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diff --git a/40140-8.txt b/40140-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 2f6318f..0000000 --- a/40140-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,19280 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's On the Face of the Waters, by Flora Annie Steel - -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: On the Face of the Waters - A Tale of the Mutiny - -Author: Flora Annie Steel - -Release Date: July 4, 2012 [EBook #40140] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ON THE FACE OF THE WATERS *** - - - - -Produced by Charles Bowen, from page scans provided by -Google Books (Harvard University Library) - - - - - - - - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - - 1. Page scan source: - http://books.google.com/books?id=QScXAAAAYAAJ - (Harvard University Library) - - - - - - - ON THE FACE OF THE WATERS - - - - - - - ON THE FACE OF - - THE WATERS - - - - A TALE OF THE MUTINY - - - - - - BY - - FLORA ANNIE STEEL - - AUTHOR OF "MISS STUART'S LEGACY," "THE - FLOWER OF FORGIVENESS," ETC., ETC. - - - - - - New York - - THE MACMILLAN COMPANY - - 1914 - - - - - - - Copyright, 1896, - - By PAUL R. REYNOLDS. - - - Copyright, 1897, - - By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. - - * * * - -First Edition January, 1897. Reprinted January three times, February -twice, March three times, April twice, May, July, September, November, -1897; May, October, 1898; June, 1903; November, 1909; September, 1911; -July, 1914. - - - - - - Norwood Press: - - Berwick & Smith Co., Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. - - - - - - - PREFACE. - - -A word of explanation is needed for this book, which, in attempting to -be at once a story and a history, probably fails in either aim. - -That, however, is for the reader to say. As the writer, I have only to -point out where my history ends, my story begins, and clear the way -for criticism. Briefly, then, I have not allowed fiction to interfere -with fact in the slightest degree. The reader may rest assured that -every incident bearing in the remotest degree on the Indian Mutiny, or -on the part which real men took in it, is scrupulously exact, even to -the date, the hour, the scene, the very weather. Nor have I allowed -the actual actors in the great tragedy to say a word regarding it -which is not to be found in the accounts of eye-witnesses, or in their -own writings. - -In like manner, the account of the sham court at Delhi--which I have -drawn chiefly from the lips of those who saw it--is pure history; and -the picturesque group of schemers and dupes--all of whom have passed -to their account--did not need a single touch of fancy in its -presentment. Even the story of Abool-Bukr and Newâsi is true; save -that I have supplied a cause for an estrangement, which undoubtedly -did come to a companionship of which none speak evil. So much for my -facts. - -Regarding my fiction: An Englishwoman _was_ concealed in Delhi, in the -house of an Afghan, and succeeded in escaping to the Ridge just before -the siege. I have imagined another; that is all. I mention this -because it may possibly be said that the incident is incredible. - -And now a word for my title. I have chosen it because when you -ask an uneducated native of India why the Great Rebellion came to -pass, he will, in nine cases out of ten, reply, "God knows! He -sent a Breath into the World." From this to a Spirit moving on the -face of the Waters is not far. For the rest I have tried to give a -photograph--that is, a picture in which the differentiation caused by -color is left out--of a time which neither the fair race or the dark -race is ever likely to quite forget or forgive. - -That they may come nearer to the latter is the object with which this -book has been written. - - F. A. STEEL. - - - - - CONTENTS. - - BOOK I. - - Thistledown and Gossamer - - CHAPTER - - I. Going! Going! Gone! - - II. Home, Sweet Home. - - III. The Great Gulf Fixed. - - IV. Tape And Sealing-Wax. - - V. Bravo! - - VI. The Gift of Many Faces. - - - BOOK II. - - The Blowing Of The Bubble. - - - I. In the Palace. - - II. In the City. - - III. On the Ridge. - - IV. In the Village. - - V. In the Residency. - - VI. The Yellow Fakir. - - VII. The Word Went Forth. - - - BOOK III. - - From Dusk to Dawn. - - - I. Night. - - II. Dawn. - - III. Daylight. - - IV. Noon. - - V. Sunset. - - VI. Dusk. - - - BOOK IV. - - "Such Stuff as Dreams are Made of." - - - I. The Death-Pledge. - - II. Peace! Peace! - - III. The Challenge. - - IV. Bugles and Fifes. - - V. The Drum Ecclesiastic. - - VI. Vox Humana. - - - BOOK V. - - "There Arose a Man." - - - I. Forward! - - II. Bits, Bridles, Spurs. - - III. The Beginning of the End. - - IV. At Last. - - V. Through the Walls. - - VI. Rewards and Punishments. - - - BOOK VI. - - Appendix A. - - Appendix B. - - - - - - - ON THE FACE OF THE WATERS - - - - - - - ON THE FACE OF THE WATERS. - - BOOK I. - - _THISTLEDOWN AND GOSSAMER_. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - GOING! GOING! GONE! - - -"Going! Going! Gone!" - -The Western phrase echoed over the Eastern scene without a trace of -doubt in its calm assumption of finality. It was followed by a pause, -during which, despite the crowd thronging the wide plain, the only -recognizable sound was the vexed yawning purr of a tiger impatient for -its prey. It shuddered through the sunshine, strangely out of keeping -with the multitude of men gathered together in silent security; but on -that March evening of the year 1856, when the long shadows of the -surrounding trees had begun to invade the sunlit levels of grass by -the river, at Lucknow, the lately deposed King of Oude's menagerie was -being auctioned. It had followed all his other property to the hammer, -and a perfect Noah's Ark of wild beasts was waiting doubtfully for a -change of masters. - -"Going! Going! Gone!" - -Those three cabalistic words, shibboleth of a whole hemisphere's greed -of gain, had just transferred the proprietary rights in an old tusker -elephant for the sum of eighteenpence. It is not a large price to pay -for a leviathan, even if he be lame, as this one was. Yet the new -owner looked at his purchase distastefully, and even the auctioneer -sought support in a gulp of brandy and water. - -"Fetch up them pollies, Tom," he said in a dejected whisper to a -soldier, who, with others of the fatigue party on duty, was trying to -hustle refractory lots into position. "They'll be a change after -elephants--go off lighter like. Then there's some of them La -Martiniery boys comin' down again as ran up the fightin' rams this -mornin'. Wonder wot the 'ead master said! But boys is allowed birds, -and Lord knows we want to be a bit brisker than we 'ave bin with -_guj-putti_. But there! it's slave-drivin' to screw bids for beasts as -eats hunder-weights out of poor devils as 'aven't enough for -themselves, or a notion of business as business." - -He shook his head resentfully yet compassionately over the impassive -dark faces around. He spoke as an auctioneer; yet he gave expression -to a very common feeling which in the early fifties, when the -commercial instincts of the West met the uncommercial ones of the East -in open market for the first time, sharpened the antagonism of race -immensely; that inevitable antagonism when the creed of one people is -that Time is Money, of the other that Time is Naught. - -From either standpoint, however, the auction going on down by the -river Goomtee was confusing; even to those who, knowing the causes -which had led up to it--the unmentionable atrocities, the crass -incapacity on the one hand, the unsanctioned treaties and craze for -civilization on the other--were conscious of a distinct flavor of -Sodom and Gomorrah, the Ark of the Covenant, and the Deluge all -combined, as they watched the just and yet unjust retribution going -on. But such spectators were few, even in the outer fringe of English -onlookers pausing in their evening drive or ride to gratify their -curiosity. The long reports and replies regarding the annexation of -Oude which filled the office boxes of the elect were unknown to them, -so they took the affair as they found it. The King, for some reason -satisfactory to the authorities, had been exiled, majesty being thus -vested in the representatives of the annexing race: that is, in -themselves. A position which comes naturally to most Englishmen. - -To the silent crowds closing round the auctioneer's table the affair -was simple also. The King, for some unsatisfactory reason, had been -ousted from his own. His goods and chattels were being sold. The -valuable ones had been knocked down, for a mere song--just to keep up -the farce of sale--to the Huzoors. The rubbish--lame elephants and -such like--was being sold to them; more or less against their will, -since who could forbear bidding sixpence for a whole leviathan? That -this was in a measure inevitable, that these new-come sahibs were -bound to supply their wants cheaply when a whole posse of carriages -and horses, cattle and furniture was thrown on an otherwise supplied -market, did not, of course, occur to those who watched the hammer fall -to that strange new cry of the strange new master. When does such -philosophy occur to crowds? So when the waning light closed each day's -sale and the people drifted back cityward over the boat-bridge they -were no longer silent. They had tales to tell of how much the barouche -and pair, or the Arab charger, had cost the King when he bought it. -But then Wajeed Ali, with all his faults, had never been a bargainer. -He had spent his revenues right royally, thus giving ease to many. So -one could tell of a purse of gold flung at a beggar, another a life -pension granted to a tailor for inventing a new way of sewing spangles -to a waistcoat; for there had been no lack of the insensate -munificence in which lies the Oriental test of royalty, about the King -of Oude's reign. - -Despite this talk, however, the talkers returned day after day to -watch the auction; and on this, the last one, the grassy plain down by -the Goomtee was peaceful and silent as ever save for the occasional -cry of an affrighted hungry beast. The sun sent golden gleams over the -short turf worn to dustiness by crowding feet, and the long curves of -the river, losing themselves on either side among green fields and -mango trees, shone like a burnished shield. On the opposite bank, its -minarets showing fragile as cut paper against the sky, rose the -Chutter Munzil--the deposed King's favorite palace. Behind it, above -the belt of trees dividing the high Residency gardens from the maze of -houses and hovels still occupied by the hangers-on to the late Court, -the English flag drooped lazily in the calm floods of yellow light. -For the rest, were dense dark groves following the glistening curve of -the river, and gardens gravely gay in pillars of white _chum-baeli_ -creeper and cypress, long prim lines of latticed walls, and hedges of -scarlet hibiscus. Here and there above the trees, the dome of a mosque -or the minaret of a mausoleum told that the town of Lucknow, scattered -yet coherent, lay among the groves. The most profligate town in India -which by one stroke of an English pen had just been deprived of the -_raison-d'être_ of its profligacy, and been bidden to live as best it -could in cleanly, courtless poverty. - -So, already, there were thousands of workmen in it, innocent enough -panderers in the past to luxurious vice, who were feeling the pinch of -hunger from lack of employment; and there were those past employers -also, deprived now of pensions and offices, with a bankrupt future -before them. But Lucknow had a keener grievance than these in the new -tax on opium, the drug which helps men to bear hunger and bankruptcy; -so, as the auctioneer said, it was not a place in which to expect -brisk bidding for wild beasts with large appetites. But the parrots -roused a faint interest, and the crowd laughed suddenly at the -fluttering screams of a red and blue macaw, as it was tossed from hand -to hand, on its way to the surprised and reluctant purchaser who had -bid a farthing for it out of sheer idleness. - -"Another mouth to feed, Shumshu!" jeered a fellow butcher, as he -literally flung the bird at a neighbor's head. "Rather he than I," -laughed the recipient, continuing the fling. "_Ari!_ Shumshu, take thy -baby. Well caught, brother! but what will thy house say?" - -"That I have made a fat bargain," retorted the big, coarse owner -coolly, as he wrung the bird's neck, and twirled it, a quivering tuft -of bright feathers and choking cries, above his head. "Thou'lt buy no -meat at a farthing a pound, even from my shop, I'll swear, and this -bird weighs two, and is delicate as chicken." - -The laugh which answered the sally held a faint scream, not wholly -genuine in its ring. It came from the edge of the crowd, where two -English riders had paused to see what the fun was about. - -"Cruel devils, aren't they, Allie?" said one, a tall, fair man whose -good looks were at once made and marred by heaviness of feature. "Why! -you've turned pale despite the rouge!" His tone was full of not -over-respectful raillery; his bold, bloodshot eyes met his companion's -innocent looking ones with careless admiration. - -"Don't be a fool, Erlton," she replied promptly; and the even, -somewhat hard pitch of her voice did not match the extreme softness of -her small, childish face. "You know I don't rouge; or you ought to. -And it was horrible, in its way." - -"Only what your ladyship's cook does to your ladyship's fowls," -retorted Major Erlton. "You don't _see_ it done, that's all the -difference. It is a cruel world, Mrs. Gissing, the sex is the cruelest -thing in it, and you, as I'm always telling you, are the cruelest of -your sex." - -His manner was detestable, but little Mrs. Gissing laughed again. She -had not a fine taste in such matters; perhaps because she had no taste -for them at all. So, in the middle of the laugh, her attention shifted -to the big white cockatoo which formed the next lot. It had a most -rumpled and dejected appearance as it tried to keep its balance on the -ring which the soldier assistant swung backward and forward -boisterously. - -"Do look at that ridiculous bird!" she exclaimed, "Did you ever see -any creature look so foolish?" - -It did, undoubtedly, with its wrinkled gray eyelids closed in agonized -effort, its clattering gray beak bobbing rhythmically toward its scaly -gray legs. It roused the auctioneer from his depression into beginning -in grand style. "Now, then, gentlemen! This is a real treat, indeed! A -cockatoo, old as Methusalem and twice as wise. It speaks, I'll be -bound. Says 'is prayers--look at 'im gemyflexing! and maybe he swears -a bit like the rest of us. Any gentleman bid a rupee!--a eight -annas?--a four annas? Come, gentlemen!" - -"One anna," called Mrs. Gissing, with a coquettish nod to the big -Major, and a loud aside: "Cruel I may be to you, sir, but I'll give -that to save the poor brute from having its neck wrung." - -"Two annas!" There was a stress of eagerness in the new voice which -made many in the crowd look whence it came. The speaker was a lean old -man wearing a faded green turban, who had edged himself close to the -auctioneer's table and stood with upturned eyes watching the bird -anxiously. He had the face of an enthusiast, keen, remorseless, -despite its look of ascetic patience. - -"Three annas!" Alice Gissing's advance came with another nod at her -big admirer. - -"Four annas!" The reply was quick as an echo. - -A vexed surprise showed on the pretty babyish face. "What an -impertinent wretch! Eight annas--do you hear?--eight annas!" - -The auctioneer bowed effusively. "Eight annas bid for a cockatoo as -says----" he paused cautiously, for the bidding was brisk enough -without exaggeration. "Eight annas once--twice--Going! going----" - -"One rupee!" - -Mrs. Gissing gave a petulant jag to her rein. "Oh! come away, Erlton, -my charity doesn't run to rupees." - -But her companion's face, never a very amiable one, had darkened with -temper. "D----n the impudent devil," he muttered savagely, before -raising his voice to call: "Two rupees!" - -"Five!" There was no hesitation still; only an almost clamorous -anxiety in the worn old voice. - -"Ten!" Major Erlton's had lost its first heat, and settled into a dull -decision which made the auctioneer turn to him, hammer in hand. Yet -the echo was not wanting. - -"Fifteen!" - -The Englishman's horse backed as if its master's hand lay heavy on the -bit. There was a pause, during which that shuddering cough of the -hungry tiger quavered through the calm flood of sunshine, in which the -crowd stood silently, patiently. - -"Fifteen rupees," began the auctioneer reluctantly, his sympathies -outraged, "Fifteen once, twice----" - -Then Alice Gissing laughed. The woman's laugh of derision which is -responsible for so much. - -"Fifty rupees," said Major Erlton at once. - -The old man in the green turban turned swiftly; turned for the first -time to look at his adversary, and in his face was intolerant hatred -mingled with self-pity; the look of one who, knowing that he has -justice on his side, knows also that he is defeated. - -"Thank _you_, sir," caught up the auctioneer. "Fifty once, twice, -thrice! Hand the bird over, Tom. Put it down, sir, I suppose, with the -other things?" - -Major Erlton nodded sulkily. He was already beginning to wonder why he -had bought the brute. Meanwhile Tom, still swinging the cockatoo -derisively, had jumped from the table into the crowd round it as if -the sea of heads was non-existent; being justified of his rashness by -its prompt yielding of foothold as he elbowed his way outward, -shouting for room good-naturedly, and answered by swift smiles and -swifter obedience. Yet both were curiously silent; so that Mrs. -Gissing's voice, wondering what on earth Herbert was going to do with -the creature now that he had bought it, was distinctly audible. - -"Give it to you, of course," he replied moodily. "You can wring its -neck if you choose, Allie. You are cruel enough for that, I dare say." -The thought of the fifty rupees wasted was rankling fiercely; fifty -rupees! when he would be hard put to it for a penny if he didn't pull -off the next race. Fifty rupees! because a woman laughed! - -But Mrs. Gissing was laughing again. "I shan't do anything of the -kind. I shall give it to your wife, Major Erlton. I'm sure she must be -dull all alone; and then she loves prayers!" the absolute effrontery -of the speech was toned down by her indifferent expression. "Here, -sergeant!" she went on, "hold the bird up a bit higher, please, I want -to see if it is worth all that money. Gracious! what a hideous brute!" - -It was, in truth; save for the large gold-circled eyes, like strange -gems, which opened suddenly as the swinging ceased. They seemed to -look at the dainty little figure taking it in; and then, in an -instant, the dejected feathers were afluff, the wings outspread, the -flame-colored crest, unseen before, raised like a fiery flag as the -bird gave an ear-piercing scream. - -"_Deen! Deen! Futteh Mohammed_." (For the Faith! For the Faith! -Victory to Mohammed.) - -The war cry of the fiercest of all faiths was unmistakable; the first -two syllables cutting the air, keen as a knife, the last with the -blare as of a trumpet in them. And following close on their heels came -an indescribable sound, like the answering vibration of a church to -the last deep organ-note. It was a faint murmur from the crowd till -then so silent. - -"D----n the bird! Hold it back, man! Loosen the curb, Allie, for God's -sake, or the brute will be over with you!" - -Herbert Erlton's voice was sharp with anxiety as he reined his own -horse savagely out of the way of his companion's, which, frightened at -the unexpected commotion, was rearing badly. - -"All right," she called; there was a little more color on her -child-like face, a firmer set of her smiling mouth: that was all. But -the hunting crop she carried fell in one savage cut after another on -the startled horse's quarters. It plunged madly, only to meet the bit -and a dig of the spur. So, after two or three unavailing attempts to -unseat her, it stood still with pricked ears and protesting snorts. - -"Well sat, Allie! By George, you can ride! I do like to see pluck in a -woman; especially in a pretty one." The Major's temper and his fears -had vanished alike in his admiration. Mrs. Gissing looked at him -curiously. - -"Did you think I was a coward?" she asked lightly; and then she -laughed. "I'm not so bad as all that. But look! There is your wife -coming along in the new victoria--it's an awfully stylish turn-out, -Herbert; I wish Gissing would give me one like it. I suppose she has -been to church. It's Lent or something, isn't it? Anyhow, she can take -that screaming beast home." - -"You're not----" began the Major, but Mrs. Gissing had already ridden -up to the carriage, making it impossible for the solitary occupant to -avoid giving the order to stop. She was rather a pale woman, who -leaned listlessly among the cushions. - -"Good evening, Mrs. Erlton," said the little lady, "been, as you see, -for a ride. But we were thinking of you and hoping you would pray for -us in church." - -Kate Erlton's eyebrows went up, as they had a trick of doing when she -was scornful. "I am only on my way thither as yet," she replied; "so -that now I am aware of your wishes I can attend to them." - -The obvious implication roused the aggressor to greater recklessness. -"Thanks! but we really deserve something, for we have been buying a -parrot for you. Erlton paid a whole fifty rupees for it because it -said its prayers and he thought you would like it!" - -"That was very kind of Major Erlton,"--there was a fine irony in the -title,--"but, as he knows, I'm not fond of things with gay feathers -and loud voices." - -The man, listening, moved his feet restlessly in his stirrups. It was -too bad of Allie to provoke these sparring matches. Foolish, too, -since Kate's tongue was sharp when she chose to rouse herself. None -sharper, in his opinion. - -"If you don't want the bird," he interrupted shortly, "tell the groom -to wring its neck." - -Mrs. Gissing looked at him, her reproachful blue eyes perfect wells of -simplicity. "Wring its neck! How can you, when you paid all that money -to save it from being killed! That is the real story, Mrs. Erlton; it -is indeed----" - -He interrupted his wife's quick glance of interest impatiently. "The -main point being that I had, or shall have to pay fifty rupees--which -I must get. So I must be off to the racecourse if I don't want to be -posted. I ought to have been there a quarter of an hour ago; should -have been but for that confounded bird. Are you coming, Mrs. Gissing, -or not?" - -"Now, Erlton!" she replied, "don't be stupid. As if he didn't know, -Mrs. Erlton, that I am every bit as much interested as he is in the -match with that trainer man!--what's his name, Erlton? Greyman--isn't -it? I have endless gloves on it, sir, so of course I'm coming to see -fair play." - -Major Erlton shot a rapid glance at her, as if to see what she really -meant; then muttered something angrily about chaff as, with a dig of -his heels, he swung his horse round to the side of hers. - -Kate Erlton watched their figures disappear behind the trees, then -turned indifferently to the groom who was waiting for orders with the -cockatoo. But she started visibly in finding herself face to face with -a semi-circle of spectators which had gathered about the figure of an -old man in a faded green turban who stood close beside the groom, and -who, seeing her turn, salaamed, and with clasped hands began an appeal -of some sort. So much she gathered from his bright eyes, his tone; but -no more, and all unconsciously she drew back to the furthest corner of -the carriage, as if to escape from what she did not understand, and -therefore did not like. That, indeed, was her attitude toward all -things native. Yet at times, as now, she felt a dim regret at her own -ignorance. What did he want? What were they thinking of, those dark, -incomprehensible faces closing closer and closer round her? What could -they be thinking of, uncivilized, heathen, as they were? tied to -hateful, horrible beliefs and customs, unmentionable thoughts; so the -innate repulsion of the alien overpowered her dim desire to be kind. - -"Drive on!" she called in her clear, soft voice, "drive on to the -church." - -The grooms, new taken from royal employ,--for the victoria had been -one of the spoils of the auction,--began their arrogant shouting to -the crowd; the coachman, treating it also in royal fashion, cut at his -horses regardless of their plunging. So after an instant's scurry and -flurry, a space was cleared, and the carriage rolled off. The old man, -left standing alone, looked after it silently for a moment, then flung -his arms skyward. - -"O God, reward them! reward them to the uttermost!" The appeal, -however, seemed too indefinite for solace, and he turned for closer -sympathy to the crowd. "The bird is mine, brothers! I lent it to the -King, to teach his the Cry-of-Faith that I had taught it. But the -Huzoors would not listen, or they would not understand. It was a -little thing to them! So I brought all I had, thinking to buy mine own -again. But yonder hell-doomed infidel hath it for nothing--for he paid -nothing; and here--here is _my_ money!" He drew a little bag from his -breast and held it up with shaking hand. - -"For nothing!" echoed the crowd, seizing on what interested it most. -"For sure he paid nothing." - -The murmur, spreading from man to man in doubt, wonder, assertion, was -interrupted by a voice with the resonance and calm in it of one -accustomed to listeners. "Nay! not for nothing. Have patience. The -bird may yet give the Great Cry in the house of the thief. I, -Ahmed-oolah, the dust of the feet of the Most High, say it. Have -patience. God settles the accounts of men." - -"It is the Moulvie," whispered some, as the gaunt, hollow-eyed speaker -moved out of the crowd, a good head and shoulders taller than most -there. "The Moulvie from Fyzabad. He preaches in the big Mosque -to-night, and half the city goes to hear him." The whispering voices -formed a background to the recurring cry of the auctioneer, "Going! -Going! Gone!" as lot after lot fell to the hammer, while the crowd -listened to both, or drifted cityward with the memory of them -lingering insistently. - -"Going! Going! Gone!" What was going? Everything, if tales were true; -and there were so many tales nowadays. Of news flashed faster by wires -than any, even the gods themselves, could flash it; of carriages, -fire-fed, bringing God knows what grain from God knows where! Could a -body eat of it and not be polluted? Could the children read the school -books and not be apostate? Burning questions these, not to be answered -lightly. And as the people, drifting homeward in the sunset, asked -them, other sounds assailed their ears. The long-drawn chant of the -call to prayer from the Mohammedan mosques, the clashing of gongs from -the Hindoo temples, the solitary clang of the Christian church bell. -Diverse, yet similar in this, that each called Life to face Death, not -as an end, but as a beginning; called with more insistence than usual -in the church, where a special missionary service was being held, at -which a well-known worker in the vineyard was to give an address on -the duty of a faithful soldier of Christ in a heathen land. With -greater authority in the mosque also, where the Moulvie was to lay -down the law for each soldier of the faith in an age of unbelief and -change. Only in the Hindoo temples the circling lights flickered as -ever, and there was neither waxing nor waning of worship as mortality -drifted in, and drifted out, hiding the rude stone symbol of -regeneration with their chaplets of flowers; the symbol of -Life-in-Death, of Death-in-Life. The cult of the Inevitable. - -There was no light in these dark shrines, save the circling cresset; -none, save the dim reflection of dusk from white marble, in the mosque -where the Moulvie's sonorous voice sent the broad Arabic vowels -rebounding from dome to dome. But in the church there was a blaze of -lamps, and the soldierly figure at the reading desk showed clear to -the men and women listening leisurely in the cushioned pews. Yet the -words were stirring enough; there was no lack of directness in them. -Kate Erlton, resting her chin on her hand, kept her eyes on the -speaker closely as his voice rose in a final confession of the faith -that was in him. - - -"I conceive it is ever the hope and aim of a true Christian that his -Lord should make him the happy instrument of rescuing his neighbor -from eternal damnation. In this belief I find it my duty to be instant -in season and out of season, speaking to all, sepoys as well as -civilians, making no distinction of persons or place, since with the -Lord there are no such distinctions. In the temporal matters I act -under the orders of my earthly superior, but in spiritual matters I -own no allegiance save to Christ. So, in trying to convert my sepoys, -I act as a Christian soldier under Christ, and thus, by keeping the -temporal and spiritual capacities in which I have to act clearly under -their respective heads, I render unto Cæsar the things that are -Cæsar's, to God the things that are God's."[1] - -There was a little rustle of satisfaction and relief from the pews, -the hymn closing the service went with a swing, and the congregation, -trooping out into the scented evening air, fell to admiring the -address. - -"And he looked so handsome and soldierly, didn't he?" said one voice -with a cadence of sheer comfortableness in it as the owner nestled -back in the barouche. - -"Quite charming!" assented another. "And to think of a man like that, -brave as a lion, submitting to be hustled off his own parade ground -because his sepoys objected to his preaching. It is an example to us -all!" - -"I wouldn't give much for the discipline of his regiment," began Kate -Erlton impulsively, then paused, certain of her hearers, uncertain of -herself; for she was of those women who use religion chiefly as an -anodyne for the heartache, leaving her intellect to take care of -itself. With the result that it revenged itself, as now, by sudden -flashes of reason which left her helpless before her own common sense. - -"My dear Mrs. Erlton!" came a shocked coo, "discipline or no -discipline, we are surely bound to fight the good---- Gracious -heavens! what _is_ that?" - -It was the cockatoo. Roused from a doze by the movement of Kate's -carriage toward the church-door, it had dashed at once into the -war-cry--"_Deen! Deen! Futteh Mohammed!_" - -The appositeness of the interruption, however, was quite lost on the -ladies, who were too ignorant to recognize it; so their alarm ended in -a laugh, and the suggestion that the bird would be a noisy pet. - -Thus, with worldly gossip coming to fill the widening spaces in their -complacent piety, they drove homeward together where the curving river -shimmered faintly in the dark, or through scented gardens where the -orange-blossom showed as faintly among the leaves, like star-dust on a -dark sky. - -But Kate Erlton drove alone, as she generally did. She was one of -those women whose refinement stands in their way; who are _gourmets_ -of life, failing to see that the very fastidiousness of their palate -argues a keener delight in its pleasures than that of those who take -them more simply, perhaps more coarsely. And as she drove, her mind -diverted listlessly to the semicircle of dark faces she had left -unanswered. What had they wanted? Nothing worth hearing, no doubt! -Nothing was worth much in this weary land of exile where the -heart-hunger for one little face and voice gnawed at your vitality day -and night. For Kate Erlton set down all her discontent to the fact -that she was separated from her boy. Yet she had sent him home of her -own free will to keep him from growing up in the least like his -father. And she had stayed with that father simply to keep him within -the pale of respectability for the boy's sake. That was what she told -herself. She allowed nothing for her own disappointment; nothing for -the keen craving for sentiment which lay behind her refinement. All -she asked from fate was that the future might be no worse than the -past; so that she could keep up the fiction to the end. - -And as she drove, a sudden sound made her start, for--soldier's wife -though she was--the report of a rifle always set her heart a-beating. -Then from the darkness came a long-drawn howl; for over on the other -side of the river they were beginning to shoot down the hungry beasts -which all through the long sunny day had found no master. - -The barter of _their_ lives was complete. The last "Going! Going! -Gone!" had come, and they had passed to settle the account elsewhere. -So, amid this dropping fire of kindly meant destruction, the night -fell soft and warm over the shimmering river and the scented gardens -with the town hidden in their midst. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - HOME, SWEET HOME? - - -"You sent for me, I believe, Mrs. Erlton." - -"Yes, Mr. Greyman, I sent for you." - -Both voices came reluctantly into the persistent cooing of doves which -filled the room, for the birds were perched among a coral begonia -overhanging the veranda. But the man had so far the best of it in the -difficult interview which was evidently beginning, in that he stood -with his back to the French window through which he had just entered; -his face, therefore, was in shadow. Hers, as she paused, arrested by -surprise, faced the light. For Kate Erlton, when she sent for James -Greyman in the hopes of bribing him to silence regarding the match -which had been run the evening before between his horse and her -husband's, had not expected to see a gentleman in the person of an -ex-jockey, trainer, and general hanger-on to the late King's stables. -The diamonds with which she had meant to purchase honor lay on the -table, but this man would not take diamonds. What would he take? She -scanned his face anxiously, yet with a certain relief in her -disappointment; for the clean-shaven contours were fine, if a trifle -stern; and the mouth, barely hidden by a slight mustache, was -thin-lipped, well cut. - -"Yes! I sent for you," she continued--and the even confidence of her -own voice surprised her. "I meant to ask how much you would want to -keep this miserable business quiet; but now----" She paused, and her -hand, which had been resting on the center table, shifted its position -to push aside the jewel-case; as if that were sufficient explanation. - -"But now?" he echoed formally, though his eyes followed the action. -She raised hers to his, looking him full in the face. They were -beautiful eyes, and their cold gray blue, with the northern glint of -steel in it, gave James Greyman an odd thrill. He had not looked into -eyes like these for many a long year. Not since, in a room just like -this one, homely and English in every twist and turn of foreign -flowers and furniture, he had ruined his life for a pair of eyes, as -coldly pure as these, to look at. He did not mean to do it again. - -"But now I can only ask you to be kind, and generous, Mr. Greyman! I -want you to save my husband from the disgrace your claim must -bring--if you press it." - -Once more the monotonous cooing from the outside filled the darkness -and the light of the large, lofty room. For it was curiously dark in -the raftered roof and the distant corners; curiously light in the -great bars of golden sunshine slanting across the floor. In one of -them James Greyman stood, a dark silhouette against an arch of pale -blue sky, wreathed by the climbing begonia. He was a man of about -forty, looking younger than his age, taller than his real height, by -reason of his beardless face and the extreme ease and grace of his -figure. He was burned brown as a native by constant exposure to the -sun; but as he stooped to pick up his glove which had slipped from his -hold, a rim of white showed above his wrist. - -"So I supposed; but why should I save him?" he said briefly. The -question, thus crudely put, left her without reply for a minute; -during which he waited. Then, with a new tinge of softness in his -voice, he went on: "It was a mistake to send for me. I thought so at -the time, though, of course, I had no option. But now----" - -"But now?" she echoed in her turn. - -"There is nothing to be done save to go away again." He turned at the -words, but she stopped him by a gesture. - -"Is there not?" she asked. "I think there is, and so will you if you -understand--if you will wait and let me speak." His evident impatience -made her add quickly, "You can at least do so much for me, surely?" -There was a quiver in her voice now, and it surprised her as her -previous calm had done; for what was this man to her that his -unkindness should give pain? - -"Certainly," he said, pausing at once, "but I understand too much, and -I cannot see the use of raking up details. You know them--or think -you do. Either way they do not alter the plain fact that I cannot -help--because I would not if I could. That sounds brutal; but, -unfortunately, it is true. And it is best to tell the truth, as far as -it can be told." - -A faint smile curved her lips. "That is not far. If you will wait I -will tell you the truth to the bitter end." - -He looked at her with sudden interest, for her pride attracted -him. She was not in the least pretty; she might be any age from -five-and-twenty to five-and-thirty. And she--well! she was a lady. But -would she tell the truth? Women, even ladies, seldom did; still he -must wait and hear what she had to say. - -"I sent for you," she began, "because, knowing you were an adventurer, -a man who had had to leave the army under a cloud--in disgrace----" - -He stared at her blankly. Here was the truth about himself at any -rate! - -"I thought, naturally, you would be a man who would take a bribe. -There are diamonds in that case; for money is scarce in this house." -She paused, to gain firmness for what came next. "I was keeping them -for the boy. I have a son in England and he will have to go to school -soon; but I thought it better to save his father's reputation instead. -They are fine diamonds"--she drew the case closer and opened it--the -sunshine, streaming in, caught the facets of the stones, turning them -to liquid light. "You needn't tell me they are no use," she went on -quickly, as he seemed about to speak; "I am not stupid; but that has -nothing to do with the question. I want you to save my husband--don't -interrupt me, please, for I do want you to understand, and I will tell -you the truth. You asked me why? and you think, no doubt, that he does -not deserve to be saved. Do you think I do not know that? Mr. Greyman! -a wife knows more of her husband than anyone else can do; and I have -known for so many years." - -A sudden softness came into her hearer's eyes. That was true at any -rate. She must know many things of which she could not speak; a sort -of horror at what she must know, with a man like Major Erlton as her -husband, held him silent. - -"Yet I have saved him so far," she went on, "but if what happened -yesterday becomes public property all my trouble is in vain. He will -have to leave the regiment----" - -"He is not the first man, as you were kind enough to mention just -now," interrupted James Greyman, "who has had to leave the army under -a cloud. He would survive it--as others have done." - -"I was not thinking of him at all," she replied quietly. "I was -thinking of my son; my only son." - -"There are other only sons also, Mrs. Erlton," he retorted. "I was my -mother's, but I don't think the fact was taken into consideration by -the court-martial. Why should I be more lenient? You have come to the -wrong person when you come to me for charity or consideration. None -was shown to me." - -"Perhaps because you did not need it," she said quickly. - -"Not need it?" - -"Many a man falls under the shadow of a cloud blamelessly. What do -they want with charity?" - -He rose swiftly and so, facing the light again, stood looking -out into it. "I am obliged to you," he said after a pause. "Whether -you are right or wrong doesn't affect the question from which we -have wandered. Except--" he turned to her again with a certain -eagerness--"Mrs. Erlton! You say you are prepared to tell the truth to -the bitter end; then for Heaven's sake let us have it for once in our -lives. You never saw me before, nor I you. It is not likely we shall -ever meet again. So we can speak without a past or a future tense. You -ask me to save your husband from the consequences of his own cheating. -I ask why? Why should I sacrifice myself? Why should I suffer? for, -mark you, there were heavy bets----" - -"There are the diamonds," she interrupted, pointing to them; their -gleam was scarcely brighter than her scornful eyes. - -He gave a half smile. "Doubtless there are the diamonds! I can have my -equivalent, so far, if I choose; but I don't choose. It does not suit -me personally; so that is settled. I can't do this thing, then, to -please myself. Now, let us go on. You are a religious woman, I think, -Mrs. Erlton--you have the look of one. Then you will say that I should -remember my own frailty, and forgive as I would be forgiven. Mrs. -Erlton! I am no better than most men, no doubt, but I never remember -cheating at cards or pulling a horse as your husband does--it is the -brutal truth between us, remember. And if you tell me I'm bound to -protect a man from the natural punishment of a great crime because -I've stolen a pin, I say you are wrong. That theory won't hold water. -If our own faults, even our own crimes, are to make us tender over -these things in others, there must be--what, if I remember right, my -Colenso used to call an arithmetical progression in error until the -Day of Judgment; for the odds on sin would rise with every crime. I -don't believe in mercy, Mrs. Erlton. I never did. Justice doesn't -need it. So let us leave religion alone too, and come to other -things--altruism--charity--what you will. Now who will benefit by my -silence? Will you? You said just now that a wife knows more of her -husband than a stranger can. I well believe it. That is why I ask you -to tell me frankly, if you really think that a continuance of the life -you lead with him can benefit you?" He leaned over the table, resting -his head on his hand, his eyes on hers, and then added in a lower -voice, "The brutal truth, please. Not as a woman to man, or, for the -matter of that, woman to woman; but soul to soul, if there be such a -thing." - -She turned away from him and shook her head. "It is for the boy's -sake," she said in muffled tones. "It will be better for him, surely." - -"The boy," he echoed, rising with a sense of relief. She had not lied, -this woman with the beautiful eyes; she had simply shut the door in -his face. "You have a portrait of him, no doubt, somewhere. I should -like to see it. Is that it, over the mantelpiece?" - -He walked over to a colored photograph, and stood looking at it -silently, his hands--holding his hunting crop--clasped loosely behind -his back. Kate noticed them even in her anxiety; for they were -noticeable, nervous, fine-cut hands, matching the figure. - -"He is not the least like you. He is the very image of his father," -came the verdict. "What right have you to suppose that anything you or -I can do now will overcome the initial fact that the boy is your -husband's son, any more than it will ease you of the responsibility of -having chosen such a father for the boy?" - -She gave a quick cry, more of pain than anger, and hid her face on the -table in sudden despair. - -"You are very cruel," she said indistinctly. - -He walked back toward her, remorseful at the sight of her miserable -self-abasement. He had not meant to hit so hard, being accustomed -himself to facing facts without flinching. - -"Yes! I am cruel; but a life like mine doesn't make a man gentle. And -I don't see how this trivial concealment of fact--for that is all it -would be--can change the boy's character or help him. If I did----" he -paused. "I should like to help you if I could, Mrs. Erlton, if only -because you--you refused me charity! But I cannot see my way. It would -do no one any good. Begin with me. I'm not a religious man, Mrs. -Erlton. I don't believe in the forgiveness of sins. So my soul--if I -have one--wouldn't benefit. As for my body? At the risk of you -offering me diamonds again,"--he smiled charmingly,--"I must mention -that I should lose--how much is a detail--by concealment. So I must go -out of the question of benefit. Then there is you----" - -He broke off to walk up and down the room thoughtfully, then to pause -before her. "I wish you to believe," he said, "that I want really to -understand the truth, but I can't, because I don't know one thing. I -don't know if you love your husband--or not." - -She raised her head quickly with a fear behind the resentment of her -eyes. "Put me outside the question too. I have told you that already. -It is the simplest, the best way." - -He bowed cynically. She came no nearer to truth than evasion. - -"If you wish it, certainly. Then there is the boy. You want to -prevent him from realizing that his father is a--let us twist the -sentence--what his father is. You have, I expect, sent him away for -this purpose. So far good. But will this concealment of mine suffice? -Will no one else blab the truth? Even if concealment succeeds all -along the line, will it prevent the boy from following in his father's -steps if he has inherited his father's nature as well as his face? -Wouldn't it be a deterrent in that case to know early in life that -such instincts can't be indulged with impunity in the society of -gentlemen? You will never have the courage to keep the boy out of your -life altogether as you are doing now. Sooner or later you will bring -him back, he will bring himself back, and then, on the threshold of -life, he will have an example of successful dishonesty put before him. -Mrs. Erlton! you can't keep up the fiction always; so it is better for -you, for me, for him, to tell the truth--and I mean to tell it." - -She rose swiftly to her feet and faced him, thrusting her hair back -from her forehead passionately, as if to clear away aught that might -obscure her brain. - -"And for my husband?" she asked. "Have you no word for him? Is he not -to be thought of at all? You asked me just now if I loved him, and I -was a coward. Well! I do not love him--more's the pity, for I can't -make up the loss of that to him anyhow. But there is enough pity in -his life without that. Can't you see it? The pity that such things -should be in life at all. You called me a religious woman just now. -I'm not, really. It is the pity of such things without a remedy that -drives me to believe, and the pity of it which drives me back again -upon myself, as you have driven me now. For you are right! Do you -think I can't see the shame? Do you think I don't know that it is too -late--that I should have thought of all this before I called my boy's -nature out of the dark? And yet----" her face grew sharp with a -pitiful eagerness, she moved forward and laid her hand on his arm. "It -is all so dark! You said just now that I couldn't keep up the fiction; -but need it be a fiction always? What do we know? God gives men a -chance sometimes. He gives the whole world a chance sometimes of -atoning for many sins. A Spirit moves on the Waters of life bringing -something to cleanse and heal. It may be moving now. Give my husband -his chance, Mr. Greyman, and I will pray that, whatever it is, it may -come quickly." - -He had listened with startled eyes; now his hand closed on hers in -swift negation. - -"Don't pray for that," he said, in a quick low voice, "it may come too -soon for some of us, God knows--too soon for many a good man and -true!" Then, as if vexed at his own outburst, he drew back a step, -looking at her with a certain resentment. - -"You plead your cause well, Mrs. Erlton, and it is a stronger argument -than you perhaps guess. So let him have this chance that is coming. -Let us all have it, you and I into the bargain. No don't be grateful, -please, for he may prove himself a coward, among other things. So may -I, for that matter. One never knows until the chance comes for being a -hero--or the other thing." - -"When the chance comes we shall see," she said, trying to match his -light tone. "Till then, good-by--you have been very kind." She held -out her hand, but he did not take it. - -"Pardon me! I have been very rude, and you----" he paused in his -half-jesting words, stooped over her outstretched hand and kissed it. - -Kate stood looking at the hand with a slight frown after his horse's -hoofs died away; and then with a smile she shut the jewel case. Not -that she closed the incident also; for full half an hour later she was -still going over all the details of the past interview. And everything -seemed to hinge on that unforeseen appeal of hers for a chance of -atonement, on that unpremeditated strange suggestion that a Spirit -might even then be moving on the face of the waters; until, in that -room gay with English flowers, and peaceful utterly in its air of -security, a terror seized on her body and soul. A causeless terror, -making her strain eyes and ears as if for a hint of what was to come -and make cowards or heroes of them all. - -But there was only the flowerful garden beyond the arched veranda, -only the soft gurgle of the doves. Yet she sat with quivering nerves -till the sight of the gardener coming as usual with his watering pot -made her smile at the unfounded tragedy of her imaginings. - -As she passed into the veranda she called to him, in the jargon which -served for her orders, not to forget a plentiful supply to the -heartsease and the sweet peas; for she loved her poor clumps of -English annuals more than all the scented and blossoming shrubs which -in those late March days turned the garden into a wilderness of -strange perfumed beauty. But her cult of home was a religion with her; -and if a visitor remarked that anything in her environment was -reminiscent of the old country, she rejoiced to have given another -exile what was to her as the shadow of a rock in a thirsty land. - -So, her eye catching something barely up to western mark in the -pattern of a collar her tailor was cutting for her new dress, she -crossed over to where he squatted in the further corner of the -veranda. - -"That isn't right. Give me something to cut--here! this will do." - -She drew a broad sheet of native paper from the bundle of scraps -beside him, and began on it with the scissors; too full of her idea to -notice the faint negation of the man's hand. "There!" she said after a -few deft snippings, "that is new fashion." - -"Huzoor!" assented the tailor submissively as, apparently from -tidiness, he put away the remainder of the paper, before laying the -new-cut pattern on the cloth. - -His mistress looked down at it critically. There was a broad line of -black curves and square dots right across the pattern suggestive of -its having been cut from a title-page. But to her ignorance of the -Persian character they were nothing but the curves and dots, though -the tailor's eyes read clearly in them "The Sword is the Key of -Heaven." - -For he, in company with thousands of other men, had been reading the -famous pamphlet of that name; reading it with that thrill of the -heart-strings which has been the prelude to half the discords and -harmonies of history. Since, quaintly enough, those who may hope to -share your heaven are always friends, those who can with certainty be -consigned to hell, your enemies. - -"That is all right," she said. "Cut it well on the bias, so that it -won't pucker." - -As she turned away, she felt the vast relief of being able to think of -such trivialities again after the strain and stress of the hours since -her husband had come home from the race course, full of excited -maledictions on the mean, underhand bribery and spying which might -make it necessary for him to send in his papers--if he could. Kate had -heard stories of a similar character before; since Major Erlton knew -by experience that she had his reputation more at heart than he had -himself, and that her brain was clearer, her tact greater than his. -But she had never heard one so hopeless. Unless this jockey Greyman, -who, her husband said, was so mixed up with native intrigue as to have -any amount of false evidence at his command, could be silenced, her -labor of years was ruined. So long after her husband had gone off to -his bed to sleep soundly, heavily, after the manner of men, Kate had -lain awake in hers after the manner of women, resolving to risk all, -even to a certain extent honesty, in order to silence this man, this -adventurer; who no doubt was not one whit better than her husband. - -And now? As her mind flashed back over that interview the one thing -that stood out above all others was the bearing, the deference of the -man as he had stooped to kiss her hand. For the life of her, she--who -protested even to herself that such things had no part in her -life--could not help a joy in the remembrance; a quick recognition -that here was a man who could put romance into a woman's life. The -thought was one, however, from which to escape by the first -distraction at hand. This happened to be the cockatoo, which, after a -bath and plentiful food, looked a different bird on its new perch. - -"Pretty, pretty poll," she said hastily, with tentative white finger -tickling its crest. The bird, in high good humor, bent its head -sideways and chuckled inarticulately; yet to an accustomed ear the -sound held the cadence of the Great Cry, and the tailor, who had heard -it given wrathfully, looked up from his work. - -"Oh, Miffis Erlton! what a boo'ful new polly," came a silvery lisp. She -turned with a radiant smile to greet her next door neighbor's little -boy, a child of about three years old, who, pathetically enough, was a -great solace to her child-bereft life. - -"Yes, Sonny, isn't it lovely?" she said, her slim white hand going out -to bring the child closer; "and it screams splendidly. Would you like -to hear it scream?" - -Sonny, clinging tightly to her fingers, looked doubtful. "Wait till -muvver comth, muvver's comin' to zoo esectly. Sonny's always -flightened wizout hith muvver." - -At which piece of diplomacy, Kate, feeling light-hearted, caught the -little white-clad golden-curled figure in her arms and ran out with it -into the garden, smothering the laughing face with kisses as she ran. - -"Sonny's a little goose to be 'flightened,'" came her glad voice -between the laughs and the kisses. "He ought never to be 'flightened' -at all, because no one in all the wide, wide world would ever hurt a -good little childie like Sonnykins--No one! No one! No one!" - -She had sat the little fellow down among the flowers by this time, -being, in good sooth, breathless with his weight; and now, continuing -the game, chased him with pretense booings of "No one! No one!" about -the pansy bed, and so round the sweet peas; until in delicious terror -he shrieked with delight, and chased her back between her chasings. - -It was a pretty sight, indeed, this game between the woman and the -child. The gardener paused in his watering, the tailor at his work; -and even the native orderly going his rounds with the brigade -order-book grinned broadly, so adding one to the kindly dark faces -watching the chasing of Sonny. - -"My dear Kate! How can you?" The querulous voice broke in on the -booings, and made Mrs. Erlton pause and think of her loosened hair -pins. The speaker was a fair, diaphanous woman, the most solid-looking -part of whose figure, as she dawdled up the path, was the large white -umbrella she carried. "Here am I melting with the heat! What I shall -do next year if George is transferred to Delhi, I don't know. He says -we shan't be able to afford the hills. And he has the dogcart at some -of those eternal court-martials. I wonder why the sepoys give so much -trouble nowadays. George says they're spoiled. So I came to see if -you'll drive me to the band; though I'm not fit to be seen. I was up -half the night with baby. She is so cross, and George will have it she -must be ill; as if children didn't have tempers! Lucky you, to have -your boy at home. And yet you go romping with other people's. I -wouldn't; but then I look horrid when I'm hot." - -Kate laughed. She did not, and as she rearranged her hair seemed to -have left years of life behind her. "I can't help it," she said. "I -feel so ridiculously young myself sometimes--as if I hadn't lived at -all, as if nothing belonged to me, and I was really somebody else. As -if----" She paused abruptly in her confidences, and, to change the -subject, turned to the group behind Mrs. Seymour:--an ayah holding a -toddler by the hand, a tall orderly in uniform carrying a year-old -baby in his arms; such a languid little mortal as is seldom seen out -of India, where the swift, sharp fever of the changing seasons seems -to take the very, life from a child in a few hours. The fluffy golden -head in its limp white sun-bonnet rested inert against the orderly's -scarlet coatee, the listless little legs drooped helplessly among the -burnished belts and buckles. - -"Poor little chick! Let me have her a bit, orderly," said Kate, laying -her hand caressingly on the slack dimpled arm; but baby, with a -fretful whine, nestled her cheek closer into the scarlet. A shade of -satisfaction made its owner's dark face less impassive, and the small, -sinewy, dark hands held their white burden a shade tighter. - -"She _is_ so cross," complained the mother. "It has been so all day. -She won't leave the man for an instant. He must be sick of her, though -he doesn't show it. And she used to go to the ayah; but do you know, -Kate, I don't trust the woman a bit. I believe she gives opium to the -child, so that she may get a little rest." - -Kate looked at the ayah's face with a sudden doubt. "I don't know," -she said slowly. "I think they believe it is a good thing. I remember -when Freddy was a baby----" - -"Oh, I don't believe they ever think that sort of thing," interrupted -Mrs. Seymour. "You never can trust the natives, you know. That's the -worst of India. Oh! how I wish I was back in dear old England with a -real nurse who would take the children off my hands." - -But Kate Erlton was following up her own doubt. "The children trust -them----" she began. - -"My dear Kate! you can't trust children either. Look at baby! It gives -me the shudders to think of touching Bij-rao, and see how she cuddles -up to him," replied Mrs. Seymour, as she dawdled on to the house; -then, seeing the bed of heartsease, paused to go into raptures over -them. They were like English ones, she said. - -The puzzled look left Kate's face. "I sent some home last mail," she -replied in a sort of hushed voice, "just to show them that we were not -cut off from everything we care for; not everything." - -So, as if by one accord, these two Englishwomen raised their eyes from -the pansy bed, and passing by the flowering shrubs, the encircling -tamarind trees framing the cozy, home-like house, rested them on the -reddening gold of the western sky. Its glow lay on their faces, making -them radiant. - -But baby's heavy lids had fallen at last over her heavy eyes as she -lay in the orderly's arms, and he glanced at the ayah with a certain -pride in his superior skill as a nurse. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - THE GREAT GULF FIXED. - - -It was a quaint house in the oldest quarter of the city of Lucknow, -where odd little groves linger between the alleys, so that men pass, -at a step, from evil-smelling lanes to cool, scented retreats, dark -with orange and mango trees; where birds flutter, and squirrels loll -yawning through the summer days, as if the great town were miles away. - -It was in the furthest corner of such a flowerless, shady garden that -the house reared its lessening stories and projecting eaves above its -neighbors. The upper half of it was not unlike an Italian villa in its -airiness, its balustraded roof, its green jalousies; but the lower -portion was unmistakably Indian. It was a perfect rabbit warren of -dark cells, crushed in on each other causelessly; the very staircase, -though but two feet wide, having to fold itself away circumspectly so -as to find space to creep upward. - -But no one lived below, and the dark twists and turns of the brick -ladder mattered little to Zora _bibi_, who lived in the pleasant -pavilions above; for she had scarcely ever left them since the day, -nearly eight years past, when James Greyman had installed her there -with all the honor possible to the situation. Which was, briefly, that -he had bought the slip of a girl from a house of ill-fame, as he would -have bought a horse, or a flower-pot, or anything else which he -thought would make life pleasanter to him. He had paid a long price -for her, not only because she was beautiful, but because he pitied the -delicate-looking child--for she was little more--just about to enter a -profession to which she was evidently a recruit kidnaped in early -infancy; as so many are in India. Not that his pity would have led him -to buy her if she had been ugly, or even dark; for the creamy ivory -tint of her skin satisfied his fastidiousness quite as much as did the -hint of a soul in her dark, dreamy eyes. Romance had perhaps had more -to do with his purchase than passion; restless, reckless determination -to show himself that he had no regrets for the society which had -dispensed with his, had had more than either. For he had begun to rent -the pleasant pavilions after a few years of adventurous roving had -emphasized the gulf fixed between him and his previous life, and -forced his pride into leading his present one as happily as he could. - -As for the girl, those eight years of pure passion on the housetops -had been a dream of absolute content. It was so even now, when she lay -dying, as so many secluded women do, of a slow decline. To have -flowers and fruit brought to her, to find no change in his tenderness -because she was too languid to amuse him, to have him wait upon her -and kiss away her protests; all this made her soft warm eyes softer, -warmer. It was so unlike anything she had ever heard or dreamed of; it -made her blind to the truth, that she was dying. How could this be so -when there was no hint of change, when life still gave her all she -cared for? She did not, to be sure, play tricks with him like a -kitten, as she used to; but that was because she was growing -old--nearly one and twenty! - - -"She is worse to-day. I deem her close to freedom, Soma, so I have -warned the death-tender," said a tall woman, as she straightened -the long column of her throat to the burden of a brass water-pot, -new-poised on her head, and stepped down from the low parapet of the -well which stood in one corner of the shady grove. Sometimes its -creaking Persian wheel moaned over the task of sending runnels of -water to the thirsty trees; but to-day it was silent, save for an -intermittent protest when the man--who was lazily leaning his back -against the yoke--put out his strength so as to empty an extra water -can or two into the trough for the woman's use. He was in the undress -uniform of a sepoy, and as he also straightened himself to face the -speaker the extraordinary likeness between them in face and figure -stamped them as twins. It would have been difficult to give the palm -to either for superior height or beauty; and in their perfection of -form they might have stood as models of the mythical race-founders -whose names they bore. For Tara Devi and Soma Chund were Rajpoots of -the single Lunar or Yadubansi tribe. She was dressed in an endless -scarf of crimson wool, which with its border of white and yellow -embroidery hung about her in admirable folds. The gleam of the -water-pot matched the dead gold circlets on the brown wrists and -ankles; for Tara wore her savings thus, though she had no right to do -so, being a widow. But she had been eight years in James Greyman's -service; more than eight bound to him by the strangest of ties. He had -been the means of saving her from her husband's funeral pyre; in other -words of preventing her from being a saint, of making her outcaste -utterly. Since none, not even other widows, would eat or drink with a -woman rejected by the very gods on the threshold of Paradise. Such a -mental position is well-nigh incomprehensible to western minds. It was -confusing even to Tara herself; and the mingling of conscious dignity -and conscious degradation, gratitude, resentment, attraction, -repulsion, made her a puzzle even to herself at times. - -"The master will grieve," replied Soma; his voice was far softer than -his sister's had been, but it had the effect of hardening hers still -more. - -"What then?" she asked; "man's sorrow for a woman passes; or even if -it pass not, bears no fruit here, or hereafter. But I, as _thou -knowest_, Soma, would have burned with my love. _But for thee_, as -thou knowest, I would have been _suttee_ (lit. virtuous). _But for -thee_ I should have found, ay! and given salvation." - -She passed on with a sweep of full drapery, bearing her water-pot -as a queen might her crown, leaving Soma's handsome face full of -conscious-stricken amaze. His sister--from whom, despite her -degradation, he had not been able to dissociate himself utterly--had -never before rounded on him for his share in her misfortune; but in -his heart of hearts he had admitted his responsibility at one moment, -scorned it the next. True, he had told his young Lieutenant that his -brother-in-law was going to be burned, as an excuse for not -accompanying him after black-buck one morning; but who would have -dreamed that this commonplace remark would rouse the Huzoor's -curiosity to see the obsequies of a high-caste Rajpoot, and so lead, -incidentally, to a file of policemen and the neighboring magistrate -dragging the sixteen-year old widow from the very flames?--when she -was drugged, too, and quite happy--when the wrench was over, even for -him, and she, to all intents, was a saint scattering salvation on -seven generations of inconstant males! Much as he loved Tara, the -little twin sister who, so the village gossips loved to tell, had left -the Darkness for the Light of Life still clasping his hand, how could -he have done her such an injury? As a Rajpoot how could he have -brought such a scandalous dishonor on any family? - -But being also a soldier, as his fathers had been before him, and so -leavened unconsciously by much contact with Europeans, he could not -help admiring Tara's pluck in refusing to accept the life of a dog, -which was all that was left to her among her own people. And he had -been grateful to the Huzoor, as she was, for giving her good service -where he could see her; though he would not for worlds have touched -the hand which had lain in his from the beginning of all things. It -was unclean now. - -Still he could not forget the gossip's story any more than he could -forget that James Greyman had been his Lieutenant, and that together -they had shot over half Hurreeana. So when he passed through Lucknow -on his way to spend his leave in his wife's village, he always gave a -day or two of it to the quaint garden-house. - -And now Tara had definitely accused him of ruining her life! Anger, -born of a vague remorse, filled him as he watched her disappear up the -plinth. If it was anybody's fault it was the Huzoor's; or rather of -the _Sirkar_ itself who, by high-handed interference with venerable -customs, made it possible for a poor man, by a mere slip of the -tongue, to injure one bound to him by the closest of ties. - -"It will leave us naught to ourselves soon," he muttered sulkily as he -went out to the doorstep to finish polishing the master's sword; that -being a recognized office during these occasional visits, which, as it -occurred to him in his discontent, would be still more occasional if -among other things the _Sirkar_, now that Oude was was annexed, took -away the extra leave due to foreign service. They had said so in the -regiment; and though he was too tough to feel pin-pricks in advance, -he had sneered with others in the current jest that the maps were -tinted red--_i. e_., shown to be British territory--by savings stolen -from the sepoy's pocket. - -It was very quiet on the paved slope leading up from the alley to the -carved door beyond the gutter. The lane was too narrow for wheeled -traffic, the evening not sufficiently advanced for the neighbors to -gather in it for gossip. But every now and again a veiled figure would -sidle along the further wall, passing good-looking Soma with a -flurried shuffle. Whereat, though he knew these ghostly figures to be -old women on their way to market, he cocked his turban more awry, and -curled his mustachios nearer his eyes; from no set purpose of playing -the gay Lothario, but for the honor of the regiment, and because War -and Women go together, East and West. - -After a time, however, the workmen began to dawdle past from their -work, and some of them, remembering Soma, paused to ask him the latest -news; a stranger in a native city being equivalent to an evening -paper. And, of course, there were questions as to what the regiment -thought of this and that. But Soma's replies were curt. He never -relished being lumped in as a simple Rajpoot with the rest of the -Rajpoots, for he was inordinately proud of his tribe. That was one -reason why he stood aloof, as he did, from much that went on among his -comrades. He drilled, it is true, between two of them who were entered -as he was--that is to say, as a Rajpoot--on the roster. But the three -were in reality as wide apart as the Sun, the Moon, and the Fire from -which they respectively claimed descent. They would not have -intermarried into each other's families for all the world and its -wealth. A causeless differentiation which makes, and must make, a -people who cling to it incomprehensible to a race which boasts as a -check to pride or an encouragement to humility that all men are born -of Adam, and which seeks no hall-mark for its descendants save the -stamp of the almighty dollar. - -Soma, therefore, polishing his master's sword sulkily, grew irritable -also; especially when the frequenters of the opium and hemp shops -began, with wavering steps and lack-luster eyes, to loaf homeward for -the evening meal which would give them strength for another dose. -There were many such habitual drug-takers in the quarter; for it was -largely inhabited by poor claimants to nobility who, having nothing to -do, had time for dreams. That was why people from other quarters -flocked to this one at sundown for gossip; since it is to be had at -its best from the opium-eater, whose imagination is stimulated, his -reason dulled, beyond the power of discriminating even his own truth -or falsehood. One of these, a haggard, sallow fellow in torn muslin -and ragged embroidery, stopped with a heavy-lidded leer beside Soma. - -"So, brother, back again!" he said with the maudlin gravity of a -hemp-smoker; "and thou lookest fat. The bone dust must agree with -thee." - -It was as if a bomb had fallen. The Hindoo bystanders, recognizing the -rumor that ground bones were mixed with commissariat flour, drew back -from the Rajpoot instinctively; the Mohammedans smiled on the sly. -Soma himself had in a moment one sinewy hand on the half-drunk -creature's throat, the other brandishing the fresh-polished sword. - -"Bone dust thyself, and pigs meat too, foul-mouthed slayer of sacred -kine!" he gasped, carrying the war into the enemy's country. "Thou -beast! Unsay the lie!" - -His indignation, showing that he appreciated the credence some might -be disposed to give to the accusation, only made the Hindoos look at -each other. The Mohammedans, however, dragged him from the swaying -figure of the accuser, who, after all, was one of themselves. - -"Heed him not!" they chorused appeasingly. "'Tis drug-shop talk, and -every sane man knows that for dreams. Lo! his sense is clean gone as -horns from a donkey! Sure, thy mother ate chillies in her time for -thou to be so hot-blooded. It is not morning, brother, because a hen -crows, and a snake is but a snake, and goes crooked even to his own -home!" - -These hoarded saws, with physical force superadded, left Soma reduced -to glaring, and renewed claims for a retraction of the insult. - -The hemp-smoker looked at him mournfully. "Wouldst have me deny God's -truth?" he hiccuped. "Lo! I say not thou didst eat it. Thou sayst not, -and who am I to decide between a man and his stomach, even though he -looks fat? Yet this all know, that as a bird fattens his tail shrinks, -and honor is nowhere nowadays. But this I say for certain. Let him eat -who will, there is bone dust in the flour--there is bone dust in the -flour----" - -He lurched from a supporter's hold and drifted down the lane, -half-chanting the words. - -Soma glared, now, at those doubtful faces which remained. "'Tis a lie, -brothers! But there, 'tis no use wearing the red coat nowadays when -all scoff at it. And why not? when the _Sirkar_ itself mocks our -rights. I tell thee at the father-in-law's village, but now, a man who -titled me sahib last year puffed his smoke in my face this. And -wherefore not? May not every scoundrel nowadays drag us to court and -set us a-bribing underlings as the common herd have to do? We, -soldiers of Oude, who had a Resident of our own always, and----" - -"Nothing lasts for always, save God," said a long-bearded bystander, -interrupting Soma's parrot roll of military grievances, "as the -Moulvie said last night at our mosque, it is well he remains ever the -same, giving the same plain orders once and for all. So none of the -faithful can mistake. God is Might and Right. All the rest is change." - -"_Wah! wah!_" murmured some respectfully; but the Rajpoot's scowl lost -its fierceness in supercilious indifference. - -"That may suit the Moulvie. It may suit thee and thine, _syyed-jee_," -he replied, with a shrug of the shoulders. "It suits not me nor mine, -being of a different race. We are Rajpoots, and there is no change -possible to that. We are ever the same." - -The pride in his voice and manner reflected but faintly the -inconceivable pride in his heart. Yet he was on the alert, salaaming -cheerfully, as James Greyman came riding with a clatter down the -alley, and without drawing bridle, passed through the low gateway into -the dark garden heavy with the perfume of orange-blossom. His arrival -ended the incident, for Soma followed him quickly, and in obedience to -his curt order to see the groom rub down the horse while it waited, as -it had been a breather round the race course, walked off with it -toward the well. It was such an opportunity for ordering other men -about as natives dearly love; so that the more autocratic a master is, -the better pleased they are to gain dignity by serving him. - -James Greyman, meanwhile, had paused on the plinth to give a low -whistle and look upward to the terraced roof. And as he did so his -face was full of weariness, and yet of impatience. He had been telling -himself that he was a fool ever since he had left Kate Erlton's -drawing room half an hour before, and even his mad gallop round the -steeple-chase course had not effaced the curious sense of compulsion -which had made him promise to let her husband go scot-free. Even now, -when he waited with that dread at his heart, which of late had been -growing stronger day by day, for the answer which Zora loved to make -to his signal, his fear lest the Great Silence had fallen between them -was lost in the recollection that, if it were so, his freedom had come -too late. He hated himself for thus bracketing death and freedom -together, but for all that he would not blind himself to its truth. -Now that his profession had gone with the King's exile, Zora was, -indeed, the only tie to a life which had grown distasteful to him, and -when the Great Silence came, as come it must, he had made up his mind -to leave James Greyman behind, and go home to England. He was nearing -forty, and though the spirit of reckless adventure was fading, the -ambitions of his youth seemed to be returning; as they so often do -when the burden and heat of passion passes. He was tired of perpetual -sunshine; the thought of the cold mists on the hilltops, the wild -storms on the west coast, haunted him. He wanted to see them again. -Above all, he wanted to hear himself called by his own familiar name, -not by the one he had assumed. It had seemed brutal to dream of all -this sometimes, while little Zora still lay in his arms smiling -contentedly; but it was inevitable. And so, while he waited, watching -with the dread growing at his heart for the flutter of the tinsel -veil, the half-heard whisper "_Khush amud-eed_" (welcome), it was -inevitable also that the remembrance of his promise to Kate Erlton -should invade, and as it were desecrate, his real regret for the -silence that seemed to grow deeper every second. It had come too -late--too late! There could be no solace in freedom now. That other -silence in regard to Major Erlton's misdeeds meant the loss of every -penny he had scraped together for England. He might have to sell up -almost everything he possessed in order to pay his bets honorably; and -that he must do, or he gave away his only hope of recouping his bad -luck. Why had he promised? Why had he given up a certainty for that -vague chance of which he had spoken, he scarcely knew why, to these -cold blue northern eyes with the glint of steel. The remembrance -brought a passionate anger at himself. Was there anything in the world -worth thinking of now, with that silence new-fallen upon him, except -the soft warm eyes which were perhaps closed forever? So, with a quick -step, he passed up the stairs and gave his signal knock at the door -which led on to the terraced roof. - -Tara, opening it, answered his look with finger to her lip, and a -warning glance to the low string-bed set close to the arches of the -summer-house so as to catch the soft-scented breeze. He stepped over -to it lightly and looked down on the sleeper; but the relief passed -from his face at what he saw there. It could only be a question of -hours now. - -"Why didst not send before?" he asked in a low voice. "I bid thee send -if she were worse and she needed me." Once more the anger against that -other woman came uppermost. What was she to him that she should filch -even half an hour from this one who loved him? He might so easily have -come earlier; and then the promise would not have been made. Was he -utterly heartless, that this thought would come again and again? - -"She slept," replied Tara coldly. "And sleep needs naught. Not even -Love's kisses. It is nigh the end though, master, as thou seest; so I -have warned mother Jewuni, the death tender." She had spoken so far as -if she desired to make him wince; now the pain on his face made her -add hurriedly: "She hath not suffered, Huzoor, she hath not -complained. Had it been so I would have sent. But sleep is rest." - -She passed on to a lower roof softening her echoing steps with a -quaint crooning lullaby: - - - "My breast is rest - And rest is Death. - Ye who have breath - Say which is best? - Death's Sleep is rest!" - - -Was it so? As he stood, still looking down on the sleeper, something -in the lack of comfort, of all the refinements and luxuries which seem -to belong by right to the sickness of dear ones in the West, smote him -suddenly with a sense of deprivation, of division. And though he told -himself that Death came in far more friendly fashion out there in the -sunlight, where you could hear the birds, watch the squirrels, and see -the children's kites go sailing overhead in the blue sky; still the -bareness of it seemed somehow to reveal the great gulf between his -complexity, his endless needs and desires, and the simplicity of that -human creature drifting to death, almost as the animals drift, without -complaint, without fears, or hopes. It seemed so pitiful. The slender -figure, still gay in tinsel and bright draperies, all cuddled up on -the quilt, its oval face resting hardly on the thin arm where the -bracelets hung so loosely, had an uncared-for look. It seemed alone, -apart; as far from Death in its nearness to Life, as it was from Life -in its closeness to Death. In swift pity he stooped to risk an -awakening by gathering it into his warm friendly arms. It would at -least feel the beating of another human heart when it lay there. It -would at least be more comfortable than on the bare, hard, pillowless -bed. - -But he paused. How could he judge? How dare he judge even for that -wasted body, which, despite its softness, had never known half the -luxuries his claimed? So he left her lying as he had often seen her -sleep, all curled up on herself like a tired squirrel, and passing to -the parapet leaned over it looking moodily down into the darkening -orange trees. Their heavy perfume floated upward, reminding him of -many another night in springtime spent with Zora upon this terraced -roof. - -And suddenly his hand fell in a gesture of sheer anger. - -Before God! it had been unfair; this idyl on the housetops. The world -had held no more for her save her passion for him, pure in its very -perfection. His for her had been but a small part of his life. It -never was more than that to a man, in reality, and so this sort of -thing must always be unfair. That she had been content made it worse, -not better. Poor little soul! drifting away from the glow and the -glamour. - -A resentment for her, more than for himself, made him go to where Tara -sat gossiping with her fellow-servant on the other roof and bid them -wait downstairs. If the silence were indeed about to fall, if the glow -and the glamour were going, then she and he might at least be alone -once more beneath the coming stars; alone in the soft-scented darkness -which had so often seemed to clasp them closer to each other as they -sat in it like a couple of children whispering over a secret. - -Closer! As he leaned over the parapet his keen eyes stared down into -the half-seen city spreading below him. Wide, tree-set, full of faint -sounds of life; the wreaths of smoke from thousands of hearths rising -to obscure it from his view. Obscuring it hopelessly with their tale -of a life utterly apart from any he could lead. Even there on the -housetop he had only pretended to lead it. It was not she, drifting to -death so contentedly, who was alone! It was he. Yet some men he had -known had seemed able to combine the two lives. They had been content -to think half-caste thoughts, to rear up a tribe of half-caste -children; while he? How many years was it since he had seen Zora -weeping over a still little morsel of humanity, his child and hers, -that lay in her tinseled veil? She had wept, mostly because she was -afraid he might be angry because his son had never drawn breath; and -he had comforted her. He had never told her of the relief it was to -him, of the vague repulsion which the thought of a child had always -brought with it. One could not help these things; and, after all, she -had only cared because she was afraid he cared. She did not crave for -motherhood either. It was the glow and glamour that had been the bond -between them; nothing else. And, thank Heaven! she had never tired of -it, had never seen him tire of it--for Death would come before that -now. - -A chiming clash of silver made him turn quickly. She had awakened, and -seeing him by the parapet, had set her small feet to the ground, and -now stood trying to steady herself by her thin, wide-spread arms. - -"Zora! wait! I am coming," he cried, starting forward. Then he paused, -speech and action arrested by something in her look, her gesture. - -"Let me come," she murmured, her breath gone with the effort. "I can -come. I must be able to come. My lord is so near--so near." - -A fierce pity made him stand still. "Surely thou canst come," he -answered. "I will stay here." - -As she stood, with parted lips, waiting for a glint of strength ere -she tried to walk, her swaying figure, the brilliance of her eyes, the -heaving of her delicate throat, cut him to the very heart for her sake -more than for his own. Then the jingle of her silver anklets rose -again in irregular cadence, to cease at the next pillar where she -paused, steadying herself against the cold stone to regain her breath. - -"Surely, I can come; and he so near," she murmured wistfully, half to -herself. - -"Thou art in too great a hurry, sweetheart. There is plenty of time. -The stars are barely lit, and star-time is ever our time." - -He set his teeth over the words; but the glow and the glamour should -not fail her yet. He would take her back with him while he could to -the past which had been so full of it. - -"Come slower, my bird, I am waiting," he said again as the jingling -cadence ceased once more. - -"It is so strange," she gasped; "I feel so strange." And even in the -dim light he could see a vague terror, a pitiful amaze in her face. -That must not be. That must be stopped. "And it is strange," he -answered quickly. "Strange, indeed, for me to wait like a king, when -thou art my queen!" - -A faint smile drove the wonder away, a faint laugh mingled with the -chiming and clashing. She was like a wounded bird, he thought, as he -watched her; a wounded bird fluttering to find shelter from death. - -"Take care! Take care of the step!" he cried, as a stumble made him -start forward; but when she recovered herself blindly he stood still -once more, waiting. Let her come if she could. Let her keep the -glamour. - -Keep it! She had done more than that. She had given it back to him at -its fullest, as, close at hand he saw her radiant face, and his -outstretched hands met hers warm and clasping. The touch of them made -him forget all else; he drew her close to him passionately. She gave a -smiling sob of sheer content, raising her face to meet his kisses. - -"I have come," she whispered. "I have come to my king." Her voice -ended like a sigh. Then there was silence, a fainter sigh, then -silence again. - -"Zora!" he called with a sudden dread at his heart. "What is it? Zora! -Zora!" - -Half an hour afterward, Tara Devi, obeying her master's summons, found -him standing beside the bed, which he had dragged out under the stars, -and flung up her arms to give the wail for what she saw there. - -"Hush!" he said sternly, clutching at her shoulder. "I will not have -her disturbed." - -Tara looked at him wonderingly. "There is no fear of that," she -replied clearly, loudly, "none shall disturb Zora again. She hath -found _that_ freedom in the future. For the rest of us, God knows! The -times are strange. So let her have her right of wailing, master. She -will feel silent in the grave without the voices of her race." - -He drew his hand away sharply; even in death a great gulf lay between -him and the woman he had loved. - -So the death wail rang out clamorously through the soft dark air. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - TAPE AND SEALING-WAX. - - -"I can't think," said a good-looking middle-aged man as he petulantly -pushed aside a pile of official papers, "where Dashe picks these -things up. I never come across them. And it is not as if he were in a -big station or--or in the swim in any way." He spoke fretfully, as one -might who, having done his best, has failed. And he had grounds for -this feeling, since the fact that the diffident district-officer named -Dashe was not in the swim, must clearly have been due to his official -superiors; the speaker being one of them. - -Fortunately, however, for England, these diffident sons of hers cannot -always hide their lights under bushels. As the biographies of many -Indian statesmen show, some outsider notices a gleam of common sense -amid the gloom, and steers his course by it. Now Mr. Dashe's intimate -knowledge of a certain jungle tract in this district had resulted in a -certain military magnate bagging three tigers. From this to a reliance -on his political perceptions is not so great a jump as might appear; -since a man acquainted with the haunt of every wild beast in his -jurisdiction may be credited with knowledge of other dangerous -inhabitants. So much so that the military magnate, being impressed by -some casual remarks, had asked Mr. Dashe to put down his views on -paper, and had passed them on to a great political light. - -It was he who sat at the table looking at a broadsheet printed in the -native character, as if it were a personal affront. The military -magnate, who had come over to discuss the question, was lounging in an -easy-chair with a cheroot. They were both excellent specimens of -Englishmen. The civilian a trifle bald, the soldier a trifle gray; but -one glance was sufficient to judge them neither knaves nor fools. - -"That's the proclamation you're at now, isn't it?" asked the military -magnate, looking up, "I'm afraid I could only make out a word here and -there. That's the worst of Dashe. He's so deuced clever at the -vernaculars himself that he imagines other people----" - -The political, who had earned his first elevation from the common herd -to the Secretariat by a nice taste in Persian couplets suitable for -durbar speeches, smiled compassionately. - -"My dear sir! This is not even _shikust_ [broken character]. It is -lithographed, and plain sailing to anyone not a fool--I mean to anyone -on the civil side, of course--you soldiers have not to learn the -language. But I have a translation here. As this farrago of Dashe's -must go to Calcutta in due course, I had one made for the Governor -General's use." - -He handed a paper across the table, and then turned to the next -paragraph of the jeremiad. - -The military magnate laid down his cigar, took up the document and -glanced at it apprehensively, resumed his cigar, and settled himself -in his chair. It was a very comfortable one and matched the -office-room, which, being in the political light's private house, was -under the supervision of his wife, who was a notable woman. Her -portrait stood in the place of honor on the mantelpiece and it was -flanked by texts; one inculcating the virtue of doing as you would -be done by, the other the duty of doing good without ceasing. Both -rather dangerous maxims when you have to deal with a different -personal and ethical standard of happiness and righteousness. There -was also a semicircle of children's photographs--of the kind known as -positives--on the table round the official ink-pot. When the sun shone -on their glasses, as it did now through a western window, they dazzled -the eyes. Maybe it was their hypnotizing influence which inclined the -father of the family toward treating every problem which came to that -office-table as if the first desideratum was their welfare, their -approbation; not, of course, as his children, but as the -representative Englishmen and women of the future. Yet he was filled -with earnest desires to do his duty by those over whom he had been set -to rule, and as he read, his sense of responsibility was simply -portentous, and his pen, scratching fluently in comments over the half -margin, was full of wisdom. This sound was the only one in the room -save, occasionally, voices raised eagerly in the rehearsal going on in -the drawing room next door. It was a tragedy in aid of an orphan -asylum in England which the notable wife was getting up; and once her -voice could be heard distinctly, saying to her daughter, "Oh, Elsie, -I'm sure you could die better than that!" - -Meanwhile the military magnate was reading: - -"I, servant of God, the all-powerful, and of the prophet Mohammed--to -whom be all praise. I, Syyed Ahmed-Oolah, the dust of the feet of the -descendants of _Huzrut Ameer-Oolah-Moomereen-Ali-Moortuza, the Holy_." -He shifted uneasily, looked across the table, appeared discouraged by -that even scratching, and went on: - -"I, Syyed Ahmed, after preferring my salaams and the blessings of Holy -War, to all believers of the sect of Sheeahs or the sect of Sunnees -alike, and also to all those having respectful regards to the Faith, -declare that I, the least of servants in the company of those waiting -on the Prophet, did by the order of God receive a Sword of Honor, on -condition that I should proclaim boldly to all the duty of combining -to drive out Infidels. In this, therefore, is there great Reward; as -is written in the Word of God, since His Gracious Power is mighty for -success. Yea! and if any fail, will they not be rid of all the ends of -this evil world, and attain the Joys and Glories of Martyrdom? So be -it. A sign is ever sufficient to the intelligent, and the Duty of a -servant is simply to point the way." - -When he had finished he laid the document down on the table, and for a -minute or so continued to puff at his cigar. Then he broke silence -with that curious constraint in his tone which most men assume when -religious topics crop up in general conversation. "I wonder if -this--this paper is to be considered the sign, or"--he hesitated for a -moment, then the cadence of the proclamation being suggestive, he -finished his sentence to match--"or look we for another?" - -"Another!" retorted his companion irritably. "According to Dashe the -whole of India is one vast sign-post! He seems to think we in -authority are blind to this. On the contrary, there is scarcely one -point he mentions which is not, I say this confidentially of course, -under inquiry. I have the files in my confidential box here and can -show them to you now. No! by the way, the head clerk has the key--that -proclamation had to be translated, of course. But, naturally, we don't -proclaim this on the housetops. We might hurt people's feelings, -or give rise to unfounded hopes. As for these bazaar rumors Dashe -retails with such zest, I confess I think it undignified for a -district-officer to give any heed to them. They are inevitable -with an ignorant population, and we, having the testimony of -a good conscience,"--he glanced almost unconsciously at the -mantelpiece,--"should disregard these ridiculous lies. Of course -everyone--everyone in the swim, that is--admits that the native army -is most unsettled. And as Sir Charles Napier declared, mutiny is the -most serious danger in the future; in fact, if the first symptoms are -not grappled with, it may shake the very foundations. But we are -grappling with it, just as we are grappling, quietly, with the general -distrust. That was a most mischievous paragraph, by the way, in the -_Christian Observer_, jubilant over the alarm created by those first -widow remarriages the other day. So was that in _The Friend of India_, -calling attention to the fact that a regular prayer was offered up in -all the mosques for the Restoration of the Royal Family. We don't want -these things _noticed_. We want to create a feeling of security by -ignoring them. That is our policy. Then as for Dashe's political news, -it is all stale! That story, for instance, of the Embassy from Persia, -and of the old King of Delhi having turned a Sheeah----" - -"That has something to do with saying Amen, hasn't it?" interrupted -the military magnate, with the air of one determined to get at the -bottom of things at all costs to himself. - -The political light smiled in superior fashion. "Partially; but -politically--as a gauge, I mean, to probable antagonism--Sheeahs and -Sunnees are as wide apart as Protestants and Papists. The fact that -the Royal Family of Oude are Sheeahs, and the Delhi one Sunnees, is -our safeguard. Of course the old King's favorite wife, Zeenut Maihl, -is an Oude woman, but I don't credit the rumors. I had it carefully -inquired into, however, by a man who has special opportunities for -that sort of work. A very intelligent fellow, Greyman by name. He has -a black wife or--or something of that sort, which of course helps -him to understand the natives better than most of us who--er--who -don't--you understand----" - -The military magnate, having a sense of humor, smiled to himself. -"Perfectly," he replied, "and I'm inclined to think that perhaps there -is something to be said for a greater laxity." In his turn he glanced -at the mantelpiece, and paused before that immaculate presence. "The -proclamation, however," he went on hurriedly, "appears to me a bit -dangerous. Holy War is awkward, and a religious fanatic is a tough -subject even to the regulars." He had seen a rush of Ghâzees once and -the memory lingered. - -"Undoubtedly. And as we have pointed out again and again to your -Department, here and at home, the British garrisons are too scattered. -These large accessions of territory have put them out of touch with -each other. But that again is being grappled with. In fact, -personally, I believe we are getting on as well as can be expected." -He glanced here at the semicircle of children as if the phrase were -suggestive. "We are doing our best for India and the Indians. Now -here, in Oude, things are wonderfully ship-shape already. Despite -Jackson and Gubbins' tiffs over trifles they are both splendid -workers, and Lucknow was never so well governed as it is to-day." - -"But about the proclamation," persisted his hearer. "Couldn't you get -some more information about it? That Greyman, for instance." - -"I'm afraid not. He refused some other work I offered him not long -ago. Said he was going home for good. I sometimes wish I could. It is -a thankless task slaving out here and being misunderstood, even at -home. Being told in so many words that the very system under which we -were recruited has failed. Poor old Haileybury! I only hope -competition will do as well, but I doubt it; these new fellows can -never have the old _esprit de corps_; won't come from the same class! -One of the Rajah's people was questioning me about it only this -morning--they read the English newspapers, of course. 'So we are not -to have sahibs to rule over us,' he said, looking black as thunder. -'Any _krani's_ (_lit_. low-caste English) son will do, if he has -learned enough.' I tried to explain--" Here a red-coated orderly -entering with a card, he broke off into angry inquiries why he was -being disturbed contrary to orders. - -"The sahib bade me bring it," replied the man, as if that were -sufficient excuse, and his master, looking at the card, tossed it over -the table to the soldier, who exclaimed: "Talk of the devil! He may as -well come in, if you don't mind." - -So James Greyman was ushered in, and remained standing between the -civilian and the soldier; for it is not given to all to have the fine -perceptions of the native. The orderly had unhesitatingly classed the -visitor as a "gentleman to be obeyed"; but the Political Department -knew him only as a reliable source of information. - -"Well, Greyman! Have you brought any more news?" asked the civilian, -in a tone intended to impress the Military Department with the fact -that here was one grapnel out of the many which were being employed in -bringing truth to the surface and securing safety. But the soldier, -after one brief look at the newcomer, sat up and squared his own -shoulders a bit. - -"That depends, sir," replied James Greyman quietly, "whether it pays -me to bring it or not. I told you last month that I could not -undertake any more work, because I was leaving India. My plans have -changed; and to be frank, I am rather hard up. If you could give me -regular employment I should be glad of it." He spoke with the utmost -deliberation, but the incisive finality of every word, taking his -hearers unprepared, gave an impression of hurry and left the civilian -breathless. James Greyman, however, having said what he had come to -say, said no more. During the past week he had had plenty of time to -make up his mind, or rather to find out that it was made up. For he -recognized frankly that he was acting more on impulse than reason. -After he had buried poor little Zora away in accordance with the -customs of her people, and paid his racing bets and general -liabilities,--to do which he had found it necessary to sell most -things, including the very horse he had matched against Major -Erlton's,--he had suddenly found out, rather to his own surprise, that -the idea of starting again on the old lines was utterly distasteful to -him. In a lesser degree this second loss of his future and severing of -ties in the past had had the same effect upon him as the previous one. -It had left him reckless, disposed to defy all he had lost, and prove -himself superior to ill-luck. Then being, by right of his Celtic -birth, imaginative, in a way superstitious, he had again and again -found himself thrown back, as it were, upon Kate Erlton's appeal for -that chance, to bring which the Spirit might be, even now, moving on -the waters. It was that, that only, with its swift touch on his own -certainty that a storm was brewing, which had made him yield his -point; which had forced him into yielding by an unreasoning assent to -her suggestion that it might bring a chance of atonement with it. And -now, in calm deliberation, he confessed that he might find his chance -in it also; a better chance, maybe, than he would have had in England. -His only one, at any rate, for some time to come. Those gray-blue -northern eyes with the glint of steel in them had, by a few words, -changed the current of his life. The truth was unpalatable, but as -usual he did not attempt to deny it. He simply cast round for the best -course in which to flow toward that tide in the affairs of men which -he hoped to take at its flood. Political employment--briefly, spy's -work--seemed as good as any for the present. - -"Regular employment," echoed the civilian, recovering from his sense -of hurry. "You mean, I presume, as a news-writer." - -"As a spy, sir," interrupted James Greyman. - -The political light disregarded the suggestion. "Your acquirements, of -course, would be suitable enough; but I fear there are no native -courts without one. And the situation hardly calls for excess -expenditure. But of course, any isolated _douceur_----" - -His hearer smiled. "Call it payment, sir. But I think you must find -job-work in secret intelligence rather expensive. It produces such a -crop of mare's-nests; at least so I have found." - -The suspicion of equality in the remark made the official mount his -high horse, deftly. - -"Really, we have so many reliable sources of information, Mr. -Greyman," he began, laying his hand as if casually on the papers -before him. The action was followed by James Greyman's keen eyes. - -"You have the proclamation there, I see," he said cheerfully. "I -thought it could not be much longer before the police or someone else -became aware of its existence. The Moulvie himself was here about a -week ago." - -"The Moulvie--what Moulvie?" asked the military magnate eagerly. The -civilian, however, frowned. If confidential work were to be carried -out on those lines, something, even if it were only ignorance, must be -found out. - -"The Moulvie of Fyzabad--" began James Greyman. - -"And who--?" - -"My dear sir," interrupted the other pettishly. "We really know all -about the Moulvie of Fyzabad. His name has been on the register of -suspects for months." He rose, crossed to a bookshelf, and coming back -processionally with two big volumes, began to turn over the pages of -one. - -"M--Mo--Ah! Ma, no doubt. That is correct, though transliteration is -really a difficult task--to be consistent yet intelligible in a -foreign language is---- No. It must be under F in the first volume. F; -Fy. Just so! Here we are. 'Fyzabad, Moulvie of--fanatic, tall, medium -color, mole on inside of left shoulder.' This is the man, I think?" - -"I was not aware of the mole, sir," replied James Greyman dryly, "but -he is a magnificent preacher, a consistent patriot, a born organizer; -and he is now on his way to Delhi." - -"To Delhi?" echoed the civilian pettishly. "What can a man of the -stamp you say he is want with Delhi? A sham court, a miserable -pantaloon of a king, the prey of a designing woman who flatters his -dotage. I admit he is the representative of the Moghul dynasty, but -its record for the last hundred and fifty years is bad enough surely -to stamp out sentiment of that sort." - -"Prince Charles Edward was not a very admirable person, nor the record -of the Stuarts a very glorious one, and yet my grandfather----" James -Greyman pulled himself up sharply, and seeing an old prayer-book lying -on the table, which, with the alternatives of a bottle of Ganges water -and a copy of the _Koran_, lay ready for the discriminate swearing of -witnesses, finished his sentence by opening the volume at a certain -Office, and then placing the open book on the top of the proclamation. -"It will be no news to you, sir, that prayers of that sort are being -used in all the mosques. Of course here, in Lucknow, they are for my -late master's return. But if anything comparable to the '15 or the '45 -were to come, Delhi must be the center. It is the lens which would -focus the largest area, the most rays; for it appeals to greed as well -as good, to this world as well as the next." - -"Do you think it a center of disaffection now, Mr. Greyman?" asked the -military magnate with an emphasis on the title. - -"I do not know, sir. Zeenut Maihl, the Queen, has court intrigues, but -they are of little consequence." - -"I disagree," protested the Political. "You require the experience of -a lifetime to estimate the enormous influence----" - -"What do you consider of importance, then?" interrupted the soldier -rather cavalierly, leaning across the table eagerly to look at James -Greyman. There was an instant's silence, during which those voices -rehearsing were clearly audible. The tragedy had apparently reached a -climax. - -"That; and this." He pointed to the Proclamation, and a small fragment -of something which he took from his waistcoat pocket and laid beside -the paper. The civilian inspected it curiously, the soldier, leaving -his chair, came round to look at it also. The sunny room was full of -peace and solid security as those three Englishmen, with no lack of -pluck and brains, stood round the white fragment. - -"Looks like bone," remarked the soldier. - -"It is bone, and it was found, so I heard in the bazaar to-day, at the -bottom of a Commissariat flour-sack----" - -James Greyman was interrupted by a relieved pshaw! from the Political. - -"The old story, eh, Greyman! I wonder what next these ignorant -fools----" - -"When the ignorant fools happen to be drilled soldiers, and, in -Bengal, outnumber our English troops by twenty-four to one," retorted -James Greyman sharply, "it seems a work of supererogation to ask what -they will do next. If I were in their place---- However, if I may tell -you how that came into my hands you will perhaps be able to grasp the -gravity of the situation." - -"Won't you take a chair?" asked the soldier quickly. - -James Greyman glanced at the Political. "No, thanks, I won't be long. -There is a class of grain carriers called Bunjârahs. They keep herds -of oxen, and have carried supplies for the Royal troops since time -immemorial. They have a charter engraved on a copper breastplate. I've -only seen a copy, for the original Jhungi and Bhungi lived ages ago in -Rajpootana. It runs so: - - - "While Jhungi Bhungi's oxen - Carry the army's corn, - House-thatch to feed their flocks on, - House-water ready drawn. - Three murders daily shriven, - These rights to them are given, - While Jhungi Bhungi's oxen - Carry the army's corn." - - -"Preposterous," murmured the civilian. "That's at an end, anyhow." - -"Naturally; for they no longer carry the corn. The method is too slow, -too Eastern for our Commissariat. But the Oude levies used to employ -them. So did I at the stables. This is over also, and when I last saw -my _tanda_--that's a caravan of them, sir--they were sub-contracting -under a rich Hindoo firm which was dealing direct with the Department. -They didn't like it." - -"Still you can't deny that the growth of a strong, contented -commercial class with a real stake in the country----" began the -civilian hurriedly. - -"That sounds like the home-counties or a vestry board," interrupted -his hearer dryly. "The worst of it, in this case, being that you have -to get your content out of the petty dealers like these Bunjârahs. I -came upon one yesterday telling a circle of admirers, in the strictest -confidence of course, lest the _Sirkar_ should kill him for letting -the cat out of the bag, that he had found that bit of bone at the -bottom of a Commissariat sack he bought to mend his own. The moral -being, of course, that it was safer to buy from him. But he was only -half through when I, knowing the scoundrel, fell on him and thrashed -him for lying. The audience approved, and assented to his confession -that it was a lie; but only to please me, the man with the stick. And -as for Jhungi, he will tell the tale with additional embellishments in -every village to which the caravan goes; unless someone is there to -thrash him if he does." - -"Scoundrel," muttered the soldier angrily. - -"Or saint," added James Greyman. "He will be that when he comes to -believe his own story of having burned the sack rather than use it. -That won't be long. Then he will be much more dangerous. However, if -there is no place vacant for me, sir----" - -"If you would not mind waiting a minute----" began the military -magnate, with a hasty look at the Political. - -James Greyman bowed, and retired discreetly to the window. It looked -out upon just such another garden as Kate Erlton's, and the -remembrance provoked the cynical question as to what the devil he was -doing in that galley. Racing was a far safer way of making money than -acting as a spy; to no purpose possibly, at least so far as his own -chance was concerned. - -Yet five minutes after, when the Political was writing him out a safe -conduct in the event of his ever getting into difficulties with the -authorities, he interrupted the scratching of the pen to say, -suddenly: - -"If you would make it out in my own name, sir, I should prefer it. -James Sholto Douglas, late of the ----th Regiment." - -"Hm!" said the military magnate thoughtfully when the new employee in -the Secret Intelligence Department left the room. "So that is Jim -Douglas, is it? I thought he was a service man by the set of his -shoulders. Jim Douglas. I remember his case when I was in the A.