aptness of quotation. But there was a want of strength in his character. + He was exceedingly vain, and was always seeking to excite admiration among + his companions. This unhappy failing made him very susceptible of adverse + criticism, and at the same time extremely jealous of any one who might + happen to excel him in any way. Tu, on the other hand, though not so + intellectually favoured, had a rough kind of originality, which always + secured for his exercises a respectful attention, and made him at all + times an agreeable companion. Having no exaggerated ideas of his + capabilities, he never strove to appear otherwise than he was, and being + quite independent of the opinions of others, he was always natural. Thus + he was one who was sought out by his friends, and was best esteemed by + those whose esteem was best worth having. In outward appearance the youths + were as different as their characters were diverse. Wei was decidedly + good-looking, but of a kind of beauty which suggested neither rest nor + sincerity; while in Tu’s features, though there was less grace, the want + was fully compensated for by the strength and honest firmness of his + countenance. + </p> + <p> + For both these young men Jasmine had a liking, but there was no question + as to which she preferred. As she herself said, “Wei is pleasant enough as + a companion, but if I had to look to one of them for an act of true + friendship—or as a lover,” she mentally added—“I should turn + at once to Tu.” It was one of her amusements to compare the young men in + her mind, and one day when so occupied Tu suddenly looked up from his book + and said to her: + </p> + <p> + “What a pity it is that the gods have made us both men! If <i>I</i> were a + woman, the object of my heart would be to be your wife, and if <i>you</i> + were a woman, there is nothing I should like better than to be your + husband.” + </p> + <p> + Jasmine blushed up to the roots of her hair at having her own thoughts + thus capped, as it were; but before she could answer, Wei broke in with: + </p> + <p> + “What nonsense you talk! And why, I should like to know, should you be the + only one the ‘young noble’ might choose, supposing he belonged to the + other sex?” + </p> + <p> + “You are both talking nonsense,” said Jasmine, who had had time to recover + her composure, “and remind me of my two old childless aunts,” she added, + laughing, “who are always quarrelling about the names they would have + given their children if the goddess Kwanyin had granted them any half a + century ago. As a matter of act, we are three friends reading for our M.A. + degrees, neither more nor less. And I will trouble you, my elder brother,” + she added, turning to Tu, “to explain to me what the poet means by the + expression ‘tuneful Tung’ in the line: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + ‘The greedy flames devour the tuneful Tung.’” + </pre> + <p> + A learned disquisition by Tu on the celebrated musician who recognised the + sonorous qualities of a piece of Tung timber burning in the kitchen fire + effectually diverted the conversation from the inconvenient direction it + had taken, and shortly afterward Jasmine took her leave. + </p> + <p> + Haunted by the thought of what had passed, she wandered on to the veranda + of her archery pavilion, and while gazing half unconsciously heavenward + her eyes were attracted by a hawk which flew past and alighted on a tree + beyond the boundary-wall, and in front of the study she had lately left. + In a restless and thoughtless mood, she took up her bow and arrow, and + with unerring aim compassed the death of her victim. No sooner, however, + had the hawk fallen, carrying the arrow with it, than she remembered that + her name was inscribed on the shaft, and fearing lest it should be found + by either Wei or Tu, she hurried round in the hope of recovering it. But + she was too late. On approaching the study, she found Tu in the garden in + front, examining the bird and arrow. + </p> + <p> + “Look,” he said, as he saw her coming, “what a good shot some one has + made! and whoever it is, he has a due appreciation of his own skill. + Listen to these lines which are scraped on the arrow: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + ‘Do not lightly draw your bow; + But if you must, bring down your foe.’” + </pre> + <p> + Jasmine was glad enough to find that he had not discovered her name, and + eagerly exchanged banter with him on the conceit of the owner of the + arrow. But before she could recover it, Wei, who had heard the talking and + laughter, joined them, and took the arrow out of Tu’s hand to examine it. + Just at that moment a messenger came to summon Tu to his father’s + presence, and he had no sooner gone than Wei exclaimed: + </p> + <p> + “But see, here is the name of the mysterious owner of the arrow, and, as I + live, it is a girl’s name—Jasmine! Who, among the goddesses of + heaven can Jasmine be?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I will take the arrow then,” said Jasmine. “It must belong to my + sister. That is her name.” + </p> + <p> + “I did not know that you had a sister,” said Wei. + </p> + <p> + “Oh yes, I have,” answered Jasmine, quite forgetful of the celebrated + dictum of Confucius: “Be truthful.” “She is just one year younger than I + am,” she added, thinking it well to be circumstantial. + </p> + <p> + “Why have you never mentioned her?” asked Wei, with animation. “What is + she like? Is she anything like you?” + </p> + <p> + “She is the very image of me.” + </p> + <p> + “What! In height and features and ways?” + </p> + <p> + “The very image, so that people have often said that if we changed clothes + each might pass for the other.” + </p> + <p> + “What a good-looking girl she must be!” said Wei, laughing. “But, + seriously, I have not, as you know, yet set up a household; and if your + sister has not received bridal presents, I would beg to be allowed to + invite her to enter my lowly habitation. What does my elder brother say to + my proposal?” + </p> + <p> + “I don’t know what my sister would feel about it,” said Jasmine. “I would + never answer for a girl, if I lived to be as old as the God of Longevity.” + </p> + <p> + “Will you find out for me?” + </p> + <p> + “Certainly I will. But remember, not a word must be mentioned on the + subject to my father, or, in fact, to anybody, until I give you leave.” + </p> + <p> + “So long as my elder brother will undertake for me, I will promise + anything,” said the delighted Wei. “I already feel as though I were + nine-tenths of the way to the abode of the phenix. Take this box of + precious ointment to your sister as an earnest of my intentions, and I + will keep the arrow as a token from her until she demands its return. I + feel inclined to express myself in verse. May I?” + </p> + <p> + “By all means,” said Jasmine, laughing. + </p> + <p> + Thus encouraged, Wei improvised as follows: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “‘T was sung of old that Lofu had no mate, + Though Che was willing; for no word was said. + At last an arrow like a herald came, + And now an honoured brother lends his aid.” + </pre> + <p> + “Excellent,” said Jasmine, laughing. “With such a poetic gift as you + possess, you certainly deserve a better fate than befell Lofu.” + </p> + <p> + From this day the idea of marrying Jasmine’s sister possessed the soul of + Wei. But not a word did he say to Tu on the matter, for he was conscious + that, as Tu was the first to pick up the arrow through which he had become + acquainted with the existence of Jasmine’s sister, his friend might + possibly lay a claim to her hand. To Jasmine also the subject was a most + absorbing one. She felt that she was becoming most unpleasantly involved + in a risky matter, and that, if the time should ever come when she should + have to make an explanation, she might in honour be compelled to marry Wei—a + prospect which filled her with dismay. The turn events had taken had made + her analyse her feelings more than she had ever done before, and the + process made her doubly conscious of the depth of her affection for Tu. “A + horse,” she said to herself, “cannot carry two saddles, and a woman cannot + marry more than one man.” Wise as this saw was, it did not help her out of + her difficulty, and she turned to the chapter of accidents, and determined + to trust to time, that old disposer of events, to settle the matter. But + Wei was inclined to be impatient, and Jasmine was obliged to resort to + more of those departures from truth which circumstances had forced upon + this generally very upright young lady. + </p> + <p> + “I have consulted my father on the subject,” she said to the expectant + Wei, “and he insists on your waiting until the autumn examination is over. + He has every confidence that you will then take your M.A. degree, and your + marriage will, he hopes, put the coping-stone on your happiness and + honour.” + </p> + <p> + “That is all very well,” said Wei; “but autumn is a long time hence, and + how do I know that your sister may not change her mind?” + </p> + <p> + “Has not your younger brother undertaken to look after your interests, and + cannot you trust him to do his best on your behalf?” + </p> + <p> + “I can trust my elder brother with anything in the world. It is your + sister that I am afraid of,” said Wei. “But since you will undertake for + her—” + </p> + <p> + “No, no,” said Jasmine, laughing, “I did not say that I would undertake + for her. A man who answers for a woman deserves to have ‘fool’ written on + his forehead.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, at all events, I will be content to leave the matter in your + hands,” said Wei. + </p> + <p> + At last the time of the autumn examination drew near, and Tu and Wei made + preparations for their departure to the provincial capital. They were both + bitterly disappointed when Jasmine announced that she was not going up + that time. This determination was the result of a conference with her + father. She had pointed out to the colonel that if she passed and took her + M.A. degree she might be called upon to take office at any time, and that + then she would be compelled to confess her sex; and as she was by no means + disposed to give up the freedom which her doublet and hose conferred upon + her, it was agreed between them that she should plead illness and not go + up. Her two friends, therefore, went alone, and brilliant success attended + their venture. They both passed with honours, and returned to Mienchu to + receive the congratulations of their friends. Jasmine’s delight was very + genuine, more especially as regarded Tu, and the first evening was spent + by the three students in joyous converse and in confident anticipation of + the future. As Jasmine took leave of the two new M.A.‘s, Wei followed her + to the outer door and whispered at parting: + </p> + <p> + “I am coming to-morrow to make my formal proposal to your sister.” + </p> + <p> + Jasmine had no time to answer, but went home full of anxious and disturbed + thoughts, which were destined to take a more tragic turn than she had ever + anticipated even in her most gloomy moments. The same cruel fate had also + decreed that Wei’s proposal was to be suspended, like Buddha, between + heaven and earth. The blow fell upon him when he was attiring himself in + the garments of his new degree, in preparation for his visit. He was in + the act of tying his sash and appending it to his purse and trinkets, when + Jasmine burst into the young men’s study, looking deadly pale and bearing + traces of acute mental distress on her usually bright and joyous + countenance. + </p> + <p> + “What is the matter?” cried Tu, with almost as much agitation as was shown + by Jasmine. “Tell me what has happened.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, my father, my poor father!” sobbed Jasmine. + </p> + <p> + “What is the matter with your father? He is not dead, is he?” cried the + young men in one breath. + </p> + <p> + “No, it is not so bad as that,” said Jasmine, “but a great and bitter + misfortune has come upon us. As you know, some time ago my father had a + quarrel with the military intendant, and that horrid man has, out of + spite, brought charges against him for which he was carried off this + morning to prison.” + </p> + <p> + The statement of her misery and the shame involved in it completely + unnerved poor Jasmine, who, true to her inner sex, burst into tears and + rocked herself to and fro in her grief. Tu and Wei, on their knees before + her, tried to pour in words of consolation. With a lack of reason which + might be excused under the circumstances, they vowed that her father was + innocent before they knew the nature of the charges against him, and they + pledged themselves to rest neither day nor night until they had rescued + him from his difficulty. When, under the influence of their genuine + sympathy, Jasmine recovered some composure, Tu begged her to tell him of + what her father was accused. + </p> + <p> + “The villain,” said Jasmine, through her tears, “has dared to say that my + father has made use of government taxes, has taken bribes for recommending + men for promotion, has appropriated the soldiers’ ration-money, and has + been in league with highwaymen.” + </p> + <p> + “Is it possible?” said Tu, who was rather staggered by this long catalogue + of crimes. “I should not have believed that any one could have ventured to + have charged your honoured father with such things, least of all the + intendant, who is notoriously possessed of an itching palm. But I tell you + what we can do at once. Wei and I, being M.A.‘s, have a right to call on + the prefect, and it will be a real pleasure to us to exercise our new + privilege for the first time in your service. We will urge him to inquire + into the matter, and I cannot doubt that he will at once quash the + proceedings.” + </p> + <p> + Unhappily, Tu’s hopes were not realised. The prefect was very civil, but + pointed out that, since a higher court had ordered the arrest of the + colonel, he was powerless to interfere in the matter. Many were the + consultations held by the three friends, and much personal relief Jasmine + got from the support and sympathy of the young men. One hope yet remained + to her: Tu and Wei were about to go to Peking for their doctor’s degrees, + and if they passed they might be able to bring such influence to bear as + would secure the release of her father. + </p> + <p> + “Let not the ‘young noble’ distress himself overmuch,” said Wei to her, + with some importance. “This affair will be engraven on our hearts and + minds, and if we take our degrees we will use our utmost exertions to wipe + away the injustice which has been done your father.” + </p> + <p> + “Unhappily,” said the more practical Tu, “it is too plain that the + examining magistrates are all in league to ruin him. But let our elder + brother remain quietly at home, doing all he can to collect evidence in + the colonel’s favour, while we will do our best at the capital. If things + turn out well with us there, our elder brother had better follow at once + to assist us with his advice.” + </p> + <p> + Before the friends parted, Wei, whose own affairs were always his first + consideration, took an opportunity of whispering to Jasmine, “Don’t forget + your honoured sister’s promise, I beseech you. Whether we succeed or not, + I shall ask for her in marriage on my return.” + </p> + <p> + “Under present circumstances, we must no longer consider the engagement,” + said Jasmine, shocked at his introducing the subject at such a moment, + “and the best thing that you can do is to forget all about it.” + </p> + <p> + The moment for the departure of the young men had come, and they had no + time to say more. With bitter tears, the two youths took leave of the + weeping Jasmine, who, as their carts disappeared in the distance, felt for + the first time what it was to be alone in misery. She saw little of her + stepmother in those days. That poor lady made herself so ill with + unrestrained grief that she was quite incapable of rendering either help + or advice. Fortunately the officials showed no disposition to proceed with + the indictment, and by the judicious use of the money at her command + Jasmine induced the prison authorities to make her father’s confinement as + little irksome as possible. She was allowed to see him at almost any time, + and on one occasion, when he was enjoying her presence as in his + prosperous days he had never expected to do, he remarked: + </p> + <p> + “Since the officials are not proceeding with the business, I think my best + plan will be to send a petition to Peking asking the Board of War to + acquit me. But my difficulty is that I have no one whom I can send to look + after the business.” + </p> + <p> + “Let <i>me</i> go,” said Jasmine. “When Tu and Wei were leaving, they + begged me to follow them to consult as to the best means of helping you, + and with them to depend on I have nothing to fear.” + </p> + <p> + “I quite believe that you are as capable of managing the matter as + anybody,” said her father, admiringly; “but Peking is a long way off, and + I cannot bear to think of the things which might happen to you on the + road.” + </p> + <p> + “From all time,” answered Jasmine, “it has been considered the duty of a + daughter to risk anything in the service of her father; and though the way + is long, I shall have weapons to defend myself with against injury, and a + clear conscience with which to answer any interrogatories which may be put + to me. Besides, I will take our messenger, ‘The Dragon,’ and his wife with + me. I will make her dress as a man—what fun it will be to see Mrs. + Dragon’s portly form in trousers, and gabardine! When that transformation + is made, we shall be a party of three men. So, you see, she and I will + have a man to protect us, and I shall have a woman to wait upon me; and if + such a gallant company cannot travel from this to Peking in safety, I’ll + forswear boots and trousers and will retire into the harem for ever.” + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said her father, laughing, “if you can arrange in that way, go by + all means, and the sooner you start the sooner I hope you will be back.” + </p> + <p> + Delighted at having gained the approval of her father to her scheme, + Jasmine quickly made the arrangements for her journey. On the morning of + the day on which she was to start, the results of the doctors’ examination + at Peking reached Mienchu, and, to Jasmine’s infinite delight, she found + the names of Tu and Wei among the successful candidates. Armed with this + good news, she hurried to the prison. All difficulties seemed to disappear + like mist before the sun as she thought of the powerful advocates she now + had at Peking. + </p> + <p> + “Tu and Wei have passed,” she said, as she rushed into her father’s + presence, “and now the end of our troubles is approaching.” + </p> + <p> + With impatient hope Jasmine took leave of her father, and started on her + eventful journey. As evening drew on she entered the suburbs of Ch’engtu, + the provincial capital, and sent “The Dragon” on to find a suitable inn + for the couple of nights which she knew she would be compelled to spend in + the city. “The Dragon” was successful in his search, and conducted Jasmine + and his wife to a comfortable hostelry in one of the busiest parts of the + town. Having refreshed herself with an excellent dinner, Jasmine was glad + to rest from the fatigues and heat of the day in the cool courtyard into + which her room opened. Fortune and builders had so arranged that a + neighbouring house, towering above the inn, overlooked this restful spot, + and one of the higher windows faced exactly the position which Jasmine had + taken up. Such a fact would not, in ordinary circumstances, have troubled + her in the least; but she had not been sitting long before she began to + feel an extraordinary attraction toward the window. She did her best to + look the other way, but she was often unconsciously impelled to glance up + at the lattice. Once she fancied she saw the curtain move. Determined to + verify her impression, she suddenly raised her eyes, after a prolonged + contemplation of the pavement, and caught a momentary sight of a girl’s + face, which as instantly disappeared, but not before Jasmine had been able + to recognise that it was one of exceptional beauty. + </p> + <p> + “Now, if I were a young man,” said she to herself, “I ought to feel my + heart beat at the sight of such loveliness, and it would be my bounden + duty to swear that I would win the owner of it in the teeth of dragons. + But as my manhood goes no deeper than my outer garments, I can afford to + sit here with a quiet pulse and a whole skin.” + </p> + <p> + The next day Jasmine was busily engaged in interviewing some officials in + the interest of her father, and only reached the shelter of her inn toward + evening. As she passed through the courtyard she instinctively looked up + at the window, and again caught a glimpse of the vision of beauty which + she had seen the evening before. “If she only knew,” thought Jasmine, + “that I was such a one as herself, she would be less anxious to see me, + and more likely to avoid me.” + </p> + <p> + While amusing herself at the thought of the fair watcher, the inn door + opened, and a waiting-woman entered carrying a small box. As she + approached Jasmine she bowed low, and with bated breath thus addressed + her: + </p> + <p> + “May every happiness be yours, sir. My young lady, Miss King, whose humble + dwelling is the adjoining house, seeing that you are living in solitude, + has sent me with this fruit and tea as a complimentary offering.” + </p> + <p> + So saying, she presented to Jasmine the box, which contained pears and a + packet of scented tea. + </p> + <p> + “To what am I indebted for this honour?” replied Jasmine; “I can claim no + relationship with your lady, nor have I the honour of her acquaintance.” + </p> + <p> + “My young lady says,” answered the waiting-woman, “that, among the myriads + who come to this inn and the thousands who go from it, she has seen no one + to equal your Excellency in form and feature. At sight of you she was + confident that you came from a lofty and noble family, and having learned + from your attendants that you are the son of a colonel, she ventured to + send you these trifles to supplement the needy fare of this rude inn.” + </p> + <p> + “Tell me something about your young lady,” said Jasmine, in a moment of + idle curiosity. + </p> + <p> + “My young lady,” said the woman, “is the daughter of Mr. King, who was a + vice-president of a lower court. Her father and mother having both visited + the ‘Yellow Springs’ [Hades], she is now living with an aunt, who has been + blessed by the God of Wealth, and whose main object in life is to find a + husband whom her niece may be willing to marry. The young gentleman, my + young lady’s cousin, is one of the richest men in Ch’engtu. All the larger + inns belong to him, and his profits are as boundless as the four seas. He + is as anxious as his mother to find a suitable match for the young lady, + and has promised that so soon as she can make a choice he will arrange the + wedding.” + </p> + <p> + “I should have thought,” said Jasmine, “that, being the owner of so much + wealth and beauty, the young lady would have been besieged by suitors from + all parts of the empire.” + </p> + <p> + “So she is,” said the woman, “and from her window yonder she espies them, + for they all put up at this inn. Hitherto she has made fun of them all, + and describes their appearance and habits in the most amusing way. ‘See + this one,’ says she, ‘with his bachelor cap on and his new official + clothes and awkward gait, looking for all the world like a barn-door fowl + dressed up as a stork; or that one, with his round shoulders, monkey-face, + and crooked legs;’ and so she tells them off.” + </p> + <p> + “What does she say of me, I wonder?” said Jasmine, amused. + </p> + <p> + “Of your Excellency she says that her comparisons fail her, and that she + can only hope that the Fates who guided your jewelled chariot hitherward + will not tantalise her by an empty vision, but will bind your ankles to + hers with the red matrimonial cords.” + </p> + <p> + “How can I hope for such happiness?” said Jasmine, smiling. “But please to + tell your young lady that, being only a guest at this inn, I have nothing + worthy of her acceptance to offer in return for her bounteous gifts, and + that I can only assure her of my boundless gratitude.” + </p> + <p> + With many bows, and with reiterated wishes for Jasmine’s happiness and + endless longevity, the woman took her leave. + </p> + <p> + “Truly this young lady has formed a most perverted attachment,” said + Jasmine to herself. “She reminds me of the man in the fairy tale who fell + in love with a shadow, and, so far as I can see, she is not likely to get + any more satisfaction out of it than he did.” So saying, she took up a + pencil and scribbled the following lines on a scrap of paper: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “With thoughts as ardent as a quenchless thirst, + She sends me fragrant and most luscious fruit; + Without a blush she seeks a phenix guest [a bachelor] + Who dwells alone like case-enveloped lute.” + </pre> + <p> + After this mental effort Jasmine went to bed. Nor had her interview with + the waiting-woman made a sufficient impression on her mind to interfere in + any way with her sleep. She was surprised, however, on coming into her + sitting-room in the morning, to meet the same messenger, who, laden with a + dish of hot eggs and a brew of tea, begged Jasmine to “deign to look down + upon her offerings.” + </p> + <p> + “Many thanks,” said Jasmine, “for your kind attention.” + </p> + <p> + “You are putting the saddle on the wrong horse,” replied the woman. “In + bringing you these I am but obeying the orders of Miss King, who herself + made the tea of leaves from Pu-erh in Yunnan, and who with her own fair + hands shelled the eggs.” + </p> + <p> + “Your young lady,” answered Jasmine, “is as bountiful as she is kind. What + return can I make her for her kindness to a stranger? Stay,” she said, as + the thought crossed her mind that the verses she had written the night + before might prove a wholesome tonic for this effusive young lady, “I have + a few verses which I will venture to ask her to accept.” So saying, she + took a piece of peach-blossom paper, on which she carefully copied the + quatrain and handed it to the woman. “May I trouble you,” said she, “to + take this to your mistress?” + </p> + <p> + “If,” said Jasmine to herself as the woman took her departure, “Miss King + is able to penetrate the meaning of my verses, she won’t like them. + Without saying so in so many words, I have told her with sufficient + plainness that I will have nothing to say to her. But stupidity is a + shield sent by Providence to protect the greater part of mankind from many + evils; so perhaps she will escape.” + </p> + <p> + It certainly in this case served to shield Miss King from Jasmine’s + shafts. She was delighted at receiving the verses, and at once sat down to + compose a quatrain to match Jasmine’s in reply. With infinite labour she + elaborated the following: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “Sung Yuh on th’ eastern wall sat deep in thought, + And longed with P’e to pluck the fragrant fruit. + If all the well-known tunes be newly set, + What use to take again the half-burnt lute?” + </pre> + <p> + Having copied these on a piece of silk-woven paper, she sent them to + Jasmine by her faithful attendant. On looking over the paper, Jasmine + said, smiling, “What a clever young lady your mistress must be! These + lines, though somewhat inconsequential, are incomparable.” + </p> + <p> + But, though Jasmine was partly inclined to treat the matter as a joke, she + saw that there was a serious side to the affair, more especially as the + colours under which she was sailing were so undeniably false. She knew + well that for Sung Yuh should be read Miss King, and for P’e her own name; + and she determined, therefore, to put an end to the philandering of Miss + King, which, in her present state of mind, was doubly annoying to her. + </p> + <p> + “I am deeply indebted to your young lady,” she said, and then, being + determined to make a plunge into the morass of untruthfulness, for a good + end as she believed, added, “and, if I had love at my disposal, I should + possibly venture to make advances toward the feathery peach [a nuptial + emblem]; but let me confess to you that I have already taken to myself a + wife. Had I the felicity of meeting Miss King before I committed myself in + another direction, I might perhaps have been a happier man. But, after + all, if this were so, my position is no worse than that of most other + married men, for I never met one who was not occasionally inclined to cry, + like the boys at ‘toss cash,’ ‘Hark back and try again.’” + </p> + <p> + “This will be sad news for my lady, for she has set her heart upon you + ever since you first came to the inn; and when young misses take that sort + of fancy and lose the objects of their love, they are as bad as children + when forbidden their sugar-plums. But what’s the use of talking to you + about a young lady’s feelings!” said the woman, with a vexed toss of her + head; “I never knew a man who understood a woman yet.” + </p> + <p> + “I am extremely sorry for Miss King,” said Jasmine, trying to suppress a + smile. “As you wisely remark, a young lady is a sealed book to me, but I + have always been told that their fancies are as variable as the shadow of + the bamboo; and probably, therefore, though Miss King’s sky may be + overcast just now, the gloom will only make her enjoy to-morrow’s sunshine + all the more.” + </p> + <p> + The woman, who was evidently in a hurry to convey the news to her + mistress, returned no answer to this last sally, but, with curtailed + obeisance, took her departure. + </p> + <p> + Her non-appearance the next morning confirmed Jasmine in the belief that + her bold departure from truth on the previous evening had had its curative + effect. The relief was great, for she had felt that these complications + were becoming too frequent to be pleasant, and, reprehensible though it + may appear, her relief was mingled with no sort of compassion for Miss + King. Hers was not a nature to sympathise with such sudden and fierce + attachments. Her affection for Tu had been the growth of many months, and + she had no feeling in common with a young lady who could take a violent + liking for a young man simply from seeing him taking his post-prandial + ease. It was therefore with complete satisfaction that she left the inn in + the course of the morning to pay her farewell visits to the governor and + the judge of the province, who had taken an unusual interest in Colonel + Wen’s case since Jasmine had become his personal advocate. Both officials + had promised to do all they could for the prisoner, and had loaded Jasmine + with tokens of good will in the shape of strange and rare fruits and + culinary delicacies. On this particular day the governor had invited her + to the midday meal, and it was late in the afternoon before she found her + way back to the inn. + </p> + <p> + The following morning she rose early, intending to start before noon, and + was stepping into the courtyard to give directions to “The Dragon,” when, + to her surprise, she was accosted by Miss King’s servant, who, with a + waggish smile and a cunning shake of the head, said: + </p> + <p> + “How can one so young as your Excellency be such a proficient in the art + of inventing flowers of the imagination?” + </p> + <p> + “What do you mean?” said Jasmine. + </p> + <p> + “Why, last night you told me you were married, and my poor young lady when + she heard it was wrung with grief. But, recovering somewhat, she sent me + to ask your servants whether what you had said was true or not, for she + knows what she’s about as well as most people, and they both with one + voice assured me that, far from being married you had not even exchanged + nuptial presents with anybody. You may imagine Miss King’s delight when I + took her this news. She at once asked her cousin to call upon you to make + a formal offer of marriage, and she has now sent me to tell you that he + will be here anon.” + </p> + <p> + Every one knows what it is to pass suddenly from a state of pleasurable + high spirits into deep despondency, to exchange in an instant bright + mental sunshine for cloud and gloom. All, therefore, must sympathise with + poor Jasmine, who believing the road before her to be smooth and clear, on + a sudden became thus aware of a most troublesome and difficult + obstruction. She had scarcely finished calling down anathemas on the heads + of “The Dragon” and his wife, and cursing her own folly for bringing them + with her, than the inn doors were thrown open, and a servant appeared + carrying a long red visiting-card inscribed with the name of the wealthy + inn-proprietor. On the heels of this forerunner followed young Mr. King, + who, with effusive bows, said, “I have ventured to pay my respects to your + Excellency.” + </p> + <p> + Poor Jasmine was so upset by the whole affair that she lacked some of the + courtesy that was habitual to her, and in her confusion very nearly seated + her guest on her right hand. Fortunately this outrageous breach of + etiquette was avoided, and the pair eventually arranged themselves in the + canonical order. + </p> + <p> + “This old son of Han,” began Mr. King, “would not have dared to intrude + himself upon your Excellency if it were not that he has a matter of great + delicacy to discuss with you. He has a cousin, the daughter of + Vice-President King, for whom for years he has been trying to find a + suitable match. The position is peculiar, for the lady declares positively + that she will not marry any one she has not seen and approved of. Until + now she has not been able to find any one whom she would care to marry. + But the presence of your Excellency has thrown a light across her path + which has shown her the way to the plum-groves of matrimonial felicity.” + </p> + <p> + Here King paused, expecting some reply; but Jasmine was too absorbed in + thought to speak, so Mr. King went on: + </p> + <p> + “This old son of Han, hearing that your Excellency is still unmarried, has + taken it upon himself to make a proposal of marriage to you, and to offer + his cousin as your ‘basket and broom.’ [wife] His interview with you has, + he may say, shown him the wisdom of his cousin’s choice, and he cannot + imagine a pair better suited for one another, or more likely to be happy, + than your Excellency and his cousin.” + </p> + <p> + “I dare not be anything but straightforward with your worship,” said + Jasmine, “and I am grateful for the extraordinary affection your cousin + has been pleased to bestow upon me; but I cannot forget that she belongs + to a family which is entitled to pass through the gate of the palace [a + family of distinction], and I fear that my rank is not sufficient for her. + Besides, my father is at present under a cloud, and I am now on my way to + Peking to try to release him from his difficulties. It is no time, + therefore, for me to be binding myself with promises.” + </p> + <p> + “As to your Excellency’s first objection,” replied King, “you are already + the wearer of a hat with a silken tassel, and a man need not be a prophet + to foretell that in time to come any office, either civil or military, + will be within your reach. No doubt, also, your business in Peking will be + quickly brought to a satisfactory conclusion, and there can be no + objection, therefore, to our settling the preliminaries now, and then, on + your return from the capital, we can celebrate the wedding. This will give + rest and composure to my cousin’s mind, which is now like a disturbed sea, + and will not interfere, I venture to think, with the affair which calls + you to Peking.” + </p> + <p> + As King proceeded, Jasmine felt that her difficulties were on the + increase. It was impossible that she should explain her position in full, + and she had no sufficient reason at hand to give for rejecting the + proposal made her, though, as the same time, her annoyance was not small + at having such a matter forced upon her at a moment when her mind was + filled with anxieties. “Then,” she thought to herself, “there is ahead of + me that explanation which must inevitably come with Wei; so that, + altogether, if it were not for the deeply rooted conviction which I have + that Tu will be mine at last, when he knows what I really am, life would + not be worth having. As for this inn-proprietor, if he has so little + delicacy as to push his cousin upon me at this crisis, I need not have any + compunction regarding him; so perhaps my easiest way of getting out of the + present hobble will be to accept his proposal and to present the box of + precious ointment handed me by Wei for my sister to this ogling love-sick + girl.” So turning to King, she said: + </p> + <p> + “Since you, sir, and your cousin have honoured me with your regard, I dare + not altogether decline your proposal, and I would therefore beg you, sir, + to hand this,” she added, producing the box of ointment, “to your + honourable cousin, as a token of the bond between us, and to convey to her + my promise that, if I don’t marry her, I will never marry another lady.” + </p> + <p> + Mr. King, with the greatest delight, received the box, and handing it to + the waiting-woman, who stood expectant by, bade her carry it to her + mistress, with the news of the engagement. Jasmine now hoped that her + immediate troubles were over, but King insisted on celebrating the event + by a feast, and it was not until late in the afternoon that she succeeded + in making a start. Once on the road, her anxiety to reach Peking was such + that she travelled night and day, “feeding on wind and lodging in water.” + Nor did she rest until she reached a hotel within the Hata Gate of the + capital. + </p> + <p> + Jasmine’s solitary journey had given her abundant time for reflection, and + for the first time she had set herself seriously to consider her position. + She recognised that she had hitherto followed only the impulses of the + moment, of which the main one had been the desire to escape complications + by the wholesale sacrifice of truth; and she acknowledged to herself that, + if justice were evenly dealt out, there must be a Nemesis in store for her + which would bring distress and possibly disaster upon her. In her calmer + moments she felt an instinctive foreboding that she was approaching a + crisis in her fate, and it was with mixed feelings, therefore, that on the + morning after her arrival she prepared to visit Tu and Wei, who were as + yet ignorant of her presence. + </p> + <p> + She dressed herself with more than usual care for the occasion, choosing + to attire herself in a blue silk robe and a mauve satin jacket which Tu + had once admired, topped by a brand-new cap. Altogether her appearance as + she passed through the streets justified the remark made by a passerby: “A + pretty youngster, and more like a maiden of eighteen than a man.” + </p> + <p> + The hostelry at which Tu and Wei had taken up their abode was an inn + befitting the dignity of such distinguished scholars. On inquiring at the + door, Jasmine was ushered by a servant through a courtyard to an inner + enclosure, where, under the grateful shade of a wide-spreading + cotton-tree, Tu was reclining at his ease. Jasmine’s delight at meeting + her friend was only equalled by the pleasure with which Tu greeted her. In + his strong and gracious presence she became conscious that she was + released from the absorbing care which had haunted her, and her soul + leaped out in new freedom as she asked and answered questions of her + friend. Each had much to say, and it was not for some time, when an + occasional reference brought his name forward that Jasmine noticed the + absence of Wei. When she did, she asked after him. + </p> + <p> + “He left this some days ago,” said Tu, “having some special business which + called for his presence at home. He did not tell me what it was, but + doubtless it was something of importance.” Jasmine said nothing, but felt + pretty certain in her mind as to the object of his hasty return. + </p> + <p> + Tu, attributing her silence to a reflection on Wei for having left the + capital before her father’s affair was settled, hastened to add: + </p> + <p> + “He was very helpful in the matter of your honoured father’s difficulty, + and only left when he thought he could not do any more.” + </p> + <p> + “How do matters stand now?” asked Jasmine, eagerly. + </p> + <p> + “We have posted a memorial at the palace gate,” said Tu, “and have + arranged that it shall reach the right quarter. Fortunately, also, I have + an acquaintance in the Board of War who has undertaken to do all he can in + that direction, and promises an answer in a few days.” + </p> + <p> + “I have brought with me,” said Jasmine, “a petition prepared by my father. + What do you think about presenting it?” + </p> + <p> + “At present I believe that it would only do harm. A superabundance of + memorials is as bad as none at all. Beyond a certain point, they only + irritate officials.” + </p> + <p> + “Very well,” said Jasmine; “I am quite content to leave the conduct of + affairs in your hands.” + </p> + <p> + “Well then,” said Tu, “that being understood, I propose that you should + move your things over to this inn. There is Wei’s room at your disposal, + and your constant presence here will be balm to my lonely spirit. At the + Hata Gate you are almost as remote as if you were in our study at + Mienchu.” + </p> + <p> + Jasmine was at first startled by this proposal. Though she had been + constantly in the company of Tu, she had never lived under the same roof + with him, and she at once recognised that there might be difficulties in + the way of her keeping her secret if she were to be constantly under the + eyes of her friend. But she had been so long accustomed to yield to the + present circumstances, and was so confident that Fortune, which, with some + slight irregularities, had always stood her friend, would not desert her + on the present occasion, that she gave way. + </p> + <p> + “By all means,” she said. “I will go back to my inn, and bring my things + at once. This writing-case I will leave here. I brought it because it + contains my father’s petition.” + </p> + <p> + So saying, she took her leave, and Tu retired to his easy-chair under the + cotton-tree. But the demon of curiosity was abroad, and alighting on the + arm of Tu’s chair, whispered in his ear that it might be well if he ran + his eye over Colonel Wen’s petition to see if there was any argument in it + which he had omitted in his statement to the Board of War. At first, Tu, + whose nature was the reverse of inquisitive, declined to listen to these + promptings, but so persistent did they become that he at last put down his + book—“The Spring and Autumn Annals”—and, seating himself, at + the sitting-room table, opened the writing-case so innocently left by + Jasmine. On the top were a number of red visiting-cards bearing the + inscription, in black, of Wen Tsunk’ing, and beneath these was the + petition. Carefully Tu read it through, and passed mental eulogies on it + as he proceeded. The colonel had put his case skilfully, but Tu had no + difficulty in recognising Jasmine’s hand, both in the composition of the + document and in the penmanship. “If my attempt,” he thought, “does not + succeed, we will try what this will do.” He was on the point of returning + it to its resting-place, when he saw another document in Jasmine’s + handwriting lying by it. This was evidently a formal document, probably + connected, as he thought, with the colonel’s case, and he therefore + unfolded it and read as follows: + </p> + <p> + “The faithful maiden, Miss Wen of Mienchu Hien, with burning incense + reverently prays the God of War to release her father from his present + difficulties, and speedily to restore peace to her own soul by nullifying, + in accordance with her desire, the engagement of the bamboo arrow and the + contract of the box of precious ointment. A respectful petition.” + </p> + <p> + As Tu read on, surprise and astonishment took possession of his + countenance. A second time he read it through, and then, throwing himself + back in his chair, broke out into a fit of laughter. + </p> + <p> + “So,” he said to himself, “I have allowed myself to be deceived by a young + girl all these years. And yet not altogether deceived,” he added, trying + to find an excuse for himself; “for I have often fancied that there was + the savour of a woman about the ‘young noble.’ I hope she is not one of + those heaven-born genii who appear on earth to plague men, and who, just + when they have aroused the affections they wished to excite, ascend + through the air and leave their lovers mourning.” + </p> + <p> + Just at this moment the door opened, and Jasmine entered, looking more + lovely than ever, with the flush begotten by exercise on her beautifully + moulded cheeks. At sight of her Tu again burst out laughing, to Jasmine’s + not unnatural surprise, who, thinking that there must be something wrong + with her dress, looked herself up and down, to the increasing amusement of + Tu. + </p> + <p> + “So,” said he at last, “you deceitful little hussy, you have been + deceiving me all these years by passing yourself off as a man, when in + reality you are a girl.” + </p> + <p> + Overcome with confusion, Jasmine hung her head, and murmured: + </p> + <p> + “Who has betrayed me?” + </p> + <p> + “You have betrayed yourself,” said Tu, holding up the incriminating + document; “and here we have the story of the arrow with which you shot the + hawk, but what the box of precious ointment means I don’t know.” + </p> + <p> + Confronted with this overwhelming evidence, poor Jasmine remained + speechless, and dared not even lift her eyes to glance at Tu. That young + man, seeing her distress, and being in no wise possessed by the scorn + which he had put into his tone, crossed over to her and gently led her to + a seat by him. + </p> + <p> + “Do you remember,” he said, in so altered a voice that Jasmine’s heart + ceased to throb as if it wished to force an opening through the finely + formed bosom which enclosed it, “on one occasion in our study at home I + wished that you were a woman that you might become my wife? Little did I + think that my wish might be gratified. Now it is, and I beseech you to let + us join our lives in one, and seek the happiness of the gods in each + other’s perpetual presence.” + </p> + <p> + But, as if suddenly recollecting herself, Jasmine withdrew her hand from + his, and, standing up before him with quivering lip and eyes full of + tears, said: + </p> + <p> + “No. It can never be.” + </p> + <p> + “Why not?” said Tu, in alarmed surprise. + </p> + <p> + “Because I am bound to Wei.” + </p> + <p> + “What! Does Wei know your secret?” + </p> + <p> + “No. But do you remember when I shot that arrow in front of your study?” + </p> + <p> + “Perfectly,” said Tu. “But what has that to do with it?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, Wei discovered my name on the shaft, and I, to keep my secret, told + him that it was my sister’s name. He then wanted to marry my sister, and I + undertook, fool that I was, to arrange it for him. Now I shall be obliged + to confess the truth, and he will have a right to claim me instead of my + supposed sister.” + </p> + <p> + “But,” said Tu, “I have a prior right to that of Wei, for it was I who + found the arrow. And in this matter I shall be ready to outface him at all + hazards. But,” he added, “Wei, I am sure, is not the man to take an unfair + advantage of you.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you really think so?” asked Jasmine. + </p> + <p> + “Certainly I do,” said Tu. + </p> + <p> + “Then—then—I shall be—very glad,” said poor Jasmine, + hesitatingly, overcome with bashfulness, but full of joy. + </p> + <p> + At which gracious consent Tu recovered the hand which had been withdrawn + from his, and Jasmine sank again into the chair at his side. + </p> + <p> + “But, Tu, dear,” she said, after a pause, “there is something else that I + must tell you before I can feel that my confessions are over.” + </p> + <p> + “What! You have not engaged yourself to any one else, have you?” said Tu, + laughing. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I have,” she replied, with a smile; and she then gave her lover a + full and particular account of how Mr. King had proposed to her on behalf + of his cousin, and how she had accepted her. + </p> + <p> + “How could you frame your lips to utter such untruths?” said Tu, half + laughing and half in earnest. + </p> + <p> + “O Tu, falsehood is so easy and truth so difficult sometimes. But I feel + that I have been very, very wicked,” said poor Jasmine, covering her face + with her hands. + </p> + <p> + “Well, you certainly have got yourself into a pretty hobble. So far as I + can make out, you are at the present moment engaged to one young lady and + two young men.” + </p> + <p> + The situation, thus expressed, was so comical that Jasmine could not + refrain from laughing through her tears; but, after a somewhat lengthened + consultation with her lover, her face recovered its wonted serenity, and + round it hovered a halo of happiness which added light and beauty to every + feature. There is something particularly entrancing in receiving the first + confidences of a pure and loving soul. So Tu thought on this occasion, and + while Jasmine was pouring the most secret workings of her inmost being + into his ear, those lines of the poet of the Sung dynasty came + irresistibly into his mind: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + ‘T is sweet to see the flowers woo the sun, + To watch the quaint wiles of the cooing dove, + But sweeter far to hear the dulcet tones + Of her one loves confessing her great love. +</pre> + <p> + But there is an end to everything, even to the “Confucian Analects,” and + so there was also to this lovers’ colloquy. For just as Jasmine was + explaining, for the twentieth time, the origin and basis of her love for + Tu, a waiter entered to announce the arrival of her luggage. + </p> + <p> + “I don’t know quite,” said Tu, “where we are to put your two men. But, + by-the-bye,” he added, as the thought struck him, “did you really travel + all the way in the company of these two men only?” + </p> + <p> + “O Tu,” said Jasmine, laughing, “I have something else to confess to you.” + </p> + <p> + “What! another lover?” said Tu, affecting horror and surprise. + </p> + <p> + “No; not another lover, but another woman. The short, stout one is a + woman, and came as my maid. She is the wife of ‘The Dragon.’” + </p> + <p> + “Well, now have you told me all? For I am getting so confused about the + people you have transformed from women to men, that I shall have doubts + about my own sex next.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, Tu, dear; now you know all,” said Jasmine, laughing. But not all the + good news which was in store for him, for scarcely had Jasmine done + speaking when a letter arrived from his friend in the Board of War, who + wrote to say that he had succeeded in getting the military intendant of + Mienchu transferred to a post in the province of Kwangsi, and that the + departure of this noxious official would mean the release of the colonel, + as he alone was the colonel’s accuser. This news added one more chord of + joy which had been making harmony in Jasmine’s heart for some hours, and + readily she agreed with Tu that they should set off homeward on the + following morning. + </p> + <p> + With no such adventure as that which had attended Jasmine’s journey to the + capital, they reached Mienchu, and, to their delight, were received by the + colonel in his own yamun. After congratulating him on his release, which + Jasmine took care he should understand was due entirely to Tu’s exertions, + she gave him a full account of her various experiences on the road and at + the capital. + </p> + <p> + “It is like a story out of a book of marvels,” said her father, “and even + now you have not exhausted all the necessary explanations. For, since my + release, your friend Wei has been here to ask for my daughter in marriage. + From some questions I put to him, he is evidently unaware that you are my + only daughter, and I therefore put him off and told him to wait until you + returned. He is in a very impatient state, and, no doubt, will be over + shortly.” + </p> + <p> + Nor was the colonel wrong, for almost immediately Wei was announced, who, + after expressing the genuine pleasure he felt at seeing Jasmine again, + began at once on the subject which filled his mind. + </p> + <p> + “I am so glad,” he said, “to have this opportunity of asking you to + explain matters. At present I am completely nonplussed. On my return from + Peking I inquired of one of your father’s servants about his daughter. ‘He + has not got one,’ quoth the man. I went to another, and he said, ‘You mean + the “young noble,” I suppose.’ ‘No, I don’t,’ I said; ‘I mean his sister.’ + ‘Well, that is the only daughter I know of,’ said he. Then I went to your + father, and all I could get out of him was, ‘Wait until the “young noble” + comes home.’ Please tell me what all this means.” + </p> + <p> + “Your great desire is to marry a beautiful and accomplished girl, is it + not?” said Jasmine. + </p> + <p> + “That certainly is my wish,” said Wei. + </p> + <p> + “Well then,” said Jasmine, “I can assure you that your betrothal present + is in the hand of such a one, and a girl whom to look at is to love.” + </p> + <p> + “That may be,” said Wei, “But my wish is to marry your sister.” + </p> + <p> + “Will you go and talk to Tu about it?” said Jasmine, who felt that the + subject was becoming too difficult for her, and whose confidence in Tu’s + wisdom was unbounded, “and he will explain it all to you.” + </p> + <p> + Even Tu, however, found it somewhat difficult to explain Jasmine’s + sphinx-like mysteries, and on certain points Wei showed a disposition to + be anything but satisfied. Jasmine’s engagement to Tu implied his + rejection, and he was disposed to be splenetic and disagreeable about it. + His pride was touched, and in his irritation he was inclined to impute + treachery to his friend and deceit to Jasmine. To the first charge Tu had + a ready answer, but the second was all the more annoying because there was + some truth in it. However, Tu was not in the humour to quarrel, and being + determined to seek peace and ensue it, he overlooked Wei’s innuendos and + made out the best case he could for his bride. On Miss King’s beauty, + virtues, and ability he enlarged with a wealth of diction and power of + imagination which astonished himself, and Jasmine also, to whom he + afterward repeated the conversation. “Why, Tu, dear,” said that artless + maiden, “how can you know all this about Miss King? You have never seen + her, and I am sure I never told you half of all this.” + </p> + <p> + “Don’t ask questions,” said the enraptured Tu. “Let it be enough for you + to know that Wei is as eager for the possession of Miss King as he was for + your sister, and that he has promised to be my best man at our wedding + to-morrow.” + </p> + <p> + And Wei was as good as his word. With every regard to ceremony and ancient + usage, the marriage of Tu and Jasmine was celebrated in the presence of + relatives and friends, who, attracted by the novelty of the antecedent + circumstances, came from all parts of the country to witness the nuptials. + By Tu’s especial instructions also a prominence was allowed to Wei, which + gratified his vanity and smoothed down the ruffled feathers of his + conceit. + </p> + <p> + Jasmine thought that no time should be lost in reducing Miss King to the + same spirit of acquiescence to which Wei had been brought, and on the + evening of her wedding-day she broached the subject to Tu. + </p> + <p> + “I shall not feel, Tu, dear,” she said, “that I have gained absolution for + my many deceptions until that very forward Miss King has been talked over + into marrying Wei; and I insist, therefore,” she added, with an amount of + hesitancy which reduced the demand to the level of a plaintive appeal, + “that we start to-morrow for Ch’engtu to see the young woman.” + </p> + <p> + “Ho! ho!” replied Tu, intensely amused at her attempted bravado. “These + are brave words, and I suppose that I must humbly register your decrees.” + </p> + <p> + “O Tu, you know what I mean. You know that, like a child who takes a + delight in conquering toy armies, I love to fancy that I can command so + strong a man as you are. But, Tu, if you knew how absolutely I rely on + your judgment, you would humour my folly and say yes.” + </p> + <p> + There was a subtle incense of love and flattery about this appeal which, + backed as it was by a look of tenderness and beauty, made it irresistible; + and the arrangements for the journey were made in strict accordance with + Jasmine’s wishes. + </p> + <p> + On arriving at the inn which was so full of chastening memories to + Jasmine, Tu sent his card to Mr. King, who, flattered by the attention + paid him by so eminent a scholar, cordially invited Tu to his house. + </p> + <p> + “To what,” he said, as Tu, responding to his invitation, entered his + reception-hall, “am I to attribute the honour of receiving your + illustrious steps in my mean apartments?” + </p> + <p> + “I have heard,” said Tu, “that the beautiful Miss King is your + Excellency’s cousin, and having a friend who is desirous of gaining her + hand, I have come to plead on his behalf.” + </p> + <p> + “I regret to say,” replied King, “that your Excellency has come too late, + as she has already received an engagement token from a Mr. Wen, who passed + here lately on his way to Peking.” + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Wen is a friend of mine also,” said Tu, “and it was because I knew + that his troth was already plighted that I ventured to come on behalf of + him of whom I have spoken.” + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Wen,” said King, “is a gentleman and a scholar, and having given a + betrothal present, he is certain to communicate with us direct in case of + any difficulty.” + </p> + <p> + “Will you, old gentleman,” [a term of respect] said Tu, producing the + lines which Miss King had sent Jasmine, “just cast your eyes over these + verses, written to Wen by your cousin? Feeling most regretfully that he + was unable to fulfil his engagement, Wen gave these to me as a testimony + of the truth of what I now tell you.” + </p> + <p> + King took the paper handed him by Tu, and recognised at a glance his + cousin’s handwriting. + </p> + <p> + “Alas!” he said, “Mr Wen told us he was engaged, but, not believing him, I + urged him to consent to marry my cousin. If you will excuse me, sir,” he + added, “I will consult with the lady as to what should be done.” + </p> + <p> + After a short absence he returned. + </p> + <p> + “My cousin is of the opinion,” he said, “that she cannot enter into any + new engagement until Mr. Wen has come here himself and received back the + betrothal present which he gave her on parting.” + </p> + <p> + “I dare not deceive you, old gentleman, and will tell you at once that + that betrothal present was not Wen’s but was my unworthy friend Wei’s, and + came into Wen’s possession in a way that I need not now explain.” + </p> + <p> + “Still,” said King, “my cousin thinks Mr. Wen should present himself here + in person and tell his own story; and I must say that I am of her + opinion.” + </p> + <p> + “It is quite impossible that Mr. Wen should return here,” replied Tu; “but + my ‘stupid thorn’ [wife] is in the adjoining hostelry, and would be most + happy to explain fully to Miss King Wen’s entire inability to play the + part of a husband to her.” + </p> + <p> + “If your honourable consort would meet my cousin, she, I am sure, will be + glad to talk the matter over with her.” + </p> + <p> + With Tu’s permission, Miss King’s maid was sent to the inn to invite + Jasmine to call on her mistress. The maid, who was the same who had acted + as Miss King’s messenger on the former occasion, glanced long and + earnestly at Jasmine. Her features were familiar to her, but she could not + associate them with any lady of her acquaintance. As she conducted her to + Miss King’s apartments, she watched her stealthily, and became more and + more puzzled by her appearance. Miss King received her with civility, and + after exchanging wishes that each might be granted ten thousand blessings, + Jasmine said, smiling: + </p> + <p> + “Do you recognise Mr. Wen?” + </p> + <p> + Miss King looked at her, and seeing in her a likeness to her beloved, + said: + </p> + <p> + “What relation are you to him, lady?” + </p> + <p> + “I am his very self!” said Jasmine. + </p> + <p> + Miss King opened her eyes wide at this startling announcement, and gazed + earnestly at her. + </p> + <p> + “<i>Haiyah!</i>” cried her maid, clapping her hands, “I thought there was + a wonderful likeness between the lady and Mr. Wen. But who would have + thought that she was he?” + </p> + <p> + “But what made you disguise yourself in that fashion?” asked Miss King, in + an abashed and somewhat vexed tone. + </p> + <p> + “My father was in difficulties,” said Jasmine, “and as it was necessary + that I should go to Peking to plead for him, I dressed as a man for the + convenience of travel. You will remember that in the first instance I + declined your flattering overtures, but when I found that you persisted in + your proposal, not being able to explain the truth, I thought the best + thing to do was to hand you my friend’s betrothal present which I had with + me, intending to return and explain matters. And you will admit that in + one thing I was truthful.” + </p> + <p> + “What was that?” asked the maid. + </p> + <p> + “Why,” answered Jasmine, “I said that if I did not marry your lady I would + never marry any woman.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, yes,” said the maid, laughing, “you have kept your faith royally + there.” + </p> + <p> + “The friend I speak of,” continued Jasmine, “has now taken his doctor’s + degree, and this stupid husband and wife have come from Mienchu to make + you a proposal on his behalf.” + </p> + <p> + Miss King was not one who could readily take in an entirely new and + startling idea, and she sat with a half-dazed look, staring at Jasmine + without uttering a word. If it had not been for the maid, the conversation + would have ceased; but that young woman was determined to probe the matter + to the bottom. + </p> + <p> + “You have not told us,” she said, “the gentleman’s name. And will you + explain why you call him your friend? How could you be on terms of + friendship with him?” + </p> + <p> + “From my childhood,” said Jasmine, “I have always dressed as a boy. I went + to a boy’s school—” + </p> + <p> + “<i>Haiyah!</i>” interjected the maid. + </p> + <p> + “And afterward I joined my husband and this gentleman, Mr. Wei, in a + reading-party.” + </p> + <p> + “Didn’t they discover your secret?” + </p> + <p> + “No.” + </p> + <p> + “Never?” + </p> + <p> + “Never.” + </p> + <p> + “That’s odd,” said the maid. “But will you tell us something about this + Mr. Wei?” + </p> + <p> + Upon this, Jasmine launched out in a glowing eulogy upon her friend. She + expatiated with fervour on his youth, good looks, learning, and prospects, + and with such effect did she speak that Miss King, who began to take in + the situation, ended by accepting cordially Jasmine’s proposal. + </p> + <p> + “And now, lady, you must stay and dine with me,” said Miss King, when the + bargain was struck, “while my cousin entertains your husband in the hall.” + </p> + <p> + At this meal the beginning of a friendship was formed between the two + ladies which lasted ever afterward, though it was somewhat unevenly + balanced. Jasmine’s stronger nature felt compassion mingled with liking + for the pretty doll-like Miss King, while the young lady entertained the + profoundest admiration for her guest. + </p> + <p> + There was nothing to delay the fulfilment of the engagement thus happily + arranged, and at the next full moon Miss King had an opportunity of + comparing her bridegroom with the picture which Jasmine had drawn of him. + </p> + <p> + Scholars are plentiful in China, but it was plainly impossible that men of + such distinguished learning as Tu and Wei should be left among the + unemployed, and almost immediately after their marriage they were + appointed to important posts in the empire. Tu rose rapidly to the highest + rank, and died, at a good old age, viceroy of the metropolitan province + and senior guardian to the heir apparent. Wei was not so supremely + fortunate, but then, as Tu used to say, “he had not a Jasmine to help + him.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0004" id="link2H_4_0004"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + THE REVENGE OF HER RACE, By Mary Beaumont + </h2> + <p> + The low hedge, where the creepers climbed, divided the lawn and its + magnificent Wellingtonias from the meadow. There was little grass to be + seen, for it was at this time one vast profusion of delicate ixias of + every bright and tender shade. + </p> + <p> + The evening was still, and the air heavy with scent. In a room opening + upon the veranda wreathed with white-and-scarlet passion-flowers, where + she could see the garden and the meadow, and, beyond all, the Mountain + Beautiful, lay a sick woman. Her dark face was lovely as an autumn leaf is + lovely—hectic with the passing life. Her eyes wandered to the upper + snows of the mountain, from time to time resting upon the brown-haired + English girl who sat on a low stool by her side, holding the frail hand in + her cool, firm clasp. + </p> + <p> + The invalid was speaking; her voice was curiously sweet, and there was a + peculiarity about the “s,” and an occasional turn of the sentence, which + told the listener that her English was an acquired language. + </p> + <p> + “I am glad he is not here,” she said slowly. “I do not want him to have + pain.” + </p> + <p> + “But perhaps, Mrs. Denison, you will be much better in a day or two, and + able to welcome him when he comes back.” + </p> + <p> + “No, I shall not be here when he comes back, and it is just as it should + be. I asked him to turn round as he left the garden, and I could see him, + oh, so well! He looked kind and so beautiful, and he waved to me his hand. + Now he will come back, and he will be sad. He did not want to leave me, + but the governor sent for him. He will be sad, and he will remember that I + loved him, and some day he will be glad again.” She smiled into the + troubled face near her. + </p> + <p> + The girl stroked the thick dark hair lovingly. + </p> + <p> + “Don’t,” she implored; “it hurts me. You are better to-night, and the + children are coming in.” Mrs. Denison closed her eyes, and with her left + hand she covered her face. + </p> + <p> + “No, not the children,” she whispered, “not my darlings. I cannot bear it. + I must see them no more.” She pressed her companion’s hand with a sudden + close pressure. “But you will help them, Alice; you will make them English + like you—like him. We will not pretend to-night; it is not long that + I shall speak to you. I ask you to promise me to help them to be English.” + </p> + <p> + “Dear,” the girl urged, “they are such a delicious mixture of England and + New Zealand—prettier, sweeter than any mere English child could ever + be. They are enchanting.” + </p> + <p> + But into the dying woman’s eyes leaped an eager flame. + </p> + <p> + “They must all be English, no Maori!” she cried. A violent fit of coughing + interrupted her, and when the paroxysm was over she was too exhausted to + speak. The English nurse, Mrs. Bentley, an elderly Yorkshire woman, who + had been with Mrs. Denison since her first baby came six years ago, and + who had, in fact, been Horace Denison’s own nurse-maid, came in and sent + the agitated girl into the garden. “For you haven’t had a breath of fresh + air to-day,” she said. + </p> + <p> + At the door Alice turned. The large eyes were resting upon her with an + intent and solemn regard, in which lay a message. “What was it?” she + thought, as she passed through the wide hall sweet with flowers. “She + wanted to say something; I am sure she did. To-morrow I will ask her.” But + before the morrow came she knew. Mrs. Dennison had said <i>good-bye</i>. + </p> + <p> + The funeral was over. Mr. Denison, who had looked unaccountably ill and + weary for months, had been sent home by Mr. Danby for at least a year’s + change and rest, and the doctor’s young sister had yielded to various + pressure, and promised to stay with the children until he returned. There + was every reason for it. She had loved and been loved by the gentle Maori + mother; she delighted in the dark beauty and sweetness of the children. + And they, on their side, clung to her as to an adorable fairy relative, + dowered with love and the fruits of love—tales and new games and + tender ways. Best reason of all, in a sense, Mrs. Bentley, that kind + autocrat, entreated her to stay, “as the happiest thing for the children, + and to please that poor lamb we laid yonder, who fair longed that you + should! She was mightily taken up with you, Miss Danby, and you’ve your + brother and his wife near, so that you won’t be lonesome, and if there’s + aught I can do to make you comfortable, you’ve only to speak, miss.” As + for Mr. Denison, he was pathetically grateful and relieved when Alice + promised to remain. + </p> + <p> + After the evening romp and the last good-night, when the two elder + children, Ben and Marie, called after her mother, Maritana, had given her + their last injunctions to be sure and come for them “her very own self” on + her way down to breakfast in the morning, she usually rode down between + the cabbage-trees, down by the old rata, fired last autumn, away through + the grasslands to the doctor’s house, a few miles nearer Rochester; or he + and his wife would ride out to chat with her. But there were many evenings + when she preferred the quiet of the airy house and the garden. The + colonial life was new to her, everything had its charm, and in the + colonies there is always a letter to write to those at home—the + mail-bag is never satisfied. On such evenings it was her custom to cross + the meadow to the copse of feathery trees beyond, where, sung to by the + brook and the Tui, the children’s mother slept. And from the high presence + of the Mountain Beautiful there fell a dew of peace. + </p> + <p> + She would often ask Mrs. Bentley to sit with her until bedtime, and revel + in the shrewd north-country woman’s experiences, and her impressions of + the new land to which love had brought her. Both women grew to have a + sincere and trustful affection for each other, and one night, seven or + eight months after Mrs. Denison’s death, Mrs. Bentley told a story which + explained what had frequently puzzled Alice—the patient sorrow in + Mrs. Denison’s eyes, and Mr. Denison’s harassed and dejected manner. “But + for your goodness to the children,” said the old woman, “and the way that + precious baby takes to you, I don’t think I should be willing to say what + I am going to do, miss. Though my dear mistress wished it, and said, the + very last night, ‘You must tell her all about it, some day, Nana,’—and + I promised, to quiet her,—I don’t think I could bring myself to it + if I hadn’t lived with you and known you.” And then the good nurse told + her strange and moving tale. + </p> + <p> + She described how her master had come out young and careless-hearted to + New Zealand in the service of the government, and how scandalised and + angry his father and mother, the old Tory squire and his wife, had been to + receive from him, after a year or two, letters brimming with a boyish love + for his “beautiful Maori princess,” whom he described as having “the + sweetest heart and the loveliest eyes in the world.” It gave them little + comfort to hear that her father was one of the wealthiest Maoris in the + island, and that, though but half civilised himself, he had had his + daughter well educated in the “bishop’s” and other English schools. To + them she was a savage. There was no threat of disinheritance, for there + was nothing for him to inherit. There was little money, and the estate was + entailed on the elder brother. But all that could be done to intimidate + him was done, and in vain. Then silence fell between the parents and the + son. + </p> + <p> + But one spring day came the news of a grandson, called Benjamin after his + grandfather, and an urgent letter from their boy himself, enclosing a + prettily and humbly worded note from the new strange daughter, begging for + an English nurse. She told them that she had now no father and no mother, + for they had died before the baby came, and if she might love her + husband’s parents a little she would be glad. + </p> + <p> + “My lady read the letters to me herself,” Mrs. Bentley said; “I’d taken + the housekeeper’s place a bit before, and she asked me to find her a + sensible young woman. Well, I tried, but there wasn’t a girl in the place + that was fit to nurse Master Horace’s child. And the end of it was, I came + myself, for Master Horace had been like my own when he was a little lad. + My lady pretended to be vexed with me, but the day I sailed she thanked me + in words I never thought to hear from her, for she was a bit proud + always.” The faithful servant’s voice trembled. She leaned back in her + chair, and forgot for the moment the new house and the new duties. She was + back again in the old nursery with the fair-haired child playing about her + knees. But Alice’s face recalled her, and she continued the story. She + had, she said, dreaded the meeting with her new mistress, and was prepared + to find her “a sort of a heathen woman, who’d pull down Master Horace till + he couldn’t call himself a gentleman.” + </p> + <p> + But when she saw the graceful creature who received her with gentle words + and gestures of kindliness, and when she found her young master not only + content, but happy, and when she took in her arms the laughing healthy + baby, she felt—though she regretted its dark eyes and hair—more + at home than she could have believed possible. The nurseries were so large + and comfortable, and so much consideration was shown to her, that she + confessed, “I should have been more ungrateful than a cat if I hadn’t + settled comfortable.” + </p> + <p> + Then came nearly five happy years, during which time her young mistress + had found a warm and secure place in the good Yorkshire heart. “She was + that loving and that kind that Dick Burdas, the groom, used to say that he + believed she was an angel as had took up with them dark folks, to show ‘em + what an angel was like.” Mrs. Bentley went on: + </p> + <p> + “She wasn’t always quite happy, and I wondered what brought the shadow + into her face, and why she would at times sigh that deep that I could have + cried. After a bit I knew what it was. It was the Maori in her. She told + me one night that she was a wicked woman, and ought never to have married + Master Horace, for she got tired sometimes of the English house and its + ways, and longed for her father’s <i>whare</i>; (that’s a native hut, + miss). She grieved something awful one day when she had been to see old + Tim, the Maori who lives behind the stables. She called herself a bad and + ungrateful woman, and thought there must be some evil spirit in her + tempting her into the old ways, because, when she saw Tim eating, and you + know what bad stuff they eat, she had fair longed to join him. She gave me + a fright I didn’t get over for nigh a week. She leaned her bonny head + against my knee, and I stroked her cheek and hummed some silly nursery + tune,—for she was all of a tremble and like a child,—and she + fell asleep just where she was.” + </p> + <p> + “Poor thing!” said Alice, softly. + </p> + <p> + “Eh, but it’s what’s coming that upsets me, ma’am. Eh, what suffering for + my pretty lamb, and her that wouldn’t have hurt a worm! Baby would be + about six months old when she came in one day with him in her arms, and + they <i>were</i> a picture. His little hand was fast in her hair. She + always walked as if she’d wheels on her feet, that gliding and graceful. + She had on a sort of sheeny yellow silk, and her cheeks were like them + damask roses at home, and her eyes fair shone like stars. ‘Isn’t he a + beauty, Nana?’ she asked me. ‘If only he had blue eyes, and that hair of + gold like my husband’s, and not these ugly eyes of mine!’ And as she spoke + she sighed as I dreaded to hear. Then she told me to help her to unpack + her new dress from Paris, which she was to wear at the Rochester races the + next day. Master Horace always chose her dresses, and he was right proud + of her in them. And next morning he came into the nursery with her, and + she was all in pale red, and that beautiful! ‘Isn’t she scrumptious, + Nana?’ he said, in his boyish way. ‘Don’t spoil her dress, children. How + like her Marie grows!’ Those two little ones they had got her on her knees + on the ground, and were hugging her as if they couldn’t let her go. But + when he said that, she got up very still and white. + </p> + <p> + “‘I am sorry,’ she said; ‘they must never be like me.’ + </p> + <p> + “‘They can’t be any one better, can they, baby?’ he answered her, and he + tossed the child nearly up to the ceiling. But he looked worried as he + went out. I saw them drive away, and they looked happy enough. And oh, + miss, I saw them come back. We were in the porch, me and the children. + Master Horace lifted her down, and I heard him say, ‘Never mind, Marie.’ + But she never looked his way nor ours; she walked straight in and upstairs + to her room, past my bonny darling with his arm stretched out to her, and + past Miss Marie, who was jumping up and down, and shouting ‘Muvver’; and I + heard her door shut. Then Master Horace took baby from me. + </p> + <p> + “‘Go up to her,’ he said, and I could scarce hear him. His face was all + drawn like, but I felt that silly and stupid that I could say nothing, and + just went upstairs.” Mrs. Bentley put her knitting down, and throwing her + apron over her head sobbed aloud. + </p> + <p> + “O nurse, what was it?” cried Alice, and the colour left her cheeks. “Do + tell me. I am so sorry for them. What was it?” It was several minutes + before the good woman could recover herself; then she began: + </p> + <p> + “She told me, and Dick Burdas he told me, and it was like this. When they + got to the race-course,—it was the first races they’d had in + Rochester,—all the gentry was there, and those that knew her always + made a deal of her, she had such half-shy, winning ways. And she seemed + very bright, Dick said, talking with the governor’s lady, who is full of + fun and sparkle. The carriages were all together, and Major Beaumont, a + kind old gentleman who’s always been a good friend to Master Horace, would + have them in his carriage for luncheon, or whatever it was. Dick says he + was thinking that she was the prettiest lady there, when his eye was + caught by two or three parties of Maoris setting themselves right in front + of the carriages. There were four or five in each lot, and they were + mostly old. They got out their sharks’ flesh and that bad corn they eat, + and began to make their meal of them. Near Mrs. Denison there was one old + man with a better sort of face, and Dick heard her say to master, ‘Isn’t + he like my father?’ What Master Horace answered he didn’t hear; he says he + never saw anything like her face, so sad and wild, and working for all the + world as if something were fighting her within. Then all in a minute she + ran out and slipped down in her beautiful dress close by the old Maori in + his dirty rags, and was rubbing her face against his, as them folks do + when they meet. She had just taken a mouthful of the raw fish when Master + Horace missed her. He hadn’t noticed her slip away. But in a moment he + seemed to understand what it meant. He saw the Maori come out strong in + her face, and he knew the Maori had got the better of everything, husband + and friends and all. He gave a little cry, and in a minute he had her on + her feet and was bringing her back to the carriage. Some folks thought + Dick Burdas a rough hard man, and I know he was a shocker of a lad (he was + fra Whitby), but that night he cried like a baby when he tell ‘t me,” and + Mrs. Bentley fell for a moment into the dialect of her youth. + </p> + <p> + “He said,” she continued, “that she looked like a poor stricken thing + condemned, and let herself be led back as submissive as a child, and + Master Horace’s face was like the dead. He didn’t think any one but the + major and Dr. Danby saw her go, all was done in a minute. But it was done, + and some few had seen, and it got out, and things were said that wasn’t + true. Not the doctor! No, miss, you needn’t tell me that; he’s told none, + that I’ll warrant. He’s faithful and he’s close.” + </p> + <p> + “O Mrs. Bentley, how dreadful for her, how dreadful!” and the girl went + down on her knees by the old woman, her tears flowing fast. + </p> + <p> + “That’s it, miss, you understand. I feel like that. It was bad enough for + Master Horace with the future before him, and his children to think of, + but for her it was desperate cruel. Eh, ma’am, what she went through! She + loved more than you’d have thought us poor human beings could. And, after + all, the nature was in her; she didn’t put it there. I’ve had a deal to do + to keep down sinful thoughts since then; there’s a lot of things that’s + wrong in this world, ma’am.” + </p> + <p> + “What did she do?” Alice whispered. + </p> + <p> + “She! She was for going away and leaving everything; she felt herself the + worst woman in the world. It was only by begging and praying of her on my + knees that I got her to stay in the house that night, for she was so far + English, and had such a fancy, that she saw everything blacker than any + Englishwoman would, even the partick’lerest. Afterward Master Horace was + that good and gentle, and she loved him so much, that he persuaded her to + say nothing more about it, and to try to live as if it hadn’t been. And so + she seemed to do, outward like, to other people. But it wasn’t ever the + same again. Something had broken in them both; with him it was his trust + and his pride, but in her it was her heart.” + </p> + <p> + “But the children—surely they comforted her.” + </p> + <p> + “Eh, miss, that was the worst. Poor lamb, poor lamb! Never after that day, + though they were more to her nor children ever were to a mother before, + would she have them with her. Just a morning and a good-night kiss, and a + quarter of an hour at most, and I must take them away. She watched them + play in the garden from her window or the little hill there, and when they + were asleep she would sit by them for hours, saying how bonny they were + and how good they were growing. And she looked after their clothes and + their food and every little toy and pleasure, but never came in for a romp + and a chat any more.” + </p> + <p> + “Dear, brave heart!” murmured the girl. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, ma’am, you feel for her, I know. She was fair terrified of them + turning Maori and shaming their father. That was it. You didn’t notice? + No; after you came she was too ill to bear them about, and it seemed + natural, I dare say. The Maoris are a fearful delicate set of folks. A bad + cold takes them off into consumption directly. And with her there was the + sorrow as well as the cold. It was wonderful that she lived so long.” + </p> + <p> + Alice threw her arms round Mrs. Bentley’s neck. + </p> + <p> + “O nurse, it is all so dreadful and sad. Couldn’t we have somehow kept her + with us and made her happy?” + </p> + <p> + The old woman held her close. “Nay, my dear bairn, never after that + happened. It, or worse, might have come again. It’s something stronger in + them than we know; it’s the very blood, I’m thinking. But she’s gone to be + the angel that Dick always said she was.” + </p> + <p> + Alice looked away over the starlit garden to where the plumy trees stirred + in the night wind. “No,” she said, fervently, “not ‘gone to be,’ nurse + dear; she was an angel always. Dick was right.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0005" id="link2H_4_0005"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + KING BILLY OF BALLARAT, By Morley Roberts + </h2> + <p> + King Billy was given to strolling up and down the streets of Ballarat when + that eviscerated city was merely in process of disembowelment, before + alluvial mining gave way to quartz-crushing, when the individual had a + chance, if a very vague one, of sudden and delightful fortune. The + Ballarat blacks were a scaly lot, to talk of them like ill-fed hogs, as + men were wont to do. They dwined and dwindled, as natives will before the + resources of civilisation: the bloodthirsty ones got killed out; the + rumthirsty ones died out; the wild corroboree was reduced to a + poverty-stricken imitation of its former glory. King Billy’s authority + grew less with the increase of his clothes. The brass plate with his name + on it was about the last relic of his precarious power, and was chiefly + valued as a means of notifying the public generally that they might stand + drinks to a monarch if they saw fit and were not too humble. He was not + haughty, and never presumed on his plate, as parvenus will. He came of an + ancient stock, and could afford to condescend, even if he could not afford + to pay for drinks. He was very kind to children,—white children, of + course,—and was hale-fellow-well-met with many of them. + </p> + <p> + He was particularly fond of Annie Colborn, whose father was a magistrate + and a gold commissioner, and a person of very great importance. Whether or + not King Billy was wise in his generation, and out of the unwritten + Scriptures of the somber bush had culled a maxim inculcating the wisdom of + making friends of the sons of Mammon, I cannot say, but he was always good + to Annie. For my own part, I do not believe the simple-hearted old king + had any such notion inside his thick antipodean skull. He was good because + he was not bad, which is the very best morality after all, and a great + advance on much we hear of. And, besides, he was sometimes hungry, and Mr. + Colborn’s Chinese cook was very haughty, and not to be approached except + through an intermediary. And who so capable of conciliating Wong as Annie? + Wong would make her cakes even when his pigtail hung despondently from his + aching head after an opium debauch, and his cheeks were shining with + anything but gladness; for if you get drunk very often on opium you shine. + </p> + <p> + Old Billy was mostly to be found where there was a chance of a drink; but + if the fountains were dried up, or he had been insulted by some + democratic, revolutionary, king-hating miner knocking his high hat down + over his eyes, he usually went up to Mr. Colborn’s place, and sat on the + fence, or on a log outside the gate. So he was often very melancholy when + Annie came out. One day his hat was very, very badly bulged indeed. + </p> + <p> + “Your hat is very bad to-day, King Billy,” said six-year-old Annie, as she + stood in front of him critically, with her head on one side. Without + knowing it, the child had come to look upon the state of the poor king’s + hat as emblematical of his state of mind. When it shut up like a closed + concertina his barometer was low. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, missy,” said the king; “white man knock ‘um over eyes, and”—with + a rub down his face—“skin ‘um nose.” + </p> + <p> + She inspected his nose carefully—though from a certain distance, + because her own nose was very good, both inside and out, and she knew the + king never got washed unless it rained when he was very drunk. And this + was the end of summer. It had not rained since November. + </p> + <p> + “There is not very much skin off,” said Annie. “You had better wash it.” + </p> + <p> + The king made a wry face and changed the conversation. + </p> + <p> + “You got ‘um hat, Missy Annie? One hat baal brokum, allasame white fellow + hat. Bad hat, King Billy bad; black fellow, white fellow laugh.” + </p> + <p> + He peered into his hat, and, trying to straighten it out, put his fist + through the side. Poor Billy looked as if he could cry. + </p> + <p> + “You stop a minute,” said Annie, and, flying indoors, she brought out a + very good high hat indeed. “Budgeree!” thought the king, that was a good + hat. He could go down the streets like a king indeed, able to hold up his + head with any rich man in Ballarat. He tried it on, and though it was much + too big, he knew it shone. And the glory of a hat is in its shining as + much as its shape; even a black fellow knows that. + </p> + <p> + But that hat very nearly led to serious trouble. For one thing, Mr. + Colborn missed it; and never thinking Annie had given it away, when he saw + the king sitting on the fence decorated with it, he stopped and + interviewed him. + </p> + <p> + “Where did you get that hat, you old thief?” asked the magistrate, without + any politeness to him who ruled the land before white men broke into the + country. Some in authority are polite to those they dispossess; the + Prussians, for instance, to the miserable King Billys who strut about the + empire. But the Anglo-Saxon only respects himself, and even that to a + limited extent, in new conquests. + </p> + <p> + The question troubled King Billy greatly. He did not know that Mr. Colborn + would as soon have thought of murdering Annie as of bullying her; so he + lied promptly: “Me buy ‘um, Mistah Cobon!” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Colborn took it off of his head, and saw that it was his, as he had + thought. What he would have said I do not know, for just then he heard a + voice behind him: + </p> + <p> + “Papa, it is my fault; I gave it to King Billy.” + </p> + <p> + Colborn turned round and took her up, letting fall the hat as he did so. + Billy made a jump, picked it up, and, in his agitation, brushed it + carefully the wrong way. + </p> + <p> + “My dear, if you gave it to him it’s all right. But why didn’t the old + fool tell me?” + </p> + <p> + “He’s not an old fool, papa, and you must not say so. He’s a good man, and + I think he thought you would be angry with me. Didn’t you, King Billy?” + And the king, with a smile of conscious rectitude, admitted it was so. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Colborn gave him sixpence; and he gave Annie a great many kisses, + declaring, with uncommon thoughtlessness, that whatever she did was right, + and that she could give the king all his house, and Australia to boot. + Whereon King Billy smiled a smile that was portentous, and showed his + teeth to the uttermost recesses of his ample mouth. Looking down, he + surveyed the rest of his clothes, which in parts resembled the child’s + definition of a net as a lot of holes tied together with string, and, + looking up, he inspected Mr. Colborn as if estimating the resources of his + wardrobe. But being urgently smitten with the necessity of getting rid of + his sixpence, he shambled off into the town. Other matters might wait; + that admitted of no delay. + </p> + <p> + The mind of King Billy was not a big mind; it would no more have taken in + an abstract idea than his <i>gunyah</i> would have accommodated a grand + piano. He was as simple as sunlight, and to resolve his intellect into + seven colours would want the most ingenious spectroscope. But he could + make an inference from a positive fact, and, having made it, he did not + allow more remote deductions to trouble his legitimate conclusion. He + ceased to fear Mr. Colborn, and began to look upon the magistrate’s + property as if it were at least half his own. So he got very drunk on the + hospitality of a new chum miner who had been successful, and presently, + presuming on his new possessions, got into a fight with his entertainer + and a disrespectful subking of his own blacks, and was reduced to worse + rags than ever. + </p> + <p> + Next morning he sat outside the magistrate’s house, on the lowest log he + could find, and when Mr. Colborn came out he tackled him with the air of a + subject king demanding redress of his suzerain. + </p> + <p> + “Well, Billy, what is it?” asked the suzerain. + </p> + <p> + “You belong gublement?” said Billy the king, with a question, an implied + doubt, and a great complaint in his voice. Colborn laughed. + </p> + <p> + “Why, yes, Billy; I belong to the government, I suppose.” + </p> + <p> + “Then,” said Billy, “what you say to white fellow make ‘um black fellow + drunk, knock ‘um all about? Call you that gublement?” And he showed his + kingly robe, which had once been a frock-coat, with great disgust. + </p> + <p> + However, he met with no favour, and was told that he should not get drunk—that + it served him right; with which magisterial decision Colborn got on his + horse and rode off to the flat. + </p> + <p> + The king sat down sadly and considered thickly in his slow brain. Annie + did not come out, and he knew better than to ask for her, for Mr. + Colborn’s niece, who kept house for him, was but newly come from home, and + thought all black fellows congenital murderers, which indeed they are in + some parts of the north. So Billy sat and waited, for he wanted a new + coat. How could he be respected in one whose natural divisions were + unnaturally extended to the very neck? It was obviously necessary to get a + new garment at once, and the best chance of a good one lay in little + Annie’s kindness. But in order to obviate the slightest chance of his girl + patron’s refusing, he must bring her some offering. He went off into the + bush at the back of the town, and, coming to where three or four black + fellows were camped, he sat down and talked with them. In spite of the + heat, a wretched old gin, muffled up in her one garment, a ragged blanket, + held her hands over the few burning sticks which represent an Australian + native’s idea of a fire. Presently King Billy rose, and, taking a + tomahawk, went farther into the bush. He looked about, and at last came to + a tree, which he climbed native fashion, first discarding his clothes. + When near the first big branches he came to a hole, and, putting in his + hand, he extracted a lively young possum by the tail. + </p> + <p> + Next morning he was sitting on the Colborns’ fence as usual. At his feet + was a little box with two or three slats nailed roughly across it. Inside + was the possum. King Billy wondered what kind of a coat he could get. He + liked a frock-coat; there was something majestic about it, something fine + and ample. Common morning coats would not do; no one would insult a king + by offering him tweed; even little Annie knew better than that, especially + if he gave her a live possum he had caught himself. And when Annie did + come out, she was in the seventh heaven of delight with the possum, and + ready to bestow anything in the world on King Billy. + </p> + <p> + “You give poor Billy one fellow coat, missy, and he go down along street + like a king.” + </p> + <p> + Annie flew into the house and seized the first garment she laid her little + hands on. It was her father’s dress-coat. She rolled it up, and, running + out, thrust it excitedly into the king’s black paw. As he went off, she + carried the possum indoors, and was deliriously happy for hours. + </p> + <p> + King Billy hurried into the bush till he came to a water-hole, and, + stripping off his rags, he held up the coat. His jaw fell; there was a + remarkable exiguity about the coat which was inexplicable. He had never + observed such in his life. He put it on, and, bending over the surface of + the still pool, took a good look at the general effect. It was not bad + from some points of view, but Billy had his doubts as to whether he would + be received with the respect due to his title if he went into Ballarat + clothed thus. He tried to button it, but discovered that, if it had ever + been intended for buttoning, he could not get it to meet across his chest. + He picked up his discarded frock-coat, which was held together by the + collar; then he felt the stuff of which the dress-coat was made, and the + material pleased him. “Oh, why,” asked Billy, “had it not been made with + front tails?” He saw at last that this coat and his high hat alone were + insufficient for civilisation. For full dress in a corroboree it might do. + Unconsciously, he was so wrought upon by the purpose for which the coat + had been built that he determined to reserve it for parties in the + seclusion of the bush, where any merriment could be rightly checked by a + crack from his waddy. He planted it carefully in a hollow log, and, having + inserted himself with as much care into his discarded rags, he wondered + off into the town. He got very intoxicated that night, and determined to + have a party all by himself. + </p> + <p> + Now it may seem very annoying, and I confess I find it so myself; but, + having got so far, I don’t see my way to tell the rest, even if Annie + Colborn told me the story herself. For after her father’s death she + married a man who had a small sheep-station and a hotel not forty miles + from Carabobla, in New South Wales. I stayed there a couple of days when I + was going north to the Murrumbidgee. But though she told me, I cannot tell + it again, at least not in bold, bad print. Still, it will occur to most + that a man of King Billy’s sweet and innocent disposition might very + likely create a sensation, when his natural discretion was drowned in bad + whisky, if he ended his solitary corroboree in the moonlight by going up + to Colborn’s house in order to deliver a speech of gratitude through the + French windows. + </p> + <p> + So Colborn and the king had a corroboree all to themselves in the open + space before the house, while the gold commissioner’s guests roared with + laughter to find out where the missing dress-coat was. Next day King Billy + resumed the split frock-coat. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0006" id="link2H_4_0006"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + THY HEART’S DESIRE, By Netta Syrett + </h2> + <p> + The tents were pitched in the little plain surrounded by hills. Right and + left there were stretches of tender, vivid green where the young corn was + springing; farther still, on either hand, the plain was yellow with + mustard-flower; but in the immediate foreground it was bare and stony. A + few thorny bushes pushed their straggling way through the dry soil, + ineffectively as far as the grace of the landscape was concerned, for they + merely served to emphasise the barren aridness of the land that stretched + before the tents, sloping gradually to the distant hills. + </p> + <p> + The hills were uninteresting enough in themselves; they had no grandeur of + outline, no picturesqueness even, though at morning and evening the sun, + like a great magician, clothed them with beauty at a touch. + </p> + <p> + They had begun to change, to soften, to blush rose red in the evening + light, when a woman came to the entrance of the largest of the tents and + looked toward them. She leaned against the support on one side of the + canvas flap, and, putting back her head, rested that, too, against it, + while her eyes wandered over the plain and over the distant hills. + </p> + <p> + She was bareheaded, for the covering of the tent projected a few feet to + form an awning overhead. The gentle breeze which had risen with sundown + stirred the soft brown tendrils of hair on her temples, and fluttered her + pink cotton gown a little. She stood very still, with her arms hanging and + her hands clasped loosely in front of her. There was about her whole + attitude an air of studied quiet which in some vague fashion the slight + clasp of her hands accentuated. Her face, with its tightly, almost rigidly + closed lips, would have been quite in keeping with the impression of + conscious calm which her entire presence suggested, had it not been that + when she raised her eyes a strange contradiction to this idea was + afforded. They were large gray eyes, unusually bright and rather startling + in effect, for they seemed the only live thing about her. Gleaming from + her still, set face, there was something almost alarming in their + brilliancy. They softened with a sudden glow of pleasure as they rested on + the translucent green of the wheat-fields under the broad generous + sunlight, and then wandered to where the pure vivid yellow of the + mustard-flower spread in waves to the base of the hills, now mystically + veiled in radiance. She stood motionless, watching their melting, elusive + changes from palpitating rose to the transparent purple of amethyst. The + stillness of evening was broken by the monotonous, not unmusical creaking + of a Persian wheel at some little distance to the left of the tent. The + well stood in a little grove of trees; between their branches she could + see, when she turned her head, the coloured saris of the village women, + where they stood in groups chattering as they drew the water, and the + little naked brown babies that toddled beside them or sprawled on the hard + ground beneath the trees. From the village of flat-roofed mud houses under + the low hill at the back of the tents, other women were crossing the plain + toward the well, their terra-cotta water-jars poised easily on their + heads, casting long shadows on the sun-baked ground as they came. + </p> + <p> + Presently, in the distance, from the direction of the sunlit hills + opposite a little group of men came into sight. Far off, the + mustard-coloured jackets and the red turbans of the orderlies made vivid + splashes of colour on the dull plain. As they came nearer, the guns slung + across their shoulders, the cases of mathematical instruments, the + hammers, and other heavy baggage they carried for the sahib, became + visible. A little in front, at walking pace rode the sahib himself, making + notes as he came in a book he held before him. The girl at the tent + entrance watched the advance of the little company indifferently, it + seemed; except for a slight tightening of the muscles about her mouth, her + face remained unchanged. While he was still some little distance away, the + man with the notebook raised his head and smiled awkwardly as he saw her + standing there. Awkwardness, perhaps, best describes the whole man. He was + badly put together, loose-jointed, ungainly. The fact that he was tall + profited him nothing, for it merely emphasised the extreme ungracefulness + of his figure. His long pale face was made paler by the shock of coarse, + tow-coloured hair; his eyes, even, looked colourless, though they were + certainly the least uninteresting feature of his face, for they were not + devoid of expression. He had a way of slouching when he moved that + singularly intensified the general uncouthness of his appearance. “Are you + very tired?” asked his wife, gently, when he had dismounted close to the + tent. The question would have been an unnecessary one had it been put to + her instead of to her husband, for her voice had that peculiar flat + toneless sound for which extreme weariness is answerable. + </p> + <p> + “Well, no, my dear, not very,” he replied, drawling out the words with an + exasperating air of delivering a final verdict, after deep reflection on + the subject. + </p> + <p> + The girl glanced once more at the fading colours on the hills. “Come in + and rest,” she said, moving aside a little to let him pass. + </p> + <p> + She stood lingering a moment after he had entered the tent, as though + unwilling to leave the outer air; and before she turned to follow him she + drew a deep breath, and her hand went for one swift second to her throat + as though she felt stifled. + </p> + <p> + Later on that evening she sat in her tent, sewing by the light of the lamp + that stood on her little table. + </p> + <p> + Opposite to her, her husband stretched his ungainly length in a + deck-chair, and turned over a pile of official notes. Every now and then + her eyes wandered from the gay silks of the table-cover she was + embroidering to the canvas walls which bounded the narrow space into which + their few household goods were crowded. Outside there was a deep hush. The + silence of the vast empty plain seemed to work its way slowly, steadily in + toward the little patch of light set in its midst. The girl felt it in + every nerve; it was as though some soft-footed, noiseless, shapeless + creature, whose presence she only dimly divined, was approaching nearer—<i>nearer</i>. + The heavy outer stillness was in some way made more terrifying by the + rustle of the papers her husband was reading, by the creaking of his chair + as he moved, and by the little fidgeting grunts and half-exclamations + which from time to time broke from him. His wife’s hand shook at every + unintelligible mutter from him, and the slight habitual contraction + between her eyes deepened. + </p> + <p> + All at once she threw her work down on to the table. “For heaven’s sake—<i>please</i>, + John, <i>talk</i>!” she cried. Her eyes, for the moment’s space in which + they met the startled ones of her husband, had a wild, hunted look, but it + was gone almost before his slow brain had time to note that it had been + there—and was vaguely disturbing. She laughed a little unsteadily. + </p> + <p> + “Did I startle you? I’m sorry. I”—she laughed again—“I believe + I’m a little nervous. When one is all day alone—” She paused without + finishing the sentence. The man’s face changed suddenly. A wave of + tenderness swept over it, and at the same time an expression of + half-incredulous delight shone in his pale eyes. + </p> + <p> + “Poor little girl, are you really lonely?” he said. Even the real feeling + in his tone failed to rob his voice of its peculiarly irritating grating + quality. He rose awkwardly, and moved to his wife’s side. + </p> + <p> + Involuntarily she shrank a little, and the hand which he had stretched out + to touch her hair sank to his side. She recovered herself immediately, and + turned her face up to his, though she did not raise her eyes; but he did + not kiss her. Instead, he stood in an embarrassed fashion a moment by her + side, and then went back to his seat. + </p> + <p> + There was silence again for some time. The man lay back in his chair, + gazing at his big, clumsy shoes as though he hoped for some inspiration + from that quarter, while his wife worked with nervous haste. + </p> + <p> + “Don’t let me keep you from reading, John,” she said, and her voice had + regained its usual gentle tone. + </p> + <p> + “No, my dear; I’m just thinking of something to say to you, but I don’t + seem—” + </p> + <p> + She smiled a little. In spite of herself, her lip curled faintly. “Don’t + worry about it; it was stupid of me to expect it. I mean—” she + added, hastily, immediately repenting the sarcasm. She glanced furtively + at him, but his face was quite unmoved; evidently he had not noticed it, + and she smiled faintly again. + </p> + <p> + “O Kathie, I knew there was <i>something</i> I’d forgotten to tell you, my + dear; there’s a man coming down here. I don’t know whether—” + </p> + <p> + She looked up sharply. “A man coming <i>here</i>? What for?” she + interrupted, breathlessly. + </p> + <p> + “Sent to help me about this oil-boring business, my dear.” + </p> + <p> + He had lighted his pipe, and was smoking placidly, taking long whiffs + between his words. + </p> + <p> + “Well?” impatiently questioned his wife, fixing her bright eyes on his + face. + </p> + <p> + “Well—that’s all, my dear.” + </p> + <p> + She checked an exclamation. “But don’t you know anything about him—his + name? where he comes from? what he is like?” She was leaning forward + against the table, her needle, with a long end of yellow silk drawn + half-way through her work, held in her upraised hand, her whole attitude + one of quivering excitement and expectancy. + </p> + <p> + The man took his pipe from his mouth deliberately, with a look of slow + wonder. + </p> + <p> + “Why, Kathie, you seem quite anxious. I didn’t know you’d be so + interested, my dear. Well,”—another long pull at his pipe,—“his + name’s Brook—<i>Brookfield</i>, I think.” He paused again. “This + pipe doesn’t draw well a bit; there’s something wrong with it, I shouldn’t + wonder,” he added, taking it out and examining the bowl as though struck + with the brilliance of the idea. + </p> + <p> + The woman opposite put down her work and clinched her hands under the + table. + </p> + <p> + “Go on, John,” she said, presently, in a tense, vibrating voice; “his name + is Brookfield. Well, where does he come from?” + </p> + <p> + “Straight from home, my dear, I believe.” He fumbled in his pocket, and + after some time extricated a pencil, with which he began to poke the + tobacco in the bowl in an ineffectual aimless fashion, becoming completely + engrossed in the occupation apparently. There was another long pause. The + woman went on working, or feigning to work, for her hands were trembling a + good deal. + </p> + <p> + After some moments she raised her head again. “John, will you mind + attending to me one moment, and answering these questions as quickly as + you can?” The emphasis on the last word was so faint as to be almost as + imperceptible as the touch of exasperated contempt which she could not + absolutely banish from her tone. + </p> + <p> + Her husband, looking up, met her clear bright gaze, and reddened like a + school-boy. + </p> + <p> + “Whereabouts ‘<i>from home</i>’ does he come?” she asked, in a studiedly + gentle fashion. + </p> + <p> + “Well, from London, I think,” he replied, almost briskly for him, though + he stammered and tripped over the words. “He’s a university chap; I used + to hear he was clever; I don’t know about that, I’m sure; he used to chaff + me, I remember, but—” + </p> + <p> + “Chaff <i>you</i>? You have met him then?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, my dear,”—he was fast relapsing into his slow drawl again,—“that + is, I went to school with him; but it’s a long time ago. Brookfield—yes, + that must be his name.” + </p> + <p> + She waited a moment; then, “When is he coming?” she inquired, abruptly. + </p> + <p> + “Let me see—to-day’s—” + </p> + <p> + “<i>Monday</i>;” the word came swiftly between her set teeth. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, yes—Monday; well,” reflectively, “<i>next</i> Monday, my dear.” + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Drayton rose, and began to pace softly the narrow passage between the + table and the tent wall, her hands clasped loosely behind her. + </p> + <p> + “How long have you known this?” she said, stopping abruptly. “O John, you + <i>needn’t</i> consider; it’s quite a simple question. To-day? Yesterday?” + </p> + <p> + Her foot moved restlessly on the ground as she waited. + </p> + <p> + “I think it was the day before yesterday,” he replied. + </p> + <p> + “Then why, in heaven’s name, didn’t you tell me before?” she broke out, + fiercely. + </p> + <p> + “My dear, it slipped my memory. If I’d thought you would be interested—” + </p> + <p> + “Interested!” She laughed shortly. “It <i>is</i> rather interesting to + hear that after six months of this”—she made a quick comprehensive + gesture with her hand—“one will have some one to speak to—some + one. It is the hand of Providence; it comes just in time to save me from—” + She checked herself abruptly. + </p> + <p> + He sat staring up at her stupidly, without a word. + </p> + <p> + “It’s all right, John,” she said, with a quick change of tone, gathering + up her work quietly as she spoke. “I’m not mad—yet. You—you + must get used to these little outbreaks,” she added, after a moment, + smiling faintly; “and, to do me justice, I don’t <i>often</i> trouble you + with them, do I? I’m just a little tired, or it’s the heat or—something. + No—don’t touch me!” she cried, shrinking back; for he had risen + slowly and was coming toward her. + </p> + <p> + She had lost command over her voice, and the shrill note of horror in it + was unmistakable. The man heard it, and shrank in his turn. + </p> + <p> + “I’m so sorry, John,” she murmured, raising her great bright eyes to his + face. They had not lost their goaded expression, though they were full of + tears. “I’m awfully sorry; but I’m just nervous and stupid, and I can’t + bear <i>any one</i> to touch me when I’m nervous.” + </p> + <p> + “Here’s Broomhurst, my dear! I made a mistake in his name after all, I + find. I told you <i>Brookfield</i>, I believe, didn’t I? Well, it isn’t + Brookfield, he says; it’s Broomhurst.” + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Drayton had walked some little distance across the plain to meet and + welcome the expected guest. She stood quietly waiting while her husband + stammered over his incoherent sentences, and then put out her hand. + </p> + <p> + “We are very glad to see you,” she said, with a quick glance at the + new-comer’s face as she spoke. + </p> + <p> + As they walked together toward the tent, after the first greetings, she + felt his keen eyes upon her before he turned to her husband. + </p> + <p> + “I’m afraid Mrs. Drayton finds the climate trying?” he asked. “Perhaps she + ought not to have come so far in this heat?” + </p> + <p> + “Kathie is often pale. You <i>do</i> look white to-day, my dear,” he + observed, turning anxiously toward his wife. + </p> + <p> + “Do I?” she replied. The unsteadiness of her tone was hardly appreciable, + but it was not lost on Broomhurst’s quick ears. “Oh, I don’t think so. I + <i>feel</i> very well.” + </p> + <p> + “I’ll come and see if they’ve fixed you up all right,” said Drayton, + following his companion toward the new tent that had been pitched at some + little distance from the large one. + </p> + <p> + “We shall see you at dinner then?” Mrs. Drayton observed in reply to + Broomhurst’s smile as they parted. + </p> + <p> + She entered the tent slowly, and, moving up to the table already laid for + dinner, began to rearrange the things upon it in a purposeless, mechanical + fashion. + </p> + <p> + After a moment she sank down upon a seat opposite the open entrance, and + put her hand to her head. + </p> + <p> + “What is the matter with me?” she thought, wearily. “All the week I’ve + been looking forward to seeing this man—<i>any</i> man, <i>any one</i> + to take off the edge of this.” She shuddered. Even in thought she + hesitated to analyse the feeling that possessed her. “Well, he’s here, and + I think I feel <i>worse</i>.” Her eyes travelled toward the hills she had + been used to watch at this hour, and rested on them with a vague, unseeing + gaze. + </p> + <p> + “Tired Kathie? A penny for your thoughts, my dear,” said her husband, + coming in presently to find her still sitting there. + </p> + <p> + “I’m thinking what a curious world this is, and what an ironical vein of + humour the gods who look after it must possess,” she replied, with a + mirthless laugh, rising as she spoke. + </p> + <p> + John looked puzzled. + </p> + <p> + “Funny my having known Broomhurst before, you mean?” he said doubtfully. + </p> + <p> + “I was fishing down at Lynmouth this time last year,” Broomhurst said at + dinner. “You know Lynmouth, Mrs. Drayton? Do you never imagine you hear + the gurgling of the stream? I am tantalised already by the sound of it + rushing through the beautiful green gloom of those woods—<i>aren’t</i> + they lovely? And <i>I</i> haven’t been in this burnt-up spot as many hours + as you’ve had months of it.” + </p> + <p> + She smiled a little. + </p> + <p> + “You must learn to possess your soul in patience,” she said, and glanced + inconsequently from Broomhurst to her husband, and then dropped her eyes + and was silent a moment. + </p> + <p> + John was obviously, and a little audibly, enjoying his dinner. He sat with + his chair pushed close to the table, and his elbows awkwardly raised, + swallowing his soup in gulps. He grasped his spoon tightly in his bony + hand, so that its swollen joints stood out larger and uglier than ever, + his wife thought. + </p> + <p> + Her eyes wandered to Broomhurst’s hands. They were well shaped, and, + though not small, there was a look of refinement about them; he had a way + of touching things delicately, a little lingeringly, she noticed. There + was an air of distinction about his clear-cut, clean-shaven face, possibly + intensified by contrast with Drayton’s blurred features; and it was, + perhaps, also by contrast with the gray cuffs that showed beneath John’s + ill-cut drab suit that the linen Broomhurst wore seemed to her + particularly spotless. + </p> + <p> + Broomhurst’s thoughts, for his part, were a good deal occupied with his + hostess. + </p> + <p> + She was pretty, he thought, or perhaps it was that, with the wide, dry + lonely plain as a setting, her fragile delicacy of appearance was invested + with a certain flower-like charm. + </p> + <p> + “The silence here seems rather strange, rather appalling at first, when + one is fresh from a town,” he pursued, after a moment’s pause; “but I + suppose you’re used to it, eh, Drayton? How do <i>you</i> find life here, + Mrs. Drayton?” he asked, a little curiously, turning to her as he spoke. + </p> + <p> + She hesitated a second. “Oh, much the same as I should find it anywhere + else, I expect,” she replied; “after all, one carries the possibilities of + a happy life about with one; don’t you think so? The Garden of Eden + wouldn’t necessarily make my life any happier, or less happy, than a + howling wilderness like this. It depends on one’s self entirely.” + </p> + <p> + “Given the right Adam and Eve, the desert blossoms like the rose, in + fact,” Broomhurst answered, lightly, with a smiling glance inclusive of + husband and wife; “you two don’t feel as though you’d been driven out of + Paradise, evidently.” + </p> + <p> + Drayton raised his eyes from his plate with a smile of total + incomprehension. + </p> + <p> + “Great heavens! what an Adam to select!” thought Broomhurst, + involuntarily, as Mrs. Drayton rose rather suddenly from the table. + </p> + <p> + “I’ll come and help with that packing-case,” John said, rising, in his + turn, lumberingly from his place; “then we can have a smoke—eh! + Kathie don’t mind, if we sit near the entrance.” + </p> + <p> + The two men went out together, Broomhurst holding the lantern, for the + moon had not yet risen. Mrs. Drayton followed them to the doorway, and, + pushing the looped-up hanging farther aside, stepped out into the cool + darkness. + </p> + <p> + Her heart was beating quickly, and there was a great lump in her throat + that frightened her as though she were choking. + </p> + <p> + “And I am his <i>wife</i>—I <i>belong</i> to him!” she cried, almost + aloud. + </p> + <p> + She pressed both her hands tightly against her breast, and set her teeth, + fighting to keep down the rising flood that threatened to sweep away her + composure. “Oh, what a fool I am! What an hysterical fool of a woman I + am!” she whispered below her breath. She began to walk slowly up and down + outside the tent, in the space illumined by the lamplight, as though + striving to make her outwardly quiet movements react upon the inward + tumult. In a little while she had conquered; she quietly entered the tent, + drew a low chair to the entrance, and took up a book, just as footsteps + became audible. A moment afterward Broomhurst emerged from the darkness + into the circle of light outside, and Mrs. Drayton raised her eyes from + the pages she was turning to greet him with a smile. + </p> + <p> + “Are your things all right?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, yes, more or less, thank you. I was a little concerned about a case + of books, but it isn’t much damaged fortunately. Perhaps I’ve some you + would care to look at?” + </p> + <p> + “The books will be a godsend,” she returned, with a sudden brightening of + the eyes; “I was getting <i>desperate</i>—for books.” + </p> + <p> + “What are you reading now?” he asked, glancing at the volume that lay in + her lap. + </p> + <p> + “It’s a Browning. I carry it about a good deal. I think I like to have it + with me, but I don’t seem to read it much.” + </p> + <p> + “Are you waiting for a suitable optimistic moment?” Broomhurst inquired, + smiling. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, now that you mention it, I think that must be why I am waiting,” she + replied, slowly. + </p> + <p> + “And it doesn’t come—even in the Garden of Eden? Surely the serpent, + pessimism, hasn’t been insolent enough to draw you into conversation with + him?” he said, lightly. + </p> + <p> + “There has been no one to converse with at all—when John is away, I + mean. I think I should have liked a little chat with the serpent immensely + by way of a change,” she replied, in the same tone. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, yes,” Broomhurst said, with sudden seriousness; “it must be + unbearably dull for you alone here, with Drayton away all day.” + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Drayton’s hand shook a little as she fluttered a page of her open + book. + </p> + <p> + “I should think it quite natural you would be irritated beyond endurance + to hear that all’s right with the world, for instance, when you were + sighing for the long day to pass,” he continued. + </p> + <p> + “I don’t mind the day so much; it’s the evenings.” She abruptly checked + the swift words, and flushed painfully. “I mean—I’ve grown stupidly + nervous, I think—even when John is here. Oh, you have no idea of the + awful <i>silence</i> of this place at night,” she added, rising hurriedly + from her low seat, and moving closer to the doorway. “It is so close, + isn’t it?” she said, almost apologetically. There was silence for quite a + minute. + </p> + <p> + Broomhurst’s quick eyes noted the silent momentary clinching of the hands + that hung at her side, as she stood leaning against the support at the + entrance. + </p> + <p> + “But how stupid of me to give you such a bad impression of the camp—the + first evening, too!” Mrs. Drayton exclaimed, presently; and her companion + mentally commended the admirable composure of her voice. + </p> + <p> + “Probably you will never notice that it <i>is</i> lonely at all,” she + continued; “John likes it here. He is immensely interested in his work, + you know. I hope <i>you</i> are too. If you are interested it is all quite + right. I think the climate tries me a little. I never used to be stupid—and + nervous. Ah, here’s John; he’s been round to the kitchen tent, I suppose.” + </p> + <p> + “Been looking after that fellow cleanin’ my gun, my dear,” John explained, + shambling toward the deck-chair. + </p> + <p> + Later Broomhurst stood at his own tent door. He looked up at the star-sown + sky, and the heavy silence seemed to press upon him like an actual, + physical burden. + </p> + <p> + He took his cigar from between his lips presently, and looked at the + glowing end reflectively before throwing it away. + </p> + <p> + “Considering that she has been alone with him here for six months, she has + herself very well in hand—<i>very</i> well in hand,” he repeated. + </p> + <p> + It was Sunday morning. John Drayton sat just inside the tent, presumably + enjoying his pipe before the heat of the day. His eyes furtively followed + his wife as she moved about near him, sometimes passing close to his chair + in search of something she had mislaid. There was colour in her cheeks; + her eyes, though preoccupied, were bright; there was a lightness and + buoyancy in her step which she set to a little dancing air she was humming + under her breath. + </p> + <p> + After a moment or two the song ceased; she began to move slowly, sedately; + and, as if chilled by a raw breath of air, the light faded from her eyes, + which she presently turned toward her husband. + </p> + <p> + “Why do you look at me?” she asked, suddenly. + </p> + <p> + “I don’t know, my dear,” he began slowly and laboriously, as was his wont. + “I was thinkin’ how nice you looked—jest now—much better, you + know; but somehow,”—he was taking long whiffs at his pipe, as usual, + between each word, while she stood patiently waiting for him to finish,—“somehow, + you alter so, my dear—you’re quite pale again, all of a minute.” + </p> + <p> + She stood listening to him, noticing against her will the more than + suspicion of cockney accent and the thick drawl with which the words were + uttered. + </p> + <p> + His eyes sought her face piteously. She noticed that too, and stood before + him torn by conflicting emotions, pity and disgust struggling in a + hand-to-hand fight within her. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Broomhurst and I are going down by the well to sit; it’s cooler + there. Won’t you come?” she said at last, gently. + </p> + <p> + He did not reply for a moment; then he turned his head aside, sharply for + him. + </p> + <p> + “No, my dear, thank you; I’m comfortable enough here,” he returned, + huskily. + </p> + <p> + She stood over him, hesitating a second; then moved abruptly to the table, + from which she took a book. + </p> + <p> + He had risen from his seat by the time she turned to go out, and he + intercepted her timorously. + </p> + <p> + “Kathie, give me a kiss before you go,” he whispered, hoarsely. “I—I + don’t often bother you.” + </p> + <p> + She drew her breath in deeply as he put his arms clumsily about her; but + she stood still, and he kissed her on the forehead, and touched the little + wavy curls that strayed across it gently with his big, trembling fingers. + </p> + <p> + When he released her, she moved at once impetuously to the open doorway. + On the threshold she hesitated, paused a moment irresolutely, and then + turned back. + </p> + <p> + “Shall I—does your pipe want filling, John?” she asked, softly. + </p> + <p> + “No, thank you, my dear.” + </p> + <p> + “Would you like me to stay, read to you, or anything?” + </p> + <p> + He looked up at her wistfully. “N-no, thank you; I’m not much of a reader, + you know, my dear—somehow.” + </p> + <p> + She hated herself for knowing that there would be a “my dear,” probably a + “somehow,” in his reply, and despised herself for the sense of irritated + impatience she felt by anticipation, even before the words were uttered. + </p> + <p> + There was a moment’s hesitating silence, broken by the sound of quick, + firm footsteps without. Broomhurst paused at the entrance, and looked into + the tent. + </p> + <p> + “Aren’t you coming, Drayton?” he asked, looking first at Drayton’s wife + and then swiftly putting in his name with a scarcely perceptible pause. + “Too lazy? But you, Mrs. Drayton?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I’m coming,” she said. + </p> + <p> + They left the tent together, and walked some few steps in silence. + </p> + <p> + Broomhurst shot a quick glance at his companion’s face. + </p> + <p> + “Anything wrong?” he asked, presently. + </p> + <p> + Though the words were ordinary enough, the voice in which they were spoken + was in some subtle fashion a different voice from that in which he had + talked to her nearly two months ago, though it would have required a keen + sense of nice shades in sound to have detected the change. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Drayton’s sense of niceties in sound was particularly keen, but she + answered quietly, “Nothing, thank you.” + </p> + <p> + They did not speak again till the trees round the stone well were reached. + </p> + <p> + Broomhurst arranged their seats comfortably beside it. + </p> + <p> + “Are we going to read or talk?” he asked, looking up at her from his lower + place. + </p> + <p> + “Well, we generally talk most when we arrange to read; so shall we agree + to talk to-day for a change, by way of getting some reading done?” she + rejoined, smiling. “<i>You</i> begin.” + </p> + <p> + Broomhurst seemed in no hurry to avail himself of the permission; he was + apparently engrossed in watching the flecks of sunshine on Mrs. Drayton’s + white dress. The whirring of insects, and the creaking of a Persian wheel + somewhere in the neighbourhood, filtered through the hot silence. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Drayton laughed after a few minutes; there was a touch of + embarrassment in the sound. + </p> + <p> + “The new plan doesn’t answer. Suppose you read, as usual, and let me + interrupt, also as usual, after the first two lines.” + </p> + <p> + He opened the book obediently, but turned the pages at random. + </p> + <p> + She watched him for a moment, and then bent a little forward toward him. + </p> + <p> + “It is my turn now,” she said, suddenly; “is anything wrong?” + </p> + <p> + He raised his head, and their eyes met. There was a pause. “I will be more + honest than you,” he returned; “yes, there is.” + </p> + <p> + “What?” + </p> + <p> + “I’ve had orders to move on.” + </p> + <p> + She drew back, and her lips whitened, though she kept them steady. + </p> + <p> + “When do you go?” + </p> + <p> + “On Wednesday.” + </p> + <p> + There was silence again; the man still kept his eyes on her face. + </p> + <p> + The whirring of the insects and the creaking of the wheel had suddenly + grown so strangely loud and insistent that it was in a half-dazed fashion + she at length heard her name—“<i>Kathleen!</i>” + </p> + <p> + “Kathleen!” he whispered again, hoarsely. + </p> + <p> + She looked him full in the face, and once more their eyes met in a long, + grave gaze. + </p> + <p> + The man’s face flushed, and he half rose from his seat with an impetuous + movement; but Kathleen stopped him with a glance. + </p> + <p> + “Will you go and fetch my work? I left it in the tent,” she said, speaking + very clearly and distinctly; “and then will you go on reading? I will find + the place while you are gone.” + </p> + <p> + She took the book from his hand, and he rose and stood before her. + </p> + <p> + There was a mute appeal in his silence, and she raised her head slowly. + </p> + <p> + Her face was white to the lips, but she looked at him unflinchingly; and + without a word he turned and left her. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Drayton was resting in the tent on Tuesday afternoon. With the help + of cushions and some low chairs, she had improvised a couch, on which she + lay quietly with her eyes closed. There was a tenseness, however, in her + attitude which indicated that sleep was far from her. + </p> + <p> + Her features seemed to have sharpened during the last few days, and there + were hollows in her cheeks. She had been very ill for a long time, but all + at once, with a sudden movement, she turned her head and buried her face + in the cushions with a groan. Slipping from her place, she fell on her + knees beside the couch, and put both hands before her mouth to force back + the cry that she felt struggling to her lips. + </p> + <p> + For some moments the wild effort she was making for outward calm, which + even when she was alone was her first instinct, strained every nerve and + blotted out sight and hearing, and it was not till the sound was very near + that she was conscious of the ring of horse’s hoofs on the plain. + </p> + <p> + She raised her head sharply, with a thrill of fear, still kneeling, and + listened. + </p> + <p> + There was no mistake. The horseman was riding in hot haste, for the thud + of the hoofs followed one another swiftly. + </p> + <p> + As Mrs. Drayton listened her white face grew whiter, and she began to + tremble. Putting out shaking hands, she raised herself by the arms of the + folding-chair and stood upright. + </p> + <p> + Nearer and nearer came the thunder of the approaching sound, mingled with + startled exclamations and the noise of trampling feet from the direction + of the kitchen tent. + </p> + <p> + Slowly, mechanically almost, she dragged herself to the entrance, and + stood clinging to the canvas there. By the time she had reached it + Broomhurst had flung himself from the saddle, and had thrown the reins to + one of the men. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Drayton stared at him with wide, bright eyes as he hastened toward + her. + </p> + <p> + “I thought you—you are not—” she began, and then her teeth + began to chatter. “I am so cold!” she said, in a little, weak voice. + </p> + <p> + Broomhurst took her hand and led her over the threshold back into the + tent. + </p> + <p> + “Don’t be so frightened,” he implored; “I came to tell you first. I + thought it wouldn’t frighten you so much as—Your—Drayton is—very + ill. They are bringing him. I—” + </p> + <p> + He paused. She gazed at him a moment with parted lips; then she broke into + a horrible, discordant laugh, and stood clinging to the back of a chair. + </p> + <p> + Broomhurst started back. + </p> + <p> + “Do you understand what I mean?” he whispered. “Kathleen, for God’s sake—<i>don’t</i>—he + is <i>dead</i>.” + </p> + <p> + He looked over his shoulder as he spoke, her shrill laughter ringing in + his ears. The white glare and dazzle of the plain stretched before him, + framed by the entrance to the tent; far off, against the horizon, there + were moving black specks, which he knew to be the returning servants with + their still burden. + </p> + <p> + They were bringing John Drayton home. + </p> + <p> + One afternoon, some months later, Broomhurst climbed the steep lane + leading to the cliffs of a little English village by the sea. He had + already been to the inn, and had been shown by the proprietress the house + where Mrs. Drayton lodged. + </p> + <p> + “The lady was out, but the gentleman would likely find her if he went to + the cliffs—down by the bay, or thereabouts,” her landlady explained; + and, obeying her directions, Broomhurst presently emerged from the shady + woodland path on to the hillside overhanging the sea. + </p> + <p> + He glanced eagerly round him, and then, with a sudden quickening of the + heart, walked on over the springy heather to where she sat. She turned + when the rustling his footsteps made through the bracken was near enough + to arrest her attention, and looked up at him as he came. Then she rose + slowly and stood waiting for him. He came up to her without a word, and + seized both her hands, devouring her face with his eyes. Something he saw + there repelled him. Slowly he let her hands fall, still looking at her + silently. “You are not glad to see me, and I have counted the hours,” he + said, at last, in a dull, toneless voice. + </p> + <p> + Her lips quivered. “Don’t be angry with me—I can’t help it—I’m + not glad or sorry for anything now,” she answered; and her voice matched + his for grayness. + </p> + <p> + They sat down together on a long flat stone half embedded in a wiry clump + of whortleberries. Behind them the lonely hillsides rose, brilliant with + yellow bracken and the purple of heather. Before them stretched the wide + sea. It was a soft, gray day. Streaks of pale sunlight trembled at moments + far out on the water. The tide was rising in the little bay above which + they sat, and Broomhurst watched the lazy foam-edged waves slipping over + the uncovered rocks toward the shore, then sliding back as though for very + weariness they despaired of reaching it. The muffled, pulsing sound of the + sea filled the silence. Broomhurst thought suddenly of hot Eastern + sunshine, of the whir of insect wings on the still air, and the creaking + of a wheel in the distance. He turned and looked at his companion. + </p> + <p> + “I have come thousands of miles to see you,” he said; “aren’t you going to + speak to me now I am here?” + </p> + <p> + “Why did you come? I told you not to come,” she answered, falteringly. “I—” + she paused. + </p> + <p> + “And I replied that I should follow you—if you remember,” he + answered, still quietly. “I came because I would not listen to what you + said then, at that awful time. You didn’t know <i>yourself</i> what you + said. No wonder! I have given you some months, and now I have come.” + </p> + <p> + There was silence between them. Broomhurst saw that she was crying; her + tears fell fast on to her hands, that were clasped in her lap. Her face, + he noticed, was thin and drawn. + </p> + <p> + Very gently he put his arm round her shoulder and drew her nearer to him. + She made no resistance; it seemed that she did not notice the movement; + and his arm dropped at his side. + </p> + <p> + “You asked me why I had come. You think it possible that three months can + change one very thoroughly, then?” he said, in a cold voice. + </p> + <p> + “I not only think it possible; I have proved it,” she replied, wearily. + </p> + <p> + He turned round and faced her. + </p> + <p> + “You <i>did</i> love me, Kathleen!” he asserted. “You never said so in + words, but I know it,” he added, fiercely. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I did.” + </p> + <p> + “And—you mean that you don’t now?” + </p> + <p> + Her voice was very tired. “Yes; I can’t help it,” she answered; “it has + gone—utterly.” + </p> + <p> + The gray sea slowly lapped the rocks. Overhead the sharp scream of a gull + cut through the stillness. It was broken again, a moment afterward, by a + short hard laugh from the man. + </p> + <p> + “Don’t!” she whispered, and laid a hand swiftly on his arm. “Do you think + it isn’t worse for me? I wish to God I <i>did</i> love you!” she cried, + passionately. “Perhaps it would make me forget that, to all intents and + purposes, I am a murderess.” + </p> + <p> + Broomhurst met her wide, despairing eyes with an amazement which yielded + to sudden pitying comprehension. + </p> + <p> + “So that is it, my darling? You are worrying about <i>that</i>? You who + were as loyal as—” + </p> + <p> + She stopped him with a frantic gesture. + </p> + <p> + “Don’t! <i>don’t!</i>” she wailed. “If you only knew! Let me try to tell + you—will you?” she urged, pitifully. “It may be better if I tell + some one—if I don’t keep it all to myself, and think, and <i>think</i>.” + </p> + <p> + She clasped her hands tight, with the old gesture he remembered when she + was struggling for self-control, and waited a moment. + </p> + <p> + Presently she began to speak in a low, hurried tone: “It began before you + came. I know now what the feeling was that I was afraid to acknowledge to + myself. I used to try and smother it; I used to repeat things to myself + all day—poems, stupid rhymes—<i>anything</i> to keep my + thoughts quite underneath—but I—<i>hated</i> John before you + came! We had been married nearly a year then. I never loved him. Of course + you are going to say, ‘Why did you marry him?’” She looked drearily over + the placid sea. “Why <i>did</i> I marry him? I don’t know; for the reason + that hundreds of ignorant, inexperienced girls marry, I suppose. My home + wasn’t a happy one. I was miserable, and oh—<i>restless</i>. I + wonder if men know what it feels like to be restless? Sometimes I think + they can’t even guess. John wanted me very badly; nobody wanted me at home + particularly. There didn’t seem to be any point in my life. Do you + understand? . . . Of course, being alone with him in that little camp in + that silent plain”—she shuddered—“made things worse. My nerves + went all to pieces. Everything he said, his voice, his accent, his walk, + the way he ate, irritated me so that I longed to rush out sometimes and + shriek—and go <i>mad</i>. Does it sound ridiculous to you to be + driven mad by such trifles? I only know I used to get up from the table + sometimes and walk up and down outside, with both hands over my mouth to + keep myself quiet. And all the time I <i>hated</i> myself—how I + hated myself! I never had a word from him that wasn’t gentle and tender. I + believe he loved the ground I walked on. Oh, it is <i>awful</i> to be + loved like that when you—” She drew in her breath with a sob. “I—I—it + made me sick for him to come near me—to touch me.” She stopped a + moment. + </p> + <p> + Broomhurst gently laid his hand on her quivering one. “Poor little girl!” + he murmured. + </p> + <p> + “Then <i>you</i> came,” she said, “and before long I had another feeling + to fight against. At first I thought it couldn’t be true that I loved you—it + would die down. I think I was <i>frightened</i> at the feeling; I didn’t + know it hurt so to love any one.” + </p> + <p> + Broomhurst stirred a little. “Go on,” he said, tersely. + </p> + <p> + “But it didn’t die,” she continued, in a trembling whisper, “and the other + <i>awful</i> feeling grew stronger and stronger—hatred; no, that is + not the word—<i>loathing</i> for—for—John. I fought + against it. Yes,” she cried, feverishly, clasping and unclasping her + hands; “Heaven knows I fought it with all my strength, and reasoned with + myself, and—oh, I did <i>everything</i>, but—” Her + quick-falling tears made speech difficult. + </p> + <p> + “Kathleen!” Broomhurst urged, desperately, “you couldn’t help it, you poor + child. You say yourself you struggled against your feelings. You were + always gentle; perhaps he didn’t know.” + </p> + <p> + “But he did—he <i>did</i>,” she wailed; “it is just that. I hurt him + a hundred times a day; he never said so, but I knew it; and yet I <i>couldn’t</i> + be kind to him,—except in words,—and he understood. And after + you came it was worse in one way, for he knew—I <i>felt</i> he knew—that + I loved you. His eyes used to follow me like a dog’s, and I was stabbed + with remorse, and I tried to be good to him, but I couldn’t.” + </p> + <p> + “But—he didn’t suspect—he trusted you,” began Broomhurst. “He + had every reason. No woman was ever so loyal, so—” + </p> + <p> + “Hush!” she almost screamed. “Loyal! it was the least I could do—to + stop you, I mean—when you—After all, I knew it without your + telling me. I had deliberately married him without loving him. It was my + own fault. I felt it. Even if I couldn’t prevent his knowing that I hated + him, I could prevent <i>that</i>. It was my punishment. I deserved it for + <i>daring</i> to marry without love. But I didn’t spare John one pang + after all,” she added, bitterly. “He knew what I felt toward him; I don’t + think he cared about anything else. You say I mustn’t reproach myself? + When I went back to the tent that morning—when you—when I + stopped you from saying you loved me, he was sitting at the table with his + head buried in his hands; he was crying—bitterly. I saw him,—it + is terrible to see a man cry,—and I stole away gently, but he saw + me. I was torn to pieces, but I <i>couldn’t</i> go to him. I knew he would + kiss me, and I shuddered to think of it. It seemed more than ever not to + be borne that he should do that—when I knew <i>you</i> loved me.” + </p> + <p> + “Kathleen,” cried her lover, again, “don’t dwell on it all so terribly—don’t—” + </p> + <p> + “How can I forget?” she answered, despairingly. “And then,”—she + lowered her voice,—“oh, I can’t tell you—all the time, at the + back of my mind somewhere, there was a burning wish that he might <i>die</i>. + I used to lie awake at night, and, do what I would to stifle it, that + thought used to <i>scorch</i> me, I wished it so intensely. Do you believe + that by willing one can bring such things to pass?” she asked, looking at + Broomhurst with feverishly bright eyes. “No? Well, I don’t know. I tried + to smother it,—I <i>really</i> tried,—but it was there, + whatever other thoughts I heaped on the top. Then, when I heard the horse + galloping across the plain that morning, I had a sick fear that it was <i>you</i>. + I knew something had happened, and my first thought when I saw you alive + and well, and knew it was <i>John</i>, was <i>that it was too good to be + true</i>. I believe I laughed like a maniac, didn’t I? . . . Not to blame? + Why, if it hadn’t been for me he wouldn’t have died. The men say they saw + him sitting with his head uncovered in the burning sun, his face buried in + his hands—just as I had seen him the day before. He didn’t trouble + to be careful; he was too wretched.” + </p> + <p> + She paused, and Broomhurst rose and began to pace the little hillside path + at the edge of which they were seated. + </p> + <p> + Presently he came back to her. + </p> + <p> + “Kathleen, let me take care of you,” he implored, stooping toward her. “We + have only ourselves to consider in this matter. Will you come to me at + once?” + </p> + <p> + She shook her head sadly. + </p> + <p> + Broomhurst set his teeth, and the lines round his mouth deepened. He threw + himself down beside her on the heather. + </p> + <p> + “Dear,” he urged, still gently, though his voice showed he was controlling + himself with an effort, “you are morbid about this. You have been alone + too much; you are ill. Let me take care of you; I <i>can</i>, Kathleen,—and + I love you. Nothing but morbid fancy makes you imagine you are in any way + responsible for—Drayton’s death. You can’t bring him back to life, + and—” + </p> + <p> + “No,” she sighed, drearily, “and if I could, nothing would be altered. + Though I am mad with self-reproach, I feel <i>that</i>—it was all so + inevitable. If he were alive and well before me this instant, my feeling + toward him wouldn’t have changed. If he spoke to me he would say ‘my dear’—and + I should <i>loathe</i> him. Oh, I know! It is <i>that</i> that makes it so + awful.” + </p> + <p> + “But if you acknowledge it,” Broomhurst struck in, eagerly, “will you + wreck both of our lives for the sake of vain regrets? Kathleen, you never + will.” + </p> + <p> + He waited breathlessly for her answer. + </p> + <p> + “I won’t wreck both our lives by marrying again without love on my side,” + she replied, firmly. + </p> + <p> + “I will take the risk,” he said. “You <i>have</i> loved me; you will love + me again. You are crushed and dazed now with brooding over this—this + trouble, but—” + </p> + <p> + “But I will not allow you to take the risk,” Kathleen answered. “What sort + of woman should I be to be willing again to live with a man I don’t love? + I have come to know that there are things one owes to <i>one’s self</i>. + Self-respect is one of them. I don’t know how it has come to be so, but + all my old feeling for you has <i>gone</i>. It is as though it had burned + itself out. I will not offer gray ashes to any man.” + </p> + <p> + Broomhurst, looking up at her pale, set face, knew that her words were + final, and turned his own aside with a groan. + </p> + <p> + “Ah,” cried Kathleen, with a little break in her voice, “<i>don’t!</i> Go + away, and be happy and strong, and all that I loved in you. I am so sorry—so + sorry to hurt you. I—” her voice faltered miserably; “I—I only + bring trouble to people.” + </p> + <p> + There was a long pause. + </p> + <p> + “Did you never think that there is a terrible vein of irony running + through the ordering of this world?” she said, presently. “It is a mistake + to think our prayers are not answered—they are. In due time we get + our heart’s desire—when we have ceased to care for it.” + </p> + <p> + “I haven’t yet got mine,” Broomhurst answered, doggedly, “and I shall + never cease to care for it.” + </p> + <p> + She smiled a little, with infinite sadness. + </p> + <p> + “Listen, Kathleen,” he said. They had both risen, and he stood before her, + looking down at her. “I will go now, but in a year’s time I shall come + back. I will not give you up. You shall love me yet.” + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps—I don’t think so,” she answered, wearily. + </p> + <p> + Broomhurst looked at her trembling lips a moment in silence; then he + stooped and kissed both her hands instead. + </p> + <p> + “I will wait till you tell me you love me,” he said. + </p> + <p> + She stood watching him out of sight. He did not look back, and she turned + with swimming eyes to the gray sea and the transient gleams of sunlight + that swept like tender smiles across its face. + </p> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg’s Stories by English Authors: Orient, by Various + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES BY ENGLISH AUTHORS: ORIENT *** + +***** This file should be named 2035-h.htm or 2035-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/2/0/3/2035/ + +Produced by Dagny; John Bickers and David Widger + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Stories by English Authors: Orient + +Author: Various + +Release Date: March 25, 2006 [EBook #2035] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES BY ENGLISH AUTHORS: ORIENT *** + + + + +Produced by Dagny; and John Bickers + + + + + +STORIES BY ENGLISH AUTHORS + +ORIENT + + + + +CONTENTS: + + THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, Rudyard Kipling + TAJIMA, Miss Mitford + A CHINESE GIRL GRADUATE, R. K. Douglas + THE REVENGE OF HER RACE, Mary Beaumont + KING BILLY OF BALLARAT, Morley Roberts + THY HEART'S DESIRE, Netta Syrett + + + + +THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, By Rudyard Kipling + + Brother to a Prince and fellow to a beggar if he be found + worthy + +The Law, as quoted, lays down a fair conduct of life, and one not +easy to follow. I have been fellow to a beggar again and again under +circumstances which prevented either of us finding out whether the other +was worthy. I have still to be brother to a Prince, though I once came +near to kinship with what might have been a veritable King, and was +promised the reversion of a Kingdom--army, law-courts, revenue, and +policy all complete. But, to-day, I greatly fear that my King is dead, +and if I want a crown I must go hunt it for myself. + +The beginning of everything was in a railway-train upon the road to Mhow +from Ajmir. There had been a Deficit in the Budget, which necessitated +travelling, not Second-class, which is only half as dear as First-Class, +but by Intermediate, which is very awful indeed. There are no cushions +in the Intermediate class, and the population are either Intermediate, +which is Eurasian, or native, which for a long night journey is nasty, +or Loafer, which is amusing though intoxicated. Intermediates do not buy +from refreshment-rooms. They carry their food in bundles and pots, and +buy sweets from the native sweetmeat-sellers, and drink the roadside +water. This is why in hot weather Intermediates are taken out of the +carriages dead, and in all weathers are most properly looked down upon. + +My particular Intermediate happened to be empty till I reached +Nasirabad, when the big black-browed gentleman in shirt-sleeves entered, +and, following the custom of Intermediates, passed the time of day. He +was a wanderer and a vagabond like myself, but with an educated +taste for whisky. He told tales of things he had seen and done, of +out-of-the-way corners of the Empire into which he had penetrated, and +of adventures in which he risked his life for a few days' food. + +"If India was filled with men like you and me, not knowing more than +the crows where they'd get their next day's rations, it isn't seventy +millions of revenue the land would be paying--it's seven hundred +millions," said he; and as I looked at his mouth and chin I was disposed +to agree with him. + +We talked politics,--the politics of Loaferdom that sees things from +the under side where the lath and plaster is not smoothed off,--and we +talked postal arrangements because my friend wanted to send a telegram +back from the next station to Ajmir, the turning-off place from the +Bombay to the Mhow line as you travel westward. My friend had no money +beyond eight annas which he wanted for dinner, and I had no money at +all, owing to the hitch in the Budget before mentioned. Further, I was +going into a wilderness where, though I should resume touch with the +Treasury, there were no telegraph offices. I was, therefore, unable to +help him in any way. + +"We might threaten a Station-master, and make him send a wire on tick," +said my friend, "but that'd mean inquiries for you and for me, and +_I_'ve got my hands full these days. Did you say you were travelling +back along this line within any days?" + +"Within ten," I said. + +"Can't you make it eight?" said he. "Mine is rather urgent business." + +"I can send your telegrams within ten days if that will serve you," I +said. + +"I couldn't trust the wire to fetch him, now I think of it. It's this +way. He leaves Delhi on the 23rd for Bombay. That means he'll be running +through Ajmir about the night of the 23rd." + +"But I'm going into the Indian Desert," I explained. + +"Well _and_ good," said he. "You'll be changing at Marwar Junction to +get into Jodhpore territory,--you must do that,--and he'll be coming +through Marwar Junction in the early morning of the 24th by the +Bombay Mail. Can you be at Marwar Junction on that time? 