-G.'s -office." - -"What was it?" asked the civilian curiously. - -"Oh, a woman, of course. I forget the details, she was the wife of his -major, a drunken beast. There was something about a blow, and she -didn't back him up; saved her reputation, you understand. But he was -an uncommonly smart officer, I know that." - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - BRAVO! - - -The Gissings' house stood in a large garden; but though it was -wreathed with creepers, and set with flowers after the manner of -flowerful Lucknow, there was no cult of pansies or such like English -treasures here. It was gay with that acclimatized tangle of poppies -and larkspur, marigold, mignonette, and corn cockles which Indian -gardeners love to sow broadcast in their cartwheel mud-beds; "powder -of flowers" they call the mixed seeds they save for it from year to -year. - -In the big dark dining room also--where Alice Gissing, looking half -her years in starch, white muslin, and blue ribbons, sat at the head -of the table--there was no cult of England. Everything was frankly, -stanchly of the nabob and pagoda-tree style; for the Gissings -preferred India, where they were received into society, to England, -where they would have been out of it. - -It had been one those heavy luncheons, beginning with many meats and -much bottled beer, ending with much madeira and many cigars, which -sent the insurance rate for India up to war risks in those days. - -And there was never any scarcity of the best beer at the Gissings', -seeing that he had the contract for supplying it to the British -troops. His wife, however, preferred solid-looking porter with a -creamy head to it, and a heavy odor which lingered about her pretty -smiling lips. It was a most incongruous drink for one of her -appearance; but it never seemed to affect either her gay little body -or gay little brain; the one remained youthful, slender, the other -brightly, uncompromisingly clear. - -She had been married twice. Once in extreme youth to a clerk in the -Opium Department, who owed the good looks which had attracted her to a -trace of dark blood. Then she had chosen wealth in the person of Mr. -Gissing. Had he died, she would probably have married for position; -since she had a catholic taste for the amenities of life. But he had -not died, and she had lived with him for ten years in good-natured -toleration of all his claims upon her. As a matter of fact, they did -not affect her in the least, and in her clear, high voice, she used to -wonder openly why other women worried over matrimonial troubles or -fussed over so slight an encumbrance as a husband. In a way she felt -equal to more than one, provided they did not squabble over her. That -was unpleasant, and she not only liked things to be pleasant, but had -the knack of making them so; both to the man whose name she bore, and -whose house she used as a convenient spot wherein to give luncheon -parties, and to the succession of admirers who came to them and drank -her husband's beer. - -He was a vulgar creature, but an excellent business man, with a knack -of piling up the rupees which made the minor native contractors, whose -trade he was gradually absorbing, gnash their teeth in sheer envy. For -the Western system of risking all to gain all was too much opposed to -the Eastern one of risking nothing to gain little for the hereditary -merchants to adopt it at once. They have learned the trick of fence -and entered the lists successfully since then; but in 1856 the foe was -new. So they fawned on the shrewd despoiler instead, and curried favor -by bringing his wife fruits and sweets, with something costlier hidden -in the oranges or sugar drops. Alice Gissing accepted everything with -a smile; for her husband was not a Government servant. The contracts, -however, being for Government supplies, the givers did not -discriminate the position so nicely. They used to complain that the -_Sirkar_ robbed them both ways, much to Mr. Gissing's amusement, who, -as a method of self-glorification, would allude to it at the luncheon -parties where many men used to come. Men who, between the intervals of -badinage with the gay little hostess, could talk with authority on -most affairs. They did not bring their wives with them, but Alice -Gissing did not seem to mind; she did not get on with women. - -"So they complain I rob them, do they?" he said loudly, complacently, -to the men on either side of him. "My dear Colonel! an Englishman is -bound to rob a native if that means creaming the market, for they -haven't been educated, sir, on those sound commercial principles which -have made England the first nation in the world. Take this flour -contract they are howling about. I'm beer by rights, of course, and, -by George, I'm proud of it. Your men, Colonel, can't do without beer; -England can't do without soldiers; so my business is sound. But why -shouldn't I have my finger in any other pie which holds money? These -hereditary fools think I shouldn't, and they were trying a ring, sir. -Ha! ha! an absurd upside-down d----d Oriental ring based on utterly -rotten principles. You can't keep up the price of a commodity because -your grandfather got that price. They ignored the facility of -transport given by roads, etc., ignored the right of government to -benefit--er--slightly--by these outlays. Commerce isn't a selfish -thing, sir, by gad. If you don't consider your market a bit, you won't -find one at all. So I stepped in, and made thousands; for the -Commissariat, seeing the saving here, of course asked me to contract -for other places. It serves the idiots uncommon well right; but it -will benefit them in the end. If they're to face Western nations they -must learn--er--the--the morality of speculation." He paused, helped -himself to another glass of madeira, and added in an unctuous tone, -"but till they do, India's a good place." - -"Is that Gissing preaching morality?" asked his wife, in her clear, -high voice. The men at her end of the table had had their share of -her; those others might be getting bored by her husband. - -"Only the morality of business," put in a coarse-looking fellow who, -having been betwixt and between the conversations, had been drinking -rather heavily. "There's no need for you to join the ladies as yet, -Mrs. Gissing." - -Major Erlton, at her right hand, scowled, and the boy on her left -flushed up to the eyes. He was her latest admirer, and was still in -the stage when she seemed an angel incarnate. Only the day before he -had wanted to call out a cynical senior who had answered his vehement -wonder as to how a woman like she was could have married a little -beast like Gissing, with the irreverent suggestion that it might be -because the name rhymed with kissing. - -In the present instance she heeded neither the scowl nor the flush, -and her voice came calmly. "I don't intend to, doctor. I mean to send -you into the drawing room instead. That will be quite as effectual to -the proprieties." - -Amid the laugh, Major Erlton found opportunity for an admiring -whisper. She had got the brute well above the belt that time. But the -boy's flush deepened; he looked at his goddess with pained, perplexed -eyes. - -"The morality of speculation or gambling," retorted the doctor, -speaking slowly and staring at the delighted Major angrily, "is the -art of winning as much money as you can--conveniently. That reminds -me, Erlton; you must have raked in a lot over that match." - -A sudden dull red showed on the face whose admiration Alice was -answering by a smile. - -"I won a lot, also," she interrupted hastily, "thanks to your tip, -Erlton. You never forget your friends." - -"No one could forget you--there is no merit----" began the boy -hastily, then pausing before the publicity of his own words, and -bewildered by the smile now given to him. Herbert Erlton noted the -fact sullenly. He knew that for the time being all the little lady's -personal interest was his; but he also knew that was not nearly so -much as he gave her. And he wanted more, not understanding that if she -had had more to give she would probably have been less generous than -she was; being of that class of women who sin because the sin has no -appreciable effect on them. It leaves them strangely, inconceivably -unsoiled. This imperviousness, however, being, as a rule, considered -the man's privilege only, Major Erlton failed to understand the -position, and so, feeling aggrieved, turned on the lad. - -"I'll remember you the next time if you like, Mainwaring," he said, -"but someone has to lose in every game. I'd grasped that fact before I -was your age, and made up my mind it shouldn't be me." - -"Sound commercial morality!" laughed another guest. "Try it, -Mainwaring, at the next _Gymkhâna_. By the way, I hear that -professional, Greyman, is off, so amateurs will have a chance now; he -was a devilish fine rider." - -"Rode a devilish fine horse, too," put in the unappeased doctor. "You -bought it, Erlton, in spite----" - -"Yes! for fifteen hundred," interrupted the Major, in unmistakable -defiance. "A long price, but there was hanky-panky in that match. -Greyman tried fussing to cover it. You never can trust professionals. -However, I _and my friends_ won, and I shall win again with the horse. -Take you evens in gold _mohurs_ for the next----" - -There was always a sledge-hammer method in the Major's fence, and the -subject dropped. - -The room was heavy with the odors of meats and drinks. Dark as it was, -the flood of sunshine streaming into the veranda outside, where yellow -hornets were buzzing and the servants washing up the dishes, sent a -glare even into the shadows. Neither the furniture nor appointments of -the room owed anything to the East--for Indian art was, so to speak, -not as yet invented for English folk--yet there was a strange -unkennedness about their would-be familiarity which suddenly struck -the latest exile, young Mainwaring. - -"India is a beastly hole," he said, in an undertone--"things are so -different--I wish I were out of it." There was a note of appeal in his -young voice; his eyes, meeting Alice Gissing's, filled with tears to -his intense dismay. He hoped she might not see them; but she did, and -leaned over to lay one kindly be-ringed little hand on the table quite -close to his. - -"You've got liver," she said confidentially. "India is quite a nice -place. Come to the assembly to-night, and I will give you two -extras--whole ones. And don't drink any more madeira, there is a good -boy. Come and have coffee with me in the drawing room instead; that -will set you right." - -Less has set many a boy hopelessly wrong. To do Alice Gissing justice, -however, she never recognized such facts; her own head being quite -steady. But Major Erlton understood the possible results perfectly, -and commented on them when, as a matter of course, his long length -remained lounging in an easy-chair after the other guests had gone, -and Mr. Gissing had retired to business. People, from the Palais -Royale playwrights, downward--or upward--always poke fun at the -husbands in such situations; but no one jibes at the man who succeeds -to the cut-and-dried necessity for devotion. Yet there is surely -something ridiculous in the spectacle of a man playing a conjugal part -without even a sense of duty to give him dignity in it, and the curse -of the commonplace comes as quickly to Abelard and Heloise as it does -to Darby and Joan. So Major Erlton, lounging and commenting, might -well have been Mrs. Gissing's legal owner. "Going to make a fool of -that lad now, I suppose, Allie. Why the devil should you when you -don't care for boys?" - -She came to a stand in front of him like a child, her hands behind her -back, but her china-blue eyes had a world of shrewdness in them. -"Don't I? Do you think I care for men either? I don't. You just amuse -me, and I've got to be amused. By the way, did you remember to order -the cart at five sharp? I want to go round the Fair before the Club." - -If they had been married ten times over, their spending the afternoon -together could not have been more of a foregone conclusion; there -seemed, indeed, no choice in the matter. And they were prosaically -punctual, too; at "five sharp" they climbed into the high dog-cart -boldly, in face of a whole posse of servants dressed in the nabob and -pagoda-tree style, also with silver crests in their pith turbans and -huge monograms on their breastplates; old-fashioned servants with the -most antiquated notions as to the needs of the sahib _logue_, and a -fund of passive resentment for the least change in the inherited -routine of service. Changes which they referred to the fact that the -new-fangled sahibs were not real sahibs. But the heavy, little and big -breakfasts, the unlimited beer, the solid dinners, the milk punch and -brandy _pâni_, all had their appointed values in the Gissings' house; -so the servants watched their mistress with approving smiles. And on -Mondays there was always a larger posse than usual to see the old Mai, -who had been Alice Gissing's ayah for years and years, hand up the -bouquet which the gardener always had ready, and say, "My salaams to -the missy-baba." Mrs. Gissing used to take the flowers just as she -took her parasol or her gloves. Then she would say, "All right," -partly to the ayah, partly to her cavalier, and the dog-cart, or -buggy, or mail-phaeton, whichever it happened to be, would go spinning -away. For the old Mai had handed the flowers into many different -turn-outs and remained on the steps ready with the authority of age and -long service, to crush any frivolous remarks newcomers might make. But -the destination of the bouquet was always the same; and that was to -stand in a peg tumbler at the foot of a tiny white marble cross in the -cemetery. Mrs. Gissing put a fresh offering in it every Monday, going -through the ceremony with a placid interest; for the date on the cross -was far back in the years. Still, she used to speak of the little life -which had come and gone from hers when she was yet a child herself, -with a certain self-possessed plaintiveness born of long habit. - -"I was barely seventeen," she would say, "and it was a dear little -thing. Then Saumarez was transferred, and I never returned to Lucknow -till I married Gissing. It was odd, wasn't it, marrying twice to the -same station. But, of course, I can't ask him to come here, so it is -doubly kind of you; for I couldn't come alone, it is so sad." - -Her blue eyes would be limpid with actual tears; yet as she waited for -the return of the tumbler, which the watchman always had to wash out, -she looked more like some dainty figure on a cracker than a weeping -Niobe. Nevertheless, the admirers whom she took in succession into her -confidence thought it sweet and womanly of her never to have forgotten -the dead baby, though they rather admired her dislike to live ones. -Some of them, when their part in the weekly drama came upon them, as -it always did in the first flush of their fancy for the principal -actress in it, began by being quite sentimental over it. Herbert -Erlton did. He went so far once as to bring an additional bouquet of -pansies from his wife's pet bed; but the little lady had looked at it -with plaintive distrust. "Pansies withered so soon," she said, "and as -the bouquet had to last a whole week, something less fragile was -better." Indeed, the gardener's bouquets, compact, hard, with the -blossoms all jammed into little spots of color among the protruding -sprigs of privet, were more suited to her calm permanency of regret, -than the passionate purple posy which had looked so pathetically out -of place in the big man's coarse hands. She had taken it from him, -however, and strewn the already drooping flowers about the marble. -They looked pretty, she had said, though the others were best, as she -liked everything to be tidy; because she had been very, very fond of -the poor little dear. Saumarez had never been kind, and it had been so -pretty; dark, like its father, who had been a very handsome man. She -had cried for days, then, though she didn't like children now. But she -would always remember this one, always! The old Mai and she often -talked of it; especially when she was dressing for a ball, because the -gardener brought bouquets for them also. - -Major Erlton, therefore, gave no more pansies, and his sentiment died -down into a sort of irritable wonder what the little woman would be -at. The unreality of it all struck him afresh on this particular -Monday: as he watched her daintily removing the few fallen petals; so -he left her to finish her task while he walked about. The cemetery was -a perfect garden of a place, with rectangular paths bordered by shrubs -which rose from a tangle of annual flowers like that around the -Gissings' house. This blossoming screen hid the graves for the most -part; but in the older portions great domed erections--generally -safeguarding an infant's body--rose above it more like summer-houses -than tombs. Herbert Erlton preferred this part of the cemetery. It was -less suggestive than the newer portion, and he was one of those -wholesome, hearty animals to whom the very idea of death is horrible. -So hither, after a time, she came, stepping daintily over the graves, -and pausing an instant on the way to add a sprig of mignonette to the -rosebud she had brought from a bush beside the cross; it was a fine, -healthy bush which yielded a constant supply of buds suitable for -buttonholes. She looked charming, but he met her with a perplexed -frown. - -"I've been wondering, Allie," he said, "what you would have been like -if that baby had lived. Would you have cared for it?" - -Her eyes grew startled. "But I do care for it! Why should I come if I -didn't? It isn't amusing, I'm sure; so I think it very unkind of you -to suggest----" - -"I never suggested anything," he protested. "I know you did--that you -do care. But if it had lived----" he paused as if something escaped -his mental grasp. "Why, I expect you would have been different -somehow; and I was wondering----" - -"Oh! don't wonder, please, it's a bad habit," she replied, suddenly -appeased. "You will be wondering next if I care for you. As if you -didn't know that I do." - -She was pinning the buttonhole into his coat methodically, and he -could not refuse an answering smile; but the puzzled look remained. "I -suppose you do, or you wouldn't----" he began slowly. Then a sudden -emotion showed in face and voice. "You slip from me somehow, -Allie--slip like an eel. I never get a real hold---- Well! I wonder if -women understand themselves? They ought to, for nobody else can, -that's one comfort." Whether he meant he was no denser than previous -recipients of rosebuds, or that mankind benefited by failing to grasp -feminine standards, was not clear. And Mrs. Gissing was more -interested in the fact that the mare was growing restive. So they -climbed into the high dog-cart again, and took her a quieting spin -down the road. The fresh wind of their own speed blew in their faces, -the mare's feet scarcely seemed to touch the ground, the trees slipped -past quickly, the palm-squirrels fled chirruping. He flicked his whip -gayly at them in boyish fashion as he sat well back, his big hand -giving to the mare's mouth. Hers lay equably in her lap, though the -pace would have made most women clutch at the rail. - -"Jolly little beasts; aint they, Allie?" - -"Jolly altogether; jolly as it can be," she replied with the frank -delight of a girl. They had forgotten themselves innocently enough; -but one of the men in a dog-cart, past which they had flashed, put on -an outraged expression. - -"Erlton and Mrs. Gissing again!" he fussed. "I shall tell my wife to -cut her. Being in business ourselves we have tried to keep square. But -this is an open scandal. I wonder Mrs. Erlton puts up with it. I -wouldn't." - -His companion shook his head. "Dangerous work, saying that. Wait -till you are a woman. I know more about them than most, being a -doctor, so I never venture on an opinion. But, honestly, I believe -most women--that little one ahead into the bargain--don't care a -button one way or the other. And, for all our talk, I don't believe we -do either, when all is said and done." - -"What is said and done?" asked the other peevishly. - -There was a pause. The lessening dog-cart with its flutter of ribbons, -its driver sitting square to his work, showed on the hard white road -which stretched like a narrowing ribbon over the empty plain. Far -ahead a little devil of wind swept the dust against the blue sky like -a cloud. Nearer at hand lay a cluster of mud hovels, and--going toward -it before the dog-cart--a woman was walking along the dusty side of -the road. She had a bundle of grass on her head, a baby across her -hip, a toddling child clinging to her skirts. The afternoon sun sent -the shadows conglomerately across the white metal. - -"Passion, Love, Lust, the attractions of sex for sex--what you will," -said the doctor, breaking the silence. "Nothing is easier knocked -out of a man, if he is worth calling one--a bugle call, a tight -corner---- God Almighty!--they're over that child! Drive on like the -devil, man, and let me see what I can do." - -There is never much to do when all has been done in an instant. There -had been a sudden causeless leaving of the mother's side, a toddling -child among the shadows, a quick oath, a mad rear as the mare, checked -by hands like a vise for strength, snapped the shafts as if they had -been straws. No delay, no recklessness; but one of these iron-shod -hoofs as it flung out had caught the child full on the temple, and -there was no need to ask what that curved blue mark meant, which had -gone crashing into the skull. - -Alice Gissing had leaped from the dog-cart and stood looking at the -pitiful sight with wide eyes. - -"We couldn't do anything," she said in an odd hard voice, as the -others joined her. "There was nothing we could do. Tell the woman, -Herbert, that we couldn't help it." - -But the Major, making the still plunging mare a momentary excuse -for not facing the ghastly truth, had, after one short, sharp -exclamation--almost of fear, turned to help the groom. So there was no -sound for a minute save the plunging of hoofs on the hard ground, the -groom's cheerful voice lavishing endearments on his restless charge, -and a low animal-like whimper from the mother, who, after one wild -shriek, had sunk down in the dust beside the dead child, looking at -the purple bruise dully, and clasping her living baby tighter to her -breast. For it, thank the gods! was the boy. That one with the mark on -its forehead only the girl. - -Then the doctor, who had been busy with deft but helpless hands, rose -from his knees, saying a word or two in Hindustani which provoked a -whining reply from the woman. - -"She admits it was no one's fault," he said. "So Erlton, if you will -take our dog-cart----" - -But the Major had faced the position by this time. "I can't go. She is -a camp follower, I expect, and I shall have to find out--for -compensation and all that. If you would take Mrs. Gissing----" His -voice, steady till then, broke perceptibly over the name; its owner -looked up sharply, and going over to him laid her hand on his arm. - -"It wasn't your fault," she said, still in that odd hard voice. "You -had the mare in hand; she didn't stir an inch. It is a dreadful thing -to happen, but"--she threw her head back a little, her wide eyes -narrowed as a frown puckered her smooth forehead--"it isn't as if we -could have prevented it. The thing had to be." - -She might have been the incarnation of Fate itself as she glanced down -at the dead child in the dust, at the living one reaching from its -mother's arms to touch its sister curiously, at the slow tears of the -mother herself as she acquiesced in the eternal fitness of things; for -a girl more or less was not much in the mud hovel, where she and her -man lived hardly, and the Huzoors would doubtless give rupees in -exchange, for they were just. She wept louder, however, when with -conventional wailing the women from the clustering huts joined her, -while the men, frankly curious, listened to the groom's spirited -description of the incident. - -"You had better go, Allie; you do no good here," said the Major almost -roughly. He was anxious to get through with it all; he was absorbed in -it. - -So the man who had said he was going to tell his wife to cut Mrs. -Gissing had to help her into the dog-cart. - -"It was horrible, wasn't it?" she said suddenly when, in silence, they -had left the little tragedy far behind them. "We were going an awful -pace, but you saw he had the mare in hand. He is awfully strong, you -know." She paused, and a reflectively complacent smile stole to her -face. "I suppose you will think it horrid," she went on; "but it -doesn't feel to me like killing a human being, you know. I'm sorry, of -course, but I should have been much sorrier if it had been a white -baby. Wouldn't you?" - -She set aside his evasion remorselessly. "I know all that! People say, -of course, that it is wicked not to feel the same toward people -whether they're black or white. But we don't. And they don't either. -They feel just the same about us because we are white. Don't you think -they do?" - -"The antagonism of race----" he began sententiously, but she cut him -short again. This time with an irrelevant remark. - -"I wonder what your wife would say if she saw me driving in your -dog-cart?" - -He stared at her helplessly. The one problem was as unanswerable as -the other. - -"You had better drive round the back way to the Fair," she said -considerately. "Somebody there will take me off your hands. Otherwise -you will have to drive me to the Club; for I'm not going home. It -would be dreadful after that horrid business. Besides, the Fair will -cheer me up. One doesn't understand it, you know, and the people crowd -along like figures on a magic lantern slide. I mean that you never -know what's coming next, and that is always so jolly, isn't it?" - -It might be, but the man with the wife felt relieved when, five -minutes afterward, she transferred herself to young Mainwaring's -buggy. The boy, however, felt as if an angel had fluttered down from -the skies to the worn, broken-springed cushion beside him; an angel to -be guarded from humanity--even her own. - -"How the beggars stare," he said after they had walked the horse for a -space through the surging crowds. "Let us get away from the grinning -apes." He would have liked to take her to paradise and put flaming -swords at the gate. - -"They don't grin," she replied curtly, "they stare like Bank-holiday -people stare at the wild beasts in the Zoo. But let us get away from -the watered road, the policemen, and all that. That's no fun. See, go -down that turning into the middle of it; you can get out that way to -the river road afterward if you like." - -The bribe was sufficient; it was not far across to peace and quiet, so -the turn was made. Nor was the staring worse in the irregular lane of -booths and stalls down which they drove. The unchecked crowd was -strangely silent despite the numberless children carried shoulder high -to see the show, and though the air was full of throbbings of tomtoms, -twanging of _sutaras_, intermittent poppings and fizzings of squibs. -But it was also strangely insistent; going on its way regardless of -the shouting groom. - -"Take care," said Mrs. Gissing lightly, "don't run over another child. -By the way, I forgot to tell you--the Fair was so funny--but Erlton -ran over a black baby. It wasn't his fault a bit, and the mother, -luckily, didn't seem to mind; because it was a girl, I expect. Aren't -they an odd people? One really never knows what will make them cry or -laugh." - -Something was apparently amusing them at that moment, however, for a -burst of boisterous merriment pealed from a dense crowd near a booth -pitched in an open space. - -"What's that?" she cried sharply. "Let's go and see." - -She was out of the dog-cart as she spoke despite his protest that it -was impossible--that she must not venture. - -"Do you imagine they'll murder me?" she asked with an _insouciant_, -incredulous laugh. "What nonsense! Here, good people, let me pass, -please!" - -She was by this time in the thick of the crowd, which gave way -instinctively, and he could do nothing but follow; his boyish face -stern with the mere thought her idle words had conjured up. Do her any -injury? Her dainty dress should not even be touched if he could help -it. - -But the sightseers, most of them peasants beguiled from their fields -for this Festival of Spring, had never seen an English lady at such -close quarters before, if, indeed, they had ever seen one at all. So, -though they gave way they closed in again, silent but insistent in -their curiosity; while, as the center of attraction came nearer, the -crowd in front became denser, more absorbed in the bursts of -merriment. There was a ring of license in them which made young -Mainwaring plead hurriedly: - -"Mrs. Gissing!--don't--please don't." - -"But I want to see what they're laughing at," she replied. And then in -perfect mimicry of the groom's familiar cry, her high clear voice -echoed over the heads in front of her: "_Hut! Hut! Ari bhaiyan! Hut!_" - -They turned to see her gay face full of smiles, joyous, confident, -sympathetic, and the next minute the cry was echoed with approving -grins from a dozen responsive throats. - -"Stand back, brothers! Stand back!" - -There were quick hustlings to right and left, quick nods and smiles, -even broad laughs full of good fellowship; so that she found herself -at the innermost circle with clear view of the central space, of the -cause of the laughter. It made her give a faint gasp and stand -transfixed. Two white-masked figures, clasped waist to waist, were -waltzing about tipsily. One had a curled flaxen wig, a muslin dress -distended by an all too visible crinoline, giving full play to a pair -of prancing brown legs. The other wore an old staff uniform, cocked -hat and feather complete. The flaxen curls rested on the tarnished -epaulet, the unembracing arms flourished brandy bottles. - -It was a vile travesty; and the Englishwoman turned instinctively to -the Englishman as if doubtful what to do, how to take it. But the -passion of his boyish face seemed to make things clear--to give her -the clew, and she gripped his hand hard. - -"Don't be a fool!" she whispered fiercely. "Laugh. It's the only thing -to do." Her own voice rang out shrill above the uncertain stir in the -crowd, taken aback in its merriment. - -But something else rose above it also. A single word: - -"Bravo!" - -She turned like lightning to the sound, her cheeks for the first time -aflame, but she could see no one in the circle of dark faces whom she -could credit with the exclamation. Yet she felt sure she had heard it. - -"Bravo!" Had it been said in jest or earnest, in mockery or---- Young -Mainwaring interrupted the problem by suggesting that as the maskers -had run away into a booth, where he could not follow and give them the -licking they deserved because of her presence, it might be as well for -her to escape further insult by returning to the buggy. His tone was -as full of reproach as that of a lad in love could be, but Mrs. -Gissing was callous. She declared she was glad to have seen it. -Englishmen did drink and Englishwomen waltzed. Why, then, shouldn't -the natives poke fun at both habits if they chose? They themselves -could laugh at other things. And laugh she did, recklessly, at -everything and everybody for the remainder of the drive. But -underneath her gayety she was harping on that "Bravo!" And suddenly as -they drove by the river she broke in on the boy's prattle to say -excitedly: "I have it! It must have been the one in the Afghan cap who -said 'Bravo!' He was fairer than the rest. Perhaps he was an -Englishman disguised. Well! I should know him again if I saw him." - -"Him? who--what? Who said bravo?" asked the lad. He had been too angry -to notice the exclamation at the time. - -She looked at him quizzically. "Not you--you abused me. But someone -did--or didn't"--here her little slack hands resting in her lap -clasped each other tightly. "I rather wish I knew. I'd rather like to -make him say it again. Bravo! Bravo!" - -And then, as if at her own mimicry, she returned to her childish -unreasoning laugh. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - THE GIFT OF MANY FACES. - - -Mrs. Gissing had guessed right. The man in the Afghan cap was Jim -Douglas, who found the disguise of a frontiersman the easiest to -assume, when, as now, he wanted to mix in a crowd. And he would have -said "Bravo" a dozen times over if he had thought the little lady -would like to hear it; for her quick denial of the possibility of -insult had roused his keenest admiration. Here had spoken a dignity he -had not expected to find in one whom he only knew as a woman Major -Erlton delighted to honor. A dignity lacking in the big brave boy -beside her; lacking, alas! in many a big brave Englishman of greater -importance. So he had risked detection by that sudden "Bravo!" Not -that he dreaded it much. To begin with, he was used to it, even when -he posed as an out-lander, for there was a trick in his gait, not to -be Orientalized, which made policemen salute gravely as he passed -disguised to the tent. Then there was ignorance of some one or another -of the million shibboleths which divide men from each other in India; -shibboleths too numerous for one lifetime's learning, which require to -be born in the blood, bred in the bone. In this case, also, he had -every intention of asserting his race by licking one at least of the -offenders when the show was over. For he happened to know one of them; -having indeed licked him a few days before over a certain piece of -bone. So, as the crowd, accepting the finale of one amusement -placidly, drifted away to see another, he walked over to the tent in -which the discomforted caricaturists had found refuge. It was a -tattered old military bell-tent, bought most likely at some auction -with the tattered old staff uniform. As he lifted the flap the sound -of escaping feet made him expect a stern chase; but he was mistaken. -Two figures rose with a start of studied surprise and salaamed -profoundly as he entered. They were both stark naked save for a -waistcloth, and Jim Douglas could not resist a quick glance round for -the discarded costumes. They were nowhere to be seen; being hidden, -probably, under the litter of properties strewing the squalid -green-room. Still of the identity of the man he knew Jim Douglas had -no doubt, and as this one was also the nearest, he promptly seized him -by the both shoulders and gave him a sound Western kick, which would -have been followed by others if the recipient had not slipped from his -hold like an eel. For Jhungi, Bunjârah, and general vagrant, -habitually oiled himself from head to foot after the manner of his -profession as a precaution against such possible attempts at capture. - -His assailant, grasping this fact, at any rate, did not risk dignity -by pursuit; though the man stood salaaming again within arm's length. - -"You scoundrel!" said Jim Douglas with as much severity as he could -command before the mixture of deference and defiance, innocence and -iniquity, in the sharp, cunning face before him. "Wasn't the licking I -gave you before enough?" - -Jhungi superadded perplexity to his other show of emotions. "The -Huzoor mistakes," he said, with sudden cheerful understanding. "It was -the miscreant Bhungi, my brother, whom the Huzoor licked. The -misbegotten idler who tells lies in the bazaar about bones and sacks. -So his skin smarts, but my body is whole. Is it not so, Father Tiddu?" - -The appeal to his companion was made with curious eagerness, and Jim -Douglas, who had heard this tale of the ill-doing double before, -looked at the witness to it with interest. That this man was or was -not Jhungi's co-offender he could not say with certainty, for there -was a remarkable lack of individuality about both face and figure when -in repose. But the nickname of Tiddu, or cricket, was immediately -explained by the jerky angularity of his actions. Save for the faint -frostiness of sprouting gray hairs on a shaven cheek and skull he -might have been any age. - -"Of a truth it was Bhungi," he said in a well-modulated but creaky -voice. "Time was when liars, such as he, fell dead. Now they don't -even catch fevers, and if they do, the Huzoors give them a bitter -powder and start them lying again. So, since one dead fish stinks a -whole tank, virtuous Jhungi, being like as two peas in a pod, suffers -an ill-name. But Bhungi will know what it means to tell lies when he -stands before his Creator. Nevertheless in this world the master being -enraged----" - -"Not so, Father Tiddu," interrupted Jhungi glibly, "the Huzoor is but -enraged with Bhungi. And rightly. Did not we hide our very faces with -shame while he mimicked the noble people? Did we not try to hold him -when he fled from punishment--as the Huzoor no doubt heard----" - -Jim Douglas without a word slipped his hand down the man's back. The -wales of a sound hiding were palpable; so was his wince as he dodged -aside to salaam again. - -"The Huzoor is a male judge," he said admiringly. "No black man could -deceive him. This slave has certainly been whipped. He fell among -liars who robbed him of his reputation. Will the Huzoor do likewise? -On the honor of a Bunjârah 'tis Bhungi whom the Huzoor beats. He gives -Jhungi bitter powders when he gets the fever. And even Bhungi but -tries to earn a stomachful as he can when the Huzoors take his trade -from him." - -"The world grows hollow, to match a man's swallow," quoted Tiddu -affably. - -The familiar by-word of poverty, the quiet mingling of truth and -falsehood, daring and humility in Jhungi's plea, roused both Jim -Douglas' sense of humor, and the sympathy--which with him was always -present--for the hardness and squalidness of so many of the lives -around him. - -"But you can surely earn the stomachful honestly," he said, anger -passing into irritation. "What made you take to this trade?" He kicked -at a pile of properties, and in so doing disclosed the skeleton of a -crinoline. Jhungi with a shocked expression stooped down and covered -it up decorously. - -"But it is my trade," he replied; "the Huzoor must surely have heard -of the Many-Faced tribe of Bunjârahs? I am of them.' - -"Lie not, Jhungi!" interrupted Tiddu calmly, "he is but my apprentice, -Huzoor, but I----" he paused, caught up a cloth, gave it one dexterous -twirl round him, squatted down, and there he was, to the life, a -veiled woman watching the stranger with furtive, modest eye. "But I," -came a round feminine voice full of feminine inflections, "am of the -thousand-faced people who wander to a thousand places. A new place, a -new face. It makes a large world, Huzoor, a strange world." There was -a melancholy cadence in his voice, which added interest to the sheer -amaze which Jim Douglas was feeling. He had heard the legend of the -Many-Faced Tribe, had even seen clever actors claiming to belong to -it, and knew how the Stranglers deceived their victims, but anything -like this he had never credited, much less seen. He himself, though he -knew to the contrary, could scarcely combat the conviction, which -seemed to come to him from that one furtive eye, that a woman sat -within those folds. - -"But how?" he begun in perplexity. "I thought the Baharupas [_Lit_. -many-faced] never went in caravans." - -Tiddu resumed the cracked voice and let the smile become visible, and, -as if by magic, the illusion disappeared. "The Huzoor is right. We are -wanderers. But in my youth a woman tied me to one place, one face; -women have the trick, Huzoor, even if they are wanderers themselves. -This one was, but I loved her; so after we had burned her and her -fellow-wanderer together hand-in-hand, according to the custom, so -that they might wander elsewhere but not in the tribe, I lingered on. -He was the father of Jhungi, and the boy being left destitute I taught -him to play; for it needs two in the play as in life. The man and the -woman, or folks care not for it. So I taught Jhungi----" - -"And brother Bhungi?" suggested his hearer dryly. - -A faint chuckle came from the veil. "And Bhungi. He plays well, and -hath beguiled an old rascal with thin legs and a fat face like mine -into playing with him. Some, even the Huzoor himself, might be -beguiled into mistaking Siddu for Tiddu. But it is a tom-cat to a -tiger. So being warned, the Huzoor will give no unearned blows. Yet if -he did, are not two kicks bearable from the mulch-cow?" As he spoke he -angled out a hand impudently for an alms with the beggars' cry of -"_Alakh_," to point his meaning. - -It was echoed by Jhungi, who, envious of Tiddu's holding the boards, -as it were, had in sheer devilry and desire not to be outdone, taken -up the disguise of a mendicant. It was a most creditable performance, -but Tiddu dismissed it with a waive of the hand. - -"_Bullah!_" he said contemptuously, "'tis the refuge of fools. There -is not one true beggar in fifty, so the forty-and-nine false ones go -free of detention as the potter's donkey. Even the Huzoor could do -better--had I the teaching of him." - -He leaned forward, dropping his voice slightly, and Jim Douglas -narrowed his eyes as men do when some unbidden idea claims admittance -to the brain. - -"You?" he echoed; "what could you teach me?" - -Tiddu rose, let fall the veil to decent dignified drapery, and fixed -his eyes full on the questioner. They were luminous eyes, differing -from Jhungi's beady ones as the fire-opal differs from the diamond. - -"What could I teach?" he re-echoed, and his tone, monotonously -distinct to Jim Douglas, was inaudible to others, judging by Jhungi's -impassive face. "Many things. For one, that the Baharupas are not -mimics only. They have the Great Art. What is it? God knows. But what -they will folk to see, that is seen. That and no more." - -Jim Douglas laughed derisively. Animal magnetism and mesmerism were -one thing: this was another. - -"The Huzoor thinks I lie; but he must have heard of the doctor sahib -in Calcutta who made suffering forget to suffer." - -"You mean Dr. Easdale. Did you know him? Was he a pupil of yours?" -came the cynical question. - -Tiddu's face became expressionless. "Perhaps; but this slave forgets -names. Yet the Huzoors have the gift sometimes. The Baharupas have it -not always; though the father's hoard goes oftenest to the son. Now, -if, by chance, the Huzoor had the gift and could use it, there would -be no need for policemen to salute as he passes; no need for the -drug-smokers to cease babbling when he enters. So the Huzoor could -find out what he wants to find out; what he is paid to find out." - -His eyes met Jim Douglas' surprise boldly. - -"How do you know I want to find out anything?" said the latter, after -a pause. - -Tiddu laughed. "The Huzoor must find a turban heavy, and there is no -room for English toes in a native shoe; folk seek not such discomfort -for naught." - -Jim Douglas paused again; the fellow was a charlatan, but he was -consummately clever; and if there was anything certain in this world -it was the wisdom of forgetting Western prejudices occasionally in -dealing with the East. - -"Send that man away," he said curtly, "I want to talk to you alone." - -But the request seemed lost on Tiddu. He folded up the veil -impudently, and resumed the thread of the former topic. "Yet -Jhungi plays the beggar well, for which Fate be praised, since he -must ask alms elsewhere if the Huzoor refuses them. For the purse is -empty"--here he took a leathern bag from his waistband and turned it -inside out--"by reason of the Huzoor's dislike to good mimics. So thou -must to the temples, Jhungi, and if thou meetest Bhungi give him the -sahib's generous gift; for blows should not be taken on loan." - -Jhungi, who all this time had been telling his beads like the best of -beggars, looked up with some perplexity; whether real or assumed Jim -Douglas felt it was impossible to say, in that hotbed of deception. - -"Bhungi?" echoed the former, rising to his feet. "Ay! that will I, if -I meet him. But God knows as to that. God knows of Bhungi----" - -"The purse is empty," repeated Tiddu in a warning voice, and Jhungi, -with a laugh, pulled himself and his disguise together, as it were, -and passed out of the tent; his beggar's cry, "_Alakh! Alakh!_" -growing fainter and fainter while Tiddu and Jim Douglas looked at each -other. - -"Jhungi-Bhungi--Bhungi-Jhungi," jeered the Baharupa, suddenly, -jingling the names together. "Which be which, as he said, God knows, -not man. That is the best of lies. They last a body's lifetime, so the -Huzoor may as well learn old Tiddu's----" - -"Or Siddu's?" - -"Or Siddu's," assented the mountebank calmly. "But the Huzoor cannot -learn to use his gift from that old rascal. He must come to the -many-faced one, who is ready to teach it." - -"Why?" - -Tiddu abandoned mystery at once. - -"For fifty rupees, Huzoor; not a _pice_ less. Now, in my hand." - -Was it worth it? Jim Douglas decided instantly that it might be. Not -for the gift's sake; of that he was incredulous. But Tiddu was a -consummate actor and could teach many tricks worth knowing. Then in -this roving commission to report on anything he saw and heard to the -military magnate, it would suit him for the time to have the service -of an arrant scoundrel. Besides, the pay promised him being but small, -the wisdom of having a second string to the bow of ambition had -already decided him on combining inquiry with judicious horse-dealing; -since he could thus wander through villages buying, through towns -selling, without arousing suspicion; and this life in a caravan would -start him on these lines effectively. Finally, this offer of Tiddu's -was unsought, unexpected, and, ever since Kate Erlton's appeal, Jim -Douglas had felt a strange attraction toward pure chance. So he took -out a note from his pocket-book and laid it in the Baharupa's hand. - -"You asked fifty," he said, "I give a hundred; but with the branch of -the neem-tree between us two." - -Tiddu gave him an admiring look. "With the sacred '_Lim ke dagla_' -between us, and Mighty Murri-am herself to see it grow," he echoed. -"Is the Huzoor satisfied?" - -The Englishman knew enough of Bunjârah oaths to be sure that he had, -at least, the cream of them; besides, a hundred rupees went far in the -purchase of good faith. So that matter was settled, and he felt it to -be a distinct relief; for during the last day or two he had been -casting about for a fair start rather aimlessly. In truth, he had -underrated the gap little Zora's death would make in his life, and had -been in a way bewildered to find himself haunting the empty nest on -the terraced roof in forlorn, sentimental fashion. The sooner, -therefore, that he left Lucknow the better. So, as the Bunjârah had -told him the caravan was starting the very next morning, he hastily -completed his few preparations, and having sent Tara word of his -intention, went, after the moon had risen, to lock the doors on the -past idyl and take the key of the garden-house back to its owner; for -he himself had always lodged, in European fashion, near the Palace. - -The garden, as he entered it, lay peaceful as ever; so utterly -unchanged from what he remembered it on many balmy moonlit nights, -that he could not help looking up once more, as if expectant of that -tinsel flutter, that soft welcome, "_Khush-âmud-und Huzrut_." Strange! -So far as he was concerned the idyl might be beginning; but for her? -All unconsciously, as he paused, his thought found answer in one -spoken word--the Persian equivalent for "it is finished," which has -such a finality in its short syllables: - - - "KHUTM." - - -"Khutm." The echo came from Tara's voice, but it had a ring in it -which made him turn, anticipating some surprise. She was standing not -far off, below the plinth, as he was, having stepped out from the -shadow of the trees at his approach, and she was swathed from head to -foot in the white veil of orthodox widowhood, which encircled her face -like a cere-cloth. Even in the moonlight he could see the excitement -in her face, the glitter in the large, wild eyes. - -"Tara!" he exclaimed sharply, his experience warning him of danger, -"what does this mean?" - -"That the end has come; the end at last!" she cried theatrically; -every fold of her drapery, though she stood stiff as a corpse, seeming -to be instinct with fierce vitality. - -He changed his tone at once, perceiving that the danger might be -serious. "You mean that your service is at an end," he said quietly. -"I told you that some days ago. Also that your pay would be continued -because of your goodness to her--to the dead. I advised your returning -north, nearer your own people, but you are free to go or stay. Do you -want anything more? If you do, be quick, please, for I am in a hurry." - -His coolness, his failure to remark on the evident meaning of her -changed dress, calmed her somewhat. - -"I want nothing," she replied sullenly. "A _suttee_ wants nothing in -this world, and I am _suttee_. I have been the master's servant for -gratitude's sake--now I am the servant of God for righteousness' -sake." So far she had, spoken as if the dignified words had been -pre-arranged; now she paused in a sort of wistful anger at the -indifference on his face. The words meant so much to her, and, as she -ceased from them, their controlling power seemed to pass also, and she -flung out her arms wildly, then brought them down in stinging blows -upon her breasts. - -"I am _suttee_. Yes! I am _suttee!_ Reject me not again, ye Shining -Ones! reject me not again." - -The cry was full of exalted resolve and despair. It made Jim Douglas -step up to her, and seizing both hands, hold them fast. - -"Don't be a fool, Tara!" he said sternly. "Tell me, sensibly, what all -this means. Tell me what you are going to do." - -His touch seemed to scorch her, for she tore herself away from it -vehemently; yet it seemed also to quiet her, and she watched him with -somber eyes for a minute ere replying: "I am going to Holy Gunga. -Where else should a _suttee_ go? The Water will not reject me as the -Fire did, since, before God! I am _suttee_. As the master knows,"--her -voice held a passionate appeal,--"I have been _suttee_ all these long -years. Yet now I have given up all--all!" - -With a swift gesture, full of womanly grace, but with a sort -of protest against such grace in its utter abandonment and -self-forgetfulness, she flung out her arms once more. This time to -raise the shrouding veil from her head and shoulders. Against this -background of white gleaming in the moonlight, her new-shaven skull -showed death-like, ghastly. Jim Douglas recoiled a step, not from the -sight itself, but because he knew its true meaning; knew that it meant -self-immolation if she were left to follow her present bent. She would -simply go down to the Ganges and drown herself. An inconceivable state -of affairs, beyond all rational understanding; but to be reckoned -with, nevertheless, as real, inevitable. - -"What a pity!" he said, after a moment's pause had told him that it -would be well to try and take the starch out of her resolution by fair -means or foul, leaving its cause for future inquiry. "You had such -nice hair. I used to admire it very much." - -Her hands fell slowly, a vague terror and remorse came to her eyes; -and he pursued the advantage remorselessly. "Why did you cut it off?" -He knew, of course, but his affected ignorance took the color, the -intensity from the situation, by making her feel her _coup de theatre_ -had failed. - -"The Huzoor must know," she faltered, anger and disappointment and -vague doubt in her tone, while her right hand drew itself over the -shaven skull as if to make sure there was no mistake. "I am -_suttee_--" The familiar word seemed to bring certainty with it, and -she went on more confidentially. "So I cut it all off and it lies -there, ready, as I am, for purification." - -She pointed to the upper step leading to the plinth, where, as on an -altar, lay all her worldly treasures, arranged carefully with a view -to effect. The crimson scarf she had always worn was folded--with due -regard to the display of its embroidered edge--as a cloth, and at -either end of it lay a pile of trumpery personal adornments, each -topped and redeemed from triviality by a gold wristlet and anklet. In -the center, set round by fallen orange-blossoms, rose a great heap of -black hair, snakelike in glistening coils. The simple pomposity of the -arrangement was provocative of smiles, the wistful eagerness of the -face watching its effect on the master was provocative of tears. Jim -Douglas, feeling inclined for both, chose the former deliberately; he -even managed a derisive laugh as he stepped up to the altar and laid -sacrilegious hands on the hair. Tara gave a cry of dismay, but he was -too quick for her, and dangled a long lock before her very eyes, in -jesting, but stern decision. - -"That settles it, Tara. You can go to Gunga now if you like, and bathe -and be as holy as you like. But there will be no Fire or Water. Do you -understand?" - -She looked at the hand holding the hair with the oddest expression, -though she said obstinately, "I shall drown if I choose." - -"Why should you choose?" he asked. "You know as well as I that it is -too late for any good to you or others. The Fire and Water should have -come twelve years ago. The priests won't say so of course. They want -fools to help them in this fuss about the new law. Ah! I thought so! -They have been at you, have they? Well, be a fool if you like, and -bring them pennies at Benares as a show. You cannot do anything else. -You can't even sacrifice your hair really, so long as I have this -bit." He began to roll the lock round his finger, neatly. - -"What is the Huzoor going to do with it?" she asked, and the oddness -had invaded her voice. - -"Keep it," he retorted. "And by all, these thirty thousand and odd -gods of yours, I'll say it was a love-token if I choose. And I will if -you are a fool." He drew out a small gold locket attached to the -Brahminical thread he always wore, and began methodically to fit the -curl into it, wondering if this cantrip of his--for it was nothing -more--would impress Tara. Possibly. He had found such suggestions of -ritual had an immense effect, especially with the womenkind who were -for ever inventing new shackles for themselves; but her next remark -startled him considerably. - -"Is the _bibi's_ hair in there too?" she asked. There was a real -anxiety in her tone, and he looked at her sharply, wondering what she -would be at. - -"No," he answered. In truth it was empty; and had been empty ever -since he had taken a fair curl from it many years before; a curl which -had ruined his life. The memory making him impatient of all feminine -subtleties, he added roughly, "It will stay there for the present; but -if you try _suttee_ nonsense I swear I'll tie it up in a cowskin bag, -and give it to a sweeper to make broth of." - -The grotesque threat, which suggested itself to his sardonic humor as -one suitable to the occasion, and which in sober earnest was terrible -to one of her race, involving as it did eternal damnation, seemed to -pass her by. There was even, he fancied, a certain relief in the face -watching him complete his task; almost a smile quivering about her -lips. But when he closed the locket with a snap, and was about to slip -it back to its place, the full meaning of the threat, of the loss--or -of something beyond these--seemed to overtake her; an unmistakable -terror, horror, and despair swept through her. She flung herself at -his feet, clasping them with both hands. - -"Give it me back, master," she pleaded wildly. "Hinder me not again! -Before God I am _suttee!_ I am _suttee!_" - -But this same Eastern clutch of appeal is disconcerting to the average -Englishman. It fetters the understanding in another sense, and -smothers sympathy in a desire to be left alone. Even Jim Douglas -stepped back from it with something like a bad word. She remained -crouching for a moment with empty hands, then rose in scornful -dignity. - -"There was no need to thrust this slave away," she said proudly. -"Tara, the Rajputni, will go without that. She will go to Holy Gunga -and be purged of inmost sin. Then she will return and claim her right -of _suttee_ at the master's hand. Till then he may keep what he -stole." - -"He means to keep it," retorted the master savagely, for he had come -to the end of his patience. "Though what this fuss about _suttee_ -means I don't know. You used to be sensible enough. What has come to -you?" - -Tara looked at him helplessly, then, wrapping her widow's veil round -her, prepared to go in silence. She could not answer that question -even to herself. She would not even admit the truth of the old -tradition, that the only method for a woman to preserve constancy to -the dead was to seek death itself. That would be to admit too much. -Yet that was the truth, to which her despair at parting pointed even -to herself. Truth? No! it was a lie! She would disprove it even in -life if she was prevented from doing so by death. So, without a word, -she gathered up the crimson drapery and what lay on it. Then, with -these pathetic sacrifices of all the womanhood she knew tight clasped -in her widow's veil, she paused for a last salaam. - -The incomprehensible tragedy of her face irritated him into greater -insistence. - -"But what is it all about?" he reiterated. "Who has been putting these -ideas into your head? Who has been telling you to do this? Is it Soma, -or some devil of a priest?" - -As he waited for an answer the floods of moonlight threw their shadows -together to join the perfumed darkness of the orange trees. The city, -half asleep already, sent no sound to invade the silence. - -"No! master. It was God." - -Then the shadow left him and disappeared with her among the trees. He -did not try to call her back. That answer left him helpless. - -But as, after climbing the stairs, he passed slowly from one to -another of the old familiar places in the pleasant pavilions, the -mystery of such womanhood as Tara Devi's and little Zora's oppressed -him. Their eternal cult of purely physical passion, their eternal -struggle for perfect purity and constancy, not of the soul, but the -body; their worship alike of sex and He who made it seemed -incomprehensible. And as he turned the key in the lock for the last -time, he felt glad to think that it was not likely the problem would -come into his life again; even though he carried a long lock of black -hair with him. It was an odd keepsake, but if he was any judge of -faces his cantrip had served his purpose; Tara would not commit -suicide while he held that hostage. - -So, having scant leisure left, he hurried through the alleys to return -the key. They were almost deserted; the children at this hour being -asleep, the men away lounging in the bazaars. But every now and again -a formless white figure clung to a corner shadow to let him pass. A -white shadow itself, recalling the mystery he had been glad to leave -unsolved; for he knew them to be women taking this only opportunity -for a neighborly visit. Old or young, pretty or ugly? What did it -matter? They were women, born temptresses of virtuous men; and they -were proud of the fact, even the poor old things long past their -youth. There was a chink in a door he was about to pass. A chink an -inch wide with a white shadow behind it. A woman was looking out. What -sort of a woman, he wondered idly? Suddenly the chink widened, a hand -crept through it, beckoning. He could see it clearly in the moonlight. -An old wrinkled hand, delicately old, delicately wrinkled, -inconceivably thin, but with the pink henna stain of the temptress -still on palms and fingers. A hand with the whole history of seclusion -written on it. He crossed over to it, and heard a hurried breathless -whisper. - -"If the Huzoor would listen for the sake of any woman he loves." - -It was an old voice, but it sent a thrill to his heart. "I am -listening, mother," he replied, "for the sake of the dead." - -"God send her grave peace, my son!" came the voice less hurriedly. -"It is not much for listening. I am pensioner, Huzoor. The -King gave me three rupees, but now he is gone and the money -comes not. If the Huzoor would tell those who send it that -Ashrâf-un-Nissa-Zainub-i-Mahal--the Huzoor may know my name, being as -my father and mother--wants it. That is all, Huzoor." - -It was not much, but Jim Douglas could supplement the rest. Here was -evidently a woman who had lived on bounty, and who was starving for -the lack of it. There were hundreds in her position, he knew, even -among those whose pensions had been guaranteed; for they had not been -paid as yet. The papers were not ready, the tape not tied, the -sealing-wax not sealed. - -"It will not be for long, Huzoor, and it is only three rupees. I was -watching for a neighbor to borrow corn, if I could, and seeing the -Huzoor----" - -"It is all right, mother," he interrupted reassuringly. "I was coming -to pay it. Hold the hand straight and I will count it in. Three rupees -for three months; that is nine." - -The chink of the silver had a background of blessings, and Jim Douglas -walked on, thinking what a quaint commentary this little incident was -on his puzzle. "Ashrâf-un-Nissa-Zainub-i-Mahal." "Honor-of-women and -Ornament-of-Palaces." If the King's paymaster had thought twice about -such things, the poor old lady might not have been starving. He was -the real culprit. And three months' delay was not long for sanctions, -references, for all the paraphernalia and complex machinery of our -Government. But a case like this? He looked up into the star-sprinkled -riband of sky between the narrowing housetops, and wondered from how -many unseen hearths and unheard voices the cry, "How long, O Lord! How -long!" was rising. But even to his listening ear there was no sign, no -sound. And as he went on through the bazaars, the crowds were passing -and repassing contentedly upon the trivial errands of life, and the -twinkling cressets in the shops showed faces eager only after a -trivial loss or gain. - -And the world of Lucknow was apparently awakening contentedly to a new -day, when, before dawn, he passed out of it disguised by Tiddu as a -deaf-and-dumb driver to the bullock which carried the tattered -bell-tent and the tattered staff uniform. It was still dark, but there -was a sense of coming light in the sky, and the hum of the housewives' -querns, early at work over the coming day's bread, filled the air like -swarming bees. The spectral white shadows of widow-drudges were -already at work on the creaking well-gear, and the swish of their reed -brooms could be heard behind screening walls. - -But on the broad white road beyond the bazaars the fresh perfume of -the dew-steeped gardens drifted with the faint breeze which heralds -the dawn. And down the road, heard first, then dimly seen against its -whiteness, came a band of chanting pilgrims to the Holy River. - -"_Hurri Gunga! Hurri Gunga! Hurri Gunga!_" - -Jim Douglas, swerving his bullock to give them room, wondered if Tara -were among them. What if she were? That lock of hair went with _him_. -So, with a smile, he swerved the bullock back again. There was a hint -of a gleaming river-curve through the lessening trees now, and that -big black mass to his left must be the Bailey-guard gate. He could see -a faint white streak like a sentry beside it; so it must be close on -gunfire. Even as the thought came, a sudden rolling boom filled the -silence, and seemed to vibrate against the archway. And hark! From -within the Residency, and from far Dilkhusha, the clear glad notes of -the reveille answered the challenge; while close at hand the clash of -arms told they were changing guards. Then, though he could not see it, -the English flag must be rising beyond the trees to float over the -city during the coming day. - -For one day more, at least. - - - - - - BOOK II. - - THE BLOWING OF THE BUBBLE. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - IN THE PALACE. - - -It was a day in late September. Nearly six months, therefore, had gone -by since Jim Douglas had passed the Bailey-guard at gunfire, and the -English flag had risen behind the trees to float over Lucknow. It -floated there now, serenely, securely, with an air of finality in its -folds; for folk were becoming accustomed to it. At least so said the -official reports, and even Jim Douglas himself could trace no waxing -in the tide of discontent. It neither ebbed nor flowed, but beat -placidly against the rocks of offense. - -But at Delhi there was one corner of the city over which the English -flag did not float. It lay upon the eastern side above the river where -four rose-red fortress walls hemmed in a few acres of earth from the -march of Time himself, and safe-guarded a strange survival of -sovereignty in the person of Bahâdur Shâh, last of the Moghuls. An old -man past eighty years of age, who dreamed a dream of power among the -golden domes, marble colonnades, and green gardens with which his -ancestors had crowned the eastern wall. - -The sun shone hotly, steamily, within those four inclosing walls, save -on that eastern edge, where the cool breezes from the plains beyond -blew through open arches and latticed balconies. For the rest, the -palace-fort--shut in from all outside influence--was like some tepid, -teeming breeding-place for strange forms of life unknown to purer, -clearer atmospheres. - -It was at the Lahore gate of this Delhi palace that on this late -September day a tawdry palanquin, followed by a few tawdry retainers, -paused before a cavernous arch, ending the quaint, lofty vaulted -tunnel which led inward for some fifty yards or more to another -barrier. Here an old man in spectacles sat writing hurriedly. - -"Quick, fool, quick! Read, and let me sign," called the huge unwieldy -figure in the palanquin, as the bearers, panting under their gross -burden, shifted shoulders. Mahboob Ali, Chief Eunuch and Prime -Minister, groaned under the jolt; it was a foretaste of many to be -endured ere he reached the Resident's house, miles away on the -northern edge of the river. Yet he had to endure them, for important -negotiations were on foot between the Survival and Civilization. The -heir-apparent to those few acres where the sun stood still had died, -had been poisoned some said; and another had to be recognized. There -was no lack of claimants; there never was a lack of claimants to -anything within those walls, where everyone strove to have the first -and last word with the Civilization which supported the Survival. And -here was he, Mahboob, Prime Minister, being delayed by a miserable -scrivener. - -"Read, pig! read," he reiterated, laying his puffy hand on his jeweled -sword-hilt; for he was still within the gate, therefore a despot. A -few yards further he would be a dropsical old man; no more. - -"Your slave reads!" faltered the editor of the Court Journal. -"Mussamât Hâfzan's record of the women's apartments being late to-day, -hath delayed----" - -"'Twas in time enough, uncle, if thou wouldst make fewer flourishes," -retorted a woman's voice; it was nothing but a voice by reason of the -voluminous Pathan veil covering the small speaker. - -"Curse thee for a misbegotten hound!" bawled Mahboob. "Am I to lose -the entrance fee I paid Gâmu, the Huzoor's orderly, for first -interview--when money is so scarce too! Read as it stands, idiot--'tis -but an idle tale at best." - -The last was an aside to himself as he lay back in his cushions; for, -idle though the tale was undoubtedly, it suited him to be its Prime -Minister. The editor laid down his pen hurriedly, and the polished -Persian polysyllables began to trip over one another, while their -murmurous echo--as if eager to escape the familiar monotony--sped from -arch to arch of the long tunnel, which was lit about the middle by -side arches on the guards' quarters, and through which the sunlight -streamed in a broad band of gold across the red stone causeway. - -The attributes of the Almighty having come to an end the reader began -on those of Bahâdur Shâh, Father of Victory, Light of Religion, -Polestar and Defender of the Faith---- - -"Faster, fool, faster," came the fat voice. - -The spectacled old man swallowed his breath, as it were, and went on -at full gallop through the uprisal and bathing of Majesty, through -feelings of pulses and reception of visitors, then slowed down a bit -over the recital of dinner; for he was a _gourmet_, and his tongue -loved the very sound of dainty dishes. - -"May your grave be spat upon!" shouted the Chief Eunuch. "So none were -poisoned by it what matters the food? Pass on----" - -"The Most Exalted then said his appointed prayers," gasped the reader. -"The Light-of-the-World then slept his usual sleep. On awakening, the -physician Ahsan-Oolah----" - -Mahboob sat up among his cushions. "Ahsan-Oolah! he felt the Royal -pulse at dawn also----" - -"The Most Noble forgets," interrupted a voice with the veiled venom of -a partisan in its suavity. "The King--may his enemies die!--took a -cooling draught yesterday and requires all the care we can give him." - -"The King, Meean-sahib, needs nothing save the prayers of the holy -priest, who has piously made over long years of his own life to -prolong his Majesty's," retorted Mahboob, scowling at the speaker, who -wore the Moghul dress, proclaiming him a member of the royal family. -There was no lack of such in the palace-fort, for though Bahâdur Shâh -himself, being more or less of a saint, had contented himself with -some sixty children, his ancestors had sometimes run to six hundred. - -The Meean-sahib laughed scornfully as he passed inward, and muttered -that those who went forth with the dog's trot might return with the -cat's slink, since the great question had yet to be settled. Mahboob's -scowl deepened; the very audacity of the interruption rousing a fear -lest the king's eldest son, Mirza Moghul, whose partisan the speaker -was, might have some secret understanding with Civilization. All the -more need for haste. - -"Read on, fool! Who told thee to stop?" - -"The Princess Farkhoonda Zamâni entered by the Delhi gate." - -Mahboob gave a scornful laugh in his turn. "To visit the Mirza's -house, no doubt. Let her come--a pretty fool! Yet she had wiser stay -where she hath chosen to live, instead of being princess one day and -plain Newâsi the next. There are enough women without her in the -palace!" - -So it seemed, to judge by the stream of female names and titles -belonging to the curtained dhoolies, which had passed and repassed the -barriers, upon which the editor launched his tongue. But Mahboob, as -Chief Eunuch, knew the value of such information and cut it short with -a sneer. - -"If that be all! quick! the pen, and I will sign." - -A bystander, also in the Moghul dress, laughed broadly at the -well-worn inuendo on the possibilities of curtained dhoolies in -intrigue. "Thou art right, Mahboob," he said, "God only knows." - -"His own work," chuckled the Keeper of Virtue. "And the Devil made -most of the women here. Now pigs! Canst not start? Am I to be kept -here all day?" - -As the litter went swaying out between the presented arms of the -sentries, the white chrysalis of a Pathan veil stepped lamely down -into the causeway. "That, seeing there is no news, will be something -to amuse the Queen withal," came the sharp voice. - -"There may be news enough, when that fat pig returns, to make it hard -to amuse thy mistress, Mussamât Hâfzan," suggested another bystander. - -The chrysalis paused. "My mistress! Nay, sahib! Hâfzan is that to -herself only. I am for no one save myself. I carry news, and the -more the better for my trade. Yet I have not had a real good day for -gifts of gratitude from my hearers, since Prince Fukrud-deen, the -heir-apparent, died." There was a reckless cynicism in her voice, and -he of the Moghul dress broke in hotly. - -"Was poisoned, thou meanest, by----" - -Hâfzan's shrill laugh rang through the arches. - -"No names, Mirza sahib, no names! And 'tis no news surely to have folk -poisoned in the fort; as thou wouldst know ere long, may be, if Hâfzan -were spiteful. But I name no names--not I! I carry news, that is all." - -So, with a limp, showing that the woman within was a cripple, the -formless figure passed along the tunnel through the inner barrier, and -so across the wide courtyard where the public hall of audience stood -blocking the eastern end. It was a massive, square, one-storied -building, with a remorseless look in its plain expanse of dull red -stone, pierced by toothed arches which yawned darkly into a redder -gloom, like monstrous mouths agape for victims. Past this, with its -high-set fretted marble _baldequin_ showing dimly against the end -wall--whence a locked wicket gave sole entrance from the palace to -this seat of justice or injustice--the Pathan veil flitted like a -ghost; so, through a narrow passage guarded by the King's own -body-guard, into a different world; a cool breezy world of white and -gold and blue, clasping a garden set with flowers and fruit. Blue sky, -white marble colonnades, and golden domes vaulting and zoning the -burnished leaves of the orange trees, where the green fruit hung like -emeralds above a tangle of roses and marigolds, chrysanthemums and -crimson amaranth. Hâfzan paused among them for a second; then, all -unchallenged by any, passed on up the steps of the marble platform, -which lies between the Baths and the Private Hall of Audience. That -marvelous building where the legend, Cunningly circled into the -decorations, still tells the visitor again and again that, "If earth -holds a haven of bliss, It is this, it is this, it is this." - -Here, on the platform, Hâfzan paused again to look over the low -parapet. The wide eastern plains stretched away to the pale blue -horizon before her, and the curving river lay at her feet edging the -high bank, faced with stone, which forms the eastern defense of the -palace-fort. Thus the levels within touch the very top of the wall; so -that the domes, and colonnades, and green gardens, when seen from the -opposite side of the streams cut clear upon the sky, like a castle in -the air at all times; but in the sunsettings, when they show in shades -of pale lilac, with the huge dome of the great mosque bulging like a -big bubble into the golden light behind them as a veritable Palace of -Dreams. - -She looked northward, first; along the sheer face of the rosy -retaining wall to its trend westward at the Queen's favorite bastion, -which was crowned by a balconied summer-house overhanging the moat -between the fort itself and the isolated citadel of Selimgurh; which, -jutting out into the river, partially hid the bridge of boats spanning -the stream beyond. Then she looked southward. Here was the sheer face -of rosy wall again, but it was crowned, close at hand, by the -colonnade and projecting eaves of the Private Hall of Audience. -Further on it was broken by the carved _corbeilles_ of the King's -balcony, and it ended abruptly at a sudden eastward turn of the -river, so giving a view of rolling rocky hillocks sweeping up to the -horizon where, faint and far like a spear-point, the column of the -Kutb showed on a clear day. The Kutb! that splendid promise, never -fulfilled,--that first minaret of the great mosque that never was, and -never will be built; symbol of the undying dream of Mohammedan -supremacy that never came, that never can come to pass. - -As she paused, a troop of women laden with cosmetics and combs and -quaint baskets containing endless aids to beauty, came shuffling out -of the baths, gossiping and chattering shrilly, and clanking heavy -anklets as they came. And with them, a heavy perfumed steam suggestive -of warm indolence, luxury, sensuality, passed out into the garden. - -"What! done already?" called Hâfzan in surprise. - -"Already!" echoed a bold-faced trollop pertly, "_Ari_, sister. Art -grown a loose-liver? Sure this is Friday, and the King, good man, -bathes apart, religiously! So we be religious too, matching his humor. -That is the way with us women." - -An answering giggle met the sally. - -"Thou art an impudent hussy, Goloo!" said Hâfzan angrily. "And the -Queen--where is she?" - -"In the mosque praying for patience--in the summer-house playing -games--in the King's room coaxing him to belief--in the vestibule -feeding her son with lollipops--he likes them big, and sweet, and -lively, and of his own choosing, does the prince, as I know to my -cost." Here a general titter broke in on the unabashed recital. - -"_Loh!_ leave Hâfzan to find out what the Queen does elsewhere," -suggested another voice. "We speak not of such things." - -"Then speak lower of others," retorted Hâfzan. "Walls have echoes, -sister, and thy mistress would fare no better than others if thy talk -reached Zeenut Maihl's ears." - -"Tell her, spy! if thou wilt," replied the woman carelessly. "We have -friends on our side now, as thou mayst understand mayhap ere -nightfall, when the answer comes." - -Hâfzan laughed. "Thou hast more faith in friends than I. _Loh!_ I -trust none within these four walls. And out of them but few." - -So saying she limped back into the garden, giving a glance as she -passed it into the Pearl Mosque, which showed like a carven snowdrift -against the blue of the sky, the green of the trees. Finding none -there, she went straight to the Queen's favorite summer-house on the -northern bastion. - -It was a curious fatality which made Zeenut Maihl choose it, since all -her arts, all her cunning, could scarcely have told her that it would -ere long be a watch-tower, whence the chance of success or failure -could be counted. For the white road beyond the bridge of boats, and -trending eastward to the packed population of Oude, to Lucknow, to all -that remained of the vitality in the Mohammedan dream, was to be ere -long like a living, growing branch to which she, the spider, hung by -an invisible thread, spinning her cobwebs, seemingly in mid-air. - -"Hush!" The whispered monition made Hâfzan pause in the screened -archway till the game was over. It was a sort of dumb-crambo, and a -most outrageous _double entendre_ had just brought a smile to the -broad heavy face of a woman who lay among cushions in the alcoved -balcony. This was Zeenut Maihl, who for nearly twenty years had -kept her hold upon the King, despite endless rivals. She was -dark-complexioned, small-eyed, with a curious lack of eyebrows which -took from her even vivacity of expression. But it was a man with -experience in many wives who remarked that favor is deceitful and -beauty is vain; he knew, no doubt, that in polygamy, the victory must -go to the most unscrupulous fighter. Zeenut Maihl, at any rate, -secured hers by ever-recurring promises of another heir to her -octogenarian husband; a flattery to which his other wives either could -not or would not stoop. But the trick served the Queen's purpose in -more ways than one. Her oft-recurring disappointments could have but -one cause: witchcraft. So on such occasions, with her paid priest, -Hussan Askuri, saying prayers for those _in extremis_ at her bedside, -Zeenut Maihl's enemies went down like nine-pins, and she rose from her -bed of sickness with a board cleared of dangerous rivalry. For none in -the hot-bed of shams felt secure enough to get into grips with her. -Ahsan-Oolah, the physician, might have; she had cried quarter from his -keen fence before now; but he did not care to take the trouble. For he -was a philosopher, content to let his world go to the devil its own -way, so long as it did not interfere with his passionate greed of -gold. And this master-passion being shared by Zeenut Maihl they -hoisted the flag of truce for the most part against mutual -spoliations. So the Queen played her game unmolested, as she played -dumb-crambo; at which her servants, separated like their betters into -cliques, tried to outdo each other. - -"_Wâh!_" said the set, jubilant over the _double entendre_. "That is -the best to-day." - -"If you like it, a clod is a betel nut," retorted the leader of -another set. "I'll wager to beat it easily." - -The Queen frowned. There was too much freedom in this speech of -Fâtma's to suit her. - -"And I will be the judge," she said with a cruel smile. "Fâtma must be -taught better manners." - -Fâtma--a woman older than the rest--salaamed calmly; and the fact made -the other clique look at each other uneasily. What certainty gave her -such confidence as she plucked a gray hair from her own head and -placed it on the black velvet cushion which lay at the Queen's feet? - -"That is my riddle," she said. "Let the world guess it, and honor the -real giver of it." - -What could it be? Even the Queen raised herself in curiosity; a sign -in itself of commendation. - -"Sure I know not," she began musingly, when Fâtma sprang to her feet -in theatrical appeal. - -"Not so! Ornament of Palaces," she cried. "This may puzzle the herd; -it is plain to the mother of Princes. It lies too lowly now for -recognition, but in its proper place----" She snatched the hair from -the cushion, and, with a flourish, laid it on the head of a figure -which appeared as if by magic behind her. A figure dressed as a young -Moghul Prince, and wearing all the crown jewels. - -"My son, Jewun!" cried the Queen, starting angrily. And the adverse -clique, taking their cue from her tone, shrieked modestly, and -scrambled for their veils. - -Fâtma salaamed to the very ground. - -"No! Mother of Princes, 'tis but my riddle--the heir-apparent." - -Zeenut Maihl paused, bewildered for an instant; then in the figure -recognized the features of a favorite dancing girl, saw the pun, and -laughed uproariously, delightedly. The English sentry on the -drawbridge leading to Selimgurh might have heard her had there been -one; but within the last month the right to use the citadel as a -private entry to the palace had been given to the King. It enabled him -to cross the bridge of boats without the long circuit by the Calcutta -gate of the city. - -"A gold mohur for that to Fâtma!" she cried, "and a post nearer my -person. I need such wits sorely." As she spoke she rose to her feet, -the smiles fading from her face as she looked out along that white -eastward streak; for the jest had brought her back to earnest, to that -mixture of personal ambition for her son and real patriotism for her -country which kept her a restless intriguer. "I need men, too," she -muttered. "Not dissolute, idle weathercocks or doting old pantaloons! -There are plenty of them yonder." So she stood for a second, then -turned like lightning on her attendants. "What time----" she began, -then seeing Hâfzan, who had unveiled at the door, she gave a cry of -pleasure. "'Tis well thou hast come," she said, beckoning to her, "for -thou must know God! if I were free to come and go, what could I not -compass? But here, in this smothering veil----" She flung even the -gauze apology for one which she wore from her, and stood with smooth, -bare head, and fat, bare arms, her quaint little pigtail dangling down -her broad back. Not a romantic figure truly, but one in its savage -temper, strength, obstinacy, to be reckoned with. "What time"--she -went on rapidly--"does the King receive his initiates?" - -"At five," replied Hâfzan. Seen without its veil, also, her figure -showed more shrunk than ill-formed, and her pale, thin face would have -been beautiful but for its look of permanent ill-health. "The ceremony -of saintship begins then." - -"Saints!" echoed the Queen, with a hard laugh. "I would make them -saints and martyrs, too, were I free. Quick, woman! pen and ink! And -stay! Fâtma's puzzle hath driven all else from my head. What time -was't that Hussan Askuri was bidden to come?" - -"The saintborn comes at four," replied Hâfzan ceremoniously, "so as to -leave leisure ere the Chief Eunuch's return with the answer." - -Zeenut Maihl's face was a study. "The answer! My answer lies there in -Fâtma's riddle; take two gold mohurs for it, woman, it hath given me -new life. Write, Hâfzan, to the chamberlain, that the disciples must -pass the southern window of the King's private room ere they leave the -palace. And call my litter; I must see Hussan Askuri ere I meet him at -the King's." - -An hour afterward, with bister marks below her eyes, and delicate -hints of causeful, becoming languor in face and figure, she was -waiting the King's return from the latticed balcony overhanging the -river, where he always spent the heats of the day; waiting in the -cluster of small, dark rooms which lie behind it, on the other side of -the marble fountain-set aqueduct which flows under a lace-like marble -screen to the very steps of the Hall of Audience. - -"Is all prepared?" she asked anxiously, as a glint of light from a -lifted curtain warned her of the King's approach. - -"All is prepared," echoed a hollow, artificial voice. The speaker was -a tall, heavily built man with long gray beard, big bushy gray -eyebrows, and narrow forehead. A dangerous man, to judge by the mixed -spirituality and sensuality in his face; a man who could imagine evil, -and make himself believe it good. It was Hussan Askuri, the priest and -miracle-monger, who led the last of the Moghuls by the nose. It was -not a difficult task, for Bahâdur Shâh, who came tottering across the -intervening sunlit space, was but a poor creature. The first -impression he gave was of extreme old age. It was evident in the -sparse hair, the high, hollow cheeks, the waxy skin, the purple glaze -over the eyes. The next was of a feebleness beyond even his apparent -years. He seemed fiberless, mind and body. Yet released at the door of -privacy, from the eunuch's supporting hands, he ambled gayly enough to -a seat, and exclaimed vivaciously: - -"A moment! A moment! good priest and physician. My mind first; my body -after. The gift is on me. I feel it working, and the historian must -write of me more as poet than king." - -"As the king of poets, sire," suggested Hussan Askuri pompously. - -Bahâdur Shâh smiled fatuously. "Good! Good! I will weave that thought -with mine into perfumed poesy." He raised one slender hand for -silence, and with the fingers of the other continued counting feet -laboriously, until with a sigh of relief, he declaimed: - - - "Bahâdur Shâh, sure all the world will know it, - Was poet more than king, yet king of poets." - - -Zeenut Maihl gave a cry of admiration. "Quick! _Pir_-sahib, quick!" -she exclaimed. "Such a gem must not be lost." - -"But 'tis yet co be polished," began the King complacently. - -"That is the office of the scribe," replied Hussan Askuri, as he drew -out his ink-horn. He was by profession an ornamental writer, and -gained great influence with the old poetaster by gathering up the -royal fragments and hiding their lameness amid magnificent curves and -flourishes. - -"And now, _Pir_-sahib," continued the Queen, with a look of loving -anxiety at her lord, "for this strange ailment of which I spoke to -you----" - -The King's face lost its self-importance as if he had been suddenly -recalled to unpleasant memory. "'Tis naught of import," he said -hastily. "The Queen will have it I start and sweat of nights. But this -is but the timorous dread of one in her condition. I am well enough." - -"My lord, _Pir_-sahib, hath indeed renewed his youth through thy pious -breathing of thy own life into his mouth--as time will show," murmured -the Queen with modest, downcast look. "But last night he muttered in -his sleep of enemies----" - -Bahâdur Shâh gave a gasp of dismay. "Of enemies! Nay!--did I truly? -Thou didst not tell me this." - -"I would not distress my lord, till fear was over. Now that the pious -priest, who hath the ear of the Almighty----" - -Hussan Askuri, who had stepped forward to gaze at the King, began to -mutter prayers. "'Tis that cooling draught of Ahsan-Oolah's stands in -the way," he gasped, his hands and face working as if he were in -deadly conflict with an unseen foe. "No carnal remedy--Ah! God be -praised! I see, I see! The eye of faith opens--_Hai!_ venomous beast, -I have you!" With these words he rushed to the King's couch, and, -scattering its cushions, held up at arm's length a lizard. Held by the -tail, it seemed in semi-darkness to writhe and wriggle. - -"_Ouée! Umma!_" yelled the Great Moghul, shrinking to nothing in his -seat, and using after his wont the woman's cry--sure sign of his -habits. - -"Fear not!" cried the priest. "The mutterings are stilled, the sweats -dried! And thus will I deal also with those who sent it." He flung his -captive on the ground and stamped it under foot. - -"Was it--was it a bis-cobra, think you?" faltered the King. He had -hold of Zeenut Maihl's hand like a frightened child. The priest shook -his head. "It was no carnal creature," he said in a hollow, chanting -voice. "It was an emissary of evil made helpless by prayer. Give -Heaven the praise." Bahâdur Shâh began on his creed promptly, but the -priest frowned. - -"Through his servant," he went on. "For day and night, night and day, -I pray for the King. And I see visions, I dream dreams. Last night, -while my lord muttered of enemies, Hussan Askuri saw a flood coming -from the West, and on its topmost wave, upon a raft of faithful -swords, as on a throne, sate----" - -"With due respect," came voices from the curtained door. "The -disciples await initiation in the Hall of Audience." - -Hussan Askuri and the Queen exchanged looks. The interruption was -unwelcome, though strangely germane to the subject. - -"I will hear thee finish the dream afterward," fussed the King, rising -in a bustle; for he prized his saintship next to his poetry. "I must -not keep my pupils from grace. Hast the kerchiefs ready, Zeenut?" -There was something almost touching in the confidence of his appeal to -her. It was that of a child to its mother, certain of what it -demanded. - -"All things are ready," she replied tartly, with a meaning and vexed -look at the miracle-monger; for they had meant to finish the dream -before the initiation. - -"A goodly choice," said the royal saint, as he looked over the tiny -silk squares, each embroidered with a text from the _Koran_, which she -took out of a basket. "But I need many, _Pir_-sahib. Folk come fast, -of late, to have the way of virtue pointed by this poor hand. And thou -hast more in the basket, I see, Zeenut, ready against----" - -"They are but begun," put in the Queen, hastily covering the basket. -"Nor will they, likely, be needed, since the leave season passes, and -'tis the soldiers who come most to be disciples to the defender of -their faith." - -"I am the better pleased," replied the King with edifying humility. -"This summer hath too many pupils as it is. Come! _Pir_-sahib, and -support me through mine office with real saintship." - -As the curtain fell behind them Zeenut Maihl crossed swiftly to the -crushed lizard and raised it gingerly. - -"No carnal creature," she repeated. It was not; only a deft piece of -patchwork. Yet it, or something else, made her shiver as she dropped -the tell-tale remains into the basket. This man Hussan Askuri -sometimes seemed to her own superstition a saint, sometimes to her -clear head a mere sinner. She was not quite certain of anything about -him save that his delusions, his dreams, his miracles, suited her -purpose equally, whether they were false or true. - -So she crossed over again to a marble lattice and peered through a -convenient peephole toward the Audience Hall, which rose across an -intervening stretch of platform in white shadow, and whiter light. She -could not see or hear much; but enough to show her that everything was -going on the same as usual. The disciples, most of them in full -uniform, went up and down the steps calmly, and the wordy exordium on -the cardinal virtues went on and on. How different it might be, she -thought, if she had the voice. She would rouse more than those faint -"_Wâh! Wâhs_." She would make the fire come to men's eyes. In a sort -of pet with her own helplessness, she moved away and so, through -another room, went to stand at another lattice. It looked south over a -strip of garden, and there was an open square left in the tracery -through which a face might look, a hand might pass. And as she stood -she counted the remaining kerchiefs in the basket she still held. They -were all of bright green silk and bore the same lettering. It was the -Great Cry: "_Deen! Deen! Futteh Mohammed!_" As dangerous a woman this, -as Hussan Askuri was a man; as dangerous, both of them, to peaceful -life, as the fabled bis-cobra, at the idea of which the foolish old -King had cried, "_Ouée, Umma!_" like any woman. - -And now at last that wordy exordium must be over, for, along the -garden path, came the clank of accouterments. Zeenut Maihl's listless -figure seem galvanized to sudden life, there was a flutter of green at -the open square, and her voice followed the shower of silk. - -"These banners from the Defender to his soldiers." - -But as she spoke, a stir of excitement, a subdued murmur of -expectation reached her ear from outside, and, leaning forward, -she caught a glimpse of a swinging litter coming along the path. -Mahboob returned already! Vexatious, indeed, when she had turned and -planned everything so as to be sure of having the King in her -apartments when the answer arrived. None others would know it before -she did--unless!--the thought obliterated all others, and she flew -back to the further lattice. The King, returning from the initiation, -had paused in the middle of the platform at the sight of the -approaching litter, and his courtiers, as if by instinct, had grouped -themselves round him, leaving him the central figure. The cruel -sunlight streamed down on the tawdry court, on the worn-out old man. - -It seemed interminable to the woman behind the lattice, that pause -while the fat eunuch was helped from his litter. She could have -screamed to him for the answer, could have had at his fat carcass with -her hands for its slowness. But the old King had better blood in his -veins. He stood quietly, his tawdry court around him; behind him the -marble, and gold, and mosaics of his ancestors. - -"What news, slave?" he asked boldly. - -"None, Light of the Faithful," replied the Chief Eunuch. - -"None!" The semi-circle closed in a little, every face full of -disappointed curiosity. - -"I have a letter for the Lord of the World with me. Its substance is -this. The _Sirkar_ will recognize no heir. During the lifetime of our -Great Master, whose life be prolonged forever, the _Sirkar_ will make -no promise of any kind, either to his majesty, or to any other member -of the royal family. It is to remain as if there were no succession." - -No succession! Above the sudden murmur of universal surprise and -dissent, a woman's cry of inarticulate rage came from behind the -lattice. The King turned toward the sound instinctively. "I must to -the Queen," he murmured helplessly, "I must to the Queen." - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - IN THE CITY. - - "Come, beauty, rare, divine, - Thy lover like a vine - With tendril arms entwine; - Lay rose red lips to mine, - Bewildering as wine." - - -The song came in little insistent trills and quaverings, and quaint -recurring cadences, which matched the insistency of the rhymes. The -singer was a young man of about three-and-twenty, and as he sang, -seated on a Persian rug on the top of a roof, he played an elaborate -symphony of trills and cadences to match upon a tinkling _saringi_. He -was small, slight, with a bright, vivacious face, smooth shaven, save -for a thin mustache trimmed into a faint fine fringe. His costume -marked him as a dandy of the first water, and he smelled horribly of -musk. - -The roof on which he sat was a secluded roof, protected from view, -even from other roofs, by high latticed walls; its only connection -with the world below it being by a dizzy brick ladder of a stair -climbing down fearlessly from one corner. Across the further end -stretched a sort of veranda, inclosed by lattice and screens. But the -middle arch being open showed a blue and white striped carpet, and a -low reed stool. Nothing more. But a sweet voice came from its unseen -corner. - -"Art not ashamed, Abool, to come to my discreet house among godly folk -and sing lewd songs? Will they not think ill of me? And if thou comest -drunken horribly with wine, as thou didst last week, claiming audience -of me, thine aunt, not all that title will save me from aspersion. And -if I lose this calm retreat, whither shall poor Newâsi go?" - -"Nay, kind one!" cried Prince Abool-Bukr, "that shall never be." So -saying, he cast away the tinkling _saringi_ and from the litter of -musical instruments around him laid impulsive hands on a long-necked -fiddle with a 'cello tone in it. "I would sing psalms to please mine -aunt," he went on in reckless gayety, "but that I know none. Will -pious Saadi suit your sober neighbors, since lovelorn Hafiz shocks -them? But no! I can never stomach his sentimental sanctity, so back we -go to the wisest of all poets." - -The high, thin tenor ran on without a break into a minor key, and a -stanza of the Great Tentmakers. And as it quivered and quavered over -the illusion of life, a woman's figure came to lean against the -central arch, and look down on the singer with kindly eyes. - -They were the most beautiful eyes in the world. Such is the consensus -of opinion among all who ever saw them. Judged, indeed, by this -standard, the Princess Farkhoonda Zamâni, alias Newâsi Begum, the -widow of one of the King's younger sons, must have had that mysterious -charm which is beyond beauty. But she was beautiful also, though -smallpox had left its marks upon her. Chiefly, however, by a -thickening of the skin, which brought an opaque pallor, giving her -oval face a look of carved ivory. In truth, this memento of the past -tragedy, which at the age of thirteen had brought her, the half-wedded -bride, to death's door, and sent her fifteen-year-old bridegroom from -the festival to the grave, enhanced, rather than detracted from her -beauty. Her lips were reddened after the fashion of court women, her -short-sighted hazel eyes were heavily blackened with antimony; but she -wore no jewels, and her graceful, sweeping Delhi dress was of deadest, -purest white, embroidered in finest needlework round hems and seams, -and relieved only by the lighter folds of her white, lace-like veil. -For she had forsworn colors when she fled from court-life and its many -intrigues for an alliance with the charming widow; and, on the plea of -a call to a religious and celibate life, had taken up her abode in the -Mufti's Alley. This was a secluded little lane off the bazaar, which -lies to the south of the Jumma Mosque, where a score or two of the -Mohammedan families connected with the late chief magistrate of the -city lived, decently, respectably, respectedly. To do this, having -sometimes to close the gate at the entrance of the alley, and so shut -out the wicked world around them. But that whole quarter of the city -held many such learned, well-born, well-doing folk. Hussan Askari's -house lay within a stone's throw of the Mufti's Alley; Ahsan-Oolah's -not far off, and, all about, rose tall, windowless buildings, standing -sentinel blindly over the naughtiness around them; but they had eyes -within, and ears also. So the hands belonging to them were held up in -horror over the doings of the survival, and--despite race and -religion--an inevitably reluctant, yet inevitably firm adherence was -given to civilization. Even the womenfolk on the high roofs knew -something of the mysterious woman across the sea, who reigned over the -Huzoors and made them pitiful to women. And Farkhoonda Zamâni read the -London news, with great interest, in the newspaper which Abool-Bukr -used to bring her regularly. Hers was the highest roof of all, save -one at the back Of her veranda room; so close to it indeed that the -same _neem_ tree touched both. - -It was not a quarter, therefore, in which the leader of the fastest -set in the palace might have been expected to be a constant visitor. -But he was. And the decorous alley put up with his songs patiently. -Partly, no doubt, for his aunt's sake; more for his own charm of -manner, which always gained him a consideration better men might have -lacked. Being the late heir-apparent's eldest son, he was certain of -succeeding to the throne if he outlived all his uncles; for the claims -of the elder generation are, by Moghul law, paramount over those of -the younger. Now, the inevitable harking back to the eldest branch, -after years of power enjoyed by the junior ones, which this plan -necessitates, being responsible for half the wars and murders which -mark an Indian succession, some of these learned progressive folk -admitted tentatively that the Western plan was better; and that if -Prince Abool-Bukr were only other than he was, he might as well -succeed now as later on. - -The idea roused a like ambition in the young idler, now and again, but -as a rule he was content to be the best musician in Delhi, the boldest -gambler, the fastest liver. Yet through all, he kept his hold on one -kind woman's hand; and those who knew the prince and princess have -never a word to say against the friendship which led to that singing -of Omar Khayyam upon the latticed roof. - -"Life could be better than that for thee, nephew, didst thou but -choose," said her soft voice, interrupting the cynicism, while her -delicate fingers, touching the singer's shoulder as if in reproof, -lingered there tenderly. He bent his smooth cheek impulsively to -caress the hand so close to it, with a frank, boyish action. The next -moment, however, he had started to his feet; the minor tone changed to -a dance measure, then ended in a wild discord, and a wilder laugh. Her -use of the word nephew was apt to rouse his recklessness, for she was -but a month or two older than he. - -"Thou canst not make me other than I was born----" he began; but she -interrupted him quickly. - -"Thou wast born of good parts enough, God knows." - -"But my father deemed me fool, therefore I was brought up in a stable, -mine aunt; and sang in brothels ere I knew what the word meant. So -'tis sheer waste time to interview my scandalized relations as thou -dost, and beg them to take me serious. By all the courtesans in the -Thunbi Bazaar, Newâsi, I take not myself so. Nor am I worse than the -holy, pious aunt: I take paradise now, and leave hell to the last. -They choose the other way. And make a better bargain for pleasure than -I, seeing that the astrologers give me a short life, a bloody death." - -Newâsi caught her hand back to another resting place above her heart. -"A--a bloody death!" she echoed; "who--who told the lie?" - -Prince Abool-Bukr shook his head with a kindly smile. "Oh! heed it -not, kind lady. Such is the fashion with soothsayers nowadays. The -heavens are black with portents. Someone's cow hath three calves, -someone's child hath ten noses and a tail. Fire hath come from -heaven--thou thyself didst tell me some such wind-sucker's tale--or -from hell more likely----" - -"Nay! but it is true," she interrupted eagerly; "I had it from the -milkwoman, who comes from the village where the _suttee_----" - -"The mouse began to gnaw the rope. The rope began to bend the ox. The -ox began----" hummed the prince irreverently. - -Newâsi stamped her foot. "But it is true, scoffer! There is a festival -of it to-day in some idol temple--may it be defiled! The widow would -have burned, after sinful custom, but was prevented by the Huzoors. -And rightly. Yet, God knows--seeing the poor soul had to burn sometime -through being an idolater--they might have let her burn with her -love----" - -Abool laughed softly. "And yet thou wilt have naught of Hafiz--Hafiz -the love-lorn! Verily, Newâsi, thou art true woman." - -She ignored the interruption. "So being hindered she went to Benares, -and there this fire fell on her through prayer, and burned hands and -feet----" - -"But not her face," cried Prince Abool, thrumming the muted strings -and making them sound like a tom-tom. "I'll wager my best pigeon, not -her face, if she be a good-looking wench! And since fire follows on -other things besides prayer, she was a fool not to get it, like me, -through pleasure instead. To burn a virgin! What a dreary tale! Look -not so shocked, Newâsi! a man must enjoy these presents, when folk -around him waste half the time in dreaming of a future--of something -better to come--as thou dost----" He paused, and a soft eager ring -came to his voice. "If thou couldst only forget all that--forget who I -might be in the years to come--forget what thou wouldst have been had -my respected uncle not preferred peace to pleasure--for it never came -to pass, remember, it never came to pass--then we two, you and I----" -He paused again, perhaps at the sudden shrinking in her eyes, and gave -a restless laugh. "As 'tis, the present must suffice," he added -lightly, "and even so thou dost mourn for what I might be if the grace -of God took me unawares. Thou hast caught the dreaming trick, mayhap, -from the Prince of Dreamers yonder." - -He moved over to the outer parapet and waved his hand toward Hussan -Askuri's house. Then his vagrant attention turned swiftly to something -which he could see in a peep of bazaar visible from this new point of -view. - -"Three, four, five trays of sweetstuffs! and one of milk and butter," -he cried eagerly, "and by my corn-merchant's bill--which I must pay -soon or starve--the carriers are palace folk! Is there, by chance, a -marriage in the clan? Why didst not tell me before, Newâsi? then I -could have gone as musician and earned a few rupees." - -He gave a flourish of his bow, so drawing forth a lugubrious wail from -the long-necked fiddle. - -"No marriage that I wot of," she replied, smiling fondly over his -heedless gayety. "The trays will be going to the _Pir_-sahib's house. -They have gone every Thursday these few weeks past, ever since the -Queen took ill on hearing the answer about the heirship. She vowed it -then every week, so that the holy man's prayer might bring success to -our cousin of Persia in this war. God save the very dust of it from -the winds of misfortune so long as dust and wind exist," she added -piously. - -Prince Abool-Bukr turned round on her sharply with anxiety in his -face. - -"So! Thou too canst quote the proclamation like other fools--a fool's -message to other fools. Where didst thou see it?" - -Newâsi looked at him disdainfully. "Can I not read, nephew, and are -there many in Delhi as heedless as thou? Why, even the Mufti's people -discuss such things." - -He shrugged his shoulders. "Ay! they will talk. Gossip hath a double -tongue and wings too, nowadays. In old time the first tellers of a -tale had half forgot it, ere the last hearer heard it; now the whole -world is agog in half an hour. But it means naught. Even his heirship. -Who cares in Delhi? None!--out of the palace, none! Not even I. Yet -mischief may come of it; so have naught to do with dreamings, Newâsi, -if only for my sake. Remember the old saw, 'Weevils are ground with -the corn.'" - -"Thou canst scarce call thyself that, Abool, and thou so near the -throne," she said, still more coldly. - -"Have me what pleaseth thee, kind one," he replied, a trifle -impatiently; "but remember also that 'the body is slapped in the -killing of mosquitoes.'" Then, suddenly, an odd change came to his -mobile face. It grew strained, haggard; his voice had a growing tremor -in it. "Lo! I tell thee, Newâsi, that Sheeah woman, Zeenut Maihl, in -her plots for that young fool, her son, will hang the lot of us. I -swear I feel a rope around my neck each time I think of her. I who -only want to be let live as I like--not to die before my time--die and -lose all the love and the laughter; die mayhap in the sunlight; die -when there is no need; I seem to see it--the sunlight--and I -helpless--helpless!" - -He hid his face in his shuddering hands as if to shut out some sight -before his very eyes. - -"Abool! Abool! What is't, dear? Look not so strange," she cried, -stretching out her hand toward him, yet standing aloof as if in vague -alarm. Her voice seemed to bring him back to realities; he looked up -with a reckless laugh. - -"'Tis the wine does it," he said. "If I lived sober--with thee, mine -aunt--these terrors would not come. Nay! be not frightened. Hanging is -a bloodless death, and that would confound the soothsayer; so it cuts -both ways. And now, since I must have more wine or weep, I will leave -thee, Newâsi." - -"For the bazaar?" she asked reproachfully. - -"For life and laughter. Lo! Newâsi, thou thyself wouldst laugh at -those new-come Bunjârah folk I told thee of, who imitate the sahibs so -well. But for their eyes," here he nodded gayly to someone below, -"they should get one of Mufti's folk to play," he added, his attention -as usual following the first lead. "Saw you ever such blue ones as the -boy has yonder?" - -Newâsi, drawing her veil tighter, stepped close to his side and peered -gingerly. - -"His sister's are as blue, his cousin's also. It runs in the blood, -they say. I cannot like them. Dost thou not prefer the dark also?" - -She raised hers to his innocently enough, then shrank back from the -sudden passion of admiration she saw blazing in them. Shrank so that -her arm touched his no longer. The action checked him, made him -savage. - -"I like black ones best," he said insolently; "big, black, staring -eyes such as my mother swears my betrothed has to perfection. Thou -hast not seen her yet, Newâsi; so thou canst keep me company in -imagining them languishing with love. They will not have to languish -long for--hast thou heard it? The King hath fixed the wedding." He -paused, then added in a low, cruel voice, "Art glad, Newâsi?" - -But her temper could be roused too, and her heart had beat in answer -to his look in a way which ended calm. "Ay! It will stop this farce of -coming thither for study and learning--as to-day--without a line -scanned." - -"Thou dost study enough for both, as thou art virtuous enough for -both," he retorted. "I am but flesh and blood, and my small brain will -hold no more than it can gather from bazaar tongues." - -"Of lies, doubtless." - -"Lies if thou wilt. But they fill the mind as easily as truth, and fit -facts better. As the lie the courtesans tell of my coming hither fits -fact better than thy reason. Dost know it? Shall I tell it thee?" - -"Yea! tell it me," she answered swiftly, her whole face ablaze with -anger, pride, resentment. His matched it, but with a vast affection -and admiration added which increased his excitement. "The lie, did I -say?" he echoed, "nay, the truth. For why do I come? Why dost let me -come? Answer me in truth?" There was an instant's silence, then he -went on recklessly: "What need to ask? We both know. And why, in God's -name, having come--come to see thy soft eyes, hear thy soft voice, -know thy soft heart, do I go away again like a fool? I who take -pleasure elsewhere as I choose. I will be a fool no longer. Nay! do -not struggle. I will but force thee to the truth. I will not even kiss -thee--God knows there are women and to spare for that--there is but -one woman whom Abool-Bukr cares to----" he broke off, flung the hands -he had seized away from him with a muttered curse, and stepped back -from her, calming himself with an effort. "That comes of making -Abool-Bukr in earnest for once. Did I not warn thee it was not wise?" -he said, looking at her almost reproachfully, as she stood trying to -be calm also, trying to hide the beating of her heart. - -"'Tis not wise, for sure, to speak foolishness," she murmured, -attempting unconsciousness. "Yet do I not understand----" - -He shook his delicate hand in derisive denial. "Why, the Princess -Farkhoonda refuses to marry! Nay, Newâsi, we are two fools for our -pains. That is God's truth between us. So now for lies in the bazaar." - -"Peace go with thee." There was a sudden regret, almost a wistful -entreaty in the farewell she sent after him. There was none in his -reply, given with a backward look as his gay figure went downward -dizzily. "Nay! Peace stays ever with thee." - -It was true. Those other women of whom he had spoken gave him kisses -galore, but this one? It was a refinement of sensuality, in a way, to -go as he had come. But Newâsi went back to her books with a sigh, -telling herself that her despondency was due to Abool's hopeless lack -of ambition. If he would only show his natural parts, only let these -new rulers see that he had the makings of a king in him! As for the -other foolishness, if the old King would give his consent--if it were -made clear that she was not really---- She pulled herself up with a -start, said a prayer or two, and went on with _The Mirror of Good -Behavior_, through which she was wading diligently. The writer of it -had not been a beautiful woman, widowed before she was a wife, but his -ideals were high. - -Abool-Bukr meanwhile was already in a house with a wooden balcony. -There were many such in the Thunbi Bazaar, giving it an airiness, a -cleanliness, a neatness it would otherwise have lacked. But -Gul-anâri's was the biggest, the most patronized; not only for the -tired heads which looked out unblushingly from it, but for the news -and gossip always to be had there. The lounging crowds looked up and -asked for it, as they drifted backward and forward aimlessly, -indifferently, among the fighting quails in their hooded cages, the -dogs snarling in the filth of the gutters, while a mingled scent of -musk, and drains, and humanity steamed through the hot sunshine. -Sometimes a corpse lay in the very roadway awaiting burial, but it -provoked no more notice than a passing remark that Nargeeza or -Yasmeena had been a good one while she lasted. For there was a -hideous, horrible lack of humanity about the Thunbi Bazaar; even in -the very women themselves, with their foreheads narrowed by plastered -hair to a mere wedge above a bar of continuous eyebrow, their lips -crimsoned in unnatural curves, their teeth reddened with _pân_ or -studded with gold wire, their figures stiffened to artificial -prominence. It was as if humanity, tired of its own beauty, sought the -lack of it as a stimulant to jaded sensuality. - -"Allâh! the old stale stories," yawned Gul-anâri from the broad sheet -of native newspaper whence, between the intervals of some of Prince -Abool-Bukr's worst songs, she had been reading extracts to her -illiterate clients; that being a recognized attraction in her trade. -"Persia! Persia! nothing but Persia! Who cares for it? I dare swear -none. Not even the woman Zeenut herself, for all her pretense of -sympathy with Sheeahs, who----" - -"Have a care, mistress!" interrupted an arrogant looking man, who -showed the peaked Afghan cap below a regimental turban. He was a -sergeant in a Pathan company of the native troops cantoned outside -Delhi on the Ridge, and had been bickering all the afternoon with a -Rajpoot of the 38th N. I., who had ousted him in his hostess' easy -affections, being therefore in an evil temper, ready to take offense -at a word. "I am of the north--a Sheeah myself, and care not to hear -them miscalled. And I have those who would back me," he continued, -glaring at the Rajpoot, who sat in the place of honor beside the stout -siren; "for yonder in the corner is another hill-tiger." He pointed to -a man who had just thanked one of the girls in Pushtoo for a glass of -sherbet she handed him. - -"Hill-cat, rather!" giggled Gul-anâri. "He brought me this one, but -yesterday, from a caravan new-come to the serai,"--she stroked the -long fur of a Persian kitten on her lap,--"and when I asked for news -could not give them. He scarce knew enough Urdu for the settling of -prices." - -A coarse joke from the Rajpoot, suggesting that he had found few -difficulties of that sort in the Thunbi Bazaar, made the sergeant -scowl still more and swear that he would get Mistress Gul-anâri the -news for mere love. Whereat he called over, in Pushtoo, to the man in -the corner, who, however, took no notice. - -"He is as deaf as a lizard!" giggled Gul-anâri, enjoying the rejected -one's discomfiture. "Get my friend the corporal here to yell at him -for thee, sergeant. His voice goes further than thine!" - -The favored Rajpoot squeezed the fat hand nearest to him. "Go up and -pluck him by the beard," he suggested vaingloriously, "then we might -see a Pathan fight for once." - -"Thou wouldst see a fair one, which is more than thou canst among -thine own people." - -"Peace! Peace!" cried the courtesan, smiling to see both men look -round for a weapon. "I'll have no bloodshed here. Keep that for the -future." She dwelt on the last word meaningly, and it seemed to have a -soothing effect, for the sepoys contented themselves with scowls -again. - -"The future?" echoed a graybeard who had been drinking cinnamon tea -calmly. "God knows there will be wars enough in it. Didst hear, -_Meean_ sahib? I have it on authority--that Jarn Larnce is to give -Peshawur to Dost Mohammed and take Rajpootana instead. Take it as Oude -was taken and Sambalpore, and Jhansi, and all the others." - -"Even so," assented a quiet looking man in spectacles. "When the last -_Lât_-sahib went, he got much praise for having taken five kingdoms -and given them to the Queen. The new one was told he must give more. -This begins it." - -"Let us see what we Rajpoots say first," cried the corporal fiercely. -"'Tis we have fought the _Sirkar's_ battles, and we are not sheep to -be driven against our own." - -Gul-anâri leered admiringly at her new lover. "Nay! the Rajpoots are -men! and 'twas his regiment, my masters, who refused to fight over the -sea, saying it was not in the bond. Ay! and gained their point." - -"That drop has gone over the sea itself," sneered a third soldier. -"The bond is altered now. Go we must, or be dismissed. The -Thakoor-_jee_ would not be so bold now, I warrant." - -The Rajpoot twirled his mustache to his very eyes and cocked his -turban awry. - -"Ay, would I! and more, if they dare touch our privilege." - -Gul-anâri leered again, rousing the Pathan sergeant to mutter curses, -and--as if to change the subject--cross over to the man in the corner, -lay insolent hands on his shoulder, and shout a question in his ear. -The man turned, met the arrogant eyes bent on him calmly, and with -both hands salaamed profusely but slowly with a sort of measured -rhythm. Apparently he had not caught the words and was deprecating -impatience. His hands were fine hands, slender, well-shaped, and he -wore a metal ring on the seal-finger. It caught the light as he -salaamed. - -"Louder, man, louder!" gibed the corporal. But the sergeant did not -repeat the question; he stood looking at the upturned face awaiting an -answer. - -"Maybe he is Belooch, his speech not mine," he said suddenly, yet with -a strange lack of curiosity in his tone. There was a faint quiver, as -if some strain were over in the face below, and the silence was broken -by a rapid sentence. - -"Yea! Belooch!" he went on in a still more satisfied tone, "I know it -by the twang. So there is small use in bursting my lungs." - -Here Prince Abool-Bukr, who had been dozing tipsily, his head against -his fiddle, woke, and caught the last words. "Ay, burst! burst like -the royal kettle-drums of mine ancestors. Yet will I do my poor best -to amuse the company and--and instruct them in virtue." Whereupon, -with much maudlin emotion, he thrummed and thrilled through a lament -on the fallen fortunes of the Moghuls written by that King of Poets -his Grandpapa. Being diffuse and didactic, it was met with -acclamations, and Abool, being beyond the stage of discrimination, was -going on to give an encore of a very different nature, when a wild -clashing of cymbals and hooting of conches in the bazaar below sent -everyone to the balcony. Everyone save Abool, who, deprived of his -audience, dozed off against his fiddle again, and the man from the -corner who, as he took advantage of the diversion to escape, looked -down at the handsome drunken face as he passed it and muttered, "Poor -devil! He rode honest enough always." Then the Rajpoot's arrogant -voice rising from the crush on the balcony, he paused a second in -order to listen--that being his trade. - -"'Tis the holy Hindu widow to whom God sent fire on her way to the -festival. A saint indeed! I know her brother, one Soma, a Yadubansi -Rajpoot in the 11th, new-come to Meerut." - -The clashings and brayings were luckily loud enough to hide an -irrepressible exclamation from the man behind. The next instant he was -halfway down the dark stairs, tearing off cap, turban, beard, and -pausing at the darkest corner to roll his baggy northern drawers out -of sight, and turn his woolen green shawl inside out, thus disclosing -a cotton lining of ascetic ochre tint. It was the work of a second, -for Jim Douglas had been an apt pupil. So, with a smear of ashes from -one pocket, a dab of turmeric and vermilion from another--put on as he -finished the stairs--he emerged into the street disguised as a -mendicant; the refuge of fools, as Tiddu had called it. The easiest, -however, to assume at an instant's notice; and in this case the best -for the procession Jim Douglas meant to join. Careless and hurried -though his get-up was, he set the very thought of detection from him -as he edged his way among the streaming crowd. For in that, so he told -himself, lay the Mysterious Gift. To be, even in your inmost thoughts, -the personality you assumed was the secret. Somehow or another it -impressed those around you, and even if a challenge came there was no -danger if the challenger could be isolated--brought close, as it were, -to your own certainty. To this, so it seemed to him--the many-faced -one vehemently protesting--came all Tiddu's mysterious instructions, -which nevertheless he followed religiously. For, be they what they -might, they had never failed him during the six months, save once, -when, watching a horse-race, he had lost or rather recovered himself -in the keen interest it awakened. Then his neighbors had edged from -him and stared, and he had been forced into slipping away and changing -his personality; for it was one of Tiddu's maxims that you should -always carry that with you which made such change possible. To be -many-faced, he said, made all faces more secure by taking from any the -right of permanence. Jim Douglas therefore joined the procession and -forced his way to the very front of it, where the red-splashed figure -of Durga Devi was being carried shoulders high. It was garlanded with -flowers and censed by swinging censers, and behind it with widespread -arms to show her sacred scars walked Tara. She was naked to the waist, -and the scanty ochre-tinted cloth folded about her middle was raised -so as to show the scars upon her lower limbs. The sunlight gleaming on -the magnificent bronze curves showed a seam or two upon her breast -also. No more. As Abool-Bukr had prophesied, her face, full of wild -spiritual exaltation, was unmarred and, with the shaven head, stood -out bold and clear as a cameo. - -_Jai! Jai! Durga mai ke jai_ (Victory to Mother Durga). - -The cry came incessantly from her lips, and was echoed not only by the -procession, but by the spectators. So from many a fierce throat -besides the corporal's, who from Gul-anâri's balcony shouted it -frantically, that appeal to the Great Death Mother--implacable, -athirst for blood--came to light the sordid life of the bazaar with a -savage fire for something unknown--horribly unknown, that lay beyond -life. Even the Mohammedans, though they spat in the gutter at the -idol, felt their hearts stir; felt that if miracles were indeed abroad -their God, the only true One, would not shorten His Hand either. - -_Jai! Jai! Durga mai ke jai_. - -The cry met with a sudden increase of volume as, the procession -passing into the wider space before the big mosque, it was joined by a -band of widows, who in rapturous adoration flung themselves before -Tara's feet so that she might walk over them if need be, yet somehow -touch them. - -"Pigs of idolators!" muttered one of a group standing on the mosque -steps; a group of men unmistakable in their flowing robes and beards. - -"Peace, _Kazi_-sahib!" came a mellow voice. "Let God judge when the -work is done. 'The clay is base, and the potter mean, yet the pot -helps man to wash and be clean.'" - -The speaker, a tall, gaunt man, rose a full head above the others, and -Jim Douglas' keen eyes, taking in everything as they passed, -recognized him instantly. It was the Moulvie of Fyzabad. It was partly -to hear what he had to say when he was preaching, partly to find out -how the people viewed the question of the heirship, which had brought -Jim Douglas to Delhi, so he was not surprised. - -And now the procession, reaching the Dareeba, that narrowest of lanes -hedged by high houses, received a momentary check. For down it, -preceded by grooms with waving yak tails, came the Resident's buggy. -He was taking a lady to see the picturesque sights of the city. This -was one, with a vengeance, as the red-splashed figure of the -Death-Goddess jammed itself in the gutter to let the aliens pass, so -getting mixed up with a Mohammedan sign-board. And the crowd following -it,--an ignorant crowd agape for wonders,--stood for a minute, hemmed -in, as it were, between the buggy in front and the mosque behind, with -that group of Moulvies on its steps. - - - "Fire worship for a hundred years, - A century of Christ and tears, - Then the True God shall come again - And every infidel be slain," - - -quoted he of Fyzabad under his breath, and the others nodded. They -knew the prophecy of Shah N'amut-Oolah well. It was being bandied from -mouth to mouth in those days; for the Mohammedan crowd was also agape -for wonders. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - ON THE RIDGE. - - -"A melly Klistmus to zoo, Miffis Erlton! An' oh! they's suts a lot of -boo'ful, boo'ful sings in a velanda." - -Sonny's liquid lisp said true. On this Christmas morning the veranda -of Major Erlton's house on the Ridge of Delhi was full of beauties to -childish eyes. For, he being on special duty regarding a scheme for -cavalry remounts and having Delhi for his winter headquarters, there -were plenty of contractors, agents, troopers, dealers, what not, to be -remembered by one who might probably have a voice in much future -patronage. So there were trays on trays of oranges and apples, -pistachios, almonds, raisins, round boxes of Cabul grapes, all decked -with flowers. And on most of them, as the surest bid for recognition, -lay a trumpery toy of some sort for the Major sahib's little unknown -son, whose existence could, nevertheless, not be ignored by these -gift-bringers, to whom children are the greatest gift of all. - -And so, as they waited, with a certain child-like complacency in their -own offerings, for the recipients' tardy appearance, they had smiled -on little Sonny Seymour as he passed them on his way to give greeting -to his dearest Mrs. Erlton. For the Seymours had had the expected -change to Delhi, and Sonny's mother was now complaining of the -climate, and the servants, and the babies, in one of the houses within -the Cashmere gate of the city; a fact which took from her the -grievance regarding dog-carts, since it lay within a walk of her -husband's office. - -So some of the smiles had not simply been given to a child, but to a -child whose father was a sahib known to the smiler; and one broad grin -had come because Sonny had paused to say, with the quaint precision -with which all English children speak Hindustani. - -"_Ai! Bij Rao! tu kyon aie?