'T won't be +inconveniencing you, because I know that there's precious few pickings +to be got out of these Central India States--even though you pretend to +be correspondent of the 'Backwoodsman.'" + +"Have you ever tried that trick?" I asked. + +"Again and again, but the Residents find you out, and then you get +escorted to the Border before you've time to get your knife into them. +But about my friend here. I _must_ give him a word o' mouth to tell him +what's come to me, or else he won't know where to go. I would take it +more than kind of you if you was to come out of Central India in time to +catch him at Marwar Junction, and say to him, 'He has gone South for the +week.' He'll know what that means. He's a big man with a red beard, and +a great swell he is. You'll find him sleeping like a gentleman with +all his luggage round him in a Second-class apartment. But don't you be +afraid. Slip down the window and say, 'He has gone South for the week,' +and he'll tumble. It's only cutting your time of stay in those parts +by two days. I ask you as a stranger--going to the West," he said, with +emphasis. + +"Where have _you_ come from?" said I. + +"From the East," said he, "and I am hoping that you will give him the +message on the Square--for the sake of my Mother as well as your own." + +Englishmen are not usually softened by appeals to the memory of their +mothers; but for certain reasons, which will be fully apparent, I saw +fit to agree. + +"It's more than a little matter," said he, "and that's why I asked +you to do it--and now I know that I can depend on you doing it. A +Second-class carriage at Marwar Junction, and a red-haired man asleep +in it. You'll be sure to remember. I get out at the next station, and I +must hold on there till he comes or sends me what I want." + +"I'll give the message if I catch him," I said, "and for the sake of +your Mother as well as mine I'll give you a word of advice. Don't try +to run the Central India States just now as the correspondent of the +'Backwoodsman.' There's a real one knocking about here, and it might +lead to trouble." + +"Thank you," said he, simply; "and when will the swine be gone? I +can't starve because he's ruining my work. I wanted to get hold of the +Degumber Rajah down here about his father's widow, and give him a jump." + +"What did he do to his father's widow, then?" + +"Filled her up with red pepper and slippered her to death as she hung +from a beam. I found that out myself, and I'm the only man that would +dare going into the State to get hush-money for it. They'll try to +poison me, same as they did in Chortumna when I went on the loot there. +But you'll give the man at Marwar Junction my message?" + +He got out at a little roadside station, and I reflected. I had heard, +more than once, of men personating correspondents of newspapers and +bleeding small Native States with threats of exposure, but I had never +met any of the caste before. They lead a hard life, and generally die +with great suddenness. The Native States have a wholesome horror of +English newspapers, which may throw light on their peculiar methods of +government, and do their best to choke correspondents with champagne, +or drive them out of their mind with four-in-hand barouches. They do not +understand that nobody cares a straw for the internal administration +of Native States so long as oppression and crime are kept within decent +limits, and the ruler is not drugged, drunk, or diseased from one end +of the year to the other. They are the dark places of the earth, full +of unimaginable cruelty, touching the Railway and the Telegraph on one +side, and, on the other, the days of Harun-al-Raschid. When I left the +train I did business with divers Kings, and in eight days passed through +many changes of life. Sometimes I wore dress-clothes and consorted with +Princes and Politicals, drinking from crystal and eating from silver. +Sometimes I lay out upon the ground and devoured what I could get, from +a plate made of leaves, and drank the running water, and slept under the +same rug as my servant. It was all in the day's work. + +Then I headed for the Great Indian Desert upon the proper date, as I +had promised, and the night Mail set me down at Marwar Junction, where +a funny little, happy-go-lucky, native-managed railway runs to Jodhpore. +The Bombay Mail from Delhi makes a short halt at Marwar. She arrived +just as I got in, and I had just time to hurry to her platform and go +down the carriages. There was only one Second-class on the train. +I slipped the window and looked down upon a flaming-red beard, half +covered by a railway-rug. That was my man, fast asleep, and I dug him +gently in the ribs. He woke with a grunt, and I saw his face in the +light of the lamps. It was a great and shining face. + +"Tickets again?" said he. + +"No," said I. "I am to tell you that he is gone South for the week. He +has gone South for the week!" + +The train had begun to move out. The red man rubbed his eyes. "He +has gone South for the week," he repeated. "Now that's just like his +impidence. Did he say that I was to give you anything? 'Cause I won't." + +"He didn't," I said, and dropped away, and watched the red lights die +out in the dark. It was horribly cold because the wind was blowing off +the sands. I climbed into my own train--not an Intermediate carriage +this time--and went to sleep. + +If the man with the beard had given me a rupee I should have kept it as +a memento of a rather curious affair. But the consciousness of having +done my duty was my only reward. + +Later on I reflected that two gentlemen like my friends could not do any +good if they foregathered and personated correspondents of newspapers, +and might, if they blackmailed one of the little rat-trap States +of Central India or Southern Rajputana, get themselves into serious +difficulties. I therefore took some trouble to describe them as +accurately as I could remember to people who would be interested in +deporting them; and succeeded, so I was later informed, in having them +headed back from the Degumber borders. + +Then I became respectable, and returned to an office where there were no +Kings and no incidents outside the daily manufacture of a newspaper. A +newspaper office seems to attract every conceivable sort of person, to +the prejudice of discipline. Zenana-mission ladies arrive, and beg that +the Editor will instantly abandon all his duties to describe a Christian +prize-giving in a back slum of a perfectly inaccessible village; +Colonels who have been overpassed for command sit down and sketch the +outline of a series of ten, twelve, or twenty-four leading articles on +Seniority _versus_ Selection; missionaries wish to know why they have +not been permitted to escape from their regular vehicles of abuse, and +swear at a brother missionary under special patronage of the editorial +We; stranded theatrical companies troop up to explain that they cannot +pay for their advertisements, but on their return from New Zealand +or Tahiti will do so with interest; inventors of patent punka-pulling +machines, carriage couplings, and unbreakable swords and axletrees call +with specifications in their pockets and hours at their disposal; tea +companies enter and elaborate their prospectuses with the office pens; +secretaries of ball committees clamour to have the glories of their last +dance more fully described; strange ladies rustle in and say, "I want +a hundred lady's cards printed _at once_, please," which is manifestly +part of an Editor's duty; and every dissolute ruffian that ever tramped +the Grand Trunk Road makes it his business to ask for employment as a +proof-reader. And, all the time, the telephone-bell is ringing madly, +and Kings are being killed on the Continent, and Empires are saying, +"You're another," and Mister Gladstone is calling down brimstone upon +the British Dominions, and the little black copyboys are whining, +"_kaa-pi chay-ha-yeh_" ("Copy wanted"), like tired bees, and most of the +paper is as blank as Modred's shield. + +But that is the amusing part of the year. There are six other months +when none ever come to call, and the thermometer walks inch by inch +up to the top of the glass, and the office is darkened to just above +reading-light, and the press-machines are red-hot to touch, and nobody +writes anything but accounts of amusements in the Hill-stations or +obituary notices. Then the telephone becomes a tinkling terror, because +it tells you of the sudden deaths of men and women that you knew +intimately, and the prickly heat covers you with a garment, and you +sit down and write: "A slight increase of sickness is reported from +the Khuda Janta Khan District. The outbreak is purely sporadic in +its nature, and, thanks to the energetic efforts of the District +authorities, is now almost at an end. It is, however, with deep regret +we record the death," etc. + +Then the sickness really breaks out, and the less recording and +reporting the better for the peace of the subscribers. But the Empires +and the Kings continue to divert themselves as selfishly as before, and +the Foreman thinks that a daily paper really ought to come out once in +twenty-four hours, and all the people at the Hill-stations in the +middle of their amusements say, "Good gracious! why can't the paper be +sparkling? I'm sure there's plenty going on up here." + +That is the dark half of the moon, and, as the advertisements say, "must +be experienced to be appreciated." + +It was in that season, and a remarkably evil season, that the paper +began running the last issue of the week on Saturday night, which is to +say Sunday morning, after the custom of a London paper. This was a great +convenience, for immediately after the paper was put to bed the dawn +would lower the thermometer from 96 degrees to almost 84 degrees for +half an hour, and in that chill--you have no idea how cold is 84 degrees +on the grass until you begin to pray for it--a very tired man could get +off to sleep ere the heat roused him. + +One Saturday night it was my pleasant duty to put the paper to bed +alone. A King or courtier or a courtesan or a Community was going to +die or get a new Constitution, or do something that was important on +the other side of the world, and the paper was to be held open till the +latest possible minute in order to catch the telegram. + +It was a pitchy-black night, as stifling as a June night can be, and +the _loo_, the red-hot wind from the westward, was booming among the +tinder-dry trees and pretending that the rain was on its heels. Now and +again a spot of almost boiling water would fall on the dust with the +flop of a frog, but all our weary world knew that was only pretence. It +was a shade cooler in the press-room than the office, so I sat there, +while the type ticked and clicked, and the night-jars hooted at the +windows, and the all but naked compositors wiped the sweat from their +foreheads and called for water. The thing that was keeping us back, +whatever it was, would not come off, though the loo dropped and the last +type was set, and the whole round earth stood still in the choking heat, +with its finger on its lip, to wait the event. I drowsed, and wondered +whether the telegraph was a blessing, and whether this dying man, or +struggling people, might be aware of the inconvenience the delay was +causing. There was no special reason beyond the heat and worry to make +tension, but, as the clock-hands crept up to three o-clock and the +machines spun their fly-wheels two and three times to see that all was +in order, before I said the word that would set them off, I could have +shrieked aloud. + +Then the roar and rattle of the wheels shivered the quiet into little +bits. I rose to go away, but two men in white clothes stood in front +of me. The first one said, "It's him!" The second said, "So it is!" And +they both laughed almost as loudly as the machinery roared, and mopped +their foreheads. "We seed there was a light burning across the road, +and we were sleeping in that ditch there for coolness, and I said to my +friend here, 'The office is open. Let's come along and speak to him as +turned us back from Degumber State,'" said the smaller of the two. +He was the man I had met in the Mhow train, and his fellow was the +red-bearded man of Marwar Junction. There was no mistaking the eyebrows +of the one or the beard of the other. + +I was not pleased, because I wished to go to sleep, not to squabble with +loafers. "What do you want?" I asked. + +"Half an hour's talk with you, cool and comfortable, in the office," +said the red-bearded man. "We'd _like_ some drink,--the Contrack doesn't +begin yet, Peachey, so you needn't look,--but what we really want is +advice. We don't want money. We ask you as a favour, because we found +out you did us a bad turn about Degumber State." + +I led from the press-room to the stifling office with the maps on the +walls, and the red-haired man rubbed his hands. "That's something +like," said he. "This was the proper shop to come to. Now, Sir, let +me introduce you to Brother Peachey Carnehan, that's him, and Brother +Daniel Dravot, that is _me_, and the less said about our professions +the better, for we have been most things in our time--soldier, +sailor, compositor, photographer, proof-reader, street-preacher, and +correspondents of the 'Backwoodsman' when we thought the paper wanted +one. Carnehan is sober, and so am I. Look at us first, and see that's +sure. It will save you cutting into my talk. We'll take one of your +cigars apiece, and you shall see us light up." + +I watched the test. The men were absolutely sober, so I gave them each a +tepid whisky-and-soda. + +"Well _and_ good," said Carnehan of the eyebrows, wiping the froth +from his moustache. "Let me talk now, Dan. We have been all over India, +mostly on foot. We have been boiler-fitters, engine-drivers, petty +contractors, and all that, and we have decided that India isn't big +enough for such as us." + +They certainly were too big for the office. Dravot's beard seemed to +fill half the room and Carnehan's shoulders the other half, as they sat +on the big table. Carnehan continued: "The country isn't half worked +out because they that governs it won't let you touch it. They spend all +their blessed time in governing it, and you can't lift a spade, nor +chip a rock, nor look for oil, nor anything like that, without all the +Government saying, 'Leave it alone, and let us govern.' Therefore, such +_as_ it is, we will let it alone, and go away to some other place where +a man isn't crowded and can come to his own. We are not little men, and +there is nothing that we are afraid of except Drink, and we have signed +a Contrack on that. _Therefore_ we are going away to be Kings." + +"Kings in our own right," muttered Dravot. + +"Yes, of course," I said. "You've been tramping in the sun, and it's +a very warm night, and hadn't you better sleep over the notion? Come +to-morrow." + +"Neither drunk nor sunstruck," said Dravot. "We have slept over the +notion half a year, and require to see Books and Atlases, and we have +decided that there is only one place now in the world that two strong +men can Sar-a-_whack_. They call it Kafiristan. By my reckoning it's the +top right-hand corner of Afghanistan, not more than three hundred miles +from Peshawar. They have two and thirty heathen idols there, and we'll +be the thirty-third and fourth. It's a mountaineous country, the women +of those parts are very beautiful." + +"But that is provided against in the Contrack," said Carnehan. "Neither +Women nor Liqu-or, Daniel." + +"And that's all we know, except that no one has gone there, and they +fight, and in any place where they fight a man who knows how to drill +men can always be a King. We shall go to those parts and say to any King +we find, 'D' you want to vanquish your foes?' and we will show him how +to drill men; for that we know better than anything else. Then we will +subvert that King and seize his Throne and establish a Dy-nasty." + +"You'll be cut to pieces before you're fifty miles across the Border," +I said. "You have to travel through Afghanistan to get to that country. +It's one mass of mountains and peaks and glaciers, and no Englishman has +been through it. The people are utter brutes, and even if you reached +them you couldn't do anything." + +"That's more like," said Carnehan. "If you could think us a little more +mad we would be more pleased. We have come to you to know about this +country, to read a book about it, and to be shown maps. We want you to +tell us that we are fools and to show us your books." He turned to the +bookcases. + +"Are you at all in earnest?" I said. + +"A little," said Dravot, sweetly. "As big a map as you have got, even +if it's all blank where Kafiristan is, and any books you've got. We can +read, though we aren't very educated." + +I uncased the big thirty-two-miles-to-the-inch map of India and two +smaller Frontier maps, hauled down volume INF-KAN of the "Encyclopaedia +Britannica," and the men consulted them. + +"See here!" said Dravot, his thumb on the map. "Up to Jagdallak, Peachey +and me know the road. We was there with Robert's Army. We'll have to +turn off to the right at Jagdallak through Laghmann territory. Then we +get among the hills--fourteen thousand feet--fifteen thousand--it will +be cold work there, but it don't look very far on the map." + +I handed him Wood on the "Sources of the Oxus." Carnehan was deep in the +"Encyclopaedia." + +"They're a mixed lot," said Dravot, reflectively; "and it won't help +us to know the names of their tribes. The more tribes the more they'll +fight, and the better for us. From Jagdallak to Ashang. H'mm!" + +"But all the information about the country is as sketchy and inaccurate +as can be," I protested. "No one knows anything about it really. Here's +the file of the 'United Services' Institute.' Read what Bellew says." + +"Blow Bellew!" said Carnehan. "Dan, they're a stinkin' lot of heathens, +but this book here says they think they're related to us English." + +I smoked while the men poured over Raverty, Wood, the maps, and the +"Encyclopaedia." + +"There is no use your waiting," said Dravot, politely. "It's about four +o'clock now. We'll go before six o'clock if you want to sleep, and we +won't steal any of the papers. Don't you sit up. We're two harmless +lunatics, and if you come to-morrow evening down to the Serai we'll say +good-bye to you." + +"You _are_ two fools," I answered. "You'll be turned back at the +Frontier or cut up the minute you set foot in Afghanistan. Do you want +any money or a recommendation down-country? I can help you to the chance +of work next week." + +"Next week we shall be hard at work ourselves, thank you," said Dravot. +"It isn't so easy being a King as it looks. When we've got our Kingdom +in going order we'll let you know, and you can come up and help us +govern it." + +"Would two lunatics make a Contrack like that?" said Carnehan, with +subdued pride, showing me a greasy half-sheet of notepaper on which was +written the following. I copied it, then and there, as a curiosity. + + This Contracx between me and you persuing witnesseth in + the name of God--Amen and so forth. + + (One) That me and you will settle this matter + together; i.e., to be Kings of Kafiristan. + + (Two) That you and me will not, while this + matter is being settled, look at any + Liquor, nor any Woman, black, white, + or brown, so as to get mixed up with + one or the other harmful. + + (Three) That we conduct ourselves with Dignity + and Discretion, and if one of us gets + into trouble the other will stay by him. + + Signed by you and me this day. + Peachey Taliaferro Carnehan. + Daniel Dravot. + Both Gentlemen at Large. + +"There was no need for the last article," said Carnehan, blushing +modestly; "but it looks regular. Now you know the sort of men that +loafers are,--we _are_ loafers, Dan, until we get out of India,--and +_do_ you think that we would sign a Contrack like that unless we was +in earnest? We have kept away from the two things that make life worth +having." + +"You won't enjoy your lives much longer if you are going to try this +idiotic adventure. Don't set the office on fire," I said, "and go away +before nine o'clock." + +I left them still poring over the maps and making notes on the back +of the "Contrack." "Be sure to come down to the Serai to-morrow," were +their parting words. + +The Kumharsen Serai is the great foursquare sink of humanity where the +strings of camels and horses from the North load and unload. All the +nationalities of Central Asia may be found there, and most of the folk +of India proper. Balkh and Bokhara there meet Bengal and Bombay, and try +to draw eye-teeth. You can buy ponies, turquoises, Persian pussy-cats, +saddle-bags, fat-tailed sheep, and musk in the Kumharsen Serai, and get +many strange things for nothing. In the afternoon I went down to see +whether my friends intended to keep their word or were lying there +drunk. + +A priest attired in fragments of ribbons and rags stalked up to me, +gravely twisting a child's paper whirligig. Behind him was his servant +bending under the load of a crate of mud toys. The two were loading up +two camels, and the inhabitants of the Serai watched them with shrieks +of laughter. + +"The priest is mad," said a horse-dealer to me. "He is going up to Kabul +to sell toys to the Amir. He will either be raised to honour or have his +head cut off. He came in here this morning and has been behaving madly +ever since." + +"The witless are under the protection of God," stammered a flat-cheeked +Usbeg in broken Hindi. "They foretell future events." + +"Would they could have foretold that my caravan would have been cut up +by the Shinwaris almost within shadow of the Pass!" grunted the Eusufzai +agent of a Rajputana trading-house whose goods had been diverted into +the hands of other robbers just across the Border, and whose misfortunes +were the laughing-stock of the bazaar. "Ohe, priest, whence come you and +whither do you go?" + +"From Roum have I come," shouted the priest, waving his whirligig; "from +Roum, blown by the breath of a hundred devils across the sea! O thieves, +robbers, liars, the blessing of Pir Khan on pigs, dogs, and perjurers! +Who will take the Protected of God to the North to sell charms that are +never still to the Amir? The camels shall not gall, the sons shall not +fall sick, and the wives shall remain faithful while they are away, +of the men who give me place in their caravan. Who will assist me to +slipper the King of the Roos with a golden slipper with a silver heel? +The protection of Pir Khan be upon his labours!" He spread out the +skirts of his gabardine and pirouetted between the lines of tethered +horses. + +"There starts a caravan from Peshawar to Kabul in twenty days, +_Huzrut_," said the Eusufzai trader. "My camels go therewith. Do thou +also go and bring us good luck." + +"I will go even now!" shouted the priest. "I will depart upon my winged +camels, and be at Peshawar in a day! Ho! Hazar Mir Khan," he yelled to +his servant, "drive out the camels, but let me first mount my own." + +He leaped on the back of his beast as it knelt, and, turning round to +me, cried, "Come thou also, Sahib, a little along the road, and I will +sell thee a charm--an amulet that shall make thee King of Kafiristan." + +Then the light broke upon me, and I followed the two camels out of the +Serai till we reached open road and the priest halted. + +"What d' you think o' that?" said he in English. "Carnehan can't talk +their patter, so I've made him my servant. He makes a handsome servant. +'T isn't for nothing that I've been knocking about the country for +fourteen years. Didn't I do that talk neat? We'll hitch on to a caravan +at Peshawar till we get to Jagdallak, and then we'll see if we can get +donkeys for our camels, and strike into Kafiristan. Whirligigs for the +Amir, O Lor'! Put your hand under the camelbags and tell me what you +feel." + +I felt the butt of a Martini, and another and another. + +"Twenty of 'em," said Dravot, placidly. "Twenty of 'em and ammunition to +correspond, under the whirligigs and the mud dolls." + +"Heaven help you if you are caught with those things!" I said. "A +Martini is worth her weight in silver among the Pathans." + +"Fifteen hundred rupees of capital--every rupee we could beg, borrow, +or steal--are invested on these two camels," said Dravot. "We won't get +caught. We're going through the Khaiber with a regular caravan. Who'd +touch a poor mad priest?" + +"Have you got everything you want?" I asked, overcome with astonishment. + +"Not yet, but we shall soon. Give us a momento of your kindness, +_Brother_. You did me a service yesterday, and that time in Marwar. Half +my Kingdom shall you have, as the saying is." I slipped a small charm +compass from my watch-chain and handed it up to the priest. + +"Good-bye," said Dravot, giving me hand cautiously. "It's the last time +we'll shake hands with an Englishman these many days. Shake hands with +him, Carnehan," he cried, as the second camel passed me. + +Carnehan leaned down and shook hands. Then the camels passed away along +the dusty road, and I was left alone to wonder. My eye could detect no +failure in the disguises. The scene in the Serai proved that they were +complete to the native mind. There was just the chance, therefore, that +Carnehan and Dravot would be able to wander through Afghanistan without +detection. But, beyond, they would find death--certain and awful death. + +Ten days later a native correspondent, giving me the news of the day +from Peshawar, wound up his letter with: "There has been much laughter +here on account of a certain mad priest who is going in his estimation +to sell petty gauds and insignificant trinkets which he ascribes as +great charms to H. H. the Amir of Bokhara. He passed through Peshawar +and associated himself to the Second Summer caravan that goes to Kabul. +The merchants are pleased because through superstition they imagine that +such mad fellows bring good fortune." + +The two, then, were beyond the Border. I would have prayed for them, but +that night a real King died in Europe, and demanded an obituary notice. + + +The wheel of the world swings through the same phases again and again. +Summer passed and winter thereafter, and came and passed again. The +daily paper continued and I with it, and upon the third summer there +fell a hot night, a night issue, and a strained waiting for something to +be telegraphed from the other side of the world, exactly as had happened +before. A few great men had died in the past two years, the machines +worked with more clatter, and some of the trees in the office garden +were a few feet taller. But that was all the difference. + +I passed over to the press-room, and went through just such a scene as +I have already described. The nervous tension was stronger than it +had been two years before, and I felt the heat more acutely. At three +o'clock I cried, "Print off," and turned to go, when there crept to my +chair what was left of a man. He was bent into a circle, his head was +sunk between his shoulders, and he moved his feet one over the other +like a bear. I could hardly see whether he walked or crawled--this +rag-wrapped, whining cripple who addressed me by name, crying that he +was come back. "Can you give me a drink?" he whimpered. "For the Lord's +sake, give me a drink!" + +I went back to the office, the man following with groans of pain, and I +turned up the lamp. + +"Don't you know me?" he gasped, dropping into a chair, and he turned his +drawn face, surmounted by a shock of gray hair, to the light. + +I looked at him intently. Once before had I seen eyebrows that met over +the nose in an inch-broad black band, but for the life of me I could not +tell where. + +"I don't know you," I said, handing him the whisky. "What can I do for +you?" + +He took a gulp of the spirit raw, and shivered in spite of the +suffocating heat. + +"I've come back," he repeated; "and I was the King of Kafiristan--me and +Dravot--crowned Kings we was! In this office we settled it--you setting +there and giving us the books. I am Peachey,--Peachey Taliaferro +Carnehan,--and you've been setting here ever since--O Lord!" + +I was more than a little astonished, and expressed my feelings +accordingly. + +"It's true," said Carnehan, with a dry cackle, nursing his feet, which +were wrapped in rags--"true as gospel. Kings we were, with crowns upon +our heads--me and Dravot--poor Dan--oh, poor, poor Dan, that would never +take advice, not though I begged of him!" + +"Take the whisky," I said, "and take your own time. Tell me all you can +recollect of everything from beginning to end. You got across the Border +on your camels, Dravot dressed as a mad priest and you his servant. Do +you remember that?" + +"I ain't mad--yet, but I shall be that way soon. Of course I remember. +Keep looking at me, or maybe my words will go all to pieces. Keep +looking at me in my eyes and don't say anything." + +I leaned forward and looked into his face as steadily as I could. He +dropped one hand upon the table and I grasped it by the wrist. It +was twisted like a bird's claw, and upon the back was a ragged, red, +diamond-shaped scar. + +"No, don't look there. Look at _me_," said Carnehan. "That comes +afterward, but for the Lord's sake don't distrack me. We left with that +caravan, me and Dravot playing all sorts of antics to amuse the people +we were with. Dravot used to make us laugh in the evenings when all the +people was cooking their dinners--cooking their dinners, and . . . +what did they do then? They lit little fires with sparks that went into +Dravot's beard, and we all laughed--fit to die. Little red fires they +was, going into Dravot's big red beard--so funny." His eyes left mine +and he smiled foolishly. + +"You went as far as Jagdallak with that caravan," I said, at a venture, +"after you had lit those fires. To Jagdallak, where you turned off to +try to get into Kafiristan." + +"No, we didn't, neither. What are you talking about? We turned off +before Jagdallak, because we heard the roads was good. But they wasn't +good enough for our two camels--mine and Dravot's. When we left the +caravan, Dravot took off all his clothes and mine too, and said we would +be heathen, because the Kafirs didn't allow Mohammedans to talk to them. +So we dressed betwixt and between, and such a sight as Daniel Dravot +I never saw yet nor expect to see again. He burned half his beard, and +slung a sheepskin over his shoulder, and shaved his head into patterns. +He shaved mine too, and made me wear outrageous things to look like +a heathen. That was in a most mountaineous country, and our camels +couldn't go along any more because of the mountains. They were tall and +black, and coming home I saw them fight like wild goats--there are lots +of goats in Kafiristan. And these mountains, they never keep still, no +more than the goats. Always fighting they are, and don't let you sleep +at night." + +"Take some more whisky," I said, very slowly. "What did you and Daniel +Dravot do when the camels could go no farther because of the rough roads +that led into Kafiristan?" + +"What did which do? There was a party called Peachey Taliaferro Carnehan +that was with Dravot. Shall I tell you about him? He died out there in +the cold. Slap from the bridge fell old Peachey, turning and twisting in +the air like a penny whirligig that you can sell to the Amir. No; they +was two for three ha'pence, those whirligigs, or I am much mistaken and +woful sore. . . . And then these camels were no use, and Peachey said to +Dravot, 'For the Lord's sake let's get out of this before our heads +are chopped off,' and with that they killed the camels all among the +mountains, not having anything in particular to eat, but first they took +off the boxes with the guns and the ammunition, till two men came along +driving four mules. Dravot up and dances in front of them, singing, +'Sell me four mules.' Says the first man, 'If you are rich enough to +buy, you are rich enough to rob;' but before ever he could put his hand +to his knife, Dravot breaks his neck over his knee, and the other party +runs away. So Carnehan loaded the mules with the rifles that was taken +off the camels, and together we starts forward into those bitter-cold +mountaineous parts, and never a road broader than the back of your +hand." + +He paused for a moment, while I asked him if he could remember the +nature of the country through which he had journeyed. + +"I am telling you as straight as I can, but my head isn't as good as it +might be. They drove nails through it to make me hear better how Dravot +died. The country was mountaineous and the mules were most contrary, +and the inhabitants was dispersed and solitary. They went up and up, and +down and down, and that other party, Carnehan, was imploring of Dravot +not to sing and whistle so loud, for fear of bringing down the tremenjus +avalanches. But Dravot says that if a King couldn't sing it wasn't worth +being King, and whacked the mules over the rump, and never took no +heed for ten cold days. We came to a big level valley all among the +mountains, and the mules were near dead, so we killed them, not having +anything in special for them or us to eat. We sat upon the boxes, and +played odd and even with the cartridges that was jolted out. + +"Then ten men with bows and arrows ran down that valley, chasing twenty +men with bows and arrows, and the row was tremenjus. They was fair +men--fairer than you or me--with yellow hair and remarkable well built. +Says Dravot, unpacking the guns, 'This is the beginning of the business. +We'll fight for the ten men,' and with that he fires two rifles at the +twenty men, and drops one of them at two hundred yards from the rock +where he was sitting. The other men began to run, but Carnehan and +Dravot sits on the boxes picking them off at all ranges, up and down the +valley. Then we goes up to the ten men that had run across the snow too, +and they fires a footy little arrow at us. Dravot he shoots above their +heads, and they all falls down flat. Then he walks over them and kicks +them, and then he lifts them up and shakes hands all round to make them +friendly like. He calls them and gives them the boxes to carry, and +waves his hand for all the world as though he was King already. They +takes the boxes and him across the valley and up the hill into a pine +wood on the top, where there was half a dozen big stone idols. Dravot +he goes to the biggest--a fellow they call Imbra--and lays a rifle and +a cartridge at his feet, rubbing his nose respectfuly with his own nose, +patting him on the head, and nods his head, and says, 'That's all right. +I'm in the know too, and these old jimjams are my friends.' Then he +opens his mouth and points down it, and when the first man brings him +food, he says, 'No;' and when the second man brings him food, he says +'no;' but when one of the old priests and the boss of the village brings +him food, he says, 'Yes;' very haughty, and eats it slow. That was how +he came to our first village without any trouble, just as though we +had tumbled from the skies. But we tumbled from one of those damned +rope-bridges, you see, and--you couldn't expect a man to laugh much +after that?" + +"Take some more whisky and go on," I said. "That was the first village +you came into. How did you get to be King?" + +"I wasn't King," said Carnehan. "Dravot he was the King, and a handsome +man he looked with the gold crown on his head and all. Him and the other +party stayed in that village, and every morning Dravot sat by the side +of old Imbra, and the people came and worshipped. That was Dravot's +order. Then a lot of men came into the valley, and Carnehan Dravot picks +them off with the rifles before they knew where they was, and runs down +into the valley and up again the other side, and finds another village, +same as the first one, and the people all falls down flat on their +faces, and Dravot says, 'Now what is the trouble between you two +villages?' and the people points to a woman, as fair as you or me, that +was carried off, and Dravot takes her back to the first village and +counts up the dead--eight there was. For each dead man Dravot pours +a little milk on the ground and waves his arms like a whirligig, and +'That's all right,' says he. Then he and Carnehan takes the big boss of +each village by the arm, and walks them down the valley, and shows them +how to scratch a line with a spear right down the valley, and gives each +a sod of turf from both sides of the line. Then all the people comes +down and shouts like the devil and all, and Dravot says, 'Go and dig the +land, and be fruitful and multiply,' which they did, though they didn't +understand. Then we asks the names of things in their lingo--bread and +water and fire and idols and such; and Dravot leads the priest of each +village up to the idol, and says he must sit there and judge the people, +and if anything goes wrong he is to be shot. + +"Next week they was all turning up the land in the valley as quiet as +bees and much prettier, and the priests heard all the complaints and +told Dravot in dumb-show what it was about. 'That's just the beginning,' +says Dravot. 'They think we're Gods.' He and Carnehan picks out twenty +good men and shows them how to click off a rifle and form fours and +advance in line; and they was very pleased to do so, and clever to see +the hang of it. Then he takes out his pipe and his baccy-pouch, and +leaves one at one village and one at the other, and off we two goes to +see what was to be done in the next valley. That was all rock, and there +was a little village there, and Carnehan says, 'Send 'em to the old +valley to plant,' and takes 'em there and gives 'em some land that +wasn't took before. They were a poor lot, and we blooded 'em with a kid +before letting 'em into the new Kingdom. That was to impress the people, +and then they settled down quiet, and Carnehan went back to Dravot, who +had got into another valley, all snow and ice and most mountaineous. +There was no people there, and the Army got afraid; so Dravot shoots +one of them, and goes on till he finds some people in a village, and the +Army explains that unless the people wants to be killed they had better +not shoot their little matchlocks, for they had matchlocks. We makes +friends with the priest, and I stays there alone with two of the Army, +teaching the men how to drill; and a thundering big Chief comes across +the snow with kettledrums and horns twanging, because he heard there was +a new God kicking about. Carnehan sights for the brown of the men half +a mile across the snow and wings one of them. Then he sends a message +to the Chief that, unless he wished to be killed, he must come and shake +hands with me and leave his arms behind. The Chief comes alone first, +and Carnehan shakes hands with him and whirls his arms about, same as +Dravot used, and very much surprised that Chief was, and strokes +my eyebrows. Then Carnehan goes alone to the Chief, and asks him in +dumb-show if he had an enemy he hated. 'I have,' says the chief. So +Carnehan weeds out the pick of his men, and sets the two of the Army to +show them drill, and at the end of two weeks the men can manoeuvre about +as well as Volunteers. So he marches with the Chief to a great big plain +on the top of a mountain, and the Chief's men rushes into a village and +takes it; we three Martinis firing into the brown of the enemy. So we +took that village too, and I gives the Chief a rag from my coat, and +says, 'Occupy till I come;' which was scriptural. By way of a reminder, +when me and the Army was eighteen hundred yards away, I drops a bullet +near him standing on the snow, and all the people falls flat on their +faces. Then I sends a letter to Dravot wherever he be by land or by +sea." + +At the risk of throwing the creature out of train I interrupted: "How +could you write a letter up yonder?" + +"The letter?--oh!--the letter! Keep looking at me between the eyes, +please. It was a string-talk letter, that we'd learned the way of it +from a blind beggar in the Punjab." + +I remember that there had once come to the office a blind man with +a knotted twig, and a piece of string which he wound round the twig +according to some cipher of his own. He could, after the lapse of days +or hours, repeat the sentence which he had reeled up. He had reduced the +alphabet to eleven primitive sounds, and tried to teach me his method, +but I could not understand. + +"I sent that letter to Dravot," said Carnehan, "and told him to come +back because this Kingdom was growing too big for me to handle; and then +I struck for the first valley, to see how the priests were working. They +called the village we took along with the Chief, Bashkai, and the first +village we took, Er-Heb. The priests at Er-Heb was doing all right, but +they had a lot of pending cases about land to show me, and some men from +another village had been firing arrows at night. I went out and looked +for that village, and fired four rounds at it from a thousand yards. +That used all the cartridges I cared to spend, and I waited for Dravot, +who had been away two or three months, and I kept my people quiet. + +"One morning I heard the devil's own noise of drums and horns, and Dan +Dravot marches down the hill with his Army and a tail of hundreds of +men, and, which was the most amazing, a great gold crown on his head. +'My Gord, Carnehan,' says Daniel, 'this is a tremenjus business, and +we've got the whole country as far as it's worth having. I am the son +of Alexander by Queen Semiramis, and you're my younger brother and a +God too! It's the biggest thing we've ever seen. I've been marching and +fighting for six weeks with the Army, and every footy little village for +fifty miles has come in rejoiceful; and more than that, I've got the key +of the whole show, as you'll see, and I've got a crown for you! I told +'em to make two of 'em at a place called Shu, where the gold lies in the +rock like suet in mutton. Gold I've seen, and turquoise I've kicked out +of the cliffs, and there's garnets in the sands of the river, and here's +a chunk of amber that a man brought me. Call up all the priests and, +here, take your crown.' + +"One of the men opens a black hair bag, and I slips the crown on. It was +too small and too heavy, but I wore it for the glory. Hammered gold it +was--five pounds weight, like a hoop of a barrel. + +"'Peachey,' says Dravot, 'we don't want to fight no more. The Craft's +the trick, so help me!' and he brings forward that same Chief that I +left at Bashkai--Billy Fish we called him afterward, because he was so +like Billy Fish that drove the big tank-engine at Mach on the Bolan in +the old days. 'Shake hands with him,' says Dravot; and I shook hands +and nearly dropped, for Billy Fish gave me the Grip. I said nothing, but +tried him with the Fellow-craft Grip. He answers all right, and I tried +the Master's Grip, but that was a slip. 'A Fellow-craft he is!' I says +to Dan. 'Does he know the word?' 'He does,' says Dan, 'and all the +priests know. It's a miracle! The Chiefs and the priests can work a +Fellow-craft Lodge in a way that's very like ours, and they've cut the +marks on the rocks, but they don't know the Third Degree, and they've +come to find out. It's Gord's Truth. I've known these long years that +the Afghans knew up to the Fellow-craft Degree, but this is a miracle. +A God and a Grand Master of the Craft am I, and a Lodge in the Third +Degree I will open, and we'll raise the head priests and the Chiefs of +the villages.' + +"'It's against all the law,' I says, 'holding a Lodge without warrant +from any one; and you know we never held office in any Lodge.' + +"'It's a master stroke o' policy,' says Dravot. 'It means running the +country as easy as a four-wheeled bogie on a down grade. We can't stop +to inquire now, or they'll turn against us. I've forty Chiefs at my +heel, and passed and raised according to their merit they shall be. +Billet these men on the villages, and see that we run up a Lodge of some +kind. The temple of Imbra will do for a Lodge-room. The women must make +aprons as you show them. I'll hold a levee of Chiefs to-night and Lodge +to-morrow.' + +"I was fair run off my legs, but I wasn't such a fool as not to see what +a pull this Craft business gave us. I showed the priests' families how +to make aprons of the degrees, but for Dravot's apron the blue border +and marks was made of turquoise lumps on white hide, not cloth. We took +a great square stone in the temple for the Master's chair, and little +stones for the officer's chairs, and painted the black pavement with +white squares, and did what we could to make things regular. + +"At the levee which was held that night on the hillside with big +bonfires, Dravot gives out that him and me were Gods and sons of +Alexander, and Passed Grand Masters in the Craft, and was come to make +Kafiristan a country where every man should eat in peace and drink in +quiet, and specially obey us. Then the Chiefs come round to shake hands, +and they were so hairy and white and fair it was just shaking hands with +old friends. We gave them names according as they was like men we had +known in India--Billy Fish, Holly Dilworth, Pikky Kergan, that was +Bazaar-master when I was at Mhow, and so on, and so on. + +"_The_ most amazing miracles was at Lodge next night. One of the old +priests was watching us continuous, and I felt uneasy, for I knew we'd +have to fudge the Ritual, and I didn't know what the men knew. The old +priest was a stranger come in from beyond the village of Bashkai. The +minute Dravot puts on the Master's apron that the girls had made for +him, the priest fetches a whoop and a howl, and tries to overturn the +stone that Dravot was sitting on. 'It's all up now,' I says. 'That comes +of meddling with the Craft without warrant!' Dravot never winked an +eye, not when ten priests took and tilted over the Grand Master's +chair--which was to say, the stone of Imbra. The priest begins rubbing +the bottom end of it to clear away the black dirt, and presently he +shows all the other priests the Master's Mark, same as was on Dravot's +apron, cut into the stone. Not even the priests of the temple of Imbra +knew it was there. The old chap falls flat on his face at Dravot's feet +and kisses 'em. 'Luck again,' says Dravot, across the Lodge, to me; +'they say it's the missing Mark that no one could understand the why of. +We're more than safe now.' Then he bangs the butt of his gun for a gavel +and says, 'By virtue of the authority vested in me by my own right +hand and the help of Peachey, I declare myself Grand Master of all +Freemasonry in Kafiristan in this the Mother Lodge o' the country, and +King of Kafiristan equally with Peachey!' At that he puts on his crown +and I puts on mine,--I was doing Senior Warden,--and we opens the Lodge +in most ample form. It was an amazing miracle! The priests moved in +Lodge through the first two degrees almost without telling, as if the +memory was coming back to them. After that Peachey and Dravot raised +such as was worthy--high priests and Chiefs of far-off villages. Billy +Fish was the first, and I can tell you we scared the soul out of him. +It was not in any way according to Ritual, but it served our turn. We +didn't raise more than ten of the biggest men, because we didn't want to +make the Degree common. And they was clamouring to be raised. + +"'In another six months,' says Dravot, 'we'll hold another Communication +and see how you are working.' Then he asks them about their villages, +and learns that they was fighting one against the other, and were sick +and tired of it. And when they wasn't doing that they was fighting with +the Mohammedans. 'You can fight those when they come into our country,' +says Dravot. 'Tell off every tenth man of your tribes for a Frontier +guard, and send two hundred at a time to this valley to be drilled. +Nobody is going to be shot or speared any more so long as he does well, +and I know that you won't cheat me, because you're white people--sons of +Alexander--and not like common black Mohammedans. You are _my_ people, +and, by God,' says he, running off into English at the end, 'I'll make a +damned fine Nation of you, or I'll die in the making!' + +"I can't tell all we did for the next six months, because Dravot did a +lot I couldn't see the hang of, and he learned their lingo in a way I +never could. My work was to help the people plough, and now and again +go out with some of the Army and see what the other villages were doing, +and make 'em throw rope bridges across the ravines which cut up the +country horrid. Dravot was very kind to me, but when he walked up and +down in the pine wood pulling that bloody red beard of his with both +fists I knew he was thinking plans I could not advise about, and I just +waited for orders. + +"But Dravot never showed me disrespect before the people. They were +afraid of me and the Army, but they loved Dan. He was the best of +friends with the priests and the Chiefs; but any one could come across +the hills with a complaint, and Dravot would hear him out fair, and call +four priests together and say what was to be done. He used to call in +Billy Fish from Bashkai, and Pikky Kergan from Shu, and an old Chief +we called Kafuzelum,--it was like enough to his real name,--and hold +councils with 'em when there was any fighting to be done in small +villages. That was his Council of War, and the four priests of Bashkai, +Shu, Khawak, and Madora was his Privy Council. Between the lot of 'em +they sent me, with forty men and twenty rifles, and sixty men carrying +turquoises, into the Ghorband country to buy those hand-made Martini +rifles, that come out of the Amir's workshops at Kabul, from one of the +Amir's Herati regiments that would have sold the very teeth out of their +mouths for turquoises. + +"I stayed in Ghorband a month, and gave the Governor there the pick of +my baskets for hush-money, and bribed the Colonel of the regiment some +more, and, between the two and the tribes-people, we got more than a +hundred hand-made Martinis, a hundred good Kohat Jezails that'll throw +to six hundred yards, and forty man-loads of very bad ammunition for the +rifles. I came back with what I had, and distributed 'em among the men +that the Chiefs sent in to me to drill. Dravot was too busy to attend +to those things, but the old Army that we first made helped me, and we +turned out five hundred men that could drill, and two hundred that knew +how to hold arms pretty straight. Even those cork-screwed, hand-made +guns was a miracle to them. Dravot talked big about powder-shops and +factories, walking up and down in the pine wood when the winter was +coming on. + +"'I won't make a Nation,' says he. 'I'll make an Empire! These men +aren't niggers; they're English! Look at their eyes--look at their +mouths. Look at the way they stand up. They sit on chairs in their own +houses. They're the Lost Tribes, or something like it, and they've grown +to be English. I'll take a census in the spring if the priests don't get +frightened. There must be a fair two million of 'em in these hills. The +villages are full o' little children. Two million people--two hundred +and fifty thousand fighting men--and all English! They only want the +rifles and a little drilling. Two hundred and fifty thousand men, ready +to cut in on Russia's right flank when she tries for India! Peachey, +man,' he says, chewing his beard in great hunks, 'we shall be +Emperors--Emperors of the Earth! Rajah Brooke will be a suckling to +us. I'll treat with the Viceroy on equal terms. I'll ask him to send me +twelve picked English--twelve that I know of--to help us govern a bit. +There's Mackray, Serjeant Pensioner at Segowli--many's the good dinner +he's given me, and his wife a pair of trousers. There's Donkin, the +Warder of Tounghoo Jail; there's hundreds that I could lay my hand on if +I was in India. The Viceroy shall do it for me; I'll send a man through +in the spring for those men, and I'll write for a dispensation from +the Grand Lodge for what I've done as Grand Master. That--and all the +Sniders that'll be thrown out when the native troops in India take up +the Martini. They'll be worn smooth, but they'll do for fighting in +these hills. Twelve English, a hundred thousand Sniders run through the +Amir's country in driblets,--I'd be content with twenty thousand in one +year,--and we'd be an Empire. When everything was shipshape I'd hand +over the crown--this crown I'm wearing now--to Queen Victoria on my +knees, and she'd say, "Rise up, Sir Daniel Dravot." Oh, it's big! It's +big, I tell you! But there's so much to be done in every place--Bashkai, +Khawak, Shu, and everywhere else.' + +"'What is it?' I says. 'There are no more men coming in to be drilled +this autumn. Look at those fat black clouds. They're bringing the snow.' + +"'It isn't that,' says Daniel, putting his hand very hard on my +shoulder; 'and I don't wish to say anything that's against you, for no +other living man would have followed me and made me what I am as you +have done. You're a first-class Commander-in-Chief, and the people know +you; but--it's a big country, and somehow you can't help me, Peachey, in +the way I want to be helped.' + +"'Go to your blasted priests, then!' I said, and I was sorry when I made +that remark, but it did hurt me sore to find Daniel talking so superior, +when I'd drilled all the men and done all he told me. + +"'Don't let's quarrel, Peachey,' says Daniel, without cursing. 'You're +a King too, and the half of this Kingdom is yours; but can't you see, +Peachey, we want cleverer men than us now--three or four of 'em, that +we can scatter about for our Deputies. It's a hugeous great State, and +I can't always tell the right thing to do, and I haven't time for all +I want to do, and here's the winter coming on and all.' He put half his +beard into his mouth, all red like the gold of his crown. + +"'I'm sorry, Daniel,' says I. 'I've done all I could. I've drilled +the men and shown the people how to stack their oats better; and I've +brought in those tinware rifles from Ghorband--but I know what you're +driving at. I take it Kings always feel oppressed that way.' + +"'There's another thing too,' says Dravot, walking up and down. 'The +winter's coming, and these people won't be giving much trouble, and if +they do we can't move about. I want a wife.' + +"'For Gord's sake leave the women alone!' I says. 'We've both got all +the work we can, though I _am_ a fool. Remember the Contrack, and keep +clear o' women.' + +"'The Contrack only lasted till such time as we was Kings; and Kings +we have been these months past,' says Dravot, weighing his crown in his +hand. 'You go get a wife too, Peachey--a nice, strappin', plump girl +that'll keep you warm in the winter. They're prettier than English +girls, and we can take the pick of 'em. Boil 'em once or twice in hot +water, and they'll come out like chicken and ham.' + +"'Don't tempt me!' I says. 'I will not have any dealings with a woman, +not till we are a dam' side more settled than we are now. I've been +doing the work o' two men, and you've been doing the work of three. +Let's lie off a bit, and see if we can get some better tobacco from +Afghan country and run in some good liquor; and no women.' + +"'Who's talking o' _women_?' says Dravot. 'I said _wife_--a Queen to +breed a King's son for the King. A Queen out of the strongest tribe, +that'll make them your blood-brothers, and that'll lie by your side and +tell you all the people thinks about you and their own affairs. That's +what I want.' + +"'Do you remember that Bengali woman I kept at Mogul Serai when I was +a plate-layer?' says I. 'A fat lot o' good she was to me. She taught me +the lingo and one or two other things; but what happened? She ran away +with the Station-master's servant and half my month's pay. Then +she turned up at Dadur Junction in tow of a half-caste, and had the +impidence to say I was her husband--all among the drivers in the +running-shed too!' + +"'We've done with that,' says Dravot; 'these women are whiter than you +or me, and a Queen I will have for the winter months.' + +"'For the last time o' asking, Dan, do _not_,' I says. 'It'll only bring +us harm. The Bible says that Kings ain't to waste their strength on +women, 'specially when they've got a new raw Kingdom to work over.' + +"'For the last time of answering, I will,' said Dravot, and he went away +through the pine-trees looking like a big red devil, the sun being on +his crown and beard and all. + +"But getting a wife was not as easy as Dan thought. He put it before the +Council, and there was no answer till Billy Fish said that he'd better +ask the girls. Dravot damned them all round. 'What's wrong with me?' he +shouts, standing by the idol Imbra. 'Am I a dog, or am I not enough of +a man for your wenches? Haven't I put the shadow of my hand over this +country? Who stopped the last Afghan raid?' It was me really, but Dravot +was too angry to remember. 'Who bought your guns? Who repaired the +bridges? Who's the Grand Master of the sign cut in the stone?' says he, +and he thumped his hand on the block that he used to sit on in Lodge, +and at Council, which opened like Lodge always. Billy Fish said nothing, +and no more did the others. 'Keep your hair on, Dan,' said I, 'and ask +the girls. That's how it's done at Home, and these people are quite +English.' + +"'The marriage of the King is a matter of State,' says Dan, in a +white-hot rage, for he could feel, I hope, that he was going against +his better mind. He walked out of the Council-room, and the others sat +still, looking at the ground. + +"'Billy Fish,' says I to the Chief of Bashkai, 'what's the difficulty +here? A straight answer to a true friend.' + +"'You know,' says Billy Fish. 'How should a man tell you who knows +everything? How can daughters of men marry Gods or Devils? It's not +proper.' + +"I remembered something like that in the Bible; but, if after seeing us +as long as they had, they still believed we were Gods, it wasn't for me +to undeceive them. + +"'A God can do anything,' says I. 'If the King is fond of a girl he'll +not let her die.' 'She'll have to,' said Billy Fish. 'There are all +sorts of Gods and Devils in these mountains, and now and again a girl +marries one of them and isn't seen any more. Besides, you two know the +Mark cut in the stone. Only the Gods know that. We thought you were men +till you showed the sign of the Master.' + +"I wished then that we had explained about the loss of the genuine +secrets of a Master Mason at the first go-off; but I said nothing. All +that night there was a blowing of horns in a little dark temple half-way +down the hill, and I heard the girl crying fit to die. One of the +priests told us that she was being prepared to marry the King. + +"'I'll have no nonsense of that kind,' says Dan. 'I don't want to +interfere with your customs, but I'll take my own wife.' 'The girl's a +little bit afraid,' says the priest. 'She thinks she's going to die, and +they are a-heartening of her up down in the temple.' + +"'Hearten her very tender, then,' says Dravot, 'or I'll hearten you with +the butt of a gun so you'll never want to be heartened again.' He licked +his lips, did Dan, and stayed up walking about more than half the night, +thinking of the wife that he was going to get in the morning. I wasn't +any means comfortable, for I knew that dealings with a woman in foreign +parts, though you was a crowned King twenty times over, could not but be +risky. I got up very early in the morning while Dravot was asleep, and +I saw the priests talking together in whispers, and the Chiefs talking +together too, and they looked at me out of the corners of their eyes. + +"'What is up, Fish?' I say to the Bashkai man, who was wrapped up in his +furs and looking splendid to behold. + +"'I can't rightly say,' says he; 'but if you can make the King drop all +this nonsense about marriage, you'll be doing him and me and yourself a +great service.' + +"'That I do believe,' says I. 'But sure, you know, Billy, as well as me, +having fought against and for us, that the King and me are nothing more +than two of the finest men that God Almighty ever made. Nothing more, I +do assure you.' + +"'That may be,' says Billy Fish, 'and yet I should be sorry if it was.' +He sinks his head upon his great fur cloak for a minute and thinks. +'King,' says he, 'be you man or God or Devil, I'll stick by you to-day. +I have twenty of my men with me, and they will follow me. We'll go to +Bashkai until the storm blows over.' + +"A little snow had fallen in the night, and everything was white except +the greasy fat clouds that blew down and down from the north. Dravot +came out with his crown on his head, swinging his arms and stamping his +feet, and looking more pleased than Punch. + +"'For the last time, drop it, Dan,' says I, in a whisper; 'Billy Fish +here says that there will be a row.' + +"'A row among my people!' says Dravot. 'Not much. Peachey, you're a fool +not to get a wife too. Where's the girl?' says he, with a voice as loud +as the braying of a jackass. 'Call up all the Chiefs and priests, and +let the Emperor see if his wife suits him.' + +"There was no need to call any one. They were all there leaning on their +guns and spears round the clearing in the centre of the pine wood. A lot +of priests went down to the little temple to bring up the girl, and the +horns blew fit to wake the dead. Billy Fish saunters round and gets as +close to Daniel as he could, and behind him stood his twenty men with +matchlocks--not a man of them under six feet. I was next to Dravot, and +behind me was twenty men of the regular Army. Up comes the girl, and a +strapping wench she was, covered with silver and turquoises, but white +as death, and looking back every minute at the priests. + +"'She'll do,' said Dan, looking her over. 'What's to be afraid of, lass? +Come and kiss me.' He puts his arm round her. She shuts her eyes, +gives a bit of a squeak, and down goes her face in the side of Dan's +flaming-red beard. + +"'The slut's bitten me!' says he, clapping his hand to his neck, and, +sure enough, his hand was red with blood. Billy Fish and two of his +matchlock men catches hold of Dan by the shoulders and drags him into +the Bashkai lot, while the priests howls in their lingo, 'Neither God +nor Devil, but a man!' I was all taken aback, for a priest cut at me in +front, and the Army behind began firing into the Bashkai men. + +"'God A'mighty!' says Dan, 'what is the meaning o' this?' + +"'Come back! Come away!' says Billy Fish. 'Ruin and Mutiny is the +matter. We'll break for Bashkai if we can.' + +"I tried to give some sort of orders to my men,--the men o' the regular +Army,--but it was no use, so I fired into the brown of 'em with an +English Martini and drilled three beggars in a line. The valley was full +of shouting, howling creatures, and every soul was shrieking, 'Not a God +nor a Devil, but only a man!' The Bashkai troops stuck to Billy Fish all +they were worth, but their matchlocks wasn't half as good as the Kabul +breech-loaders, and four of them dropped. Dan was bellowing like a bull, +for he was very wrathy; and Billy Fish had a hard job to prevent him +running out at the crowd. + +"'We can't stand,' says Billy Fish. 'Make a run for it down the valley! +The whole place is against us.' The matchlock-men ran, and we went down +the valley in spite of Dravot. He was swearing horrible and crying +out that he was a King. The priests rolled great stones on us, and +the regular Army fired hard, and there wasn't more than six men, not +counting Dan, Billy Fish, and Me, that came down to the bottom of the +valley alive. + +"Then they stopped firing, and the horns in the temple blew again. 'Come +away--for Gord's sake come away!' says Billy Fish. 'They'll send runners +out to all the villages before ever we get to Bashkai. I can protect you +there, but I can't do anything now." + +"My own notion is that Dan began to go mad in his head from that hour. +He stared up and down like a stuck pig. Then he was all for walking back +alone and killing the priests with his bare hands; which he could have +done. 'An Emperor am I,' says Daniel, 'and next year I shall be a Knight +of the Queen.' + +"'All right, Dan,' says I; 'but come along now while there's time.' + +"'It's your fault,' says he, 'for not looking after your Army better. +There was mutiny in the midst, and you didn't know--you damned +engine-driving, plate-laying, missionary's-pass-hunting hound!' He sat +upon a rock and called me every foul name he could lay tongue to. I was +too heart-sick to care, though it was all his foolishness that brought +the smash. + +"'I'm sorry, Dan,' says I, 'but there's no accounting for natives. This +business is our Fifty-seven. Maybe we'll make something out of it yet, +when we've got to Bashkai.' + +"'Let's get to Bashkai, then,' says Dan, 'and, by God, when I come +back here again I'll sweep the valley so there isn't a bug in a blanket +left!' + +"We walked all that day, and all that night Dan was stumping up and down +on the snow, chewing his beard and muttering to himself. + +"'There's no hope o' getting clear,' said Billy Fish. 'The priests have +sent runners to the villages to say that you are only men. Why didn't +you stick on as Gods till things was more settled? I'm a dead man,' says +Billy Fish, and he throws himself down on the snow and begins to pray to +his Gods. + +"Next morning we was in a cruel bad country--all up and down, no level +ground at all, and no food, either. The six Bashkai men looked at Billy +Fish hungry-way as if they wanted to ask something, but they never said +a word. At noon we came to the top of a flat mountain all covered with +snow, and when we climbed up into it, behold, there was an Army in +position waiting in the middle! + +"'The runners have been very quick,' says Billy Fish, with a little bit +of a laugh. 'They are waiting for us.' + +"Three or four men began to fire from the enemy's side, and a chance +shot took Daniel in the calf of the leg. That brought him to his senses. +He looks across the snow at the Army, and sees the rifles that we had +brought into the country. + +"'We're done for,' says he. 'They are Englishmen, these people,--and +it's my blasted nonsense that has brought you to this. Get back, Billy +Fish, and take your men away; you've done what you could, and now cut +for it. Carnehan,' says he, 'shake hands with me and go along with +Billy, Maybe they won't kill you. I'll go and meet 'em alone. It's me +that did it! Me, the King!' + +"'Go!' says I. 'Go to Hell, Dan! I'm with you here. Billy Fish, you +clear out, and we two will meet those folk.' + +"'I'm a Chief,' says Billy Fish, quite quiet. 'I stay with you. My men +can go.' + +"The Bashkai fellows didn't wait for a second word, but ran off, and Dan +and Me and Billy Fish walked across to where the drums were drumming and +the horns were horning. It was cold--awful cold. I've got that cold in +the back of my head now. There's a lump of it there." + +The punka-coolies had gone to sleep. Two kerosene lamps were blazing in +the office, and the perspiration poured down my face and splashed on the +blotter as I leaned forward. Carnehan was shivering, and I feared that +his mind might go. I wiped my face, took a fresh grip of the piteously +mangled hands, and said, "What happened after that?" + +The momentary shift of my eyes had broken the clear current. + +"What was you pleased to say?" whined Carnehan. "They took them without +any sound. Not a little whisper all along the snow, not though the King +knocked down the first man that set hand on him--not though old Peachey +fired his last cartridge into the brown of 'em. Not a single solitary +sound did those swines make. They just closed up tight, and I tell you +their furs stunk. There was a man called Billy Fish, a good friend of us +all, and they cut his throat, Sir, then and there, like a pig; and the +King kicks up the bloody snow and says, 'We've had a dashed fine run for +our money. What's coming next?' But Peachey, Peachey Taliaferro, I tell +you, Sir, in confidence as betwixt two friends, he lost his head, Sir. +No, he didn't, neither. The King lost his head, so he did, all along o' +one of those cunning rope bridges. Kindly let me have the paper-cutter, +Sir. It tilted this way. They marched him a mile across that snow to a +rope bridge over a ravine with a river at the bottom. You may have seen +such. They prodded him behind like an ox. 'Damn your eyes!' says +the King. 'D' you suppose I can't die like a gentleman?' He turns to +Peachey--Peachey that was crying like a child. 'I've brought you to +this, Peachey,' says he. 'Brought you out of your happy life to be +killed in Kafiristan, where you was late Commander-in-Chief of the +Emperor's forces. Say you forgive me, Peachey.' 'I do,' says Peachey. +'Fully and freely do I forgive you, Dan.' 'Shake hands, Peachey,' says +he. 