_" (Oh, Bij Rao, why are you here?) The -orderly's face, which Mrs. Seymour had said gave her the shivers, had -beamed over the recognition; he had risen and saluted, explaining -gravely to the _chota_ sahib that he came from Meerut, because the -Major sahib was now his sahib for the time. Sonny had nodded gravely -as if he understood the position perfectly, and passed on to the -drawing room, where Kate Erlton was sticking a few sprigs of holly and -mistletoe round the portrait of another fair-haired boy; these same -sprigs being themselves a Christmas offering from the Parsee merchant, -who had a branch establishment at a hill station. He sent for them -from the snows every year for his customers as a delicate attention. -And this year something still more reminiscent of home had come with -them: a real spruce fir for the Christmas tree which Kate Erlton was -organizing for the school children. The tree in itself was new to -India, and she had suggested a still greater innovation; namely, that -all children of parents employed in Government offices or workshops -should be invited, not only those with pretensions to white faces. For -Kate, being herself far happier and more contented than she had been -nine months before, when she begged that last chance from Jim Douglas, -had begun to look out from her own life into the world around her with -greater interest. In a way, it seemed to her that the chance had come. -Not tragically, as Jim Douglas had hinted, but easily, naturally, in -this special duty which had removed her husband both from Alice -Gissing and his own past reputation. - -It had sent him to Simla, where people are accepted for what they are; -and here his good looks, his good-natured, devil-may-care desire for -amusement had made him a favorite in society, and his undoubted -knowledge of cavalry requirements stood him in good stead with the -authorities. So he had come down for the winter to Delhi on a new -track altogether. To begin with, his work interested him and made him -lead a more wholesome life. It took him away from home pretty often, -so lessening friction; for it was pleasant to return to a well-ordered -house after roughing it in out-stations. Then it took him into the -wilds where there was no betting or card-playing. He shot deer and -duck instead, and talked of caps and charges, instead of colors and -tricks. To his vast improvement; for though the slaying instinct may -not be admirable in itself, and though the hunter may rightly have -been branded from the beginning with the mark of Cain, still the -shooter or fisher generally lives straighter than his fellows, and -murder is not the most heinous of crimes. Not even in regard to the -safety and welfare of the community. - -So Kate had begun to have those pangs of remorse which come to women -of her sort at the first symptom of regeneration in a sinner. Pangs of -pitiful consideration for the big, handsome fellow who could behave so -nicely when he chose, vague questionings as to whether the past had -not been partly her fault; whether if this were the chance, she ought -not to forget and forgive--many things. - -He looked very handsome as he lounged in, dressed spick and span in -full uniform for church parade. And she, poised on a chair, her dainty -ankles showing, looked spick and span also in a pretty new dress. He -noticed the fact instantly. - -"A merry Christmas, Kate! Here! give me your hand and I'll help you -down." - -How many years was it since he had spoken like that, with a glint in -his eyes, and she had had that faint flush in her cheek at his touch? -The consciousness of this stirring among the dry bones of something -they had both deemed dead, made her set to shaking some leaves from -her dress, while he, with an irrelevantly boisterous laugh, stooped to -swing Sonny to his shoulder. "You here, jackanapes!" he cried. "A -merry Christmas! Come and get a sweetie--you come too, Kate, the -beggars will like to see the _mem_. By Jove! what a jolly morning!" - -A foretaste of the winter rains had fallen during the night, leaving a -crisp new-washed feeling in the air, a heavy rime-like dew on the -earth; the sky of a pale blue, yet colorful, vaulted the wide expanse -cloudlessly. And from the veranda of the Erltons' house the expanse -was wide indeed; for it stood on the summit of the Ridge at its -extreme northern end--the end, therefore, furthest from the city, -which, nearly three miles away, blocked the widening wedge of densely -wooded lowland lying between the rocky range and the river. The Ridge -itself was not unlike some huge spiny saurian, basking in the -sunlight; its tail in the river, its wider, flatter head, crowned by -Hindoo Rao's house, resting on the groves and gardens of the -Subz-mundi or Green Market, a suburb to the west of the town. It is a -quaint, fanciful spot, this Delhi Ridge, even without the history of -heroism crystallized into its very dust. A red dust which might almost -have been stained by blood. A dust which matches that history, since -it is formed of isolated atoms of rock, glittering, perfect in -themselves, like the isolated deeds which went to make up the finest -record of pluck and perseverance the world is ever likely to see. -Perseverance and pluck which sent more Englishmen to die cheerfully in -that red dust than in the defenses and reliefs of Lucknow, Cawnpore, -and the subsequent campaigns all combined. Let the verdict on the -wisdom of those months of stolid endurance be what it may, that fact -remains. - -And the quaintness of the Ridge lies in its individuality. Not eighty -feet above the river, its gradients so slight that a driver scarce -slackens speed at its steepest, there is never a mistake possible as -to where it begins or ends. Here is the river bed, founded on sand; -there, cleaving the green with rough red shoulder, is the ridge of -rock. - -From the veranda, then, its stony spine split by a road like a -parting, it trended southwest, so giving room between it and the river -for the rose-lit, lilac-shaded mass of the town, with the big white -bubble of the Jumma mosque in its midst; the delicate domes fringing -the palace gateways showing like strings of pearls on the blue sky. -And beyond them, a dazzle of gold among the green of the Garden of -Grapes, marked that last sanctuary of a dead dynasty upon the city's -eastern wall. - -The cantonments lay to the back of the house on the western slope of -the Ridge and on the plain beyond. This also was a widening wedge of -green wooded land cut off from the rest of the plain by a tree-set -overflow canal. The Ridge, therefore, formed the backbone of a -triangle protected by water on two sides. On the third was the city -and its suburbs. But--to carry out the image of the lizard--a natural -outwork lay like a huge paw on either side of the head; on the river -side the spur of Ludlow Castle, on the canal side the General's mound. - -A brisk breeze was fluttering the flag on the tower cresting the -ridge, a few hundred yards from the house, and as Major Erlton stepped -into the veranda, a puff of white smoke curled cityward, and the roll -of the time-gun reverberated among the rocks. - -"By Jingo! I must hurry up if I'm to have breakfast before church," he -exclaimed, as the circle of gift-bringers, who had been waiting nearly -half an hour, rose simultaneously with salaams and good wishes. The -sudden action made a white cockatoo perched in the corner raise its -flame-colored crest and begin to prance. - -"Naughty Poll! Bad Poll!" came Sonny's mellifluous lisp from the -Major's shoulder. "Zoo mufn't make a noise and interrupt." - -The admonition made the bird smooth its ruffled temper and feathers. -Not that there was much to interrupt; the Major's halting -acknowledgments being of the briefest; partly because of breakfast, -partly from lack of Hindustani, mostly from the inherent insular -horror of a function. - -"Thank God! that's over," he said piously, when the last tray had been -emptied on the miscellaneous pile, round which the servants were -already hovering expectantly, and the last well-wisher had -disappeared. "Still it was nice of them to remember Freddy," he added, -looking at the toys--"Wasn't it, wife?" - -She looked up almost scared at the title. "Very," she replied, with a -faint quiver in her voice. "We must send some home to him, mustn't -we?" - -The pronoun of union made the Major, in his turn, feel embarrassed. He -sought refuge once more in Sonny. - -"You must have your choice first, jackanapes!" he said, swinging the -child to the ground again. "Which is it to be? A box of soldiers or a -monkey on a stick?" - -"Fanks!" replied Sonny with honest dignity, "but I'se gotted my plesy -already. She's give-ded me the polly--be-tos it 'oves me dearly." - -Kate answered her husband's look with a half-apology. "He means the -cockatoo. I thought you wouldn't mind, because it was so dreadfully -noisy. And it never screams at him. Sonny! give Polly an apple and -show Major Erlton how it loves you." - -The child, nothing loth to show off, chose one from the heap and went -over fearlessly to the vicious bird; the servants pausing to look -admiringly. The cockatoo seized it eagerly, but only as a means to -draw the little fellow's arm within reach of its clambering feet. The -next moment it was on the narrow shoulder dipping and sidling among -the golden curls. - -"See how it 'oves me," cried Sonny, his face all smiles. - -Major Erlton laughed good-temperedly at the pretty sight and went in -to breakfast. - -Then the dog-cart came round. It was the same one in which the Major -had been used to drive Alice Gissing. But this Christmas morning he -had forgotten the fact, as he drove Kate instead, with Sonny, who was -to be taken to church as a great treat, crushing the flounces of her -pretty dress. - -Yet the fresh wind blew in their faces keenly, and the Major, pointing -with his whip to the scudding squirrels, said, "Jolly little beasts, -aren't they, Kate," just as he had said it to Alice Gissing. What is -more, she replied that it was jolly altogether, with much the same -enjoyment of the mere present as the other little lady had done. For -the larger part of life is normal, common to all. - -So they sped past the rocks and trees swiftly, down and down, till -with a rumble they were on the draw-bridge, through the massive arch -of the Cashmere gate, into the square of the main-guard. The last -clang of the church bell seemed to come from the trees overhanging it, -and in the ensuing silence a sharp click of the whip sounded like a -pistol crack. The mare sped faster through the wooden gate into the -open. To the left the Court House showed among tall trees, to the -right Skinner's House. Straight ahead, down the road to the Calcutta -gate and the boat bridge, stood the College, the telegraph office, a -dozen or so of bungalows in gardens, and the magazine shouldering the -old cemetery. Quite a colony of Western ways and works within the city -wall, clinging to it between the water-bastion and the Calcutta gate. - -Close at hand in a central plot of garden, circled by roads, was the -church, built after the design of St. Paul's; obtrusively Occidental, -crowned by a very large cross. - -As the mare drew up among the other carriages, the first notes of the -Christmas hymn pealed out among the roses and the pointsettias, the -glare and the green. Not a Christmas environment; but the festival -brings its own atmosphere with it to most people, and Major Erlton, -admiring his wife's rapt face, remembered his own boyhood as he sang a -rumbling Gregorian bass of two tones and a semi-tone: - - - "Oh come, all ye faithful Joyful and triumphant." - - -The words echoed confidently into the heart of the great Mohammedan -stronghold, within earshot almost of the rose-red walls of the palace; -that survival of all the vices Christianity seeks to destroy. - -"They have a new service to-night," yawned the chaplain's groom to -others grouped round a common pipe. "I, who have served _padrés_ all -my life--the pay is bad but the kicks less--saw never the like. 'Tis a -queer tree hung with lights, and toys to bribe the children to worship -it. They wanted mine to go, but their mother is pious and would not. -She says 'tis a spell." - -"Doubtless!" assented a voice. "The spell Kali's priest, who came from -Calcutta seeking aid against it, warned us of--the spell which forces -a body to being Christian against his will." - -A scornful cluck came from a younger, smarter man. "Trra! a trick that -for offerings, Dittu. The priest came to me also, but I told him my -master was not that sort. He goes not to church except on the big -day." - -"But the _mem?_" asked a new speaker enviously. "'Tis the _mems_ do -the mischief to please the _padres_; just as our women do it to please -the priests. My _mem_ reads prayers to her ayah." - -"Paremeshwar be praised!" ejaculated the man to whom the pipe -belonged. "My master keeps no _mem_, but the other sort. Though as for -the ayah it matters not, she has no caste to lose." - -There was a grunt of general assent. The remark crystallized the whole -question to unmistakable form. So long as a man could get a pull from -his neighbor's pipe and have a right to one in return, the master -might say and do what he chose. If not; then----? - -An evil-faced man who still smarted from a righteous licking, given -him that morning for stealing his horse's grain, put his view of what -would happen in that case plainly. - -"Bullah!" sneered a bearded Sikh orderly waiting to carry his master's -prayer-book. "You Poorbeahs can talk glibly of change. And why not? -seeing it is but a change of masters to born slaves. Oil burns to -butter! butter to oil!" - -The evil face scowled. "Thou wilt have to shave under thy master, -anyhow, Gooroo-jee! Ay! and dock thy pigtail too." - -This allusion to a late ruling against the Nazarene customs of the -newly raised Sikh levies might have led to blows--the bearded one -being a born fighter--if, the short service coming to an end, the -masters had not trooped out, pausing to exchange Christmas greetings -ere they dispersed. - -"Never saw Mrs. Erlton looking so pretty," remarked Captain Seymour to -his wife, as, with the restored Sonny between them, they moved off to -their own house, which stood close by, plumb on the city wall. He -spoke in a low voice, but Major Erlton happened to be within earshot. -He turned complacently to identify the speaker, then looked at his -wife to see if the remark was true. Scarcely; to Herbert Erlton's -quickened recollection of the girl he had married. Yet she looked -distinctly creditable, desirable, as she stood, the center of a little -group of men and women eager to help her with the Christmas tree. It -struck him suddenly, not in the least unpleasantly, that of late his -wife had had no lack of aids-de-camp, and that one, Captain Morecombe, -the pick of the lot, seemed to have little else to do. A symptom which -the Major could explain from his own experience, and which made him -smile; he being of those who admire women for being admired. - -"I have arranged about the conjuror, Mrs. Erlton," said Captain -Morecombe, who was, indeed, quite ready to do her behests; "that -sweep, Prince Abool-bukr,--who is coming, by the way, to see the -show,--has promised me the best in the bazaar. And some Bunjârah -fellows who act, and that sort of business." - -"Better find out first what they do act," put in young Mainwaring, who -chafed under the superior knowledge which the Captain claimed as -interpreter to the Staff. "I saw some of those brutes in Lucknow last -spring, and----" - -"Oh! there is no fear," retorted the other with a condescending smile. -"The Prince is no fool, and he is responsible. It will most likely be -something extremely instructive. Now, Mrs. Erlton, I will drive you -round to the College and you can show me anything else you want done. -I can drive you home afterward." - -"Don't think we need trouble you, thanks, Morecombe," said a voice -behind. "I'll drive my wife. I'll stay as long as you like, Kate; and -I can stick things high up, you know." - -There was no appeal in his tone, but Kate, looking up at his -great height, felt one; and with it came a fresh spasm of that -self-reproach. As she had knelt beside him in church she had been -asking herself if she was not unforgiving; if it was not hard on him. - -"That will be a great help," she said soberly. - -So Mrs. Seymour, coming in daintily when the hard work was over to put -a Father Christmas on the topmost shoot, wondered plaintively how she -could have managed it without Major Erlton, and put so much soft -admiration into her pretty eyes, that he could scarcely fail to feel a -fine fellow. He was in consequence a better one for the time being. So -that he insisted on returning in the afternoon to hand the tea and -cake, when he made several black-and-tan matrons profusely apologetic -and proud at having the finest gentleman there to wait upon them. For -the Major was a very fine animal, indeed. As Alice Gissing had told -him frankly, over and over again, his looks were his strong point. - -The larger portion of the guests were of this black-and-tan -complexion. Of varying shades, however, from the unmistakably -pure-blooded native Christian, to the pasty-faced baby with all the -yellow tones of skin due to its pretty, languid mother, emphasized by -the ruddiness of the English father who carried it. - -They came chiefly from Duryagunj, a quarter of the city close to the -Palace, between the river and the Thunbi Bazaar. It had once been the -artillery lines, and now its pleasant garden-set houses were occupied -by clerks, contractors, overseers, and such like. Then later on, for -the sports and games, came a contingent of College lads, speaking -English fluently, and younger boys clinging affrightedly to their -father's hand as he smirked and bowed to the special master for whose -favor he had perhaps braved bitter tears of opposition from the women -at home. The mission school sent orderly bands, and there was a ruck -of servants' children, who would have gone to the gates of hell for a -gift. - -"You will tire yourself to death, Kate," called her husband, as, quite -in his element, he handicapped the boys for the races. He spoke in a -half-satisfied, half-dissatisfied tone, for though her success pleased -him, he fancied she looked less dainty, less attractive. - -"Come and see the play," suggested Captain Morecombe, who did not seem -to notice anything amiss. "It will be rest, and we needn't light up -yet a while." - -"I'm going wis zoo," said Sonny confidently, escaping from his ayah as -they passed; so, with the child's hand in hers, Kate went on into the -long narrow veranda which had been inclosed by tent-walls as a -theater. Open to the sunlight at the entrance, it was dark enough to -make a swinging lamp necessary at the further end. There was no stage, -no scenery, only a coarse cotton cloth with indistinguishable shadows -and lights on it hung over a rope at the very end. The place was -nearly empty. A few native lads squatted in front, a bench or two held -a sprinkling of half-castes, and at the entrance a group of English -ladies and gentlemen waited for the performance to begin, laughing and -talking the while. - -"You look quite done," said Captain Morecombe tenderly, as Kate sank -back in the armchair he placed for her halfway down, where a chink of -light and air came through a slit in the canvas. - -"I didn't feel tired before," she replied dreamily. "I suppose it is -the quiet, and the giving in. Tell me about the play, please," she -went on more briskly. "If I don't know something of the plot before it -begins, I shall not understand." - -"I expect you will," he began; but at that moment a cry for Captain -Morecombe arose, and to his infinite anger he had to go off and -interpret for the Colonel and Prince Abool-Bukr, who had just arrived. -Kate, to tell truth, felt relieved. After the clamor outside, and the -constant appeals to her, the peace within was delightful. She leaned -back, with Sonny in her arms, feeling so disposed for sleep that her -husband's loud voice coming through the chink startled her. - -"Can't possibly take that into consideration. The race must be run on -the runners' own merits only." - -He was only, she knew, laying down the law of handicaps to some -dissentient; but the words thrilled her. Poor Herbert! What had _his_ -merits been? And then she wondered how long it had been since she had -thought of him thus by his Christian name, as it were. Would it be -possible---- - -"It's a story of Fate, really," said one of the spectators at the -entrance, to the ladies who were with him; his voice clearly audible -in a sudden hush which had come to the dim veranda that grew dimmer -and dimmer to the end, despite the swinging lamp. "A sort of miracle -play, called 'The Lord of Life, and the Lord of Death.' Yama and Indra -of course. I saw it two days ago, and one of the actors is the best -pantomimist--That's the man--now." - -Kate turned her eyes instinctively to the open space which was to do -duty as a stage. The play had begun; must have been going on while she -was thinking, for a scene was in full swing. A scene? A misnomer that, -surely! when there was no scenery, nothing but that strange dim -curtain with its indefinite lights and shadows. Or was there some -meaning in the dabs and splashes after all? Was that a corn merchant's -shop? Yes, there were the gleaming pots, the cavernous shadows, the -piled baskets of flour and turmeric and pulse, the odd little strings -of dried cocoanuts and pipe cups, the blocks of red rock-salt. And -that--she gave an odd little sigh of certainty--was the corn merchant -himself selling flour, with a weighted balance, to a poor widow. What -magnificent pantomime it was! And what a relief that it was pantomime; -so leaving her no whit behind anyone in comprehension; but the equal -of all the world, as far as this story was concerned. And it was -unmistakable. She seemed to hear the chink of money, to see the -juggling with the change, the substitution of inferior flour for that -chosen; the whole give and take of cheating, till the ill-gotten gain -was clutched tight, and the robbed woman turned away patiently, -unconsciously. - -An odd, doubtful murmur rose among the squatting boys, checked almost -as it began; for the shadowy curtain behind wavered, seemed to grow -dimmer, to curve in cloud-like festoons, and then disclosed a sitting -figure. - -There was a burst of laughter from the entrance. "Rum sort of God, -isn't he?" came the voice again. But from the front rose an uneasy -whisper. "Yama! Sri Yama himself; look at his nose!" - -Viewed without reference to either remark, the figure, if quaint, -almost ludicrous, did not lack dignity. There was impassiveness in the -pea-green mask below the miter-like gilt tiara, and impressiveness in -the immovability of the pea-green hands folded on the scarlet -draperies. - -"He answers to Charon, you know," went on the voice again. "I suppose -it means that the _buniya-jee_ will need all his ill-gotten gain to -pay fare to Paradise." - -Did it mean that? Kate wondered, as she leaned back clasping Sonny -tighter in her arms, or was it only to show that Fate lay behind the -daily life of every man. Then what a farce it was to talk of chance! -Yet she had pleaded for it, till she had gained it. "Let him have his -chance. Let us all have our chance. You and I into the bargain. You -and I!" What made her think of that now? - -A snigger from the lads in front roused her to a new scene; a -serio-comic dispute, evidently, between a termagant of a mother-in-law -and a tearful daughter. Kate found herself following it closely -enough, even smiling at it, but Sonny shifted restlessly on her knee. -"I 'ikes a funny man," he said plaintively. "Tell a funny man to come -again, Miffis Erlton." - -"I expect he will come soon, dear," she replied, conscious of a -foolish awe behind her own words. Fate lay there also, no doubt. - -It did, but as the termagant triumphed and the dutiful daughter-in-law -wept over her baking, the figure that showed wore a white mask, the -rainbow-hued garments were hung with flowers, and the white hands held -a parti-colored bow. - -The boys nodded and smiled. "Sri Indra himself," they said. "Look at -his bow!" - -"Who is Indra, Mr. Jones?" asked a feminine voice from behind. - -"Lord of Paradise. And that is the whole show. It goes on and on. Some -of the scenes are awfully funny, but they wouldn't act the funniest -ones here. And they all end with the green or white dummy; so it gets -a bit monotonous. Shall we go and look at the conjurors now?" - -The voices departed; once more to Kate's relief. She felt that the -explanation spoiled the play. And that was no dummy! She could see the -same eyes through the mask; curious, steady, indifferent eyes. The -eyes of a Fate indifferent as to what mask it wore. So the play went -on and on. Some of the Eurasians slipped away, but the boys remained -ready with awe or rejoicing, while Kate sat by the chink through which -the light came more and more dimly as the day darkened. She scarcely -noticed the actors; she waited dreamily for the Lord of Life or the -Lord of Death; for there was never any doubt as to which was coming. -But the child in her lap waited indiscriminately for the funny man. -The thought of the contrast struck her, making her smile. Yet, after -all, the difference only lay in the way you looked at life. There was -no possibility of change to it; the Great Handicap was run on its own -merits. And then, like an unseen hand brushing away the cobwebs which -of late had been obscuring the unalterable facts, like a wave -collapsing her house of sand, came the memory of words which at the -time they were spoken had made her cry out on their cruelty. "What -possible right have you or I to suppose that anything you or I can do -now will alter the initial fact?" If he--that stranger who had stepped -in and laid rude touch on her very soul, had been the Lord of Life or -Death himself, could he have been more remorseless? And what possessed -her that she should think of him again and again; that she should -wonder what his verdict would be on those vague thoughts of -compromise? - -"Mrs. Erlton! Mrs. Erlton, everything is ready. Everybody is waiting! -I have been hunting for you everywhere. It never occurred to me you -would be here after all this time. Why, you are almost alone!" Captain -Morecombe's aggrieved regret was scarcely appeased by her hurried -excuse that she believed she had been half-asleep. For the Christmas -tree was lit to its topmost branch, the guests admitted, the drawings -begun. - -Perhaps it was the sudden change from dark to light, silence to -clamor, which gave Kate Erlton the dazed look with which she came into -that circle of radiant faces where Prince Abool-Bukr was clapping his -hands like a child and thinking, as he generally did when his -pleasures could be shared by virtue, of how he would describe it all -to Newâsi Begum on her roof. He drew a spotless white lamb as his -gift; Major Erlton its fellow, and the two men compared notes in -sheer laughter, broken English, and shattered Hindustani. And through -the fun and the pulling of crackers, Kate, who recovered herself -rapidly, flitted here and there, arranging, deciding, setting the -ball a-rolling. There was a flush on her cheek, a light in her eyes -which forced other eyes to follow her, even among the packed, prying -faces, peeping from every door and window at the strange sight, the -strange spell. One pair of eyes in particular, belonging to a slight, -clean-shaven man standing beside two others who carried bundles in -their hands, and who, having come from the inside veranda, had found -space to slip well to the front. They were the actors in the now -forsaken drama of Life and Death. One of them, however, had evidently -seen a Christmas tree before, since he suddenly called out in the -purest English: - -"The top branch on the left has caught! Put it out, someone!" - -The sound seemed to discomfit him utterly. He looked round him -quickly, then realizing that the crowd was too dense for the voice to -be accurately located save by his immediate neighbors, gave a half -apologetic sign to the older of his two companions and slipped away. -They followed obediently, but once outside Tiddu shook his head at his -pupil. - -"The Huzoor will never remember to forget. He will get into trouble -some day," he said reproachfully. - -"Not if I stick to playing Yama and Indra," replied Jim Douglas with a -shrug of his shoulders. "The Mask of Fate is apt to be inscrutable." -He made the remark chiefly for his own benefit; for he was thinking of -the strange chance of meeting those cold blue-gray eyes again in that -fashion. Beautiful eyes, brilliant eyes! Then he smiled cynically. The -chance he had given had evidently borne fruit. She seemed quite happy, -and there was no mistaking the look on her owner's heavy face. So the -heroics had meant nothing, and he had given up his chance for a vulgar -kiss-and-make-it-up-again! - -It was too dark to see that look on Major Erlton's face, but it was -there, as, carrying Kate off with a certain air of proprietorship from -the compliments which had grown stale, they went to find the dog-cart, -which, in deference to the mare's nerves, had been told to await them -in a quiet corner of the compound. - -"You did it splendidly, Kate!" - -His voice came contentedly through the soft darkness which hid the -easy arm which slipped to her waist, the easy smiling face which bent -to kiss hers. - -"Oh, don't! Please don't!" The cry, almost a sob, was unmistakable. So -was the start which made her stumble over an unseen edging to the -path. Even Herbert Erlton with his blunted delicacy could not misjudge -it. He stood silent for a moment, then gave a short hard laugh. - -"You haven't hurt yourself, I expect," he said dryly, "so there's no -harm done. I'll call that fellow with the lantern to give us a light." - -He did, and the vague shadow preceded by a swinging light turned out -to be young Mainwaring on his pony, with the groom carrying a lantern. - -"Mrs. Erlton," cried the lad, slipping to the ground, "what luck! The -very person I wanted. I was going round by your house on the chance of -catching you, as it was useless trying to get in a quiet word this -afternoon. I want to ask if you know of any houses to let! I had a -letter this morning from Mrs. Gissing asking me to look out one for -her." - -"For her?" The echo came in a dull voice. Kate had scarcely recovered -from her own recoil, from a vague doubt of what she had done. - -"Yes! Her husband had to go home on business and won't be out till -May. So, as the new people at Lucknow seem a poor lot, and she has old -friends at Delhi----" A remembrance that some of these old friendships -must be an unwelcome memory to his hearer made the boy pause. But the -man, smarting with resentment, had no such scruples--what was the use -of them? - -"Coming here, is she?" he echoed. "Then we may hope to have some fun -in this deadly-lively stuck-up place. I say, Mainwaring, would you -mind driving my wife home and lending me your pony to gallop round to -the mess. I must go there, and as it is getting late there is no use -dragging Mrs. Erlton all that way. And she has a big Christmas dinner -on, haven't you, Kate?" - -As the young fellow climbed up into the dog-cart beside her, Kate -Erlton knew that one chance had gone irretrievably, irrevocably. Would -there be another? Suddenly in the darkness she clasped her hands tight -and prayed that there might be--that it might come soon! - -And round them as they drove slowly to gain the city gate, the -half-seen crowd which had gathered to see the strange spell were -drifting homeward to spread the tale of it from hearth to hearth. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - IN THE VILLAGE. - - -The winter rains had come and gone, leaving a legacy of gold behind -them. Promise of future gold in the emerald sea of young wheat, -guerdon of present gold in the mustard blossom curving on the green, -like the crests of waves curving upon a wind-swept northern sea. Far -and near, wide as the eye could reach, there was nothing to be seen -save this--a waving sea of green wheat crested by yellow mustard. But -in the center, whence the eye looked, stood a human ant-hill; for the -congeries of mud alleys, mud walls, mud roofs, forming the village, -looked from a little distance like nothing else. Viewed broadly, too, -it was simply Earth made plastic by the Form-bringer, Water, hardened -again by the Sun-fire. The triple elements combined into a shell for -laboring life. Like most villages in Northern India this one stood -high on its own ruins, girt round by shallow glistening tanks which -were at once its cradle and its grave. From them the mud for the first -and last house had been dug, to them the periodical rains of August -washed back the village bit by bit. - -There was scarcely a sign of life in the sky-encircled plain. Scarcely -a tree, scarcely a landmark. Nothing far or near to show that aught -lay beyond the pale horizon. The crisp, cold air of a mid-January dawn -held scarcely a sound, for the village was still asleep. Here and -there, maybe, someone was stirring; but with that deliberate calm -which comes to those who by virtue of early rising have the world to -themselves. Here and there, too, in the high stone inclosures serving -at once as a protection to the village and a cattlefold, some goat, -impatient to be roaming, bleated querulously; but these sights and -sounds only seemed to increase the stillness, the silence surrounding -them. It is a scene which to most civilized eyes is oppressive in its -self-centered isolation, its air of remoteness. The isolation of a -community, self-supporting, self-sufficing, the remoteness of a place -which cares not if, indeed, there be a world beyond its boundaries. -And this one, type of many alike in most things--above all, in -steadfast self-absorption--shall be left nameless. We are in the -village, that is enough. - -Suddenly an odd, clamorous wail rang from among the green corn, -and a band of gray cranes which had been standing knee-deep in -the wheat rose awkwardly and headed, arrow-shaped, for the great -Nujjufgurhjheel which they wotted of below the horizon: in this -displaying a wider outlook than the villagers who toiled and slept -within sight of those fields, while the birds left them at dawn for -the sedgy stretches of another world. - -At the sound a man, who had been crouching half-asleep against a mud -wall, rose to his feet and peered drowsily over the fields. Something, -he knew, must have startled the gray cranes; and he was the village -watchman. As his father had been before him, as his son, please God, -would be after him. He carried a short spear hung with jingles as his -badge of office, and he leaned upon it lazily as he looked out into -the gray dawn. Then he wrapped his blanket closer round him, and -walked leisurely to meet the solitary figure coming toward him, -threading its way by an invisible path through the dew-hung sea of -wheat. - -"_Ari_, brother," he called mildly when he reached earshot, "is it -well?" - -"It is well," came the answer. So he waited, leaning on his spear, -until the newcomer stood beside him, his bare legs glistening and the -folds of his drooping blanket frosted with the dew. In one hand he, -also, held a watchman's spear; in the other one of those unleavened -cakes, round and flat like a pancake, which form the daily bread alike -of rich and poor. This he held out, saying briefly: - -"For the elders. From the South to the North. From the East to the -West." - -"Wherefore?" The brief reply held vague curiosity; no more. The cake -had already changed hands, unchallenged. - -"God knows. It came to us from Goloowallah with the message as I gave -it. Thy folk will pass it on?" - -"Likely; when the day's work is done. How go the crops thy way? Here, -as thou seest, 'tis God's dew on God's grain." - -"With us also. There will be marriages galore this May." - -"Ay! if this bring naught." The speaker nodded toward the cake which -now lay on the ground between them, for they had inevitably squatted -down to take alternate pulls at a pipe. "What can it bring?" - -"God knows," replied the host in his turn. So the two, with that final -reference in their minds, sat looking dully at the _chupatti_ as if it -were some strange wild fowl. Sat silently, as men will do over a pipe, -till a clinking of anklets and a chatter of feminine voices came round -the corner, and the foremost woman of the troop on their way to the -tank drew her veil close swiftly at sight of a stranger. Yet her voice -came as swiftly. "What news, brother? What news?" - -"None for thee, Mother Kirpo," answered the resident watchman tartly. -"'Tis for the elders." - -The titterings and tossings of veiled heads at this snub to the worst -gossip in the village, ended in an expectant pause as a very old -woman, with a fine-cut face which had long since forsworn concealment, -stepped up to the watchmen, and squatting down beside them, raised the -cake in her wrinkled hands. - -"From the North to the South or the South to the North. From the East -to the West or the West to the East. Which?" she asked, nodding her -old head. - -"Sure it was so, mother," replied the stranger, surprised. "Dost know -aught?" - -"Know?" she echoed; "I know 'tis an old tale--an old tale." - -"What is an old tale, mother?" asked the women eagerly, as, emboldened -by the presence of the village spey-wife, they crowded round, eying -the cake curiously. - -She gave a scornful laugh, let the _chupatti_ drop, and, rising to her -feet, passed on to the tank. It suited her profession to be -mysterious, and she knew no more than this, that once, or at most -twice in her long life, such a token had come peacefully into the -village, and passed out of it as peacefully with its message. - -"Mai Dhunnoo knows something, for sure," commented a deep-bosomed -mother of sons as the troop followed their "chaperone's" lead, closer -serried than before, full of whispering surmise. "The gods send it -mean not smallpox. I will give curds and sugar to thee, Mâta jee, each -Friday for a year! I swear it for safety to the boys." - -"He slipped in a puddle and cried 'Hail to the Ganges,'" retorted her -neighbor, an ill-looking woman blind of one eye. She had been the -richest heiress in the village, and was in consequence the wife of the -handsomest young man in it; a childless wife into the bargain. "Boys -do not fill the world, Veru; not even thine! Their welfare will not -set tokens a-going. It needs some real misfortune for that." - -"Then thy life is safe for sure," began the other hotly, when a -peacemaker intervened. - -"Wrangle not, sisters! All are naked when their clothes are gone; -and the warning may be for us all. Mayhap the Toorks are coming once -more--Mai Dhunnoo said 'twas an old tale. God send we be not all reft -from our husbands." - -"That would I never be," protested the heiress, provoking uproarious -titterings among some girls. - -"No such luck for poor Ramo," whispered one. "And she sonless too!" - -"He shaved for the heat, and then the hail fell on his bald pate," -quoted the prettiest callously. "Serve him right, say I. He, at least, -had two eyes." - -The burst of laughter following this sally made the peacemaker, who, -as the wife of the headman, had authority, turn in rebuke. 'Twas no -laughing matter to Jâtnis, as they were, who did so much of the field -work, that a token, maybe of ill, should come to the village when the -harvest promised so well. The revenue had to be paid, smallpox or no -smallpox, Toork or no Toork. And was not one of the Huzoors in camp -already giving an eye to the look of the crops, and the other to the -shooting of wild things? Could they not hear the sound of his gun for -themselves if they listened instead of chattering? And truly enough, -in the pause which came to mirth, there echoed from the pale northern -horizon, beyond which lay the big jheels, a shot or two, faint and -far; for all that dealing death to some of God's creatures. And these -listeners dealt death to none; their faith forbade it. - -"Think you they will come our way and kill our deer as they did once?" -asked a slender slip of a girl anxiously. Her tame fawn had lately -taken to joining the wild ones when they came at dawn to feed upon the -wheat. - -"God knows," replied one beside her. "They will come if they like, and -kill if they like. Are they not the masters?" - -So the final reference was in the women's minds also, as, while the -muddy water strained slowly into their pots through a filtering corner -of their veils, they raised their eyes curiously, doubtfully, to the -horizon which held the master. It had held him always. To the north or -to the south, the east or the west. Mohammedan, Mahratta, Christian. -But always coming over the far horizon and slaying something. In old -days husbands, brothers, fathers. Nowadays the herds of deer which the -sacredness of life allowed to have their full of the wheat unchecked, -or the peacocks who spread their tails, securely vainglorious, on the -heaps of corn upon the threshing floors. - -So the unleavened cake stayed in the village all day long, and when -the slant shadows brought leisure, the headman's wife baked two cakes, -one for the north the other for the west, and Dittu the old watchman, -and the embryo watchman his son, set off with them to the next village -west and north, since that was the old custom. So much must be done -because their fathers had done it; for the rest, who could tell? - -Nevertheless, as the messengers passed through the village street -where the women sat spinning, many paused to look after them, with a -vague relief that the unknown, unsought, had gone out of their life. -Then the moon rose peacefully, and one by one the sights and sounds of -that life ceased. The latest of all was the hum of a mill in one of -the poorest houses, and a snatch of a harvest-song in murmuring -accompaniment: - - - "When the sickle meets the corn, - From their meeting joy is born; - When the sickle smites the wheat, - Care is conquered, sorrow beat." - - -"Have a care, sister, have a care!" came that rebuking voice from the -headman's house close by. "Wouldst bring ill-luck on us all, that -grinding but millet thou singest the song of wheat?" - -And thereinafter there was no song at all, and sleep settled on all -things peacefully. The token had come and gone, leaving the mud shell -and the laboring life within it as it had been before. Curiously -impassive, impassively curious. There was one more portent in the sky, -one more mist on the dim horizon. That was all. - -So through the dew-hung fields the mysterious message sped west and -south. - -Sent by whom? And wherefore? - -The question was being asked by the masters in desultory fashion as -they sat round a bonfire, which blazed in the center of the Resident's -camp, on the banks of the great jheel. It was a shooting camp, a -standing camp, lavish in comfort. The white tents were ranged -symmetrically on three sides of a square, and, in the moonlight, shone -almost as brightly as the long levels of water stretching away on the -fourth side to the sedgy brakes and isolated palms of the snipe -marshes. Behind rose a heavy mass of burnished foliage, and in front -of the big mess-tent the English flag drooped from its mast in the -still night air. Nearer the jheel again the bonfire flashed and -crackled, sending a column of smoke and sparks into the star-set sky. -The ground about it was spread with carpets and Persian rugs, and -here, in luxurious armchairs, the comfortably-tired sportsmen were -lounging after dinner, some of them in mess uniform, some in civilian -black, but all in decorous dress; for not only was the Brigadier -present, but also a small sprinkling of ladies wrapped in fur cloaks -above their evening fineries. Briefly, a company more suitable to the -foyer of a theater than this barbaric bonfire. But the whole camp, -with its endless luxury, stood out in keen contrast with the sordid -savagery of a wretched hamlet which lay half-hidden behind the trees. - -The contrast struck Jim Douglas, who for that evening only, happened -to be the Resident's guest; for, having been on the jheel in a very -different sort of camp when the Resident had invaded his solitude, the -usual invitation to dine had followed as a matter of course; as it -would have followed to any white face with pretensions to be -considered a gentleman's. He had accepted it, because, every now and -again, a desire "to chuck" as he expressed it, and go back to the -ordinary life of his class came over him. This mood had been on him -persistently ever since the Yama and Indra incident, so that, for the -time being, he had dismissed his scoundrels and given up spying in -disgust. He had, he told himself, wasted his time, and the military -magnate was justified in politely dispensing with his further -services. There was, in truth, no need for them so far as he could -see. There was plenty of talk, plenty of discontent, but nothing more. -And even that anyone could observe and gauge; for there was no -mystery, no concealment. The whole affair was invertebrate utterly, -except every now and again when you came upon the track of the -Moulvie of Fyzabad. It was conceivable that the aspect might change, -but for the present he was sick of the whole thing, ambition and all. -Horse-dealing was better. So he had established himself in a small -house in Duryagunj, started a stable, and then taken a holiday in a -shooting _pâl_ among the jheels and jungles, where in his younger days -he had spent so much of his time. - -Thus, after eating a first-class dinner, he was smoking a first-class -cigar, and, being a stranger to everyone there, thinking his own -thoughts, when the Resident's voice came from the other side of the -fire which, with its dancing flame-light distorting every feature in -myriad variation, disguised rather than revealed the faces seen by it. - -"You have bagged one or two in your district, haven't you, Ford?" - -"What, sir? Bustard?" inquired the Collector of the next district, who -had come over his border for a day or two's shoot, and who had been -engrossed in sporting talk with his neighbor. There was a laugh from -the other side of the fire. - -"No! these _chupatties_. The Brigadier was asking me if they were as -numerous as they are further south, and Fraser, here, said none had -come into the Delhi district as yet." - -"One came to-day into the hamlet behind the tents," said Jim Douglas -quietly. "I met the man bringing it. A watchman from over the border -in Mr. Ford's district." - -Half a dozen faces turned to the voice which spoke so confidently, and -then asked in whispers who the man was? But there was nothing in the -whispered replies to warrant that tone of imparting information to -others, and a man in black clothes seemed to resent it, for he -appealed to the Resident rather fulsomely. - -"It will be in the reports to-morrow, no doubt, sir. For myself I -attach no importance to it. The custom is an old one. I remember -observing it in Muttra when smallpox was bad. But I should like to -have your opinion. You ought to know if anyone does." - -The compliment was no idle flattery. None had a better right to it -than Sir Theophilus Metcalfe, whose illustrious name had been a power -in Delhi for two generations, and whose uncle had been one of India's -most distinguished statesmen. So there was a hush for his reply. - -"I can't say," he answered deliberately. "Personally I doubt the -dissatisfaction ever coming to a head. There is a good deal, of -course, but of late, so it has seemed to me, it is quieting down. -People are getting tired of fermenting. As for the causes of the -disaffection it is patent. We can't, simply, do the work we are doing -without making enemies of those whose vested interests we have to -destroy. We may have gone ahead a little too fast; but that is another -question. As for the army, I've no right to speak of it, but it seems -to me it has been allowed to get out of hand, out of touch. It will -need care to bring it into discipline, but I don't anticipate trouble. -Its mixed character is our safeguard. It would be hard for even a good -leader to hit on a general grievance which would touch both the army -and the civil population, Hindoos and Mohammedans--and as a matter of -fact they have no leader at all." - -"Have you ever come across the Moulvie of Fyzabad, sir?" remarked Jim -Douglas again. "If I had the power I would shoot him like a mad dog. -But for the rest I quite agree." - -Here a stir behind them distracted both his attention and the -attention of those who were listening to this authoritative voice with -bated breath. - -"Is that the post? Oh, how delightful!" chorused the ladies, and more -than one added plaintively, "I wonder if the English mail is in." - -"Let's bet on it. Sir Theophilus to hold the stakes," cried a young -fellow who had been yawning through the discussion. But the subject -was too serious for such light handling, to judge by the eager faces -which crowded round, while the red-coated _chuprassies_ poured the -contents of the bags into a heap on the carpet at their master's feet. -There is always a suspense about that moment of search among the -bundles of official correspondence, the files, the cases which fill up -the camp mail, for the thin packet of private letters which is the -only tie between you and the world; but when hopes of home news is -superadded, the breath is apt to come faster. And so a scene, trivial -in itself, points an inexorable finger to the broad fact underlying -all our Indian administration, that we are strangers and exiles. - -"Not in!" announced the Resident, studiously cheerful. "But there are -heaps of letters for everybody. Did the mem-sahib come in the -carriage, Gâmu?" he added as he sorted out the owners. - -"Huzoor!" replied the head orderly, who was also his master's -factotum, thrusting the remainder back in the bags. "And the Major -sahib also. According to order, refreshments are being offered." - -"Glad Erlton could come," remarked a voice to its neighbor. "We want -another good shot badly." - -"And Mrs. Gissing is awfully good company too," assented the neighbor. -Jim Douglas, who was sitting on the other side, looked up quickly. The -juxtaposition of the names surprised him after what he had seen, or -thought he had seen at Christmas time. - -"Is that Mrs. Gissing from Lucknow?" he asked. - -"I believe so. She is a stranger here. Seems awfully jolly, but the -women don't like her. Do you know anything of her?" - -Jim Douglas hesitated. He could have easily satisfied the ear -evidently agog for scandal; but what, after all, did he know of her? -What did he know of his own experience? It seemed to him as if she -stood there, defiantly dignified, asking him the question, her -china-blue eyes flashing, the childish face set and stern. - -"Personally I know little," he replied, "but that little is very much -to her credit." - -As he relapsed into silence and smoke he felt that she had once more -walked boldly into his consciousness and claimed recognition. She had -forced him to acknowledge something in her which corresponded with -something in him. Something unexpected. If Kate Erlton's eyes with -their cold glint in them had flashed like that, he would not have -wondered; but they had not. They had done just the reverse. They had -softened; they had only looked heroic. Underneath the glint which had -sent him on a wild-goose chase had lain that commonplace indefinable -womanhood, sweet enough, but a bit sickly, which could be in any -woman's eyes if you fancied yourself in love with her. It had lain in -the eyes belonging to the golden curl, in poor little Zora's eyes, -might conceivably lie in half a dozen others. - -"By George!" came an eager voice from the group of men who were -reading their letters by the light of a lamp held for the purpose by a -silent bronze image of a man in uniform. "I have some news here which -will interest you, sir. There has been a row at Dum-Dum about the new -Enfield cartridges." - -"Eh! what's that?" asked the Brigadier, looking up from his own -correspondence. "Nothing serious, I hope." - -"Not yet, but it seems curious by the light of what we were discussing, -and what Mr.