'I'm going now.' Out he goes, looking neither right nor left, and +when he was plumb in the middle of those dizzy dancing ropes, 'Cut you +beggars,' he shouts; and they cut, and old Dan fell, turning round and +round and round, twenty thousand miles, for he took half an hour to fall +till he struck the water, and I could see his body caught on a rock with +the gold crown close beside. + +"But do you know what they did to Peachey between two pine-trees? They +crucified him, Sir, as Peachey's hand will show. They used wooden pegs +for his hands and feet; but he didn't die. He hung there and screamed, +and they took him down next day, and said it was a miracle that he +wasn't dead. They took him down--poor old Peachey that hadn't done them +any harm--that hadn't done them any--" + +He rocked to and fro and wept bitterly, wiping his eyes with the back of +his scarred hands and moaning like a child for some ten minutes. + +"They was cruel enough to feed him up in the temple, because they said +he was more of a God than old Daniel that was a man. Then they turned +him out on the snow, and told him to go home, and Peachey came home in +about a year, begging along the roads quite safe; for Daniel Dravot he +walked before and said, 'Come along, Peachey. It's a big thing we're +doing.' The mountains they danced at night, and the mountains they tried +to fall on Peachey's head, but Dan he held up his hand, and Peachey came +along bent double. He never let go of Dan's hand, and he never let go +of Dan's head. They gave it to him as a present in the temple, to remind +him not to come again; and though the crown was pure gold and Peachey +was starving, never would Peachey sell the same. You know Dravot, Sir! +You knew Right Worshipful Brother Dravot! Look at him now!" + +He fumbled in the mass of rags round his bent waist; brought out a black +horsehair bag embroidered with silver thread; and shook therefrom on to +my table--the dried, withered head of Daniel Dravot! The morning sun, +that had long been paling the lamps, struck the red beard and blind +sunken eyes; struck, too, a heavy circlet of gold studded with raw +turquoises, that Carnehan placed tenderly on the battered temples. + +"You be'old now," said Carnehan, "the Emperor in his 'abit as he +lived--the King of Kafiristan with his crown upon his head. Poor old +Daniel that was a monarch once!" + +I shuddered, for, in spite of defacements manifold, I recognised the +head of the man of Marwar Junction. Carnehan rose to go. I attempted to +stop him. He was not fit to walk abroad. "Let me take away the whisky, +and give me a little money," he gasped. "I was a King once. I'll go to +the Deputy Commissioner and ask to set in the Poorhouse till I get my +health. No, thank you, I can't wait till you get a carriage for me. I've +urgent private affairs--in the south--at Marwar." + +He shambled out of the office and departed in the direction of the +Deputy Commissioner's house. That day at noon I had occasion to go down +the blinding-hot Mall, and I saw a crooked man crawling along the white +dust of the roadside, his hat in his hand, quavering dolorously after +the fashion of street-singers at Home. There was not a soul in sight, +and he was out of all possible earshot of the houses. And he sang +through his nose, turning his head from right to left: + + "The Son of Man goes forth to war, + A golden crown to gain; + His blood-red banner streams afar-- + Who follows in His train?" + +I waited to hear no more, but put the poor wretch into my carriage and +drove him off to the nearest missionary for eventual transfer to the +Asylum. He repeated the hymn twice while he was with me, whom he did not +in the least recognise, and I left him singing it to the missionary. + +Two days later I inquired after his welfare of the Superintendent of the +Asylum. + +"He was admitted suffering from sunstroke. He died early yesterday +morning," said the Superintendent. "Is it true that he was half an hour +bareheaded in the sun at midday?" + +"Yes," said I; "but do you happen to know if he had anything upon him by +any chance when he died?" + +"Not to my knowledge," said the Superintendent. + +And there the matter rests. + + + + +TAJIMA, By Miss Mitford + + +Once upon a time, a certain ronin, Tajima Shume by name, an able and +well-read man, being on his travels to see the world, went up to Kiyoto +by the Tokaido. [The road of the Eastern Sea, the famous highroad +leading from Kiyoto to Yedo. The name is also used to indicate the +provinces through which it runs.] One day, in the neighbourhood of +Nagoya, in the province of Owari, he fell in with a wandering priest, +with whom he entered into conversation. Finding that they were bound for +the same place, they agreed to travel together, beguiling their weary +way by pleasant talk on divers matters; and so by degrees, as they +became more intimate, they began to speak without restraint about their +private affairs; and the priest, trusting thoroughly in the honour of +his companion, told him the object of his journey. + +"For some time past," said he, "I have nourished a wish that has +engrossed all my thoughts; for I am bent on setting up a molten image +in honour of Buddha; with this object I have wandered through various +provinces collecting alms, and (who knows by what weary toil?) we have +succeeded in amassing two hundred ounces of silver--enough, I trust, to +erect a handsome bronze figure." + +What says the proverb? "He who bears a jewel in his bosom bears poison." +Hardly had the ronin heard these words of the priest than an evil heart +arose within him, and he thought to himself, "Man's life, from the womb +to the grave, is made up of good and of ill luck. Here am I, nearly +forty years old, a wanderer, without a calling, or even a hope of +advancement in the world. To be sure, it seems a shame; yet if I could +steal the money this priest is boasting about, I could live at ease for +the rest of my days;" and so he began casting about how best he might +compass his purpose. But the priest, far from guessing the drift of his +comrade's thoughts, journeyed cheerfully on till they reached the +town of Kuana. Here there is an arm of the sea, which is crossed in +ferry-boats, that start as soon as some twenty or thirty passengers +are gathered together; and in one of these boats the two travellers +embarked. About half-way across, the priest was taken with a sudden +necessity to go to the side of the boat; and the ronin, following him, +tripped him up while no one was looking, and flung him into the sea. +When the boatmen and passengers heard the splash, and saw the priest +struggling in the water, they were afraid, and made every effort to +save him; but the wind was fair, and the boat running swiftly under +the bellying sails; so they were soon a few hundred yards off from the +drowning man, who sank before the boat could be turned to rescue him. + +When he saw this, the ronin feigned the utmost grief and dismay, and +said to his fellow-passengers, "This priest, whom we have just lost, was +my cousin; he was going to Kiyoto, to visit the shrine of his patron; +and as I happened to have business there as well, we settled to travel +together. Now, alas! by this misfortune, my cousin is dead, and I am +left alone." + +He spoke so feelingly, and wept so freely, that the passengers believed +his story, and pitied and tried to comfort him. Then the ronin said to +the boatmen: + +"We ought, by rights, to report this matter to the authorities; but as I +am pressed for time, and the business might bring trouble on yourselves +as well, perhaps we had better hush it up for the present; I will at +once go on to Kiyoto and tell my cousin's patron, besides writing home +about it. What think you, gentlemen?" added he, turning to the other +travellers. + +They, of course, were only too glad to avoid any hindrance to their +onward journey, and all with one voice agreed to what the ronin had +proposed; and so the matter was settled. When, at length, they reached +the shore, they left the boat, and every man went his way; but the +ronin, overjoyed in his heart, took the wandering priest's luggage, and, +putting it with his own, pursued his journey to Kiyoto. + +On reaching the capital, the ronin changed his name from Shume to +Tokubei, and, giving up his position as a samurai, turned merchant, and +traded with the dead man's money. Fortune favouring his speculations, +he began to amass great wealth, and lived at his ease, denying himself +nothing; and in course of time he married a wife, who bore him a child. + +Thus the days and months wore on, till one fine summer's night, some +three years after the priest's death, Tokubei stepped out on the veranda +of his house to enjoy the cool air and the beauty of the moonlight. +Feeling dull and lonely, he began musing over all kinds of things, when +on a sudden the deed of murder and theft, done so long ago, vividly +recurred to his memory, and he thought to himself, "Here am I, grown +rich and fat on the money I wantonly stole. Since then, all has gone +well with me; yet, had I not been poor, I had never turned assassin nor +thief. Woe betide me! what a pity it was!" and as he was revolving the +matter in his mind, a feeling of remorse came over him, in spite of all +he could do. While his conscience thus smote him, he suddenly, to his +utter amazement, beheld the faint outline of a man standing near a +fir-tree in the garden; on looking more attentively, he perceived that +the man's whole body was thin and worn, and the eyes sunken and dim; +and in that poor ghost that was before him he recognised the very priest +whom he had thrown into the sea at Kuana. Chilled with horror, he looked +again, and saw that the priest was smiling in scorn. He would have fled +into the house, but the ghost stretched forth its withered arm, and, +clutching the back of his neck, scowled at him with a vindictive glare +and a hideous ghastliness of mien so unspeakably awful that any ordinary +man would have swooned with fear. But Tokubei, tradesman though he was, +had once been a soldier, and was not easily matched for daring; so he +shook off the ghost, and, leaping into the room for his dirk, laid about +him boldly enough; but, strike as he would, the spirit, fading into the +air, eluded his blows, and suddenly reappeared only to vanish again; +and from that time forth Tokubei knew no rest, and was haunted night and +day. + +At length, undone by such ceaseless vexation, Tokubei fell ill, and +kept muttering, "Oh, misery! misery! the wandering priest is coming to +torture me!" Hearing his moans and the disturbance he made, the +people in the house fancied he was mad, and called in a physician, who +prescribed for him. But neither pill nor potion could cure Tokubei, +whose strange frenzy soon became the talk of the whole neighbourhood. + +Now it chanced that the story reached the ears of a certain wandering +priest who lodged in the next street. When he heard the particulars, +this priest gravely shook his head as though he knew all about it, +and sent a friend to Tokubei's house to say that a wandering priest, +dwelling hard by, had heard of his illness, and, were it never so +grievous, would undertake to heal it by means of his prayers; and +Tokubei's wife, driven half wild by her husband's sickness, lost not +a moment in sending for the priest and taking him into the sick man's +room. + +But no sooner did Tokubei see the priest than he yelled out, "Help! +help! Here is the wandering priest come to torment me again. Forgive! +forgive!" and hiding his head under the coverlet, he lay quivering all +over. Then the priest turned all present out of the room, put his mouth +to the affrighted man's ear, and whispered: + +"Three years ago, at the Kuana ferry, you flung me into the water; and +well you remember it." + +But Tokubei was speechless, and could only quake with fear. + +"Happily," continued the priest, "I had learned to swim and to dive as +a boy; so I reached the shore, and, after wandering through many +provinces, succeeded in setting up a bronze figure to Buddha, thus +fulfilling the wish of my heart. On my journey homeward, I took a +lodging in the next street, and there heard of your marvellous ailment. +Thinking I could divine its cause, I came to see you, and am glad to +find I was not mistaken. You have done a hateful deed; but am I not a +priest, and have I not forsaken the things of this world, and would it +not ill become me to bear malice? Repent, therefore, and abandon your +evil ways. To see you do so I should esteem the height of happiness. Be +of good cheer, now, and look me in the face, and you will see that I am +really a living man, and no vengeful goblin come to torment you." + +Seeing he had no ghost to deal with, and overwhelmed by the priest's +kindness, Tokubei burst into tears, and answered, "Indeed, indeed, I +don't know what to say. In a fit of madness I was tempted to kill and +rob you. Fortune befriended me ever after; but the richer I grew, the +more keenly I felt how wicked I had been, and the more I foresaw that my +victim's vengeance would some day overtake me. Haunted by this thought, +I lost my nerve, till one night I beheld your spirit, and from that time +fell ill. But how you managed to escape, and are still alive, is more +than I can understand." + +"A guilty man," said the priest, with a smile, "shudders at the rustling +of the wind or the chattering of a stork's beak; a murderer's conscience +preys upon his mind till he sees what is not. Poverty drives a man to +crimes which he repents of in his wealth. How true is the doctrine of +Moshi [Mencius], that the heart of man, pure by nature, is corrupted by +circumstances!" + +Thus he held forth; and Tokubei, who had long since repented of his +crime, implored forgiveness, and gave him a large sum of money, saying, +"Half of this is the amount I stole from you three years since; the +other half I entreat you to accept as interest, or as a gift." + +The priest at first refused the money; but Tokubei insisted on his +accepting it, and did all he could to detain him, but in vain; for the +priest went on his way, and bestowed the money on the poor and needy. As +for Tokubei himself, he soon shook off his disorder, and thenceforward +lived at peace with all men, revered both at home and abroad, and ever +intent on good and charitable deeds. + + + + +A CHINESE GIRL GRADUATE, By R. K. Douglas + + +Who among the three hundred million sons of Han does not know the +saying: + + There's Paradise above, 't is true; + But here below we've Hang and Soo? + [Hangchow and Soochow] + +And though no one will deny the beauty of those far-famed cities, they +cannot compare in grandeur of situation and boldness of features with +many of the towns of the providence of the "Four Streams." Foremost +among the favoured spots of this part of the empire is Mienchu, which, +as its name implies, is celebrated for the silky bamboos which grow +in its immediate neighbourhood. These form, however, only one of the +features of its loveliness. Situated at the foot of a range of mountains +which rise through all the gradations from rich and abundant verdure +to the region of eternal snow, it lies embosomed in groves of beech, +cypress, and bamboo, through the leafy screens of which rise the +upturned yellow roofs of the temples and official residences, which dot +the landscape like golden islands in an emerald sea; while beyond the +wall hurries, between high and rugged banks, the tributary of the Fu +River, which bears to the mighty waters of the Yangtsze-Kiang the goods +and passengers which seek an outlet to the eastern provinces. + +The streets within the walls of the city are scenes of life and bustle, +while in the suburbs stand the residences of those who can afford to +live in peace and quiet, undisturbed by the clamour of the Les and +Changs [i.e., the people. Le and Chang are the two commonest names in +China.] of the town. There, in a situation which the Son of Heaven might +envy, stands the official residence of Colonel Wen. Outwardly it has +all the appearance of a grandee's palace, and within the massive +boundary-walls which surround it, the courtyards, halls, grounds, +summer-houses, and pavilions are not to be exceeded in grandeur and +beauty. The office which had fallen to the lot of Colonel Wen was one +of the most sought after in the province, and commonly only fell to +officers of distinction. Though not without fame in the field, Colonel +Wen's main claim to honour lay in the high degrees he had taken in the +examinations. His literary acquirements gained him friends among +the civil officers of the district, and the position he occupied was +altogether one of exceptional dignity. + +Unfortunately, his first wife had died, leaving only a daughter to +keep her memory alive; but at the time when our story opens, his second +spouse, more kind than his first, had presented him with a much-desired +son. The mother of this boy was one of those bright, pretty, gay +creatures who commonly gain the affections of men much older than +themselves. She sang in the most faultless falsetto, she played the +guitar with taste and expression, and she danced with grace and agility. +What wonder, then, that when the colonel returned from his tours of +inspections and parades, weary with travel and dust, he found relief and +relaxation in the joyous company of Hyacinth! And was she not also the +mother of his son? Next to herself, there can be no question that this +young gentleman held the chief place in the colonel's affections; while +poor Jasmine, his daughter by his first venture, was left very much to +her own resources. No one troubled themselves about what she did, and +she was allowed, as she grew up, to follow her own pursuits and to +give rein to her fancies without let or hindrance. From her earliest +childhood one of her lonely amusements had been to dress as a boy, and +so unchecked had the habit become that she gradually drifted into the +character which she had chosen to assume. She even persuaded her father +to let her go to the neighbouring boys' school. Her mother had died +before the colonel had been posted to Mienchu, and among the people of +that place, who had always seen her in boy's attire, she was regarded as +an adopted son of her father. Hyacinth was only too glad to get her out +of the way as much as possible, and so encouraged the idea of allowing +her to learn to read and write in the company of their neighbours' +urchins. + +Being bright and clever, she soon gained an intellectual lead among the +boys, and her uncommon beauty, coupled with the magnetism belonging +to her sex, secured for her a popularity which almost amounted to +adoration. She was tall for her age, as are most young daughters of Han; +and her perfectly oval face, almond-shaped eyes, willow-leaf eyebrows, +small, well-shaped mouth, brilliantly white teeth, and raven-black hair, +completed a face and figure which would have been noticeable anywhere. +By the boys she was worshipped, and no undertaking was too difficult or +too troublesome if it was to give pleasure to Tsunk'ing, or the "Young +Noble," as she was called; for to have answered to the name of Jasmine +would have been to proclaim her sex at once. Even the grim old +master smiled at her through his horn spectacles as she entered the +school-house of a morning, and any graceful turn in her poetry or +scholarly diction in her prose was sure to win for her his unsparing +praise. Many an evening he invited the "young noble" to his house to +read over chapters from Confucius and the poems of Le Taipoh; and years +afterward, when he died, among his most cherished papers were found +odes signed by Tsunk'ing, in which there was a good deal about bending +willows, light, flickering bamboos, horned moons, wild geese, the sound +of a flute on a rainy day, and the pleasures of wine, in strict accord +with the models set forth in the "Aids to Poetry-making" which are +common in the land. + +If it had not been for the indifference with which she was treated in +her home, the favour with which she was regarded abroad would have +been most prejudicial to Jasmine; but any conceit which might have been +engendered in the school-house was speedily counteracted when she got +within the portals of the colonel's domain. Coming into the presence of +her father and his wife, with all the incense of kindness, affection, +and, it must be confessed, flattery, with which she was surrounded by +her school-fellows, fresh about her, was like stepping into a cold bath. +Wholesome and invigorating the change may have been, but it was very +unpleasant, and Jasmine often longed to be alone to give vent to her +feelings in tears. + +One deep consolation she had, however: she was a devoted student, and in +the society of her books she forgot the callousness of her parents, and, +living in imagination in the bygone annals of the empire, she was able +to take part, as it were, in the great deeds which mark the past history +of the state, and to enjoy the converse and society of the sages and +poets of antiquity. When the time came that she had gained all the +knowledge which the old schoolmaster could impart to her, she left the +school, and formed a reading-party with two youths of her own age. +These lads, by name Wei and Tu, had been her school-fellows, and were +delighted at obtaining her promise to join them in their studies. So +industriously were these pursued that the three friends succeeded in +taking their B.A. degree at the next examination, and, encouraged by +this success, determined to venture on a struggle for a still higher +distinction. + +Though at one in their affection for Jasmine, Tu and Wei were unlike +in everything else, which probably accounted for the friendship which +existed between them. Wei was the more clever of the two. He wrote +poetry with ease and fluency, and his essays were marked by correctness +of style and aptness of quotation. But there was a want of strength in +his character. He was exceedingly vain, and was always seeking to excite +admiration among his companions. This unhappy failing made him very +susceptible of adverse criticism, and at the same time extremely jealous +of any one who might happen to excel him in any way. Tu, on the other +hand, though not so intellectually favoured, had a rough kind of +originality, which always secured for his exercises a respectful +attention, and made him at all times an agreeable companion. Having +no exaggerated ideas of his capabilities, he never strove to appear +otherwise than he was, and being quite independent of the opinions of +others, he was always natural. Thus he was one who was sought out by +his friends, and was best esteemed by those whose esteem was best worth +having. In outward appearance the youths were as different as their +characters were diverse. Wei was decidedly good-looking, but of a kind +of beauty which suggested neither rest nor sincerity; while in Tu's +features, though there was less grace, the want was fully compensated +for by the strength and honest firmness of his countenance. + +For both these young men Jasmine had a liking, but there was no question +as to which she preferred. As she herself said, "Wei is pleasant enough +as a companion, but if I had to look to one of them for an act of true +friendship--or as a lover," she mentally added--"I should turn at once +to Tu." It was one of her amusements to compare the young men in her +mind, and one day when so occupied Tu suddenly looked up from his book +and said to her: + +"What a pity it is that the gods have made us both men! If _I_ were a +woman, the object of my heart would be to be your wife, and if _you_ +were a woman, there is nothing I should like better than to be your +husband." + +Jasmine blushed up to the roots of her hair at having her own thoughts +thus capped, as it were; but before she could answer, Wei broke in with: + +"What nonsense you talk! And why, I should like to know, should you be +the only one the 'young noble' might choose, supposing he belonged to +the other sex?" + +"You are both talking nonsense," said Jasmine, who had had time to +recover her composure, "and remind me of my two old childless aunts," +she added, laughing, "who are always quarrelling about the names they +would have given their children if the goddess Kwanyin had granted them +any half a century ago. As a matter of act, we are three friends reading +for our M.A. degrees, neither more nor less. And I will trouble you, +my elder brother," she added, turning to Tu, "to explain to me what the +poet means by the expression 'tuneful Tung' in the line: + + 'The greedy flames devour the tuneful Tung.'" + +A learned disquisition by Tu on the celebrated musician who recognised +the sonorous qualities of a piece of Tung timber burning in the kitchen +fire effectually diverted the conversation from the inconvenient +direction it had taken, and shortly afterward Jasmine took her leave. + +Haunted by the thought of what had passed, she wandered on to the +veranda of her archery pavilion, and while gazing half unconsciously +heavenward her eyes were attracted by a hawk which flew past and +alighted on a tree beyond the boundary-wall, and in front of the study +she had lately left. In a restless and thoughtless mood, she took up her +bow and arrow, and with unerring aim compassed the death of her victim. +No sooner, however, had the hawk fallen, carrying the arrow with it, +than she remembered that her name was inscribed on the shaft, and +fearing lest it should be found by either Wei or Tu, she hurried round +in the hope of recovering it. But she was too late. On approaching +the study, she found Tu in the garden in front, examining the bird and +arrow. + +"Look," he said, as he saw her coming, "what a good shot some one has +made! and whoever it is, he has a due appreciation of his own skill. +Listen to these lines which are scraped on the arrow: + + 'Do not lightly draw your bow; + But if you must, bring down your foe.'" + +Jasmine was glad enough to find that he had not discovered her name, +and eagerly exchanged banter with him on the conceit of the owner of the +arrow. But before she could recover it, Wei, who had heard the talking +and laughter, joined them, and took the arrow out of Tu's hand to +examine it. Just at that moment a messenger came to summon Tu to his +father's presence, and he had no sooner gone than Wei exclaimed: + +"But see, here is the name of the mysterious owner of the arrow, and, as +I live, it is a girl's name--Jasmine! Who, among the goddesses of heaven +can Jasmine be?" + +"Oh, I will take the arrow then," said Jasmine. "It must belong to my +sister. That is her name." + +"I did not know that you had a sister," said Wei. + +"Oh yes, I have," answered Jasmine, quite forgetful of the celebrated +dictum of Confucius: "Be truthful." "She is just one year younger than I +am," she added, thinking it well to be circumstantial. + +"Why have you never mentioned her?" asked Wei, with animation. "What is +she like? Is she anything like you?" + +"She is the very image of me." + +"What! In height and features and ways?" + +"The very image, so that people have often said that if we changed +clothes each might pass for the other." + +"What a good-looking girl she must be!" said Wei, laughing. "But, +seriously, I have not, as you know, yet set up a household; and if your +sister has not received bridal presents, I would beg to be allowed to +invite her to enter my lowly habitation. What does my elder brother say +to my proposal?" + +"I don't know what my sister would feel about it," said Jasmine. "I +would never answer for a girl, if I lived to be as old as the God of +Longevity." + +"Will you find out for me?" + +"Certainly I will. But remember, not a word must be mentioned on the +subject to my father, or, in fact, to anybody, until I give you leave." + +"So long as my elder brother will undertake for me, I will promise +anything," said the delighted Wei. "I already feel as though I were +nine-tenths of the way to the abode of the phenix. Take this box of +precious ointment to your sister as an earnest of my intentions, and I +will keep the arrow as a token from her until she demands its return. I +feel inclined to express myself in verse. May I?" + +"By all means," said Jasmine, laughing. + +Thus encouraged, Wei improvised as follows: + + "'T was sung of old that Lofu had no mate, + Though Che was willing; for no word was said. + At last an arrow like a herald came, + And now an honoured brother lends his aid." + +"Excellent," said Jasmine, laughing. "With such a poetic gift as you +possess, you certainly deserve a better fate than befell Lofu." + +From this day the idea of marrying Jasmine's sister possessed the +soul of Wei. But not a word did he say to Tu on the matter, for he was +conscious that, as Tu was the first to pick up the arrow through which +he had become acquainted with the existence of Jasmine's sister, his +friend might possibly lay a claim to her hand. To Jasmine also the +subject was a most absorbing one. She felt that she was becoming most +unpleasantly involved in a risky matter, and that, if the time should +ever come when she should have to make an explanation, she might in +honour be compelled to marry Wei--a prospect which filled her with +dismay. The turn events had taken had made her analyse her feelings more +than she had ever done before, and the process made her doubly conscious +of the depth of her affection for Tu. "A horse," she said to herself, +"cannot carry two saddles, and a woman cannot marry more than one man." +Wise as this saw was, it did not help her out of her difficulty, and +she turned to the chapter of accidents, and determined to trust to time, +that old disposer of events, to settle the matter. But Wei was inclined +to be impatient, and Jasmine was obliged to resort to more of those +departures from truth which circumstances had forced upon this generally +very upright young lady. + +"I have consulted my father on the subject," she said to the expectant +Wei, "and he insists on your waiting until the autumn examination is +over. He has every confidence that you will then take your M.A. degree, +and your marriage will, he hopes, put the coping-stone on your happiness +and honour." + +"That is all very well," said Wei; "but autumn is a long time hence, and +how do I know that your sister may not change her mind?" + +"Has not your younger brother undertaken to look after your interests, +and cannot you trust him to do his best on your behalf?" + +"I can trust my elder brother with anything in the world. It is your +sister that I am afraid of," said Wei. "But since you will undertake for +her--" + +"No, no," said Jasmine, laughing, "I did not say that I would undertake +for her. A man who answers for a woman deserves to have 'fool' written +on his forehead." + +"Well, at all events, I will be content to leave the matter in your +hands," said Wei. + +At last the time of the autumn examination drew near, and Tu and Wei +made preparations for their departure to the provincial capital. They +were both bitterly disappointed when Jasmine announced that she was not +going up that time. This determination was the result of a conference +with her father. She had pointed out to the colonel that if she passed +and took her M.A. degree she might be called upon to take office at any +time, and that then she would be compelled to confess her sex; and as +she was by no means disposed to give up the freedom which her doublet +and hose conferred upon her, it was agreed between them that she should +plead illness and not go up. Her two friends, therefore, went alone, and +brilliant success attended their venture. They both passed with honours, +and returned to Mienchu to receive the congratulations of their friends. +Jasmine's delight was very genuine, more especially as regarded Tu, and +the first evening was spent by the three students in joyous converse and +in confident anticipation of the future. As Jasmine took leave of the +two new M.A.'s, Wei followed her to the outer door and whispered at +parting: + +"I am coming to-morrow to make my formal proposal to your sister." + +Jasmine had no time to answer, but went home full of anxious and +disturbed thoughts, which were destined to take a more tragic turn than +she had ever anticipated even in her most gloomy moments. The same cruel +fate had also decreed that Wei's proposal was to be suspended, like +Buddha, between heaven and earth. The blow fell upon him when he was +attiring himself in the garments of his new degree, in preparation for +his visit. He was in the act of tying his sash and appending it to +his purse and trinkets, when Jasmine burst into the young men's study, +looking deadly pale and bearing traces of acute mental distress on her +usually bright and joyous countenance. + +"What is the matter?" cried Tu, with almost as much agitation as was +shown by Jasmine. "Tell me what has happened." + +"Oh, my father, my poor father!" sobbed Jasmine. + +"What is the matter with your father? He is not dead, is he?" cried the +young men in one breath. + +"No, it is not so bad as that," said Jasmine, "but a great and bitter +misfortune has come upon us. As you know, some time ago my father had +a quarrel with the military intendant, and that horrid man has, out of +spite, brought charges against him for which he was carried off this +morning to prison." + +The statement of her misery and the shame involved in it completely +unnerved poor Jasmine, who, true to her inner sex, burst into tears +and rocked herself to and fro in her grief. Tu and Wei, on their knees +before her, tried to pour in words of consolation. With a lack of reason +which might be excused under the circumstances, they vowed that her +father was innocent before they knew the nature of the charges against +him, and they pledged themselves to rest neither day nor night until +they had rescued him from his difficulty. When, under the influence of +their genuine sympathy, Jasmine recovered some composure, Tu begged her +to tell him of what her father was accused. + +"The villain," said Jasmine, through her tears, "has dared to say +that my father has made use of government taxes, has taken bribes +for recommending men for promotion, has appropriated the soldiers' +ration-money, and has been in league with highwaymen." + +"Is it possible?" said Tu, who was rather staggered by this long +catalogue of crimes. "I should not have believed that any one could have +ventured to have charged your honoured father with such things, least of +all the intendant, who is notoriously possessed of an itching palm. But +I tell you what we can do at once. Wei and I, being M.A.'s, have a right +to call on the prefect, and it will be a real pleasure to us to exercise +our new privilege for the first time in your service. We will urge him +to inquire into the matter, and I cannot doubt that he will at once +quash the proceedings." + +Unhappily, Tu's hopes were not realised. The prefect was very civil, +but pointed out that, since a higher court had ordered the arrest of +the colonel, he was powerless to interfere in the matter. Many were +the consultations held by the three friends, and much personal relief +Jasmine got from the support and sympathy of the young men. One hope +yet remained to her: Tu and Wei were about to go to Peking for their +doctor's degrees, and if they passed they might be able to bring such +influence to bear as would secure the release of her father. + +"Let not the 'young noble' distress himself overmuch," said Wei to her, +with some importance. "This affair will be engraven on our hearts and +minds, and if we take our degrees we will use our utmost exertions to +wipe away the injustice which has been done your father." + +"Unhappily," said the more practical Tu, "it is too plain that the +examining magistrates are all in league to ruin him. But let our elder +brother remain quietly at home, doing all he can to collect evidence +in the colonel's favour, while we will do our best at the capital. If +things turn out well with us there, our elder brother had better follow +at once to assist us with his advice." + +Before the friends parted, Wei, whose own affairs were always his first +consideration, took an opportunity of whispering to Jasmine, "Don't +forget your honoured sister's promise, I beseech you. Whether we succeed +or not, I shall ask for her in marriage on my return." + +"Under present circumstances, we must no longer consider the +engagement," said Jasmine, shocked at his introducing the subject at +such a moment, "and the best thing that you can do is to forget all +about it." + +The moment for the departure of the young men had come, and they had no +time to say more. With bitter tears, the two youths took leave of the +weeping Jasmine, who, as their carts disappeared in the distance, felt +for the first time what it was to be alone in misery. She saw little of +her stepmother in those days. That poor lady made herself so ill with +unrestrained grief that she was quite incapable of rendering either help +or advice. Fortunately the officials showed no disposition to proceed +with the indictment, and by the judicious use of the money at her +command Jasmine induced the prison authorities to make her father's +confinement as little irksome as possible. She was allowed to see him at +almost any time, and on one occasion, when he was enjoying her presence +as in his prosperous days he had never expected to do, he remarked: + +"Since the officials are not proceeding with the business, I think my +best plan will be to send a petition to Peking asking the Board of War +to acquit me. But my difficulty is that I have no one whom I can send to +look after the business." + +"Let _me_ go," said Jasmine. "When Tu and Wei were leaving, they begged +me to follow them to consult as to the best means of helping you, and +with them to depend on I have nothing to fear." + +"I quite believe that you are as capable of managing the matter as +anybody," said her father, admiringly; "but Peking is a long way off, +and I cannot bear to think of the things which might happen to you on +the road." + +"From all time," answered Jasmine, "it has been considered the duty of +a daughter to risk anything in the service of her father; and though the +way is long, I shall have weapons to defend myself with against injury, +and a clear conscience with which to answer any interrogatories which +may be put to me. Besides, I will take our messenger, 'The Dragon,' and +his wife with me. I will make her dress as a man--what fun it will be +to see Mrs. Dragon's portly form in trousers, and gabardine! When that +transformation is made, we shall be a party of three men. So, you see, +she and I will have a man to protect us, and I shall have a woman to +wait upon me; and if such a gallant company cannot travel from this to +Peking in safety, I'll forswear boots and trousers and will retire into +the harem for ever." + +"Well," said her father, laughing, "if you can arrange in that way, go +by all means, and the sooner you start the sooner I hope you will be +back." + +Delighted at having gained the approval of her father to her scheme, +Jasmine quickly made the arrangements for her journey. On the morning +of the day on which she was to start, the results of the doctors' +examination at Peking reached Mienchu, and, to Jasmine's infinite +delight, she found the names of Tu and Wei among the successful +candidates. Armed with this good news, she hurried to the prison. All +difficulties seemed to disappear like mist before the sun as she thought +of the powerful advocates she now had at Peking. + +"Tu and Wei have passed," she said, as she rushed into her father's +presence, "and now the end of our troubles is approaching." + + + +With impatient hope Jasmine took leave of her father, and started on +her eventful journey. As evening drew on she entered the suburbs of +Ch'engtu, the provincial capital, and sent "The Dragon" on to find +a suitable inn for the couple of nights which she knew she would be +compelled to spend in the city. "The Dragon" was successful in his +search, and conducted Jasmine and his wife to a comfortable hostelry in +one of the busiest parts of the town. Having refreshed herself with an +excellent dinner, Jasmine was glad to rest from the fatigues and heat +of the day in the cool courtyard into which her room opened. Fortune and +builders had so arranged that a neighbouring house, towering above the +inn, overlooked this restful spot, and one of the higher windows faced +exactly the position which Jasmine had taken up. Such a fact would not, +in ordinary circumstances, have troubled her in the least; but she +had not been sitting long before she began to feel an extraordinary +attraction toward the window. She did her best to look the other way, +but she was often unconsciously impelled to glance up at the lattice. +Once she fancied she saw the curtain move. Determined to verify +her impression, she suddenly raised her eyes, after a prolonged +contemplation of the pavement, and caught a momentary sight of a girl's +face, which as instantly disappeared, but not before Jasmine had been +able to recognise that it was one of exceptional beauty. + +"Now, if I were a young man," said she to herself, "I ought to feel my +heart beat at the sight of such loveliness, and it would be my bounden +duty to swear that I would win the owner of it in the teeth of dragons. +But as my manhood goes no deeper than my outer garments, I can afford to +sit here with a quiet pulse and a whole skin." + +The next day Jasmine was busily engaged in interviewing some officials +in the interest of her father, and only reached the shelter of her inn +toward evening. As she passed through the courtyard she instinctively +looked up at the window, and again caught a glimpse of the vision +of beauty which she had seen the evening before. "If she only knew," +thought Jasmine, "that I was such a one as herself, she would be less +anxious to see me, and more likely to avoid me." + +While amusing herself at the thought of the fair watcher, the inn +door opened, and a waiting-woman entered carrying a small box. As she +approached Jasmine she bowed low, and with bated breath thus addressed +her: + +"May every happiness be yours, sir. My young lady, Miss King, whose +humble dwelling is the adjoining house, seeing that you are living +in solitude, has sent me with this fruit and tea as a complimentary +offering." + +So saying, she presented to Jasmine the box, which contained pears and a +packet of scented tea. + +"To what am I indebted for this honour?" replied Jasmine; "I can +claim no relationship with your lady, nor have I the honour of her +acquaintance." + +"My young lady says," answered the waiting-woman, "that, among the +myriads who come to this inn and the thousands who go from it, she has +seen no one to equal your Excellency in form and feature. At sight of +you she was confident that you came from a lofty and noble family, and +having learned from your attendants that you are the son of a colonel, +she ventured to send you these trifles to supplement the needy fare of +this rude inn." + +"Tell me something about your young lady," said Jasmine, in a moment of +idle curiosity. + +"My young lady," said the woman, "is the daughter of Mr. King, who was +a vice-president of a lower court. Her father and mother having both +visited the 'Yellow Springs' [Hades], she is now living with an aunt, +who has been blessed by the God of Wealth, and whose main object in life +is to find a husband whom her niece may be willing to marry. The +young gentleman, my young lady's cousin, is one of the richest men in +Ch'engtu. All the larger inns belong to him, and his profits are as +boundless as the four seas. He is as anxious as his mother to find a +suitable match for the young lady, and has promised that so soon as she +can make a choice he will arrange the wedding." + +"I should have thought," said Jasmine, "that, being the owner of so much +wealth and beauty, the young lady would have been besieged by suitors +from all parts of the empire." + +"So she is," said the woman, "and from her window yonder she espies +them, for they all put up at this inn. Hitherto she has made fun of them +all, and describes their appearance and habits in the most amusing way. +'See this one,' says she, 'with his bachelor cap on and his new official +clothes and awkward gait, looking for all the world like a barn-door +fowl dressed up as a stork; or that one, with his round shoulders, +monkey-face, and crooked legs;' and so she tells them off." + +"What does she say of me, I wonder?" said Jasmine, amused. + +"Of your Excellency she says that her comparisons fail her, and that she +can only hope that the Fates who guided your jewelled chariot hitherward +will not tantalise her by an empty vision, but will bind your ankles to +hers with the red matrimonial cords." + +"How can I hope for such happiness?" said Jasmine, smiling. "But please +to tell your young lady that, being only a guest at this inn, I have +nothing worthy of her acceptance to offer in return for her bounteous +gifts, and that I can only assure her of my boundless gratitude." + +With many bows, and with reiterated wishes for Jasmine's happiness and +endless longevity, the woman took her leave. + +"Truly this young lady has formed a most perverted attachment," said +Jasmine to herself. "She reminds me of the man in the fairy tale who +fell in love with a shadow, and, so far as I can see, she is not likely +to get any more satisfaction out of it than he did." So saying, she took +up a pencil and scribbled the following lines on a scrap of paper: + + "With thoughts as ardent as a quenchless thirst, + She sends me fragrant and most luscious fruit; + Without a blush she seeks a phenix guest [a bachelor] + Who dwells alone like case-enveloped lute." + +After this mental effort Jasmine went to bed. Nor had her interview with +the waiting-woman made a sufficient impression on her mind to interfere +in any way with her sleep. She was surprised, however, on coming into +her sitting-room in the morning, to meet the same messenger, who, laden +with a dish of hot eggs and a brew of tea, begged Jasmine to "deign to +look down upon her offerings." + +"Many thanks," said Jasmine, "for your kind attention." + +"You are putting the saddle on the wrong horse," replied the woman. "In +bringing you these I am but obeying the orders of Miss King, who herself +made the tea of leaves from Pu-erh in Yunnan, and who with her own fair +hands shelled the eggs." + +"Your young lady," answered Jasmine, "is as bountiful as she is kind. +What return can I make her for her kindness to a stranger? Stay," she +said, as the thought crossed her mind that the verses she had written +the night before might prove a wholesome tonic for this effusive young +lady, "I have a few verses which I will venture to ask her to accept." +So saying, she took a piece of peach-blossom paper, on which she +carefully copied the quatrain and handed it to the woman. "May I trouble +you," said she, "to take this to your mistress?" + +"If," said Jasmine to herself as the woman took her departure, "Miss +King is able to penetrate the meaning of my verses, she won't like them. +Without saying so in so many words, I have told her with sufficient +plainness that I will have nothing to say to her. But stupidity is a +shield sent by Providence to protect the greater part of mankind from +many evils; so perhaps she will escape." + +It certainly in this case served to shield Miss King from Jasmine's +shafts. She was delighted at receiving the verses, and at once sat down +to compose a quatrain to match Jasmine's in reply. With infinite labour +she elaborated the following: + + "Sung Yuh on th' eastern wall sat deep in thought, + And longed with P'e to pluck the fragrant fruit. + If all the well-known tunes be newly set, + What use to take again the half-burnt lute?" + +Having copied these on a piece of silk-woven paper, she sent them to +Jasmine by her faithful attendant. On looking over the paper, Jasmine +said, smiling, "What a clever young lady your mistress must be! These +lines, though somewhat inconsequential, are incomparable." + +But, though Jasmine was partly inclined to treat the matter as a joke, +she saw that there was a serious side to the affair, more especially as +the colours under which she was sailing were so undeniably false. She +knew well that for Sung Yuh should be read Miss King, and for P'e +her own name; and she determined, therefore, to put an end to the +philandering of Miss King, which, in her present state of mind, was +doubly annoying to her. + +"I am deeply indebted to your young lady," she said, and then, being +determined to make a plunge into the morass of untruthfulness, for a +good end as she believed, added, "and, if I had love at my disposal, I +should possibly venture to make advances toward the feathery peach [a +nuptial emblem]; but let me confess to you that I have already taken +to myself a wife. Had I the felicity of meeting Miss King before I +committed myself in another direction, I might perhaps have been a +happier man. But, after all, if this were so, my position is no worse +than that of most other married men, for I never met one who was not +occasionally inclined to cry, like the boys at 'toss cash,' 'Hark back +and try again.'" + +"This will be sad news for my lady, for she has set her heart upon you +ever since you first came to the inn; and when young misses take that +sort of fancy and lose the objects of their love, they are as bad as +children when forbidden their sugar-plums. But what's the use of talking +to you about a young lady's feelings!" said the woman, with a vexed toss +of her head; "I never knew a man who understood a woman yet." + +"I am extremely sorry for Miss King," said Jasmine, trying to suppress a +smile. "As you wisely remark, a young lady is a sealed book to me, but +I have always been told that their fancies are as variable as the shadow +of the bamboo; and probably, therefore, though Miss King's sky may +be overcast just now, the gloom will only make her enjoy to-morrow's +sunshine all the more." + +The woman, who was evidently in a hurry to convey the news to her +mistress, returned no answer to this last sally, but, with curtailed +obeisance, took her departure. + +Her non-appearance the next morning confirmed Jasmine in the belief +that her bold departure from truth on the previous evening had had +its curative effect. The relief was great, for she had felt that +these complications were becoming too frequent to be pleasant, and, +reprehensible though it may appear, her relief was mingled with no sort +of compassion for Miss King. Hers was not a nature to sympathise with +such sudden and fierce attachments. Her affection for Tu had been the +growth of many months, and she had no feeling in common with a young +lady who could take a violent liking for a young man simply from seeing +him taking his post-prandial ease. It was therefore with complete +satisfaction that she left the inn in the course of the morning to pay +her farewell visits to the governor and the judge of the province, who +had taken an unusual interest in Colonel Wen's case since Jasmine had +become his personal advocate. Both officials had promised to do all they +could for the prisoner, and had loaded Jasmine with tokens of good will +in the shape of strange and rare fruits and culinary delicacies. On this +particular day the governor had invited her to the midday meal, and it +was late in the afternoon before she found her way back to the inn. + +The following morning she rose early, intending to start before noon, +and was stepping into the courtyard to give directions to "The Dragon," +when, to her surprise, she was accosted by Miss King's servant, who, +with a waggish smile and a cunning shake of the head, said: + +"How can one so young as your Excellency be such a proficient in the art +of inventing flowers of the imagination?" + +"What do you mean?" said Jasmine. + +"Why, last night you told me you were married, and my poor young lady +when she heard it was wrung with grief. But, recovering somewhat, she +sent me to ask your servants whether what you had said was true or not, +for she knows what she's about as well as most people, and they both +with one voice assured me that, far from being married you had not even +exchanged nuptial presents with anybody. You may imagine Miss King's +delight when I took her this news. She at once asked her cousin to call +upon you to make a formal offer of marriage, and she has now sent me to +tell you that he will be here anon." + +Every one knows what it is to pass suddenly from a state of pleasurable +high spirits into deep despondency, to exchange in an instant bright +mental sunshine for cloud and gloom. All, therefore, must sympathise +with poor Jasmine, who believing the road before her to be smooth and +clear, on a sudden became thus aware of a most troublesome and difficult +obstruction. She had scarcely finished calling down anathemas on the +heads of "The Dragon" and his wife, and cursing her own folly for +bringing them with her, than the inn doors were thrown open, and a +servant appeared carrying a long red visiting-card inscribed with the +name of the wealthy inn-proprietor. On the heels of this forerunner +followed young Mr. King, who, with effusive bows, said, "I have ventured +to pay my respects to your Excellency." + +Poor Jasmine was so upset by the whole affair that she lacked some of +the courtesy that was habitual to her, and in her confusion very nearly +seated her guest on her right hand. Fortunately this outrageous breach +of etiquette was avoided, and the pair eventually arranged themselves in +the canonical order. + +"This old son of Han," began Mr. King, "would not have dared to intrude +himself upon your Excellency if it were not that he has a matter of +great delicacy to discuss with you. He has a cousin, the daughter of +Vice-President King, for whom for years he has been trying to find +a suitable match. The position is peculiar, for the lady declares +positively that she will not marry any one she has not seen and approved +of. Until now she has not been able to find any one whom she would care +to marry. But the presence of your Excellency has thrown a light across +her path which has shown her the way to the plum-groves of matrimonial +felicity." + +Here King paused, expecting some reply; but Jasmine was too absorbed in +thought to speak, so Mr. King went on: + +"This old son of Han, hearing that your Excellency is still unmarried, +has taken it upon himself to make a proposal of marriage to you, and to +offer his cousin as your 'basket and broom.' [wife] His interview with +you has, he may say, shown him the wisdom of his cousin's choice, and he +cannot imagine a pair better suited for one another, or more likely to +be happy, than your Excellency and his cousin." + +"I dare not be anything but straightforward with your worship," said +Jasmine, "and I am grateful for the extraordinary affection your cousin +has been pleased to bestow upon me; but I cannot forget that she belongs +to a family which is entitled to pass through the gate of the palace [a +family of distinction], and I fear that my rank is not sufficient for +her. Besides, my father is at present under a cloud, and I am now on +my way to Peking to try to release him from his difficulties. It is no +time, therefore, for me to be binding myself with promises." + +"As to your Excellency's first objection," replied King, "you are +already the wearer of a hat with a silken tassel, and a man need not be +a prophet to foretell that in time to come any office, either civil or +military, will be within your reach. No doubt, also, your business in +Peking will be quickly brought to a satisfactory conclusion, and there +can be no objection, therefore, to our settling the preliminaries now, +and then, on your return from the capital, we can celebrate the wedding. +This will give rest and composure to my cousin's mind, which is now like +a disturbed sea, and will not interfere, I venture to think, with the +affair which calls you to Peking." + +As King proceeded, Jasmine felt that her difficulties were on the +increase. It was impossible that she should explain her position in +full, and she had no sufficient reason at hand to give for rejecting the +proposal made her, though, as the same time, her annoyance was not small +at having such a matter forced upon her at a moment when her mind was +filled with anxieties. "Then," she thought to herself, "there is ahead +of me that explanation which must inevitably come with Wei; so that, +altogether, if it were not for the deeply rooted conviction which I have +that Tu will be mine at last, when he knows what I really am, life would +not be worth having. As for this inn-proprietor, if he has so little +delicacy as to push his cousin upon me at this crisis, I need not have +any compunction regarding him; so perhaps my easiest way of getting out +of the present hobble will be to accept his proposal and to present the +box of precious ointment handed me by Wei for my sister to this ogling +love-sick girl." So turning to King, she said: + +"Since you, sir, and your cousin have honoured me with your regard, I +dare not altogether decline your proposal, and I would therefore beg +you, sir, to hand this," she added, producing the box of ointment, "to +your honourable cousin, as a token of the bond between us, and to convey +to her my promise that, if I don't marry her, I will never marry another +lady." + +Mr. King, with the greatest delight, received the box, and handing it +to the waiting-woman, who stood expectant by, bade her carry it to her +mistress, with the news of the engagement. Jasmine now hoped that her +immediate troubles were over, but King insisted on celebrating the +event by a feast, and it was not until late in the afternoon that she +succeeded in making a start. Once on the road, her anxiety to reach +Peking was such that she travelled night and day, "feeding on wind and +lodging in water." Nor did she rest until she reached a hotel within the +Hata Gate of the capital. + + + +Jasmine's solitary journey had given her abundant time for reflection, +and for the first time she had set herself seriously to consider +her position. She recognised that she had hitherto followed only the +impulses of the moment, of which the main one had been the desire +to escape complications by the wholesale sacrifice of truth; and she +acknowledged to herself that, if justice were evenly dealt out, there +must be a Nemesis in store for her which would bring distress +and possibly disaster upon her. In her calmer moments she felt an +instinctive foreboding that she was approaching a crisis in her fate, +and it was with mixed feelings, therefore, that on the morning after her +arrival she prepared to visit Tu and Wei, who were as yet ignorant of +her presence. + +She dressed herself with more than usual care for the occasion, choosing +to attire herself in a blue silk robe and a mauve satin jacket which Tu +had once admired, topped by a brand-new cap. Altogether her appearance +as she passed through the streets justified the remark made by a +passerby: "A pretty youngster, and more like a maiden of eighteen than a +man." + +The hostelry at which Tu and Wei had taken up their abode was an inn +befitting the dignity of such distinguished scholars. On inquiring at +the door, Jasmine was ushered by a servant through a courtyard to an +inner enclosure, where, under the grateful shade of a wide-spreading +cotton-tree, Tu was reclining at his ease. Jasmine's delight at meeting +her friend was only equalled by the pleasure with which Tu greeted her. +In his strong and gracious presence she became conscious that she was +released from the absorbing care which had haunted her, and her soul +leaped out in new freedom as she asked and answered questions of her +friend. Each had much to say, and it was not for some time, when an +occasional reference brought his name forward that Jasmine noticed the +absence of Wei. When she did, she asked after him. + +"He left this some days ago," said Tu, "having some special business +which called for his presence at home. He did not tell me what it was, +but doubtless it was something of importance." Jasmine said nothing, but +felt pretty certain in her mind as to the object of his hasty return. + +Tu, attributing her silence to a reflection on Wei for having left the +capital before her father's affair was settled, hastened to add: + +"He was very helpful in the matter of your honoured father's difficulty, +and only left when he thought he could not do any more." + +"How do matters stand now?" asked Jasmine, eagerly. + +"We have posted a memorial at the palace gate," said Tu, "and have +arranged that it shall reach the right quarter. Fortunately, also, I +have an acquaintance in the Board of War who has undertaken to do all he +can in that direction, and promises an answer in a few days." + +"I have brought with me," said Jasmine, "a petition prepared by my +father. What do you think about presenting it?" + +"At present I believe that it would only do harm. A superabundance of +memorials is as bad as none at all. Beyond a certain point, they only +irritate officials." + +"Very well," said Jasmine; "I am quite content to leave the conduct of +affairs in your hands." + +"Well then," said Tu, "that being understood, I propose that you should +move your things over to this inn. There is Wei's room at your disposal, +and your constant presence here will be balm to my lonely spirit. At +the Hata Gate you are almost as remote as if you were in our study at +Mienchu." + +Jasmine was at first startled by this proposal. Though she had been +constantly in the company of Tu, she had never lived under the same roof +with him, and she at once recognised that there might be difficulties in +the way of her keeping her secret if she were to be constantly under the +eyes of her friend. But she had been so long accustomed to yield to the +present circumstances, and was so confident that Fortune, which, with +some slight irregularities, had always stood her friend, would not +desert her on the present occasion, that she gave way. + +"By all means," she said. "I will go back to my inn, and bring my things +at once. This writing-case I will leave here. I brought it because it +contains my father's petition." + +So saying, she took her leave, and Tu retired to his easy-chair under +the cotton-tree. But the demon of curiosity was abroad, and alighting on +the arm of Tu's chair, whispered in his ear that it might be well if he +ran his eye over Colonel Wen's petition to see if there was any argument +in it which he had omitted in his statement to the Board of War. At +first, Tu, whose nature was the reverse of inquisitive, declined to +listen to these promptings, but so persistent did they become that he +at last put down his book--"The Spring and Autumn Annals"--and, +seating himself, at the sitting-room table, opened the writing-case +so innocently left by Jasmine. On the top were a number of red +visiting-cards bearing the inscription, in black, of Wen Tsunk'ing, and +beneath these was the petition. Carefully Tu read it through, and passed +mental eulogies on it as he proceeded. The colonel had put his case +skilfully, but Tu had no difficulty in recognising Jasmine's hand, +both in the composition of the document and in the penmanship. "If my +attempt," he thought, "does not succeed, we will try what this will do." +He was on the point of returning it to its resting-place, when he +saw another document in Jasmine's handwriting lying by it. This was +evidently a formal document, probably connected, as he thought, with the +colonel's case, and he therefore unfolded it and read as follows: + +"The faithful maiden, Miss Wen of Mienchu Hien, with burning incense +reverently prays the God of War to release her father from his +present difficulties, and speedily to restore peace to her own soul by +nullifying, in accordance with her desire, the engagement of the bamboo +arrow and the contract of the box of precious ointment. A respectful +petition." + +As Tu read on, surprise and astonishment took possession of his +countenance. A second time he read it through, and then, throwing +himself back in his chair, broke out into a fit of laughter. + +"So," he said to himself, "I have allowed myself to be deceived by a +young girl all these years. And yet not altogether deceived," he added, +trying to find an excuse for himself; "for I have often fancied that +there was the savour of a woman about the 'young noble.' I hope she is +not one of those heaven-born genii who appear on earth to plague men, +and who, just when they have aroused the affections they wished to +excite, ascend through the air and leave their lovers mourning." + +Just at this moment the door opened, and Jasmine entered, looking more +lovely than ever, with the flush begotten by exercise on her beautifully +moulded cheeks. At sight of her Tu again burst out laughing, to +Jasmine's not unnatural surprise, who, thinking that there must be +something wrong with her dress, looked herself up and down, to the +increasing amusement of Tu. + +"So," said he at last, "you deceitful little hussy, you have been +deceiving me all these years by passing yourself off as a man, when in +reality you are a girl." + +Overcome with confusion, Jasmine hung her head, and murmured: + +"Who has betrayed me?" + +"You have betrayed yourself," said Tu, holding up the incriminating +document; "and here we have the story of the arrow with which you shot +the hawk, but what the box of precious ointment means I don't know." + +Confronted with this overwhelming evidence, poor Jasmine remained +speechless, and dared not even lift her eyes to glance at Tu. That young +man, seeing her distress, and being in no wise possessed by the scorn +which he had put into his tone, crossed over to her and gently led her +to a seat by him. + +"Do you remember," he said, in so altered a voice that Jasmine's heart +ceased to throb as if it wished to force an opening through the finely +formed bosom which enclosed it, "on one occasion in our study at home I +wished that you were a woman that you might become my wife? Little did +I think that my wish might be gratified. Now it is, and I beseech you to +let us join our lives in one, and seek the happiness of the gods in each +other's perpetual presence." + +But, as if suddenly recollecting herself, Jasmine withdrew her hand from +his, and, standing up before him with quivering lip and eyes full of +tears, said: + +"No. It can never be." + +"Why not?" said Tu, in alarmed surprise. + +"Because I am bound to Wei." + +"What! Does Wei know your secret?" + +"No. But do you remember when I shot that arrow in front of your study?" + +"Perfectly," said Tu. "But what has that to do with it?" + +"Why, Wei discovered my name on the shaft, and I, to keep my secret, +told him that it was my sister's name. He then wanted to marry my +sister, and I undertook, fool that I was, to arrange it for him. Now I +shall be obliged to confess the truth, and he will have a right to claim +me instead of my supposed sister." + +"But," said Tu, "I have a prior right to that of Wei, for it was I who +found the arrow. And in this matter I shall be ready to outface him at +all hazards. But," he added, "Wei, I am sure, is not the man to take an +unfair advantage of you." + +"Do you really think so?" asked Jasmine. + +"Certainly I do," said Tu. + +"Then--then--I shall be--very glad," said poor Jasmine, hesitatingly, +overcome with bashfulness, but full of joy. + +At which gracious consent Tu recovered the hand which had been withdrawn +from his, and Jasmine sank again into the chair at his side. + +"But, Tu, dear," she said, after a pause, "there is something else that +I must tell you before I can feel that my confessions are over." + +"What! You have not engaged yourself to any one else, have you?" said +Tu, laughing. + +"Yes, I have," she replied, with a smile; and she then gave her lover +a full and particular account of how Mr. King had proposed to her on +behalf of his cousin, and how she had accepted her. + +"How could you frame your lips to utter such untruths?" said Tu, half +laughing and half in earnest. + +"O Tu, falsehood is so easy and truth so difficult sometimes. But I feel +that I have been very, very wicked," said poor Jasmine, covering her +face with her hands. + +"Well, you certainly have got yourself into a pretty hobble. So far as +I can make out, you are at the present moment engaged to one young lady +and two young men." + +The situation, thus expressed, was so comical that Jasmine could +not refrain from laughing through her tears; but, after a somewhat +lengthened consultation with her lover, her face recovered its wonted +serenity, and round it hovered a halo of happiness which added light and +beauty to every feature. There is something particularly entrancing in +receiving the first confidences of a pure and loving soul. So Tu thought +on this occasion, and while Jasmine was pouring the most secret workings +of her inmost being into his ear, those lines of the poet of the Sung +dynasty came irresistibly into his mind: + + 'T is sweet to see the flowers woo the sun, + To watch the quaint wiles of the cooing dove, + But sweeter far to hear the dulcet tones + Of her one loves confessing her great love. + +But there is an end to everything, even to the "Confucian Analects," +and so there was also to this lovers' colloquy. For just as Jasmine was +explaining, for the twentieth time, the origin and basis of her love for +Tu, a waiter entered to announce the arrival of her luggage. + +"I don't know quite," said Tu, "where we are to put your two men. But, +by-the-bye," he added, as the thought struck him, "did you really travel +all the way in the company of these two men only?" + +"O Tu," said Jasmine, laughing, "I have something else to confess to +you." + +"What! another lover?" said Tu, affecting horror and surprise. + +"No; not another lover, but another woman. The short, stout one is a +woman, and came as my maid. She is the wife of 'The Dragon.'" + +"Well, now have you told me all? For I am getting so confused about the +people you have transformed from women to men, that I shall have doubts +about my own sex next." + +"Yes, Tu, dear; now you know all," said Jasmine, laughing. But not all +the good news which was in store for him, for scarcely had Jasmine done +speaking when a letter arrived from his friend in the Board of War, who +wrote to say that he had succeeded in getting the military intendant of +Mienchu transferred to a post in the province of Kwangsi, and that +the departure of this noxious official would mean the release of the +colonel, as he alone was the colonel's accuser. This news added one more +chord of joy which had been making harmony in Jasmine's heart for some +hours, and readily she agreed with Tu that they should set off homeward +on the following morning. + +With no such adventure as that which had attended Jasmine's journey to +the capital, they reached Mienchu, and, to their delight, were received +by the colonel in his own yamun. After congratulating him on his +release, which Jasmine took care he should understand was due +entirely to Tu's exertions, she gave him a full account of her various +experiences on the road and at the capital. + +"It is like a story out of a book of marvels," said her father, "and +even now you have not exhausted all the necessary explanations. For, +since my release, your friend Wei has been here to ask for my daughter +in marriage. From some questions I put to him, he is evidently unaware +that you are my only daughter, and I therefore put him off and told him +to wait until you returned. He is in a very impatient state, and, no +doubt, will be over shortly." + +Nor was the colonel wrong, for almost immediately Wei was announced, +who, after expressing the genuine pleasure he felt at seeing Jasmine +again, began at once on the subject which filled his mind. + +"I am so glad," he said, "to have this opportunity of asking you to +explain matters. At present I am completely nonplussed. On my return +from Peking I inquired of one of your father's servants about his +daughter. 'He has not got one,' quoth the man. I went to another, and he +said, 'You mean the "young noble," I suppose.' 'No, I don't,' I said; 'I +mean his sister.' 'Well, that is the only daughter I know of,' said he. +Then I went to your father, and all I could get out of him was, 'Wait +until the "young noble" comes home.' Please tell me what all this +means." + +"Your great desire is to marry a beautiful and accomplished girl, is it +not?" said Jasmine. + +"That certainly is my wish," said Wei. + +"Well then," said Jasmine, "I can assure you that your betrothal present +is in the hand of such a one, and a girl whom to look at is to love." + +"That may be," said Wei, "But my wish is to marry your sister." + +"Will you go and talk to Tu about it?" said Jasmine, who felt that the +subject was becoming too difficult for her, and whose confidence in Tu's +wisdom was unbounded, "and he will explain it all to you." + +Even Tu, however, found it somewhat difficult to explain Jasmine's +sphinx-like mysteries, and on certain points Wei showed a disposition +to be anything but satisfied. Jasmine's engagement to Tu implied his +rejection, and he was disposed to be splenetic and disagreeable about +it. His pride was touched, and in his irritation he was inclined to +impute treachery to his friend and deceit to Jasmine. To the first +charge Tu had a ready answer, but the second was all the more annoying +because there was some truth in it. However, Tu was not in the humour to +quarrel, and being determined to seek peace and ensue it, he overlooked +Wei's innuendos and made out the best case he could for his bride. On +Miss King's beauty, virtues, and ability he enlarged with a wealth of +diction and power of imagination which astonished himself, and Jasmine +also, to whom he afterward repeated the conversation. "Why, Tu, dear," +said that artless maiden, "how can you know all this about Miss King? +You have never seen her, and I am sure I never told you half of all +this." + +"Don't ask questions," said the enraptured Tu. "Let it be enough for you +to know that Wei is as eager for the possession of Miss King as he +was for your sister, and that he has promised to be my best man at our +wedding to-morrow." + +And Wei was as good as his word. With every regard to ceremony and +ancient usage, the marriage of Tu and Jasmine was celebrated in the +presence of relatives and friends, who, attracted by the novelty of the +antecedent circumstances, came from all parts of the country to witness +the nuptials. By Tu's especial instructions also a prominence was +allowed to Wei, which gratified his vanity and smoothed down the ruffled +feathers of his conceit. + +Jasmine thought that no time should be lost in reducing Miss King to the +same spirit of acquiescence to which Wei had been brought, and on the +evening of her wedding-day she broached the subject to Tu. + +"I shall not feel, Tu, dear," she said, "that I have gained absolution +for my many deceptions until that very forward Miss King has been talked +over into marrying Wei; and I insist, therefore," she added, with an +amount of hesitancy which reduced the demand to the level of a plaintive +appeal, "that we start to-morrow for Ch'engtu to see the young woman." + +"Ho! ho!" replied Tu, intensely amused at her attempted bravado. +"These are brave words, and I suppose that I must humbly register your +decrees." + +"O Tu, you know what I mean. You know that, like a child who takes a +delight in conquering toy armies, I love to fancy that I can command so +strong a man as you are. But, Tu, if you knew how absolutely I rely on +your judgment, you would humour my folly and say yes." + +There was a subtle incense of love and flattery about this appeal +which, backed as it was by a look of tenderness and beauty, made it +irresistible; and the arrangements for the journey were made in strict +accordance with Jasmine's wishes. + +On arriving at the inn which was so full of chastening memories to +Jasmine, Tu sent his card to Mr. King, who, flattered by the attention +paid him by so eminent a scholar, cordially invited Tu to his house. + +"To what," he said, as Tu, responding to his invitation, entered +his reception-hall, "am I to attribute the honour of receiving your +illustrious steps in my mean apartments?" + +"I have heard," said Tu, "that the beautiful Miss King is your +Excellency's cousin, and having a friend who is desirous of gaining her +hand, I have come to plead on his behalf." + +"I regret to say," replied King, "that your Excellency has come too +late, as she has already received an engagement token from a Mr. Wen, +who passed here lately on his way to Peking." + +"Mr. Wen is a friend of mine also," said Tu, "and it was because I knew +that his troth was already plighted that I ventured to come on behalf of +him of whom I have spoken." + +"Mr. Wen," said King, "is a gentleman and a scholar, and having given a +betrothal present, he is certain to communicate with us direct in case +of any difficulty." + +"Will you, old gentleman," [a term of respect] said Tu, producing the +lines which Miss King had sent Jasmine, "just cast your eyes over these +verses, written to Wen by your cousin? Feeling most regretfully that he +was unable to fulfil his engagement, Wen gave these to me as a testimony +of the truth of what I now tell you." + +King took the paper handed him by Tu, and recognised at a glance his +cousin's handwriting. + +"Alas!" he said, "Mr Wen told us he was engaged, but, not believing him, +I urged him to consent to marry my cousin. If you will excuse me, sir," +he added, "I will consult with the lady as to what should be done." + +After a short absence he returned. + +"My cousin is of the opinion," he said, "that she cannot enter into any +new engagement until Mr. Wen has come here himself and received back the +betrothal present which he gave her on parting." + +"I dare not deceive you, old gentleman, and will tell you at once that +that betrothal present was not Wen's but was my unworthy friend Wei's, +and came into Wen's possession in a way that I need not now explain." + +"Still," said King, "my cousin thinks Mr. Wen should present himself +here in person and tell his own story; and I must say that I am of her +opinion." + +"It is quite impossible that Mr. Wen should return here," replied Tu; +"but my 'stupid thorn' [wife] is in the adjoining hostelry, and would be +most happy to explain fully to Miss King Wen's entire inability to play +the part of a husband to her." + +"If your honourable consort would meet my cousin, she, I am sure, will +be glad to talk the matter over with her." + +With Tu's permission, Miss King's maid was sent to the inn to invite +Jasmine to call on her mistress. The maid, who was the same who had +acted as Miss King's messenger on the former occasion, glanced long and +earnestly at Jasmine. Her features were familiar to her, but she could +not associate them with any lady of her acquaintance. As she conducted +her to Miss King's apartments, she watched her stealthily, and became +more and more puzzled by her appearance. Miss King received her with +civility, and after exchanging wishes that each might be granted ten +thousand blessings, Jasmine said, smiling: + +"Do you recognise Mr. Wen?" + +Miss King looked at her, and seeing in her a likeness to her beloved, +said: + +"What relation are you to him, lady?" + +"I am his very self!" said Jasmine. + +Miss King opened her eyes wide at this startling announcement, and gazed +earnestly at her. + +"_Haiyah!_" cried her maid, clapping her hands, "I thought there was +a wonderful likeness between the lady and Mr. Wen. But who would have +thought that she was he?" + +"But what made you disguise yourself in that fashion?" asked Miss King, +in an abashed and somewhat vexed tone. + +"My father was in difficulties," said Jasmine, "and as it was necessary +that I should go to Peking to plead for him, I dressed as a man for the +convenience of travel. You will remember that in the first instance I +declined your flattering overtures, but when I found that you persisted +in your proposal, not being able to explain the truth, I thought the +best thing to do was to hand you my friend's betrothal present which I +had with me, intending to return and explain matters. And you will admit +that in one thing I was truthful." + +"What was that?" asked the maid. + +"Why," answered Jasmine, "I said that if I did not marry your lady I +would never marry any woman." + +"Well, yes," said the maid, laughing, "you have kept your faith royally +there." + +"The friend I speak of," continued Jasmine, "has now taken his doctor's +degree, and this stupid husband and wife have come from Mienchu to make +you a proposal on his behalf." + +Miss King was not one who could readily take in an entirely new and +startling idea, and she sat with a half-dazed look, staring at +Jasmine without uttering a word. If it had not been for the maid, the +conversation would have ceased; but that young woman was determined to +probe the matter to the bottom. + +"You have not told us," she said, "the gentleman's name. And will you +explain why you call him your friend? How could you be on terms of +friendship with him?" + +"From my childhood," said Jasmine, "I have always dressed as a boy. I +went to a boy's school--" + +"_Haiyah!_" interjected the maid. + +"And afterward I joined my husband and this gentleman, Mr. Wei, in a +reading-party." + +"Didn't they discover your secret?" + +"No." + +"Never?" + +"Never." + +"That's odd," said the maid. "But will you tell us something about this +Mr. Wei?" + +Upon this, Jasmine launched out in a glowing eulogy upon her friend. +She expatiated with fervour on his youth, good looks, learning, and +prospects, and with such effect did she speak that Miss King, who +began to take in the situation, ended by accepting cordially Jasmine's +proposal. + +"And now, lady, you must stay and dine with me," said Miss King, when +the bargain was struck, "while my cousin entertains your husband in the +hall." + +At this meal the beginning of a friendship was formed between the two +ladies which lasted ever afterward, though it was somewhat unevenly +balanced. Jasmine's stronger nature felt compassion mingled with liking +for the pretty doll-like Miss King, while the young lady entertained the +profoundest admiration for her guest. + +There was nothing to delay the fulfilment of the engagement thus happily +arranged, and at the next full moon Miss King had an opportunity of +comparing her bridegroom with the picture which Jasmine had drawn of +him. + +Scholars are plentiful in China, but it was plainly impossible that men +of such distinguished learning as Tu and Wei should be left among +the unemployed, and almost immediately after their marriage they were +appointed to important posts in the empire. Tu rose rapidly to the +highest rank, and died, at a good old age, viceroy of the metropolitan +province and senior guardian to the heir apparent. Wei was not so +supremely fortunate, but then, as Tu used to say, "he had not a Jasmine +to help him." + + + + +THE REVENGE OF HER RACE, By Mary Beaumont + + +The low hedge, where the creepers climbed, divided the lawn and its +magnificent Wellingtonias from the meadow. There was little grass to be +seen, for it was at this time one vast profusion of delicate ixias of +every bright and tender shade. + +The evening was still, and the air heavy with scent. In a room opening +upon the veranda wreathed with white-and-scarlet passion-flowers, where +she could see the garden and the meadow, and, beyond all, the Mountain +Beautiful, lay a sick woman. Her dark face was lovely as an autumn leaf +is lovely--hectic with the passing life. Her eyes wandered to the upper +snows of the mountain, from time to time resting upon the brown-haired +English girl who sat on a low stool by her side, holding the frail hand +in her cool, firm clasp. + +The invalid was speaking; her voice was curiously sweet, and there was a +peculiarity about the "s," and an occasional turn of the sentence, which +told the listener that her English was an acquired language. + +"I am glad he is not here," she said slowly. "I do not want him to have +pain." + +"But perhaps, Mrs. Denison, you will be much better in a day or two, and +able to welcome him when he comes back." + +"No, I shall not be here when he comes back, and it is just as it should +be. I asked him to turn round as he left the garden, and I could see +him, oh, so well! He looked kind and so beautiful, and he waved to me +his hand. Now he will come back, and he will be sad. He did not want +to leave me, but the governor sent for him. He will be sad, and he will +remember that I loved him, and some day he will be glad again." She +smiled into the troubled face near her. + +The girl stroked the thick dark hair lovingly. + +"Don't," she implored; "it hurts me. You are better to-night, and the +children are coming in." Mrs. Denison closed her eyes, and with her left +hand she covered her face. + +"No, not the children," she whispered, "not my darlings. I cannot bear +it. I must see them no more." She pressed her companion's hand with a +sudden close pressure. "But you will help them, Alice; you will make +them English like you--like him. We will not pretend to-night; it is not +long that I shall speak to you. I ask you to promise me to help them to +be English." + +"Dear," the girl urged, "they are such a delicious mixture of England +and New Zealand--prettier, sweeter than any mere English child could +ever be. They are enchanting." + +But into the dying woman's eyes leaped an eager flame. + +"They must all be English, no Maori!" she cried. A violent fit of +coughing interrupted her, and when the paroxysm was over she was +too exhausted to speak. The English nurse, Mrs. Bentley, an elderly +Yorkshire woman, who had been with Mrs. Denison since her first baby +came six years ago, and who had, in fact, been Horace Denison's own +nurse-maid, came in and sent the agitated girl into the garden. "For you +haven't had a breath of fresh air to-day," she said. + +At the door Alice turned. The large eyes were resting upon her with an +intent and solemn regard, in which lay a message. "What was it?" she +thought, as she passed through the wide hall sweet with flowers. "She +wanted to say something; I am sure she did. To-morrow I will ask her." +But before the morrow came she knew. Mrs. Dennison had said _good-bye_. + +The funeral was over. Mr. Denison, who had looked unaccountably ill and +weary for months, had been sent home by Mr. Danby for at least a year's +change and rest, and the doctor's young sister had yielded to various +pressure, and promised to stay with the children until he returned. +There was every reason for it. She had loved and been loved by the +gentle Maori mother; she delighted in the dark beauty and sweetness of +the children. And they, on their side, clung to her as to an adorable +fairy relative, dowered with love and the fruits of love--tales and new +games and tender ways. Best reason of all, in a sense, Mrs. Bentley, +that kind autocrat, entreated her to stay, "as the happiest thing for +the children, and to please that poor lamb we laid yonder, who fair +longed that you should! She was mightily taken up with you, Miss +Danby, and you've your brother and his wife near, so that you won't be +lonesome, and if there's aught I can do to make you comfortable, you've +only to speak, miss." As for Mr. Denison, he was pathetically grateful +and relieved when Alice promised to remain. + +After the evening romp and the last good-night, when the two elder +children, Ben and Marie, called after her mother, Maritana, had given +her their last injunctions to be sure and come for them "her very own +self" on her way down to breakfast in the morning, she usually rode down +between the cabbage-trees, down by the old rata, fired last autumn, +away through the grasslands to the doctor's house, a few miles nearer +Rochester; or he and his wife would ride out to chat with her. But there +were many evenings when she preferred the quiet of the airy house and +the garden. The colonial life was new to her, everything had its charm, +and in the colonies there is always a letter to write to those at +home--the mail-bag is never satisfied. On such evenings it was her +custom to cross the meadow to the copse of feathery trees beyond, where, +sung to by the brook and the Tui, the children's mother slept. And from +the high presence of the Mountain Beautiful there fell a dew of peace. + +She would often ask Mrs. Bentley to sit with her until bedtime, +and revel in the shrewd north-country woman's experiences, and her +impressions of the new land to which love had brought her. Both women +grew to have a sincere and trustful affection for each other, and one +night, seven or eight months after Mrs. Denison's death, Mrs. Bentley +told a story which explained what had frequently puzzled Alice--the +patient sorrow in Mrs. Denison's eyes, and Mr. Denison's harassed and +dejected manner. "But for your goodness to the children," said the old +woman, "and the way that precious baby takes to you, I don't think I +should be willing to say what I am going to do, miss. Though my dear +mistress wished it, and said, the very last night, 'You must tell her +all about it, some day, Nana,'--and I promised, to quiet her,--I don't +think I could bring myself to it if I hadn't lived with you and known +you." And then the good nurse told her strange and moving tale. + +She described how her master had come out young and careless-hearted to +New Zealand in the service of the government, and how scandalised and +angry his father and mother, the old Tory squire and his wife, had been +to receive from him, after a year or two, letters brimming with a boyish +love for his "beautiful Maori princess," whom he described as having +"the sweetest heart and the loveliest eyes in the world." It gave them +little comfort to hear that her father was one of the wealthiest Maoris +in the island, and that, though but half civilised himself, he had had +his daughter well educated in the "bishop's" and other English schools. +To them she was a savage. There was no threat of disinheritance, for +there was nothing for him to inherit. There was little money, and the +estate was entailed on the elder brother. But all that could be done +to intimidate him was done, and in vain. Then silence fell between the +parents and the son. + +But one spring day came the news of a grandson, called Benjamin after +his grandfather, and an urgent letter from their boy himself, enclosing +a prettily and humbly worded note from the new strange daughter, begging +for an English nurse. She told them that she had now no father and no +mother, for they had died before the baby came, and if she might love +her husband's parents a little she would be glad. + +"My lady read the letters to me herself," Mrs. Bentley said; "I'd taken +the housekeeper's place a bit before, and she asked me to find her a +sensible young woman. Well, I tried, but there wasn't a girl in the +place that was fit to nurse Master Horace's child. And the end of it +was, I came myself, for Master Horace had been like my own when he was a +little lad. My lady pretended to be vexed with me, but the day I sailed +she thanked me in words I never thought to hear from her, for she was +a bit proud always." The faithful servant's voice trembled. She leaned +back in her chair, and forgot for the moment the new house and the new +duties. She was back again in the old nursery with the fair-haired +child playing about her knees. But Alice's face recalled her, and she +continued the story. She had, she said, dreaded the meeting with her new +mistress, and was prepared to find her "a sort of a heathen woman, who'd +pull down Master Horace till he couldn't call himself a gentleman." + +But when she saw the graceful creature who received her with gentle +words and gestures of kindliness, and when she found her young master +not only content, but happy, and when she took in her arms the +laughing healthy baby, she felt--though she regretted its dark eyes and +hair--more at home than she could have believed possible. The nurseries +were so large and comfortable, and so much consideration was shown to +her, that she confessed, "I should have been more ungrateful than a cat +if I hadn't settled comfortable." + +Then came nearly five happy years, during which time her young mistress +had found a warm and secure place in the good Yorkshire heart. "She was +that loving and that kind that Dick Burdas, the groom, used to say that +he believed she was an angel as had took up with them dark folks, to +show 'em what an angel was like." Mrs. Bentley went on: + +"She wasn't always quite happy, and I wondered what brought the shadow +into her face, and why she would at times sigh that deep that I could +have cried. After a bit I knew what it was. It was the Maori in her. She +told me one night that she was a wicked woman, and ought never to have +married Master Horace, for she got tired sometimes of the English house +and its ways, and longed for her father's _whare_; (that's a native hut, +miss). She grieved something awful one day when she had been to see old +Tim, the Maori who lives behind the stables. She called herself a bad +and ungrateful woman, and thought there must be some evil spirit in her +tempting her into the old ways, because, when she saw Tim eating, and +you know what bad stuff they eat, she had fair longed to join him. She +gave me a fright I didn't get over for nigh a week. She leaned her bonny +head against my knee, and I stroked her cheek and hummed some silly +nursery tune,--for she was all of a tremble and like a child,--and she +fell asleep just where she was." + +"Poor thing!" said Alice, softly. + +"Eh, but it's what's coming that upsets me, ma'am. Eh, what suffering +for my pretty lamb, and her that wouldn't have hurt a worm! Baby would +be about six months old when she came in one day with him in her arms, +and they _were_ a picture. His little hand was fast in her hair. She +always walked as if she'd wheels on her feet, that gliding and graceful. +She had on a sort of sheeny yellow silk, and her cheeks were like them +damask roses at home, and her eyes fair shone like stars. 'Isn't he a +beauty, Nana?' she asked me. 'If only he had blue eyes, and that hair +of gold like my husband's, and not these ugly eyes of mine!' And as she +spoke she sighed as I dreaded to hear. Then she told me to help her to +unpack her new dress from Paris, which she was to wear at the Rochester +races the next day. Master Horace always chose her dresses, and he was +right proud of her in them. And next morning he came into the nursery +with her, and she was all in pale red, and that beautiful! 'Isn't she +scrumptious, Nana?' he said, in his boyish way. 'Don't spoil her dress, +children. How like her Marie grows!' Those two little ones they had got +her on her knees on the ground, and were hugging her as if they couldn't +let her go. But when he said that, she got up very still and white. + +"'I am sorry,' she said; 'they must never be like me.' + +"'They can't be any one better, can they, baby?' he answered her, and he +tossed the child nearly up to the ceiling. But he looked worried as he +went out. I saw them drive away, and they looked happy enough. And oh, +miss, I saw them come back. We were in the porch, me and the children. +Master Horace lifted her down, and I heard him say, 'Never mind, Marie.' +But she never looked his way nor ours; she walked straight in and +upstairs to her room, past my bonny darling with his arm stretched out +to her, and past Miss Marie, who was jumping up and down, and shouting +'Muvver'; and I heard her door shut. Then Master Horace took baby from +me. + +"'Go up to her,' he said, and I could scarce hear him. His face was all +drawn like, but I felt that silly and stupid that I could say nothing, +and just went upstairs." Mrs. Bentley put her knitting down, and +throwing her apron over her head sobbed aloud. + +"O nurse, what was it?" cried Alice, and the colour left her cheeks. "Do +tell me. I am so sorry for them. What was it?" It was several minutes +before the good woman could recover herself; then she began: + +"She told me, and Dick Burdas he told me, and it was like this. When +they got to the race-course,--it was the first races they'd had in +Rochester,--all the gentry was there, and those that knew her always +made a deal of her, she had such half-shy, winning ways. And she seemed +very bright, Dick said, talking with the governor's lady, who is full of +fun and sparkle. The carriages were all together, and Major Beaumont, +a kind old gentleman who's always been a good friend to Master Horace, +would have them in his carriage for luncheon, or whatever it was. Dick +says he was thinking that she was the prettiest lady there, when his eye +was caught by two or three parties of Maoris setting themselves right +in front of the carriages. There were four or five in each lot, and they +were mostly old. They got out their sharks' flesh and that bad corn they +eat, and began to make their meal of them. Near Mrs. Denison there +was one old man with a better sort of face, and Dick heard her say to +master, 'Isn't he like my father?' What Master Horace answered he didn't +hear; he says he never saw anything like her face, so sad and wild, and +working for all the world as if something were fighting her within. +Then all in a minute she ran out and slipped down in her beautiful +dress close by the old Maori in his dirty rags, and was rubbing her +face against his, as them folks do when they meet. She had just taken +a mouthful of the raw fish when Master Horace missed her. He hadn't +noticed her slip away. But in a moment he seemed to understand what it +meant. He saw the Maori come out strong in her face, and he knew the +Maori had got the better of everything, husband and friends and all. +He gave a little cry, and in a minute he had her on her feet and was +bringing her back to the carriage. Some folks thought Dick Burdas +a rough hard man, and I know he was a shocker of a lad (he was fra +Whitby), but that night he cried like a baby when he tell 't me," and +Mrs. Bentley fell for a moment into the dialect of her youth. + +"He said," she continued, "that she looked like a poor stricken thing +condemned, and let herself be led back as submissive as a child, and +Master Horace's face was like the dead. He didn't think any one but the +major and Dr. Danby saw her go, all was done in a minute. But it was +done, and some few had seen, and it got out, and things were said that +wasn't true. Not the doctor! No, miss, you needn't tell me that; he's +told none, that I'll warrant. He's faithful and he's close." + +"O Mrs. Bentley, how dreadful for her, how dreadful!" and the girl went +down on her knees by the old woman, her tears flowing fast. + +"That's it, miss, you understand. I feel like that. It was bad enough +for Master Horace with the future before him, and his children to +think of, but for her it was desperate cruel. Eh, ma'am, what she went +through! She loved more than you'd have thought us poor human beings +could. And, after all, the nature was in her; she didn't put it there. +I've had a deal to do to keep down sinful thoughts since then; there's a +lot of things that's wrong in this world, ma'am." + +"What did she do?" Alice whispered. + +"She! She was for going away and leaving everything; she felt herself +the worst woman in the world. It was only by begging and praying of her +on my knees that I got her to stay in the house that night, for she was +so far English, and had such a fancy, that she saw everything blacker +than any Englishwoman would, even the partick'lerest. Afterward Master +Horace was that good and gentle, and she loved him so much, that he +persuaded her to say nothing more about it, and to try to live as if it +hadn't been. And so she seemed to do, outward like, to other people. But +it wasn't ever the same again. Something had broken in them both; with +him it was his trust and his pride, but in her it was her heart." + +"But the children--surely they comforted her." + +"Eh, miss, that was the worst. Poor lamb, poor lamb! Never after that +day, though they were more to her nor children ever were to a mother +before, would she have them with her. Just a morning and a good-night +kiss, and a quarter of an hour at most, and I must take them away. +She watched them play in the garden from her window or the little hill +there, and when they were asleep she would sit by them for hours, saying +how bonny they were and how good they were growing. And she looked after +their clothes and their food and every little toy and pleasure, but +never came in for a romp and a chat any more." + +"Dear, brave heart!" murmured the girl. + +"Yes, ma'am, you feel for her, I know. She was fair terrified of them +turning Maori and shaming their father. That was it. You didn't notice? +No; after you came she was too ill to bear them about, and it seemed +natural, I dare say. The Maoris are a fearful delicate set of folks. A +bad cold takes them off into consumption directly. And with her there +was the sorrow as well as the cold. It was wonderful that she lived so +long." + +Alice threw her arms round Mrs. Bentley's neck. + +"O nurse, it is all so dreadful and sad. Couldn't we have somehow kept +her with us and made her happy?" + +The old woman held her close. "Nay, my dear bairn, never after that +happened. It, or worse, might have come again. It's something stronger +in them than we know; it's the very blood, I'm thinking. But she's gone +to be the angel that Dick always said she was." + +Alice looked away over the starlit garden to where the plumy trees +stirred in the night wind. "No," she said, fervently, "not 'gone to be,' +nurse dear; she was an angel always. Dick was right." + + + + +KING BILLY OF BALLARAT, By Morley Roberts + + +King Billy was given to strolling up and down the streets of Ballarat +when that eviscerated city was merely in process of disembowelment, +before alluvial mining gave way to quartz-crushing, when the individual +had a chance, if a very vague one, of sudden and delightful fortune. The +Ballarat blacks were a scaly lot, to talk of them like ill-fed hogs, as +men were wont to do. They dwined and dwindled, as natives will before +the resources of civilisation: the bloodthirsty ones got killed out; +the rumthirsty ones died out; the wild corroboree was reduced to a +poverty-stricken imitation of its former glory. King Billy's authority +grew less with the increase of his clothes. The brass plate with his +name on it was about the last relic of his precarious power, and was +chiefly valued as a means of notifying the public generally that they +might stand drinks to a monarch if they saw fit and were not too humble. +He was not haughty, and never presumed on his plate, as parvenus will. +He came of an ancient stock, and could afford to condescend, even if he +could not afford to pay for drinks. He was very kind to children,--white +children, of course,--and was hale-fellow-well-met with many of them. + +He was particularly fond of Annie Colborn, whose father was a magistrate +and a gold commissioner, and a person of very great importance. Whether +or not King Billy was wise in his generation, and out of the unwritten +Scriptures of the somber bush had culled a maxim inculcating the wisdom +of making friends of the sons of Mammon, I cannot say, but he was always +good to Annie. For my own part, I do not believe the simple-hearted old +king had any such notion inside his thick antipodean skull. He was good +because he was not bad, which is the very best morality after all, and a +great advance on much we hear of. And, besides, he was sometimes +hungry, and Mr. Colborn's Chinese cook was very haughty, and not to +be approached except through an intermediary. And who so capable of +conciliating Wong as Annie? Wong would make her cakes even when his +pigtail hung despondently from his aching head after an opium debauch, +and his cheeks were shining with anything but gladness; for if you get +drunk very often on opium you shine. + +Old Billy was mostly to be found where there was a chance of a drink; +but if the fountains were dried up, or he had been insulted by some +democratic, revolutionary, king-hating miner knocking his high hat down +over his eyes, he usually went up to Mr. Colborn's place, and sat on +the fence, or on a log outside the gate. So he was often very melancholy +when Annie came out. One day his hat was very, very badly bulged indeed. + +"Your hat is very bad to-day, King Billy," said six-year-old Annie, as +she stood in front of him critically, with her head on one side. Without +knowing it, the child had come to look upon the state of the poor king's +hat as emblematical of his state of mind. When it shut up like a closed +concertina his barometer was low. + +"Yes, missy," said the king; "white man knock 'um over eyes, and"--with +a rub down his face--"skin 'um nose." + +She inspected his nose carefully--though from a certain distance, +because her own nose was very good, both inside and out, and she knew +the king never got washed unless it rained when he was very drunk. And +this was the end of summer. It had not rained since November. + +"There is not very much skin off," said Annie. "You had better wash it." + +The king made a wry face and changed the conversation. + +"You got 'um hat, Missy Annie? One hat baal brokum, allasame white +fellow hat. Bad hat, King Billy bad; black fellow, white fellow laugh." + +He peered into his hat, and, trying to straighten it out, put his fist +through the side. Poor Billy looked as if he could cry. + +"You stop a minute," said Annie, and, flying indoors, she brought out a +very good high hat indeed. "Budgeree!" thought the king, that was a good +hat. He could go down the streets like a king indeed, able to hold up +his head with any rich man in Ballarat. He tried it on, and though it +was much too big, he knew it shone. And the glory of a hat is in its +shining as much as its shape; even a black fellow knows that. + +But that hat very nearly led to serious trouble. For one thing, Mr. +Colborn missed it; and never thinking Annie had given it away, when +he saw the king sitting on the fence decorated with it, he stopped and +interviewed him. + +"Where did you get that hat, you old thief?" asked the magistrate, +without any politeness to him who ruled the land before white men broke +into the country. Some in authority are polite to those they dispossess; +the Prussians, for instance, to the miserable King Billys who strut +about the empire. But the Anglo-Saxon only respects himself, and even +that to a limited extent, in new conquests. + +The question troubled King Billy greatly. He did not know that Mr. +Colborn would as soon have thought of murdering Annie as of bullying +her; so he lied promptly: "Me buy 'um, Mistah Cobon!" + +Mr. Colborn took it off of his head, and saw that it was his, as he had +thought. What he would have said I do not know, for just then he heard a +voice behind him: + +"Papa, it is my fault; I gave it to King Billy." + +Colborn turned round and took her up, letting fall the hat as he did +so. Billy made a jump, picked it up, and, in his agitation, brushed it +carefully the wrong way. + +"My dear, if you gave it to him it's all right. But why didn't the old +fool tell me?" + +"He's not an old fool, papa, and you must not say so. He's a good man, +and I think he thought you would be angry with me. Didn't you, King +Billy?" And the king, with a smile of conscious rectitude, admitted it +was so. + +Mr. Colborn gave him sixpence; and he gave Annie a great many kisses, +declaring, with uncommon thoughtlessness, that whatever she did was +right, and that she could give the king all his house, and Australia to +boot. Whereon King Billy smiled a smile that was portentous, and showed +his teeth to the uttermost recesses of his ample mouth. Looking down, he +surveyed the rest of his clothes, which in parts resembled the child's +definition of a net as a lot of holes tied together with string, and, +looking up, he inspected Mr. Colborn as if estimating the resources of +his wardrobe. But being urgently smitten with the necessity of getting +rid of his sixpence, he shambled off into the town. Other matters might +wait; that admitted of no delay. + +The mind of King Billy was not a big mind; it would no more have taken +in an abstract idea than his _gunyah_ would have accommodated a grand +piano. He was as simple as sunlight, and to resolve his intellect into +seven colours would want the most ingenious spectroscope. But he could +make an inference from a positive fact, and, having made it, he did not +allow more remote deductions to trouble his legitimate conclusion. He +ceased to fear Mr. Colborn, and began to look upon the magistrate's +property as if it were at least half his own. So he got very drunk +on the hospitality of a new chum miner who had been successful, and +presently, presuming on his new possessions, got into a fight with +his entertainer and a disrespectful subking of his own blacks, and was +reduced to worse rags than ever. + +Next morning he sat outside the magistrate's house, on the lowest log he +could find, and when Mr. Colborn came out he tackled him with the air of +a subject king demanding redress of his suzerain. + +"Well, Billy, what is it?" asked the suzerain. + +"You belong gublement?" said Billy the king, with a question, an implied +doubt, and a great complaint in his voice. Colborn laughed. + +"Why, yes, Billy; I belong to the government, I suppose." + +"Then," said Billy, "what you say to white fellow make 'um black fellow +drunk, knock 'um all about? Call you that gublement?" And he showed his +kingly robe, which had once been a frock-coat, with great disgust. + +However, he met with no favour, and was told that he should not get +drunk--that it served him right; with which magisterial decision Colborn +got on his horse and rode off to the flat. + +The king sat down sadly and considered thickly in his slow brain. +Annie did not come out, and he knew better than to ask for her, for Mr. +Colborn's niece, who kept house for him, was but newly come from home, +and thought all black fellows congenital murderers, which indeed they +are in some parts of the north. So Billy sat and waited, for he wanted a +new coat. How could he be respected in one whose natural divisions were +unnaturally extended to the very neck? It was obviously necessary to get +a new garment at once, and the best chance of a good one lay in little +Annie's kindness. But in order to obviate the slightest chance of his +girl patron's refusing, he must bring her some offering. He went off +into the bush at the back of the town, and, coming to where three or +four black fellows were camped, he sat down and talked with them. In +spite of the heat, a wretched old gin, muffled up in her one garment, +a ragged blanket, held her hands over the few burning sticks which +represent an Australian native's idea of a fire. Presently King Billy +rose, and, taking a tomahawk, went farther into the bush. He looked +about, and at last came to a tree, which he climbed native fashion, +first discarding his clothes. When near the first big branches he came +to a hole, and, putting in his hand, he extracted a lively young possum +by the tail. + +Next morning he was sitting on the Colborns' fence as usual. At his +feet was a little box with two or three slats nailed roughly across it. +Inside was the possum. King Billy wondered what kind of a coat he could +get. He liked a frock-coat; there was something majestic about it, +something fine and ample. Common morning coats would not do; no one +would insult a king by offering him tweed; even little Annie knew +better than that, especially if he gave her a live possum he had caught +himself. And when Annie did come out, she was in the seventh heaven of +delight with the possum, and ready to bestow anything in the world on +King Billy. + +"You give poor Billy one fellow coat, missy, and he go down along street +like a king." + +Annie flew into the house and seized the first garment she laid her +little hands on. It was her father's dress-coat. She rolled it up, and, +running out, thrust it excitedly into the king's black paw. As he went +off, she carried the possum indoors, and was deliriously happy for +hours. + +King Billy hurried into the bush till he came to a water-hole, and, +stripping off his rags, he held up the coat. His jaw fell; there was a +remarkable exiguity about the coat which was inexplicable. He had never +observed such in his life. He put it on, and, bending over the surface +of the still pool, took a good look at the general effect. It was not +bad from some points of view, but Billy had his doubts as to whether +he would be received with the respect due to his title if he went into +Ballarat clothed thus. He tried to button it, but discovered that, if it +had ever been intended for buttoning, he could not get it to meet +across his chest. He picked up his discarded frock-coat, which was held +together by the collar; then he felt the stuff of which the dress-coat +was made, and the material pleased him. "Oh, why," asked Billy, "had it +not been made with front tails?" He saw at last that this coat and his +high hat alone were insufficient for civilisation. For full dress in +a corroboree it might do. Unconsciously, he was so wrought upon by the +purpose for which the coat had been built that he determined to reserve +it for parties in the seclusion of the bush, where any merriment could +be rightly checked by a crack from his waddy. He planted it carefully +in a hollow log, and, having inserted himself with as much care into his +discarded rags, he wondered off into the town. He got very intoxicated +that night, and determined to have a party all by himself. + +Now it may seem very annoying, and I confess I find it so myself; but, +having got so far, I don't see my way to tell the rest, even if Annie +Colborn told me the story herself. For after her father's death she +married a man who had a small sheep-station and a hotel not forty miles +from Carabobla, in New South Wales. I stayed there a couple of days when +I was going north to the Murrumbidgee. But though she told me, I cannot +tell it again, at least not in bold, bad print. Still, it will occur +to most that a man of King Billy's sweet and innocent disposition might +very likely create a sensation, when his natural discretion was drowned +in bad whisky, if he ended his solitary corroboree in the moonlight by +going up to Colborn's house in order to deliver a speech of gratitude +through the French windows. + +So Colborn and the king had a corroboree all to themselves in the open +space before the house, while the gold commissioner's guests roared with +laughter to find out where the missing dress-coat was. Next day King +Billy resumed the split frock-coat. + + + + +THY HEART'S DESIRE, By Netta Syrett + + +The tents were pitched in the little plain surrounded by hills. Right +and left there were stretches of tender, vivid green where the young +corn was springing; farther still, on either hand, the plain was yellow +with mustard-flower; but in the immediate foreground it was bare and +stony. A few thorny bushes pushed their straggling way through the dry +soil, ineffectively as far as the grace of the landscape was concerned, +for they merely served to emphasise the barren aridness of the land that +stretched before the tents, sloping gradually to the distant hills. + +The hills were uninteresting enough in themselves; they had no grandeur +of outline, no picturesqueness even, though at morning and evening the +sun, like a great magician, clothed them with beauty at a touch. + +They had begun to change, to soften, to blush rose red in the evening +light, when a woman came to the entrance of the largest of the tents and +looked toward them. She leaned against the support on one side of the +canvas flap, and, putting back her head, rested that, too, against it, +while her eyes wandered over the plain and over the distant hills. + +She was bareheaded, for the covering of the tent projected a few feet to +form an awning overhead. The gentle breeze which had risen with sundown +stirred the soft brown tendrils of hair on her temples, and fluttered +her pink cotton gown a little. She stood very still, with her arms +hanging and her hands clasped loosely in front of her. There was about +her whole attitude an air of studied quiet which in some vague fashion +the slight clasp of her hands accentuated. Her face, with its tightly, +almost rigidly closed lips, would have been quite in keeping with the +impression of conscious calm which her entire presence suggested, had it +not been that when she raised her eyes a strange contradiction to this +idea was afforded. They were large gray eyes, unusually bright and +rather startling in effect, for they seemed the only live thing about +her. Gleaming from her still, set face, there was something almost +alarming in their brilliancy. They softened with a sudden glow of +pleasure as they rested on the translucent green of the wheat-fields +under the broad generous sunlight, and then wandered to where the pure +vivid yellow of the mustard-flower spread in waves to the base of the +hills, now mystically veiled in radiance. She stood motionless, watching +their melting, elusive changes from palpitating rose to the transparent +purple of amethyst. The stillness of evening was broken by the +monotonous, not unmusical creaking of a Persian wheel at some little +distance to the left of the tent. The well stood in a little grove of +trees; between their branches she could see, when she turned her head, +the coloured saris of the village women, where they stood in groups +chattering as they drew the water, and the little naked brown babies +that toddled beside them or sprawled on the hard ground beneath the +trees. From the village of flat-roofed mud houses under the low hill at +the back of the tents, other women were crossing the plain toward the +well, their terra-cotta water-jars poised easily on their heads, casting +long shadows on the sun-baked ground as they came. + +Presently, in the distance, from the direction of the sunlit +hills opposite a little group of men came into sight. Far off, the +mustard-coloured jackets and the red turbans of the orderlies made vivid +splashes of colour on the dull plain. As they came nearer, the guns +slung across their shoulders, the cases of mathematical instruments, +the hammers, and other heavy baggage they carried for the sahib, became +visible. A little in front, at walking pace rode the sahib himself, +making notes as he came in a book he held before him. The girl at the +tent entrance watched the advance of the little company indifferently, +it seemed; except for a slight tightening of the muscles about her +mouth, her face remained unchanged. While he was still some little +distance away, the man with the notebook raised his head and smiled +awkwardly as he saw her standing there. Awkwardness, perhaps, best +describes the whole man. He was badly put together, loose-jointed, +ungainly. The fact that he was tall profited him nothing, for it merely +emphasised the extreme ungracefulness of his figure. His long pale face +was made paler by the shock of coarse, tow-coloured hair; his +eyes, even, looked colourless, though they were certainly the least +uninteresting feature of his face, for they were not devoid of +expression. He had a way of slouching when he moved that singularly +intensified the general uncouthness of his appearance. "Are you very +tired?" asked his wife, gently, when he had dismounted close to the +tent. The question would have been an unnecessary one had it been put +to her instead of to her husband, for her voice had that peculiar flat +toneless sound for which extreme weariness is answerable. + +"Well, no, my dear, not very," he replied, drawling out the words with +an exasperating air of delivering a final verdict, after deep reflection +on the subject. + +The girl glanced once more at the fading colours on the hills. "Come in +and rest," she said, moving aside a little to let him pass. + +She stood lingering a moment after he had entered the tent, as though +unwilling to leave the outer air; and before she turned to follow him +she drew a deep breath, and her hand went for one swift second to her +throat as though she felt stifled. + +Later on that evening she sat in her tent, sewing by the light of the +lamp that stood on her little table. + +Opposite to her, her husband stretched his ungainly length in a +deck-chair, and turned over a pile of official notes. Every now and +then her eyes wandered from the gay silks of the table-cover she was +embroidering to the canvas walls which bounded the narrow space into +which their few household goods were crowded. Outside there was a deep +hush. The silence of the vast empty plain seemed to work its way slowly, +steadily in toward the little patch of light set in its midst. The girl +felt it in every nerve; it was as though some soft-footed, noiseless, +shapeless creature, whose presence she only dimly divined, was +approaching nearer--_nearer_. The heavy outer stillness was in some +way made more terrifying by the rustle of the papers her husband was +reading, by the creaking of his chair as he moved, and by the little +fidgeting grunts and half-exclamations which from time to time broke +from him. His wife's hand shook at every unintelligible mutter from him, +and the slight habitual contraction between her eyes deepened. + +All at once she threw her work down on to the table. "For heaven's +sake--_please_, John, _talk_!" she cried. Her eyes, for the moment's +space in which they met the startled ones of her husband, had a wild, +hunted look, but it was gone almost before his slow brain had time to +note that it had been there--and was vaguely disturbing. She laughed a +little unsteadily. + +"Did I startle you? I'm sorry. I"--she laughed again--"I believe I'm +a little nervous. When one is all day alone--" She paused without +finishing the sentence. The man's face changed suddenly. A wave +of tenderness swept over it, and at the same time an expression of +half-incredulous delight shone in his pale eyes. + +"Poor little girl, are you really lonely?" he said. Even the real +feeling in his tone failed to rob his voice of its peculiarly irritating +grating quality. He rose awkwardly, and moved to his wife's side. + +Involuntarily she shrank a little, and the hand which he had stretched +out to touch her hair sank to his side. She recovered herself +immediately, and turned her face up to his, though she did not raise +her eyes; but he did not kiss her. Instead, he stood in an embarrassed +fashion a moment by her side, and then went back to his seat. + +There was silence again for some time. The man lay back in his chair, +gazing at his big, clumsy shoes as though he hoped for some inspiration +from that quarter, while his wife worked with nervous haste. + +"Don't let me keep you from reading, John," she said, and her voice had +regained its usual gentle tone. + +"No, my dear; I'm just thinking of something to say to you, but I don't +seem--" + +She smiled a little. In spite of herself, her lip curled faintly. "Don't +worry about it; it was stupid of me to expect it. I mean--" she added, +hastily, immediately repenting the sarcasm. She glanced furtively at +him, but his face was quite unmoved; evidently he had not noticed it, +and she smiled faintly again. + +"O Kathie, I knew there was _something_ I'd forgotten to tell you, my +dear; there's a man coming down here. I don't know whether--" + +She looked up sharply. "A man coming _here_? What for?" she interrupted, +breathlessly. + +"Sent to help me about this oil-boring business, my dear." + +He had lighted his pipe, and was smoking placidly, taking long whiffs +between his words. + +"Well?" impatiently questioned his wife, fixing her bright eyes on his +face. + +"Well--that's all, my dear." + +She checked an exclamation. "But don't you know anything about him--his +name? where he comes from? what he is like?" She was leaning forward +against the table, her needle, with a long end of yellow silk drawn +half-way through her work, held in her upraised hand, her whole attitude +one of quivering excitement and expectancy. + +The man took his pipe from his mouth deliberately, with a look of slow +wonder. + +"Why, Kathie, you seem quite anxious. I didn't know you'd be so +interested, my dear. Well,"--another long pull at his pipe,--"his name's +Brook--_Brookfield_, I think." He paused again. "This pipe doesn't draw +well a bit; there's something wrong with it, I shouldn't wonder," he +added, taking it out and examining the bowl as though struck with the +brilliance of the idea. + +The woman opposite put down her work and clinched her hands under the +table. + +"Go on, John," she said, presently, in a tense, vibrating voice; "his +name is Brookfield. Well, where does he come from?" + +"Straight from home, my dear, I believe." He fumbled in his pocket, and +after some time extricated a pencil, with which he began to poke +the tobacco in the bowl in an ineffectual aimless fashion, becoming +completely engrossed in the occupation apparently. There was another +long pause. The woman went on working, or feigning to work, for her +hands were trembling a good deal. + +After some moments she raised her head again. "John, will you mind +attending to me one moment, and answering these questions as quickly as +you can?" The emphasis on the last word was so faint as to be almost as +imperceptible as the touch of exasperated contempt which she could not +absolutely banish from her tone. + +Her husband, looking up, met her clear bright gaze, and reddened like a +school-boy. + +"Whereabouts '_from home_' does he come?" she asked, in a studiedly +gentle fashion. + +"Well, from London, I think," he replied, almost briskly for him, though +he stammered and tripped over the words. "He's a university chap; I used +to hear he was clever; I don't know about that, I'm sure; he used to +chaff me, I remember, but--" + +"Chaff _you_? You have met him then?" + +"Yes, my dear,"--he was fast relapsing into his slow drawl +again,--"that is, I went to school with him; but it's a long time ago. +Brookfield--yes, that must be his name." + +She waited a moment; then, "When is he coming?" she inquired, abruptly. + +"Let me see--to-day's--" + +"_Monday_;" the word came swiftly between her set teeth. + +"Ah, yes--Monday; well," reflectively, "_next_ Monday, my dear." + +Mrs. Drayton rose, and began to pace softly the narrow passage between +the table and the tent wall, her hands clasped loosely behind her. + +"How long have you known this?" she said, stopping abruptly. "O John, +you _needn't_ consider; it's quite a simple question. To-day? Yesterday?" + +Her foot moved restlessly on the ground as she waited. + +"I think it was the day before yesterday," he replied. + +"Then why, in heaven's name, didn't you tell me before?" she broke out, +fiercely. + +"My dear, it slipped my memory. If I'd thought you would be +interested--" + +"Interested!" She laughed shortly. "It _is_ rather interesting to hear +that after six months of this"--she made a quick comprehensive gesture +with her hand--"one will have some one to speak to--some one. It is the +hand of Providence; it comes just in time to save me from--" She checked +herself abruptly. + +He sat staring up at her stupidly, without a word. + +"It's all right, John," she said, with a quick change of tone, gathering +up her work quietly as she spoke. "I'm not mad--yet. You--you must get +used to these little outbreaks," she added, after a moment, smiling +faintly; "and, to do me justice, I don't _often_ trouble you with them, +do I? I'm just a little tired, or it's the heat or--something. No--don't +touch me!" she cried, shrinking back; for he had risen slowly and was +coming toward her. + +She had lost command over her voice, and the shrill note of horror in it +was unmistakable. The man heard it, and shrank in his turn. + +"I'm so sorry, John," she murmured, raising her great bright eyes to his +face. They had not lost their goaded expression, though they were full +of tears. "I'm awfully sorry; but I'm just nervous and stupid, and I +can't bear _any one_ to touch me when I'm nervous." + + + +"Here's Broomhurst, my dear! I made a mistake in his name after all, +I find. I told you _Brookfield_, I believe, didn't I? Well, it isn't +Brookfield, he says; it's Broomhurst." + +Mrs. Drayton had walked some little distance across the plain to meet +and welcome the expected guest. She stood quietly waiting while her +husband stammered over his incoherent sentences, and then put out her +hand. + +"We are very glad to see you," she said, with a quick glance at the +new-comer's face as she spoke. + +As they walked together toward the tent, after the first greetings, she +felt his keen eyes upon her before he turned to her husband. + +"I'm afraid Mrs. Drayton finds the climate trying?" he asked. "Perhaps +she ought not to have come so far in this heat?" + +"Kathie is often pale. You _do_ look white to-day, my dear," he +observed, turning anxiously toward his wife. + +"Do I?" she replied. The unsteadiness of her tone was hardly +appreciable, but it was not lost on Broomhurst's quick ears. "Oh, I +don't think so. I _feel_ very well." + +"I'll come and see if they've fixed you up all right," said Drayton, +following his companion toward the new tent that had been pitched at +some little distance from the large one. + +"We shall see you at dinner then?" Mrs. Drayton observed in reply to +Broomhurst's smile as they parted. + +She entered the tent slowly, and, moving up to the table already laid +for dinner, began to rearrange the things upon it in a purposeless, +mechanical fashion. + +After a moment she sank down upon a seat opposite the open entrance, and +put her hand to her head. + +"What is the matter with me?" she thought, wearily. "All the week I've +been looking forward to seeing this man--_any_ man, _any one_ to take +off the edge of this." She shuddered. Even in thought she hesitated to +analyse the feeling that possessed her. "Well, he's here, and I think I +feel _worse_." Her eyes travelled toward the hills she had been used to +watch at this hour, and rested on them with a vague, unseeing gaze. + +"Tired Kathie? A penny for your thoughts, my dear," said her husband, +coming in presently to find her still sitting there. + +"I'm thinking what a curious world this is, and what an ironical vein +of humour the gods who look after it must possess," she replied, with a +mirthless laugh, rising as she spoke. + +John looked puzzled. + +"Funny my having known Broomhurst before, you mean?" he said doubtfully. + + + +"I was fishing down at Lynmouth this time last year," Broomhurst said at +dinner. "You know Lynmouth, Mrs. Drayton? Do you never imagine you hear +the gurgling of the stream? I am tantalised already by the sound of it +rushing through the beautiful green gloom of those woods--_aren't_ they +lovely? And _I_ haven't been in this burnt-up spot as many hours as +you've had months of it." + +She smiled a little. + +"You must learn to possess your soul in patience," she said, and glanced +inconsequently from Broomhurst to her husband, and then dropped her eyes +and was silent a moment. + +John was obviously, and a little audibly, enjoying his dinner. He sat +with his chair pushed close to the table, and his elbows awkwardly +raised, swallowing his soup in gulps. He grasped his spoon tightly in +his bony hand, so that its swollen joints stood out larger and uglier +than ever, his wife thought. + +Her eyes wandered to Broomhurst's hands. They were well shaped, and, +though not small, there was a look of refinement about them; he had a +way of touching things delicately, a little lingeringly, she noticed. +There was an air of distinction about his clear-cut, clean-shaven face, +possibly intensified by contrast with Drayton's blurred features; and it +was, perhaps, also by contrast with the gray cuffs that showed beneath +John's ill-cut drab suit that the linen Broomhurst wore seemed to her +particularly spotless. + +Broomhurst's thoughts, for his part, were a good deal occupied with his +hostess. + +She was pretty, he thought, or perhaps it was that, with the wide, +dry lonely plain as a setting, her fragile delicacy of appearance was +invested with a certain flower-like charm. + +"The silence here seems rather strange, rather appalling at first, when +one is fresh from a town," he pursued, after a moment's pause; "but I +suppose you're used to it, eh, Drayton? How do _you_ find life here, +Mrs. Drayton?" he asked, a little curiously, turning to her as he spoke. + +She hesitated a second. "Oh, much the same as I should find it anywhere +else, I expect," she replied; "after all, one carries the possibilities +of a happy life about with one; don't you think so? The Garden of Eden +wouldn't necessarily make my life any happier, or less happy, than a +howling wilderness like this. It depends on one's self entirely." + +"Given the right Adam and Eve, the desert blossoms like the rose, in +fact," Broomhurst answered, lightly, with a smiling glance inclusive of +husband and wife; "you two don't feel as though you'd been driven out of +Paradise, evidently." + +Drayton raised his eyes from his plate with a smile of total +incomprehension. + +"Great heavens! what an Adam to select!" thought Broomhurst, +involuntarily, as Mrs. Drayton rose rather suddenly from the table. + +"I'll come and help with that packing-case," John said, rising, in his +turn, lumberingly from his place; "then we can have a smoke--eh! Kathie +don't mind, if we sit near the entrance." + +The two men went out together, Broomhurst holding the lantern, for the +moon had not yet risen. Mrs. Drayton followed them to the doorway, and, +pushing the looped-up hanging farther aside, stepped out into the cool +darkness. + +Her heart was beating quickly, and there was a great lump in her throat +that frightened her as though she were choking. + +"And I am his _wife_--I _belong_ to him!" she cried, almost aloud. + +She pressed both her hands tightly against her breast, and set her +teeth, fighting to keep down the rising flood that threatened to sweep +away her composure. "Oh, what a fool I am! What an hysterical fool of a +woman I am!" she whispered below her breath. She began to walk slowly up +and down outside the tent, in the space illumined by the lamplight, as +though striving to make her outwardly quiet movements react upon the +inward tumult. In a little while she had conquered; she quietly entered +the tent, drew a low chair to the entrance, and took up a book, just as +footsteps became audible. A moment afterward Broomhurst emerged from the +darkness into the circle of light outside, and Mrs. Drayton raised her +eyes from the pages she was turning to greet him with a smile. + +"Are your things all right?" + +"Oh, yes, more or less, thank you. I was a little concerned about a case +of books, but it isn't much damaged fortunately. Perhaps I've some you +would care to look at?" + +"The books will be a godsend," she returned, with a sudden brightening +of the eyes; "I was getting _desperate_--for books." + +"What are you reading now?" he asked, glancing at the volume that lay in +her lap. + +"It's a Browning. I carry it about a good deal. I think I like to have +it with me, but I don't seem to read it much." + +"Are you waiting for a suitable optimistic moment?" Broomhurst inquired, +smiling. + +"Yes, now that you mention it, I think that must be why I am waiting," +she replied, slowly. + +"And it doesn't come--even in the Garden of Eden? Surely the serpent, +pessimism, hasn't been insolent enough to draw you into conversation +with him?" he said, lightly. + +"There has been no one to converse with at all--when John is away, +I mean. I think I should have liked a little chat with the serpent +immensely by way of a change," she replied, in the same tone. + +"Ah, yes," Broomhurst said, with sudden seriousness; "it must be +unbearably dull for you alone here, with Drayton away all day." + +Mrs. Drayton's hand shook a little as she fluttered a page of her open +book. + +"I should think it quite natural you would be irritated beyond endurance +to hear that all's right with the world, for instance, when you were +sighing for the long day to pass," he continued. + +"I don't mind the day so much; it's the evenings." She abruptly checked +the swift words, and flushed painfully. "I mean--I've grown stupidly +nervous, I think--even when John is here. Oh, you have no idea of the +awful _silence_ of this place at night," she added, rising hurriedly +from her low seat, and moving closer to the doorway. "It is so close, +isn't it?" she said, almost apologetically. There was silence for quite +a minute. + +Broomhurst's quick eyes noted the silent momentary clinching of the +hands that hung at her side, as she stood leaning against the support at +the entrance. + +"But how stupid of me to give you such a bad impression of the camp--the +first evening, too!" Mrs. Drayton exclaimed, presently; and her +companion mentally commended the admirable composure of her voice. + +"Probably you will never notice that it _is_ lonely at all," she +continued; "John likes it here. He is immensely interested in his work, +you know. I hope _you_ are too. If you are interested it is all quite +right. I think the climate tries me a little. I never used to be +stupid--and nervous. Ah, here's John; he's been round to the kitchen +tent, I suppose." + +"Been looking after that fellow cleanin' my gun, my dear," John +explained, shambling toward the deck-chair. + +Later Broomhurst stood at his own tent door. He looked up at the +star-sown sky, and the heavy silence seemed to press upon him like an +actual, physical burden. + +He took his cigar from between his lips presently, and looked at the +glowing end reflectively before throwing it away. + +"Considering that she has been alone with him here for six months, she +has herself very well in hand--_very_ well in hand," he repeated. + + + +It was Sunday morning. John Drayton sat just inside the tent, presumably +enjoying his pipe before the heat of the day. His eyes furtively +followed his wife as she moved about near him, sometimes passing close +to his chair in search of something she had mislaid. There was colour +in her cheeks; her eyes, though preoccupied, were bright; there was a +lightness and buoyancy in her step which she set to a little dancing air +she was humming under her breath. + +After a moment or two the song ceased; she began to move slowly, +sedately; and, as if chilled by a raw breath of air, the light faded +from her eyes, which she presently turned toward her husband. + +"Why do you look at me?" she asked, suddenly. + +"I don't know, my dear," he began slowly and laboriously, as was his +wont. "I was thinkin' how nice you looked--jest now--much better, you +know; but somehow,"--he was taking long whiffs at his pipe, as usual, +between each word, while she stood patiently waiting for him to +finish,--"somehow, you alter so, my dear--you're quite pale again, all +of a minute." + +She stood listening to him, noticing against her will the more than +suspicion of cockney accent and the thick drawl with which the words +were uttered. + +His eyes sought her face piteously. She noticed that too, and stood +before him torn by conflicting emotions, pity and disgust struggling in +a hand-to-hand fight within her. + +"Mr. Broomhurst and I are going down by the well to sit; it's cooler +there. Won't you come?" she said at last, gently. + +He did not reply for a moment; then he turned his head aside, sharply +for him. + +"No, my dear, thank you; I'm comfortable enough here," he returned, +huskily. + +She stood over him, hesitating a second; then moved abruptly to the +table, from which she took a book. + +He had risen from his seat by the time she turned to go out, and he +intercepted her timorously. + +"Kathie, give me a kiss before you go," he whispered, hoarsely. "I--I +don't often bother you." + +She drew her breath in deeply as he put his arms clumsily about her; +but she stood still, and he kissed her on the forehead, and touched the +little wavy curls that strayed across it gently with his big, trembling +fingers. + +When he released her, she moved at once impetuously to the open doorway. +On the threshold she hesitated, paused a moment irresolutely, and then +turned back. + +"Shall I--does your pipe want filling, John?" she asked, softly. + +"No, thank you, my dear." + +"Would you like me to stay, read to you, or anything?" + +He looked up at her wistfully. "N-no, thank you; I'm not much of a +reader, you know, my dear--somehow." + +She hated herself for knowing that there would be a "my dear," probably +a "somehow," in his reply, and despised herself for the sense of +irritated impatience she felt by anticipation, even before the words +were uttered. + +There was a moment's hesitating silence, broken by the sound of quick, +firm footsteps without. Broomhurst paused at the entrance, and looked +into the tent. + +"Aren't you coming, Drayton?" he asked, looking first at Drayton's wife +and then swiftly putting in his name with a scarcely perceptible pause. +"Too lazy? But you, Mrs. Drayton?" + +"Yes, I'm coming," she said. + +They left the tent together, and walked some few steps in silence. + +Broomhurst shot a quick glance at his companion's face. + +"Anything wrong?" he asked, presently. + +Though the words were ordinary enough, the voice in which they were +spoken was in some subtle fashion a different voice from that in +which he had talked to her nearly two months ago, though it would have +required a keen sense of nice shades in sound to have detected the +change. + +Mrs. Drayton's sense of niceties in sound was particularly keen, but she +answered quietly, "Nothing, thank you." + +They did not speak again till the trees round the stone well were +reached. + +Broomhurst arranged their seats comfortably beside it. + +"Are we going to read or talk?" he asked, looking up at her from his +lower place. + +"Well, we generally talk most when we arrange to read; so shall we agree +to talk to-day for a change, by way of getting some reading done?" she +rejoined, smiling. "_You_ begin." + +Broomhurst seemed in no hurry to avail himself of the permission; he +was apparently engrossed in watching the flecks of sunshine on Mrs. +Drayton's white dress. The whirring of insects, and the creaking of a +Persian wheel somewhere in the neighbourhood, filtered through the hot +silence. + +Mrs. Drayton laughed after a few minutes; there was a touch of +embarrassment in the sound. + +"The new plan doesn't answer. Suppose you read, as usual, and let me +interrupt, also as usual, after the first two lines." + +He opened the book obediently, but turned the pages at random. + +She watched him for a moment, and then bent a little forward toward him. + +"It is my turn now," she said, suddenly; "is anything wrong?" + +He raised his head, and their eyes met. There was a pause. "I will be +more honest than you," he returned; "yes, there is." + +"What?" + +"I've had orders to move on." + +She drew back, and her lips whitened, though she kept them steady. + +"When do you go?" + +"On Wednesday." + +There was silence again; the man still kept his eyes on her face. + +The whirring of the insects and the creaking of the wheel had suddenly +grown so strangely loud and insistent that it was in a half-dazed +fashion she at length heard her name--"_Kathleen!_" + +"Kathleen!" he whispered again, hoarsely. + +She looked him full in the face, and once more their eyes met in a long, +grave gaze. + +The man's face flushed, and he half rose from his seat with an impetuous +movement; but Kathleen stopped him with a glance. + +"Will you go and fetch my work? I left it in the tent," she said, +speaking very clearly and distinctly; "and then will you go on reading? +I will find the place while you are gone." + +She took the book from his hand, and he rose and stood before her. + +There was a mute appeal in his silence, and she raised her head slowly. + +Her face was white to the lips, but she looked at him unflinchingly; and +without a word he turned and left her. + + + +Mrs. Drayton was resting in the tent on Tuesday afternoon. With the help +of cushions and some low chairs, she had improvised a couch, on which +she lay quietly with her eyes closed. There was a tenseness, however, in +her attitude which indicated that sleep was far from her. + +Her features seemed to have sharpened during the last few days, and +there were hollows in her cheeks. She had been very ill for a long time, +but all at once, with a sudden movement, she turned her head and buried +her face in the cushions with a groan. Slipping from her place, she fell +on her knees beside the couch, and put both hands before her mouth to +force back the cry that she felt struggling to her lips. + +For some moments the wild effort she was making for outward calm, which +even when she was alone was her first instinct, strained every nerve and +blotted out sight and hearing, and it was not till the sound was very +near that she was conscious of the ring of horse's hoofs on the plain. + +She raised her head sharply, with a thrill of fear, still kneeling, and +listened. + +There was no mistake. The horseman was riding in hot haste, for the thud +of the hoofs followed one another swiftly. + +As Mrs. Drayton listened her white face grew whiter, and she began to +tremble. Putting out shaking hands, she raised herself by the arms of +the folding-chair and stood upright. + +Nearer and nearer came the thunder of the approaching sound, mingled +with startled exclamations and the noise of trampling feet from the +direction of the kitchen tent. + +Slowly, mechanically almost, she dragged herself to the entrance, and +stood clinging to the canvas there. By the time she had reached it +Broomhurst had flung himself from the saddle, and had thrown the reins +to one of the men. + +Mrs. Drayton stared at him with wide, bright eyes as he hastened toward +her. + +"I thought you--you are not--" she began, and then her teeth began to +chatter. "I am so cold!" she said, in a little, weak voice. + +Broomhurst took her hand and led her over the threshold back into the +tent. + +"Don't be so frightened," he implored; "I came to tell you first. I +thought it wouldn't frighten you so much as--Your--Drayton is--very ill. +They are bringing him. I--" + +He paused. She gazed at him a moment with parted lips; then she broke +into a horrible, discordant laugh, and stood clinging to the back of a +chair. + +Broomhurst started back. + +"Do you understand what I mean?" he whispered. "Kathleen, for God's +sake--_don't_--he is _dead_." + +He looked over his shoulder as he spoke, her shrill laughter ringing in +his ears. The white glare and dazzle of the plain stretched before him, +framed by the entrance to the tent; far off, against the horizon, there +were moving black specks, which he knew to be the returning servants +with their still burden. + +They were bringing John Drayton home. + + +One afternoon, some months later, Broomhurst climbed the steep lane +leading to the cliffs of a little English village by the sea. He had +already been to the inn, and had been shown by the proprietress the +house where Mrs. Drayton lodged. + +"The lady was out, but the gentleman would likely find her if he went +to the cliffs--down by the bay, or thereabouts," her landlady explained; +and, obeying her directions, Broomhurst presently emerged from the shady +woodland path on to the hillside overhanging the sea. + +He glanced eagerly round him, and then, with a sudden quickening of the +heart, walked on over the springy heather to where she sat. She turned +when the rustling his footsteps made through the bracken was near enough +to arrest her attention, and looked up at him as he came. Then she rose +slowly and stood waiting for him. He came up to her without a word, and +seized both her hands, devouring her face with his eyes. Something he +saw there repelled him. Slowly he let her hands fall, still looking +at her silently. "You are not glad to see me, and I have counted the +hours," he said, at last, in a dull, toneless voice. + +Her lips quivered. "Don't be angry with me--I can't help it--I'm not +glad or sorry for anything now," she answered; and her voice matched his +for grayness. + +They sat down together on a long flat stone half embedded in a wiry +clump of whortleberries. Behind them the lonely hillsides rose, +brilliant with yellow bracken and the purple of heather. Before them +stretched the wide sea. It was a soft, gray day. Streaks of pale +sunlight trembled at moments far out on the water. The tide was rising +in the little bay above which they sat, and Broomhurst watched the lazy +foam-edged waves slipping over the uncovered rocks toward the shore, +then sliding back as though for very weariness they despaired of +reaching it. The muffled, pulsing sound of the sea filled the silence. +Broomhurst thought suddenly of hot Eastern sunshine, of the whir of +insect wings on the still air, and the creaking of a wheel in the +distance. He turned and looked at his companion. + +"I have come thousands of miles to see you," he said; "aren't you going +to speak to me now I am here?" + +"Why did you come? I told you not to come," she answered, falteringly. +"I--" she paused. + +"And I replied that I should follow you--if you remember," he answered, +still quietly. "I came because I would not listen to what you said then, +at that awful time. You didn't know _yourself_ what you said. No wonder! +I have given you some months, and now I have come." + +There was silence between them. Broomhurst saw that she was crying; her +tears fell fast on to her hands, that were clasped in her lap. Her face, +he noticed, was thin and drawn. + +Very gently he put his arm round her shoulder and drew her nearer to +him. She made no resistance; it seemed that she did not notice the +movement; and his arm dropped at his side. + +"You asked me why I had come. You think it possible that three months +can change one very thoroughly, then?" he said, in a cold voice. + +"I not only think it possible; I have proved it," she replied, wearily. + +He turned round and faced her. + +"You _did_ love me, Kathleen!" he asserted. "You never said so in words, +but I know it," he added, fiercely. + +"Yes, I did." + +"And--you mean that you don't now?" + +Her voice was very tired. "Yes; I can't help it," she answered; "it has +gone--utterly." + +The gray sea slowly lapped the rocks. Overhead the sharp scream of a +gull cut through the stillness. It was broken again, a moment afterward, +by a short hard laugh from the man. + +"Don't!" she whispered, and laid a hand swiftly on his arm. "Do you +think it isn't worse for me? I wish to God I _did_ love you!" she cried, +passionately. "Perhaps it would make me forget that, to all intents and +purposes, I am a murderess." + +Broomhurst met her wide, despairing eyes with an amazement which yielded +to sudden pitying comprehension. + +"So that is it, my darling? You are worrying about _that_? You who were +as loyal as--" + +She stopped him with a frantic gesture. + +"Don't! _don't!_" she wailed. "If you only knew! Let me try to tell +you--will you?" she urged, pitifully. "It may be better if I tell some +one--if I don't keep it all to myself, and think, and _think_." + +She clasped her hands tight, with the old gesture he remembered when she +was struggling for self-control, and waited a moment. + +Presently she began to speak in a low, hurried tone: "It began +before you came. I know now what the feeling was that I was afraid to +acknowledge to myself. I used to try and smother it; I used to repeat +things to myself all day--poems, stupid rhymes--_anything_ to keep my +thoughts quite underneath--but I--_hated_ John before you came! We had +been married nearly a year then. I never loved him. Of course you are +going to say, 'Why did you marry him?'" She looked drearily over the +placid sea. "Why _did_ I marry him? I don't know; for the reason that +hundreds of ignorant, inexperienced girls marry, I suppose. My home +wasn't a happy one. I was miserable, and oh--_restless_. I wonder if +men know what it feels like to be restless? Sometimes I think they +can't even guess. John wanted me very badly; nobody wanted me at home +particularly. There didn't seem to be any point in my life. Do you +understand? . . . Of course, being alone with him in that little camp +in that silent plain"--she shuddered--"made things worse. My nerves went +all to pieces. Everything he said, his voice, his accent, his walk, +the way he ate, irritated me so that I longed to rush out sometimes and +shriek--and go _mad_. Does it sound ridiculous to you to be driven mad +by such trifles? I only know I used to get up from the table sometimes +and walk up and down outside, with both hands over my mouth to keep +myself quiet. And all the time I _hated_ myself--how I hated myself! I +never had a word from him that wasn't gentle and tender. I believe he +loved the ground I walked on. Oh, it is _awful_ to be loved like that +when you--" She drew in her breath with a sob. "I--I--it made me sick +for him to come near me--to touch me." She stopped a moment. + +Broomhurst gently laid his hand on her quivering one. "Poor little +girl!" he murmured. + +"Then _you_ came," she said, "and before long I had another feeling +to fight against. At first I thought it couldn't be true that I loved +you--it would die down. I think I was _frightened_ at the feeling; I +didn't know it hurt so to love any one." + +Broomhurst stirred a little. "Go on," he said, tersely. + +"But it didn't die," she continued, in a trembling whisper, "and the +other _awful_ feeling grew stronger and stronger--hatred; no, that is +not the word--_loathing_ for--for--John. I fought against it. Yes," she +cried, feverishly, clasping and unclasping her hands; "Heaven knows I +fought it with all my strength, and reasoned with myself, and--oh, I did +_everything_, but--" Her quick-falling tears made speech difficult. + +"Kathleen!" Broomhurst urged, desperately, "you couldn't help it, you +poor child. You say yourself you struggled against your feelings. You +were always gentle; perhaps he didn't know." + +"But he did--he _did_," she wailed; "it is just that. I hurt him +a hundred times a day; he never said so, but I knew it; and yet I +_couldn't_ be kind to him,--except in words,--and he understood. +And after you came it was worse in one way, for he knew--I _felt_ he +knew--that I loved you. His eyes used to follow me like a dog's, and +I was stabbed with remorse, and I tried to be good to him, but I +couldn't." + +"But--he didn't suspect--he trusted you," began Broomhurst. "He had +every reason. No woman was ever so loyal, so--" + +"Hush!" she almost screamed. "Loyal! it was the least I could do--to +stop you, I mean--when you--After all, I knew it without your telling +me. I had deliberately married him without loving him. It was my own +fault. I felt it. Even if I couldn't prevent his knowing that I hated +him, I could prevent _that_. It was my punishment. I deserved it for +_daring_ to marry without love. But I didn't spare John one pang after +all," she added, bitterly. "He knew what I felt toward him; I don't +think he cared about anything else. You say I mustn't reproach myself? +When I went back to the tent that morning--when you--when I stopped +you from saying you loved me, he was sitting at the table with his head +buried in his hands; he was crying--bitterly. I saw him,--it is terrible +to see a man cry,--and I stole away gently, but he saw me. I was torn +to pieces, but I _couldn't_ go to him. I knew he would kiss me, and I +shuddered to think of it. It seemed more than ever not to be borne that +he should do that--when I knew _you_ loved me." + +"Kathleen," cried her lover, again, "don't dwell on it all so +terribly--don't--" + +"How can I forget?" she answered, despairingly. "And then,"--she lowered +her voice,--"oh, I can't tell you--all the time, at the back of my mind +somewhere, there was a burning wish that he might _die_. I used to lie +awake at night, and, do what I would to stifle it, that thought used to +_scorch_ me, I wished it so intensely. Do you believe that by willing +one can bring such things to pass?" she asked, looking at Broomhurst +with feverishly bright eyes. "No? Well, I don't know. I tried to smother +it,--I _really_ tried,--but it was there, whatever other thoughts I +heaped on the top. Then, when I heard the horse galloping across +the plain that morning, I had a sick fear that it was _you_. I knew +something had happened, and my first thought when I saw you alive and +well, and knew it was _John_, was _that it was too good to be true_. I +believe I laughed like a maniac, didn't I? . . . Not to blame? Why, if +it hadn't been for me he wouldn't have died. The men say they saw him +sitting with his head uncovered in the burning sun, his face buried in +his hands--just as I had seen him the day before. He didn't trouble to +be careful; he was too wretched." + +She paused, and Broomhurst rose and began to pace the little hillside +path at the edge of which they were seated. + +Presently he came back to her. + +"Kathleen, let me take care of you," he implored, stooping toward her. +"We have only ourselves to consider in this matter. Will you come to me +at once?" + +She shook her head sadly. + +Broomhurst set his teeth, and the lines round his mouth deepened. He +threw himself down beside her on the heather. + +"Dear," he urged, still gently, though his voice showed he was +controlling himself with an effort, "you are morbid about this. You +have been alone too much; you are ill. Let me take care of you; I _can_, +Kathleen,--and I love you. Nothing but morbid fancy makes you imagine +you are in any way responsible for--Drayton's death. You can't bring him +back to life, and--" + +"No," she sighed, drearily, "and if I could, nothing would be altered. +Though I am mad with self-reproach, I feel _that_--it was all so +inevitable. If he were alive and well before me this instant, my feeling +toward him wouldn't have changed. If he spoke to me he would say 'my +dear'--and I should _loathe_ him. Oh, I know! It is _that_ that makes it +so awful." + +"But if you acknowledge it," Broomhurst struck in, eagerly, "will you +wreck both of our lives for the sake of vain regrets? Kathleen, you +never will." + +He waited breathlessly for her answer. + +"I won't wreck both our lives by marrying again without love on my +side," she replied, firmly. + +"I will take the risk," he said. "You _have_ loved me; you will love +me again. You are crushed and dazed now with brooding over this--this +trouble, but--" + +"But I will not allow you to take the risk," Kathleen answered. "What +sort of woman should I be to be willing again to live with a man I +don't love? I have come to know that there are things one owes to _one's +self_. Self-respect is one of them. I don't know how it has come to be +so, but all my old feeling for you has _gone_. It is as though it had +burned itself out. I will not offer gray ashes to any man." + +Broomhurst, looking up at her pale, set face, knew that her words were +final, and turned his own aside with a groan. + +"Ah," cried Kathleen, with a little break in her voice, "_don't!_ Go +away, and be happy and strong, and all that I loved in you. I am so +sorry--so sorry to hurt you. I--" her voice faltered miserably; "I--I +only bring trouble to people." + +There was a long pause. + +"Did you never think that there is a terrible vein of irony running +through the ordering of this world?" she said, presently. "It is a +mistake to think our prayers are not answered--they are. In due time we +get our heart's desire--when we have ceased to care for it." + +"I haven't yet got mine," Broomhurst answered, doggedly, "and I shall +never cease to care for it." + +She smiled a little, with infinite sadness. + +"Listen, Kathleen," he said. They had both risen, and he stood before +her, looking down at her. "I will go now, but in a year's time I shall +come back. I will not give you up. You shall love me yet." + +"Perhaps--I don't think so," she answered, wearily. + +Broomhurst looked at her trembling lips a moment in silence; then he +stooped and kissed both her hands instead. + +"I will wait till you tell me you love me," he said. + +She stood watching him out of sight. He did not look back, and she +turned with swimming eyes to the gray sea and the transient gleams of +sunlight that swept like tender smiles across its face. + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Stories by English Authors: Orient, by Various + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES BY ENGLISH AUTHORS: ORIENT *** + +***** This file should be named 2035.txt or 2035.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/2/0/3/2035/ + +Produced by Dagny; John Bickers and David Widger + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Douglas +THE REVENGE OF HER RACE, Mary Beaumont +KING BILLY OF BALLARAT, Morley Roberts +THY HEART'S DESIRE, Netta Syrett + + + + +THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING + +Brother to a Prince and fellow to a beggar if he be found worthy + +BY + +RUDYARD KIPLING + + + +The Law, as quoted, lays down a fair conduct of life, and one not easy +to follow. I have been fellow to a beggar again and again under +circumstances which prevented either of us finding out whether the +other was worthy. I have still to be brother to a Prince, though I +once came near to kinship with what might have been a veritable King, +and was promised the reversion of a Kingdom--army, law-courts, +revenue, and policy all complete. But, to-day, I greatly fear that my +King is dead, and if I want a crown I must go hunt it for myself. + +The beginning of everything was in a railway-train upon the road to +Mhow from Ajmir. There had been a Deficit in the Budget, which +necessitated travelling, not Second-class, which is only half as dear +as First-Class, but by Intermediate, which is very awful indeed. There +are no cushions in the Intermediate class, and the population are +either Intermediate, which is Eurasian, or native, which for a long +night journey is nasty, or Loafer, which is amusing though +intoxicated. Intermediates do not buy from refreshment-rooms. They +carry their food in bundles and pots, and buy sweets from the native +sweetmeat-sellers, and drink the roadside water. This is why in hot +weather Intermediates are taken out of the carriages dead, and in all +weathers are most properly looked down upon. + +My particular Intermediate happened to be empty till I reached +Nasirabad, when the big black-browed gentleman in shirt-sleeves +entered, and, following the custom of Intermediates, passed the time +of day. He was a wanderer and a vagabond like myself, but with an +educated taste for whisky. He told tales of things he had seen and +done, of out-of-the-way corners of the Empire into which he had +penetrated, and of adventures in which he risked his life for a few +days' food. + +"If India was filled with men like you and me, not knowing more than +the crows where they'd get their next day's rations, it isn't seventy +millions of revenue the land would be paying--it's seven hundred +millions," said he; and as I looked at his mouth and chin I was +disposed to agree with him. + +We talked politics,--the politics of Loaferdom that sees things from +the under side where the lath and plaster is not smoothed off,--and we +talked postal arrangements because my friend wanted to send a telegram +back from the next station to Ajmir, the turning-off place from the +Bombay to the Mhow line as you travel westward. My friend had no money +beyond eight annas which he wanted for dinner, and I had no money at +all, owing to the hitch in the Budget before mentioned. Further, I was +going into a wilderness where, though I should resume touch with the +Treasury, there were no telegraph offices. I was, therefore, unable to +help him in any way. + +"We might threaten a Station-master, and make him send a wire on +tick," said my friend, "but that'd mean inquiries for you and for me, +and /I/'ve got my hands full these days. Did you say you were +travelling back along this line within any days?" + +"Within ten," I said. + +"Can't you make it eight?" said he. "Mine is rather urgent business." + +"I can send your telegrams within ten days if that will serve you," I +said. + +"I couldn't trust the wire to fetch him, now I think of it. It's this +way. He leaves Delhi on the 23rd for Bombay. That means he'll be +running through Ajmir about the night of the 23rd." + +"But I'm going into the Indian Desert," I explained. + +"Well /and/ good," said he. "You'll be changing at Marwar Junction to +get into Jodhpore territory,--you must do that,--and he'll be coming +through Marwar Junction in the early morning of the 24th by the Bombay +Mail. Can you be at Marwar Junction on that time? 