--er--Capt----" - -"Douglas," suggested the owner of the name, who at the first words had -sat up to listen intently. His face had a certain anticipation in it; -almost an eagerness. - -"Thanks. It's a letter from the musketry depot. Shall I read it, sir?" - -The Brigadier nodded, one or two men looked up to listen, but most -went on with their letters or discussed the chances of slaughter for -the morrow. - -"There is a most unpleasant feeling abroad respecting these new -cartridges, which came to light a day or two ago in consequence of a -high-caste sepoy refusing to let a lower caste workman drink out of -his cup. The man retorted that as the cartridges being made in the -Arsenal were smeared with pig's grease and cow's fat there would soon -be no caste left in the army. The sepoy complained, and it came out -that this idea is already widely spread. Wright denied the fact flatly -at first, but found out that large quantities of beef-tallow _had_ -been indented for by the Ordnance. And that, of course, made the men -think he had lied about it. Bontein, the chief, has wisely suggested -altering the drill, since the men say they will not bite the -cartridges. If they do, their relations won't eat with them when they -go home on leave. You see, with this new rifle it is not really -necessary to bite the cartridge at all, so it would be a quite natural -alteration, and get us out of the difficulty without giving in. The -suggestion has been forwarded, and if it could be settled sharp would -smother the business; but what with duffers and----" The reader broke -off, and a faint smile showed even on the Brigadier's face as the -former skipped hurriedly to find something safer--"Old General -Hearsey, who knows the natives like a book, says there is trouble in -it. He declares that the Moulvie of Fyzabad--whoever that may be----" - -The faces looked at Jim Douglas curiously, but he was too eager to -notice it. - -"Is at the bottom of the _chupatties_ we hear are being sent round -up-country; but that he is in league also with the Brahmins in -Calcutta--especially the priests at Kali's shrine--over _suttee_ and -widow remarriage and all that. However, all I know is that both -Hindoos and Mohammedans in my classes are in a blue funk about the -cartridges, and swear even their wives won't live with them if they -touch them." - -"The common grievance," said Jim Douglas, in the silence that ensued. -"It alters the whole aspect of affairs." - -"Prepare to receive cavalry?" yawned the man who had suggested betting -on the chance of the home-mail. What was the use of a week's leave on -the best snipe jheel about, if it was to be spent in talking shop? - -"No!" cried the man in black, not unwilling to change the subject of -which he had not yet official cognizance. "Prepare to receive ladies. -There is Mrs. Gissing, looking as fresh as paint!" - -She looked fresh, indeed, as she came forward; her curly hair, rough -when fashionable heads were smooth, glistening in the firelight, the -fluffy swansdown on her long coat framing her childish face softly. -Behind her, heavy, handsome, came Major Erlton with the half-sheepish -air men assume when they are following a woman's lead. - -"Here I am at last, Sir Theophilus," she began, in a gay artificial -voice as she passed Jim Douglas, who stood up, pushing his chair aside -to give more room. "I'm so glad Major Erlton managed to get leave. I'm -such a coward! I should have died of fright all by myself in that -long, lonely----" - -"Keep still!" interrupted a peremptory voice behind her, as a pair of -swift unceremonious arms seized her round the waist, and by sheer -force dragged her back a step, then held her tight-clasped to -something that beat fast despite the calm tone. "Kill that snake, -someone! There, right at her feet! It isn't a branch. I saw it move. -Don't stir, Mrs. Gissing, it's all right." - -It might be, but the heart she felt beat hard; and the one beneath his -hand gave a bound and then seemed to stand still, as the sticks and -staves, hastily caught up, smote furiously on her very dress, so close -did certain death lie to her. There was a faint scent of lavender -about that dress, about her curly hair, which Jim Douglas never -forgot; just as he never forgot the passionate admiration which made -his hands relax to an infinite tenderness, when she uttered no cry, no -sound; when there was no need to hold her, so still did she stand, so -absolutely in unison with the defiance of Fate which kept him steady -as a rock. Surely no one in all his life, he thought, had ever stood -so close to him, yet so far off! - -"God bless my soul! My dear lady, what an escape!" The hurried -faltering exclamation from a bystander heralded the holding up of a -long limp rope of a thing hanging helplessly over a stick. It was the -signal for a perfect babel. Many had seen the brute, but had thought -it a branch, others had similar experiences of drowsy snakes scorched -out of winter quarters in some hollow log, and all crowded round Mrs. -Gissing, loud in praise of her coolness. Only she turned quickly to -see who had held her; and found Major Erlton. - -"The brute hasn't touched you, has he?" he began huskily, then broke -into almost a sob of relief, "My God! what an escape!" - -She glanced at him with the faint distaste which any expression of -strong emotion showed toward her by a man always provoked, and gave -one of her high irrelevant laughs. - -"Is it? I may die a worse death. But I want _him_--where is he?" - -"Slipped away from your gratitude, I expect," said the Collector. "But -I'll betray him. It was the man who knew about the _chupatties_, Sir -Theophilus; I don't know his name." - -"Douglas," said the host. "He is in camp a mile or two down the jheel. -I expect he has gone back. He seemed a nice fellow." - -Mrs. Gissing made a _moue_. "I would not have been so grateful as all -that! I would only have said 'Bravo' to him." - -Her own phrase seemed to startle her, she broke off with a sudden -wistful look in her wide blue eyes. - -"My dear Mrs. Gissing, have a glass of wine; you must indeed," fussed -the Brigadier. But the little lady set the suggestion aside. - -"Douglas!" she repeated. "I wonder where he comes from? Does anyone -know a Douglas?" - -"James Sholto Douglas," corrected the host. "It's a good name." - -"And I knew a good fellow of that name once; but he went under," said -an older man. - -"About what?" Alice Gissing's eyes challenged the speaker, who stood -close to her. - -"About a woman, my dear lady." - -"Poor dear! Erlton, you must fetch him over to see me to-morrow -morning." She said it with infinite verve, and her hearers laughed. - -"Him!" retorted someone. "How do you know it's the same man?" - -She nodded her head gayly. "I've a fancy it is. And I am bound to be -nice to him anyhow." - -She had not the chance, however. Major Erlton, riding over before -breakfast to catch him, found nothing but the square-shaped furrow -surrounding a dry vacant spot which shows where a tent has been. - -For Jim Douglas was already on his way back to Delhi, on his way back -to more than Delhi if he succeeded in carrying out a plan which had -suggested itself to him when he heard of General Hearsey's belief that -the priests conducting the agitation against widow remarriage and the -abolition of _suttee_ were leagued with the Mohammedan revival. Tara, -the would-be saint, was still in Delhi. He had not sought her out -before, being in truth angry with the woman's duplicity, and not -wanting to run the risk of her chattering about him. Now, as he had -said, the whole position was changed. He had no common hold upon her, -and might through her get some useful hints as to the leading men in -the movement. She must have seen them when the miracle took place at -Benares. The thought made him smile rather savagely. Decidedly she -would not care to defy his tongue; from saint to sinner would be too -great a fall. - -So at dusk that very evening he was back in his mendicant's disguise, -begging at a doorway in one of the oldest parts of Delhi. An -insignificant doorway in an insignificant alley. But there was a faded -wreath of yellow marigolds over the architrave, a deeper hollow in the -stone threshold; sure signs, both, that something to attract -worshiping feet lay within. Yet at first sight the court into which -you entered, after a brief passage barred by blank wall, was much as -other courts. It was set round with high irregular houses, perfect -rabbit-warrens of tiny rooms, slips of roof, and stairs; all -conglomerate, yet distinct. Some reached from within, some from -without, some from neighboring roofs, and some, Heaven knows how! -possibly by wings, after the fashion of the purple pigeons cooing and -sidling on the purple brick cornices. In one corner, however, stood a -huge _peepul-tree_, and partly shaded by this, partly attached to an -arcaded building of two stories, was a small, squalid-looking, black -stone Hindoo temple. It was not more than ten feet square, triply -recessed at each corner, and with a pointed spire continuing the -recesses of the base. A sort of hollow monolith raised on a plinth of -three steps. In its dark windowless sanctuary, open to the outside -world by a tingle arch, stood a polished black stone, resting on a -polished black stone cup, like a large acorn. For this was the oldest -Shivâla in Delhi, and in the rabbit-warrens surrounding this survival -of Baal worship lived and lodged _yogis_, beggars, saints, half the -insanity and sacerdotalism of Delhi. It was not a place into which to -venture rashly. So Jim Douglas sat at the gate begging while the -clashings and brayings and drumings echoed out into the alley. For the -seven fold circling of the Lamps was going on, and if Tara did not -pass to this evening service from outside, she most likely lived -within; that she lodged near the temple he knew. - -So as he sat waiting, watching, the light faded, the faint smell of -incense grew fainter, the stream of worshipers coming to take the -holy water in which the god had been washed slackened. Then by twos -and threes the Brahmins and _yogis_--the Dean and Chapter, as it -were--passed out clinking half-pennies, and carrying the offertory in -kind, tied up in handkerchiefs. - -The service was over, and Tara must therefore live in a lodging -reached from within. And now, when the coast was clearing, he might -still have opportunity of tracing her. So he rose and walked in -boldly, disappointed to find the courtyard was almost empty already. -There were only a few stragglers, mostly women, and they in the white -shroud of widows; but even in the gloom and shadow he could see the -tall figure he sought was not among them, and he was about to slip -away when, following their looks, he caught sight of another figure -crouching on the topmost step of the plinth, right in front of the -sanctuary door, so that it stood faintly outlined against the glimmer -of the single cresset, which, raised on the heap of half-dead flowers -within, showed them and nothing more--nothing but the shadows. - -He drew back hastily into the empty arcade, and waited for the widows' -lingering bare feet--scarcely heard even on those echoing stones--to -pass out and leave him and Tara alone. For it was Tara. That he knew -though her face was turned from him. - -The feet lingered on, making him fear lest some of the mendicants who -must lodge in these arcades should return, after almsgiving time, and -find him there. And as they lingered he thought how he had best make -himself known to the devotee, the saint. It must be something -dramatic, something to tie her tongue at once, something to bring home -to her his hold upon her. The locket! He slipped it from his neck and -stood ready. Then, as the last flutter of white disappeared, he -stepped noiselessly across the court. - -And so, suddenly, between the rapt face and the dim light on which its -eyes were fixed, hung a dangling gold oval, and the Englishman, -bending over the woman's shoulder from behind, could see the amaze -flash to the face. And his other hand was ready with the clutch of -command, his tongue with a swift threat; but she was too quick for -him. She was round at his feet in an instant, clasping them. - -"Master! Master!" - -Jim Douglas recoiled from that touch once more; but with a half-shamed -surprise, regret, almost remorse. He had meant to threaten this woman, -and now---- - -She was up again, eager, excited. "Quick! The Huzoor is not safe here. -They may return any moment. Quick! Quick! Huzoor, follow me." - -And as, blindly, he obeyed, passing rapidly through a low doorway and -so up a dark staircase, he slipped the locket back to its place with a -sort of groan. Here was another woman to be reckoned with, and though -the discovery suited his purpose, and though he knew himself to be as -safe as her woman's wit could make him, he wondered irritably if there -was anything in the world into which this eternal question of sex did -not intrude. And then, suddenly, he seemed to feel Alice Gissing's -heart beat beneath his hand; there had been no womanhood in that -touch. - -So he passed on. And next morning he was on his way southward. Tara -had told him what he wanted to know. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - IN THE RESIDENCY. - - -"Strawberries! Oh, how delightful!" - -Kate Erlton looked with real emotion at a plate of strawberries and -cream which Captain Morecombe had just handed to her. "They are the -first I have ever seen in India," she went on in almost pathetic -explanation of her apparent greed. "Where could Sir Theophilus have -got them?" - -"Meerut," replied her cavalier with a kindly smile. "They grow -up-country. But they put one in mind of home, don't they?" He turned -away, almost embarrassed, from the look in her eyes; and added, as if -to change the subject, "The Resident does it splendidly, does not he?" - -There could be no two opinions as to that. The park-like grounds were -kept like an English garden, the house was crammed from floor to -ceiling with works of art, the broad verandas were full of rare -plants, and really valuable statuary. That toward the river, on the -brink of which Metcalfe House stood, gave on a balustraded terrace -which was in reality the roof of a lower story excavated, for the sake -of coolness, in the bank itself. Here, among others, was the billiard -room, from the balcony of which you could see along the curved stone -embankment of the river to the Koodsia garden, which lay between -Metcalfe Park and the rose-red wall of the city. It was an old -pleasure-ground of the Moghuls, and a ruined palace, half-hidden in -creepers, half lost in sheer luxuriance of blossom, still stood in its -wilderness of forest trees and scented shrubs; a very different style -of garden from that over which Kate Erlton looked, as it undulated -away in lawns and drives between the Ridge and the river. - -"Yes!" she said, "it always reminds me of England; but for that----" -She pointed to the dome of a Mohammedan tomb which curved boldly into -the blue sky close to the house. - -"Yet that is the original owner," replied her companion. "There is -rather an odd story about that tomb, Mrs. Erlton. It is the burial -place of the great Akhbar's foster-brother. Most likely he was a -cowherd by caste, for their women often go out as nurses, and the land -about here all belonged to these Goojers, as they are called. But when -we occupied Delhi, a civilian--one Blake--fancied the tomb as a house, -added to it, and removed the good gentleman's grave-stone to make room -for his dining-table--a hospitable man, no doubt, as the Resident is -now. But the Goojers objected, appealed to the Government agent. In -vain. Curiously enough both those men were, shortly afterward, -assassinated." - -"You don't mean to connect----" began Kate in a tone of remonstrance. - -Captain Morecombe laughed. "In India, Mrs. Erlton, it is foolish to -try and settle which comes first, the owl or the egg. You can't -differentiate cause and effect when both are incomprehensible. But if -I were Resident I should insure myself and my house against the act of -God and the Queen's enemies." - -"But this house?" she protested. - -"Is built on the site of a Goojer village, and they were most -unwilling to sell. One could hardly believe it now, could one? Come -and see the river terrace. It is the prettiest place in Delhi at this -time of the year." - -He was right; for the last days of March, the first ones of April are -the crown and glory of a Northern Indian garden. Perhaps because there -is already that faint hint of decay which makes beauty more precious. -Another short week and the flower-lover going the evening round will -find many a sun-weary head in the garden. But on this glorious -afternoon, when the Resident was entertaining Delhi in right -residential fashion, there was not a leaf out of place, a blade of -grass untrimmed. Long lines of English annuals in pots bordered the -broad walks evenly, the scentless gardenia festooned the rows of -cypress in disciplined freedom, the roses had not a fallen petal, -though the palms swept their long fringes above them boldly, and -strange perfumed creepers leaped to the branches of the forest trees. -In one glade, beside an artificial lake, some ladies in gay dresses -were competing for an archery prize. On a brick dais close to the -house the band of a native regiment was playing national airs, and -beside it stood a gorgeous marquee of Cashmere shawls with silver -poles and Persian carpets; the whole stock and block having belonged -to some potentate or another, dead, banished, or annexed. Here those -who wished for it found rest in English chairs or Oriental divans; and -here, contrasting with their host and his friends, harmonizing with -the Cashmere shawl marquee, stood a group of guests from the palace. A -perfect bevy of princes, suave, watchful, ready at the slightest -encouragement to crowd round the Resident, or the Commissioner, or the -Brigadier, with noiseless white-stockinged feet. Equally ready to -relapse into stolid indifference when unnoticed. Here was Mirza -Moghul, the King's eldest son, and his two supporters, all with lynx -eyes for a sign, a hint, of favor or disfavor. And here--a sulky, -sickly looking lad of eighteen--was Jewun Bukht, Zeenut Maihl's -darling, dressed gorgeously and blazing with jewels which left no -doubt as to who would be the heir-apparent if she had her way. Prince -Abool-Bukr, however, scented, effeminate, watched the proceedings with -bright eyes; giving the ladies unabashed admiration and after a time -actually strolling away to listen to the music. Finally, however, -drifting to the stables to gamble with the grooms over a quail fight. -Then there were lesser lights. Ahsan-Oolah the physician, his lean -plausible face and thin white beard suiting his black gown and -skull-cap, discussed the system of Greek medicine with the Scotch -surgeon, whose fluent, trenchant Hindustani had an Aberdonian twang. -Then there was Elahi Buksh, whose daughter was widow of the late -heir-apparent; a wily man, dogging the Resident's steps with -persistent adulation, and watched uneasily by all the other factions. -A few rich bankers curiously obsequious to the youngest ensign, and -one or two pensioners owing their invitations to loyal service, made -up the company, which kept to the Persian carpets so as to avoid the -necessity for slipping on and off the shoes which lay in rows under -Gâmu the orderly's care, and the consequent necessity for continual -fees. For Gâmu piled up the shekels until his master, after the -mutiny, had reluctantly to hang him for extorting blood-, as well as -shoe-money. - -They were a curious company, these palace guests, aliens in their own -country, speaking to none save high officials, caring to speak to -none, and waiting with ill-concealed yawns for the blunt dismissal or -the ceremonious leave-taking after a decent space of boredom due to -their rank. - -"I wonder they come," said Mrs. Erlton, passing on rapidly to escape -from the loud remarks of two of her countrywomen who were discussing -Jewun Bukht's jewels as if the wearer, standing within a yard of them, -was a lay figure: as indeed he was to them. - -"Why does anyone come?" asked Captain Morecombe airily, as he followed -her across the terrace, and, leaning over the balustrade, looked down -at the sandbanks and streams below. "So far as I am concerned," he -went on, "the reason is palpable. I came because I knew you would be -here, and I like to see my friends." - -He was in reality watching her to see how she received the remark, and -something in her face made him continue casually. "And there, I should -say, are some other people who have similar excuse for temporary -aberration." He pointed to the figures of a man and woman who were -strolling toward the Koodsia along a narrow path which curved below -the embanking wall, and his sentence ended abruptly. He turned hastily -to lean his back on the parapet and look parkward, adding lightly, -"And there are two more, and two more! In fact most people really come -to see other people." - -But Kate Erlton was proud. She would have no evasion, and the past -three months since Christmas Day had forced her to accept facts. - -"It is my husband and Mrs. Gissing," she said, looking toward the -strolling figures. "I suppose he is seeing her home. I heard her say -not long ago she was tired. She hasn't been looking strong lately." - -The indifference, being slightly overdone, annoyed her companion. No -man likes having the door slammed in his sympathetic face. "She is -looking extremely pretty, though," he replied coolly. "It softens her -somehow. Don't you agree with me?" - -There was a pause ere Kate Erlton replied; and then her eyes had found -the far horizon instead of those lessening figures. - -"I do. I think she looks a better woman than she did--somehow." She -spoke half to herself with a sort of dull wonder in her voice. But the -keenness of his, shown in his look at her, roused her reserve -instantly. To change the subject would be futile; she had gone too far -to make that possible if he wished otherwise, without that palpable -refusal which would in itself be confession. So she asked him promptly -if he would mind bringing her a glass of iced water, cup, anything, -since she was thirsty after the strawberries; and when he went off -reluctantly, took her retreat leaning over the balustrade, looking out -to the eastern plains beyond the river; to that far horizon which in -its level edge looked as if all or nothing might lie behind it. A new -world, or a great gulf! - -Three months! Three months since she had given up that chance, such as -it was, on Christmas Day. And now her husband was honestly, truly in -love with Alice Gissing. Would he have been as honestly, as truly in -love with her if--if she could have forgotten? Had this really been -his chance, and hers? Had it come, somehow? She did not attempt to -deny facts; she was too proud for that It seemed incredible, almost -impossible; but this was no Lucknow flirtation, no mere sensual -liaison on her husband's part. He was in love. The love which she -called real love, which, given to her, would, she admitted, have -raised her life above the mere compromise from which she had shrunk. -But he had never given it to her. Never. Not even in those first days. -And now, if that chance had gone, what remained? What disgrace might -not the future hold for her boy's father with a man like Mr. Gissing, -in a country where the stealing of a man's wife from him was a -criminal offense? Thank Heaven! Herbert was too selfish to risk--she -turned and fled, as it were, from that cause for gratitude to find -refuge in the certainty that Alice Gissing, at least, would not lose -her head. But the chance the chance was gone. - -"Miffes Erlton," came a little silvery voice behind her. "Oh, Miffes -Erlton! He's giv-ded me suts a boo'ful birdie." - -It was Sonny clasping a quail in both dimpled hands. His bearer was -salaaming in rather a deprecatory manner, and a few paces off, -strolling back from the stables with a couple of young bloods like -himself, was Prince Abool-Bukr. All three with a furtive eye for Kate -Erlton's face and figure. - -"He giv-ded it to me be-tos it tumbied down, and everybody laughed," -went on Sonny confidently. "And so I is do-ing to comfit birdie, and -'ove it." - -"Sonny," exclaimed Kate, suddenly aghast, "what's that on your frock-- -down your arm?" - -It was blood. Red, fresh-spilled blood! She was on her knees beside -him in instant coaxing, comforting, unclasping his hands to see where -they were hurt. The bird fell from them fluttering feebly, leaving -them all scarlet-stained with its heart's blood, making Sonny shriek -at the sight, and hide face and hands in her muslin skirts. She stood -up again, her cheeks ablaze with anger, and turned on the servant. - -"How dare you! How dare you give it to the _chota_-sahib? How dare -you!" - -The man muttered something in broken English and Hindustani about a -quail fight, and not knowing the bird was dying when the Mirza gave -it; accompanying his excuses with glances of appeal to Prince -Abool-Bukr, who, at Sonny's outburst, had paused close by. Kate's -eyes, following the bearer's, met those bright, dark, cruel ones, and -her wrath blazed out again. Her Hindustani, however, being unequal to -a lecture on cruelty to animals, she had to be content with looks. The -Prince returned them with an indifferent smile for a moment, then with -a half-impatient shrug of his shoulders, he stepped forward, lifted -the dying quail gingerly between finger and thumb, and flung it over -the parapet into the river. - -"_Ab khutm piyâree tussulli rukhiye!_" (Now is it finished, dear one; -take comfort!) he said consolingly, looking at Sonny's golden curls. -The liquid Urdu was sheer gibberish to the woman, but the child -turning his head half-doubtfully, half-reassured, Abool-Bukr's face -softened instantly. - -"_Mujhe muaâf. Murna sub ke hukk hai_" (Excuse me. Death is the right -of all), he said with a graceful salaam as he passed on. - -So the water Captain Morecombe brought back was used for a different -purpose than quenching pretended thirst; and the bringer, hearing -Kate's version of the story, hastily asked Sonny--who by this time was -holding out chubby hands cheerfully to be dried and prattling of dirty -birdies--what the Prince had said. The child, puzzled for an instant, -smiled broadly. - -"He said it was deaded all light." - -Kate shivered. The incident had touched her on the nerves, taking the -color from the flowers, the brightness from the sunshine. - -"Come and have a turn," suggested Captain Morecombe; "they have began -dancing in the saloon. It will change the subject." - -But as she took his arm, she said in rather a tremulous voice, "There -is such a thing as a Dance of Death, though." - -"My dear lady," he laughed, "it is a most excellent pastime. And one -can dance anywhere, on the edge of a volcano even, if one doesn't -smell brimstone." - -Kate, however, found otherwise, and when the waltz was over, announced -her intention of going off to take Sonny home, and see Mrs. Seymour -and the new baby. But in this her cavalier saw difficulties. The mare -was evidently too fresh for a lady to drive, and Major Erlton, -returning, might need the dog-cart. It would be far better for -him to drive her in his, so far, and afterward let the Major know he -had to call for her. Kate assented wearily. Such arrangements were -part of the detail of life, with a woman neglected as she was by her -husband. She could not deliberately avoid them, and yet keep the -unconsciousness her pride claimed. How could she, when there -were twenty men in society to one woman? Twenty--for the most -part--gentlemen, quite capable of gauging a woman's character. So -Captain Morecombe drove her to the Seymour's house on the city wall by -the Water Bastion. There were several houses there, set so close to -the rampart that there was barely room for a paved pathway between -their back verandas and the battlement. In front of them lay a metaled -road and shady gardens; and at the end of this road stood a small -bungalow toward which Kate Erlton looked involuntarily. There was a -horse waiting outside it. It was her husband's charger. He must have -arranged to have it sent down, arranged, as it were, to leave her in -the lurch, and a sudden flash of resentment made her say, as she got -down at the Seymours' house, "You had better call for me in half an -hour; that will be best." - -Captain Morecombe flushed with sheer pleasure. Kate was not often so -encouraging. But as he drove round to wait for her at a friend's -house, close to the _Delhi Gazette_ press, he, too, noticed the -Major's charger, and swore under his breath. Before God it was too -bad! But if ever there were signs of a coming smash they were to be -seen here. Erlton, after years of scandal, had lost his head--it -seemed incredible, but there was a Fate in such things from which -mortal man could not escape. - -And as he told himself this tale of Fate--the man's excuse for the -inexcusable which will pass current gayly until women combine in -refusing to accept it for themselves--another man, at the back of the -little house past which he was driving, was telling it to himself -also. For a great silence had fallen between Major Erlton and Alice -Gissing after she had told him something, to hear which he had -arranged to come home with her for a quiet talk. And, in the silence, -the hollow note of the wooden bells upon the necks of the cattle -grazing below the battlement, over which he leaned, seemed to count -the slow minutes. Quaintest, dumbest of all sounds, lacking vibration -utterly, yet mellow, musical, to the fanciful ear, with something of -the hopeful persistency of Time in its recurring beat. - -Alice Gissing was not a fanciful woman, but as she lay back in her -long cane chair, her face hidden in its pillows as if to shut out -something unwelcome, her foot kept time to the persistency on the -pavement, till, suddenly, she sat up and faced round on her silent -companion. - -"Well," she said impatiently. "Well! what have you got to say?" - -"I--I was thinking," he began helplessly, when she interrupted him. - -"What is the use of thinking? That won't alter facts. As I told you, -Gissing will be back in a month or so; and then we must decide." - -Major Erlton turned quickly. "You can't go back to him, Allie; you -weren't considering that, surely. You can't--not--not now." His voice -softened over the last words; he turned away abruptly. His face was -hidden from her so. - -She looked toward him strangely for a second, covered her face with -her hands for another, then, changing the very import of the action, -used them to brush the hair back from her temples; so, clasping them -behind her head, leaned back on the pillows, and looked toward him -again. There was a reckless defiance in her attitude and expression, -but her words did not match it. - -"I suppose I can't," she said drearily, "and I suppose you wouldn't -let me go away by myself either." - -Once more he turned. "Go!" he echoed quickly. "Where would you go?" - -"Somewhere!"--the recklessness had invaded her voice now--"Anywhere! -Wherever women do go in these cases. To the devil, perhaps." - -He gave a queer kind of laugh; this spirited effrontery had always -roused his admiration. "I dare say," he replied, "for I'm not a saint, -and you have got to come with me, Allie. You must. I shall send in my -papers, and by and by, when all the fuss is over"--here he gave a -fierce sigh--"for I expect Gissing will make a fuss, we can get -married and live happily ever after." - -She shook her head. "You'll regret it. I don't see how you can help -regretting it!" - -He came over to her, and laid his big broad hand very tenderly on her -curly hair. "No! I shan't, Allie," he replied in a low, husky voice, -"I shan't, indeed. I never was a good hand at sentiment and that sort, -but I love you dearly--dearly. All the more--for this that you've told -me. I'd do anything for you, Allie. Keep straight as a die, dear, if -you wanted it. And I wasn't regretting--it--just now. I was only -thinking how strange----" - -"Strange!" she interrupted, almost fiercely. "If it is strange to you, -what must it be to me? My God! I wonder if any man will ever -understand what this means to a woman? All the rest seems to pass her -by, to leave no mark--I--I--never cared. But this! Herbert! I feel -sometimes as if I were Claude's wife again--Claude's wife, so full of -hopes and fears. And I dream of him too. I haven't dreamed of him for -years, and I learned to hate him before he died, you know. I have gone -back to that old time, and nothing seems different. Nothing at all! -Isn't that strange? And the old Mai--she has gone back, too--sees no -difference either. She treats me just as she did in those old, old -days. She fusses round, and cockers me up, and talks about it. There! -she is coming now with smelling-salts or sal-volatile or something! -Oh! Go away, do, Mai, I don't want anything except to be left alone!" - -But the old ayah's untutored instincts were not to be so easily -smothered. Her wrinkled face beamed as she insisted on changing the -dainty laced shoes for easy slippers, and tucked another pillow into -the chair. The mem was tired, she told the Major with a respectful -salaam, after her long walk; the faint resentment in her tone being -entirely for the latter fact. - -"You see, don't you?" said Mrs. Gissing, with bright reckless eyes, -when they were alone once more. "She doesn't mind. She has forgotten -all the years between, forgotten everything. And I--I don't know -why--but there! What is the use of asking questions? I never can -answer even for myself. So we had better leave it alone for the -present. We needn't settle yet a while, and there is always a chance -of something happening." - -"But you said your husband would be back----" he began. - -"In a month--but we may all be dead and buried in a month," she -interrupted. "I only told you now, because I thought you ought to know -soon, so as not to be hurried at the last. It means a lot, you see, -for a man to give up his profession for a woman; and it isn't like -England, you know----" She paused, then continued in an odd -half-anxious voice, her eyes fixed on him inquiringly as he stood -beside her. "I shouldn't be angry, remember, Herbert, if--if you -didn't." - -"Allie! What do you mean? Do you mean that you don't care?" His tone -was full of pained surprise, his hand scarcely a willing agent as she -drew it close to caress it with her cheek. - -"Care? of course I care. You are very good to me, Herbert, far nicer -to me than you are to other people. And I can't say 'no' if you decide -on giving up for me. I _can't_ now. I see that. Only don't let us be -in a hurry. As that big fat man in the tight satin trousers said to -the Resident to-day, when he was asked what the people in the city -thought of the fuss down country, '_Delhi dur ust_.'" - -"_Delhi dur ust?_ What the devil does that mean?" asked the Major, his -brief doubt soothed by the touch of her soft cheek. "You are such a -clever little cat, Allie! You know a deuced sight more than I do. How -you pick it up I can't think." - -She gave one of her inconsequent laughs. "Don't have so many men -anxious to explain things to you as I have, I expect, sir! But if you -ever spoke to a native here--which you don't--you'd know _that_. Even -my old Mai says it--they all say it when they don't want to tell the -truth, or be hurried, and that is generally. 'Delhi is far,' they say. -Dr. Macintyre translates it as 'It's a far cry to Lochawe'; but I -don't understand that; for it was an old King of Delhi who said it -first. People came and told him an enemy had crossed his border. -'_Delhi dur ust_,' says he. Can't you see him, Herbert? An old Turk of -a thing with those tight satin trousers! Then they told him the enemy -was in sight. '_Delhi dur ust_,' said he. And he said it when they -were at the gate--he said it when their swords----" the dramatic -instinct in her was strong, and roused her into springing to her feet -and mimicking the thrust. "_Delhi dur ust_." - -Her gay mocking voice rang loud. Then she laid her hand lightly on his -arm. "Let us say it too, dear," she said almost sharply. "I won't -think--yet. '_Delhi dur ust_.'" - -The memory of the phrase went with him when he had said good-by, and -was pacing his charger toward the Post Office. But it only convinced -him that the Delhi of his decision was reached; he would chuck -everything for Allie. - -It was by this time growing dusk, but he could see two figures -standing in the veranda of the Press Office, and one of them called -him by name. He turned in at the gate to find Captain Morecombe -reading a proof-sheet by the light of a swinging lamp; for Jim Douglas -drew back into unrecognizable shadow as he approached. He had -purposely kept out of Major Erlton's way during his occasional returns -to Delhi, and as he stepped back now he asked himself if he hated the -big man most for his own sake, or for Kate's, or for that other little -woman's. Not that it mattered a jot, since he hated him cordially on -all three scores. - -"Bad news from Barrackpore, Erlton," said the Captain, "and as I have -to drive Mrs. Erlton home I thought you might take it round to the -Brigadier's. At least if you have no objection, Douglas?" - -"None. The telegram is all through the bazaar by now. You can't help -it if you employ natives." - -"'Through the medium of a private telegram,'" read Captain Morecombe, -"'the following startling news has reached our office. On Sunday -(the 29th of March) about 4.30 P. M., a Brahmin sepoy of the 34th N. -I.'--that's the missionary fellow's regiment, of course--'went amuck, -and rushing to the quarter-guard with his musket, ordered the bugler -to sound the assembly to all who desired to keep the faith of their -fathers. The guard, ordered to arrest him, refused. The whole regiment -being, it is said, in alarm at the arrival that morning of the first -detachment of British troops, detailed to keep order during the -approaching disbandment of the 19th for mutiny; rumor having it that -all sepoys then refusing to become Christians would be shot down at -once. The mutineer, who had been drinking hemp, actually fired at -Sergeant-major Hewson, providentially missing him; subsequently he -fired at the Adjutant, who, after a hand-to-hand scuffle with the -madman, in which Hewson joined, only escaped with his life through the -aid of a faithful Mohammedan orderly. Until, and, indeed, after -Colonel Wheler the Commandant arrived on the parade ground, the -mutineer marched up and down in front of the guard, flourishing his -musket and calling for his comrades to join him. The Colonel therefore -ordered the guard to advance and shoot the man down. The men made show -of obedience, but after a few steps they refused to go on, unless -accompanied by a British officer. On this, Colonel Wheler, considering -the risk needless with an unreliable guard already half-mutinous, rode -off to report his failure to the Brigadier, who had halted on the -further side of the parade ground. At this juncture (about 5.30 P. M.) -matters looked most serious. The 43d N. I. had turned out, and were -barely restrained from rushing their bells of arms by the entreaties -of their native officers. The 34th, beyond control altogether, were -watching the mutineer's unchecked defiance with growing sympathy. -Fortunately at this moment General Hearsey, commanding the Division, -rode up, followed by his two sons as _aides_. Hearing what had -occurred from the group of officers awaiting further developments, he -galloped over to the guard, ordered them to follow him, and made -straight for the mutineer; shouting back, "D----n his musket, sir!" to -an officer who warned him it was loaded. But seeing the man kneel to -take aim he called to his son, "If I fall, John, rush in and put him -to death somehow." The precaution was, providentially, unnecessary, -for the mutineer, seeing the remaining officers join in this resolute -advance, turned his musket on himself. He is not expected to live. -Adjutant Baugh, a most promising young officer, is, we regret to say, -dangerously wounded.'" - -"Treacherous black devils! I'd shoot 'em down like dogs--the lot of -them," said Major Erlton savagely. He had slipped from his horse and -now stood in the veranda overlooking the proof, his back to Jim -Douglas. Perhaps it was the closer sight of his enemy's face which -roused the latter's temper. Anyhow he broke into the conversation with -that nameless challenge in his voice which makes a third person -nervous. - -"It is a pity you were not at Barrackpore. They seem to have been in -need of a good pot-shot--even of an officer to be potted at--till -Hearsey came to the front." - -Captain Morecombe turned quickly to put up his sword as it were. "By -the way, Erlton," he said hastily, "I don't think you know Douglas, -though you tried to see him at Nujjufghur after he saved Mrs. Gissing -from that snake." - -But Jim Douglas' temper grew, partly at his own fatuity in risking the -now inevitable encounter; and he had a vile, uncontrollable temper -when he was in the wrong. - -"Major Erlton and I have met before," he interrupted, turning to go; -"but I doubt if he will recognize me. Possibly his horse may." - -He paused as he spoke before the Arab which stood waiting. It whinnied -instantly, stretching its head toward its old master. Major Erlton -muttered a startled exclamation, but regained his self-possession -instantly. "I beg your pardon--Mr.--er--Douglas, I think you said, -Morecombe; but I did not recognize you." - -The pause was aggressive to the last degree. - -"Under that name, you mean," finished Jim Douglas, white with anger -at being so obviously at a disadvantage. "The fact is, Captain -Morecombe, that as the late King of Oude's trainer I called myself -James Greyman. I sold that Arab to Major Erlton under that name, and -under--well--rather peculiar circumstances. I am quite ready to tell -them if Major Erlton thinks them likely to interest the general -public." - -His eyes met his enemy's, fiercely getting back now full measure of -sheer, wild, vicious temper. Everything else had gone to the winds, -and they would have been at each other's throats gladly; scarcely -remembering the cause of quarrel, and forgetting it utterly with the -first grip, as men will do to the end of time. - -Then the Major, being less secure of his ground since fighting was out -of the question, turned on his heel. "So far as I'm concerned," he -said, "the explanation is sufficient. Give the devil his due and every -man his chance." - -The innuendo was again unmistakable; but the words reminded Jim -Douglas of an almost-forgotten promise, and he bit his lips over the -necessity for silence. But in that--as he knew well--lay his only -refuge from his own temper; it was silence, or speech to the -uttermost. - -"If you have quite done with the proof, Captain Morecombe," he said -very ceremoniously. - -"Certainly, certainly. Thanks for letting me see it," interrupted the -Captain, who had been looking from one to the other doubtfully, as -most men do even when their dearest friends are implicated, if the -cause of a quarrel is a horse. "It is a serious business," he went on -hurriedly to help the diversion. "After all the talk and fuss, this -cutting down of an officer----" - -"Is first blood," put in Jim Douglas. "There will be more spilled -before long." - -"Disloyal scoundrels!" growled Major Erlton wrathfully. "Idiots! As if -they had a chance!" - -"They have none. That's the pity of it," retorted his adversary as he -rode off quickly. - -Ay! that was the pity of it! The pity of blood to be spilled -needlessly. The thought made him slacken speed, as if he were on the -threshold of a graveyard; though he could not foresee the blood to be -spilled so wantonly in that very garden-set angle of the city, so full -now of the scent of flowers, the sounds of security. From far came the -subdued hum which rises from a city in which there is no wheeled -traffic, no roar of machinery; only the feet of men, their tears, -their laughter, to assail the irresponsive air. Nearer, among the -scattered houses hidden by trees, rose children's voices playing about -the servants' quarters. Across the now empty playground of the College -the outlines of the church showed faintly among the fret of branches -upon the dull red sky, which a cloudless sunset leaves behind it. And -through the open arch of the Cashmere gate, the great globe of the -full moon grew slowly from the ruddy earth-haze, then loud and clear -came the chime of seven from the mainguard gong, the rattle of arms -dying into silence again. The peace of it all seemed unassailable, the -security unending. - -"_Delhi dur ust!_" - -The words were called across the road in a woman's voice, making him -turn to see a shadowy white figure outlined against the dark arches of -a veranda close upon the road. He reined up his horse almost -involuntarily, remembering as he did so that this was Mrs. Gissing's -house. - -"I beg your pardon----" he began. - -"I beg yours," came the instant reply. "I mistook you for a friend. -Good-night!" - -"Good-night!" - -As he paced his horse on, choosing the longer way to Duryagunj, by the -narrow lanes clinging to the city wall, the remembrance of that frank -good-night lingered with him. For a friend! What a name to call -Herbert Erlton! Poor little soul! The thought, by its very -intolerableness, drove him back to the other, roused by her first -words: - -"_Delhi dur ust_." - -True! Even this Delhi lying before his very eyes was far from him. How -would it take the news which by now, as he had said, must have -filtered through the bazaar? He could imagine that. He knew, also, -that the Palace folk must be all discussing the Resident's garden -party, with a view to their own special aims and objects. But what did -they think of the outlook on the future? Did they also say _Delhi dur -ust?_ - -One of them was saying it on a roof close by. It was Abool-Bukr, who, -on his way home, had given himself the promised pleasure of retailing -his virtuous afternoon's experiences to Newâsi; for his two-months-wed -bride had not broken _him_ of his habit of coming to his kind one, -though it had made _her_ graver, more dignified. Still she broke in on -his thick assertion--for he had drunk brandy in his efforts to be -friendly with the sahibs--that he had seen an Englishwoman of her -sort, with the quick query: - -"Like me! How so?" - -He laughed mischievously. "And thou art not jealous of my wife!--or -sayest thou art not! She was but like thee in this, aunt, that she is -of the sort who would have men better than God made them----" - -"No worse, thou meanest," she replied. - -He shook his head. "Women, Newâsi, are as the ague. A man is ever -being made better or worse till he knows not if he be well or ill. And -both ways God's work is marred, a man driven from his right fate----" - -"But if a man mistakes his fate as thou dost, Abool," she persisted. -"Sure, if Jewun Bukht with that evil woman, Zeenut----" - -He started to his feet, thrusting out lissome hands wildly, as if to -set aside some thought. "Have a care, Newâsi, have a care!" he cried. -"Talk not of that arch plotter, arch dreamer. Nay! not arch dreamer! -'tis thou that dreamest most. Dreamest war without blood, men without -passion, me without myself! Was there not blood on my hands ere ever I -was born--I, Abool-Bukr, of the race of Timoor--kings, tyrants, by -birth and trade? The blood of those who stood in my father's way and -my father's fathers. I tell thee there is too much tinder yonder----" -He pointed to where, across the flat chequers of moonlit roofs, inlaid -by the shadows of the intersecting alleys the cupolas of the Palace -gates rose upon the sky. "There is too much tinder here," he struck -his own breast fiercely, "for such fiery thoughts. Why canst not leave -me alone, woman?" - -She drew back coldly. "Do I ask thee to come thither? Thy wife----" - -He gave a half-maudlin laugh. "Nay, I mean not that! Sure thou art -very woman, Newâsi! That is why I love mine aunt! That is why I come -to see her--that----" - -She interrupted him hastily; but her eyes grew soft, her voice -trembled. - -"And I do but goad thee for thine own good, Abool. These are strange -times. Even the Mufti sahib----" - -"Ah! defend me from his wise saws. I know the ring of them too well as -'tis. Even that I endure--for mine aunt's sake. Though, by the faith, -if he and others of his kidney waylay me as they do much longer, I -will have a rope ladder to thy roof and scandalize them all. I can -stomach thy wisdom, dear; none else. So tell them that Abool-Bukr can -quote saws as well as they. Tell them he lives for Pleasure, and -Pleasure lives in the present. For the rest, _Delhi dur ust! Delhi -dur ust!_" - -His reckless, unrestrained voice rang out over the roofs, and into the -alley below where Jim Douglas was telling himself, that with his -finger on the very pulse of the city he had failed to count its heart -beats. - -He looked up quickly. "_Delhi dur ust!_" All the world seemed to be -saying it that night; though the first blood had been shed in the -quarrel. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - THE YELLOW FAKIR. - - -The days passed to weeks, the weeks to a month, after that shedding of -first blood, and no more was spilled, save that of the shedders. Two -of them were hanged, the regiment ordered to be disbanded. For the -rest, though causeless fires broke out in every cantonment, though a -Sikh orderly divulged to his master some tale of a concerted rising, -though the dread of the greased cartridge grew to a perfect panic, -even Jim Douglas, with his eyes wide open, was forced to admit that, -so far as any chance of action went, the reply might still be "_Delhi -dur ust_." The sky was dark indeed, there were mutterings on the -horizon; but he and others remembered how often in India, even when -rain is due, the clouds creep up and up day by day, darker and more -lowering, until the yellowing crops seem to grow greener in sheer hope -of the purple pall above them. And then some unseen hand juggles those -portentous rain-clouds into the daily darkness of night, and some dawn -rises clear and dry to show, in its fierce blaze of sunlight, how the -yellow has gained on the green. - -So, day by day, the impression grew among the elect that the storm -signals would pass; that the best policy was to tide over the next few -months somehow. In pursuance of which a sepoy who ventured to draw -attention to the state of feeling in one regiment was publicly told he -need expect no promotion. - -But there were dissentients to this policy, apparently. Anyhow, in the -end of April, Colonel Carmichael Smyth, commanding the 3d Bengal -Cavalry at Meerut, returned from leave one evening, and ordered -fifteen men from each troop to be picked out to learn the use of the -new cartridge next morning, and then went to bed comfortably. The men, -through their native officers, appealed to their captain for delay. -They were neither prepared to take nor refuse the cartridges, old or -new. No answer was given them. They marched to the parade obediently -at sunrise, and eighty-five of the ninety men picked from a picked -regiment for smartness and intelligence refused to take the -cartridges, even from their Colonel's or their Adjutant's hand. Their -own troop officers were not present. They were at once tried by a -court-martial of native officers, some of whom came from the regiments -at Delhi; but thirty odd miles off along a broad, level driving road. -They were sentenced to ten years' penal servitude, and a parade of all -troops was ordered for sunrise on the 9th of May, to put the sentence -into force. - -So the night of the 8th found Jim Douglas riding over from Delhi in -the cool to see something which, if anything could, ought to turn mere -talk into action. It had brought a new sound into the air already. The -clang of cold iron upon hot, rising from the regimental smithy, where -the fetters for the eighty-five were being forged. A cruel sound at -best, proclaiming the indubitable advantage of coolness and hardness -over glow and plasticity. Cruel indeed when the hardness and -insistency goes to the forging of fetters for emotion and ignorance. - -Clang! Clang! Clang! - -The sound rang out into the hot airless night, rang out into the gusty -dawn; for it takes time to forge eighty-five pairs of shackles. Rang -out to where a mixed guard of the 11th and 20th Regiments of Native -Infantry were waiting round the tumbrils for the last fetter. The gray -of dawn showed the rest piled on the tumbrils, showed two English -officers on horseback talking to each other a little way off, showed -the faces of the guard dark and lowering like the dawn itself. - -"_Loh!_ sergeant _jee!_ there is the last," said the master-armorer -cheerfully. His task was done, at any rate. - -Soma took it from him silently, and flung it on the others almost -fiercely; it settled among them with a clank. His regiment, the 11th, -had but newly come to Meerut, and therefore had as yet no ties of -personal comradeship with the eighty-five, but fetters for any sepoys -were enough to make the pulse beat full and heavy. - -"The last, thank Heaven!" said the Captain, giving his bridle rein a -jag. "All right forward, Jones! Then fall in, men. Quick march! We are -late enough as it is." - -The disciplined feet fell in without a waver; the tumbrils moved on -with a clank and a creak. - -Quick march! Soma's mind, fair reflection of the minds of all about -him, was full of doubt. Was that indeed the last fetter, or did Rumor -say sooth when it told of others being secretly forged? Who could say -in these days, when the Huzoors themselves had taken to telling lies. -Not his Huzoors as yet; his Colonels and Captains and Majors, even the -little sahib, who laughed over his own mistakes on parade, told the -truth still. But the others lied. Lied about enlistment, about -prize-money and leave, about those cartridges. At least, so the men in -the 20th said; the sergeant marching next to him behind the tumbril -most of all. - -"'Tis but three weeks longer, comrade," said this man suddenly in a -low whisper. They were treading the dim, deserted outskirts of the -cantonment bazaar, and Soma looked round nervously at the officers -behind. Had they heard? He frowned at the speaker and made no reply. -He gave a deaf ear, when he could, to the talk in the 20th; but that -was not always, for its sepoys were a part of the Bengal army. That -army which was not--as a European army is--a mere chance collection of -men divided from each other in the beginning and end of life, -associated loosely with each other in its middle, and using military -service as a make-shift; but, to a great extent, a guild, following -the profession of arms by hereditary custom from the cradle to the -grave. - -Quick march! A woman, early astir, peered at the little procession -through the chink of a door, and whispered to an unseen companion -behind. What was she saying? What, by implication, would other women, -who peeped virtuously--women he knew--say of his present occupation? -That he was a coward to be guarding his comrades' fetters? No doubt; -since others with less right would say it too. All the miserable, -disreputable riff-raff, for instance, which had drifted in from the -neighborhood to see the show. The bazaar had been full of it these -three days past. Even the sweepers, pariahs, out-castes, would snigger -over the misfortunes of their betters--as those two ahead were -doubtless sniggering already as they drew aside from their slave's -work of sweeping the roadway, to let the tumbrils pass. Drew aside -with mock deference, leaving scantiest room for the twice-born -following them. So scant, indeed, that the outermost tip of a reed -broom, flourished in insolent salaam, touched the Rajput's sleeve. It -was the veriest brush, no more than a fly's wing could have given; but -the half-stifled cry from Soma's lips meant murder--nothing less. His -disciplined feet wavered, he gave a furtive glance at his companions. -Had they seen the insult? Could they use it against him? - -"Eyes front, there; forward!" came the order from behind, and he -pulled himself together by instinct and went on. - -"Only three weeks longer, brother!" said that voice beside him -meaningly; and a dull rage rose in Soma's heart. So it had been seen. -It might be said of him, Soma, that he had tamely submitted to a -defiling touch. He did not look round at his officers this time. They -might hear if they chose, the future might hold what it chose. Mayhap -they had seen the insult and were laughing at it. They were not his -Huzoors; they belonged to the man at his side, who had the right to -taunt him. As a matter of fact, they were discussing the chances of -their ponies in next week's races; but Soma, lost in a great wrath, a -great fear, made it, inevitably, the topic of the whole world. - -Hark! The bugle for the Rifles to form; they were to come to the -parade loaded with ball cartridge. And that rumble was the Artillery, -loaded also, going to take up their position. By and by the -Carabineers would sweep with a clatter and a dash to form the third -side of the hollow square, whereof the fourth was to be a mass of -helpless dark faces, with the eighty-five martyrs and tumbrils in the -middle. Soma had seen it all in general orders, talked it over with -his dearest friend, and called it tyranny. And now the tumbrils -clanked past a little heap of smoldering ashes, that but the day -before had been a guard-house. The lingering smoke from this last work -of the incendiary drifted northward, after the fetters, making one of -the officers cough. But he went on talking of his ponies. True type of -the race which lives to make mistakes, dies to retrieve them. Quick -march! - -Streams of spectators bound for the show began to overtake them, ready -with comments on what Soma guarded. And on the broad white Mall, -dividing the native half of the cantonments and the town of Meerut -from the European portion, more than one carriage with a listless, -white-faced woman in it dashed by, on its way to see the show. The -show! - -Quick march! Whatever else might be possible in the futures that was -all now, midway between the barracks of the Rifles and the -Carabineers, with the church--mute symbol of the horror which, day by -day, month by month, had been closing in round the people--blocking -the way in front. So they passed on to the wide northern parade -ground, with that hollow square ready; three sides of it threatening -weapons, the fourth of unarmed men, and in the center the eighty-five -picked men of a picked regiment. - -The knot of European spectators round the flag listened with yawns to -the stout General's exordium. The eighty-five being hopelessly, -helplessly in the wrong by military law, there seemed to be no need to -insist on the fact. And the mass of dark faces standing within range -of loaded guns and rifles, within reach of glistening sabers, did not -listen at all. Not that it mattered, since the units in that crowd had -lost the power of accepting facts. Even Soma, standing to attention -beside the tumbrils, only felt a great sense of outrage, of wrong, of -injustice somewhere. And there was one Englishman, at least, rigid to -attention also before his disarmed, dismounted, yet loyal troop, who -must have felt it also, unless he was more than human. And this was -Captain Craigie, who, when his men appealed to him to save them, to -delay this unnecessary musketry parade, had written in his haste to -the Adjutant, "Go to Smyth at once! Go to Smyth!" and Smyth was his -Colonel! Incredible lack of official etiquette. Repeated hardily, -moreover. "Pray don't lose a moment, but go to Smyth and tell him." -What? Only "that this is a most serious matter, and we may have the -whole regiment in open mutiny in half an hour if it is not attended -to." Only that! So it is to be hoped that Captain Craigie had the -official wigging for his unconventional appeal in his pocket as he -shared his regiment's disgrace, to serve him as a warning--or a -consolation. - -And now the pompous monotone being ended, the silence, coming after -the clankings, and buglings, and trampings which had been going on -since dawn, was almost oppressive. The three sides of steel, even the -fourth of faces, however, showed no sign. They stood as stone while -the eighty-five were stripped of their uniforms. But there was more to -come. By the General's orders the leg-irons were to be riveted on one -by one; and so, once more, the sound of iron upon iron recurred -monotonously, making the silence of the intervals still more -oppressive. For the prisoners at first seemed stunned by the isolation -from even their as yet unfettered comrades. But suddenly from a single -throat came that cry for justice, which has a claim to a hearing, at -least, in the estimation of the people of India. - -"_Dohai! Dohai! Dohai!_" - -Soma gave a sort of sigh, and a faint quiver of expectation passed -over the sea of dark faces. - -Clang! Clang! The hammers, going on unchecked, were the only answer. -Those three sides of stone had come to see a thing done, and it must -be done; the sooner the better. But the riveting of eighty-five pairs -of leg-irons is not to be done in a moment; so the cry grew clamorous. -Dohai! Dohai! Had they not fought faithfully in the past? Had they not -been deceived? Had they had a fair chance? - -But the hammers went on as the sun climbed out of the dust-haze to -gleam on the sloped sabers, glint on the loaded guns, and send -glittering streaks of light along the rifles. - -So the cry changed. Were their comrades cowards to stand by and see -this tyranny and raise no finger of help? Oh! curses on them! 'Tis -they who were degraded, dishonored. Curses on the Colonel who had -forced them to this! Curses on every white face!--curses on every face -which stood by! - -One, close to the General's flag, broke suddenly into passionate -resentment. Jim Douglas drew out his watch, looked at it, and gathered -his reins together. "An hour and forty-five minutes already. I'm off, -Ridgeway. I can't stand this d----d folly any more." - -"My dear fellow, speak lower! If the General----" - -"I don't care who hears me," retorted Jim Douglas recklessly as he -steered through the crowd, followed by his friend, "I say it is d----d -inconceivable folly and tyranny. Come on, and let's have a gallop, for -God's sake, and get rid of that devilish sound." - -The echo of their horses' resounding hoofs covered, obliterated it. -The wind of their own swiftness seemed to blow the tension away. So -after a spin due north for a mile or two they paused at the edge -of a field where the oxen were circling placidly round on the -threshing-floors and a group of women were taking advantage of the -gustiness to winnow. Their bare, brown arms glistened above the -falling showers of golden grain, their unabashed smiling faces showed -against the clouds of golden chaff drifting behind them. - -Jim Douglas looked at them for a moment, returned the salaam of the -men driving the oxen and forking the straw, then turned his horse -toward the cantonment again. - -"It is nothing to them; that's one comfort," he said. "But they will -have to suffer for it in the end, I expect. Who will believe when the -time comes that this"--he gave a backward wave of his hand--"went on -unwittingly of that?" - -His companion, following his look ahead, to where, in the far -distance, a faint cloud of dust, telling of many feet, hung on the -horizon, said suddenly, as if the sight brought remembrance: "By -George! Douglas, how steady the sepoys stood! I half expected a row." - -"Steadier than I should," remarked the other grimly. "Well, I hope -Smyth is satisfied. To return from leave and drive your regiment into -mutiny in twelve hours is a record performance." - -His hearer, who was a civilian, gave a deprecating cough. "That's a -bit hard, surely. I happen to know that he heard while on leave some -story about a concerted rising later on. He may have done it -purposely, to force their hands." - -Jim Douglas shrugged his shoulders. "Did he warn you what he was about -to do? Did he allow time to prepare others for his private mutiny? My -dear Ridgeway, it was put on official record two months ago that an -organized scheme for resistance existed in every regiment between -Calcutta and Peshawur; so Smyth might at least have consulted the -colonels of the other two regiments at Meerut. As it is, the business -has strained the loyalty of the most loyal to the uttermost; and we -deserve to suffer, we do indeed." - -"You don't mince matters, certainly," said the civilian dryly. - -"Why should anybody mince them? Why can't we admit boldly--the -C.