'T won't be +inconveniencing you, because I know that there's precious few pickings +to be got out of these Central India States--even though you pretend +to be correspondent of the 'Backwoodsman.' " + +"Have you ever tried that trick?" I asked. + +"Again and again, but the Residents find you out, and then you get +escorted to the Border before you've time to get your knife into them. +But about my friend here. I /must/ give him a word o' mouth to tell +him what's come to me, or else he won't know where to go. I would take +it more than kind of you if you was to come out of Central India in +time to catch him at Marwar Junction, and say to him, 'He has gone +South for the week.' He'll know what that means. He's a big man with a +red beard, and a great swell he is. You'll find him sleeping like a +gentleman with all his luggage round him in a Second-class apartment. +But don't you be afraid. Slip down the window and say, 'He has gone +South for the week,' and he'll tumble. It's only cutting your time of +stay in those parts by two days. I ask you as a stranger--going to the +West," he said, with emphasis. + +"Where have /you/ come from?" said I. + +"From the East," said he, "and I am hoping that you will give him the +message on the Square--for the sake of my Mother as well as your own." + +Englishmen are not usually softened by appeals to the memory of their +mothers; but for certain reasons, which will be fully apparent, I saw +fit to agree. + +"It's more than a little matter," said he, "and that's why I asked you +to do it--and now I know that I can depend on you doing it. A Second- +class carriage at Marwar Junction, and a red-haired man asleep in it. +You'll be sure to remember. I get out at the next station, and I must +hold on there till he comes or sends me what I want." + +"I'll give the message if I catch him," I said, "and for the sake of +your Mother as well as mine I'll give you a word of advice. Don't try +to run the Central India States just now as the correspondent of the +'Backwoodsman.' There's a real one knocking about here, and it might +lead to trouble." + +"Thank you," said he, simply; "and when will the swine be gone? I +can't starve because he's ruining my work. I wanted to get hold of the +Degumber Rajah down here about his father's widow, and give him a +jump." + +"What did he do to his father's widow, then?" + +"Filled her up with red pepper and slippered her to death as she hung +from a beam. I found that out myself, and I'm the only man that would +dare going into the State to get hush-money for it. They'll try to +poison me, same as they did in Chortumna when I went on the loot +there. But you'll give the man at Marwar Junction my message?" + +He got out at a little roadside station, and I reflected. I had heard, +more than once, of men personating correspondents of newspapers and +bleeding small Native States with threats of exposure, but I had never +met any of the caste before. They lead a hard life, and generally die +with great suddenness. The Native States have a wholesome horror of +English newspapers, which may throw light on their peculiar methods of +government, and do their best to choke correspondents with champagne, +or drive them out of their mind with four-in-hand barouches. They do +not understand that nobody cares a straw for the internal +administration of Native States so long as oppression and crime are +kept within decent limits, and the ruler is not drugged, drunk, or +diseased from one end of the year to the other. They are the dark +places of the earth, full of unimaginable cruelty, touching the +Railway and the Telegraph on one side, and, on the other, the days of +Harun-al-Raschid. When I left the train I did business with divers +Kings, and in eight days passed through many changes of life. +Sometimes I wore dress-clothes and consorted with Princes and +Politicals, drinking from crystal and eating from silver. Sometimes I +lay out upon the ground and devoured what I could get, from a plate +made of leaves, and drank the running water, and slept under the same +rug as my servant. It was all in the day's work. + +Then I headed for the Great Indian Desert upon the proper date, as I +had promised, and the night Mail set me down at Marwar Junction, where +a funny little, happy-go-lucky, native-managed railway runs to +Jodhpore. The Bombay Mail from Delhi makes a short halt at Marwar. She +arrived just as I got in, and I had just time to hurry to her platform +and go down the carriages. There was only one Second-class on the +train. I slipped the window and looked down upon a flaming-red beard, +half covered by a railway-rug. That was my man, fast asleep, and I dug +him gently in the ribs. He woke with a grunt, and I saw his face in +the light of the lamps. It was a great and shining face. + +"Tickets again?" said he. + +"No," said I. "I am to tell you that he is gone South for the week. He +has gone South for the week!" + +The train had begun to move out. The red man rubbed his eyes. "He has +gone South for the week," he repeated. "Now that's just like his +impidence. Did he say that I was to give you anything? 'Cause I +won't." + +"He didn't," I said, and dropped away, and watched the red lights die +out in the dark. It was horribly cold because the wind was blowing off +the sands. I climbed into my own train--not an Intermediate carriage +this time--and went to sleep. + +If the man with the beard had given me a rupee I should have kept it +as a memento of a rather curious affair. But the consciousness of +having done my duty was my only reward. + +Later on I reflected that two gentlemen like my friends could not do +any good if they foregathered and personated correspondents of +newspapers, and might, if they blackmailed one of the little rat-trap +States of Central India or Southern Rajputana, get themselves into +serious difficulties. I therefore took some trouble to describe them +as accurately as I could remember to people who would be interested in +deporting them; and succeeded, so I was later informed, in having them +headed back from the Degumber borders. + +Then I became respectable, and returned to an office where there were +no Kings and no incidents outside the daily manufacture of a +newspaper. A newspaper office seems to attract every conceivable sort +of person, to the prejudice of discipline. Zenana-mission ladies +arrive, and beg that the Editor will instantly abandon all his duties +to describe a Christian prize-giving in a back slum of a perfectly +inaccessible village; Colonels who have been overpassed for command +sit down and sketch the outline of a series of ten, twelve, or twenty- +four leading articles on Seniority /versus/ Selection; missionaries +wish to know why they have not been permitted to escape from their +regular vehicles of abuse, and swear at a brother missionary under +special patronage of the editorial We; stranded theatrical companies +troop up to explain that they cannot pay for their advertisements, but +on their return from New Zealand or Tahiti will do so with interest; +inventors of patent punka-pulling machines, carriage couplings, and +unbreakable swords and axletrees call with specifications in their +pockets and hours at their disposal; tea companies enter and elaborate +their prospectuses with the office pens; secretaries of ball +committees clamour to have the glories of their last dance more fully +described; strange ladies rustle in and say, "I want a hundred lady's +cards printed /at once/, please," which is manifestly part of an +Editor's duty; and every dissolute ruffian that ever tramped the Grand +Trunk Road makes it his business to ask for employment as a proof- +reader. And, all the time, the telephone-bell is ringing madly, and +Kings are being killed on the Continent, and Empires are saying, +"You're another," and Mister Gladstone is calling down brimstone upon +the British Dominions, and the little black copyboys are whining, +"/kaa-pi chay-ha-yeh/" ("Copy wanted"), like tired bees, and most of +the paper is as blank as Modred's shield. + +But that is the amusing part of the year. There are six other months +when none ever come to call, and the thermometer walks inch by inch up +to the top of the glass, and the office is darkened to just above +reading-light, and the press-machines are red-hot to touch, and nobody +writes anything but accounts of amusements in the Hill-stations or +obituary notices. Then the telephone becomes a tinkling terror, +because it tells you of the sudden deaths of men and women that you +knew intimately, and the prickly heat covers you with a garment, and +you sit down and write: "A slight increase of sickness is reported +from the Khuda Janta Khan District. The outbreak is purely sporadic in +its nature, and, thanks to the energetic efforts of the District +authorities, is now almost at an end. It is, however, with deep regret +we record the death," etc. + +Then the sickness really breaks out, and the less recording and +reporting the better for the peace of the subscribers. But the Empires +and the Kings continue to divert themselves as selfishly as before, +and the Foreman thinks that a daily paper really ought to come out +once in twenty-four hours, and all the people at the Hill-stations in +the middle of their amusements say, "Good gracious! why can't the +paper be sparkling? I'm sure there's plenty going on up here." + +That is the dark half of the moon, and, as the advertisements say, +"must be experienced to be appreciated." + +It was in that season, and a remarkably evil season, that the paper +began running the last issue of the week on Saturday night, which is +to say Sunday morning, after the custom of a London paper. This was a +great convenience, for immediately after the paper was put to bed the +dawn would lower the thermometer from 96 degrees to almost 84 degrees +for half an hour, and in that chill--you have no idea how cold is 84 +degrees on the grass until you begin to pray for it--a very tired man +could get off to sleep ere the heat roused him. + +One Saturday night it was my pleasant duty to put the paper to bed +alone. A King or courtier or a courtesan or a Community was going to +die or get a new Constitution, or do something that was important on +the other side of the world, and the paper was to be held open till +the latest possible minute in order to catch the telegram. + +It was a pitchy-black night, as stifling as a June night can be, and +the /loo/, the red-hot wind from the westward, was booming among the +tinder-dry trees and pretending that the rain was on its heels. Now +and again a spot of almost boiling water would fall on the dust with +the flop of a frog, but all our weary world knew that was only +pretence. It was a shade cooler in the press-room than the office, so +I sat there, while the type ticked and clicked, and the night-jars +hooted at the windows, and the all but naked compositors wiped the +sweat from their foreheads and called for water. The thing that was +keeping us back, whatever it was, would not come off, though the loo +dropped and the last type was set, and the whole round earth stood +still in the choking heat, with its finger on its lip, to wait the +event. I drowsed, and wondered whether the telegraph was a blessing, +and whether this dying man, or struggling people, might be aware of +the inconvenience the delay was causing. There was no special reason +beyond the heat and worry to make tension, but, as the clock-hands +crept up to three o-clock and the machines spun their fly-wheels two +and three times to see that all was in order, before I said the word +that would set them off, I could have shrieked aloud. + +Then the roar and rattle of the wheels shivered the quiet into little +bits. I rose to go away, but two men in white clothes stood in front +of me. The first one said, "It's him!" The second said, "So it is!" +And they both laughed almost as loudly as the machinery roared, and +mopped their foreheads. "We seed there was a light burning across the +road, and we were sleeping in that ditch there for coolness, and I +said to my friend here, 'The office is open. Let's come along and +speak to him as turned us back from Degumber State,' " said the +smaller of the two. He was the man I had met in the Mhow train, and +his fellow was the red-bearded man of Marwar Junction. There was no +mistaking the eyebrows of the one or the beard of the other. + +I was not pleased, because I wished to go to sleep, not to squabble +with loafers. "What do you want?" I asked. + +"Half an hour's talk with you, cool and comfortable, in the office," +said the red-bearded man. "We'd /like/ some drink,--the Contrack +doesn't begin yet, Peachey, so you needn't look,--but what we really +want is advice. We don't want money. We ask you as a favour, because +we found out you did us a bad turn about Degumber State." + +I led from the press-room to the stifling office with the maps on the +walls, and the red-haired man rubbed his hands. "That's something +like," said he. "This was the proper shop to come to. Now, Sir, let me +introduce you to Brother Peachey Carnehan, that's him, and Brother +Daniel Dravot, that is /me/, and the less said about our professions +the better, for we have been most things in our time--soldier, sailor, +compositor, photographer, proof-reader, street-preacher, and +correspondents of the 'Backwoodsman' when we thought the paper wanted +one. Carnehan is sober, and so am I. Look at us first, and see that's +sure. It will save you cutting into my talk. We'll take one of your +cigars apiece, and you shall see us light up." + +I watched the test. The men were absolutely sober, so I gave them each +a tepid whisky-and-soda. + +"Well /and/ good," said Carnehan of the eyebrows, wiping the froth +from his moustache. "Let me talk now, Dan. We have been all over +India, mostly on foot. We have been boiler-fitters, engine-drivers, +petty contractors, and all that, and we have decided that India isn't +big enough for such as us." + +They certainly were too big for the office. Dravot's beard seemed to +fill half the room and Carnehan's shoulders the other half, as they +sat on the big table. Carnehan continued: "The country isn't half +worked out because they that governs it won't let you touch it. They +spend all their blessed time in governing it, and you can't lift a +spade, nor chip a rock, nor look for oil, nor anything like that, +without all the Government saying, 'Leave it alone, and let us +govern.' Therefore, such /as/ it is, we will let it alone, and go away +to some other place where a man isn't crowded and can come to his own. +We are not little men, and there is nothing that we are afraid of +except Drink, and we have signed a Contrack on that. /Therefore/ we +are going away to be Kings." + +"Kings in our own right," muttered Dravot. + +"Yes, of course," I said. "You've been tramping in the sun, and it's a +very warm night, and hadn't you better sleep over the notion? Come +to-morrow." + +"Neither drunk nor sunstruck," said Dravot. "We have slept over the +notion half a year, and require to see Books and Atlases, and we have +decided that there is only one place now in the world that two strong +men can Sar-a-/whack/. They call it Kafiristan. By my reckoning it's +the top right-hand corner of Afghanistan, not more than three hundred +miles from Peshawar. They have two and thirty heathen idols there, and +we'll be the thirty-third and fourth. It's a mountaineous country, the +women of those parts are very beautiful." + +"But that is provided against in the Contrack," said Carnehan. +"Neither Women nor Liqu-or, Daniel." + +"And that's all we know, except that no one has gone there, and they +fight, and in any place where they fight a man who knows how to drill +men can always be a King. We shall go to those parts and say to any +King we find, 'D' you want to vanquish your foes?' and we will show +him how to drill men; for that we know better than anything else. Then +we will subvert that King and seize his Throne and establish a +Dy-nasty." + +"You'll be cut to pieces before you're fifty miles across the Border," +I said. "You have to travel through Afghanistan to get to that +country. It's one mass of mountains and peaks and glaciers, and no +Englishman has been through it. The people are utter brutes, and even +if you reached them you couldn't do anything." + +"That's more like," said Carnehan. "If you could think us a little +more mad we would be more pleased. We have come to you to know about +this country, to read a book about it, and to be shown maps. We want +you to tell us that we are fools and to show us your books." He turned +to the bookcases. + +"Are you at all in earnest?" I said. + +"A little," said Dravot, sweetly. "As big a map as you have got, even +if it's all blank where Kafiristan is, and any books you've got. We +can read, though we aren't very educated." + +I uncased the big thirty-two-miles-to-the-inch map of India and two +smaller Frontier maps, hauled down volume INF-KAN of the +"Encyclopaedia Britannica," and the men consulted them. + +"See here!" said Dravot, his thumb on the map. "Up to Jagdallak, +Peachey and me know the road. We was there with Robert's Army. We'll +have to turn off to the right at Jagdallak through Laghmann territory. +Then we get among the hills--fourteen thousand feet--fifteen thousand +--it will be cold work there, but it don't look very far on the map." + +I handed him Wood on the "Sources of the Oxus." Carnehan was deep in +the "Encyclopaedia." + +"They're a mixed lot," said Dravot, reflectively; "and it won't help +us to know the names of their tribes. The more tribes the more they'll +fight, and the better for us. From Jagdallak to Ashang. H'mm!" + +"But all the information about the country is as sketchy and +inaccurate as can be," I protested. "No one knows anything about it +really. Here's the file of the 'United Services' Institute.' Read what +Bellew says." + +"Blow Bellew!" said Carnehan. "Dan, they're a stinkin' lot of +heathens, but this book here says they think they're related to us +English." + +I smoked while the men poured over Raverty, Wood, the maps, and the +"Encyclopaedia." + +"There is no use your waiting," said Dravot, politely. "It's about +four o'clock now. We'll go before six o'clock if you want to sleep, +and we won't steal any of the papers. Don't you sit up. We're two +harmless lunatics, and if you come to-morrow evening down to the Serai +we'll say good-bye to you." + +"You /are/ two fools," I answered. "You'll be turned back at the +Frontier or cut up the minute you set foot in Afghanistan. Do you want +any money or a recommendation down-country? I can help you to the +chance of work next week." + +"Next week we shall be hard at work ourselves, thank you," said +Dravot. "It isn't so easy being a King as it looks. When we've got our +Kingdom in going order we'll let you know, and you can come up and +help us govern it." + +"Would two lunatics make a Contrack like that?" said Carnehan, with +subdued pride, showing me a greasy half-sheet of notepaper on which +was written the following. I copied it, then and there, as a +curiosity. + + This Contracx between me and you persuing witnesseth in + the name of God--Amen and so forth. + + (One) That me and you will settle this matter + together; i.e., to be Kings of Kafiristan. + + (Two) That you and me will not, while this + matter is being settled, look at any + Liquor, nor any Woman, black, white, + or brown, so as to get mixed up with + one or the other harmful. + + (Three) That we conduct ourselves with Dignity + and Discretion, and if one of us gets + into trouble the other will stay by him. + + Signed by you and me this day. + Peachey Taliaferro Carnehan. + Daniel Dravot. + Both Gentlemen at Large. + +"There was no need for the last article," said Carnehan, blushing +modestly; "but it looks regular. Now you know the sort of men that +loafers are,--we /are/ loafers, Dan, until we get out of India,--and +/do/ you think that we would sign a Contrack like that unless we was +in earnest? We have kept away from the two things that make life worth +having." + +"You won't enjoy your lives much longer if you are going to try this +idiotic adventure. Don't set the office on fire," I said, "and go away +before nine o'clock." + +I left them still poring over the maps and making notes on the back of +the "Contrack." "Be sure to come down to the Serai to-morrow," were +their parting words. + +The Kumharsen Serai is the great foursquare sink of humanity where the +strings of camels and horses from the North load and unload. All the +nationalities of Central Asia may be found there, and most of the folk +of India proper. Balkh and Bokhara there meet Bengal and Bombay, and +try to draw eye-teeth. You can buy ponies, turquoises, Persian pussy- +cats, saddle-bags, fat-tailed sheep, and musk in the Kumharsen Serai, +and get many strange things for nothing. In the afternoon I went down +to see whether my friends intended to keep their word or were lying +there drunk. + +A priest attired in fragments of ribbons and rags stalked up to me, +gravely twisting a child's paper whirligig. Behind him was his servant +bending under the load of a crate of mud toys. The two were loading up +two camels, and the inhabitants of the Serai watched them with shrieks +of laughter. + +"The priest is mad," said a horse-dealer to me. "He is going up to +Kabul to sell toys to the Amir. He will either be raised to honour or +have his head cut off. He came in here this morning and has been +behaving madly ever since." + +"The witless are under the protection of God," stammered a flat- +cheeked Usbeg in broken Hindi. "They foretell future events." + +"Would they could have foretold that my caravan would have been cut up +by the Shinwaris almost within shadow of the Pass!" grunted the +Eusufzai agent of a Rajputana trading-house whose goods had been +diverted into the hands of other robbers just across the Border, and +whose misfortunes were the laughing-stock of the bazaar. "Ohe, priest, +whence come you and whither do you go?" + +"From Roum have I come," shouted the priest, waving his whirligig; +"from Roum, blown by the breath of a hundred devils across the sea! O +thieves, robbers, liars, the blessing of Pir Khan on pigs, dogs, and +perjurers! Who will take the Protected of God to the North to sell +charms that are never still to the Amir? The camels shall not gall, +the sons shall not fall sick, and the wives shall remain faithful +while they are away, of the men who give me place in their caravan. +Who will assist me to slipper the King of the Roos with a golden +slipper with a silver heel? The protection of Pir Khan be upon his +labours!" He spread out the skirts of his gabardine and pirouetted +between the lines of tethered horses. + +"There starts a caravan from Peshawar to Kabul in twenty days, +/Huzrut/," said the Eusufzai trader. "My camels go therewith. Do thou +also go and bring us good luck." + +"I will go even now!" shouted the priest. "I will depart upon my +winged camels, and be at Peshawar in a day! Ho! Hazar Mir Khan," he +yelled to his servant, "drive out the camels, but let me first mount +my own." + +He leaped on the back of his beast as it knelt, and, turning round to +me, cried, "Come thou also, Sahib, a little along the road, and I will +sell thee a charm--an amulet that shall make thee King of Kafiristan." + +Then the light broke upon me, and I followed the two camels out of the +Serai till we reached open road and the priest halted. + +"What d' you think o' that?" said he in English. "Carnehan can't talk +their patter, so I've made him my servant. He makes a handsome +servant. 'T isn't for nothing that I've been knocking about the +country for fourteen years. Didn't I do that talk neat? We'll hitch on +to a caravan at Peshawar till we get to Jagdallak, and then we'll see +if we can get donkeys for our camels, and strike into Kafiristan. +Whirligigs for the Amir, O Lor'! Put your hand under the camelbags and +tell me what you feel." + +I felt the butt of a Martini, and another and another. + +"Twenty of 'em," said Dravot, placidly. "Twenty of 'em and ammunition +to correspond, under the whirligigs and the mud dolls." + +"Heaven help you if you are caught with those things!" I said. "A +Martini is worth her weight in silver among the Pathans." + +"Fifteen hundred rupees of capital--every rupee we could beg, borrow, +or steal--are invested on these two camels," said Dravot. "We won't +get caught. We're going through the Khaiber with a regular caravan. +Who'd touch a poor mad priest?" + +"Have you got everything you want?" I asked, overcome with +astonishment. + +"Not yet, but we shall soon. Give us a momento of your kindness, +/Brother/. You did me a service yesterday, and that time in Marwar. +Half my Kingdom shall you have, as the saying is." I slipped a small +charm compass from my watch-chain and handed it up to the priest. + +"Good-bye," said Dravot, giving me hand cautiously. "It's the last +time we'll shake hands with an Englishman these many days. Shake hands +with him, Carnehan," he cried, as the second camel passed me. + +Carnehan leaned down and shook hands. Then the camels passed away +along the dusty road, and I was left alone to wonder. My eye could +detect no failure in the disguises. The scene in the Serai proved that +they were complete to the native mind. There was just the chance, +therefore, that Carnehan and Dravot would be able to wander through +Afghanistan without detection. But, beyond, they would find death-- +certain and awful death. + +Ten days later a native correspondent, giving me the news of the day +from Peshawar, wound up his letter with: "There has been much laughter +here on account of a certain mad priest who is going in his estimation +to sell petty gauds and insignificant trinkets which he ascribes as +great charms to H. H. the Amir of Bokhara. He passed through Peshawar +and associated himself to the Second Summer caravan that goes to +Kabul. The merchants are pleased because through superstition they +imagine that such mad fellows bring good fortune." + +The two, then, were beyond the Border. I would have prayed for them, +but that night a real King died in Europe, and demanded an obituary +notice. + + + +The wheel of the world swings through the same phases again and again. +Summer passed and winter thereafter, and came and passed again. The +daily paper continued and I with it, and upon the third summer there +fell a hot night, a night issue, and a strained waiting for something +to be telegraphed from the other side of the world, exactly as had +happened before. A few great men had died in the past two years, the +machines worked with more clatter, and some of the trees in the office +garden were a few feet taller. But that was all the difference. + +I passed over to the press-room, and went through just such a scene as +I have already described. The nervous tension was stronger than it had +been two years before, and I felt the heat more acutely. At three +o'clock I cried, "Print off," and turned to go, when there crept to my +chair what was left of a man. He was bent into a circle, his head was +sunk between his shoulders, and he moved his feet one over the other +like a bear. I could hardly see whether he walked or crawled--this +rag-wrapped, whining cripple who addressed me by name, crying that he +was come back. "Can you give me a drink?" he whimpered. "For the +Lord's sake, give me a drink!" + +I went back to the office, the man following with groans of pain, and +I turned up the lamp. + +"Don't you know me?" he gasped, dropping into a chair, and he turned +his drawn face, surmounted by a shock of gray hair, to the light. + +I looked at him intently. Once before had I seen eyebrows that met +over the nose in an inch-broad black band, but for the life of me I +could not tell where. + +"I don't know you," I said, handing him the whisky. "What can I do for +you?" + +He took a gulp of the spirit raw, and shivered in spite of the +suffocating heat. + +"I've come back," he repeated; "and I was the King of Kafiristan--me +and Dravot--crowned Kings we was! In this office we settled it--you +setting there and giving us the books. I am Peachey,--Peachey +Taliaferro Carnehan,--and you've been setting here ever since--O +Lord!" + +I was more than a little astonished, and expressed my feelings +accordingly. + +"It's true," said Carnehan, with a dry cackle, nursing his feet, which +were wrapped in rags--"true as gospel. Kings we were, with crowns upon +our heads--me and Dravot--poor Dan--oh, poor, poor Dan, that would +never take advice, not though I begged of him!" + +"Take the whisky," I said, "and take your own time. Tell me all you +can recollect of everything from beginning to end. You got across the +Border on your camels, Dravot dressed as a mad priest and you his +servant. Do you remember that?" + +"I ain't mad--yet, but I shall be that way soon. Of course I remember. +Keep looking at me, or maybe my words will go all to pieces. Keep +looking at me in my eyes and don't say anything." + +I leaned forward and looked into his face as steadily as I could. He +dropped one hand upon the table and I grasped it by the wrist. It was +twisted like a bird's claw, and upon the back was a ragged, red, +diamond-shaped scar. + +"No, don't look there. Look at /me/," said Carnehan. "That comes +afterward, but for the Lord's sake don't distrack me. We left with +that caravan, me and Dravot playing all sorts of antics to amuse the +people we were with. Dravot used to make us laugh in the evenings when +all the people was cooking their dinners--cooking their dinners, and +. . . what did they do then? They lit little fires with sparks that +went into Dravot's beard, and we all laughed--fit to die. Little red +fires they was, going into Dravot's big red beard--so funny." His eyes +left mine and he smiled foolishly. + +"You went as far as Jagdallak with that caravan," I said, at a +venture, "after you had lit those fires. To Jagdallak, where you +turned off to try to get into Kafiristan." + +"No, we didn't, neither. What are you talking about? We turned off +before Jagdallak, because we heard the roads was good. But they wasn't +good enough for our two camels--mine and Dravot's. When we left the +caravan, Dravot took off all his clothes and mine too, and said we +would be heathen, because the Kafirs didn't allow Mohammedans to talk +to them. So we dressed betwixt and between, and such a sight as Daniel +Dravot I never saw yet nor expect to see again. He burned half his +beard, and slung a sheepskin over his shoulder, and shaved his head +into patterns. He shaved mine too, and made me wear outrageous things +to look like a heathen. That was in a most mountaineous country, and +our camels couldn't go along any more because of the mountains. They +were tall and black, and coming home I saw them fight like wild goats +--there are lots of goats in Kafiristan. And these mountains, they +never keep still, no more than the goats. Always fighting they are, +and don't let you sleep at night." + +"Take some more whisky," I said, very slowly. "What did you and Daniel +Dravot do when the camels could go no farther because of the rough +roads that led into Kafiristan?" + +"What did which do? There was a party called Peachey Taliaferro +Carnehan that was with Dravot. Shall I tell you about him? He died out +there in the cold. Slap from the bridge fell old Peachey, turning and +twisting in the air like a penny whirligig that you can sell to the +Amir. No; they was two for three ha'pence, those whirligigs, or I am +much mistaken and woful sore. . . . And then these camels were no use, +and Peachey said to Dravot, 'For the Lord's sake let's get out of this +before our heads are chopped off,' and with that they killed the +camels all among the mountains, not having anything in particular to +eat, but first they took off the boxes with the guns and the +ammunition, till two men came along driving four mules. Dravot up and +dances in front of them, singing, 'Sell me four mules.' Says the first +man, 'If you are rich enough to buy, you are rich enough to rob;' but +before ever he could put his hand to his knife, Dravot breaks his neck +over his knee, and the other party runs away. So Carnehan loaded the +mules with the rifles that was taken off the camels, and together we +starts forward into those bitter-cold mountaineous parts, and never a +road broader than the back of your hand." + +He paused for a moment, while I asked him if he could remember the +nature of the country through which he had journeyed. + +"I am telling you as straight as I can, but my head isn't as good as +it might be. They drove nails through it to make me hear better how +Dravot died. The country was mountaineous and the mules were most +contrary, and the inhabitants was dispersed and solitary. They went up +and up, and down and down, and that other party, Carnehan, was +imploring of Dravot not to sing and whistle so loud, for fear of +bringing down the tremenjus avalanches. But Dravot says that if a King +couldn't sing it wasn't worth being King, and whacked the mules over +the rump, and never took no heed for ten cold days. We came to a big +level valley all among the mountains, and the mules were near dead, so +we killed them, not having anything in special for them or us to eat. +We sat upon the boxes, and played odd and even with the cartridges +that was jolted out. + +"Then ten men with bows and arrows ran down that valley, chasing +twenty men with bows and arrows, and the row was tremenjus. They was +fair men--fairer than you or me--with yellow hair and remarkable well +built. Says Dravot, unpacking the guns, 'This is the beginning of the +business. We'll fight for the ten men,' and with that he fires two +rifles at the twenty men, and drops one of them at two hundred yards +from the rock where he was sitting. The other men began to run, but +Carnehan and Dravot sits on the boxes picking them off at all ranges, +up and down the valley. Then we goes up to the ten men that had run +across the snow too, and they fires a footy little arrow at us. Dravot +he shoots above their heads, and they all falls down flat. Then he +walks over them and kicks them, and then he lifts them up and shakes +hands all round to make them friendly like. He calls them and gives +them the boxes to carry, and waves his hand for all the world as +though he was King already. They takes the boxes and him across the +valley and up the hill into a pine wood on the top, where there was +half a dozen big stone idols. Dravot he goes to the biggest--a fellow +they call Imbra--and lays a rifle and a cartridge at his feet, rubbing +his nose respectfuly with his own nose, patting him on the head, and +nods his head, and says, 'That's all right. I'm in the know too, and +these old jimjams are my friends.' Then he opens his mouth and points +down it, and when the first man brings him food, he says, 'No;' and +when the second man brings him food, he says 'no;' but when one of the +old priests and the boss of the village brings him food, he says, +'Yes;' very haughty, and eats it slow. That was how he came to our +first village without any trouble, just as though we had tumbled from +the skies. But we tumbled from one of those damned rope-bridges, you +see, and--you couldn't expect a man to laugh much after that?" + +"Take some more whisky and go on," I said. "That was the first village +you came into. How did you get to be King?" + +"I wasn't King," said Carnehan. "Dravot he was the King, and a +handsome man he looked with the gold crown on his head and all. Him +and the other party stayed in that village, and every morning Dravot +sat by the side of old Imbra, and the people came and worshipped. That +was Dravot's order. Then a lot of men came into the valley, and +Carnehan Dravot picks them off with the rifles before they knew where +they was, and runs down into the valley and up again the other side, +and finds another village, same as the first one, and the people all +falls down flat on their faces, and Dravot says, 'Now what is the +trouble between you two villages?' and the people points to a woman, +as fair as you or me, that was carried off, and Dravot takes her back +to the first village and counts up the dead--eight there was. For each +dead man Dravot pours a little milk on the ground and waves his arms +like a whirligig, and 'That's all right,' says he. Then he and +Carnehan takes the big boss of each village by the arm, and walks them +down the valley, and shows them how to scratch a line with a spear +right down the valley, and gives each a sod of turf from both sides of +the line. Then all the people comes down and shouts like the devil and +all, and Dravot says, 'Go and dig the land, and be fruitful and +multiply,' which they did, though they didn't understand. Then we asks +the names of things in their lingo--bread and water and fire and idols +and such; and Dravot leads the priest of each village up to the idol, +and says he must sit there and judge the people, and if anything goes +wrong he is to be shot. + +"Next week they was all turning up the land in the valley as quiet as +bees and much prettier, and the priests heard all the complaints and +told Dravot in dumb-show what it was about. 'That's just the +beginning,' says Dravot. 'They think we're Gods.' He and Carnehan +picks out twenty good men and shows them how to click off a rifle and +form fours and advance in line; and they was very pleased to do so, +and clever to see the hang of it. Then he takes out his pipe and his +baccy-pouch, and leaves one at one village and one at the other, and +off we two goes to see what was to be done in the next valley. That +was all rock, and there was a little village there, and Carnehan says, +'Send 'em to the old valley to plant,' and takes 'em there and gives +'em some land that wasn't took before. They were a poor lot, and we +blooded 'em with a kid before letting 'em into the new Kingdom. That +was to impress the people, and then they settled down quiet, and +Carnehan went back to Dravot, who had got into another valley, all +snow and ice and most mountaineous. There was no people there, and the +Army got afraid; so Dravot shoots one of them, and goes on till he +finds some people in a village, and the Army explains that unless the +people wants to be killed they had better not shoot their little +matchlocks, for they had matchlocks. We makes friends with the priest, +and I stays there alone with two of the Army, teaching the men how to +drill; and a thundering big Chief comes across the snow with +kettledrums and horns twanging, because he heard there was a new God +kicking about. Carnehan sights for the brown of the men half a mile +across the snow and wings one of them. Then he sends a message to the +Chief that, unless he wished to be killed, he must come and shake +hands with me and leave his arms behind. The Chief comes alone first, +and Carnehan shakes hands with him and whirls his arms about, same as +Dravot used, and very much surprised that Chief was, and strokes my +eyebrows. Then Carnehan goes alone to the Chief, and asks him in dumb- +show if he had an enemy he hated. 'I have,' says the chief. So +Carnehan weeds out the pick of his men, and sets the two of the Army +to show them drill, and at the end of two weeks the men can manoeuvre +about as well as Volunteers. So he marches with the Chief to a great +big plain on the top of a mountain, and the Chief's men rushes into a +village and takes it; we three Martinis firing into the brown of the +enemy. So we took that village too, and I gives the Chief a rag from +my coat, and says, 'Occupy till I come;' which was scriptural. By way +of a reminder, when me and the Army was eighteen hundred yards away, I +drops a bullet near him standing on the snow, and all the people falls +flat on their faces. Then I sends a letter to Dravot wherever he be by +land or by sea." + +At the risk of throwing the creature out of train I interrupted: "How +could you write a letter up yonder?" + +"The letter?--oh!--the letter! Keep looking at me between the eyes, +please. It was a string-talk letter, that we'd learned the way of it +from a blind beggar in the Punjab." + +I remember that there had once come to the office a blind man with a +knotted twig, and a piece of string which he wound round the twig +according to some cipher of his own. He could, after the lapse of days +or hours, repeat the sentence which he had reeled up. He had reduced +the alphabet to eleven primitive sounds, and tried to teach me his +method, but I could not understand. + +"I sent that letter to Dravot," said Carnehan, "and told him to come +back because this Kingdom was growing too big for me to handle; and +then I struck for the first valley, to see how the priests were +working. They called the village we took along with the Chief, +Bashkai, and the first village we took, Er-Heb. The priests at Er-Heb +was doing all right, but they had a lot of pending cases about land to +show me, and some men from another village had been firing arrows at +night. I went out and looked for that village, and fired four rounds +at it from a thousand yards. That used all the cartridges I cared to +spend, and I waited for Dravot, who had been away two or three months, +and I kept my people quiet. + +"One morning I heard the devil's own noise of drums and horns, and Dan +Dravot marches down the hill with his Army and a tail of hundreds of +men, and, which was the most amazing, a great gold crown on his head. +'My Gord, Carnehan,' says Daniel, 'this is a tremenjus business, and +we've got the whole country as far as it's worth having. I am the son +of Alexander by Queen Semiramis, and you're my younger brother and a +God too! It's the biggest thing we've ever seen. I've been marching +and fighting for six weeks with the Army, and every footy little +village for fifty miles has come in rejoiceful; and more than that, +I've got the key of the whole show, as you'll see, and I've got a +crown for you! I told 'em to make two of 'em at a place called Shu, +where the gold lies in the rock like suet in mutton. Gold I've seen, +and turquoise I've kicked out of the cliffs, and there's garnets in +the sands of the river, and here's a chunk of amber that a man brought +me. Call up all the priests and, here, take your crown.' + +"One of the men opens a black hair bag, and I slips the crown on. It +was too small and too heavy, but I wore it for the glory. Hammered +gold it was--five pounds weight, like a hoop of a barrel. + +" 'Peachey,' says Dravot, 'we don't want to fight no more. The Craft's +the trick, so help me!' and he brings forward that same Chief that I +left at Bashkai--Billy Fish we called him afterward, because he was so +like Billy Fish that drove the big tank-engine at Mach on the Bolan in +the old days. 'Shake hands with him,' says Dravot; and I shook hands +and nearly dropped, for Billy Fish gave me the Grip. I said nothing, +but tried him with the Fellow-craft Grip. He answers all right, and I +tried the Master's Grip, but that was a slip. 'A Fellow-craft he is!' +I says to Dan. 'Does he know the word?' 'He does,' says Dan, 'and all +the priests know. It's a miracle! The Chiefs and the priests can work +a Fellow-craft Lodge in a way that's very like ours, and they've cut +the marks on the rocks, but they don't know the Third Degree, and +they've come to find out. It's Gord's Truth. I've known these long +years that the Afghans knew up to the Fellow-craft Degree, but this is +a miracle. A God and a Grand Master of the Craft am I, and a Lodge in +the Third Degree I will open, and we'll raise the head priests and the +Chiefs of the villages.' + +" 'It's against all the law,' I says, 'holding a Lodge without warrant +from any one; and you know we never held office in any Lodge.' + +" 'It's a master stroke o' policy,' says Dravot. 'It means running the +country as easy as a four-wheeled bogie on a down grade. We can't stop +to inquire now, or they'll turn against us. I've forty Chiefs at my +heel, and passed and raised according to their merit they shall be. +Billet these men on the villages, and see that we run up a Lodge of +some kind. The temple of Imbra will do for a Lodge-room. The women +must make aprons as you show them. I'll hold a levee of Chiefs +to-night and Lodge to-morrow.' + +"I was fair run off my legs, but I wasn't such a fool as not to see +what a pull this Craft business gave us. I showed the priests' +families how to make aprons of the degrees, but for Dravot's apron the +blue border and marks was made of turquoise lumps on white hide, not +cloth. We took a great square stone in the temple for the Master's +chair, and little stones for the officer's chairs, and painted the +black pavement with white squares, and did what we could to make +things regular. + +"At the levee which was held that night on the hillside with big +bonfires, Dravot gives out that him and me were Gods and sons of +Alexander, and Passed Grand Masters in the Craft, and was come to make +Kafiristan a country where every man should eat in peace and drink in +quiet, and specially obey us. Then the Chiefs come round to shake +hands, and they were so hairy and white and fair it was just shaking +hands with old friends. We gave them names according as they was like +men we had known in India--Billy Fish, Holly Dilworth, Pikky Kergan, +that was Bazaar-master when I was at Mhow, and so on, and so on. + +"/The/ most amazing miracles was at Lodge next night. One of the old +priests was watching us continuous, and I felt uneasy, for I knew we'd +have to fudge the Ritual, and I didn't know what the men knew. The old +priest was a stranger come in from beyond the village of Bashkai. The +minute Dravot puts on the Master's apron that the girls had made for +him, the priest fetches a whoop and a howl, and tries to overturn the +stone that Dravot was sitting on. 'It's all up now,' I says. 'That +comes of meddling with the Craft without warrant!' Dravot never winked +an eye, not when ten priests took and tilted over the Grand Master's +chair--which was to say, the stone of Imbra. The priest begins rubbing +the bottom end of it to clear away the black dirt, and presently he +shows all the other priests the Master's Mark, same as was on Dravot's +apron, cut into the stone. Not even the priests of the temple of Imbra +knew it was there. The old chap falls flat on his face at Dravot's +feet and kisses 'em. 'Luck again,' says Dravot, across the Lodge, to +me; 'they say it's the missing Mark that no one could understand the +why of. We're more than safe now.' Then he bangs the butt of his gun +for a gavel and says, 'By virtue of the authority vested in me by my +own right hand and the help of Peachey, I declare myself Grand Master +of all Freemasonry in Kafiristan in this the Mother Lodge o' the +country, and King of Kafiristan equally with Peachey!' At that he puts +on his crown and I puts on mine,--I was doing Senior Warden,--and we +opens the Lodge in most ample form. It was an amazing miracle! The +priests moved in Lodge through the first two degrees almost without +telling, as if the memory was coming back to them. After that Peachey +and Dravot raised such as was worthy--high priests and Chiefs of far- +off villages. Billy Fish was the first, and I can tell you we scared +the soul out of him. It was not in any way according to Ritual, but it +served our turn. We didn't raise more than ten of the biggest men, +because we didn't want to make the Degree common. And they was +clamouring to be raised. + +" 'In another six months,' says Dravot, 'we'll hold another +Communication and see how you are working.' Then he asks them about +their villages, and learns that they was fighting one against the +other, and were sick and tired of it. And when they wasn't doing that +they was fighting with the Mohammedans. 'You can fight those when they +come into our country,' says Dravot. 'Tell off every tenth man of your +tribes for a Frontier guard, and send two hundred at a time to this +valley to be drilled. Nobody is going to be shot or speared any more +so long as he does well, and I know that you won't cheat me, because +you're white people--sons of Alexander--and not like common black +Mohammedans. You are /my/ people, and, by God,' says he, running off +into English at the end, 'I'll make a damned fine Nation of you, or +I'll die in the making!' + +"I can't tell all we did for the next six months, because Dravot did a +lot I couldn't see the hang of, and he learned their lingo in a way I +never could. My work was to help the people plough, and now and again +go out with some of the Army and see what the other villages were +doing, and make 'em throw rope bridges across the ravines which cut up +the country horrid. Dravot was very kind to me, but when he walked up +and down in the pine wood pulling that bloody red beard of his with +both fists I knew he was thinking plans I could not advise about, and +I just waited for orders. + +"But Dravot never showed me disrespect before the people. They were +afraid of me and the Army, but they loved Dan. He was the best of +friends with the priests and the Chiefs; but any one could come across +the hills with a complaint, and Dravot would hear him out fair, and +call four priests together and say what was to be done. He used to +call in Billy Fish from Bashkai, and Pikky Kergan from Shu, and an old +Chief we called Kafuzelum,--it was like enough to his real name,--and +hold councils with 'em when there was any fighting to be done in small +villages. That was his Council of War, and the four priests of +Bashkai, Shu, Khawak, and Madora was his Privy Council. Between the +lot of 'em they sent me, with forty men and twenty rifles, and sixty +men carrying turquoises, into the Ghorband country to buy those hand- +made Martini rifles, that come out of the Amir's workshops at Kabul, +from one of the Amir's Herati regiments that would have sold the very +teeth out of their mouths for turquoises. + +"I stayed in Ghorband a month, and gave the Governor there the pick of +my baskets for hush-money, and bribed the Colonel of the regiment some +more, and, between the two and the tribes-people, we got more than a +hundred hand-made Martinis, a hundred good Kohat Jezails that'll throw +to six hundred yards, and forty man-loads of very bad ammunition for +the rifles. I came back with what I had, and distributed 'em among the +men that the Chiefs sent in to me to drill. Dravot was too busy to +attend to those things, but the old Army that we first made helped me, +and we turned out five hundred men that could drill, and two hundred +that knew how to hold arms pretty straight. Even those cork-screwed, +hand-made guns was a miracle to them. Dravot talked big about powder- +shops and factories, walking up and down in the pine wood when the +winter was coming on. + +" 'I won't make a Nation,' says he. 'I'll make an Empire! These men +aren't niggers; they're English! Look at their eyes--look at their +mouths. Look at the way they stand up. They sit on chairs in their own +houses. They're the Lost Tribes, or something like it, and they've +grown to be English. I'll take a census in the spring if the priests +don't get frightened. There must be a fair two million of 'em in these +hills. The villages are full o' little children. Two million people-- +two hundred and fifty thousand fighting men--and all English! They +only want the rifles and a little drilling. Two hundred and fifty +thousand men, ready to cut in on Russia's right flank when she tries +for India! Peachey, man,' he says, chewing his beard in great hunks, +'we shall be Emperors--Emperors of the Earth! Rajah Brooke will be a +suckling to us. I'll treat with the Viceroy on equal terms. I'll ask +him to send me twelve picked English--twelve that I know of--to help +us govern a bit. There's Mackray, Serjeant Pensioner at Segowli-- +many's the good dinner he's given me, and his wife a pair of trousers. +There's Donkin, the Warder of Tounghoo Jail; there's hundreds that I +could lay my hand on if I was in India. The Viceroy shall do it for +me; I'll send a man through in the spring for those men, and I'll +write for a dispensation from the Grand Lodge for what I've done as +Grand Master. That--and all the Sniders that'll be thrown out when the +native troops in India take up the Martini. They'll be worn smooth, +but they'll do for fighting in these hills. Twelve English, a hundred +thousand Sniders run through the Amir's country in driblets,--I'd be +content with twenty thousand in one year,--and we'd be an Empire. When +everything was shipshape I'd hand over the crown--this crown I'm +wearing now--to Queen Victoria on my knees, and she'd say, "Rise up, +Sir Daniel Dravot." Oh, it's big! It's big, I tell you! But there's so +much to be done in every place--Bashkai, Khawak, Shu, and everywhere +else.' + +" 'What is it?' I says. 'There are no more men coming in to be drilled +this autumn. Look at those fat black clouds. They're bringing the +snow.' + +" 'It isn't that,' says Daniel, putting his hand very hard on my +shoulder; 'and I don't wish to say anything that's against you, for no +other living man would have followed me and made me what I am as you +have done. You're a first-class Commander-in-Chief, and the people +know you; but--it's a big country, and somehow you can't help me, +Peachey, in the way I want to be helped.' + +" 'Go to your blasted priests, then!' I said, and I was sorry when I +made that remark, but it did hurt me sore to find Daniel talking so +superior, when I'd drilled all the men and done all he told me. + +" 'Don't let's quarrel, Peachey,' says Daniel, without cursing. +'You're a King too, and the half of this Kingdom is yours; but can't +you see, Peachey, we want cleverer men than us now--three or four of +'em, that we can scatter about for our Deputies. It's a hugeous great +State, and I can't always tell the right thing to do, and I haven't +time for all I want to do, and here's the winter coming on and all.' +He put half his beard into his mouth, all red like the gold of his +crown. + +" 'I'm sorry, Daniel,' says I. 'I've done all I could. I've drilled +the men and shown the people how to stack their oats better; and I've +brought in those tinware rifles from Ghorband--but I know what you're +driving at. I take it Kings always feel oppressed that way.' + +" 'There's another thing too,' says Dravot, walking up and down. 'The +winter's coming, and these people won't be giving much trouble, and if +they do we can't move about. I want a wife.' + +" 'For Gord's sake leave the women alone!' I says. 'We've both got all +the work we can, though I /am/ a fool. Remember the Contrack, and keep +clear o' women.' + +" 'The Contrack only lasted till such time as we was Kings; and Kings +we have been these months past,' says Dravot, weighing his crown in +his hand. 'You go get a wife too, Peachey--a nice, strappin', plump +girl that'll keep you warm in the winter. They're prettier than +English girls, and we can take the pick of 'em. Boil 'em once or twice +in hot water, and they'll come out like chicken and ham.' + +" 'Don't tempt me!' I says. 'I will not have any dealings with a +woman, not till we are a dam' side more settled than we are now. I've +been doing the work o' two men, and you've been doing the work of +three. Let's lie off a bit, and see if we can get some better tobacco +from Afghan country and run in some good liquor; and no women.' + +" 'Who's talking o' /women/?' says Dravot. 'I said /wife/--a Queen to +breed a King's son for the King. A Queen out of the strongest tribe, +that'll make them your blood-brothers, and that'll lie by your side +and tell you all the people thinks about you and their own affairs. +That's what I want.' + +" 'Do you remember that Bengali woman I kept at Mogul Serai when I was +a plate-layer?' says I. 'A fat lot o' good she was to me. She taught +me the lingo and one or two other things; but what happened? She ran +away with the Station-master's servant and half my month's pay. Then +she turned up at Dadur Junction in tow of a half-caste, and had the +impidence to say I was her husband--all among the drivers in the +running-shed too!' + +" 'We've done with that,' says Dravot; 'these women are whiter than +you or me, and a Queen I will have for the winter months.' + +" 'For the last time o' asking, Dan, do /not/,' I says. 'It'll only +bring us harm. The Bible says that Kings ain't to waste their strength +on women, 'specially when they've got a new raw Kingdom to work over.' + +" 'For the last time of answering, I will,' said Dravot, and he went +away through the pine-trees looking like a big red devil, the sun +being on his crown and beard and all. + +"But getting a wife was not as easy as Dan thought. He put it before +the Council, and there was no answer till Billy Fish said that he'd +better ask the girls. Dravot damned them all round. 'What's wrong with +me?' he shouts, standing by the idol Imbra. 'Am I a dog, or am I not +enough of a man for your wenches? Haven't I put the shadow of my hand +over this country? Who stopped the last Afghan raid?' It was me +really, but Dravot was too angry to remember. 'Who bought your guns? +Who repaired the bridges? Who's the Grand Master of the sign cut in +the stone?' says he, and he thumped his hand on the block that he used +to sit on in Lodge, and at Council, which opened like Lodge always. +Billy Fish said nothing, and no more did the others. 'Keep your hair +on, Dan,' said I, 'and ask the girls. That's how it's done at Home, +and these people are quite English.' + +" 'The marriage of the King is a matter of State,' says Dan, in a +white-hot rage, for he could feel, I hope, that he was going against +his better mind. He walked out of the Council-room, and the others sat +still, looking at the ground. + +" 'Billy Fish,' says I to the Chief of Bashkai, 'what's the difficulty +here? A straight answer to a true friend.' + +" 'You know,' says Billy Fish. 'How should a man tell you who knows +everything? How can daughters of men marry Gods or Devils? It's not +proper.' + +"I remembered something like that in the Bible; but, if after seeing +us as long as they had, they still believed we were Gods, it wasn't +for me to undeceive them. + +" 'A God can do anything,' says I. 'If the King is fond of a girl +he'll not let her die.' 'She'll have to,' said Billy Fish. 'There are +all sorts of Gods and Devils in these mountains, and now and again a +girl marries one of them and isn't seen any more. Besides, you two +know the Mark cut in the stone. Only the Gods know that. We thought +you were men till you showed the sign of the Master.' + +"I wished then that we had explained about the loss of the genuine +secrets of a Master Mason at the first go-off; but I said nothing. All +that night there was a blowing of horns in a little dark temple half- +way down the hill, and I heard the girl crying fit to die. One of the +priests told us that she was being prepared to marry the King. + +" 'I'll have no nonsense of that kind,' says Dan. 'I don't want to +interfere with your customs, but I'll take my own wife.' 'The girl's a +little bit afraid,' says the priest. 'She thinks she's going to die, +and they are a-heartening of her up down in the temple.' + +" 'Hearten her very tender, then,' says Dravot, 'or I'll hearten you +with the butt of a gun so you'll never want to be heartened again.' He +licked his lips, did Dan, and stayed up walking about more than half +the night, thinking of the wife that he was going to get in the +morning. I wasn't any means comfortable, for I knew that dealings with +a woman in foreign parts, though you was a crowned King twenty times +over, could not but be risky. I got up very early in the morning while +Dravot was asleep, and I saw the priests talking together in whispers, +and the Chiefs talking together too, and they looked at me out of the +corners of their eyes. + +" 'What is up, Fish?' I say to the Bashkai man, who was wrapped up in +his furs and looking splendid to behold. + +" 'I can't rightly say,' says he; 'but if you can make the King drop +all this nonsense about marriage, you'll be doing him and me and +yourself a great service.' + +" 'That I do believe,' says I. 'But sure, you know, Billy, as well as +me, having fought against and for us, that the King and me are nothing +more than two of the finest men that God Almighty ever made. Nothing +more, I do assure you.' + +" 'That may be,' says Billy Fish, 'and yet I should be sorry if it +was.' He sinks his head upon his great fur cloak for a minute and +thinks. 'King,' says he, 'be you man or God or Devil, I'll stick by +you to-day. I have twenty of my men with me, and they will follow me. +We'll go to Bashkai until the storm blows over.' + +" A little snow had fallen in the night, and everything was white +except the greasy fat clouds that blew down and down from the north. +Dravot came out with his crown on his head, swinging his arms and +stamping his feet, and looking more pleased than Punch. + +" 'For the last time, drop it, Dan,' says I, in a whisper; 'Billy Fish +here says that there will be a row.' + +" 'A row among my people!' says Dravot. 'Not much. Peachey, you're a +fool not to get a wife too. Where's the girl?' says he, with a voice +as loud as the braying of a jackass. 'Call up all the Chiefs and +priests, and let the Emperor see if his wife suits him.' + +"There was no need to call any one. They were all there leaning on +their guns and spears round the clearing in the centre of the pine +wood. A lot of priests went down to the little temple to bring up the +girl, and the horns blew fit to wake the dead. Billy Fish saunters +round and gets as close to Daniel as he could, and behind him stood +his twenty men with matchlocks--not a man of them under six feet. I +was next to Dravot, and behind me was twenty men of the regular Army. +Up comes the girl, and a strapping wench she was, covered with silver +and turquoises, but white as death, and looking back every minute at +the priests. + +" 'She'll do,' said Dan, looking her over. 'What's to be afraid of, +lass? Come and kiss me.' He puts his arm round her. She shuts her +eyes, gives a bit of a squeak, and down goes her face in the side of +Dan's flaming-red beard. + +" 'The slut's bitten me!' says he, clapping his hand to his neck, and, +sure enough, his hand was red with blood. Billy Fish and two of his +matchlock men catches hold of Dan by the shoulders and drags him into +the Bashkai lot, while the priests howls in their lingo, 'Neither God +nor Devil, but a man!' I was all taken aback, for a priest cut at me +in front, and the Army behind began firing into the Bashkai men. + +" 'God A'mighty!' says Dan, 'what is the meaning o' this?' + +" 'Come back! Come away!' says Billy Fish. 'Ruin and Mutiny is the +matter. We'll break for Bashkai if we can.' + +"I tried to give some sort of orders to my men,--the men o' the +regular Army,--but it was no use, so I fired into the brown of 'em +with an English Martini and drilled three beggars in a line. The +valley was full of shouting, howling creatures, and every soul was +shrieking, 'Not a God nor a Devil, but only a man!' The Bashkai troops +stuck to Billy Fish all they were worth, but their matchlocks wasn't +half as good as the Kabul breech-loaders, and four of them dropped. +Dan was bellowing like a bull, for he was very wrathy; and Billy Fish +had a hard job to prevent him running out at the crowd. + +" 'We can't stand,' says Billy Fish. 'Make a run for it down the +valley! The whole place is against us.' The matchlock-men ran, and we +went down the valley in spite of Dravot. He was swearing horrible and +crying out that he was a King. The priests rolled great stones on us, +and the regular Army fired hard, and there wasn't more than six men, +not counting Dan, Billy Fish, and Me, that came down to the bottom of +the valley alive. + +"Then they stopped firing, and the horns in the temple blew again. +'Come away--for Gord's sake come away!' says Billy Fish. 'They'll send +runners out to all the villages before ever we get to Bashkai. I can +protect you there, but I can't do anything now." + +"My own notion is that Dan began to go mad in his head from that hour. +He stared up and down like a stuck pig. Then he was all for walking +back alone and killing the priests with his bare hands; which he could +have done. 'An Emperor am I,' says Daniel, 'and next year I shall be a +Knight of the Queen.' + +" 'All right, Dan,' says I; 'but come along now while there's time.' + +" 'It's your fault,' says he, 'for not looking after your Army better. +There was mutiny in the midst, and you didn't know--you damned engine- +driving, plate-laying, missionary's-pass-hunting hound!' He sat upon a +rock and called me every foul name he could lay tongue to. I was too +heart-sick to care, though it was all his foolishness that brought the +smash. + +" 'I'm sorry, Dan,' says I, 'but there's no accounting for natives. +This business is our Fifty-seven. Maybe we'll make something out of it +yet, when we've got to Bashkai.' + +" 'Let's get to Bashkai, then,' says Dan, 'and, by God, when I come +back here again I'll sweep the valley so there isn't a bug in a +blanket left!' + +"We walked all that day, and all that night Dan was stumping up and +down on the snow, chewing his beard and muttering to himself. + +" 'There's no hope o' getting clear,' said Billy Fish. 'The priests +have sent runners to the villages to say that you are only men. Why +didn't you stick on as Gods till things was more settled? I'm a dead +man,' says Billy Fish, and he throws himself down on the snow and +begins to pray to his Gods. + +"Next morning we was in a cruel bad country--all up and down, no level +ground at all, and no food, either. The six Bashkai men looked at +Billy Fish hungry-way as if they wanted to ask something, but they +never said a word. At noon we came to the top of a flat mountain all +covered with snow, and when we climbed up into it, behold, there was +an Army in position waiting in the middle! + +" 'The runners have been very quick,' says Billy Fish, with a little +bit of a laugh. 'They are waiting for us.' + +"Three or four men began to fire from the enemy's side, and a chance +shot took Daniel in the calf of the leg. That brought him to his +senses. He looks across the snow at the Army, and sees the rifles that +we had brought into the country. + +" 'We're done for,' says he. 'They are Englishmen, these people,--and +it's my blasted nonsense that has brought you to this. Get back, Billy +Fish, and take your men away; you've done what you could, and now cut +for it. Carnehan,' says he, 'shake hands with me and go along with +Billy, Maybe they won't kill you. I'll go and meet 'em alone. It's me +that did it! Me, the King!' + +" 'Go!' says I. 'Go to Hell, Dan! I'm with you here. Billy Fish, you +clear out, and we two will meet those folk.' + +" 'I'm a Chief,' says Billy Fish, quite quiet. 'I stay with you. My +men can go.' + +"The Bashkai fellows didn't wait for a second word, but ran off, and +Dan and Me and Billy Fish walked across to where the drums were +drumming and the horns were horning. It was cold--awful cold. I've got +that cold in the back of my head now. There's a lump of it there." + +The punka-coolies had gone to sleep. Two kerosene lamps were blazing +in the office, and the perspiration poured down my face and splashed +on the blotter as I leaned forward. Carnehan was shivering, and I +feared that his mind might go. I wiped my face, took a fresh grip of +the piteously mangled hands, and said, "What happened after that?" + +The momentary shift of my eyes had broken the clear current. + +"What was you pleased to say?" whined Carnehan. "They took them +without any sound. Not a little whisper all along the snow, not though +the King knocked down the first man that set hand on him--not though +old Peachey fired his last cartridge into the brown of 'em. Not a +single solitary sound did those swines make. They just closed up +tight, and I tell you their furs stunk. There was a man called Billy +Fish, a good friend of us all, and they cut his throat, Sir, then and +there, like a pig; and the King kicks up the bloody snow and says, +'We've had a dashed fine run for our money. What's coming next?' But +Peachey, Peachey Taliaferro, I tell you, Sir, in confidence as betwixt +two friends, he lost his head, Sir. No, he didn't, neither. The King +lost his head, so he did, all along o' one of those cunning rope +bridges. Kindly let me have the paper-cutter, Sir. It tilted this way. +They marched him a mile across that snow to a rope bridge over a +ravine with a river at the bottom. You may have seen such. They +prodded him behind like an ox. 'Damn your eyes!' says the King. 'D' +you suppose I can't die like a gentleman?' He turns to Peachey-- +Peachey that was crying like a child. 'I've brought you to this, +Peachey,' says he. 'Brought you out of your happy life to be killed in +Kafiristan, where you was late Commander-in-Chief of the Emperor's +forces. Say you forgive me, Peachey.' 'I do,' says Peachey. 'Fully and +freely do I forgive you, Dan.' 'Shake hands, Peachey,' says he. 'I'm +going now.' Out he goes, looking neither right nor left, and when he +was plumb in the middle of those dizzy dancing ropes, 'Cut you +beggars,' he shouts; and they cut, and old Dan fell, turning round and +round and round, twenty thousand miles, for he took half an hour to +fall till he struck the water, and I could see his body caught on a +rock with the gold crown close beside. + +"But do you know what they did to Peachey between two pine-trees? They +crucified him, Sir, as Peachey's hand will show. They used wooden pegs +for his hands and feet; but he didn't die. He hung there and screamed, +and they took him down next day, and said it was a miracle that he +wasn't dead. They took him down--poor old Peachey that hadn't done +them any harm--that hadn't done them any--" + +He rocked to and fro and wept bitterly, wiping his eyes with the back +of his scarred hands and moaning like a child for some ten minutes. + +"They was cruel enough to feed him up in the temple, because they said +he was more of a God than old Daniel that was a man. Then they turned +him out on the snow, and told him to go home, and Peachey came home in +about a year, begging along the roads quite safe; for Daniel Dravot he +walked before and said, 'Come along, Peachey. It's a big thing we're +doing.' The mountains they danced at night, and the mountains they +tried to fall on Peachey's head, but Dan he held up his hand, and +Peachey came along bent double. He never let go of Dan's hand, and he +never let go of Dan's head. They gave it to him as a present in the +temple, to remind him not to come again; and though the crown was pure +gold and Peachey was starving, never would Peachey sell the same. You +know Dravot, Sir! You knew Right Worshipful Brother Dravot! Look at +him now!" + +He fumbled in the mass of rags round his bent waist; brought out a +black horsehair bag embroidered with silver thread; and shook +therefrom on to my table--the dried, withered head of Daniel Dravot! +The morning sun, that had long been paling the lamps, struck the red +beard and blind sunken eyes; struck, too, a heavy circlet of gold +studded with raw turquoises, that Carnehan placed tenderly on the +battered temples. + +"You be'old now," said Carnehan, "the Emperor in his 'abit as he lived +--the King of Kafiristan with his crown upon his head. Poor old Daniel +that was a monarch once!" + +I shuddered, for, in spite of defacements manifold, I recognised the +head of the man of Marwar Junction. Carnehan rose to go. I attempted +to stop him. He was not fit to walk abroad. "Let me take away the +whisky, and give me a little money," he gasped. "I was a King once. +I'll go to the Deputy Commissioner and ask to set in the Poorhouse +till I get my health. No, thank you, I can't wait till you get a +carriage for me. I've urgent private affairs--in the south--at +Marwar." + +He shambled out of the office and departed in the direction of the +Deputy Commissioner's house. That day at noon I had occasion to go +down the blinding-hot Mall, and I saw a crooked man crawling along the +white dust of the roadside, his hat in his hand, quavering dolorously +after the fashion of street-singers at Home. There was not a soul in +sight, and he was out of all possible earshot of the houses. And he +sang through his nose, turning his head from right to left: + + "The Son of Man goes forth to war, + A golden crown to gain; + His blood-red banner streams afar-- + Who follows in His train?" + +I waited to hear no more, but put the poor wretch into my carriage and +drove him off to the nearest missionary for eventual transfer to the +Asylum. He repeated the hymn twice while he was with me, whom he did +not in the least recognise, and I left him singing it to the +missionary. + +Two days later I inquired after his welfare of the Superintendent of +the Asylum. + +"He was admitted suffering from sunstroke. He died early yesterday +morning," said the Superintendent. "Is it true that he was half an +hour bareheaded in the sun at midday?" + +"Yes," said I; "but do you happen to know if he had anything upon him +by any chance when he died?" + +"Not to my knowledge," said the Superintendent. + +And there the matter rests. + + + +TAJIMA + +BY + +MISS MITFORD + + + +Once upon a time, a certain ronin, Tajima Shume by name, an able and +well-read man, being on his travels to see the world, went up to +Kiyoto by the Tokaido. [The road of the Eastern Sea, the famous +highroad leading from Kiyoto to Yedo. The name is also used to +indicate the provinces through which it runs.] One day, in the +neighbourhood of Nagoya, in the province of Owari, he fell in with a +wandering priest, with whom he entered into conversation. Finding that +they were bound for the same place, they agreed to travel together, +beguiling their weary way by pleasant talk on divers matters; and so +by degrees, as they became more intimate, they began to speak without +restraint about their private affairs; and the priest, trusting +thoroughly in the honour of his companion, told him the object of his +journey. + +"For some time past," said he, "I have nourished a wish that has +engrossed all my thoughts; for I am bent on setting up a molten image +in honour of Buddha; with this object I have wandered through various +provinces collecting alms, and (who knows by what weary toil?) we have +succeeded in amassing two hundred ounces of silver--enough, I trust, +to erect a handsome bronze figure." + +What says the proverb? "He who bears a jewel in his bosom bears +poison." Hardly had the ronin heard these words of the priest than an +evil heart arose within him, and he thought to himself, "Man's life, +from the womb to the grave, is made up of good and of ill luck. Here +am I, nearly forty years old, a wanderer, without a calling, or even a +hope of advancement in the world. To be sure, it seems a shame; yet if +I could steal the money this priest is boasting about, I could live at +ease for the rest of my days;" and so he began casting about how best +he might compass his purpose. But the priest, far from guessing the +drift of his comrade's thoughts, journeyed cheerfully on till they +reached the town of Kuana. Here there is an arm of the sea, which is +crossed in ferry-boats, that start as soon as some twenty or thirty +passengers are gathered together; and in one of these boats the two +travellers embarked. About half-way across, the priest was taken with +a sudden necessity to go to the side of the boat; and the ronin, +following him, tripped him up while no one was looking, and flung him +into the sea. When the boatmen and passengers heard the splash, and +saw the priest struggling in the water, they were afraid, and made +every effort to save him; but the wind was fair, and the boat running +swiftly under the bellying sails; so they were soon a few hundred +yards off from the drowning man, who sank before the boat could be +turned to rescue him. + +When he saw this, the ronin feigned the utmost grief and dismay, and +said to his fellow-passengers, "This priest, whom we have just lost, +was my cousin; he was going to Kiyoto, to visit the shrine of his +patron; and as I happened to have business there as well, we settled +to travel together. Now, alas! by this misfortune, my cousin is dead, +and I am left alone." + +He spoke so feelingly, and wept so freely, that the passengers +believed his story, and pitied and tried to comfort him. Then the +ronin said to the boatmen: + +"We ought, by rights, to report this matter to the authorities; but as +I am pressed for time, and the business might bring trouble on +yourselves as well, perhaps we had better hush it up for the present; +I will at once go on to Kiyoto and tell my cousin's patron, besides +writing home about it. What think you, gentlemen?" added he, turning +to the other travellers. + +They, of course, were only too glad to avoid any hindrance to their +onward journey, and all with one voice agreed to what the ronin had +proposed; and so the matter was settled. When, at length, they reached +the shore, they left the boat, and every man went his way; but the +ronin, overjoyed in his heart, took the wandering priest's luggage, +and, putting it with his own, pursued his journey to Kiyoto. + +On reaching the capital, the ronin changed his name from Shume to +Tokubei, and, giving up his position as a samurai, turned merchant, +and traded with the dead man's money. Fortune favouring his +speculations, he began to amass great wealth, and lived at his ease, +denying himself nothing; and in course of time he married a wife, who +bore him a child. + +Thus the days and months wore on, till one fine summer's night, some +three years after the priest's death, Tokubei stepped out on the +veranda of his house to enjoy the cool air and the beauty of the +moonlight. Feeling dull and lonely, he began musing over all kinds of +things, when on a sudden the deed of murder and theft, done so long +ago, vividly recurred to his memory, and he thought to himself, "Here +am I, grown rich and fat on the money I wantonly stole. Since then, +all has gone well with me; yet, had I not been poor, I had never +turned assassin nor thief. Woe betide me! what a pity it was!" and as +he was revolving the matter in his mind, a feeling of remorse came +over him, in spite of all he could do. While his conscience thus smote +him, he suddenly, to his utter amazement, beheld the faint outline of +a man standing near a fir-tree in the garden; on looking more +attentively, he perceived that the man's whole body was thin and worn, +and the eyes sunken and dim; and in that poor ghost that was before +him he recognised the very priest whom he had thrown into the sea at +Kuana. Chilled with horror, he looked again, and saw that the priest +was smiling in scorn. He would have fled into the house, but the ghost +stretched forth its withered arm, and, clutching the back of his neck, +scowled at him with a vindictive glare and a hideous ghastliness of +mien so unspeakably awful that any ordinary man would have swooned +with fear. But Tokubei, tradesman though he was, had once been a +soldier, and was not easily matched for daring; so he shook off the +ghost, and, leaping into the room for his dirk, laid about him boldly +enough; but, strike as he would, the spirit, fading into the air, +eluded his blows, and suddenly reappeared only to vanish again; and +from that time forth Tokubei knew no rest, and was haunted night and +day. + +At length, undone by such ceaseless vexation, Tokubei fell ill, and +kept muttering, "Oh, misery! misery! the wandering priest is coming to +torture me!" Hearing his moans and the disturbance he made, the people +in the house fancied he was mad, and called in a physician, who +prescribed for him. But neither pill nor potion could cure Tokubei, +whose strange frenzy soon became the talk of the whole neighbourhood. + +Now it chanced that the story reached the ears of a certain wandering +priest who lodged in the next street. When he heard the particulars, +this priest gravely shook his head as though he knew all about it, and +sent a friend to Tokubei's house to say that a wandering priest, +dwelling hard by, had heard of his illness, and, were it never so +grievous, would undertake to heal it by means of his prayers; and +Tokubei's wife, driven half wild by her husband's sickness, lost not a +moment in sending for the priest and taking him into the sick man's +room. + +But no sooner did Tokubei see the priest than he yelled out, "Help! +help! Here is the wandering priest come to torment me again. Forgive! +forgive!" and hiding his head under the coverlet, he lay quivering all +over. Then the priest turned all present out of the room, put his +mouth to the affrighted man's ear, and whispered: + +"Three years ago, at the Kuana ferry, you flung me into the water; and +well you remember it." + +But Tokubei was speechless, and could only quake with fear. + +"Happily," continued the priest, "I had learned to swim and to dive as +a boy; so I reached the shore, and, after wandering through many +provinces, succeeded in setting up a bronze figure to Buddha, thus +fulfilling the wish of my heart. On my journey homeward, I took a +lodging in the next street, and there heard of your marvellous +ailment. Thinking I could divine its cause, I came to see you, and am +glad to find I was not mistaken. You have done a hateful deed; but am +I not a priest, and have I not forsaken the things of this world, and +would it not ill become me to bear malice? Repent, therefore, and +abandon your evil ways. To see you do so I should esteem the height of +happiness. Be of good cheer, now, and look me in the face, and you +will see that I am really a living man, and no vengeful goblin come to +torment you." + +Seeing he had no ghost to deal with, and overwhelmed by the priest's +kindness, Tokubei burst into tears, and answered, "Indeed, indeed, I +don't know what to say. In a fit of madness I was tempted to kill and +rob you. Fortune befriended me ever after; but the richer I grew, the +more keenly I felt how wicked I had been, and the more I foresaw that +my victim's vengeance would some day overtake me. Haunted by this +thought, I lost my nerve, till one night I beheld your spirit, and +from that time fell ill. But how you managed to escape, and are still +alive, is more than I can understand." + +"A guilty man," said the priest, with a smile, "shudders at the +rustling of the wind or the chattering of a stork's beak; a murderer's +conscience preys upon his mind till he sees what is not. Poverty +drives a man to crimes which he repents of in his wealth. How true is +the doctrine of Moshi [Mencius], that the heart of man, pure by +nature, is corrupted by circumstances!" + +Thus he held forth; and Tokubei, who had long since repented of his +crime, implored forgiveness, and gave him a large sum of money, +saying, "Half of this is the amount I stole from you three years +since; the other half I entreat you to accept as interest, or as a +gift." + +The priest at first refused the money; but Tokubei insisted on his +accepting it, and did all he could to detain him, but in vain; for the +priest went on his way, and bestowed the money on the poor and needy. +As for Tokubei himself, he soon shook off his disorder, and +thenceforward lived at peace with all men, revered both at home and +abroad, and ever intent on good and charitable deeds. + + + +A CHINESE GIRL GRADUATE + +BY + +R. K. DOUGLAS + + + +Who among the three hundred million sons of Han does not know the +saying: + + There's Paradise above, 't is true; + But here below we've Hang and Soo? + [Hangchow and Soochow] + +And though no one will deny the beauty of those far-famed cities, they +cannot compare in grandeur of situation and boldness of features with +many of the towns of the providence of the "Four Streams." Foremost +among the favoured spots of this part of the empire is Mienchu, which, +as its name implies, is celebrated for the silky bamboos which grow in +its immediate neighbourhood. These form, however, only one of the +features of its loveliness. Situated at the foot of a range of +mountains which rise through all the gradations from rich and abundant +verdure to the region of eternal snow, it lies embosomed in groves of +beech, cypress, and bamboo, through the leafy screens of which rise +the upturned yellow roofs of the temples and official residences, +which dot the landscape like golden islands in an emerald sea; while +beyond the wall hurries, between high and rugged banks, the tributary +of the Fu River, which bears to the mighty waters of the Yangtsze- +Kiang the goods and passengers which seek an outlet to the eastern +provinces. + +The streets within the walls of the city are scenes of life and +bustle, while in the suburbs stand the residences of those who can +afford to live in peace and quiet, undisturbed by the clamour of the +Les and Changs [i.e., the people. Le and Chang are the two commonest +names in China.] of the town. There, in a situation which the Son of +Heaven might envy, stands the official residence of Colonel Wen. +Outwardly it has all the appearance of a grandee's palace, and within +the massive boundary-walls which surround it, the courtyards, halls, +grounds, summer-houses, and pavilions are not to be exceeded in +grandeur and beauty. The office which had fallen to the lot of Colonel +Wen was one of the most sought after in the province, and commonly +only fell to officers of distinction. Though not without fame in the +field, Colonel Wen's main claim to honour lay in the high degrees he +had taken in the examinations. His literary acquirements gained him +friends among the civil officers of the district, and the position he +occupied was altogether one of exceptional dignity. + +Unfortunately, his first wife had died, leaving only a daughter to +keep her memory alive; but at the time when our story opens, his +second spouse, more kind than his first, had presented him with a +much-desired son. The mother of this boy was one of those bright, +pretty, gay creatures who commonly gain the affections of men much +older than themselves. She sang in the most faultless falsetto, she +played the guitar with taste and expression, and she danced with grace +and agility. What wonder, then, that when the colonel returned from +his tours of inspections and parades, weary with travel and dust, he +found relief and relaxation in the joyous company of Hyacinth! And was +she not also the mother of his son? Next to herself, there can be no +question that this young gentleman held the chief place in the +colonel's affections; while poor Jasmine, his daughter by his first +venture, was left very much to her own resources. No one troubled +themselves about what she did, and she was allowed, as she grew up, to +follow her own pursuits and to give rein to her fancies without let or +hindrance. From her earliest childhood one of her lonely amusements +had been to dress as a boy, and so unchecked had the habit become that +she gradually drifted into the character which she had chosen to +assume. She even persuaded her father to let her go to the +neighbouring boys' school. Her mother had died before the colonel had +been posted to Mienchu, and among the people of that place, who had +always seen her in boy's attire, she was regarded as an adopted son of +her father. Hyacinth was only too glad to get her out of the way as +much as possible, and so encouraged the idea of allowing her to learn +to read and write in the company of their neighbours' urchins. + +Being bright and clever, she soon gained an intellectual lead among +the boys, and her uncommon beauty, coupled with the magnetism +belonging to her sex, secured for her a popularity which almost +amounted to adoration. She was tall for her age, as are most young +daughters of Han; and her perfectly oval face, almond-shaped eyes, +willow-leaf eyebrows, small, well-shaped mouth, brilliantly white +teeth, and raven-black hair, completed a face and figure which would +have been noticeable anywhere. By the boys she was worshipped, and no +undertaking was too difficult or too troublesome if it was to give +pleasure to Tsunk'ing, or the "Young Noble," as she was called; for to +have answered to the name of Jasmine would have been to proclaim her +sex at once. Even the grim old master smiled at her through his horn +spectacles as she entered the school-house of a morning, and any +graceful turn in her poetry or scholarly diction in her prose was sure +to win for her his unsparing praise. Many an evening he invited the +"young noble" to his house to read over chapters from Confucius and +the poems of Le Taipoh; and years afterward, when he died, among his +most cherished papers were found odes signed by Tsunk'ing, in which +there was a good deal about bending willows, light, flickering +bamboos, horned moons, wild geese, the sound of a flute on a rainy +day, and the pleasures of wine, in strict accord with the models set +forth in the "Aids to Poetry-making" which are common in the land. + +If it had not been for the indifference with which she was treated in +her home, the favour with which she was regarded abroad would have +been most prejudicial to Jasmine; but any conceit which might have +been engendered in the school-house was speedily counteracted when she +got within the portals of the colonel's domain. Coming into the +presence of her father and his wife, with all the incense of kindness, +affection, and, it must be confessed, flattery, with which she was +surrounded by her school-fellows, fresh about her, was like stepping +into a cold bath. Wholesome and invigorating the change may have been, +but it was very unpleasant, and Jasmine often longed to be alone to +give vent to her feelings in tears. + +One deep consolation she had, however: she was a devoted student, and +in the society of her books she forgot the callousness of her parents, +and, living in imagination in the bygone annals of the empire, she was +able to take part, as it were, in the great deeds which mark the past +history of the state, and to enjoy the converse and society of the +sages and poets of antiquity. When the time came that she had gained +all the knowledge which the old schoolmaster could impart to her, she +left the school, and formed a reading-party with two youths of her own +age. These lads, by name Wei and Tu, had been her school-fellows, and +were delighted at obtaining her promise to join them in their studies. +So industriously were these pursued that the three friends succeeded +in taking their B.A. degree at the next examination, and, encouraged +by this success, determined to venture on a struggle for a still +higher distinction. + +Though at one in their affection for Jasmine, Tu and Wei were unlike +in everything else, which probably accounted for the friendship which +existed between them. Wei was the more clever of the two. He wrote +poetry with ease and fluency, and his essays were marked by +correctness of style and aptness of quotation. But there was a want of +strength in his character. He was exceedingly vain, and was always +seeking to excite admiration among his companions. This unhappy +failing made him very susceptible of adverse criticism, and at the +same time extremely jealous of any one who might happen to excel him +in any way. Tu, on the other hand, though not so intellectually +favoured, had a rough kind of originality, which always secured for +his exercises a respectful attention, and made him at all times an +agreeable companion. Having no exaggerated ideas of his capabilities, +he never strove to appear otherwise than he was, and being quite +independent of the opinions of others, he was always natural. Thus he +was one who was sought out by his friends, and was best esteemed by +those whose esteem was best worth having. In outward appearance the +youths were as different as their characters were diverse. Wei was +decidedly good-looking, but of a kind of beauty which suggested +neither rest nor sincerity; while in Tu's features, though there was +less grace, the want was fully compensated for by the strength and +honest firmness of his countenance. + +For both these young men Jasmine had a liking, but there was no +question as to which she preferred. As she herself said, "Wei is +pleasant enough as a companion, but if I had to look to one of them +for an act of true friendship--or as a lover," she mentally added--"I +should turn at once to Tu." It was one of her amusements to compare +the young men in her mind, and one day when so occupied Tu suddenly +looked up from his book and said to her: + +"What a pity it is that the gods have made us both men! If /I/ were a +woman, the object of my heart would be to be your wife, and if /you/ +were a woman, there is nothing I should like better than to be your +husband." + +Jasmine blushed up to the roots of her hair at having her own thoughts +thus capped, as it were; but before she could answer, Wei broke in +with: + +"What nonsense you talk! And why, I should like to know, should you be +the only one the 'young noble' might choose, supposing he belonged to +the other sex?" + +"You are both talking nonsense," said Jasmine, who had had time to +recover her composure, "and remind me of my two old childless aunts," +she added, laughing, "who are always quarrelling about the names they +would have given their children if the goddess Kwanyin had granted +them any half a century ago. As a matter of act, we are three friends +reading for our M.A. degrees, neither more nor less. And I will +trouble you, my elder brother," she added, turning to Tu, "to explain +to me what the poet means by the expression 'tuneful Tung' in the +line: + + 'The greedy flames devour the tuneful Tung.' " + +A learned disquisition by Tu on the celebrated musician who recognised +the sonorous qualities of a piece of Tung timber burning in the +kitchen fire effectually diverted the conversation from the +inconvenient direction it had taken, and shortly afterward Jasmine +took her leave. + +Haunted by the thought of what had passed, she wandered on to the +veranda of her archery pavilion, and while gazing half unconsciously +heavenward her eyes were attracted by a hawk which flew past and +alighted on a tree beyond the boundary-wall, and in front of the study +she had lately left. In a restless and thoughtless mood, she took up +her bow and arrow, and with unerring aim compassed the death of her +victim. No sooner, however, had the hawk fallen, carrying the arrow +with it, than she remembered that her name was inscribed on the shaft, +and fearing lest it should be found by either Wei or Tu, she hurried +round in the hope of recovering it. But she was too late. On +approaching the study, she found Tu in the garden in front, examining +the bird and arrow. + +"Look," he said, as he saw her coming, "what a good shot some one has +made! and whoever it is, he has a due appreciation of his own skill. +Listen to these lines which are scraped on the arrow: + + 'Do not lightly draw your bow; + But if you must, bring down your foe.' " + +Jasmine was glad enough to find that he had not discovered her name, +and eagerly exchanged banter with him on the conceit of the owner of +the arrow. But before she could recover it, Wei, who had heard the +talking and laughter, joined them, and took the arrow out of Tu's hand +to examine it. Just at that moment a messenger came to summon Tu to +his father's presence, and he had no sooner gone than Wei exclaimed: + +"But see, here is the name of the mysterious owner of the arrow, and, +as I live, it is a girl's name--Jasmine! Who, among the goddesses of +heaven can Jasmine be?" + +"Oh, I will take the arrow then," said Jasmine. "It must belong to my +sister. That is her name." + +"I did not know that you had a sister," said Wei. + +"Oh yes, I have," answered Jasmine, quite forgetful of the celebrated +dictum of Confucius: "Be truthful." "She is just one year younger than +I am," she added, thinking it well to be circumstantial. + +"Why have you never mentioned her?" asked Wei, with animation. "What +is she like? Is she anything like you?" + +"She is the very image of me." + +"What! In height and features and ways?" + +"The very image, so that people have often said that if we changed +clothes each might pass for the other." + +"What a good-looking girl she must be!" said Wei, laughing. "But, +seriously, I have not, as you know, yet set up a household; and if +your sister has not received bridal presents, I would beg to be +allowed to invite her to enter my lowly habitation. What does my elder +brother say to my proposal?" + +"I don't know what my sister would feel about it," said Jasmine. "I +would never answer for a girl, if I lived to be as old as the God of +Longevity." + +"Will you find out for me?" + +"Certainly I will. But remember, not a word must be mentioned on the +subject to my father, or, in fact, to anybody, until I give you +leave." + +"So long as my elder brother will undertake for me, I will promise +anything," said the delighted Wei. "I already feel as though I were +nine-tenths of the way to the abode of the phenix. Take this box of +precious ointment to your sister as an earnest of my intentions, and I +will keep the arrow as a token from her until she demands its return. +I feel inclined to express myself in verse. May I?" + +"By all means," said Jasmine, laughing. + +Thus encouraged, Wei improvised as follows: + + " 'T was sung of old that Lofu had no mate, + Though Che was willing; for no word was said. + At last an arrow like a herald came, + And now an honoured brother lends his aid." + +"Excellent," said Jasmine, laughing. "With such a poetic gift as you +possess, you certainly deserve a better fate than befell Lofu." + +From this day the idea of marrying Jasmine's sister possessed the soul +of Wei. But not a word did he say to Tu on the matter, for he was +conscious that, as Tu was the first to pick up the arrow through which +he had become acquainted with the existence of Jasmine's sister, his +friend might possibly lay a claim to her hand. To Jasmine also the +subject was a most absorbing one. She felt that she was becoming most +unpleasantly involved in a risky matter, and that, if the time should +ever come when she should have to make an explanation, she might in +honour be compelled to marry Wei--a prospect which filled her with +dismay. The turn events had taken had made her analyse her feelings +more than she had ever done before, and the process made her doubly +conscious of the depth of her affection for Tu. "A horse," she said to +herself, "cannot carry two saddles, and a woman cannot marry more than +one man." Wise as this saw was, it did not help her out of her +difficulty, and she turned to the chapter of accidents, and determined +to trust to time, that old disposer of events, to settle the matter. +But Wei was inclined to be impatient, and Jasmine was obliged to +resort to more of those departures from truth which circumstances had +forced upon this generally very upright young lady. + +"I have consulted my father on the subject," she said to the expectant +Wei, "and he insists on your waiting until the autumn examination is +over. He has every confidence that you will then take your M.A. +degree, and your marriage will, he hopes, put the coping-stone on your +happiness and honour." + +"That is all very well," said Wei; "but autumn is a long time hence, +and how do I know that your sister may not change her mind?" + +"Has not your younger brother undertaken to look after your interests, +and cannot you trust him to do his best on your behalf?" + +"I can trust my elder brother with anything in the world. It is your +sister that I am afraid of," said Wei. "But since you will undertake +for her--" + +"No, no," said Jasmine, laughing, "I did not say that I would +undertake for her. A man who answers for a woman deserves to have +'fool' written on his forehead." + +"Well, at all events, I will be content to leave the matter in your +hands," said Wei. + +At last the time of the autumn examination drew near, and Tu and Wei +made preparations for their departure to the provincial capital. They +were both bitterly disappointed when Jasmine announced that she was +not going up that time. This determination was the result of a +conference with her father. She had pointed out to the colonel that if +she passed and took her M.A. degree she might be called upon to take +office at any time, and that then she would be compelled to confess +her sex; and as she was by no means disposed to give up the freedom +which her doublet and hose conferred upon her, it was agreed between +them that she should plead illness and not go up. Her two friends, +therefore, went alone, and brilliant success attended their venture. +They both passed with honours, and returned to Mienchu to receive the +congratulations of their friends. Jasmine's delight was very genuine, +more especially as regarded Tu, and the first evening was spent by the +three students in joyous converse and in confident anticipation of the +future. As Jasmine took leave of the two new M.A.'s, Wei followed her +to the outer door and whispered at parting: + +"I am coming to-morrow to make my formal proposal to your sister." + +Jasmine had no time to answer, but went home full of anxious and +disturbed thoughts, which were destined to take a more tragic turn +than she had ever anticipated even in her most gloomy moments. The +same cruel fate had also decreed that Wei's proposal was to be +suspended, like Buddha, between heaven and earth. The blow fell upon +him when he was attiring himself in the garments of his new degree, in +preparation for his visit. He was in the act of tying his sash and +appending it to his purse and trinkets, when Jasmine burst into the +young men's study, looking deadly pale and bearing traces of acute +mental distress on her usually bright and joyous countenance. + +"What is the matter?" cried Tu, with almost as much agitation as was +shown by Jasmine. "Tell me what has happened." + +"Oh, my father, my poor father!" sobbed Jasmine. + +"What is the matter with your father? He is not dead, is he?" cried +the young men in one breath. + +"No, it is not so bad as that," said Jasmine, "but a great and bitter +misfortune has come upon us. As you know, some time ago my father had +a quarrel with the military intendant, and that horrid man has, out of +spite, brought charges against him for which he was carried off this +morning to prison." + +The statement of her misery and the shame involved in it completely +unnerved poor Jasmine, who, true to her inner sex, burst into tears +and rocked herself to and fro in her grief. Tu and Wei, on their knees +before her, tried to pour in words of consolation. With a lack of +reason which might be excused under the circumstances, they vowed that +her father was innocent before they knew the nature of the charges +against him, and they pledged themselves to rest neither day nor night +until they had rescued him from his difficulty. When, under the +influence of their genuine sympathy, Jasmine recovered some composure, +Tu begged her to tell him of what her father was accused. + +"The villain," said Jasmine, through her tears, "has dared to say that +my father has made use of government taxes, has taken bribes for +recommending men for promotion, has appropriated the soldiers' ration- +money, and has been in league with highwaymen." + +"Is it possible?" said Tu, who was rather staggered by this long +catalogue of crimes. "I should not have believed that any one could +have ventured to have charged your honoured father with such things, +least of all the intendant, who is notoriously possessed of an itching +palm. But I tell you what we can do at once. Wei and I, being M.A.'s, +have a right to call on the prefect, and it will be a real pleasure to +us to exercise our new privilege for the first time in your service. +We will urge him to inquire into the matter, and I cannot doubt that +he will at once quash the proceedings." + +Unhappily, Tu's hopes were not realised. The prefect was very civil, +but pointed out that, since a higher court had ordered the arrest of +the colonel, he was powerless to interfere in the matter. Many were +the consultations held by the three friends, and much personal relief +Jasmine got from the support and sympathy of the young men. One hope +yet remained to her: Tu and Wei were about to go to Peking for their +doctor's degrees, and if they passed they might be able to bring such +influence to bear as would secure the release of her father. + +"Let not the 'young noble' distress himself overmuch," said Wei to +her, with some importance. "This affair will be engraven on our hearts +and minds, and if we take our degrees we will use our utmost exertions +to wipe away the injustice which has been done your father." + +"Unhappily," said the more practical Tu, "it is too plain that the +examining magistrates are all in league to ruin him. But let our elder +brother remain quietly at home, doing all he can to collect evidence +in the colonel's favour, while we will do our best at the capital. If +things turn out well with us there, our elder brother had better +follow at once to assist us with his advice." + +Before the friends parted, Wei, whose own affairs were always his +first consideration, took an opportunity of whispering to Jasmine, +"Don't forget your honoured sister's promise, I beseech you. Whether +we succeed or not, I shall ask for her in marriage on my return." + +"Under present circumstances, we must no longer consider the +engagement," said Jasmine, shocked at his introducing the subject at +such a moment," and the best thing that you can do is to forget all +about it." + +The moment for the departure of the young men had come, and they had +no time to say more. With bitter tears, the two youths took leave of +the weeping Jasmine, who, as their carts disappeared in the distance, +felt for the first time what it was to be alone in misery. She saw +little of her stepmother in those days. That poor lady made herself so +ill with unrestrained grief that she was quite incapable of rendering +either help or advice. Fortunately the officials showed no disposition +to proceed with the indictment, and by the judicious use of the money +at her command Jasmine induced the prison authorities to make her +father's confinement as little irksome as possible. She was allowed to +see him at almost any time, and on one occasion, when he was enjoying +her presence as in his prosperous days he had never expected to do, he +remarked: + +"Since the officials are not proceeding with the business, I think my +best plan will be to send a petition to Peking asking the Board of War +to acquit me. But my difficulty is that I have no one whom I can send +to look after the business." + +"Let /me/ go," said Jasmine. "When Tu and Wei were leaving, they +begged me to follow them to consult as to the best means of helping +you, and with them to depend on I have nothing to fear." + +"I quite believe that you are as capable of managing the matter as +anybody," said her father, admiringly; "but Peking is a long way off, +and I cannot bear to think of the things which might happen to you on +the road." + +"From all time," answered Jasmine, "it has been considered the duty of +a daughter to risk anything in the service of her father; and though +the way is long, I shall have weapons to defend myself with against +injury, and a clear conscience with which to answer any +interrogatories which may be put to me. Besides, I will take our +messenger, 'The Dragon,' and his wife with me. I will make her dress +as a man--what fun it will be to see Mrs. Dragon's portly form in +trousers, and gabardine! When that transformation is made, we shall be +a party of three men. So, you see, she and I will have a man to +protect us, and I shall have a woman to wait upon me; and if such a +gallant company cannot travel from this to Peking in safety, I'll +forswear boots and trousers and will retire into the harem for ever." + +"Well," said her father, laughing, "if you can arrange in that way, go +by all means, and the sooner you start the sooner I hope you will be +back." + +Delighted at having gained the approval of her father to her scheme, +Jasmine quickly made the arrangements for her journey. On the morning +of the day on which she was to start, the results of the doctors' +examination at Peking reached Mienchu, and, to Jasmine's infinite +delight, she found the names of Tu and Wei among the successful +candidates. Armed with this good news, she hurried to the prison. All +difficulties seemed to disappear like mist before the sun as she +thought of the powerful advocates she now had at Peking. + +"Tu and Wei have passed," she said, as she rushed into her father's +presence, "and now the end of our troubles is approaching." + + + +With impatient hope Jasmine took leave of her father, and started on +her eventful journey. As evening drew on she entered the suburbs of +Ch'engtu, the provincial capital, and sent "The Dragon" on to find a +suitable inn for the couple of nights which she knew she would be +compelled to spend in the city. "The Dragon" was successful in his +search, and conducted Jasmine and his wife to a comfortable hostelry +in one of the busiest parts of the town. Having refreshed herself with +an excellent dinner, Jasmine was glad to rest from the fatigues and +heat of the day in the cool courtyard into which her room opened. +Fortune and builders had so arranged that a neighbouring house, +towering above the inn, overlooked this restful spot, and one of the +higher windows faced exactly the position which Jasmine had taken up. +Such a fact would not, in ordinary circumstances, have troubled her in +the least; but she had not been sitting long before she began to feel +an extraordinary attraction toward the window. She did her best to +look the other way, but she was often unconsciously impelled to glance +up at the lattice. Once she fancied she saw the curtain move. +Determined to verify her impression, she suddenly raised her eyes, +after a prolonged contemplation of the pavement, and caught a +momentary sight of a girl's face, which as instantly disappeared, but +not before Jasmine had been able to recognise that it was one of +exceptional beauty. + +"Now, if I were a young man," said she to herself, "I ought to feel my +heart beat at the sight of such loveliness, and it would be my bounden +duty to swear that I would win the owner of it in the teeth of +dragons. But as my manhood goes no deeper than my outer garments, I +can afford to sit here with a quiet pulse and a whole skin." + +The next day Jasmine was busily engaged in interviewing some officials +in the interest of her father, and only reached the shelter of her inn +toward evening. As she passed through the courtyard she instinctively +looked up at the window, and again caught a glimpse of the vision of +beauty which she had seen the evening before. "If she only knew," +thought Jasmine, "that I was such a one as herself, she would be less +anxious to see me, and more likely to avoid me." + +While amusing herself at the thought of the fair watcher, the inn door +opened, and a waiting-woman entered carrying a small box. As she +approached Jasmine she bowed low, and with bated breath thus addressed +her: + +"May every happiness be yours, sir. My young lady, Miss King, whose +humble dwelling is the adjoining house, seeing that you are living in +solitude, has sent me with this fruit and tea as a complimentary +offering." + +So saying, she presented to Jasmine the box, which contained pears and +a packet of scented tea. + +"To what am I indebted for this honour?" replied Jasmine; "I can claim +no relationship with your lady, nor have I the honour of her +acquaintance." + +"My young lady says," answered the waiting-woman, "that, among the +myriads who come to this inn and the thousands who go from it, she has +seen no one to equal your Excellency in form and feature. At sight of +you she was confident that you came from a lofty and noble family, and +having learned from your attendants that you are the son of a colonel, +she ventured to send you these trifles to supplement the needy fare of +this rude inn." + +"Tell me something about your young lady," said Jasmine, in a moment +of idle curiosity. + +"My young lady," said the woman, "is the daughter of Mr. King, who was +a vice-president of a lower court. Her father and mother having both +visited the 'Yellow Springs' [Hades], she is now living with an aunt, +who has been blessed by the God of Wealth, and whose main object in +life is to find a husband whom her niece may be willing to marry. The +young gentleman, my young lady's cousin, is one of the richest men in +Ch'engtu. All the larger inns belong to him, and his profits are as +boundless as the four seas. He is as anxious as his mother to find a +suitable match for the young lady, and has promised that so soon as +she can make a choice he will arrange the wedding." + +"I should have thought," said Jasmine, "that, being the owner of so +much wealth and beauty, the young lady would have been besieged by +suitors from all parts of the empire." + +"So she is," said the woman, "and from her window yonder she espies +them, for they all put up at this inn. Hitherto she has made fun of +them all, and describes their appearance and habits in the most +amusing way. 'See this one,' says she, 'with his bachelor cap on and +his new official clothes and awkward gait, looking for all the world +like a barn-door fowl dressed up as a stork; or that one, with his +round shoulders, monkey-face, and crooked legs;' and so she tells them +off." + +"What does she say of me, I wonder?" said Jasmine, amused. + +"Of your Excellency she says that her comparisons fail her, and that +she can only hope that the Fates who guided your jewelled chariot +hitherward will not tantalise her by an empty vision, but will bind +your ankles to hers with the red matrimonial cords." + +"How can I hope for such happiness?" said Jasmine, smiling. "But +please to tell your young lady that, being only a guest at this inn, I +have nothing worthy of her acceptance to offer in return for her +bounteous gifts, and that I can only assure her of my boundless +gratitude." + +With many bows, and with reiterated wishes for Jasmine's happiness and +endless longevity, the woman took her leave. + +"Truly this young lady has formed a most perverted attachment," said +Jasmine to herself. "She reminds me of the man in the fairy tale who +fell in love with a shadow, and, so far as I can see, she is not +likely to get any more satisfaction out of it than he did." So saying, +she took up a pencil and scribbled the following lines on a scrap of +paper: + + "With thoughts as ardent as a quenchless thirst, + She sends me fragrant and most luscious fruit; + Without a blush she seeks a phenix guest [a bachelor] + Who dwells alone like case-enveloped lute." + +After this mental effort Jasmine went to bed. Nor had her interview +with the waiting-woman made a sufficient impression on her mind to +interfere in any way with her sleep. She was surprised, however, on +coming into her sitting-room in the morning, to meet the same +messenger, who, laden with a dish of hot eggs and a brew of tea, +begged Jasmine to "deign to look down upon her offerings." + +"Many thanks," said Jasmine, "for your kind attention." + +"You are putting the saddle on the wrong horse," replied the woman. +"In bringing you these I am but obeying the orders of Miss King, who +herself made the tea of leaves from Pu-erh in Yunnan, and who with her +own fair hands shelled the eggs." + +"Your young lady," answered Jasmine, "is as bountiful as she is kind. +What return can I make her for her kindness to a stranger? Stay," she +said, as the thought crossed her mind that the verses she had written +the night before might prove a wholesome tonic for this effusive young +lady, "I have a few verses which I will venture to ask her to accept." +So saying, she took a piece of peach-blossom paper, on which she +carefully copied the quatrain and handed it to the woman. "May I +trouble you," said she, "to take this to your mistress?" + +"If," said Jasmine to herself as the woman took her departure, "Miss +King is able to penetrate the meaning of my verses, she won't like +them. Without saying so in so many words, I have told her with +sufficient plainness that I will have nothing to say to her. But +stupidity is a shield sent by Providence to protect the greater part +of mankind from many evils; so perhaps she will escape." + +It certainly in this case served to shield Miss King from Jasmine's +shafts. She was delighted at receiving the verses, and at once sat +down to compose a quatrain to match Jasmine's in reply. With infinite +labour she elaborated the following: + + "Sung Yuh on th' eastern wall sat deep in thought, + And longed with P'e to pluck the fragrant fruit. + If all the well-known tunes be newly set, + What use to take again the half-burnt lute?" + +Having copied these on a piece of silk-woven paper, she sent them to +Jasmine by her faithful attendant. On looking over the paper, Jasmine +said, smiling, "What a clever young lady your mistress must be! These +lines, though somewhat inconsequential, are incomparable." + +But, though Jasmine was partly inclined to treat the matter as a joke, +she saw that there was a serious side to the affair, more especially +as the colours under which she was sailing were so undeniably false. +She knew well that for Sung Yuh should be read Miss King, and for P'e +her own name; and she determined, therefore, to put an end to the +philandering of Miss King, which, in her present state of mind, was +doubly annoying to her. + +"I am deeply indebted to your young lady," she said, and then, being +determined to make a plunge into the morass of untruthfulness, for a +good end as she believed, added, "and, if I had love at my disposal, I +should possibly venture to make advances toward the feathery peach [a +nuptial emblem]; but let me confess to you that I have already taken +to myself a wife. Had I the felicity of meeting Miss King before I +committed myself in another direction, I might perhaps have been a +happier man. But, after all, if this were so, my position is no worse +than that of most other married men, for I never met one who was not +occasionally inclined to cry, like the boys at 'toss cash,' 'Hark back +and try again.' " + +"This will be sad news for my lady, for she has set her heart upon you +ever since you first came to the inn; and when young misses take that +sort of fancy and lose the objects of their love, they are as bad as +children when forbidden their sugar-plums. But what's the use of +talking to you about a young lady's feelings!" said the woman, with a +vexed toss of her head; "I never knew a man who understood a woman +yet." + +"I am extremely sorry for Miss King," said Jasmine, trying to suppress +a smile. "As you wisely remark, a young lady is a sealed book to me, +but I have always been told that their fancies are as variable as the +shadow of the bamboo; and probably, therefore, though Miss King's sky +may be overcast just now, the gloom will only make her enjoy +to-morrow's sunshine all the more." + +The woman, who was evidently in a hurry to convey the news to her +mistress, returned no answer to this last sally, but, with curtailed +obeisance, took her departure. + +Her non-appearance the next morning confirmed Jasmine in the belief +that her bold departure from truth on the previous evening had had its +curative effect. The relief was great, for she had felt that these +complications were becoming too frequent to be pleasant, and, +reprehensible though it may appear, her relief was mingled with no +sort of compassion for Miss King. Hers was not a nature to sympathise +with such sudden and fierce attachments. Her affection for Tu had been +the growth of many months, and she had no feeling in common with a +young lady who could take a violent liking for a young man simply from +seeing him taking his post-prandial ease. It was therefore with +complete satisfaction that she left the inn in the course of the +morning to pay her farewell visits to the governor and the judge of +the province, who had taken an unusual interest in Colonel Wen's case +since Jasmine had become his personal advocate. Both officials had +promised to do all they could for the prisoner, and had loaded Jasmine +with tokens of good will in the shape of strange and rare fruits and +culinary delicacies. On this particular day the governor had invited +her to the midday meal, and it was late in the afternoon before she +found her way back to the inn. + +The following morning she rose early, intending to start before noon, +and was stepping into the courtyard to give directions to "The +Dragon," when, to her surprise, she was accosted by Miss King's +servant, who, with a waggish smile and a cunning shake of the head, +said: + +"How can one so young as your Excellency be such a proficient in the +art of inventing flowers of the imagination?" + +"What do you mean?" said Jasmine. + +"Why, last night you told me you were married, and my poor young lady +when she heard it was wrung with grief. But, recovering somewhat, she +sent me to ask your servants whether what you had said was true or +not, for she knows what she's about as well as most people, and they +both with one voice assured me that, far from being married you had +not even exchanged nuptial presents with anybody. You may imagine Miss +King's delight when I took her this news. She at once asked her cousin +to call upon you to make a formal offer of marriage, and she has now +sent me to tell you that he will be here anon." + +Every one knows what it is to pass suddenly from a state of +pleasurable high spirits into deep despondency, to exchange in an +instant bright mental sunshine for cloud and gloom. All, therefore, +must sympathise with poor Jasmine, who believing the road before her +to be smooth and clear, on a sudden became thus aware of a most +troublesome and difficult obstruction. She had scarcely finished +calling down anathemas on the heads of "The Dragon" and his wife, and +cursing her own folly for bringing them with her, than the inn doors +were thrown open, and a servant appeared carrying a long red visiting- +card inscribed with the name of the wealthy inn-proprietor. On the +heels of this forerunner followed young Mr. King, who, with effusive +bows, said, "I have ventured to pay my respects to your Excellency." + +Poor Jasmine was so upset by the whole affair that she lacked some of +the courtesy that was habitual to her, and in her confusion very +nearly seated her guest on her right hand. Fortunately this outrageous +breach of etiquette was avoided, and the pair eventually arranged +themselves in the canonical order. + +"This old son of Han," began Mr. King, "would not have dared to +intrude himself upon your Excellency if it were not that he has a +matter of great delicacy to discuss with you. He has a cousin, the +daughter of Vice-President King, for whom for years he has been trying +to find a suitable match. The position is peculiar, for the lady +declares positively that she will not marry any one she has not seen +and approved of. Until now she has not been able to find any one whom +she would care to marry. But the presence of your Excellency has +thrown a light across her path which has shown her the way to the +plum-groves of matrimonial felicity." + +Here King paused, expecting some reply; but Jasmine was too absorbed +in thought to speak, so Mr. King went on: + +"This old son of Han, hearing that your Excellency is still unmarried, +has taken it upon himself to make a proposal of marriage to you, and +to offer his cousin as your 'basket and broom.' [wife] His interview +with you has, he may say, shown him the wisdom of his cousin's choice, +and he cannot imagine a pair better suited for one another, or more +likely to be happy, than your Excellency and his cousin." + +"I dare not be anything but straightforward with your worship," said +Jasmine, "and I am grateful for the extraordinary affection your +cousin has been pleased to bestow upon me; but I cannot forget that +she belongs to a family which is entitled to pass through the gate of +the palace [a family of distinction], and I fear that my rank is not +sufficient for her. Besides, my father is at present under a cloud, +and I am now on my way to Peking to try to release him from his +difficulties. It is no time, therefore, for me to be binding myself +with promises." + +"As to your Excellency's first objection," replied King, "you are +already the wearer of a hat with a silken tassel, and a man need not +be a prophet to foretell that in time to come any office, either civil +or military, will be within your reach. No doubt, also, your business +in Peking will be quickly brought to a satisfactory conclusion, and +there can be no objection, therefore, to our settling the +preliminaries now, and then, on your return from the capital, we can +celebrate the wedding. This will give rest and composure to my +cousin's mind, which is now like a disturbed sea, and will not +interfere, I venture to think, with the affair which calls you to +Peking." + +As King proceeded, Jasmine felt that her difficulties were on the +increase. It was impossible that she should explain her position in +full, and she had no sufficient reason at hand to give for rejecting +the proposal made her, though, as the same time, her annoyance was not +small at having such a matter forced upon her at a moment when her +mind was filled with anxieties. "Then," she thought to herself, "there +is ahead of me that explanation which must inevitably come with Wei; +so that, altogether, if it were not for the deeply rooted conviction +which I have that Tu will be mine at last, when he knows what I really +am, life would not be worth having. As for this inn-proprietor, if he +has so little delicacy as to push his cousin upon me at this crisis, I +need not have any compunction regarding him; so perhaps my easiest way +of getting out of the present hobble will be to accept his proposal +and to present the box of precious ointment handed me by Wei for my +sister to this ogling love-sick girl." So turning to King, she said: + +"Since you, sir, and your cousin have honoured me with your regard, I +dare not altogether decline your proposal, and I would therefore beg +you, sir, to hand this," she added, producing the box of ointment, "to +your honourable cousin, as a token of the bond between us, and to +convey to her my promise that, if I don't marry her, I will never +marry another lady." + +Mr. King, with the greatest delight, received the box, and handing it +to the waiting-woman, who stood expectant by, bade her carry it to her +mistress, with the news of the engagement. Jasmine now hoped that her +immediate troubles were over, but King insisted on celebrating the +event by a feast, and it was not until late in the afternoon that she +succeeded in making a start. Once on the road, her anxiety to reach +Peking was such that she travelled night and day, "feeding on wind and +lodging in water." Nor did she rest until she reached a hotel within +the Hata Gate of the capital. + + + +Jasmine's solitary journey had given her abundant time for reflection, +and for the first time she had set herself seriously to consider her +position. She recognised that she had hitherto followed only the +impulses of the moment, of which the main one had been the desire to +escape complications by the wholesale sacrifice of truth; and she +acknowledged to herself that, if justice were evenly dealt out, there +must be a Nemesis in store for her which would bring distress and +possibly disaster upon her. In her calmer moments she felt an +instinctive foreboding that she was approaching a crisis in her fate, +and it was with mixed feelings, therefore, that on the morning after +her arrival she prepared to visit Tu and Wei, who were as yet ignorant +of her presence. + +She dressed herself with more than usual care for the occasion, +choosing to attire herself in a blue silk robe and a mauve satin +jacket which Tu had once admired, topped by a brand-new cap. +Altogether her appearance as she passed through the streets justified +the remark made by a passerby: "A pretty youngster, and more like a +maiden of eighteen than a man." + +The hostelry at which Tu and Wei had taken up their abode was an inn +befitting the dignity of such distinguished scholars. On inquiring at +the door, Jasmine was ushered by a servant through a courtyard to an +inner enclosure, where, under the grateful shade of a wide-spreading +cotton-tree, Tu was reclining at his ease. Jasmine's delight at +meeting her friend was only equalled by the pleasure with which Tu +greeted her. In his strong and gracious presence she became conscious +that she was released from the absorbing care which had haunted her, +and her soul leaped out in new freedom as she asked and answered +questions of her friend. Each had much to say, and it was not for some +time, when an occasional reference brought his name forward that +Jasmine noticed the absence of Wei. When she did, she asked after him. + +"He left this some days ago," said Tu, "having some special business +which called for his presence at home. He did not tell me what it was, +but doubtless it was something of importance." Jasmine said nothing, +but felt pretty certain in her mind as to the object of his hasty +return. + +Tu, attributing her silence to a reflection on Wei for having left the +capital before her father's affair was settled, hastened to add: + +"He was very helpful in the matter of your honoured father's +difficulty, and only left when he thought he could not do any more." + +"How do matters stand now?" asked Jasmine, eagerly. + +"We have posted a memorial at the palace gate," said Tu, "and have +arranged that it shall reach the right quarter. Fortunately, also, I +have an acquaintance in the Board of War who has undertaken to do all +he can in that direction, and promises an answer in a few days." + +"I have brought with me," said Jasmine, "a petition prepared by my +father. What do you think about presenting it?" + +"At present I believe that it would only do harm. A superabundance of +memorials is as bad as none at all. Beyond a certain point, they only +irritate officials." + +"Very well," said Jasmine; "I am quite content to leave the conduct of +affairs in your hands." + +"Well then," said Tu, "that being understood, I propose that you +should move your things over to this inn. There is Wei's room at your +disposal, and your constant presence here will be balm to my lonely +spirit. At the Hata Gate you are almost as remote as if you were in +our study at Mienchu." + +Jasmine was at first startled by this proposal. Though she had been +constantly in the company of Tu, she had never lived under the same +roof with him, and she at once recognised that there might be +difficulties in the way of her keeping her secret if she were to be +constantly under the eyes of her friend. But she had been so long +accustomed to yield to the present circumstances, and was so confident +that Fortune, which, with some slight irregularities, had always stood +her friend, would not desert her on the present occasion, that she +gave way. + +"By all means," she said. "I will go back to my inn, and bring my +things at once. This writing-case I will leave here. I brought it +because it contains my father's petition." + +So saying, she took her leave, and Tu retired to his easy-chair under +the cotton-tree. But the demon of curiosity was abroad, and alighting +on the arm of Tu's chair, whispered in his ear that it might be well +if he ran his eye over Colonel Wen's petition to see if there was any +argument in it which he had omitted in his statement to the Board of +War. At first, Tu, whose nature was the reverse of inquisitive, +declined to listen to these promptings, but so persistent did they +become that he at last put down his book--"The Spring and Autumn +Annals"--and, seating himself, at the sitting-room table, opened the +writing-case so innocently left by Jasmine. On the top were a number +of red visiting-cards bearing the inscription, in black, of Wen +Tsunk'ing, and beneath these was the petition. Carefully Tu read it +through, and passed mental eulogies on it as he proceeded. The colonel +had put his case skilfully, but Tu had no difficulty in recognising +Jasmine's hand, both in the composition of the document and in the +penmanship. "If my attempt," he thought, "does not succeed, we will +try what this will do." He was on the point of returning it to its +resting-place, when he saw another document in Jasmine's handwriting +lying by it. This was evidently a formal document, probably connected, +as he thought, with the colonel's case, and he therefore unfolded it +and read as follows: + +"The faithful maiden, Miss Wen of Mienchu Hien, with burning incense +reverently prays the God of War to release her father from his present +difficulties, and speedily to restore peace to her own soul by +nullifying, in accordance with her desire, the engagement of the +bamboo arrow and the contract of the box of precious ointment. A +respectful petition." + +As Tu read on, surprise and astonishment took possession of his +countenance. A second time he read it through, and then, throwing +himself back in his chair, broke out into a fit of laughter. + +"So," he said to himself, "I have allowed myself to be deceived by a +young girl all these years. And yet not altogether deceived," he +added, trying to find an excuse for himself; "for I have often fancied +that there was the savour of a woman about the 'young noble.' I hope +she is not one of those heaven-born genii who appear on earth to +plague men, and who, just when they have aroused the affections they +wished to excite, ascend through the air and leave their lovers +mourning." + +Just at this moment the door opened, and Jasmine entered, looking more +lovely than ever, with the flush begotten by exercise on her +beautifully moulded cheeks. At sight of her Tu again burst out +laughing, to Jasmine's not unnatural surprise, who, thinking that +there must be something wrong with her dress, looked herself up and +down, to the increasing amusement of Tu. + +"So," said he at last, "you deceitful little hussy, you have been +deceiving me all these years by passing yourself off as a man, when in +reality you are a girl." + +Overcome with confusion, Jasmine hung her head, and murmured: + +"Who has betrayed me?" + +"You have betrayed yourself," said Tu, holding up the incriminating +document; "and here we have the story of the arrow with which you shot +the hawk, but what the box of precious ointment means I don't know." + +Confronted with this overwhelming evidence, poor Jasmine remained +speechless, and dared not even lift her eyes to glance at Tu. That +young man, seeing her distress, and being in no wise possessed by the +scorn which he had put into his tone, crossed over to her and gently +led her to a seat by him. + +"Do you remember," he said, in so altered a voice that Jasmine's heart +ceased to throb as if it wished to force an opening through the finely +formed bosom which enclosed it, "on one occasion in our study at home +I wished that you were a woman that you might become my wife? Little +did I think that my wish might be gratified. Now it is, and I beseech +you to let us join our lives in one, and seek the happiness of the +gods in each other's perpetual presence." + +But, as if suddenly recollecting herself, Jasmine withdrew her hand +from his, and, standing up before him with quivering lip and eyes full +of tears, said: + +"No. It can never be." + +"Why not?" said Tu, in alarmed surprise. + +"Because I am bound to Wei." + +"What! Does Wei know your secret?" + +"No. But do you remember when I shot that arrow in front of your +study?" + +"Perfectly," said Tu. "But what has that to do with it?" + +"Why, Wei discovered my name on the shaft, and I, to keep my secret, +told him that it was my sister's name. He then wanted to marry my +sister, and I undertook, fool that I was, to arrange it for him. Now I +shall be obliged to confess the truth, and he will have a right to +claim me instead of my supposed sister." + +"But," said Tu, "I have a prior right to that of Wei, for it was I who +found the arrow. And in this matter I shall be ready to outface him at +all hazards. But," he added, "Wei, I am sure, is not the man to take +an unfair advantage of you." + +"Do you really think so?" asked Jasmine. + +"Certainly I do," said Tu. + +"Then--then--I shall be--very glad," said poor Jasmine, hesitatingly, +overcome with bashfulness, but full of joy. + +At which gracious consent Tu recovered the hand which had been +withdrawn from his, and Jasmine sank again into the chair at his side. + +"But, Tu, dear," she said, after a pause, "there is something else +that I must tell you before I can feel that my confessions are over." + +"What! You have not engaged yourself to any one else, have you?" said +Tu, laughing. + +"Yes, I have," she replied, with a smile; and she then gave her lover +a full and particular account of how Mr. King had proposed to her on +behalf of his cousin, and how she had accepted her. + +"How could you frame your lips to utter such untruths?" said Tu, half +laughing and half in earnest. + +"O Tu, falsehood is so easy and truth so difficult sometimes. But I +feel that I have been very, very wicked," said poor Jasmine, covering +her face with her hands. + +"Well, you certainly have got yourself into a pretty hobble. So far as +I can make out, you are at the present moment engaged to one young +lady and two young men." + +The situation, thus expressed, was so comical that Jasmine could not +refrain from laughing through her tears; but, after a somewhat +lengthened consultation with her lover, her face recovered its wonted +serenity, and round it hovered a halo of happiness which added light +and beauty to every feature. There is something particularly +entrancing in receiving the first confidences of a pure and loving +soul. So Tu thought on this occasion, and while Jasmine was pouring +the most secret workings of her inmost being into his ear, those lines +of the poet of the Sung dynasty came irresistibly into his mind: + + 'T is sweet to see the flowers woo the sun, + To watch the quaint wiles of the cooing dove, + But sweeter far to hear the dulcet tones + Of her one loves confessing her great love. + +But there is an end to everything, even to the "Confucian Analects," +and so there was also to this lovers' colloquy. For just as Jasmine +was explaining, for the twentieth time, the origin and basis of her +love for Tu, a waiter entered to announce the arrival of her luggage. + +"I don't know quite," said Tu, "where we are to put your two men. But, +by-the-bye," he added, as the thought struck him, "did you really +travel all the way in the company of these two men only?" + +"O Tu," said Jasmine, laughing, "I have something else to confess to +you." + +"What! another lover?" said Tu, affecting horror and surprise. + +"No; not another lover, but another woman. The short, stout one is a +woman, and came as my maid. She is the wife of 'The Dragon.' " + +"Well, now have you told me all? For I am getting so confused about +the people you have transformed from women to men, that I shall have +doubts about my own sex next." + +"Yes, Tu, dear; now you know all," said Jasmine, laughing. But not all +the good news which was in store for him, for scarcely had Jasmine +done speaking when a letter arrived from his friend in the Board of +War, who wrote to say that he had succeeded in getting the military +intendant of Mienchu transferred to a post in the province of Kwangsi, +and that the departure of this noxious official would mean the release +of the colonel, as he alone was the colonel's accuser. This news added +one more chord of joy which had been making harmony in Jasmine's heart +for some hours, and readily she agreed with Tu that they should set +off homeward on the following morning. + +With no such adventure as that which had attended Jasmine's journey to +the capital, they reached Mienchu, and, to their delight, were +received by the colonel in his own yamun. After congratulating him on +his release, which Jasmine took care he should understand was due +entirely to Tu's exertions, she gave him a full account of her various +experiences on the road and at the capital. + +"It is like a story out of a book of marvels," said her father, "and +even now you have not exhausted all the necessary explanations. For, +since my release, your friend Wei has been here to ask for my daughter +in marriage. From some questions I put to him, he is evidently unaware +that you are my only daughter, and I therefore put him off and told +him to wait until you returned. He is in a very impatient state, and, +no doubt, will be over shortly." + +Nor was the colonel wrong, for almost immediately Wei was announced, +who, after expressing the genuine pleasure he felt at seeing Jasmine +again, began at once on the subject which filled his mind. + +"I am so glad," he said, "to have this opportunity of asking you to +explain matters. At present I am completely nonplussed. On my return +from Peking I inquired of one of your father's servants about his +daughter. 'He has not got one,' quoth the man. I went to another, and +he said, 'You mean the "young noble," I suppose.' 'No, I don't,' I +said; 'I mean his sister.' 'Well, that is the only daughter I know +of,' said he. Then I went to your father, and all I could get out of +him was, 'Wait until the "young noble" comes home.' Please tell me +what all this means." + +"Your great desire is to marry a beautiful and accomplished girl, is +it not?" said Jasmine. + +"That certainly is my wish," said Wei. + +"Well then," said Jasmine, "I can assure you that your betrothal +present is in the hand of such a one, and a girl whom to look at is to +love." + +"That may be," said Wei, "But my wish is to marry your sister." + +"Will you go and talk to Tu about it?" said Jasmine, who felt that the +subject was becoming too difficult for her, and whose confidence in +Tu's wisdom was unbounded, "and he will explain it all to you." + +Even Tu, however, found it somewhat difficult to explain Jasmine's +sphinx-like mysteries, and on certain points Wei showed a disposition +to be anything but satisfied. Jasmine's engagement to Tu implied his +rejection, and he was disposed to be splenetic and disagreeable about +it. His pride was touched, and in his irritation he was inclined to +impute treachery to his friend and deceit to Jasmine. To the first +charge Tu had a ready answer, but the second was all the more annoying +because there was some truth in it. However, Tu was not in the humour +to quarrel, and being determined to seek peace and ensue it, he +overlooked Wei's innuendos and made out the best case he could for his +bride. On Miss King's beauty, virtues, and ability he enlarged with a +wealth of diction and power of imagination which astonished himself, +and Jasmine also, to whom he afterward repeated the conversation. +"Why, Tu, dear," said that artless maiden, "how can you know all this +about Miss King? You have never seen her, and I am sure I never told +you half of all this." + +"Don't ask questions," said the enraptured Tu. "Let it be enough for +you to know that Wei is as eager for the possession of Miss King as he +was for your sister, and that he has promised to be my best man at our +wedding to-morrow." + +And Wei was as good as his word. With every regard to ceremony and +ancient usage, the marriage of Tu and Jasmine was celebrated in the +presence of relatives and friends, who, attracted by the novelty of +the antecedent circumstances, came from all parts of the country to +witness the nuptials. By Tu's especial instructions also a prominence +was allowed to Wei, which gratified his vanity and smoothed down the +ruffled feathers of his conceit. + +Jasmine thought that no time should be lost in reducing Miss King to +the same spirit of acquiescence to which Wei had been brought, and on +the evening of her wedding-day she broached the subject to Tu. + +"I shall not feel, Tu, dear," she said, "that I have gained absolution +for my many deceptions until that very forward Miss King has been +talked over into marrying Wei; and I insist, therefore," she added, +with an amount of hesitancy which reduced the demand to the level of a +plaintive appeal, "that we start to-morrow for Ch'engtu to see the +young woman." + +"Ho! ho!" replied Tu, intensely amused at her attempted bravado. +"These are brave words, and I suppose that I must humbly register your +decrees." + +"O Tu, you know what I mean. You know that, like a child who takes a +delight in conquering toy armies, I love to fancy that I can command +so strong a man as you are. But, Tu, if you knew how absolutely I rely +on your judgment, you would humour my folly and say yes." + +There was a subtle incense of love and flattery about this appeal +which, backed as it was by a look of tenderness and beauty, made it +irresistible; and the arrangements for the journey were made in strict +accordance with Jasmine's wishes. + +On arriving at the inn which was so full of chastening memories to +Jasmine, Tu sent his card to Mr. King, who, flattered by the attention +paid him by so eminent a scholar, cordially invited Tu to his house. + +"To what," he said, as Tu, responding to his invitation, entered his +reception-hall, "am I to attribute the honour of receiving your +illustrious steps in my mean apartments?" + +"I have heard," said Tu, "that the beautiful Miss King is your +Excellency's cousin, and having a friend who is desirous of gaining +her hand, I have come to plead on his behalf." + +"I regret to say," replied King, "that your Excellency has come too +late, as she has already received an engagement token from a Mr. Wen, +who passed here lately on his way to Peking." + +"Mr. Wen is a friend of mine also," said Tu, "and it was because I +knew that his troth was already plighted that I ventured to come on +behalf of him of whom I have spoken." + +"Mr. Wen," said King, "is a gentleman and a scholar, and having given +a betrothal present, he is certain to communicate with us direct in +case of any difficulty." + +"Will you, old gentleman," [a term of respect] said Tu, producing the +lines which Miss King had sent Jasmine, "just cast your eyes over +these verses, written to Wen by your cousin? Feeling most regretfully +that he was unable to fulfil his engagement, Wen gave these to me as a +testimony of the truth of what I now tell you." + +King took the paper handed him by Tu, and recognised at a glance his +cousin's handwriting. + +"Alas!" he said, "Mr Wen told us he was engaged, but, not believing +him, I urged him to consent to marry my cousin. If you will excuse me, +sir," he added, "I will consult with the lady as to what should be +done." + +After a short absence he returned. + +"My cousin is of the opinion," he said, "that she cannot enter into +any new engagement until Mr. Wen has come here himself and received +back the betrothal present which he gave her on parting." + +"I dare not deceive you, old gentleman, and will tell you at once that +that betrothal present was not Wen's but was my unworthy friend Wei's, +and came into Wen's possession in a way that I need not now explain." + +"Still," said King, "my cousin thinks Mr. Wen should present himself +here in person and tell his own story; and I must say that I am of her +opinion." + +"It is quite impossible that Mr. Wen should return here," replied Tu; +"but my 'stupid thorn' [wife] is in the adjoining hostelry, and would +be most happy to explain fully to Miss King Wen's entire inability to +play the part of a husband to her." + +"If your honourable consort would meet my cousin, she, I am sure, will +be glad to talk the matter over with her." + +With Tu's permission, Miss King's maid was sent to the inn to invite +Jasmine to call on her mistress. The maid, who was the same who had +acted as Miss King's messenger on the former occasion, glanced long +and earnestly at Jasmine. Her features were familiar to her, but she +could not associate them with any lady of her acquaintance. As she +conducted her to Miss King's apartments, she watched her stealthily, +and became more and more puzzled by her appearance. Miss King received +her with civility, and after exchanging wishes that each might be +granted ten thousand blessings, Jasmine said, smiling: + +"Do you recognise Mr. Wen?" + +Miss King looked at her, and seeing in her a likeness to her beloved, +said: + +"What relation are you to him, lady?" + +"I am his very self!" said Jasmine. + +Miss King opened her eyes wide at this startling announcement, and +gazed earnestly at her. + +"/Haiyah!/" cried her maid, clapping her hands, "I thought there was a +wonderful likeness between the lady and Mr. Wen. But who would have +thought that she was he?" + +"But what made you disguise yourself in that fashion?" asked Miss +King, in an abashed and somewhat vexed tone. + +"My father was in difficulties," said Jasmine, "and as it was +necessary that I should go to Peking to plead for him, I dressed as a +man for the convenience of travel. You will remember that in the first +instance I declined your flattering overtures, but when I found that +you persisted in your proposal, not being able to explain the truth, I +thought the best thing to do was to hand you my friend's betrothal +present which I had with me, intending to return and explain matters. +And you will admit that in one thing I was truthful." + +"What was that?" asked the maid. + +"Why," answered Jasmine, "I said that if I did not marry your lady I +would never marry any woman." + +"Well, yes," said the maid, laughing, "you have kept your faith +royally there." + +"The friend I speak of," continued Jasmine, "has now taken his +doctor's degree, and this stupid husband and wife have come from +Mienchu to make you a proposal on his behalf." + +Miss King was not one who could readily take in an entirely new and +startling idea, and she sat with a half-dazed look, staring at Jasmine +without uttering a word. If it had not been for the maid, the +conversation would have ceased; but that young woman was determined to +probe the matter to the bottom. + +"You have not told us," she said, "the gentleman's name. And will you +explain why you call him your friend? How could you be on terms of +friendship with him?" + +"From my childhood," said Jasmine, "I have always dressed as a boy. I +went to a boy's school--" + +"/Haiyah!