-in-C. did it on the sly the other day--that the cartridges are -suspicious? that they leave the muzzle covered with a fat, like -tallow? Why don't we admit it was tallow at first. Why not, at any -rate, admit we are in a hole, instead of refusing to take the common -precaution of having an ammunition wagon loaded up for fear it should -be misconstrued into alarm? Is there no medium between bribing -children with lollipops and torturing them--keeping them on the -strain, under fire, as it were, for hours, watching their best friends -punished unjustly?" - -"Unjustly?" - -"Yes. To their minds unjustly. And you know what forcible injustice -means to children--and these are really children--simple, ignorant, -obstinate." - -They had come back to cantonments again and were rapidly overtaking -the now empty tumbrils going home, for the parade was over. Further -down the road, raising a cloud of dust from their shackled feet, the -eighty-five were being marched jailward under a native escort. - -"Well," said the civilian dryly, "I would give a great deal to know -what those simple babes really thought of us." - -"Hate us stock and block for the time. I should," replied Jim Douglas. -They were passing the tumbrils at the moment, and one of the guard, in -sergeant's uniform, looked up in joyful recognition. - -"Huzoor It is I, Soma." - -The civilian looked at his companion oddly when, after a minute or two -spent in answering Soma's inquiries as to where and how the master was -to be found, Jim Douglas rode alongside once more. - -"Out a bit, eh?" he said dryly. - -"Very much out; but they are a queer lot. Do you remember the story of -the self-made American who was told his boast relieved the Almighty of -a great responsibility? Well, he is only responsible for one-half of -the twice-born. The other is due to humanity, to heredity, what you -will! That is what makes these high-caste men so difficult to deal -with. They are twice born. Yes! they are a queer lot." - -He repeated the remark with even greater fervor twelve hours later, -when, about midnight, he started on his return ride to Delhi. For -though he had spent the whole day in listening, he had scarcely heard -a word of blame for the scene which had roused him to wrath that -morning. The sepoys had gone about their duties as if nothing had -happened; and despite the undoubted presence of a lot of loose -characters in the bazaar, there had been no disturbance. He laughed -cynically to himself at the waste of a day which would have been -better spent in horse dealing. This, however, settled it. If this -intolerable tyranny failed to rouse action there could be no immediate -danger ahead. To a big cantonment like Meerut, the biggest in Northern -India, with two thousand British troops in it, even the prospect of a -rising was not serious; at Delhi, however, where there were only -native troops, it might have been different. But now he felt that a -handful of resolute men ought to be able to hold their own anywhere -against such aimless invertebrate discontent. He felt a vague -disappointment that it should be so, that the pleasant cool of night -should be so quiet, so peaceful. They were a poor lot who could do -nothing but talk! - -As he rode through the station the mess-houses were still alight, and -the gay voices of the guests who had been dining at a large bungalow, -bowered in gardens, reached his ears distinctly. - -"It's the Sabbath already," said one. "Ought to be in our beds!" - -"Hooray! for a Europe morning," came a more boyish one breaking into a -carol, "of all the days within the week I dearly love----" - -"Shut up, Fitz!" put in a third, "you'll wake the General!" - -"What's the odds? He can sleep all day. I'm sure his buggy charger -needs a rest." - -"Do shut up, Fitz! The Colonel will hear you." - -"I don't care. It's Scriptural. Thou and thy ox and thy ass----" - -"You promised to come to evening church, Mr. Fitzgerald," interrupted -a reproachful feminine voice; "you said you would sing in the choir." - -"Did I? Then I'll come. It will wake me up for dinner; besides, I -shall sit next you." - -The last words came nearer, softer. Mr. Fitzgerald was evidently -riding home beside someone's carriage. - -Pleasant and peaceful indeed! that clank of a sentry, here and there, -only giving a greater sense of security. Not that it was needed, for -here, beyond cantonments, the houses of the clerks and civilians lay -as peaceful, as secure. In the veranda of one of them, close to the -road, a bearer was walking up and down crooning a patient lullaby to -the restless fair-haired child in his arms. - -No! truly there could be no fear. It was all talk! He set spurs to his -horse and went on through the silent night at a hand-gallop, for he -had another beast awaiting him halfway, and he wished to be in Delhi -by dawn. There was a row of tall trees bordering the road on either -side, making it dark, and through their swiftly passing boles the -level country stretched to the paler horizon like a sea. And as he -rode, he sat in judgment in his thoughts on those dead levels and the -people who lived in them. - -Stagnant, featureless! A dead sea! A mere waste of waters without form -or void! Not even ready for a spirit to move over them; for if that -morning's work left them apathetic, the Moulvie of Fyzabad himself -need preach no voice of God. For _this_, surely--this sense of -injustice to others, must be the strongest motive, the surest word -to conjure with. That dull dead beat of iron upon the fetters of -others,--which he still seemed to hear,--the surest call to battle. - -He paused in his thought, wondering if what he fancied he heard was -but an echo from memory or real sound! Real; undoubtedly. It was the -distant clang of the iron bells upon oxen. That meant that he must be -seven or eight miles out, halfway to the next stage, so meeting the -usual stream of night traffic toward Meerut. He passed two or three -strings of large, looming, half-seen wains without drawing bridle, -then pulled up almost involuntarily to a trot at the curiously even -tread of a drove of iron-shod oxen, and a low chanted song from behind -it. Bunjârah folk! The rough voice, the familiar rhythm of the hoofs, -reminded him of many a pleasant night-march in their company. - -"A good journey, brothers!" he called in the dialect. The answer came -unerringly, dark though it was. - -"The Lord keep the Huzoor safe!" - -It made him smile as he remembered that of course a lone man trotting -a horse along a highroad at night was bound to be alien in a country -where horses are ambled and travelers go in twos and threes. So the -rough, broad faces would be smiling over the surprise of a sahib -knowing the Bunjârah talk; unless, indeed, it happened to be---- The -possibility of its being the _tanda_ he knew had not occurred to him -before. He pulled up and looked round. A breathless shadow was at his -stirrup, and he fancied he saw a shadow or two further behind. - -"The Huzoor has mistaken the road," came Tiddu's familiar creak. -"Meerut lies to the north." - -Breathless as he was, there was the pompous mystery in his voice which -always prefaced an attempt to extort money. And Jim Douglas, having no -further use for the old scoundrel, did not intend to give him any, so -he simulated an utter lack of surprise. - -"Hello, Tiddu!" he said. "I had an idea it might be you. So you -recognized my voice?" - -The old man laughed. "The Huzoor is mighty clever. He knows old Tiddu -has eyes. They saw the Huzoor's horse--a bay Wazeerie with a white -star none too small, and all the luck-marks--waiting at the fifteenth -milestone, by Begum-a-bad. But the Huzoor, being so clever, is not -going to ride the Wazeerie to-night. He is going to ride the Belooch -he is on back to Meerut, though the star on her forehead is too small -for safety; my thumb could cover it." - -"It's a bit too late to teach me the luck-marks, Tiddu," said Jim -Douglas coolly. "You want money, you ruffian; so I suppose you have -something to sell. What is it? If it is worth anything, you can trust -me to pay, surely." - -Tiddu looked round furtively. The other shadow, Jhungi or Bhungi, or -both, perhaps--the memory made Jim Douglas smile--had melted away into -the darkness. He and Tiddu were alone. The old man, even so, reached -up to whisper. - -"'Tis the yellow fakir, Huzoor! He has come." - -"The yellow fakir!" echoed his hearer; "who the devil is he? And why -shouldn't he come, if he likes?" - -Tiddu paused, as if in sheer amaze, for a second. "The Huzoor has not -heard of the yellow fakir? The dumb fakir who brings the speech that -brings more than speech. _Wâh!_" - -"Speech that is more than speech," echoed Jim Douglas angrily, then -paused in his turn; the phrase reminded him, vaguely, of his past -thoughts. - -Tiddu's hand went out to the Belooch's rein; his voice lost its creak -and took a soft sing-song to which the mare seemed to come round of -her own accord. - -"Yea! Speech that is more than speech, though he is dumb. Whence he -comes none know, not even I, the Many-Faced. But I can see him when he -comes, Huzoor! The others, not unless he wills to be seen. I saw him -to-night. He passed me on a white horse not half an hour agone, going -Meerutward. Did not the Huzoor see him? That is because he has learned -from old Tiddu to make others see, but not to see himself. But the -old man will teach him this also if he is in Meerut by dawn. If he is -there by dawn he will see the yellow fakir who brings the speech that -brings more than speech." - -The sing-song ceased; the Belooch was stepping briskly back toward -Meerut. - -"You infernal old humbug!" began Jim Douglas. - -"The Huzoor does not believe, of course," remarked Tiddu, in the most -matter-of-fact creak. "But Meerut is only eight miles off. His other -horse can wait; and if he does not see the yellow fakir there is no -need to open the purse-strings." - -The Englishman looked at his half-seen companion admiringly. He was -the most consummate scoundrel! His blending of mystery and purely -commercial commonplace was perfect--almost irresistible. There was no -reason why he should go on; the groom, halfway, had his usual orders -to stay till his master came. For the rest, it would be pleasant to -renew the old pleasant memory--pleasant even to renew his acquaintance -with Tiddu's guile, which struck him afresh each time he came across -it. - -He slipped from his horse without a word, and was about to pull the -reins over her head so as to lead her, when Tiddu stopped short. - -"Jhungi will take her to the rest-house, Huzoor, or Bhungi. It will be -safer so. I have a clean cotton quilt in the bundle, and the Huzoor -can have my shoes and rub his legs in the dust. That will do till -dawn." - -He gave a jackal's cry, which was echoed from the darkness. - -"Leave her so, Huzoor! She is safe," said Tiddu; and Jim Douglas, as -he obeyed, heard the mare whinny softly, as if to a foal, as a shadow -came out of the bushes. Junghi or Bhungi, no doubt. - -Five minutes after, with a certain unaccountable pleasure, he found -himself walking beside a laden bullock, one arm resting on its broad -back, his feet keeping step with the remittent clang of its bell. A -strange dreamy companionship, as he knew of old. And once more the -stars seemed, after a time, to twinkle in unison with the bell, he -seemed to forget thought, to forget everything save the peaceful -stillness around, and his own unresting peace. - -So, he and the laden beast went on as one living, breathing mortal, -till the little shiver of wind came, which comes with the first paling -of the sky. It was one of those yellow dawns, serene, cloudless, save -for a puff or two of thin gray vapor low down on the horizon, looking -as if it were smoke from an unseen censer swinging before the chariot -of the Sun which heads the procession of the hours. He was so absorbed -in watching the yellow light grow to those clouds no bigger than a -man's hand; so lost in the strange companionship with the laden beast -bound to the wheel of Life and Death as he was, yet asking no question -of the future, that Tiddu's hand and voice startled him. - -"Huzoor!" he said. "The yellow fakir!" - -They were close on the city of Meerut. The road, dipping down to cross -a depression, left a bank of yellow dust on either side. And on the -eastern one, outlined against the yellow sunrise, sat a motionless -figure. It was naked, and painted from head to foot a bright yellow -color. The closed eyes were daubed over so as to hide them utterly, -and on the forehead, as it is in the image of Siva, was painted -perpendicularly a gigantic eye, wide, set, stony. Before it in the -dust lay the beggar's bowl for alms. - -"The roads part here, Huzoor," said Tiddu. "This to the city; that to -the cantonments." - -As he spoke, a handsome young fellow came swaggering down the latter, -on his way evidently to riotous living in the bazaar. Suddenly he -paused, his hand went up to his eyes as if the rising sun were in -them. Then he stepped across the road and dropped a coin into the -beggar's bowl. Tiddu nodded his head gravely. - -"That man is wanted, Huzoor. That is why he saw. Mayhap he is to give -the word." - -"The word?" echoed Jim Douglas. "You said he was dumb?" - -"I meant the trooper, Huzoor. The fakir wanted him. To give the word, -mayhap. Someone must always give it." - -Jim Douglas felt an odd thrill. He had never thought of that before. -Someone, of course, must always give the word, the speech which -brought more than speech. What would it be? Something soul-stirring, -no doubt; for Humanity had a theory that an angel must trouble the -waters and so give it a righteous cause for stepping in to heal the -evil. - -But what a strange knack the old man had of stirring the imagination -with ridiculous mystery! He felt vexed with himself for his own -thrill, his own thoughts. "He is a very ordinary _yogi_, I should -say," he remarked, looking toward the yellow sunrise, but the figure -was gone. He turned to Tiddu again, with real annoyance. "Well! -Whoever he is, he cannot want me. And I certainly saw him." - -"I willed the Huzoor to see!" replied Tiddu with calm effrontery. - -Jim Douglas laughed. The man was certainly a consummate liar; there -was never any possibility of catching him out. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - THE WORD WENT FORTH. - - -The Procession of the Hours had a weary march of it between the yellow -sunrise and the yellow sunset of the 10th of May, 1857; for the -heavens were as brass, the air one flame of white heat. The mud huts -of the sepoy lines at Meerut looked and felt like bricks baking in a -kiln; yet the torpor which the remorseless glare of noon brings even -to native humanity was exchanged for a strange restlessness. The doors -stood open for the most part, and men wandered in and out aimlessly, -like swarming bees before the queen appears. In the bazaar, in the -city too, crowds drifted hither and thither, thirstily, as if it were -not the fast month of Rumzân, when the Mohammedans are denied the -solace of even a drop of water till sundown. Drifted hither and -thither, pausing to gather closer at a hint of novelty, melting away -again, restless as ever. - -Mayhap it was but the inevitable reaction after the stun and -stupefaction of Saturday, the sudden awakening to the result--namely, -that eighty-five of the best, smartest soldiers in Meerut had been set -to toil for ten years in shackles because they refused to be defiled, -to become apostate. On the other hand, the old Baharupa may have been -right about the yellow fakir: the silent, motionless figure might have -set folk listening and waiting for the word. It was to be seen by all -now sitting outside the city; at least Jim Douglas saw it several -times. Saw, also, that the beggar's bowl was fuller and fuller; but -the impossibility of asserting that all the passers-by saw it, as he -did, haunted him, once the idea presented itself to his mind. It was -always so with Tiddu's mysteries; they were no more susceptible to -disproof than they were to proof. You could waste time, of course, in -this case by waiting and watching, but in the natural course of events -half the passers-by would go on as if they saw nothing, and only one -in a hundred or so would give an alms. So what would be the good? - -No one else, however, among the masters troubled himself to find a -cause for the restlessness; no one even knew of it. To begin with, it -was a Sunday, so that even the bond of a common labor was slackened -between the dark faces and the light. Then a mile or more of waste -deserted land and dry watercourse lay on either side of the broad -white road which split the cantonment into halves. So that the North -knew nothing of what was going on in the South, and while men were -swarming like bees in the sun on one side, on the other they were shut -up in barracks and bungalows gasping with the heat, longing for the -sun to set, and thanking their stars when the chaplain's memo came -round to say that the evening service had been postponed for half an -hour to allow the seething, glowing air to cool a little. - -It was not the heat, however, which prevented Major Erlton from taking -his usual _siesta_. It was thought. He had come over from Delhi on -inspection duty a few days before and had intended returning that -evening; but the morning's post had brought him a letter which upset -all his plans. Alice Gissing's husband had come out a fortnight -earlier than they had expected, and was already on his way up-country. -The crisis had come, the decision must be made. It was not any -hesitation, however, which sent the heavy handsome face to rest in the -big strong hands as he rested his elbows on a sheet of blank paper. He -had made up his mind on the very day when Alice Gissing had first told -him why she could not go back to her husband. The letter forwarding -his papers for resignation was already sealed on the table beside him; -and the surprise was rather a gain than otherwise. Alice could join -him at Meerut now, and they could slip away together to Cashmere or -any out of the way place where there was shooting. That would save a -lot of fuss; and the fear of fuss was the only one which troubled the -Major, personally. He hated to know that even his friends would -wonder--for the matter of that those who knew him best would wonder -most--why he was chucking everything for a woman he had been mixed up -with for years. Yet he had found no difficulty in writing that -official request; none in telling little Allie to join him as soon as -she could. It was this third letter which could not be written. He -took up the pen more than once, only to lay it down again. He began, -"My dear Kate," once, only to tear the sheet to pieces. How could he -call her his when he was going to tell her that she was his no longer; -that the best thing she could do was to divorce him and marry some -other chap to be a father to the boy. - -The thought sent the head into the hands again; for Herbert Erlton was -a healthy animal and loved his offspring by instinct. He had, in -truth, a queer upside-down notion of his responsibilities toward them. -If the fates had permitted it he would have done his best by Freddy. -Shown him the ropes, given him useful tips, stood by his inexperience, -paid his reasonable debts--always supposing he had the wherewithal. - -Then how was he to tell Kate all the ugly story. He had left her in -his thoughts so completely, she had been so far apart from him for so -many years now, that he hesitated over telling her the bare facts, -just as--being conventionally a perfectly well-bred man--he would have -hesitated how to tell them to any innocent woman of his acquaintance. -Rather more so, for Kate--though she was sentimental enough, he told -himself, for two--had never been sensible and looked things in the -face. If she had, it might all have been different. Then with a rush -came the remembrance that Allie did--that she knew him every inch and -was yet willing to come with him. While he? He would stick through -thick and thin to little Allie, who never made a man feel a fool or a -beast. Something in the last assertion seemed to harden his heart; he -took up his pen and began to write: - - -"My Dear Kate: I call you that because I can't think of any other -beginning that doesn't seem foolish; but it means nothing, and I only -want to tell you that circumstances over which we had no control (he -felt rather proud of this circumlocution for a circumstance due -entirely to his volition) make it necessary for me to leave you. It is -the only course open to me as a gentleman. Besides I want to, for I -love Alice Gissing dearly. I am going to marry her, D. V., as soon as -I can. Mr. Gissing may make a fuss--it is a criminal offense, you see, -in India--but we shall tide over that. Of course you could prevent me -too, but you are not that sort. So I have sent in my papers. It is a -pity, in a way, because I liked this work. But it is only a two-year -appointment, and I should hate the regiment after it. For the rest, I -am not such a fool as to think you will mind; except for the boy. It -is a pity for him too, but it isn't as if he were a girl, and the -other may be. It will do no good to say I'm sorry. Besides, I don't -think it is all my fault, and I know you will be happier without me. - - "Yours sincerely, - - "Herbert Erlton. - -"P. S.--It's no use crying over spilled milk. I believe you used to -think I would get the regiment some day, but they would never have -given it to me. I made a bit of a spurt lately, but it couldn't have -lasted to the finish, and after all, that is the win or the lose in a -race. - - "H. E." - - -The postscript was added after rereading the rest with an -uncomfortable remembrance that it was the last letter he meant to -write to her. Then he threw it ready for the post beside the others, -and lay down feeling that he had done his duty. And as he dozed off -his own simile haunted him. From start to finish! How few men rode -straight all the way; and the poor beggars who came to grief over the -last fence weren't so far behind those who came in for the clapping. -It was the finish that did it; that was the win or the lose. But he -would run straight with little Allie--straight as a die! So he lost -consciousness in a glow of virtuous content with the future, and -joined the whole of the northern half of Meerut in their noontide -slumbers; for the future outlook, if not exactly satisfying, was not -sufficiently dubious to keep it awake. - -But in the southern half, humanity was still swarming in and out, -waiting, listening. In one of the mud-huts, however, a company of men -gathered within closed doors had been listening to some purpose. -Listening to an eloquent speaker, the accredited agent of a -down-country organization. He had arrived in Meerut a day or two -before, and had held one meeting after another in the lines, doing his -utmost to prevent any premature action; for the fiat of the leaders -was that there should be patience till the 31st of May. Then, not -until then, a combined blow for India, for God, for themselves, might -be struck with chance of success. - -"Ameen!" assented one old man who had come with him. An old man in a -huge faded green turban with dyed red hair and beard, and with a huge -green waistband holding a curved scimitar. Briefly, a Ghâzee or -Mohammedan fanatic. "Patience, all ye faithful, till Sunday, the 31st -of May. Then, while the hell-doomed infidels are at their evening -prayer, defenseless, fall on them and slay. God will show the right! -This is the Moulvie's word, sent by me his servant. Give the Great -Cry, brothers, in the House of the Thief! Smite ye of Meerut, and we -of Lucknow will smite also." His wild uncontrolled voice rolled on in -broad Arabic vowels from one text to another. - -"And we of Delhi will smite also," interrupted the wearer of a rakish -Moghul cap impatiently. "We will smite for the Queen." - -"The Queen?" echoed an older man in the same dress. "What hath the -Sheeah woman to do with the race of Timoor?" - -"Peace! peace! brothers," put in the agent with authority. "These -times are not for petty squabbles. Let who be the heir, the King must -reign." - -A murmur of assent rose; but it was broken in upon by a dissentient -voice from a group of troopers at the door. - -"Then our comrades are to rot in jail till the 31st? That suits not -the men of the 3d Cavalry." - -"Then let the 3d Cavalry suit itself," retorted the agent fearlessly. -"We can stand without them. Can they stand without us? Answer me, men -of the 20th; men of the 11th." - -"There be not many of us here," muttered a voice from a dark corner; -"and maybe we could hold our own against the lot of you." It was -Soma's, and the man beside him frowned. But the agent who knew every -petty jealousy, every private quarrel of regiment with regiment, went -on remorselessly. "Let the 3d swagger if it choose. The Rajpoots and -Brahmins know how to obey the stars. The 31st is the auspicious day. -That is the word. The word of the King, of the Brahmins, of India, of -God!" - -"The 31st! Then slay and spare not! It is _jehad! Deen! Deen! Futteh -Mohammed!_" said the Ghâzee. - -The cry, though a mere whisper, electrified the Mohammedans, and an -older man in the group of dissentients at the door muttered that he -could hold his troop--if others who had risen to favor quicker than -he--could hold theirs. - -"I'll hold mine, Khân sahib, without thine aid," retorted a very young -smart-looking native officer angrily. "That is if the women will hold -their tongues. But, look you, my troop held the hardest hitters in the -3d. And Nargeeza's fancy is of those in jail. Now Nargeeza leads all -the other town-women by the nose; and that means much to men who be -not all saints like Ghâzee-_jee_ yonder, who ties the two ends of life -with a ragged green turban and a bloody banner!" - -"And I see not why our comrades should stay yonder for three weeks, -when there is but a native guard to hold them, and I and mine have -made the _Sirkar_ what it is," put in a man with arrogance and -insolence written on him from top to toe; a true type of the pampered -Brahmin sepoy. - -"Rescue them if thou wilt, Havildar-_jee_," sneered the agent. "But -the man who risks our plot will be held traitor by the Council. And -the men of the 11th," he added sharply, turning to the corner whence -Soma's voice had come, "may remember that also. They have had the -audacity to stipulate for their Colonel's life." - -"For our officers lives, _baboo-jee_," came the voice again, bold as -the agent's. "We of the 11th kill not men who have led us to victory. -And if this be not understood I, Soma, Yadubansi, go straight to the -Colonel and tell him. We are not butchers in the 11th: Oh, priest of -Kâli!" - -The agent turned a little pale. He did not care to have his calling -known, and he saw at a glance that his challenger had the reckless -fire of hemp in his eyes. He had indeed been drinking as a refuge from -the memory of the sweeper's broom and from the taunts and threats -which had been used to force him to join the malcontents. Such a man -was not safe to quarrel with, nor was the audience fit for a -discussion of that topic; there was already a stir in it, and -mutterings that butchery was one thing, fighting another. - -"Pay thy Colonel's journey home if thou likest, Rajpoot-_jee_," he -said with a sneer. "Ay! and give him pension, too! All we want is to -get rid of them. And there will be plenty of loot left when the -pension is paid, for it is to be each man for himself when the time -comes. Not share and share alike with every coward who will not risk -his life in looting, as it is with the _Sirkar_." - -It was a deft red-herring to these born mercenaries, and no more was -said. But as the meeting dispersed by twos and threes to avoid notice, -the agent stood at the door giving the word in a final whisper: - -"Patience till the 31st." - -"Willst take a seat in our carriage, Ghâzee-_jee_," said a fat native -officer as he passed out. "'Tis at thy service since thou goest to -Delhi and we must return to-night. God knows we have done enough to -damn us at Meerut over this court-martial! But what would you? If we -had not given the verdict for the Huzoors there would have been more -of us in jail. So we bide our time like the rest. And to-morrow there -is the parade to hear the sentence on the martyrs at Barrackpore. Do -the sahibs think us cowards that they drive us so? God smite their -souls to hell!" - -"He will, brother, he will. The Cry shall yet be heard in the House of -the Thief," said the Ghâzee fiercely, his eyes growing dreamy with -hope. He was thinking of a sunset near the Goomtee more than a year -ago, when he had bid every penny he possessed for his own, in vain. - -"Well, come if thou likest," continued the native officer. "That camel -of thine yonder is lame, and we have room. 'Twas Erlton sahib's dâk by -rights, but he goes not; so we got it cheap instead of an _ekka_." - -"Erlton sahib's!" echoed the fanatic, clutching at his sword. "Ay! -Ay!" he went on half to himself. "I knew he was at Delhi, and -the mem who laughed, and the other mem who would not listen. Nay! -Soubadar-_jee!_ I travel in no carriage of Erlton sahib's. My camel -will serve me." - -"'Tis the vehicle of saints," sneered the owner of the rakish Moghul -cap. "Verily, when I saw thee mounted on it, Ghâzee-_jee_, I deemed -thee the Lord Ali." - -"Peace! scoffer," interrupted the fanatic, "lest I mistake thee for an -infidel." - -The Moghul ducked hastily from a wild swing of the curved sword, and -moved off swearing such firebrands should be locked up; they might set -light to the train ere wise men had it ready. - -"No fear!" said the smart young troop-sergeant of the 3d. "Who listens -to such as he save those whose blood has cooled, and those whose blood -was never hot? The fighters listen to women who can make their flame." - -Soma, who was drifting with them toward the drug-shops of the city, -scowled fiercely. "That may suit thee, Mussulman-_jee_, who art -casteless, and can sup shares with sweeper women in the bazaar; but -the Rajpoot needs no harlot to teach him courage. The mothers of his -race have enough and to spare." - -"_Loh!_ hark to him!" jibed the corporal of the 20th, who was sticking -to his prey like a leech. "Ask him, Havildar-_jee_, if he prefers a -sweeper's broom to a sweeper's lips." - -There was a roar of laughter from the group. - -Soma gave a beast-like cry, looked as though he were about to spring, -then--recognizing his own helplessness--flung himself away from all -companionship and walked home moodily. They had driven him too far; he -would not stand it. If that tale was spread abroad, he would side with -the Huzoors who did not believe such things--with the Colonel who -understood, like the Colonel before him who had gone home on pension; -for the 11th had a cult of their officers. And these fools, his -countrymen, thought to make him a butcher by threats; sought to make -him take revenge for what deserved revenge. For it was the _Sirkar's_ -fault--it was the _Sirkar's_ fault. - -In truth a strange conflict was going on in this man's mind, as it was -in many another such as his, between inherited traditions, making -alike for loyalty and disloyalty. There was the knowledge of his -forbears' pride in their victories, in their sahibs who had led them -to victory, and the knowledge of their pride in the veriest jot or -tittle of ceremonial law. A dull, painful amaze filled him that these -two broad facts should be in conflict; that those, whom in a way he -felt to be part of his life, should be in league against him. All the -more reason, that, for showing them who were the better men; for -standing up fairly to a fair fight. By all the delights of Swargal he -would like to stand up fair, even to the master--the man who, in his -presence, had shot three tigers on foot in half an hour--the demi-god -of his hunting yarns for years. - -And then, suddenly, he remembered that this hero of his might be shot -like a dog on the 31st at Delhi--would be shot, since he was certain -to be in the front of anything. Soma's heat-fevered, hemp-drugged -brain seized on the thought fiercely, confusedly. That must not be! -The master, at any rate, must be warned. He would go down when the sun -set, and see if he were still where he had been the day before; and if -not?--Why! then it must be two days leave to Delhi! He was not going -to butcher the master for all the sweepers' brooms in the world. -Fools! those others, to think to drive him, Soma, Chundrabansi! So he -flung himself on his string bed to sleep till the sunset came, and the -tyranny of heat be overpast. - -But there was one, close by in the cantonment bazaar, who waited for -sunset with no desire for it to bring coolness. She meant it to bring -heat instead. And this was Nargeeza the courtesan. She was past the -prime of everything save vice, a woman who, once all-powerful, could -not hope for many more lovers; and hers, a man rich beyond most -soldiers, lay in jail for ten years. No wonder, then, that as she lay -half-torpid among a heap of tawdry finery in the biggest house of the -lane set apart by regulation for such as she, there was all the venom -of a snake in her drowsy brain. The air of the low room was deadly -with a scent of musk and roses and orange-blossom-oil. The half-dozen -girls and women who lounged in it, or in the balcony, were half -undressed, their bare brown arms flung carelessly upon dirty mats and -torn quilts. Their harvest time was not yet; that would come later -when sunsetting brought the men from the lines. This, then, was the -time for sleep. But Nargeeza, recognized head of the recognized -regimental women, sat up suddenly and said sharply: - -"Thou didst not tell me, Nasiban, what Gulâbi said. Is she of us?" - -A drowsy lump of a girl stirred, yawned, and answered sullenly, "Yea! -Yea! she is of us. She claims our right to kiss no cowards--no -cowards." - -The voice tailed off into sleep again, and Nargeeza lay back with a -smile of content to wait also. So, after a time, folk began to stir in -the bungalows. First in the rest-house, where, oddly enough, Jim -Douglas occupied one end of the long low barrack of a place, and -Herbert Erlton the other. The former having come back from the city in -an evil temper to get something to eat before starting for Delhi, had -found his horse, the Belooch, unaccountably indisposed; Jhungi, who -had brought her there safely, professing entire ignorance of the -cause, or, on pressure, suggesting the nefarious Bhungi. Tiddu -asserting--with a calm assumption of superior knowledge, for which Jim -Douglas could have kicked him--that the mare had been drugged. As if -anybody could not tell that? And that the drug had been opium. To -which the old scoundrel had replied affably that in that case the -effects would pass off during the night, and the mare be none the -worse; no one be any the worse, since the Huzoor was quite comfortable -in Meerut, and could _easily stay another day_. It was a nicer place -than Delhi; there were more sahibs in it, and the presence of the -"_ghora logue_" (_i. e_., English soldiers) kept everyone virtuous. - -His hearer looked at him sharply. Here was some other trick, no doubt, -to cozen him out of another five rupees; for something, maybe, as -useless as the yellow fakir. And there was really no reason for delay; -it was only a case of walking the mare quietly. For the matter of -that, the exercise would do her good, and help her to work off the -effects of the drug. So he would start sooner, that was all. -Nevertheless he gave an envious look at the Major's little Arab in the -next stall. It would most likely be marching back to Delhi that night, -and he would have given something to ride it again. But as he was -returning from the stables, he learned by chance that the Major's -plans had been altered. An orderly was coming from his room with -letters and a telegram, and knowing the man, Jim Douglas asked him to -take one for him also, and so save trouble. It did not take long to -write, for it only contained one word, "No." It was in reply to one he -had received a few hours before from the military magnate, asking him -to do some more work. And as the orderly stowed away the accompanying -rupee carefully, Jim Douglas--waiting to make over the paper--saw -quite involuntarily that the Major's telegram also consisted of one -word, "Come." And he saw the name also; big, black, bold, in the -Major's handwriting. "Gissing, Delhi." - -He gave a shrug of his shoulders as he turned away to get ready for -his start. So that was it; and even Kate Erlton had not benefited by -his sacrifice. No one had benefited. There had been no chance for any -of them. "Come!" That ended Kate Erlton's hope of concealment, the -Major's career. "No!" That ended his own vague ambitions. Still, it -was a strange chance in itself that those two laconic renunciations -should go the same day by the same hand. No stranger telegrams, he -thought, could have left Meerut, or were likely to leave it that -night. - -He was wrong, however. An hour or two later, the strangest telegram -that ever came as sole warning to an Empire that its very foundation -was attacked, left Meerut for Agra; sent by the postmaster's niece. - -"The Cavalry," it ran, "have risen, setting fire to their own houses -besides having killed and wounded all European officers and soldiers -they could find near the lines. If Aunt intends starting to-morrow, -please detain her, as the van has been prevented from leaving the -station." - -For, as Jim Douglas paced slowly down the Mall toward Delhi, and Soma, -his buckles gleaming, his belts pipe-clayed to dazzling whiteness, was -swaggering through the bazaar on his way to the rest-house with his -word of warning--the word which would have given Jim Douglas the power -for which he had longed--another word was being spoken in that lane of -lust, where the time had come for which Nargeeza had waited all day. -But _she_ did not say it. It was only a big trollop of a girl hung -with jasmine garlands, painted, giggling. - -"We of the bazaar kiss no cowards," she said derisively. "Where are -your comrades?" - -The man to whom she said it, a young dissolute-faced trooper, dressed -in the loose rakish muslins beloved of his class--the very man, -perchance, who had gone cityward that morning, and dropped an alms -into the yellow fakir's bowl--stood for a second in the stifling, -maddening atmosphere of musk and rose and orange-blossom; stood before -all those insolent allurements, balked in his passion, checked in his -desires. Then, with an oath, he dashed from her insulting charms; -dashed into the street with a cry: - -"To horse! To horse, brothers! To the jail! to our comrades!" - -The word had been spoken. The speech which brings more than speech, -had come from the painted lips of a harlot. - -The first clang of the church bell--which the chaplain had forgotten -to postpone--came faintly audible across the dusty plain, making other -men pause and look at each other. Why not? It was the hour of -prayer--the appointed time. Their comrades could be easily -rescued--there was but a native guard at the jail. And hark! from -another pair of painted derisive lips came the same retort, flung from -a balcony. - -"_Trra! We of the bazaar kiss no cowards!_" - -"To horse! To horse! Let the comrades be rescued first; and then----" - -The word had been spoken. Nothing so very soul-stirring after all. No -consideration of caste or religion, patriotism or ambition. Only a -taunt from a pair of painted lips. - - - - - - BOOK III. - - FROM DUSK TO DAWN. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - NIGHT. - - -"To the rescue! To the rescue!" - -The cry was no more than that at first. To the rescue of the -eighty-five martyrs, the blows upon whose shackles still seemed to -echo in their comrades' ears. Even so, the cry heard by Soma as he -passed through the bazaar meant insubordination--the greatest crime he -knew--and sent him flying to his own lines to give the alarm. Sent him -thence by instinct, oblivious of that promise for the 31st--or perhaps -mindful of it and seeing in this outburst a mere riot--to his -Colonel's house with twenty or thirty comrades clamoring for their -arms, protesting that with them they would soon settle matters for the -Huzoors. But suspicion was in the air, and even the Colonel of the -11th could not trust all his regiment. Ready for church, he flung -himself on his horse and raced back with the clamoring men to the -lines. - -And by this time there was another race going on. Captain Craigie's -faithful troop of the 3d Cavalry were racing after his shout of -"_Dau-ro! bhai-yan, Dau-ro!_" (Ride, brothers, ride!) toward the jail -in the hopes of averting the rescue of their comrades. For, as the -records are careful to say, he and his troop "were dressed as for -parade"--not a buckle or a belt awry--ready to combat the danger -before others had grasped it, and swiftly, without a thought, went for -the first offenders. Too late! the doors were open, the birds flown. - -What next was to be done? What but to bring the troop back without a -defaulter--despite the taunts of escaping convicts, the temptations of -comrades flushed by success--to the parade ground for orders. But -there was no one to give them, for when the 3d Cavalry led the van of -mutiny at Meerut their Colonel was in the European cantonment as field -officer of the week, and there he "conceived it his duty to remain." -Perhaps rightly. And it is also conceivable that his absence made no -difference, since it is, palpably, an easier task to make a regiment -mutiny than to bring it back to its allegiance. - -Meanwhile the officers of the other regiments, the 11th and the 20th, -were facing their men boldly; facing the problem how to keep them -steady till that squadron of the Carabineers should sweep down, -followed by a company or two of the Rifles at the double, and turn the -balance in favor of loyalty. It could not be long now. Nearly an hour -had passed since the first wild stampede to the jail. The refuse and -rabble of the town were by this time swarming out of it, armed with -sticks and staves; the two thousand and odd felons released from the -jails were swarming in, seeking weapons. The danger grew every second, -and the officers of the 11th, though their men stood steady as rocks -behind them, counted the moments as they sped. For on the other side -of the road, on the parade ground of the 20th regiment, the sepoys, -ordered, as the 11th had been, to turn out unarmed, were barely -restrained from rushing the bells by the entreaties of their native -officers; the European ones being powerless. - -"Keep the men steady for me," said Colonel Finnis to his second in -command; "I'll go over and see what I can do." - -He thought the voice of a man loved and trusted by one regiment, a man -who could speak to his sepoys without an interpreter, might have power -to steady another. - -_Jai bahâduri!_ (Victory to courage!) muttered Soma under his breath -as he watched his Colonel canter quietly into danger. And his finger -hungered on that hot May evening for the cool of the trigger which was -denied him. - -_Jai bahâduri!_ A murmur seemed to run through the ranks, they dressed -themselves firmer, squarer. Colonel Finnis, glancing back, saw a sight -to gladden any commandant's heart. A regiment steady as a rock, drawn -up as for parade, absolutely in hand despite that strange new sound in -the air. The sound which above all others gets into men's brains like -new wine. The sound of a file upon fetters--the sound of escape, of -freedom, of license! It had been rising unchecked for half an hour -from the lines of the 3d, whither the martyrs had been brought in -triumph. It was rising now from the bazaar, the city, from every -quiet corner where a prisoner might pause to hack and hammer at his -leg-irons with the first tool he could find. - -What was one man's voice against this sound, strengthened as it was by -the cry of a trooper galloping madly from the north shouting that the -English were in sight? What more likely? Had not ample time passed for -the whole British garrison to be coming with fixed bayonets and a -whoop, to make short work of unarmed men who had not made up their -minds? - -That must be no longer! - -"Quick! brothers. Quick! Kill! Kill! Down with the officers! Shoot ere -the white faces come!" - -It was a sudden wild yell of terror, of courage, of sheer cruelty. It -drowned the scream of the Colonel's horse as it staggered under him. -It drowned his steady appealing voice, his faint sob, as he threw up -his hands at the next shot, and fell, the first victim to the Great -Revolt. - -It drowned something else also. It drowned Soma's groan of wild, -half-stupefied, helpless rage as he saw his Colonel fall,--the sahib -who had led him to victory,--the sahib whom he loved, whom he was -pledged to save. And his groan was echoed by many another brave man in -those ranks, thus brought face to face suddenly with the necessity for -decision. - -"Steady, men, steady!" - -That call, in the alien voice, echoed above the whistling of the -bullets as they found a billet here and there among the ranks; for the -men of the 20th, maddened by that fresh murder, now shot wildly at -their officers. - -"Steady, men! Steady, for God's sake!" - -The entreaty was not in vain; they were steady still. Ay, steady, but -unarmed! Steady as a rock still, but helpless! - -Helpless, unarmed! By all the gods all men worshiped, men could not -suffer that for long, when bullets were whistling into their ranks. - -So there was a waver at last in the long line. A faint tremble, like -the tremble of a curving wave ere it falls. Then, with a confused -roar, an aimless sweeping away of all things in its path, it broke as -a wave breaks upon a pebbly shore. - -"To arms, brothers! Quick! fire! fire!" - -Upon whom?[2] God knows! Not on their officers, for these were already -being hustled to the rear, hustled into safety. - -"Quick, brothers, quick! Kill! Kill!" - -The cry rose on all sides now, as the wave of revolt surged on. But -there was none left to kill; for the work was done in the 20th lines, -and no new white faces came to stem the tide. Two thousand and odd -Englishmen who might have stemmed it being still on the parade-ground -by the church, waiting for orders, for ammunition, for a General, for -everything save--thank Heaven!--for courage. - -So the wave surged on, to what end it scarcely knew, leaving behind it -groups of sullen, startled faces. - -"Whose fault but their own?" muttered an old man fiercely; an old man -whose son served beside him in the regiment, whose grandson was on the -roster for future enlistment. "Why were we left helpless as new-born -babes?" - -"Why?" echoed a scornful voice from the gathering clusters of -undecided men, waiting, with growing fear, hope, despair, or triumph, -for what was to come next: waiting, briefly, for the master to come, -or not to come. "Why? because they were afraid of us; because their -time is past, baba jee. Let them go!" - -Let them go. Incomprehensible suggestion to that brave worn stiff in -the master's service; so, with a great numb ache in an old heart, an -old body strode away, elbowing younger ones from its path savagely. - -"Old Dhurma hath grown milksop," jeered one spectator; "that is with -doing dry-nurse to his Captain's babies." - -The words caught the old man's ear and sent a quick decision to his -dazed face. The baba logue! Yes; they must be safeguarded; for ominous -smoke began to rise from neighboring roof-trees, and a strange note of -sheer wild-beast ferocity grew to the confused roar of the drifting, -shifting, still aimless crowd. - -"Quick, brothers, quick! Kill, root and branch! Why dost linger? Art -afraid? Afraid of cowards? Quick--kill everyone!" - -The cry, boastful, jeering, came from a sepoy in the uniform of the -20th, who, with a face ablaze with mad exultation, forced his way -forward. There was something in his tone which seemed to send a shiver -of fresh excitement through his comrades, for they paused in their -strange, aimless tumult, paused and listened to the jeers, the -reproaches. - -"What! art cowards too?" he went on. "Then follow me. For I began -it--I fired the first shot--I killed the first infidel. I----" - -The boast never ended, for above it came a quicker cry: "Kill, kill, -kill the traitor! Kill the man who betrayed us." - -There was a rush onward toward the boastful, arrogant voice, the -report of half a dozen muskets, and the crowd surged on to revolt over -the body of the man who had fired the first shot of the mutiny. - -For it was a strange crowd indeed; most of it powerless for good or -ill, sheep without a shepherd, wandering after the rabble of escaped -convicts and the refuse of bazaars as they plundered and fired the -houses. Joining in in the license helplessly, drifting inevitably to -violence, so that some looked on curiously, unconcernedly, while -others, maddened by the smell of blood, the sounds of murder, dragged -helpless Englishmen and Englishwomen from their carriages and did them -to death savagely. - -But there were more like Soma, who, as the darkness deepened and the -glare and the dire confusion and dismay grew, stood aloof from it -voluntarily, waiting, with a certain callousness, to see if the master -would come, or if folk said true when they declared his time was past, -his day done. - -Where was he? He should have come hours ago, irresistible, -overwhelming. But there was no sign. Not a hint of resistance, save -every now and again a clatter of hoofs through the darkness, an alien -voice calling "Mâro! Mâro!" to those behind him, and a fierce howl of -an echo, "Mâro! Mâro! Mâ-roh!" from the faithful troop. For Captain -Craigie, finding none to help him, had changed his cry. It was "kill, -kill, kill" now. And the faithful troop obeyed orders. - -Soma when he heard it gave a great sigh. If there had been more of -that sort of thing he would dearly have loved to be in it; but the -other was butchery. So he wandered alone, irresolute, drifting -northward from the dire confusion and dismay, and crossing the Mall to -question a sentry of his own regiment as to what had happened to the -masters. But the man replied by eager questions as to what had -happened to the servants. And they both agreed that if the two -thousand could not quell a riot it would be idle to help them, the -Lord's hand being so palpably against them. - -Nevertheless, half an hour afterward the sentry still waited at his -post, and the guard over the Treasury saluted as if nothing unusual -was afoot to a group of Englishmen galloping past. - -"Those men know nothing," called Major Erlton to another man. "It -can't be so bad. Surely something can be done!" - -"Something should have been done two hours ago," came a sharp voice. -"However, the troops have started at last. If anyone----" - -The remainder was lost in the clatter. But more than one man's voice -had been lost in those two hours at Meerut on the 10th of May, 1857; -indeed, everything seems to have been lost save--thank Heaven once -more!--personal courage. - -It was now near eight o'clock, and Soma, skulking by the Mall, midway -between the masters and the men, still irresolute, still uncertain, -heard the first cry of "To Delhi! to Delhi!" which, as the night wore -on, was to echo so often along that road. The cry which came unbidden -as the astounding success of the revolt brought thoughts of greater -success in the future. - -The moon was now rising to silver the dense clouds of smoke which hung -above the pillars of flame, and give an additional horror of light to -the orgies going on unchecked. It showed him a group of 3d Cavalry -troopers galloping madly down the Mall. It showed them the glitter of -his buckles, making them shout again: - -"To Delhi, brother, to Delhi!" - -Not yet. He had not seen the upshot yet. He must go and see what was -going on in the lines first. So he struck rapidly across the open as -the quickest way. And then behind him, close upon him, came another -clatter of hoofs, a very different cry. - -"_Shâh bash! bhaiyân. Mâro! Mâro!_" - -Remembering the glitter of his buckles, he turned and ran for the -nearest cover. None too soon, for a Mohammedan trooper was after him, -shouting "_Deen! Deen!