/" interjected the maid. + +"And afterward I joined my husband and this gentleman, Mr. Wei, in a +reading-party." + +"Didn't they discover your secret?" + +"No." + +"Never?" + +"Never." + +"That's odd," said the maid. "But will you tell us something about +this Mr. Wei?" + +Upon this, Jasmine launched out in a glowing eulogy upon her friend. +She expatiated with fervour on his youth, good looks, learning, and +prospects, and with such effect did she speak that Miss King, who +began to take in the situation, ended by accepting cordially Jasmine's +proposal. + +"And now, lady, you must stay and dine with me," said Miss King, when +the bargain was struck, "while my cousin entertains your husband in +the hall." + +At this meal the beginning of a friendship was formed between the two +ladies which lasted ever afterward, though it was somewhat unevenly +balanced. Jasmine's stronger nature felt compassion mingled with +liking for the pretty doll-like Miss King, while the young lady +entertained the profoundest admiration for her guest. + +There was nothing to delay the fulfilment of the engagement thus +happily arranged, and at the next full moon Miss King had an +opportunity of comparing her bridegroom with the picture which Jasmine +had drawn of him. + +Scholars are plentiful in China, but it was plainly impossible that +men of such distinguished learning as Tu and Wei should be left among +the unemployed, and almost immediately after their marriage they were +appointed to important posts in the empire. Tu rose rapidly to the +highest rank, and died, at a good old age, viceroy of the metropolitan +province and senior guardian to the heir apparent. Wei was not so +supremely fortunate, but then, as Tu used to say, "he had not a +Jasmine to help him." + + + +THE REVENGE OF HER RACE + +BY + +MARY BEAUMONT + + + +The low hedge, where the creepers climbed, divided the lawn and its +magnificent Wellingtonias from the meadow. There was little grass to +be seen, for it was at this time one vast profusion of delicate ixias +of every bright and tender shade. + +The evening was still, and the air heavy with scent. In a room opening +upon the veranda wreathed with white-and-scarlet passion-flowers, +where she could see the garden and the meadow, and, beyond all, the +Mountain Beautiful, lay a sick woman. Her dark face was lovely as an +autumn leaf is lovely--hectic with the passing life. Her eyes wandered +to the upper snows of the mountain, from time to time resting upon the +brown-haired English girl who sat on a low stool by her side, holding +the frail hand in her cool, firm clasp. + +The invalid was speaking; her voice was curiously sweet, and there was +a peculiarity about the "s," and an occasional turn of the sentence, +which told the listener that her English was an acquired language. + +"I am glad he is not here," she said slowly. "I do not want him to +have pain." + +"But perhaps, Mrs. Denison, you will be much better in a day or two, +and able to welcome him when he comes back." + +"No, I shall not be here when he comes back, and it is just as it +should be. I asked him to turn round as he left the garden, and I +could see him, oh, so well! He looked kind and so beautiful, and he +waved to me his hand. Now he will come back, and he will be sad. He +did not want to leave me, but the governor sent for him. He will be +sad, and he will remember that I loved him, and some day he will be +glad again." She smiled into the troubled face near her. + +The girl stroked the thick dark hair lovingly. + +"Don't," she implored; "it hurts me. You are better to-night, and the +children are coming in." Mrs. Denison closed her eyes, and with her +left hand she covered her face. + +"No, not the children," she whispered, "not my darlings. I cannot bear +it. I must see them no more." She pressed her companion's hand with a +sudden close pressure. "But you will help them, Alice; you will make +them English like you--like him. We will not pretend to-night; it is +not long that I shall speak to you. I ask you to promise me to help +them to be English." + +"Dear," the girl urged, "they are such a delicious mixture of England +and New Zealand--prettier, sweeter than any mere English child could +ever be. They are enchanting." + +But into the dying woman's eyes leaped an eager flame. + +"They must all be English, no Maori!" she cried. A violent fit of +coughing interrupted her, and when the paroxysm was over she was too +exhausted to speak. The English nurse, Mrs. Bentley, an elderly +Yorkshire woman, who had been with Mrs. Denison since her first baby +came six years ago, and who had, in fact, been Horace Denison's own +nurse-maid, came in and sent the agitated girl into the garden. "For +you haven't had a breath of fresh air to-day," she said. + +At the door Alice turned. The large eyes were resting upon her with an +intent and solemn regard, in which lay a message. "What was it?" she +thought, as she passed through the wide hall sweet with flowers. "She +wanted to say something; I am sure she did. To-morrow I will ask her." +But before the morrow came she knew. Mrs. Dennison had said /good- +bye/. + +The funeral was over. Mr. Denison, who had looked unaccountably ill +and weary for months, had been sent home by Mr. Danby for at least a +year's change and rest, and the doctor's young sister had yielded to +various pressure, and promised to stay with the children until he +returned. There was every reason for it. She had loved and been loved +by the gentle Maori mother; she delighted in the dark beauty and +sweetness of the children. And they, on their side, clung to her as to +an adorable fairy relative, dowered with love and the fruits of love-- +tales and new games and tender ways. Best reason of all, in a sense, +Mrs. Bentley, that kind autocrat, entreated her to stay, "as the +happiest thing for the children, and to please that poor lamb we laid +yonder, who fair longed that you should! She was mightily taken up +with you, Miss Danby, and you've your brother and his wife near, so +that you won't be lonesome, and if there's aught I can do to make you +comfortable, you've only to speak, miss." As for Mr. Denison, he was +pathetically grateful and relieved when Alice promised to remain. + +After the evening romp and the last good-night, when the two elder +children, Ben and Marie, called after her mother, Maritana, had given +her their last injunctions to be sure and come for them "her very own +self" on her way down to breakfast in the morning, she usually rode +down between the cabbage-trees, down by the old rata, fired last +autumn, away through the grasslands to the doctor's house, a few miles +nearer Rochester; or he and his wife would ride out to chat with her. +But there were many evenings when she preferred the quiet of the airy +house and the garden. The colonial life was new to her, everything had +its charm, and in the colonies there is always a letter to write to +those at home--the mail-bag is never satisfied. On such evenings it +was her custom to cross the meadow to the copse of feathery trees +beyond, where, sung to by the brook and the Tui, the children's mother +slept. And from the high presence of the Mountain Beautiful there fell +a dew of peace. + +She would often ask Mrs. Bentley to sit with her until bedtime, and +revel in the shrewd north-country woman's experiences, and her +impressions of the new land to which love had brought her. Both women +grew to have a sincere and trustful affection for each other, and one +night, seven or eight months after Mrs. Denison's death, Mrs. Bentley +told a story which explained what had frequently puzzled Alice--the +patient sorrow in Mrs. Denison's eyes, and Mr. Denison's harassed and +dejected manner. "But for your goodness to the children," said the old +woman, "and the way that precious baby takes to you, I don't think I +should be willing to say what I am going to do, miss. Though my dear +mistress wished it, and said, the very last night, 'You must tell her +all about it, some day, Nana,'--and I promised, to quiet her,--I don't +think I could bring myself to it if I hadn't lived with you and known +you." And then the good nurse told her strange and moving tale. + +She described how her master had come out young and careless-hearted +to New Zealand in the service of the government, and how scandalised +and angry his father and mother, the old Tory squire and his wife, had +been to receive from him, after a year or two, letters brimming with a +boyish love for his "beautiful Maori princess," whom he described as +having "the sweetest heart and the loveliest eyes in the world." It +gave them little comfort to hear that her father was one of the +wealthiest Maoris in the island, and that, though but half civilised +himself, he had had his daughter well educated in the "bishop's" and +other English schools. To them she was a savage. There was no threat +of disinheritance, for there was nothing for him to inherit. There was +little money, and the estate was entailed on the elder brother. But +all that could be done to intimidate him was done, and in vain. Then +silence fell between the parents and the son. + +But one spring day came the news of a grandson, called Benjamin after +his grandfather, and an urgent letter from their boy himself, +enclosing a prettily and humbly worded note from the new strange +daughter, begging for an English nurse. She told them that she had now +no father and no mother, for they had died before the baby came, and +if she might love her husband's parents a little she would be glad. + +"My lady read the letters to me herself," Mrs. Bentley said; "I'd +taken the housekeeper's place a bit before, and she asked me to find +her a sensible young woman. Well, I tried, but there wasn't a girl in +the place that was fit to nurse Master Horace's child. And the end of +it was, I came myself, for Master Horace had been like my own when he +was a little lad. My lady pretended to be vexed with me, but the day I +sailed she thanked me in words I never thought to hear from her, for +she was a bit proud always." The faithful servant's voice trembled. +She leaned back in her chair, and forgot for the moment the new house +and the new duties. She was back again in the old nursery with the +fair-haired child playing about her knees. But Alice's face recalled +her, and she continued the story. She had, she said, dreaded the +meeting with her new mistress, and was prepared to find her "a sort of +a heathen woman, who'd pull down Master Horace till he couldn't call +himself a gentleman." + +But when she saw the graceful creature who received her with gentle +words and gestures of kindliness, and when she found her young master +not only content, but happy, and when she took in her arms the +laughing healthy baby, she felt--though she regretted its dark eyes +and hair--more at home than she could have believed possible. The +nurseries were so large and comfortable, and so much consideration was +shown to her, that she confessed, "I should have been more ungrateful +than a cat if I hadn't settled comfortable." + +Then came nearly five happy years, during which time her young +mistress had found a warm and secure place in the good Yorkshire +heart. "She was that loving and that kind that Dick Burdas, the groom, +used to say that he believed she was an angel as had took up with them +dark folks, to show 'em what an angel was like." Mrs. Bentley went on: + +"She wasn't always quite happy, and I wondered what brought the shadow +into her face, and why she would at times sigh that deep that I could +have cried. After a bit I knew what it was. It was the Maori in her. +She told me one night that she was a wicked woman, and ought never to +have married Master Horace, for she got tired sometimes of the English +house and its ways, and longed for her father's /whare/; (that's a +native hut, miss). She grieved something awful one day when she had +been to see old Tim, the Maori who lives behind the stables. She +called herself a bad and ungrateful woman, and thought there must be +some evil spirit in her tempting her into the old ways, because, when +she saw Tim eating, and you know what bad stuff they eat, she had fair +longed to join him. She gave me a fright I didn't get over for nigh a +week. She leaned her bonny head against my knee, and I stroked her +cheek and hummed some silly nursery tune,--for she was all of a +tremble and like a child,--and she fell asleep just where she was." + +"Poor thing!" said Alice, softly. + +"Eh, but it's what's coming that upsets me, ma'am. Eh, what suffering +for my pretty lamb, and her that wouldn't have hurt a worm! Baby would +be about six months old when she came in one day with him in her arms, +and they /were/ a picture. His little hand was fast in her hair. She +always walked as if she'd wheels on her feet, that gliding and +graceful. She had on a sort of sheeny yellow silk, and her cheeks were +like them damask roses at home, and her eyes fair shone like stars. +'Isn't he a beauty, Nana?' she asked me. 'If only he had blue eyes, +and that hair of gold like my husband's, and not these ugly eyes of +mine!' And as she spoke she sighed as I dreaded to hear. Then she told +me to help her to unpack her new dress from Paris, which she was to +wear at the Rochester races the next day. Master Horace always chose +her dresses, and he was right proud of her in them. And next morning +he came into the nursery with her, and she was all in pale red, and +that beautiful! 'Isn't she scrumptious, Nana?' he said, in his boyish +way. 'Don't spoil her dress, children. How like her Marie grows!' +Those two little ones they had got her on her knees on the ground, and +were hugging her as if they couldn't let her go. But when he said +that, she got up very still and white. + +" 'I am sorry,' she said; 'they must never be like me.' + +" 'They can't be any one better, can they, baby?' he answered her, and +he tossed the child nearly up to the ceiling. But he looked worried as +he went out. I saw them drive away, and they looked happy enough. And +oh, miss, I saw them come back. We were in the porch, me and the +children. Master Horace lifted her down, and I heard him say, 'Never +mind, Marie.' But she never looked his way nor ours; she walked +straight in and upstairs to her room, past my bonny darling with his +arm stretched out to her, and past Miss Marie, who was jumping up and +down, and shouting 'Muvver'; and I heard her door shut. Then Master +Horace took baby from me. + +" 'Go up to her,' he said, and I could scarce hear him. His face was +all drawn like, but I felt that silly and stupid that I could say +nothing, and just went upstairs." Mrs. Bentley put her knitting down, +and throwing her apron over her head sobbed aloud. + +"O nurse, what was it?" cried Alice, and the colour left her cheeks. +"Do tell me. I am so sorry for them. What was it?" It was several +minutes before the good woman could recover herself; then she began: + +"She told me, and Dick Burdas he told me, and it was like this. When +they got to the race-course,--it was the first races they'd had in +Rochester,--all the gentry was there, and those that knew her always +made a deal of her, she had such half-shy, winning ways. And she +seemed very bright, Dick said, talking with the governor's lady, who +is full of fun and sparkle. The carriages were all together, and Major +Beaumont, a kind old gentleman who's always been a good friend to +Master Horace, would have them in his carriage for luncheon, or +whatever it was. Dick says he was thinking that she was the prettiest +lady there, when his eye was caught by two or three parties of Maoris +setting themselves right in front of the carriages. There were four or +five in each lot, and they were mostly old. They got out their sharks' +flesh and that bad corn they eat, and began to make their meal of +them. Near Mrs. Denison there was one old man with a better sort of +face, and Dick heard her say to master, 'Isn't he like my father?' +What Master Horace answered he didn't hear; he says he never saw +anything like her face, so sad and wild, and working for all the world +as if something were fighting her within. Then all in a minute she ran +out and slipped down in her beautiful dress close by the old Maori in +his dirty rags, and was rubbing her face against his, as them folks do +when they meet. She had just taken a mouthful of the raw fish when +Master Horace missed her. He hadn't noticed her slip away. But in a +moment he seemed to understand what it meant. He saw the Maori come +out strong in her face, and he knew the Maori had got the better of +everything, husband and friends and all. He gave a little cry, and in +a minute he had her on her feet and was bringing her back to the +carriage. Some folks thought Dick Burdas a rough hard man, and I know +he was a shocker of a lad (he was fra Whitby), but that night he cried +like a baby when he tell 't me," and Mrs. Bentley fell for a moment +into the dialect of her youth. + +"He said," she continued, "that she looked like a poor stricken thing +condemned, and let herself be led back as submissive as a child, and +Master Horace's face was like the dead. He didn't think any one but +the major and Dr. Danby saw her go, all was done in a minute. But it +was done, and some few had seen, and it got out, and things were said +that wasn't true. Not the doctor! No, miss, you needn't tell me that; +he's told none, that I'll warrant. He's faithful and he's close." + +"O Mrs. Bentley, how dreadful for her, how dreadful!" and the girl +went down on her knees by the old woman, her tears flowing fast. + +"That's it, miss, you understand. I feel like that. It was bad enough +for Master Horace with the future before him, and his children to +think of, but for her it was desperate cruel. Eh, ma'am, what she went +through! She loved more than you'd have thought us poor human beings +could. And, after all, the nature was in her; she didn't put it there. +I've had a deal to do to keep down sinful thoughts since then; there's +a lot of things that's wrong in this world, ma'am." + +"What did she do?" Alice whispered. + +"She! She was for going away and leaving everything; she felt herself +the worst woman in the world. It was only by begging and praying of +her on my knees that I got her to stay in the house that night, for +she was so far English, and had such a fancy, that she saw everything +blacker than any Englishwoman would, even the partick'lerest. +Afterward Master Horace was that good and gentle, and she loved him so +much, that he persuaded her to say nothing more about it, and to try +to live as if it hadn't been. And so she seemed to do, outward like, +to other people. But it wasn't ever the same again. Something had +broken in them both; with him it was his trust and his pride, but in +her it was her heart." + +"But the children--surely they comforted her." + +"Eh, miss, that was the worst. Poor lamb, poor lamb! Never after that +day, though they were more to her nor children ever were to a mother +before, would she have them with her. Just a morning and a good-night +kiss, and a quarter of an hour at most, and I must take them away. She +watched them play in the garden from her window or the little hill +there, and when they were asleep she would sit by them for hours, +saying how bonny they were and how good they were growing. And she +looked after their clothes and their food and every little toy and +pleasure, but never came in for a romp and a chat any more." + +"Dear, brave heart!" murmured the girl. + +"Yes, ma'am, you feel for her, I know. She was fair terrified of them +turning Maori and shaming their father. That was it. You didn't +notice? No; after you came she was too ill to bear them about, and it +seemed natural, I dare say. The Maoris are a fearful delicate set of +folks. A bad cold takes them off into consumption directly. And with +her there was the sorrow as well as the cold. It was wonderful that +she lived so long." + +Alice threw her arms round Mrs. Bentley's neck. + +"O nurse, it is all so dreadful and sad. Couldn't we have somehow kept +her with us and made her happy?" + +The old woman held her close. "Nay, my dear bairn, never after that +happened. It, or worse, might have come again. It's something stronger +in them than we know; it's the very blood, I'm thinking. But she's +gone to be the angel that Dick always said she was." + +Alice looked away over the starlit garden to where the plumy trees +stirred in the night wind. "No," she said, fervently, "not 'gone to +be,' nurse dear; she was an angel always. Dick was right." + + + +KING BILLY OF BALLARAT + +BY + +MORLEY ROBERTS + + + +King Billy was given to strolling up and down the streets of Ballarat +when that eviscerated city was merely in process of disembowelment, +before alluvial mining gave way to quartz-crushing, when the +individual had a chance, if a very vague one, of sudden and delightful +fortune. The Ballarat blacks were a scaly lot, to talk of them like +ill-fed hogs, as men were wont to do. They dwined and dwindled, as +natives will before the resources of civilisation: the bloodthirsty +ones got killed out; the rumthirsty ones died out; the wild corroboree +was reduced to a poverty-stricken imitation of its former glory. King +Billy's authority grew less with the increase of his clothes. The +brass plate with his name on it was about the last relic of his +precarious power, and was chiefly valued as a means of notifying the +public generally that they might stand drinks to a monarch if they saw +fit and were not too humble. He was not haughty, and never presumed on +his plate, as parvenus will. He came of an ancient stock, and could +afford to condescend, even if he could not afford to pay for drinks. +He was very kind to children,--white children, of course,--and was +hale-fellow-well-met with many of them. + +He was particularly fond of Annie Colborn, whose father was a +magistrate and a gold commissioner, and a person of very great +importance. Whether or not King Billy was wise in his generation, and +out of the unwritten Scriptures of the somber bush had culled a maxim +inculcating the wisdom of making friends of the sons of Mammon, I +cannot say, but he was always good to Annie. For my own part, I do not +believe the simple-hearted old king had any such notion inside his +thick antipodean skull. He was good because he was not bad, which is +the very best morality after all, and a great advance on much we hear +of. And, besides, he was sometimes hungry, and Mr. Colborn's Chinese +cook was very haughty, and not to be approached except through an +intermediary. And who so capable of conciliating Wong as Annie? Wong +would make her cakes even when his pigtail hung despondently from his +aching head after an opium debauch, and his cheeks were shining with +anything but gladness; for if you get drunk very often on opium you +shine. + +Old Billy was mostly to be found where there was a chance of a drink; +but if the fountains were dried up, or he had been insulted by some +democratic, revolutionary, king-hating miner knocking his high hat +down over his eyes, he usually went up to Mr. Colborn's place, and sat +on the fence, or on a log outside the gate. So he was often very +melancholy when Annie came out. One day his hat was very, very badly +bulged indeed. + +"Your hat is very bad to-day, King Billy," said six-year-old Annie, as +she stood in front of him critically, with her head on one side. +Without knowing it, the child had come to look upon the state of the +poor king's hat as emblematical of his state of mind. When it shut up +like a closed concertina his barometer was low. + +"Yes, missy," said the king; "white man knock 'um over eyes, and"-- +with a rub down his face--"skin 'um nose." + +She inspected his nose carefully--though from a certain distance, +because her own nose was very good, both inside and out, and she knew +the king never got washed unless it rained when he was very drunk. And +this was the end of summer. It had not rained since November. + +"There is not very much skin off," said Annie. "You had better wash +it." + +The king made a wry face and changed the conversation. + +"You got 'um hat, Missy Annie? One hat baal brokum, allasame white +fellow hat. Bad hat, King Billy bad; black fellow, white fellow +laugh." + +He peered into his hat, and, trying to straighten it out, put his fist +through the side. Poor Billy looked as if he could cry. + +"You stop a minute," said Annie, and, flying indoors, she brought out +a very good high hat indeed. "Budgeree!" thought the king, that was a +good hat. He could go down the streets like a king indeed, able to +hold up his head with any rich man in Ballarat. He tried it on, and +though it was much too big, he knew it shone. And the glory of a hat +is in its shining as much as its shape; even a black fellow knows +that. + +But that hat very nearly led to serious trouble. For one thing, Mr. +Colborn missed it; and never thinking Annie had given it away, when he +saw the king sitting on the fence decorated with it, he stopped and +interviewed him. + +"Where did you get that hat, you old thief?" asked the magistrate, +without any politeness to him who ruled the land before white men +broke into the country. Some in authority are polite to those they +dispossess; the Prussians, for instance, to the miserable King Billys +who strut about the empire. But the Anglo-Saxon only respects himself, +and even that to a limited extent, in new conquests. + +The question troubled King Billy greatly. He did not know that Mr. +Colborn would as soon have thought of murdering Annie as of bullying +her; so he lied promptly: "Me buy 'um, Mistah Cobon!" + +Mr. Colborn took it off of his head, and saw that it was his, as he +had thought. What he would have said I do not know, for just then he +heard a voice behind him: + +"Papa, it is my fault; I gave it to King Billy." + +Colborn turned round and took her up, letting fall the hat as he did +so. Billy made a jump, picked it up, and, in his agitation, brushed it +carefully the wrong way. + +"My dear, if you gave it to him it's all right. But why didn't the old +fool tell me?" + +"He's not an old fool, papa, and you must not say so. He's a good man, +and I think he thought you would be angry with me. Didn't you, King +Billy?" And the king, with a smile of conscious rectitude, admitted it +was so. + +Mr. Colborn gave him sixpence; and he gave Annie a great many kisses, +declaring, with uncommon thoughtlessness, that whatever she did was +right, and that she could give the king all his house, and Australia +to boot. Whereon King Billy smiled a smile that was portentous, and +showed his teeth to the uttermost recesses of his ample mouth. Looking +down, he surveyed the rest of his clothes, which in parts resembled +the child's definition of a net as a lot of holes tied together with +string, and, looking up, he inspected Mr. Colborn as if estimating the +resources of his wardrobe. But being urgently smitten with the +necessity of getting rid of his sixpence, he shambled off into the +town. Other matters might wait; that admitted of no delay. + +The mind of King Billy was not a big mind; it would no more have taken +in an abstract idea than his /gunyah/ would have accommodated a grand +piano. He was as simple as sunlight, and to resolve his intellect into +seven colours would want the most ingenious spectroscope. But he could +make an inference from a positive fact, and, having made it, he did +not allow more remote deductions to trouble his legitimate conclusion. +He ceased to fear Mr. Colborn, and began to look upon the magistrate's +property as if it were at least half his own. So he got very drunk on +the hospitality of a new chum miner who had been successful, and +presently, presuming on his new possessions, got into a fight with his +entertainer and a disrespectful subking of his own blacks, and was +reduced to worse rags than ever. + +Next morning he sat outside the magistrate's house, on the lowest log +he could find, and when Mr. Colborn came out he tackled him with the +air of a subject king demanding redress of his suzerain. + +"Well, Billy, what is it?" asked the suzerain. + +"You belong gublement?" said Billy the king, with a question, an +implied doubt, and a great complaint in his voice. Colborn laughed. + +"Why, yes, Billy; I belong to the government, I suppose." + +"Then," said Billy, "what you say to white fellow make 'um black +fellow drunk, knock 'um all about? Call you that gublement?" And he +showed his kingly robe, which had once been a frock-coat, with great +disgust. + +However, he met with no favour, and was told that he should not get +drunk--that it served him right; with which magisterial decision +Colborn got on his horse and rode off to the flat. + +The king sat down sadly and considered thickly in his slow brain. +Annie did not come out, and he knew better than to ask for her, for +Mr. Colborn's niece, who kept house for him, was but newly come from +home, and thought all black fellows congenital murderers, which indeed +they are in some parts of the north. So Billy sat and waited, for he +wanted a new coat. How could he be respected in one whose natural +divisions were unnaturally extended to the very neck? It was obviously +necessary to get a new garment at once, and the best chance of a good +one lay in little Annie's kindness. But in order to obviate the +slightest chance of his girl patron's refusing, he must bring her some +offering. He went off into the bush at the back of the town, and, +coming to where three or four black fellows were camped, he sat down +and talked with them. In spite of the heat, a wretched old gin, +muffled up in her one garment, a ragged blanket, held her hands over +the few burning sticks which represent an Australian native's idea of +a fire. Presently King Billy rose, and, taking a tomahawk, went +farther into the bush. He looked about, and at last came to a tree, +which he climbed native fashion, first discarding his clothes. When +near the first big branches he came to a hole, and, putting in his +hand, he extracted a lively young possum by the tail. + +Next morning he was sitting on the Colborns' fence as usual. At his +feet was a little box with two or three slats nailed roughly across +it. Inside was the possum. King Billy wondered what kind of a coat he +could get. He liked a frock-coat; there was something majestic about +it, something fine and ample. Common morning coats would not do; no +one would insult a king by offering him tweed; even little Annie knew +better than that, especially if he gave her a live possum he had +caught himself. And when Annie did come out, she was in the seventh +heaven of delight with the possum, and ready to bestow anything in the +world on King Billy. + +"You give poor Billy one fellow coat, missy, and he go down along +street like a king." + +Annie flew into the house and seized the first garment she laid her +little hands on. It was her father's dress-coat. She rolled it up, +and, running out, thrust it excitedly into the king's black paw. As he +went off, she carried the possum indoors, and was deliriously happy +for hours. + +King Billy hurried into the bush till he came to a water-hole, and, +stripping off his rags, he held up the coat. His jaw fell; there was a +remarkable exiguity about the coat which was inexplicable. He had +never observed such in his life. He put it on, and, bending over the +surface of the still pool, took a good look at the general effect. It +was not bad from some points of view, but Billy had his doubts as to +whether he would be received with the respect due to his title if he +went into Ballarat clothed thus. He tried to button it, but discovered +that, if it had ever been intended for buttoning, he could not get it +to meet across his chest. He picked up his discarded frock-coat, which +was held together by the collar; then he felt the stuff of which the +dress-coat was made, and the material pleased him. "Oh, why," asked +Billy, "had it not been made with front tails?" He saw at last that +this coat and his high hat alone were insufficient for civilisation. +For full dress in a corroboree it might do. Unconsciously, he was so +wrought upon by the purpose for which the coat had been built that he +determined to reserve it for parties in the seclusion of the bush, +where any merriment could be rightly checked by a crack from his +waddy. He planted it carefully in a hollow log, and, having inserted +himself with as much care into his discarded rags, he wondered off +into the town. He got very intoxicated that night, and determined to +have a party all by himself. + +Now it may seem very annoying, and I confess I find it so myself; but, +having got so far, I don't see my way to tell the rest, even if Annie +Colborn told me the story herself. For after her father's death she +married a man who had a small sheep-station and a hotel not forty +miles from Carabobla, in New South Wales. I stayed there a couple of +days when I was going north to the Murrumbidgee. But though she told +me, I cannot tell it again, at least not in bold, bad print. Still, it +will occur to most that a man of King Billy's sweet and innocent +disposition might very likely create a sensation, when his natural +discretion was drowned in bad whisky, if he ended his solitary +corroboree in the moonlight by going up to Colborn's house in order to +deliver a speech of gratitude through the French windows. + +So Colborn and the king had a corroboree all to themselves in the open +space before the house, while the gold commissioner's guests roared +with laughter to find out where the missing dress-coat was. Next day +King Billy resumed the split frock-coat. + + + +THY HEART'S DESIRE + +BY + +NETTA SYRETT + + + +The tents were pitched in the little plain surrounded by hills. Right +and left there were stretches of tender, vivid green where the young +corn was springing; farther still, on either hand, the plain was +yellow with mustard-flower; but in the immediate foreground it was +bare and stony. A few thorny bushes pushed their straggling way +through the dry soil, ineffectively as far as the grace of the +landscape was concerned, for they merely served to emphasise the +barren aridness of the land that stretched before the tents, sloping +gradually to the distant hills. + +The hills were uninteresting enough in themselves; they had no +grandeur of outline, no picturesqueness even, though at morning and +evening the sun, like a great magician, clothed them with beauty at a +touch. + +They had begun to change, to soften, to blush rose red in the evening +light, when a woman came to the entrance of the largest of the tents +and looked toward them. She leaned against the support on one side of +the canvas flap, and, putting back her head, rested that, too, against +it, while her eyes wandered over the plain and over the distant hills. + +She was bareheaded, for the covering of the tent projected a few feet +to form an awning overhead. The gentle breeze which had risen with +sundown stirred the soft brown tendrils of hair on her temples, and +fluttered her pink cotton gown a little. She stood very still, with +her arms hanging and her hands clasped loosely in front of her. There +was about her whole attitude an air of studied quiet which in some +vague fashion the slight clasp of her hands accentuated. Her face, +with its tightly, almost rigidly closed lips, would have been quite in +keeping with the impression of conscious calm which her entire +presence suggested, had it not been that when she raised her eyes a +strange contradiction to this idea was afforded. They were large gray +eyes, unusually bright and rather startling in effect, for they seemed +the only live thing about her. Gleaming from her still, set face, +there was something almost alarming in their brilliancy. They softened +with a sudden glow of pleasure as they rested on the translucent green +of the wheat-fields under the broad generous sunlight, and then +wandered to where the pure vivid yellow of the mustard-flower spread +in waves to the base of the hills, now mystically veiled in radiance. +She stood motionless, watching their melting, elusive changes from +palpitating rose to the transparent purple of amethyst. The stillness +of evening was broken by the monotonous, not unmusical creaking of a +Persian wheel at some little distance to the left of the tent. The +well stood in a little grove of trees; between their branches she +could see, when she turned her head, the coloured saris of the village +women, where they stood in groups chattering as they drew the water, +and the little naked brown babies that toddled beside them or sprawled +on the hard ground beneath the trees. From the village of flat-roofed +mud houses under the low hill at the back of the tents, other women +were crossing the plain toward the well, their terra-cotta water-jars +poised easily on their heads, casting long shadows on the sun-baked +ground as they came. + +Presently, in the distance, from the direction of the sunlit hills +opposite a little group of men came into sight. Far off, the mustard- +coloured jackets and the red turbans of the orderlies made vivid +splashes of colour on the dull plain. As they came nearer, the guns +slung across their shoulders, the cases of mathematical instruments, +the hammers, and other heavy baggage they carried for the sahib, +became visible. A little in front, at walking pace rode the sahib +himself, making notes as he came in a book he held before him. The +girl at the tent entrance watched the advance of the little company +indifferently, it seemed; except for a slight tightening of the +muscles about her mouth, her face remained unchanged. While he was +still some little distance away, the man with the notebook raised his +head and smiled awkwardly as he saw her standing there. Awkwardness, +perhaps, best describes the whole man. He was badly put together, +loose-jointed, ungainly. The fact that he was tall profited him +nothing, for it merely emphasised the extreme ungracefulness of his +figure. His long pale face was made paler by the shock of coarse, tow- +coloured hair; his eyes, even, looked colourless, though they were +certainly the least uninteresting feature of his face, for they were +not devoid of expression. He had a way of slouching when he moved that +singularly intensified the general uncouthness of his appearance. "Are +you very tired?" asked his wife, gently, when he had dismounted close +to the tent. The question would have been an unnecessary one had it +been put to her instead of to her husband, for her voice had that +peculiar flat toneless sound for which extreme weariness is +answerable. + +"Well, no, my dear, not very," he replied, drawling out the words with +an exasperating air of delivering a final verdict, after deep +reflection on the subject. + +The girl glanced once more at the fading colours on the hills. "Come +in and rest," she said, moving aside a little to let him pass. + +She stood lingering a moment after he had entered the tent, as though +unwilling to leave the outer air; and before she turned to follow him +she drew a deep breath, and her hand went for one swift second to her +throat as though she felt stifled. + +Later on that evening she sat in her tent, sewing by the light of the +lamp that stood on her little table. + +Opposite to her, her husband stretched his ungainly length in a deck- +chair, and turned over a pile of official notes. Every now and then +her eyes wandered from the gay silks of the table-cover she was +embroidering to the canvas walls which bounded the narrow space into +which their few household goods were crowded. Outside there was a deep +hush. The silence of the vast empty plain seemed to work its way +slowly, steadily in toward the little patch of light set in its midst. +The girl felt it in every nerve; it was as though some soft-footed, +noiseless, shapeless creature, whose presence she only dimly divined, +was approaching nearer--/nearer/. The heavy outer stillness was in +some way made more terrifying by the rustle of the papers her husband +was reading, by the creaking of his chair as he moved, and by the +little fidgeting grunts and half-exclamations which from time to time +broke from him. His wife's hand shook at every unintelligible mutter +from him, and the slight habitual contraction between her eyes +deepened. + +All at once she threw her work down on to the table. "For heaven's +sake--/please/, John, /talk/!" she cried. Her eyes, for the moment's +space in which they met the startled ones of her husband, had a wild, +hunted look, but it was gone almost before his slow brain had time to +note that it had been there--and was vaguely disturbing. She laughed a +little unsteadily. + +"Did I startle you? I'm sorry. I"--she laughed again--"I believe I'm a +little nervous. When one is all day alone--" She paused without +finishing the sentence. The man's face changed suddenly. A wave of +tenderness swept over it, and at the same time an expression of half- +incredulous delight shone in his pale eyes. + +"Poor little girl, are you really lonely?" he said. Even the real +feeling in his tone failed to rob his voice of its peculiarly +irritating grating quality. He rose awkwardly, and moved to his wife's +side. + +Involuntarily she shrank a little, and the hand which he had stretched +out to touch her hair sank to his side. She recovered herself +immediately, and turned her face up to his, though she did not raise +her eyes; but he did not kiss her. Instead, he stood in an embarrassed +fashion a moment by her side, and then went back to his seat. + +There was silence again for some time. The man lay back in his chair, +gazing at his big, clumsy shoes as though he hoped for some +inspiration from that quarter, while his wife worked with nervous +haste. + +"Don't let me keep you from reading, John," she said, and her voice +had regained its usual gentle tone. + +"No, my dear; I'm just thinking of something to say to you, but I +don't seem--" + +She smiled a little. In spite of herself, her lip curled faintly. +"Don't worry about it; it was stupid of me to expect it. I mean--" she +added, hastily, immediately repenting the sarcasm. She glanced +furtively at him, but his face was quite unmoved; evidently he had not +noticed it, and she smiled faintly again. + +"O Kathie, I knew there was /something/ I'd forgotten to tell you, my +dear; there's a man coming down here. I don't know whether--" + +She looked up sharply. "A man coming /here/? What for?" she +interrupted, breathlessly. + +"Sent to help me about this oil-boring business, my dear." + +He had lighted his pipe, and was smoking placidly, taking long whiffs +between his words. + +"Well?" impatiently questioned his wife, fixing her bright eyes on his +face. + +"Well--that's all, my dear." + +She checked an exclamation. "But don't you know anything about him-- +his name? where he comes from? what he is like?" She was leaning +forward against the table, her needle, with a long end of yellow silk +drawn half-way through her work, held in her upraised hand, her whole +attitude one of quivering excitement and expectancy. + +The man took his pipe from his mouth deliberately, with a look of slow +wonder. + +"Why, Kathie, you seem quite anxious. I didn't know you'd be so +interested, my dear. Well,"--another long pull at his pipe,--"his +name's Brook--/Brookfield/, I think." He paused again. "This pipe +doesn't draw well a bit; there's something wrong with it, I shouldn't +wonder," he added, taking it out and examining the bowl as though +struck with the brilliance of the idea. + +The woman opposite put down her work and clinched her hands under the +table. + +"Go on, John," she said, presently, in a tense, vibrating voice; "his +name is Brookfield. Well, where does he come from?" + +"Straight from home, my dear, I believe." He fumbled in his pocket, +and after some time extricated a pencil, with which he began to poke +the tobacco in the bowl in an ineffectual aimless fashion, becoming +completely engrossed in the occupation apparently. There was another +long pause. The woman went on working, or feigning to work, for her +hands were trembling a good deal. + +After some moments she raised her head again. "John, will you mind +attending to me one moment, and answering these questions as quickly +as you can?" The emphasis on the last word was so faint as to be +almost as imperceptible as the touch of exasperated contempt which she +could not absolutely banish from her tone. + +Her husband, looking up, met her clear bright gaze, and reddened like +a school-boy. + +"Whereabouts '/from home/' does he come?" she asked, in a studiedly +gentle fashion. + +"Well, from London, I think," he replied, almost briskly for him, +though he stammered and tripped over the words. "He's a university +chap; I used to hear he was clever; I don't know about that, I'm sure; +he used to chaff me, I remember, but--" + +"Chaff /you/? You have met him then?" + +"Yes, my dear,"--he was fast relapsing into his slow drawl again,-- +"that is, I went to school with him; but it's a long time ago. +Brookfield--yes, that must be his name." + +She waited a moment; then, "When is he coming?" she inquired, +abruptly. + +"Let me see--to-day's--" + +"/Monday/;" the word came swiftly between her set teeth. + +"Ah, yes--Monday; well," reflectively, "/next/ Monday, my dear." + +Mrs. Drayton rose, and began to pace softly the narrow passage between +the table and the tent wall, her hands clasped loosely behind her. + +"How long have you known this?" she said, stopping abruptly. "O John, +you /needn't/ consider; it's quite a simple question. To-day? +Yesterday? + +Her foot moved restlessly on the ground as she waited. + +"I think it was the day before yesterday," he replied. + +"Then why, in heaven's name, didn't you tell me before?" she broke +out, fiercely. + +"My dear, it slipped my memory. If I'd thought you would be +interested--" + +"Interested!" She laughed shortly. "It /is/ rather interesting to hear +that after six months of this"--she made a quick comprehensive gesture +with her hand--"one will have some one to speak to--some one. It is +the hand of Providence; it comes just in time to save me from--" She +checked herself abruptly. + +He sat staring up at her stupidly, without a word. + +"It's all right, John," she said, with a quick change of tone, +gathering up her work quietly as she spoke. "I'm not mad--yet. You-- +you must get used to these little outbreaks," she added, after a +moment, smiling faintly; "and, to do me justice, I don't /often/ +trouble you with them, do I? I'm just a little tired, or it's the heat +or--something. No--don't touch me!" she cried, shrinking back; for he +had risen slowly and was coming toward her. + +She had lost command over her voice, and the shrill note of horror in +it was unmistakable. The man heard it, and shrank in his turn. + +"I'm so sorry, John," she murmured, raising her great bright eyes to +his face. They had not lost their goaded expression, though they were +full of tears. "I'm awfully sorry; but I'm just nervous and stupid, +and I can't bear /any one/ to touch me when I'm nervous." + + + +"Here's Broomhurst, my dear! I made a mistake in his name after all, I +find. I told you /Brookfield/, I believe, didn't I? Well, it isn't +Brookfield, he says; it's Broomhurst." + +Mrs. Drayton had walked some little distance across the plain to meet +and welcome the expected guest. She stood quietly waiting while her +husband stammered over his incoherent sentences, and then put out her +hand. + +"We are very glad to see you," she said, with a quick glance at the +new-comer's face as she spoke. + +As they walked together toward the tent, after the first greetings, +she felt his keen eyes upon her before he turned to her husband. + +"I'm afraid Mrs. Drayton finds the climate trying?" he asked. "Perhaps +she ought not to have come so far in this heat?" + +"Kathie is often pale. You /do/ look white to-day, my dear," he +observed, turning anxiously toward his wife. + +"Do I?" she replied. The unsteadiness of her tone was hardly +appreciable, but it was not lost on Broomhurst's quick ears. "Oh, I +don't think so. I /feel/ very well." + +"I'll come and see if they've fixed you up all right," said Drayton, +following his companion toward the new tent that had been pitched at +some little distance from the large one. + +"We shall see you at dinner then?" Mrs. Drayton observed in reply to +Broomhurst's smile as they parted. + +She entered the tent slowly, and, moving up to the table already laid +for dinner, began to rearrange the things upon it in a purposeless, +mechanical fashion. + +After a moment she sank down upon a seat opposite the open entrance, +and put her hand to her head. + +"What is the matter with me?" she thought, wearily. "All the week I've +been looking forward to seeing this man--/any/ man, /any one/ to take +off the edge of this." She shuddered. Even in thought she hesitated to +analyse the feeling that possessed her. "Well, he's here, and I think +I feel /worse/." Her eyes travelled toward the hills she had been used +to watch at this hour, and rested on them with a vague, unseeing gaze. + +"Tired Kathie? A penny for your thoughts, my dear," said her husband, +coming in presently to find her still sitting there. + +"I'm thinking what a curious world this is, and what an ironical vein +of humour the gods who look after it must possess," she replied, with +a mirthless laugh, rising as she spoke. + +John looked puzzled. + +"Funny my having known Broomhurst before, you mean?" he said +doubtfully. + + + +"I was fishing down at Lynmouth this time last year," Broomhurst said +at dinner. "You know Lynmouth, Mrs. Drayton? Do you never imagine you +hear the gurgling of the stream? I am tantalised already by the sound +of it rushing through the beautiful green gloom of those woods-- +/aren't/ they lovely? And /I/ haven't been in this burnt-up spot as +many hours as you've had months of it." + +She smiled a little. + +"You must learn to possess your soul in patience," she said, and +glanced inconsequently from Broomhurst to her husband, and then +dropped her eyes and was silent a moment. + +John was obviously, and a little audibly, enjoying his dinner. He sat +with his chair pushed close to the table, and his elbows awkwardly +raised, swallowing his soup in gulps. He grasped his spoon tightly in +his bony hand, so that its swollen joints stood out larger and uglier +than ever, his wife thought. + +Her eyes wandered to Broomhurst's hands. They were well shaped, and, +though not small, there was a look of refinement about them; he had a +way of touching things delicately, a little lingeringly, she noticed. +There was an air of distinction about his clear-cut, clean-shaven +face, possibly intensified by contrast with Drayton's blurred +features; and it was, perhaps, also by contrast with the gray cuffs +that showed beneath John's ill-cut drab suit that the linen Broomhurst +wore seemed to her particularly spotless. + +Broomhurst's thoughts, for his part, were a good deal occupied with +his hostess. + +She was pretty, he thought, or perhaps it was that, with the wide, dry +lonely plain as a setting, her fragile delicacy of appearance was +invested with a certain flower-like charm. + +"The silence here seems rather strange, rather appalling at first, +when one is fresh from a town," he pursued, after a moment's pause; +"but I suppose you're used to it, eh, Drayton? How do /you/ find life +here, Mrs. Drayton?" he asked, a little curiously, turning to her as +he spoke. + +She hesitated a second. "Oh, much the same as I should find it +anywhere else, I expect," she replied; "after all, one carries the +possibilities of a happy life about with one; don't you think so? The +Garden of Eden wouldn't necessarily make my life any happier, or less +happy, than a howling wilderness like this. It depends on one's self +entirely." + +"Given the right Adam and Eve, the desert blossoms like the rose, in +fact," Broomhurst answered, lightly, with a smiling glance inclusive +of husband and wife; "you two don't feel as though you'd been driven +out of Paradise, evidently." + +Drayton raised his eyes from his plate with a smile of total +incomprehension. + +"Great heavens! what an Adam to select!" thought Broomhurst, +involuntarily, as Mrs. Drayton rose rather suddenly from the table. + +"I'll come and help with that packing-case," John said, rising, in his +turn, lumberingly from his place; "then we can have a smoke--eh! +Kathie don't mind, if we sit near the entrance. + +The two men went out together, Broomhurst holding the lantern, for the +moon had not yet risen. Mrs. Drayton followed them to the doorway, +and, pushing the looped-up hanging farther aside, stepped out into the +cool darkness. + +Her heart was beating quickly, and there was a great lump in her +throat that frightened her as though she were choking. + +"And I am his /wife/--I /belong/ to him!" she cried, almost aloud. + +She pressed both her hands tightly against her breast, and set her +teeth, fighting to keep down the rising flood that threatened to sweep +away her composure. "Oh, what a fool I am! What an hysterical fool of +a woman I am!" she whispered below her breath. She began to walk +slowly up and down outside the tent, in the space illumined by the +lamplight, as though striving to make her outwardly quiet movements +react upon the inward tumult. In a little while she had conquered; she +quietly entered the tent, drew a low chair to the entrance, and took +up a book, just as footsteps became audible. A moment afterward +Broomhurst emerged from the darkness into the circle of light outside, +and Mrs. Drayton raised her eyes from the pages she was turning to +greet him with a smile. + +"Are your things all right?" + +"Oh, yes, more or less, thank you. I was a little concerned about a +case of books, but it isn't much damaged fortunately. Perhaps I've +some you would care to look at?" + +"The books will be a godsend," she returned, with a sudden brightening +of the eyes; "I was getting /desperate/--for books." + +"What are you reading now?" he asked, glancing at the volume that lay +in her lap. + +"It's a Browning. I carry it about a good deal. I think I like to have +it with me, but I don't seem to read it much." + +"Are you waiting for a suitable optimistic moment?" Broomhurst +inquired, smiling. + +"Yes, now that you mention it, I think that must be why I am waiting," +she replied, slowly. + +"And it doesn't come--even in the Garden of Eden? Surely the serpent, +pessimism, hasn't been insolent enough to draw you into conversation +with him?" he said, lightly. + +"There has been no one to converse with at all--when John is away, I +mean. I think I should have liked a little chat with the serpent +immensely by way of a change," she replied, in the same tone. + +"Ah, yes," Broomhurst said, with sudden seriousness; "it must be +unbearably dull for you alone here, with Drayton away all day." + +Mrs. Drayton's hand shook a little as she fluttered a page of her open +book. + +"I should think it quite natural you would be irritated beyond +endurance to hear that all's right with the world, for instance, when +you were sighing for the long day to pass," he continued. + +"I don't mind the day so much; it's the evenings." She abruptly +checked the swift words, and flushed painfully. "I mean--I've grown +stupidly nervous, I think--even when John is here. Oh, you have no +idea of the awful /silence/ of this place at night," she added, rising +hurriedly from her low seat, and moving closer to the doorway. "It is +so close, isn't it?" she said, almost apologetically. There was +silence for quite a minute. + +Broomhurst's quick eyes noted the silent momentary clinching of the +hands that hung at her side, as she stood leaning against the support +at the entrance. + +"But how stupid of me to give you such a bad impression of the camp-- +the first evening, too!" Mrs. Drayton exclaimed, presently; and her +companion mentally commended the admirable composure of her voice. + +"Probably you will never notice that it /is/ lonely at all," she +continued; "John likes it here. He is immensely interested in his +work, you know. I hope /you/ are too. If you are interested it is all +quite right. I think the climate tries me a little. I never used to be +stupid--and nervous. Ah, here's John; he's been round to the kitchen +tent, I suppose." + +"Been looking after that fellow cleanin' my gun, my dear," John +explained, shambling toward the deck-chair. + +Later Broomhurst stood at his own tent door. He looked up at the star- +sown sky, and the heavy silence seemed to press upon him like an +actual, physical burden. + +He took his cigar from between his lips presently, and looked at the +glowing end reflectively before throwing it away. + +"Considering that she has been alone with him here for six months, she +has herself very well in hand--/very/ well in hand," he repeated. + + + +It was Sunday morning. John Drayton sat just inside the tent, +presumably enjoying his pipe before the heat of the day. His eyes +furtively followed his wife as she moved about near him, sometimes +passing close to his chair in search of something she had mislaid. +There was colour in her cheeks; her eyes, though preoccupied, were +bright; there was a lightness and buoyancy in her step which she set +to a little dancing air she was humming under her breath. + +After a moment or two the song ceased; she began to move slowly, +sedately; and, as if chilled by a raw breath of air, the light faded +from her eyes, which she presently turned toward her husband. + +"Why do you look at me?" she asked, suddenly. + +"I don't know, my dear," he began slowly and laboriously, as was his +wont. "I was thinkin' how nice you looked--jest now--much better, you +know; but somehow,"--he was taking long whiffs at his pipe, as usual, +between each word, while she stood patiently waiting for him to +finish,--"somehow, you alter so, my dear--you're quite pale again, all +of a minute." + +She stood listening to him, noticing against her will the more than +suspicion of cockney accent and the thick drawl with which the words +were uttered. + +His eyes sought her face piteously. She noticed that too, and stood +before him torn by conflicting emotions, pity and disgust struggling +in a hand-to-hand fight within her. + +"Mr. Broomhurst and I are going down by the well to sit; it's cooler +there. Won't you come?" she said at last, gently. + +He did not reply for a moment; then he turned his head aside, sharply +for him. + +"No, my dear, thank you; I'm comfortable enough here," he returned, +huskily. + +She stood over him, hesitating a second; then moved abruptly to the +table, from which she took a book. + +He had risen from his seat by the time she turned to go out, and he +intercepted her timorously. + +"Kathie, give me a kiss before you go," he whispered, hoarsely. "I--I +don't often bother you." + +She drew her breath in deeply as he put his arms clumsily about her; +but she stood still, and he kissed her on the forehead, and touched +the little wavy curls that strayed across it gently with his big, +trembling fingers. + +When he released her, she moved at once impetuously to the open +doorway. On the threshold she hesitated, paused a moment irresolutely, +and then turned back. + +"Shall I--does your pipe want filling, John?" she asked, softly. + +"No, thank you, my dear." + +"Would you like me to stay, read to you, or anything?" + +He looked up at her wistfully. "N-no, thank you; I'm not much of a +reader, you know, my dear--somehow." + +She hated herself for knowing that there would be a "my dear," +probably a "somehow," in his reply, and despised herself for the sense +of irritated impatience she felt by anticipation, even before the +words were uttered. + +There was a moment's hesitating silence, broken by the sound of quick, +firm footsteps without. Broomhurst paused at the entrance, and looked +into the tent. + +"Aren't you coming, Drayton?" he asked, looking first at Drayton's +wife and then swiftly putting in his name with a scarcely perceptible +pause. "Too lazy? But you, Mrs. Drayton?" + +"Yes, I'm coming," she said. + +They left the tent together, and walked some few steps in silence. + +Broomhurst shot a quick glance at his companion's face. + +"Anything wrong?" he asked, presently. + +Though the words were ordinary enough, the voice in which they were +spoken was in some subtle fashion a different voice from that in which +he had talked to her nearly two months ago, though it would have +required a keen sense of nice shades in sound to have detected the +change. + +Mrs. Drayton's sense of niceties in sound was particularly keen, but +she answered quietly, "Nothing, thank you." + +They did not speak again till the trees round the stone well were +reached. + +Broomhurst arranged their seats comfortably beside it. + +"Are we going to read or talk?" he asked, looking up at her from his +lower place. + +"Well, we generally talk most when we arrange to read; so shall we +agree to talk to-day for a change, by way of getting some reading +done?" she rejoined, smiling. "/You/ begin." + +Broomhurst seemed in no hurry to avail himself of the permission; he +was apparently engrossed in watching the flecks of sunshine on Mrs. +Drayton's white dress. The whirring of insects, and the creaking of a +Persian wheel somewhere in the neighbourhood, filtered through the hot +silence. + +Mrs. Drayton laughed after a few minutes; there was a touch of +embarrassment in the sound. + +"The new plan doesn't answer. Suppose you read, as usual, and let me +interrupt, also as usual, after the first two lines." + +He opened the book obediently, but turned the pages at random. + +She watched him for a moment, and then bent a little forward toward +him. + +"It is my turn now," she said, suddenly; "is anything wrong?" + +He raised his head, and their eyes met. There was a pause. "I will be +more honest than you," he returned; "yes, there is." + +"What?" + +"I've had orders to move on." + +She drew back, and her lips whitened, though she kept them steady. + +"When do you go?" + +"On Wednesday." + +There was silence again; the man still kept his eyes on her face. + +The whirring of the insects and the creaking of the wheel had suddenly +grown so strangely loud and insistent that it was in a half-dazed +fashion she at length heard her name--"/Kathleen!/" + +"Kathleen!" he whispered again, hoarsely. + +She looked him full in the face, and once more their eyes met in a +long, grave gaze. + +The man's face flushed, and he half rose from his seat with an +impetuous movement; but Kathleen stopped him with a glance. + +"Will you go and fetch my work? I left it in the tent," she said, +speaking very clearly and distinctly; "and then will you go on +reading? I will find the place while you are gone." + +She took the book from his hand, and he rose and stood before her. + +There was a mute appeal in his silence, and she raised her head +slowly. + +Her face was white to the lips, but she looked at him unflinchingly; +and without a word he turned and left her. + + + +Mrs. Drayton was resting in the tent on Tuesday afternoon. With the +help of cushions and some low chairs, she had improvised a couch, on +which she lay quietly with her eyes closed. There was a tenseness, +however, in her attitude which indicated that sleep was far from her. + +Her features seemed to have sharpened during the last few days, and +there were hollows in her cheeks. She had been very ill for a long +time, but all at once, with a sudden movement, she turned her head and +buried her face in the cushions with a groan. Slipping from her place, +she fell on her knees beside the couch, and put both hands before her +mouth to force back the cry that she felt struggling to her lips. + +For some moments the wild effort she was making for outward calm, +which even when she was alone was her first instinct, strained every +nerve and blotted out sight and hearing, and it was not till the sound +was very near that she was conscious of the ring of horse's hoofs on +the plain. + +She raised her head sharply, with a thrill of fear, still kneeling, +and listened. + +There was no mistake. The horseman was riding in hot haste, for the +thud of the hoofs followed one another swiftly. + +As Mrs. Drayton listened her white face grew whiter, and she began to +tremble. Putting out shaking hands, she raised herself by the arms of +the folding-chair and stood upright. + +Nearer and nearer came the thunder of the approaching sound, mingled +with startled exclamations and the noise of trampling feet from the +direction of the kitchen tent. + +Slowly, mechanically almost, she dragged herself to the entrance, and +stood clinging to the canvas there. By the time she had reached it +Broomhurst had flung himself from the saddle, and had thrown the reins +to one of the men. + +Mrs. Drayton stared at him with wide, bright eyes as he hastened +toward her. + +"I thought you--you are not--" she began, and then her teeth began to +chatter. "I am so cold!" she said, in a little, weak voice. + +Broomhurst took her hand and led her over the threshold back into the +tent. + +"Don't be so frightened," he implored; "I came to tell you first. I +thought it wouldn't frighten you so much as--Your--Drayton is--very +ill. They are bringing him. I--" + +He paused. She gazed at him a moment with parted lips; then she broke +into a horrible, discordant laugh, and stood clinging to the back of a +chair. + +Broomhurst started back. + +"Do you understand what I mean?" he whispered. "Kathleen, for God's +sake--/don't/--he is /dead/." + +He looked over his shoulder as he spoke, her shrill laughter ringing +in his ears. The white glare and dazzle of the plain stretched before +him, framed by the entrance to the tent; far off, against the horizon, +there were moving black specks, which he knew to be the returning +servants with their still burden. + +They were bringing John Drayton home. + + + +One afternoon, some months later, Broomhurst climbed the steep lane +leading to the cliffs of a little English village by the sea. He had +already been to the inn, and had been shown by the proprietress the +house where Mrs. Drayton lodged. + +"The lady was out, but the gentleman would likely find her if he went +to the cliffs--down by the bay, or thereabouts," her landlady +explained; and, obeying her directions, Broomhurst presently emerged +from the shady woodland path on to the hillside overhanging the sea. + +He glanced eagerly round him, and then, with a sudden quickening of +the heart, walked on over the springy heather to where she sat. She +turned when the rustling his footsteps made through the bracken was +near enough to arrest her attention, and looked up at him as he came. +Then she rose slowly and stood waiting for him. He came up to her +without a word, and seized both her hands, devouring her face with his +eyes. Something he saw there repelled him. Slowly he let her hands +fall, still looking at her silently. "You are not glad to see me, and +I have counted the hours," he said, at last, in a dull, toneless +voice. + +Her lips quivered. "Don't be angry with me--I can't help it--I'm not +glad or sorry for anything now," she answered; and her voice matched +his for grayness. + +They sat down together on a long flat stone half embedded in a wiry +clump of whortleberries. Behind them the lonely hillsides rose, +brilliant with yellow bracken and the purple of heather. Before them +stretched the wide sea. It was a soft, gray day. Streaks of pale +sunlight trembled at moments far out on the water. The tide was rising +in the little bay above which they sat, and Broomhurst watched the +lazy foam-edged waves slipping over the uncovered rocks toward the +shore, then sliding back as though for very weariness they despaired +of reaching it. The muffled, pulsing sound of the sea filled the +silence. Broomhurst thought suddenly of hot Eastern sunshine, of the +whir of insect wings on the still air, and the creaking of a wheel in +the distance. He turned and looked at his companion. + +"I have come thousands of miles to see you," he said; "aren't you +going to speak to me now I am here?" + +"Why did you come? I told you not to come," she answered, falteringly. +"I--" she paused. + +"And I replied that I should follow you--if you remember," he +answered, still quietly. "I came because I would not listen to what +you said then, at that awful time. You didn't know /yourself/ what you +said. No wonder! I have given you some months, and now I have come." + +There was silence between them. Broomhurst saw that she was crying; +her tears fell fast on to her hands, that were clasped in her lap. Her +face, he noticed, was thin and drawn. + +Very gently he put his arm round her shoulder and drew her nearer to +him. She made no resistance; it seemed that she did not notice the +movement; and his arm dropped at his side. + +"You asked me why I had come. You think it possible that three months +can change one very thoroughly, then?" he said, in a cold voice. + +"I not only think it possible; I have proved it," she replied, +wearily. + +He turned round and faced her. + +"You /did/ love me, Kathleen!" he asserted. "You never said so in +words, but I know it," he added, fiercely. + +"Yes, I did." + +"And--you mean that you don't now?" + +Her voice was very tired. "Yes; I can't help it," she answered; "it +has gone--utterly." + +The gray sea slowly lapped the rocks. Overhead the sharp scream of a +gull cut through the stillness. It was broken again, a moment +afterward, by a short hard laugh from the man. + +"Don't!" she whispered, and laid a hand swiftly on his arm. "Do you +think it isn't worse for me? I wish to God I /did/ love you!" she +cried, passionately. "Perhaps it would make me forget that, to all +intents and purposes, I am a murderess. + +Broomhurst met her wide, despairing eyes with an amazement which +yielded to sudden pitying comprehension. + +"So that is it, my darling? You are worrying about /that/? You who +were as loyal as--" + +She stopped him with a frantic gesture. + +"Don't! /don't!/" she wailed. "If you only knew! Let me try to tell +you--will you?" she urged, pitifully. "It may be better if I tell some +one--if I don't keep it all to myself, and think, and /think/." + +She clasped her hands tight, with the old gesture he remembered when +she was struggling for self-control, and waited a moment. + +Presently she began to speak in a low, hurried tone: "It began before +you came. I know now what the feeling was that I was afraid to +acknowledge to myself. I used to try and smother it; I used to repeat +things to myself all day--poems, stupid rhymes--/anything/ to keep my +thoughts quite underneath--but I--/hated/ John before you came! We had +been married nearly a year then. I never loved him. Of course you are +going to say, 'Why did you marry him?' " She looked drearily over the +placid sea. "Why /did/ I marry him? I don't know; for the reason that +hundreds of ignorant, inexperienced girls marry, I suppose. My home +wasn't a happy one. I was miserable, and oh--/restless/. I wonder if +men know what it feels like to be restless? Sometimes I think they +can't even guess. John wanted me very badly; nobody wanted me at home +particularly. There didn't seem to be any point in my life. Do you +understand? . . . Of course, being alone with him in that little camp +in that silent plain"--she shuddered--"made things worse. My nerves +went all to pieces. Everything he said, his voice, his accent, his +walk, the way he ate, irritated me so that I longed to rush out +sometimes and shriek--and go /mad/. Does it sound ridiculous to you to +be driven mad by such trifles? I only know I used to get up from the +table sometimes and walk up and down outside, with both hands over my +mouth to keep myself quiet. And all the time I /hated/ myself--how I +hated myself! I never had a word from him that wasn't gentle and +tender. I believe he loved the ground I walked on. Oh, it is /awful/ +to be loved like that when you--" She drew in her breath with a sob. +"I--I--it made me sick for him to come near me--to touch me." She +stopped a moment. + +Broomhurst gently laid his hand on her quivering one. "Poor little +girl!" he murmured. + +"Then /you/ came," she said, "and before long I had another feeling to +fight against. At first I thought it couldn't be true that I loved you +--it would die down. I think I was /frightened/ at the feeling; I +didn't know it hurt so to love any one." + +Broomhurst stirred a little. "Go on," he said, tersely. + +"But it didn't die," she continued, in a trembling whisper, "and the +other /awful/ feeling grew stronger and stronger--hatred; no, that is +not the word--/loathing/ for--for--John. I fought against it. Yes," +she cried, feverishly, clasping and unclasping her hands; "Heaven +knows I fought it with all my strength, and reasoned with myself, and +--oh, I did /everything/, but--" Her quick-falling tears made speech +difficult. + +"Kathleen!" Broomhurst urged, desperately, "you couldn't help it, you +poor child. You say yourself you struggled against your feelings. You +were always gentle; perhaps he didn't know." + +"But he did--he /did/," she wailed; "it is just that. I hurt him a +hundred times a day; he never said so, but I knew it; and yet I +/couldn't/ be kind to him,--except in words,--and he understood. And +after you came it was worse in one way, for he knew--I /felt/ he knew +--that I loved you. His eyes used to follow me like a dog's, and I was +stabbed with remorse, and I tried to be good to him, but I couldn't." + +"But--he didn't suspect--he trusted you," began Broomhurst. "He had +every reason. No woman was ever so loyal, so--" + +"Hush!" she almost screamed. "Loyal! it was the least I could do--to +stop you, I mean--when you--After all, I knew it without your telling +me. I had deliberately married him without loving him. It was my own +fault. I felt it. Even if I couldn't prevent his knowing that I hated +him, I could prevent /that/. It was my punishment. I deserved it for +/daring/ to marry without love. But I didn't spare John one pang after +all," she added, bitterly. "He knew what I felt toward him; I don't +think he cared about anything else. You say I mustn't reproach myself? +When I went back to the tent that morning--when you--when I stopped +you from saying you loved me, he was sitting at the table with his +head buried in his hands; he was crying--bitterly. I saw him,--it is +terrible to see a man cry,--and I stole away gently, but he saw me. I +was torn to pieces, but I /couldn't/ go to him. I knew he would kiss +me, and I shuddered to think of it. It seemed more than ever not to be +borne that he should do that--when I knew /you/ loved me." + +"Kathleen," cried her lover, again, "don't dwell on it all so terribly +--don't--" + +"How can I forget?" she answered, despairingly. "And then,"--she +lowered her voice,--"oh, I can't tell you--all the time, at the back +of my mind somewhere, there was a burning wish that he might /die/. I +used to lie awake at night, and, do what I would to stifle it, that +thought used to /scorch/ me, I wished it so intensely. Do you believe +that by willing one can bring such things to pass?" she asked, looking +at Broomhurst with feverishly bright eyes. "No? Well, I don't know. I +tried to smother it,--I /really/ tried,--but it was there, whatever +other thoughts I heaped on the top. Then, when I heard the horse +galloping across the plain that morning, I had a sick fear that it was +/you/. I knew something had happened, and my first thought when I saw +you alive and well, and knew it was /John/, was /that it was too good +to be true/. I believe I laughed like a maniac, didn't I? . . . Not to +blame? Why, if it hadn't been for me he wouldn't have died. The men +say they saw him sitting with his head uncovered in the burning sun, +his face buried in his hands--just as I had seen him the day before. +He didn't trouble to be careful; he was too wretched." + +She paused, and Broomhurst rose and began to pace the little hillside +path at the edge of which they were seated. + +Presently he came back to her. + +"Kathleen, let me take care of you," he implored, stooping toward her. +"We have only ourselves to consider in this matter. Will you come to +me at once?" + +She shook her head sadly. + +Broomhurst set his teeth, and the lines round his mouth deepened. He +threw himself down beside her on the heather. + +"Dear," he urged, still gently, though his voice showed he was +controlling himself with an effort, "you are morbid about this. You +have been alone too much; you are ill. Let me take care of you; I +/can/, Kathleen,--and I love you. Nothing but morbid fancy makes you +imagine you are in any way responsible for--Drayton's death. You can't +bring him back to life, and--" + +"No," she sighed, drearily, "and if I could, nothing would be altered. +Though I am mad with self-reproach, I feel /that/--it was all so +inevitable. If he were alive and well before me this instant, my +feeling toward him wouldn't have changed. If he spoke to me he would +say 'my dear'--and I should /loathe/ him. Oh, I know! It is /that/ +that makes it so awful." + +"But if you acknowledge it," Broomhurst struck in, eagerly, "will you +wreck both of our lives for the sake of vain regrets? Kathleen, you +never will." + +He waited breathlessly for her answer. + +"I won't wreck both our lives by marrying again without love on my +side," she replied, firmly. + +"I will take the risk," he said. "You /have/ loved me; you will love +me again. You are crushed and dazed now with brooding over this--this +trouble, but--" + +"But I will not allow you to take the risk," Kathleen answered. "What +sort of woman should I be to be willing again to live with a man I +don't love? I have come to know that there are things one owes to +/one's self/. Self-respect is one of them. I don't know how it has +come to be so, but all my old feeling for you has /gone/. It is as +though it had burned itself out. I will not offer gray ashes to any +man." + +Broomhurst, looking up at her pale, set face, knew that her words were +final, and turned his own aside with a groan. + +"Ah," cried Kathleen, with a little break in her voice, "/don't!/ Go +away, and be happy and strong, and all that I loved in you. I am so +sorry--so sorry to hurt you. I--" her voice faltered miserably; "I--I +only bring trouble to people." + +There was a long pause. + +"Did you never think that there is a terrible vein of irony running +through the ordering of this world?" she said, presently. "It is a +mistake to think our prayers are not answered--they are. In due time +we get our heart's desire--when we have ceased to care for it." + +"I haven't yet got mine," Broomhurst answered, doggedly, "and I shall +never cease to care for it." + +She smiled a little, with infinite sadness. + +"Listen, Kathleen," he said. They had both risen, and he stood before +her, looking down at her. "I will go now, but in a year's time I shall +come back. I will not give you up. You shall love me yet." + +"Perhaps--I don't think so," she answered, wearily. + +Broomhurst looked at her trembling lips a moment in silence; then he +stooped and kissed both her hands instead. + +"I will wait till you tell me you love me," he said. + +She stood watching him out of sight. He did not look back, and she +turned with swimming eyes to the gray sea and the transient gleams of +sunlight that swept like tender smiles across its face. + + + + + +End of The Project Gutenberg Etext of Stories by English Authors, Orient + diff --git a/old/sbeao10.zip b/old/sbeao10.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..6e38e55 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/sbeao10.zip |