_ Death to the Hindoo pig!" For any cry comes -handy when the blood is up and there is a saber in the hand. Soma had -to double like a hare, and even so, when he paused to get his breath -in a tangle of lime-bushes there was a graze on his cheek. He had -judged his distance in one of those doubles a hair's breadth too -little. The faint trickle of blood sent a spasm of old inherited race -hatred through him. The outcaste should know that the Hindoo pig shot -straight. The means of showing this were not far to find in the track -of the faithful troop. Five minutes after, Soma, with a musket dragged -from beneath something which lay huddled up face down upon Mother -Earth, was crouching in a belt of cover, waiting for the troop to come -flashing through the glare seeking more work. For there had been yells -and screams enough round that bungalow to stop looting there. And as -it came number seven bent lower to his saddle bow suddenly, then -toppled over with a clang. - -"Left wheel! clear those bushes!" came the order sharply. But Soma was -too quick for that. - -"Close up. Forward!" came the order again, as Captain Craigie's -faithful troop went on, minus a man, and Soma, stumbling breathlessly -in safety, knew that the die was cast. There was an answering quiver -in his veins which comes when like blood has been spilled. He knew his -foe now; he could go to Delhi now. And hark! There was a regular -rattle of musketry, at last--not the dropping fire of mere butchery, -but a regular volley. He gripped his musket tighter and listened: if -the battle had begun he must be in it. The air was full of cracklings -and hissings--an inarticulate background to murderous yells, terrified -screams, horrors without end; but no more volleys came to tell of -retribution. - -What did it mean? Soma held his breath hard. Hark! what was that? A -louder burst of that recurring cry, "To Delhi! to Delhi!" as the -last stragglers of the 3d Cavalry, escaping from the lines at the -long-delayed appearance there of law and order, followed their -comrades' example. - -So that the two thousand coming down in force found nothing but the -women and children; poor, frightened, terror-struck hostages, left -behind, inevitably, in the unforeseen success. - -But Soma, knowing nothing of this, waited--that grip on his musket -slackening--for the next volley. But none came. Only, suddenly, a -bugle call. - -The retreat! - -Incredible! Impossible! Yes! Once, twice, thrice--the retreat! The -masters were not going to fight at Meerut then, and he must try Delhi. -So, turning swiftly, he cut into the road behind the cry. - -"My God, Craigie! what's that? Not the retreat, surely!" came a boyish -voice from the clatter and rattle of the faithful troop. - -"Don't know! Hurry up all you can, Clark! There's more of the devils -needing cold steel yonder, and I'd like to see to my wife's safety as -soon as I can. _Shâh bâsh bhaiâan Dân-ro. Mâro_." - -"Mâro--Mâ--ro--Mâ----roh!" echoed the howl. What was the retreat to -them when their Captain's voice called to them as brothers? It is idle -to ask the question, but one cannot help wondering if the Captain's -pocket still held the official wigging. For the sake of picturesque -effect it is to be hoped it did. - -Nevertheless it _was_ the retreat. A council of officers had suggested -that since the mutineers were not in their lines, they might be -looting the European cantonments. So the two thousand returned -thither, after firing that one volley into a wood, and then finding -all quiet to the north proceeded to bivouac on the parade ground for -the night. Not a very peaceful spot, since it was within sight and -sound of blazing roof-trees and plundering ruffians. The worst horrors -of that night, we are told, can never be known. Perhaps some people -beg to differ, holding that no horror can exceed the thought of women -and children hiding like hares on that southern side, creeping for -dear life from one friendly shadow to another, and finding help in -dark hands where white ones failed them, within reach of that bivouac. -But the faithful troop did good service, and many another band of -independent braves also. Captain Craigie, finding leisure at last, -found also--it is a relief to know--that some of his own men had -sneaked away from duty to secure his wife's safety when they saw their -Captain would not. And if anything can relieve the deadly depression -which sinks upon the soul at the thought of that horrible lack of -emotion in the north, it is to picture that very different scene on -the south, when Captain Craigie, seeing his only hope of getting the -ladies safely escorted to the European barracks lay in his troopers, -brought the two Englishwomen out to them and said, simply, "Here are -the mems! Save them." - -And then the two score or so of rough men, swashbucklers by birth and -training, flung themselves from their horses, cast themselves at those -alien women's feet with tears and oaths. Oaths that were kept. - -But, on the other side, people were more placid. One reads of -Englishmen watching "their own sleeping children with gratitude in -their hearts to God," with wonderings as "to the fate of their friends -in the south," with anticipations of "what would befall their -Christian brethren in Delhi on the coming morn, who, less happy than -ourselves, had no faithful and friendly European battalions to shield -them from the bloodthirsty rage of the sepoys." - -What, indeed? considering that for two hours bands of armed men had -clattered and marched down that dividing road crying "To Delhi, to -Delhi!" But no warning of the coming danger had been sent thither; the -confusion had been too great. And now, about midnight, the telegraph -wires had been cut. Yet Delhi lay but thirty miles off along a broad -white road, and there were horses galore and men ready to ride them. -Men ready for more than that, like Captain Rosser of the Carabineers, -who pleaded for a squadron, a field battery, a troop, a gun--anything -with which to dash down the road and cut off that retreat to Delhi. -But everything was refused. Lieutenant Mohler of the 11th offered to -ride, and at least give warning; but that offer was also set aside. -And many another brave man, no doubt, bound to obey orders, ate his -heart out in inaction that night, possessing himself in some measure -of patience with the thought that the dawn must see them on that Delhi -road. - -But there was one man who owed obedience to none; who was free to go -if he chose. And he did choose. Ten minutes after it dawned upon -Herbert Erlton that no warning had been given, that no succor would be -sent, he had changed horses for the game little Arab which had once -belonged to Jim Douglas, and was off, to reach Delhi as best he could; -for a woman slept in the very city itself exposed to the first assault -of ruffianism, whom he must save, if he could. So he set his teeth -and rode straight. At first down the road, for the last of the -fugitives had had a good hour's start of him, and he could count on -four or five miles plain sailing. Then, since his object was to head -the procession, and he did not dare to strike across country from his -utter ignorance both of the way or how to ask it, he must give the -road a half-mile berth or so, and, keeping it as a guide, make his way -somehow. There were bridges he knew where he must hark back to the -only path, but he must trust to luck for a quiet interval. - -The plan proved more difficult than he expected. More than once he -found himself in danger from being too close to the disciplined tramp -which he began to overtake about six miles out, and twice he lost -himself from being too far away, by mistaking one belt of trees for -another. Still there was plenty of time if the Arab held out with his -weight. The night was hot and stifling, but if he took it coolly till -the road was pretty clear again he could forge ahead in no time; for -the Arab had the heels of every horse in Upper India. Major Erlton -knew this, and bent over to pat its neck with the pride of certainty -with which he had patted it before many a race which it had won for -him since it had lost one for Jim Douglas. - -So he saved it all he knew; but he rode fourteen stone, and that, over -jumps, must tell. There was no other way, however, that he knew of, by -which an Englishman could head that procession of shouting black -devils. - -One headed already, as it happened; though he was unaware of the -supreme importance of the fact, ignorant of what lay behind him. Jim -Douglas, who had left Meerut all unwitting of that rescue party on its -way to the jail, was still about a mile from the halfway house where -he expected to find his relay. He had had the greatest difficulty in -getting the drugged mare to go at all at first, and more than once had -regretted having refused old Tiddu's advice. She had pulled herself -together a bit, but she was in a drip of sweat and still shaky on her -feet. Not that it mattered, he being close now to Begum-a-bad, with -plenty of time to reach Delhi by dawn. - -He rather preferred to pace slowly, his feet out of the stirrups, his -slight, easy figure dressed, as it always was when in English costume, -with the utmost daintiness, sitting well back in the saddle. For the -glamour of the moonlight, the stillness of the night, possessed him. -Everything so soundless save when the jackals began; there were a -number of them about. A good hunting country; the memory of many a run -in his youthful days, with a bobbery pack, came to him. After all he -had had the cream of life in a way. Few men had enjoyed theirs more, -for even this idle pacing through the stillness was a pleasure. -Pleasure? How many he had had! His mind, reverting from one to -another, thought even of the owner of the golden curl without regret. -She had taught him the religion of Love, the adoration of a spotless -woman. And Zora, dear little Zora, had taught him the purity of -passion. And then his mind went back suddenly to a scene of his -boyhood. A boy of eighteen carrying a girl of sixteen who held a -string of sea-trout midway in a wide, deep ford. And he heard, as if -it had been yesterday, the faint splash of the fish as they slipped -one by one into the water, and felt the fierce fighting of the girl to -be set down, his own stolid resistance, their mutual abuse of each -other's obstinacy and carelessness. Yes! he would like to see his -sisters again, to know that pleasure again. Then his mind took another -leap. Alice Gissing had not struggled in his hold, because she had -been in unison with his ideal of conduct; but if she had not been, she -would have fought as viciously, as unconsciously as any sister. Alice -Gissing, who---- He settled his feet into the stirrups sternly, -thinking of that telegram with its one word "Come," which ended so -many chances. - -Hark! What was that? A clatter of hoofs behind. And something more, -surely. A jingle, a jangle, familiar to a soldier's ears. Cavalry at -the gallop. He drew aside hastily into the shadow of the arcaded trees -and waited. - -Cavalry, no doubt. And the moon shone on their drawn sabers. By -Heaven! Troopers of the 3d! Half a dozen or more! - -"Shâh bâsh, brothers," cried one as they swept past, "we can breathe -our beasts a bit at Begum-a-bad and let the others come up; no need to -reach Delhi ere dawn. The Palace would be closed." - -Delhi! The Palace! And who were the others? That, if they were coming -behind, could soon be settled. He turned the Belooch and trotted her -back in the shadow, straining eyes and ears down the tree-fringed road -which lay so still, so white, so silent. - -Something was on it now, but something silent, almost ghost-like,--an -old man, muttering texts, on a lame camel which bumped along as even -no earthly camel ought to bump. That could not be the "others." - -No! Surely that was a thud, a jingle, a clatter once more. And once -more the glitter of cold steel in the moonlight. Forty or fifty of the -3d this time, with stragglers calling to others still further behind, -"To Delhi! To Delhi! To Victory or Death!" - -As he stood waiting for them all to pass ere he moved, his first -thought was, that with all these armed men at Begum-a-bad there would -be no chance of a remount. Then came a swift wonder as to what had -happened. A row of some sort, of course, and these men had fled. Ere -long, no doubt, a squadron of Carabineers would come rattling after -them. No! That was not cavalry. That was infantry in the distance. -Quite a number of men shouting the same cry. Men of the 20th, to judge -by what he could see. Then the row had been a big one. Still the men -were evidently fugitives. There was that in their recurring cry which -told of almost hopeless, reckless enthusiasm. - -And how the devil was he to get his remount? It was to be at the serai -on the roadside, the very place where these men would rest. Yet he -must get to Delhi, he must get there sharp! The possibility that Delhi -was unwarned did not occur to him; he only thought how he might best -get there in time for the row which must come. Should he wait for the -English troops to come up, and chance his remount being coolly taken -by the first rebel who wanted one? Or, Delhi being not more than -fifteen miles off across country, should he take the mare as far as -she would go, leave her in some field, and do the rest on foot? He -looked at his watch. Half-past one! Say five miles in half an hour. -The mare was good for that. Then ten miles, at five miles an hour. The -very first glimmer of light should see him at the boat-bridge if--if -the mare could gallop five miles. - -He must try her a bit slowly at first. So, slipping across the broad, -white streak of road to the Delhi side, he took her slanting through -the tall tiger grass, for they were close on a nullah which must be -forded by a rather deep ford lower down, since the bridge was denied -to him. About half a mile from the road he came upon the track -suddenly, in the midst of high tamarisk jungle growing in heavy sand, -and the next moment was on the shining levels of the ford. The mare -strained on his hand, and he paused to let her have a mouthful of -water. As she stood there, head down, a horseman at the canter showed -suddenly, silently, behind him, not five yards away, his horse's hoofs -deadened by the sand. - -There was a nasty movement, an ominous click on both sides. But the -moon was too bright for mistakes; the recognition was mutual. - -"My God, Erlton!" he cried, as the other, without a pause, went on -into the ford. "What's up?" - -"Is it fordable?" came the quick question, and as Jim Douglas for an -answer gave a dig with his spurs, the Major slackened visibly; his eye -telling him that the depth could not be taken, save at a walk. - -"What's up?" he echoed fiercely. "Mutiny! murder! I say, how far am I -from Delhi?" - -"Delhi!" cried Jim Douglas, his voice keen as a knife. "By Heaven! you -don't mean they don't know--that they didn't wire--but the troops----" - -"Hadn't started when I left," said the Major with a curse. "I came on -alone. I say, Douglas," he gave a sharp glance at the other's mount -and there was a pause. - -"My mare's beat--been drugged," said Jim Douglas in the swish-swish of -the water rising higher and higher on the horses' breasts, and there -was a curious tone in his voice as if he was arguing out something to -himself. "I've a remount at the serai, but the odds are a hundred to -one on my getting it. I'd given up the chance of it. I meant to take -the mare as many miles across country as she'd go--more, perhaps--for -she feels like falling at a fence, and walk the rest. I didn't know -then----" He paused and looked ahead. The water, up to the girths, -made a curious rushing sound, like many wings. The long, shiny levels -stretched away softly, mysteriously. The tamarisk jungle reflected in -the water seemed almost as real as that which edged the shining sky. A -white egret stood in the shallows; tall, ghostly. - -"I thought it was only--a row." - -The voice ceased again, the breathings of the tired horses had -slackened; there was no sound but that rushing, as of wings, as those -two enemies rode side by side, looking ahead. Suddenly Jim Douglas -turned. - -"You ride nigh four stone heavier than I do, Major Erlton." - -The heavy, handsome face came round swiftly, all broken up with sheer -passion. - -"Do you suppose I haven't been thinking that ever since I saw your -cursed face. And you know the country, and I don't. You know the -lingo, and I don't. And--and--you're a deuce sight better rider than I -am, d----n you! But for all that, it's my chance, I tell you. My -chance, not yours." - -A great surge of sympathy swept through the other man's veins. But the -water was shallowing rapidly. A step or two and this must be decided. - -"It's yours more than mine," he said slowly, "but it isn't ours, is -it? It's the others', in Delhi." - -Herbert Erlton gave an odd sound between a sob and an oath, a savage -jag at the bridle as the little Arab, over-weighted, slipped a bit -coming up the bank. Then, without a word, he flung himself from the -saddle and set to work on the stirrup nearest him. - -"How many holes?" he asked gruffly, as Jim Douglas, with a great ache -in his heart, left the Belooch standing, and began on the other. - -"Three; you're a good bit longer in the leg than I am." - -"I suppose I am," said the Major sullenly; but he held the stirrup -for the other to mount. - -Jim Douglas gathered the reins in his hand and paused. - -"You had better walk her back. Keep more to the left; it's easier." - -"Oh! I'll do," came the sullen voice. "Stop a bit, the curb's too -tight." - -"Take it off, will you? he knows me." - -Major Erlton gave an odd, quick, bitter laugh. "I suppose he does. -Right you are." - -He stood, putting the curb chain into his pocket, mechanically, but -Jim Douglas paused again. - -"Good-by! Shake hands on it, Erlton." - -The Major looked at him resentfully, the big, coarse hand came -reluctantly; but the touch of that other like iron in its grip, its -determination, seemed to rouse something deeper than anger. - -"The odds are on you," he said, with a quiver in his voice. "You'll -look after her--not my wife, she's in cantonments--but in the city, -you know." - -The voice broke suddenly. He threw out one hand in a sort of -passionate despair, and walked over to the Belooch. - -"I'll do everything you could possibly do in my place, Erlton." - -The words came clear and stern, and the next instant the thud of the -Arab's galloping hoofs filled the still night air. The sound sent a -spasm of angry pain through Major Erlton. The chance had been his, and -he had had to give it up because he rode three stone heavier; and, -curse it! knew only too well what a difference a pound or two might -make in a race. - -Nevertheless Jim Douglas had been right when he said the chance was -neither his nor the Major's. For, less than an hour afterward, riding -all he knew, doing his level best, the Arab put his foot in a rat hole -just as his rider was congratulating himself on having headed the -rebels, just as, across the level plain stretching from Ghazeabad to -the only bridge over the Jumna, he fancied he could see a big shadowy -bubble on the western sky, the dome of the Delhi mosque. Put its foot -in a rat hole and came down heavily! The last thing Jim Douglas saw -was--on the road which he had hoped to rejoin in a minute or two--a -strange ghostlike figure. An old man on a lame camel, which bumped -along as even no earthly camel ought to bump. - -As he fell, the rushing roar in his ears which heralds unconsciousness -seemed by a freak of memory to take a familiar rhythm: - - - "La! il-lah-il-Ullaho! La! il-lah-il-Ul-la-ho!" - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - DAWN. - - -The chill wind which comes with dawn swayed the tall grass beyond the -river, and ruffling the calm stretches below the Palace wall died away -again as an oldish man stepped out of a reed hut, built on a sandbank -beside the boat-bridge, and looked eastward. He was a poojari, or -master of ceremonial at the bathing-place where, with the first streak -of light, the Hindoos came to perform their religious ablutions. So he -had to be up betimes, in order to prepare the little saucers of -vermilion and sandal and sacred gypsum needed in his profession; for -he earned his livelihood by inherited right of hallmarking his -fellow-creatures with their caste-signs when they came up out of the -water. Thus he looked out over those eastern plains for the dawn, day -after day. He looks for it still; this account is from his lips. And -this dawn there was a cloud of dust no bigger than a man's hand upon -the Meerut road. Someone was coming to Delhi. - -But someone was already on the bridge, for it creaked and swayed, -sending little shivers of ripples down the calm stretches. The poojari -turned and looked to see the cause; then turned eastward again. It was -only a man on a camel with a strange gait, bumping noiselessly even on -the resounding wood. That was all. - -The city was still asleep; though here and there a widow was stealing -out in her white shroud for that touch of the sacred river without -which she would indeed be accursed. And in a little mosque hard by the -road from the boat-bridge a muezzin was about to give the very first -call to prayer with pious self-complacency. But someone was ahead of -him in devotion, for, upon the still air, came a continuous rolling of -chanted texts. The muezzin leaned over the parapet, disappointed, to -see who had thus forestalled him at heaven's gate; stared, then -muttered a hasty charm. Were there visions about? The suggestion -softened the disappointment, and he looked after the strange, wild -figure, half-seen in the shimmering, shadowy dawn-light, with growing -and awed satisfaction. This was no mere mortal, this green-clad figure -on a camel, chanting texts and waving a scimitar. A vision has been -vouchsafed to him for his diligence; a vision that would not lose in -the telling. So he stood up and gave the cry from full lungs. - -"Prayer is more than sleep! than sleep! than sleep!" - -The echo from the rose-red fortifications took it up first; then one -chanting voice after another, monotonously insistent. - -"Prayer is more than sleep! than sleep! than sleep!" - -And the city woke to another day of fasting. Woke hurriedly, so as to -find time for food ere the sun rose, for it was Rumzân, and one-half -of the inhabitants would have no drop of water till the sun set, to -assuage the terrible drought of every living, growing thing beneath -the fierce May sun. The backwaters lay like a steel mirror reflecting -the gray shadowy pile of the Palace, the poojari--waist-deep in -them--was a solitary figure flinging water to the sacred airts, -absorbed in a thorough purification from sin. - -Then from the serrated line of the Ridge came a bugle followed by the -roll of a time gun. All the world was waking now. Waking to give -orders, to receive them; waking to mark itself apart with signs of -salvation; waking to bow westward and pray for the discomfiture of the -infidel; waking to stand on parade and salute the royal standard of a -ruler, hell-doomed inevitably, according to both creeds. - -A flock of purple pigeons, startled by the sound, rose like cloud -flakes on the light gray sky above the glimmering dome of the big -mosque, then flew westward toward the green fields and groves on the -further side of the town. For the roll of the gun was followed by a -reverberating roll, and groan, and creak, from the boat-bridge. The -little cloud on the Meerut road had grown into five troopers dashing -over the bridge at a gallop recklessly. The poojari, busy now with his -pigments, followed them with his eyes as they clattered straight for -the city gate. They were waking in the Palace now, for a slender hand -set a lattice wide. Perhaps from curiosity, perhaps simply to let in -the cool air of dawn. It was a lattice in the women's apartments. - -The poojari went on rubbing up the colors that were to bring such -spiritual pride to the wearers, then turned to look again. The -troopers, finding the city gate closed, were back again; clamoring for -admittance through the low arched doorway leading from Selimgarh to -the Palace. And as the yawning custodian fumbled for his keys, the men -cursed and swore at the delay; for in truth they knew not what lay -behind them. The two thousand from Meerut, or some of them, of course. -But at what distance? - -As a matter of fact only one Englishman was close enough to be -considered a pursuer, and he was but a poor creature on foot, still -dazed by a fall, striking across country to reach the Raj-ghât ferry -below the city. For when Jim Douglas had recovered consciousness it -had been to recognize that he was too late to be the first in Delhi, -and that he could only hope to help in the struggle. And that tardily, -for the Arab was dead lame. - -So, removing its saddle and bridle to give it a better chance of -escaping notice, he had left it grazing peacefully in a field and -stumbled on riverward, intending to cross it as best he could; and so -make for his own house in Duryagunj for a fresh horse and a more -suitable kit. And as he plodded along doggedly he cursed the sheer -ill-luck which had made him late. - -For he was late. - -The five troopers were already galloping through the grape-garden -toward the women's apartments and the King's sleeping rooms. - -Their shouts of "The King! The King! Help for the martyrs! Help for -the Holy War!" dumfoundered the court muezzin, who was going late to -his prayers in the Pearl Mosque; the reckless hoofs sent a squatting -bronze image of a gardener, threading jasmine chaplets for his gods -peacefully in the pathway, flying into a rose bush. - -"The King! The King! Help! Help!" - -The women woke with the cry, confused, alarmed, surprised; save one or -two who, creeping to the Queen's room, found her awake, excited, -calling to her maids. "Too soon!" she echoed contemptuously. "Can a -good thing come too soon? Quick, woman--I must see the King at -once--nay, I will go as I am if it comes to that." - -"The physician Ahsan-Oolah hath arrived as usual for the dawn -pulse-feeling," protested the shocked tirewoman. - -"All the more need for hurry," retorted Zeenut Maihl. "Quick! Slippers -and a veil! Thine will do, Fâtma; sure what makes thee decent----" She -gave a spiteful laugh as she snatched it from the woman's head and -passed to the door; but there she paused a second. "See if Hafzân be -below. I bid her come early, so she should be. Tell her to write word -to Hussan Askuri to dream as he never dreamed before! And see," her -voice grew shriller, keener, "the rest of you have leave. Go! cozen -every man you know, every man you meet. I care not how. Make their -blood flow! I care not wherefore, so that it leaps and bounds, and -would spill other blood that checked it." She clenched her hands as -she passed on muttering to herself. "Ah! if _he_ were a man--if _his_ -blood were not chilled with age--if I had someone----" - -She broke off into smiles; for in the anteroom she entered was, man or -no man, the representative of the Great Moghul. - -"Ah, Zeenut!" he cried in tones of relief. "I would have sought thee." -The trembling, shrunken figure in its wadded silk dressing gown paused -and gave a backward glance at Ahsan-Oolah, whose shrewd face was full -of alarm. - -"Believe nothing, my liege!" he protested eagerly. "These rioters are -boasters. Are there not two thousand British soldiers in Meerut? Their -tale is not possible. They are cowards fled from defeat; liars, hoping -to be saved at your expense. The thing is impossible." - -The Queen turned on him passionately. "Are not all things possible -with God, and is not His Majesty the defender of the faith!" - -"But not defender of five runaway rioters," sneered the physician. "My -liege! Remember your pension." - -Zeenut Maihl glared at his cunning; it was an argument needing all her -art to combat. - -"Five!" she echoed, passing to the lattice quickly. "Then miracles are -about--the five have grown to fifty. Look, my lord, look! Hark! How -they call on the defender of the faith." - -With reckless hand she set the lattice wide, so becoming -visible for an instant, and a shout of "The Queen! The Queen!" -mingled with that other of "The Faith! The Faith! Lead us, Oh! -Ghâzee-o-din-Bahâdur-shâh, to die for the faith." - -Pale as he was with age, the cry stirred the blood in the King's veins -and sent it to his face. - -"Stand back," he cried in sudden dignity, waving both counselors aside -with trembling, outstretched hands. "I will speak mine own words." - -But the sight of him, rousing a fresh burst of enthusiasm, left him no -possibility of speech for a time. The Lord had been on their side, -they cried. They had killed every hell-doomed infidel in Meerut! They -would do so in Delhi if he would help! They were but an advance guard -of an army coming from every cantonment in India to swear allegiance -to the Pâdishah. Long live the King! and the Queen! - -In the dim room behind, Zeenut Maihl and the physician listened to the -wild, almost incredible, tale which drifted in with the scented air -from the garden, and watched each other silently. Each found in it -fresh cause for obstinacy. If this were true, what need to be -foolhardy? time would show, the thing come of itself without risk. If -this were true, decisive action should be taken at once; and would be -taken. - -But the King, assailed, molested by that rude interrupting loyalty, -above all by that cry of the Queen, felt the Turk stir in him also. -Who were these intruders in the sacred precincts, infringing the -seclusion of the Great Moghul's women? Trembling with impotent -passion, inherited from passions that had not been impotent, he turned -to Ahsan-Oolah, ignoring the Queen, who, he felt, was mostly to blame -for this outrage on her modesty. Why had she come there? Why had she -dared to be seen? - -"Your Majesty should send for the Captain of the Palace Guards and bid -him disperse the rioters, and force them into respect for your royal -person," suggested the physician, carefully avoiding all but the -immediate present, "and your Majesty should pass to the Hall of -Audience. The King can scarce receive the Captain-sahib here in -presence of the Consort." He did not add--"in her present -costume"--but his tone implied it, and the King, with an angry -mortified glance toward his favorite, took the physician's arm. If -looks could kill, Ahsan-Oolah would not, he knew, have supported those -tottering steps far; but it was no time to stick at trifles. - -When they had passed from the anteroom Zeenut Maihl still stood as if -half stupefied by the insult. Then she dashed to the open lattice -again, scornful and defiant; dignified into positive beauty for the -moment by her recklessness. - -"For the Faith!" she cried in her shrill woman's voice, "if ye are -men, as I would be, to be loved of woman, as I am, strike for the -Faith!" - -A sort of shiver ran through the clustering crowd of men below; -the shiver of anticipation, of the marvelous, the unexpected. -The Queen had spoken to them as men; of herself as woman. -Inconceivable!--improper of course--yet exciting. Their blood -thrilled, the instinct of the man to fight for the woman rose at once. - -"Quick, brothers! Rouse the guard! Close the gates! Close the gates!" - -It was a cry to heal all strife within those rose-red walls, for the -dearest wish of every faction was to close them against civilization; -against those prying Western eyes and sniffing Western noses, -detecting drains and sinks of iniquity. So the clamor grew, and faces -which had frowned at each other yesterday sought support in each -other's ferocity to-day, and wild tales began to pass from mouth to -mouth. Men, crowding recklessly over the flower-beds, trampling down -the roses, talked of visions, of signs and warnings, while the -troopers, dismounting for a pull at a pipe, became the center of eager -circles listening not to dreams, but deeds. - -"Dost feel the rope about thy neck, Sir Martyr?" said a bitter jeering -voice behind one of the speakers. And something gripped him round the -throat from behind, then as suddenly loosed its hold, as a shrouded -woman's figure hobbled on through the crowd. The trooper started up -with an oath, his own hand seeking his throat involuntarily. - -"Heed her not!" said a bystander hastily, "'tis the Queen's scribe, -Hafzân. She hath a craze against men. One made her what she is. Go on! -Havildar-jee. So thou didst cut the _mem_ down, and fling the -babe----" - -But the doer of the deed stood silent. He did in truth seem to feel -the rope about his neck. And he seemed to feel it till he died; when -it _was_ there. - -But Hafzân had passed on, and there were no more with words of -warning. So the clamor grew and grew, till the garden swarmed with men -ready for any deed. - -Ahsan-Oolah saw this, and laid a detaining hand on the Captain of the -Guard's arm, who, summoned in hot haste from his quarters over the -Lahore gate, came in by the private way, and proposed to go down and -harangue the crowd. - -"It is not safe, Huzoor," he cried. "My liege, detain him. These men -by their own confession are murderers----" - -The King looked from one to the other doubtfully. Someone must get rid -of the rioters; yet the physician said truth. - -"And if aught befall," added the latter craftily, "your Majesty will -be held responsible." - -The old man's hand fell instantly on the Englishman's arm. "Nay, nay, -sahib! go not. Go not, my friend! Speak to them from the balcony. They -will not dare to violate it." - -So, backed by the sanctity of the Audience Hall of a dead dynasty, the -Englishman stood and ordered the crowd to desist from profaning -privacy in the name of the old man behind him; whose power he, in -common with all his race, hoped and believed to be dead. - -It was sufficient, however, to leave some respect for the royal -person, and make the crowd disperse. To little purpose so far as peace -and quiet went, since the only effect was to send a leaven of revolt -to every corner of the Palace. And the Palace was so full of -malcontents, docked of power, privilege, pensions; of all that makes -life in a Palace worth living. - -So the cry "Close the gates" grew wider. The dazed old King clung to -the Englishman's arm imploring him to stay; but now a messenger came -running to say that the Commissioner-sahib had called and left word -that the Captain was to follow without delay to the Calcutta gate of -the city. The courtiers, who had begun to assemble, looked at each -other curiously; the disturbance, then, had spread beyond the Palace. -Could, then, this amazing tale be true? The very thought sent them -cringing round the old man, who might ere long be King indeed. - -Yet as the Captain dashed at a gallop past the sentries standing -calmly at the Lahore gate, there was no sign of trouble beyond, and he -gave a quick glance of relief back at those cool quarters of his over -the arched tunnel where the chaplain, his daughter, and her friend -were staying as his guests. He felt less fear of leaving them when he -saw that the city was waking to life as always, buckling down quietly -to the burden and heat of a new day. It was now past seven o'clock, -and the sunlight, still cool, was bright enough to cleave all things -into dark or light, shade or shine. Up on the Ridge, the brigade, -after listening to the sentence on the Barrackpore mutineers, was -dispersing quietly; many of the men with that fiat of patience till -the 31st in their minds, for the carriage-load of native officers -returning from the Meerut court-martial had come into cantonments late -the night before. On the roofs of the houses in the learned quarter -women were giving the boys their breakfasts ere sending them off to -school. The milkwomen were trooping in cityward from the country, the -fruit-sellers and hawkers trooping out Ridge-way as usual. The postman -going his rounds had left letters, written in Meerut the day before, -at two houses. And Kate Erlton returning from early church had found -hers and was reading it with a scared face. Alice Gissing, however, -having had that laconic telegram, had taken hers coolly. The decision -had had to be made, since nothing had happened; and Herbert had the -right to make it. For her part, she could make him happy; she had the -knack of making most men happy, and she herself was always content -when the people about her were jolly. So she was packing boxes in the -back veranda of the little house on the city wall. - -Thus she did not see the man who, between six and seven o'clock, ran -breathlessly past her house, as a shortcut to the Court House from the -bridge, taking a message from the toll-keeper to the nearest Huzoor, -the Collector, who was holding early office, that a party of armed -troopers had come down the Meerut road, that more could be seen -coming, and would the Huzoor kindly issue orders. That first and final -suggestion of the average native subordinate in any difficulty. - -Armed men? That might mean much or nothing. Yet scarcely anything -really serious, or warning would have been sent. The Commissioner, -anyhow, must be told. So the Collector flung himself on his horse, -which, in Indian fashion, was waiting under a tree outside the Court -House, and galloped toward Ludlow Castle. No need for that warning, -however, for just by the Cashmere gate he met the man he sought -driving furiously down with a mounted escort to close the city gates. -He had already heard the news.[3] - -Gathering graver apprehensions from this hasty meeting, the Collector -was off again to warn the Resident, then still further to beg help -from cantonments. No delay here, no hesitation. Simply a man on a -horse doing his best for the future, leaving the present for those on -the spot. - -Nor was there delay anywhere. The Commissioner, calling by the way for -the Captain of the Guard, the nearest man with men under him, was at -the gate, giving on the bridge of boats, by half-past seven. The -Resident, calling on his way at the magazine for two guns to sweep the -bridge, joined him there soon after. Too late. The enemy had crossed, -and were in possession of the only ground commanding the bridge. -Nothing remained but to close the gate and keep the city quiet till -the columns of pursuit from Meerut should arrive; for that there was -one upon the road no one doubted. The very rebels clamoring at the -gate were listening for the sound of those following footsteps. The -very fanatics, longing for another blow or two at an infidel to gain -Paradise withal ere martyrdom was theirs, listened too; for during -that moonlit night the certainty of failure had been as myrrh and -hyssop deadening them to the sacrifice of life. - -So the little knot of Englishmen, looking hopefully down the road, -looked anxiously at each other, and closed the river gate; kept it -closed, too, even when the 20th claimed admittance from their friends -the guard within. For the 38th regiment, whose turn it was for city -work, was also rotten to the core. - -But they could not close that way through Selimgarh, though it, in -truth, brought no trouble to the town. The men who chose it being -intriguers, fanatics, the better class of patriots more anxious to -intrench themselves for the struggle within walls, than to swarm into -a town they could not hope to hold. But there were others of different -mettle, longing for loot and license. The 3d Cavalry had many friends -in Delhi, especially in the Thunbi Bazaar; so they made for it by -braving the shallow streams and shifting sandbanks below the eastern -wall, and so gaining the Raj-ghât gate. Here, after compact with vile -friends in that vile quarter, they found admittance and help. For -what? - -Between the bazaar and the Palace lay Duryagunj, full of helpless -Christian women and children; and so, "_Deen! Deen! Futteh Mohammed_," -the convenient Cry of Faith, was ready as, followed by the rabble and -refuse once more, the troopers raced through the peaceful gardens, -pausing only to kill the infidels they met. But like a furious wind -gathering up all vile things in the street and carrying them along for -a space, then dropping them again, the band left a legacy of license -and sheer murder behind it, while it sped on to loot. - -But now the cry of "Close the gates" rose once more, this time from -the shopkeepers, the respectable quarters, the secluded alleys, and -courtyards. And many a door was closed on the confusion and never -opened again, except to pass in bare bread, for four long months. - -"Close the gates! Close the gates! Close the gates!" The cry rose from -the Palace, the city, the little knot of Englishmen looking down the -Meerut road. Yet no one could compass that closing. Recruits swarmed -in through Selimgarh to the Palace. Robbers swarmed in through the -Raj-ghât gate to harry the bazaars. Only through the Cashmere gate, -held by English officers and a guard of the 38th, no help came. The -Collector arriving therein, hot from his gallop to cantonments, found -more wonder than alarm; for death was dealt in Delhi by noiseless cold -steel; and the main-guard having to be kept, in order to secure -retreat and safety to the European houses around it, no one had been -able to leave it. And all around was still peaceful utterly; even the -roar of growing tumult in the city had not reached it. Sonny Seymour -was playing with his parrot in the veranda, Alice Gissing packing -boxes methodically. The Collector galloping past--as, scorning the -suggestion that it was needless risk to go further, he replied -briefly, that he was the magistrate of the town, and struck spurs to -his horse--made some folk look up--that was all. - -But he could scarcely make his way through the growing crowd, which, -led by troopers, was beginning to close in behind the knot of waiting -Englishmen. And once more they looked down the Meerut road as they -heard that some time must elapse ere they could hope for -reinforcement. The guns could not be got ready at a moment's notice; -nor could the Cashmere gate guard leave the post. But the 54th -regiment should be down in about---- In about what? No one asked; but -those waiting faces listened as for a verdict of life and death. - -In about an hour. - -An hour! And not a cloud of dust upon the Meerut road. - -"They can't be long, though, now," said the eldest there hopefully. -"And Ripley will bring his men down at the double. If we go into the -guard-house we can hold our own till then, surely." - -"I can hold mine," replied a young fellow with a rough-hewn homely -face. He gave a curt nod as he spoke to a companion, and together they -turned back, skirting the wall, followed by an older, burlier man. -They belonged to the magazine, and they were off to see the best way -of holding their own. And they found it--found it for all time. - -But fate had denied to those other brave men the nameless something -which makes men succeed together, or die together. Within half an hour -they were scattered helplessly. The Resident, after seeking support -from the city police for one whose name had been a terror to Delhi for -fifty years, and finding insult instead, was flying for dear life -through the Ajmere gate to the open county; The Commissioner, who, -after seizing a musket from a wavering guard beside him and--with the -first shot fired in Delhi--shooting the foremost trooper dead, seems -to have lost hope, with mutiny around and treason beside him, jumped -into his buggy alone and drove off to those cool quarters above the -Palace gate, as his nearest refuge. Their owner, the Captain sought -like refuge by flinging himself into the cover of the dry moat, and -creeping--despite injuries from the fall--along it till some of his -men, faithful so far, seeing him unable for more, carried him to his -own room. - -The Collector! Strangely enough there is no record of what the -Magistrate of the city did, thus left alone. He had been wounded by -the crowd at first, and was no doubt weary after his wild gallopings. -Still he, holding his own so far, managed to gain the same refuge, -somehow. What else could he do alone? One thing we know he could not -do. That is, mount the broad, curving flight of shallow stone stairs -leading to the cool upper rooms. So the chaplain helped him; the -chaplain who had "from an early hour been watching the advance of the -Meerut mutineers through a telescope and feeling there was mischief in -the wind." - -Mischief indeed! and danger; most of all in those rose-red walls -within which refuge had been sought. For the King was back in the -women's apartments listening to the Queen's cozenings and Hussan -Askuri's visions, when that urgent appeal to send dhoolies to convey -the English ladies at the gate to the security of the harem reached -him; reached him in Ahsan-Oolah's warning voice of wisdom. And he -listened to both the wheedling ambition and the crafty policy with a -half-hearing for something beyond it of pity, honor, good faith; while -Hâfzan, pen in hand, sat with her large profoundly sad eyes fixed on -the old man's face, waiting--waiting. - -"If they come here--outcaste! infidel! I go," said Zeenut Maihl. - -"Thou shalt go with a bowstring about thy neck, woman, if I choose," -said the old King fiercely. "Write! girl--the Queen's dhoolies to the -Lahore gate at once." - -So, through the swarms of pensioners quarreling already over new -titles and perquisites, through the groups of excited fanatics -preparing for martyrdom about the Mosque, past Abool-Bukr, three parts -drunk, boasting to ruffling blades of the European mistresses he meant -to keep, the Queen's dhoolies went swaying out of the precincts; all -yielding place to them. And beyond, in the denser, more dangerous -crowd without, they passed easily; for those tinsel-decked, tawdry -canopies, screened with sodden musk and dirt-scented curtains, were -sacred. - -Sacred even to the refuse and rabble of the city, the dissolute -eunuchs, the mob of retainers, palace guards, and blood-drunk -soldierly surging through that long arched tunnel by the Lahore gate, -and hustling to get round that wide arch, and so, a few steps further, -see the Commissioner standing at bay upon that wide curving red-stone -stair that led upward. Standing and thinking of the women above; of -one woman mostly. Standing, facing the wild sea of faces, waiting to -see if that last appeal for help had been heard. - -"Room! Room! for the Queen's dhoolies!" - -The cry echoed above the roar of the crowd. - -At last! He turned, to pass on the welcome news, perchance; but it was -enough--that one waver of that stern face! There was a rush, a cry, a -clang of steel on stone, a fall! And then up those wide curving -stairs, like fiends incarnate, jostled a mad crew, elbowing each -other, cursing each other, in their eagerness for that blow which -would win Paradise. - -Four crowns of glory in the first room, where the chaplain, the -Captain, and the two English girls fell side by side. One in the next, -where the Collector and Magistrate, weary and wounded, still lay -alone. - -"Way! Way! for the Queen's dhoolies!" - -But they had come too late, as all things seemed to come too late on -that fatal 11th of May. - -Too late! Too late! The words dinned themselves into a horseman's -brain, as he dashed out of the compound of a small house in Duryagunj -and headed straight through the bazaar for the little house on the -city wall by the Cashmere gate. And as he rode he shouted: "_Deen! -Deen!_" - -It was a convenient cry, and suited the trooper's dress he wore. He -had had to shoot a man to get it, but he hoped to shoot many more when -he had seen Alice Gissing in safety, and the Meerut column had come -in. It could not be long now. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - DAYLIGHT. - - -Three miles away Kate Erlton sat in her home-like, peaceful drawing -room, feeling dazzled. The sunshine, streaming through the open doors, -seemed to stream into the very recesses of her mind as she sat, still -looking at the letter which she had found half an hour before waiting -for her beside a bunch of late roses which the gardener had laid on -the table ready for her to arrange in the vases. The flowers were -fading fast; the dog-cart waiting outside to take her on to see a sick -friend ere the sun grew hot, shifted to find another shadow; but she -did not move. - -She was trying to understand what it all meant; really--deprived of -her conventional thoughts about such things. And one sentence in the -letter had a strange fascination for her. "I am not such a fool as to -think you will mind. I know you will get on much better without me." - -Of course. She had, in a way, accepted the truth of this years ago. -The fact must have been patent to him also all that time; and she had -known that he accepted it. - -But now, set down in black and white, it forced her into seeing--as -she had never seen before--the deadly injury she had done to the man -by not minding. And then the question came keenly--"Why had she not -minded?" Because she had not been content with her bargain. She had -wanted something else. What? The emotion, the refinement, the -_fin-fleur_ of sentiment. Briefly, what made _her_ happy; what gave -_her_ satisfaction. It was only, then, a question between different -forms of enjoyment; the one as purely selfish as the other. More so, -in a way, for it claimed more and carried the grievance of denial into -every detail of life. She moved restlessly in her chair, confused by -this sudden daylight in her mind; laid down the letter, then took it -up again and read another sentence. - -"I believe you used to think that I'd get the regiment some day; but I -shouldn't--after all, the finish is the win or the lose of a race." - -The letter went down on the table again, but this time her head went -down with it to rest upon it above her clasped hands. Oh! the pity of -it! the pity of it! Yet how could she have avoided standing aloof from -this man's life as she had done from the moment she had discovered she -did not love him? - -Suddenly she stood up, pressing those clasped hands tight to her -forehead as if to hold in her thoughts. The sunlight, streaming in, -shone right into her cool gray eyes, showing in a ray on the iris, as -if it were passing into her very soul. - -If she had been this man's sister, instead of his wife, could she not -have lived with him contentedly enough, palliating what could be -palliated, gaining what influence she could with him, giving him -affection and sympathy? Why, briefly, had she failed to make him what -Alice Gissing had made him--a better man? And yet Alice Gissing did -not love him; she had no romantic sentiment about him. Did she really -lay less stress--she, the woman at whom other women held up pious -hands of horror--on that elemental difference between the tie of -husband and wife, and brother and sister than she, Kate Erlton, did, -who had affected to rise superior to it altogether? It seemed so. She -had asked for a purely selfish gratification of the mind. And Alice -Gissing? A strange jealousy came to her with the thought, not for -herself, but for her husband; for the man who was content to give up -everything for a woman whom he "loved very dearly." That was true. -Kate had watched him for those three months, and she had watched Mrs. -Gissing too, and knew for a certainty the latter gave him nothing any -woman might not have given him if she had been content to put her own -claims for happiness, her own gratification, her own mental passion -aside. So a quick resolve came to her. He must not give up the finish, -the win or the lose of the race, for so little. There was time yet for -the chance. She had pleaded for one with a man a year ago; she would -plead for it with a woman to-day. - -She passed into the veranda hastily, pausing involuntarily ere getting -into the dog-cart before the still, sunlit beauty of that panorama of -the eastern plains, stretching away behind the gardens which fringed -the shining curves of the river. There was scarcely a shadow anywhere, -not a sign to tell that three miles down that river the man with whom -she had pleaded a year ago was straining every nerve to give her and -himself a chance, and that within the rose-lit, lilac-shaded city the -chance of some had come and gone. - -Nor, as she drove along the road intent on that coming interview in -the hot little house upon the wall, was there any sign to warn her of -danger. The Cashmere gate stood open, and the guard saluted as usual. -Perhaps, had the English officers seen her, they might have advised -her return, even though there was as yet no anticipation of danger; -had there been one, the first thought would have been to clear the -neighboring bungalows. But they were in the main-guard, and she set -down the stare of the natives to the fact that nine o'clock was -unusually late for an English lady to be braving the May sun. The road -beyond was also unusually deserted, but she was too busy searching for -the winged words, barbed well, yet not too swift or sharp to wound -beyond possibility of compromise, which she meant to use ere long, to -pay any attention to her surroundings. She did not even catch the -glimpse of Sonny, still playing with the cockatoo, as she sped past -the Seymours' house, and she scarcely noticed the groom's "_Hut! teri, -hut!_" (Out of the way! you there!) to a figure in a green turban, -over which she nearly ran, as it came sneaking round a corner as if -looking for something or someone; a figure which paused to look after -her half doubtfully. - -Yet these same words, which came so readily to her imaginings, failed -her, as set words will, before the commonplace matter-of-fact reality. -If she could have jumped from the dog-cart and dashed into them -without preamble, she would have been eloquent enough; but the -necessary inquiry if Mrs. Gissing could see her, the ushering in as -for an ordinary visit, the brief waiting, the perfunctory hand-shake -with the little figure in familiar white-and-blue were so far from the -high-strung appeal in her thoughts that they left her silent, almost -shy. - -"Find a comfy chair, do," came the high, hard voice. "Isn't it -dreadfully hot? My old Mai will have it something is going to happen. -She has been dikking me about it all the morning. An earthquake, I -suppose; it feels like it, rather. Don't you think so?" - -Kate felt as if one had come already, as, quite automatically, she -satisfied Alice Gissing's choice of "a really--really comfy chair." - -How dizzily unreal it seemed! And yet not more so, in fact, than the -life they had been leading for months past; knowing the truth about -each other absolutely; pretending to know nothing. Well! the sooner -that sort of thing came to an end, the better! - -"I have had a letter from my husband," she began, but had to pause to -steady her voice. - -"So I supposed when I saw you," replied Alice Gissing, without a -quiver in hers. But she rose, crossed over to Kate, and stood before -her, like a naughty child, her hands behind her back. She looked -strangely young, strangely innocent in the dim light of the sunshaded -room. So young, so small, so slight among the endless frills and laces -of a loose morning wrapper. And she spoke like a child also, -querulously, petulantly. - -"I like you the better for coming, too, though I don't see what -possible good it can do. He said in his letter to me he would tell you -all about it, and if he has, I don't see what else there is to say, do -you?" - -Kate rose also, as if to come nearer to her adversary, and so the two -women stood looking boldly enough into each other's eyes. But the -keenness, the passion, the pity of the scene had somehow gone out of -it for Kate Erlton. Her tongue seemed tied by the tameness; she felt -that they might have been discussing a trivial detail in some trivial -future. Yet she fought against the feeling. - -"I think there is a great deal to say; that is why I have come to say -it," she replied, after a pause. "But I can say it quickly. You don't -love my husband, Alice Gissing, let him go. Don't ruin his life." - -Bald and crude as this was in comparison with her imagined appeal, it -gave the gist of it, and Kate watched her hearer's face anxiously to -see the effect. Was that by chance a faint smile? or was it only the -barred light from the jalousies hitting the wide blue eyes? - -"Love!" echoed Alice Gissing. "I don't know anything about love. I -never pretended to. But I can make him happy; you never did." - -There was not a trace of malice in the high voice. It simply stated a -fact; but a fact so true that Kate's lip quivered. - -"I know that as well as you do. But I think I could--now. I want you -to give me the chance." - -She had not meant to put it so humbly; but, being once more the gist -of what she had intended to say, it must pass. There was no doubt -about the smile now. It was almost a laugh, that hateful, inconsequent -laugh; but, as if to soften its effect, a little jeweled hand hovered -out as if it sought a resting-place on Kate's arm. - -"You can't, my dear. It _is_ so funny that you can't see that, when I, -who know nothing about--about all that--can see it quite plainly. You -are the sort of woman, Mrs. Erlton, who falls in love--who must fall -in love--who--don't be angry!--likes being in love, and is unhappy if -she isn't. Now I don't care a rap for people to be thinking, and -thinking, and thinking of me, nothing but me! I like them to be -pleasant and pleased. And I make them so, somehow----" She shrugged -her shoulders whimsically as if to dismiss the puzzle, and went on -gravely, "And you can't make people happy if you aren't happy -yourself, you know, so there is no use in thinking you could." - -It was bitter truth, but Kate was too honest to deny it. There had -always been the sense of grievance in the past, and the sense of -self-sacrifice, at least, would remain in the future. - -"But there are other considerations," she began slowly. "A man does -not set such store by--by love and marriage as a woman. It is only a -bit----" - -"A very small bit," put in Mrs. Gissing, with a whimsical face. - -"A very small bit of his life," continued Kate stolidly, "and if my -husband gives up his profession----" - -Mrs. Gissing interrupted her again; this time petulantly. "I told him -it was a pity--I offered to go away anywhere. I did, indeed! And I -couldn't do more, could I? But when a man gets a notion of honor into -his head----" - -"Honor!" interrupted Kate in her turn, "the less said about honor the -better, surely, between you and me!" - -The wide blue eyes looked at her doubtfully. - -"I never can understand women like you," said their owner. "You -pretend not to care, and then you make so much fuss over so little." - -"So little!" retorted Kate, her temper rising. "Is it little that my -boy should have to know this about his father--about me? You have no -children, Mrs. Gissing! If you had you would understand the shame -better. Oh! I know about the baby and the flowers--who doesn't? But -that is nothing. It was so long ago, it died so young, you have -forgotten----" - -She broke off before the expression on the face before her--that face -with the shadowless eyes, but with deep shadows beneath the eyes and a -nameless look of physical strain and stress upon it--and a sudden -pallor came to her own cheek. - -"So he hasn't told you," came the high voice half-fretfully, -half-pitifully. "That was very mean of him; but I thought, somehow, he -couldn't by your coming here. Well! I suppose I must. Mrs. Erlton----" - -Kate stepped back from her defiantly, angrily. "He has told me all I -need, all I care to know about this miserable business. Yes! he has! -You can see the letter if you like--there it is! I am not ashamed of -it. It is a good letter, better than I thought he could write--better -than you deserve. For he says he will marry you if I will let him! And -he says he is sorry it can't be helped. But I deny that. It can, it -must, it shall be helped! And then he says it's a pity for the boy's -sake; but that it does not matter so much as if it was a girl----" - -It was the queerest sound which broke in on those passionate -reproaches. The queerest sound. Neither a laugh nor a sob, nor a cry; -but something compounded of all three, infinitely soft, infinitely -tender. - -"_And the other may be_," said Alice Gissing in a voice of smiles and -tears, as she pointed to the end of the sentence in the letter Kate -had thrust upon her. "Poor dear! What a way to put it! How like a man -to think you could understand; and I wonder what the old Mai _would_ -say to its being----" - -What did she say? What were the frantic words which broke from the -frantic figure, its sparse gray hair showing, its shriveled bosom -heaving unveiled, which burst into the room and flung its arms round -that little be-frilled white one as if to protect and shield it? - -Kate Erlton gave a half-choked, half-sobbing cry. Even this seemed a -relief from the incredible horror of what had dawned upon her, -frightening her by the wild insensate jealousy it roused--the jealousy -of motherhood. - -"What is it? What does she say?" she cried passionately, "I have a -right to know!" - -Alice Gissing looked at her with a faint wonder. "It is nothing about -_that_," she said, and her face, though it had whitened, showed no -fear. "It's something more important. There has been a row in the -city--the Commissioner and some other Englishmen have been killed and -she says we are not safe. I don't quite understand. Oh! don't be a -fool, Mai!" she went on in Hindustani, "I won't excite myself. I never -do. Don't be a fool, I say!" Her foot came down almost savagely and -she turned to Kate. "If you will wait here for a second, Mrs. Erlton, -I'll go outside with the Mai and have a look round, and bring my -husband's pistol from the other room. You had better stay, really. I -shall be back in a moment. And I dare say it's all the old Mai's -nonsense--she is such a fool about me--nowadays." Her white face; -smiling over its own certainty of coming trouble, was gone, and the -door closed, almost before Kate could say a word. Not that she had any -to say. She was too dazed to think of danger to the little figure, -which passed out into the shady back veranda perched on the city wall, -looking out into the peaceful country beyond. She was too absorbed in -what she had just realized to think of anything else. So this was what -he had meant!--and this woman with her facile nature, ready to please -and be pleased with anyone--this woman content to take the lowest -place--had the highest of all claims upon him. This woman who had no -right to motherhood, who did not know---- - -God in Heaven! What was that through the stillness and the peace? A -child's pitiful scream. - -She was at the closed windows in an instant, peering through the slits -of the jalousies; but there was nothing to be seen save a blare and -blaze of sunlight on sun-scorched grass and sun-withered beds of -flowers. Nothing!--stay!--Christ help us! What was that? A vision of -white, and gold, and blue. White garments and white wings, golden -curls and flaming golden crest, fierce gray-blue beak and claws among -the fluttering blue ribbons. Sonny! His little feet flying and failing -fast among the flower-beds. Sonny! still holding his favorite's chain -in the unconscious grip of terror, while half-dragged, half-flying, -the wide white wings fluttered over the child's head. - -"_Deen! Deen! Futteh Mohammed!_" - -That was from the bird, terrified, yet still gentle. - -"_Deen! Deen! Futteh Mohammed!_" - -That was from the old man who followed fast on the child with long -lance in rest like a pig-sticker's. An old man in a faded green turban -with a spiritual, relentless face. - -Kate's fingers were at the bolts of the high French window--her only -chance of speedy exit from that closed room. Ah! would they never -yield?--and the lance was gaining on those poor little flying feet. -Every atom of motherhood in her--fierce, instinctive, animal, fought -with those unyielding bolts.... - -What was that? Another vision of white, and gold, and blue, dashing -into the sunlight with something in a little clenched right hand. -Childish itself in frills, and laces, and ribbons, but with a face as -relentless as the old man's, as spiritual. And a clear confident voice -rang above those discordant cries. - -"All right, Sonny! All right, dear!" - -On, swift and straight in the sunlight; and then a pause to level the -clenched right hand over the left arm coolly, and fire. The lance -wavered. It was two feet further from that soft flesh and blood when -Alice Gissing caught the child up, turned and ran; ran for dear life -to shelter. - -"_Deen! Deen! Futteh Mohammed!_" - -The cry came after the woman and child, and over them, released by -Sonny's wild clutch at sheltering arms, the bird fluttered, echoing -the cry. - -But one bolt was down at last, the next yielding--Ah! who was that -dressed like a native, riding like an Englishman, who leaped the high -garden fence and was over among the flower-beds where Sonny was being -chased. Was he friend or foe? No matter! Since under her vehement -hands the bolt had fallen, and Kate was out in the veranda. Too late! -The flying sunlit vision of white, and gold, and blue had tripped and -fallen. No! not too late. The report of a revolver rang out, and the -Cry of Faith came only from the bird, for the fierce relentless face -was hidden among the laces, and frills, and ribbons that hid the -withered flowers. - -But the lance? The lance whose perilous nearness had made that shot -Jim Douglas' only chance of keeping his promise? He was on his knees -on the scorched grass choking down the curse as he saw a broken shaft -among the frills and ribbons, a slow stream oozing in gushes to dye -them crimson. There was another crimson spot, too, on the shoulder, -showing where a bullet, after crashing through a man's temples, had -found its spent resting place. But as the Englishman kicked away one -body, and raised the other tenderly from the unhurt child, so as not -to stir that broken shaft, he wished that if death had had to come, he -might have dealt it. To his wild rage, his insane hatred, there seemed -a desecration even in that cold touch of steel from a dark hand. - -But Alice Gissing resented nothing. She lay propped by his arms with -those wide blue eyes still wide, yet sightless, heedless of Kate's -horrified whispers, or the poor old Mai's frantic whimper. Until -suddenly a piteous little wail rose from the half-stunned child to -mingle with that ceaseless iteration of grief. "_Oh! meri buchchi -murgyia!_" (Oh, my girlie is dead!--dead!) - -It seemed to bring her back, and a smile showed on the fast-paling -face. - -"Don't be a fool, Mai. It isn't a girl; it's a boy. Take care of him, -do, and don't be stupid. I'm all right." - -Her voice was strong enough, and Kate looked at Jim Douglas hopefully. -She had recognized him at once, despite his dress, with a faint, dead -wonder as to why things were so strange to-day. But he could feel -something oozing wet and warm over his supporting arm, he knew the -meaning of that whitening face; so he shook his head hopelessly, his -eyes on those wide unseeing ones. She was as still, he thought, as she -had been when he held her before. Then suddenly the eyes narrowed into -sight, and looked him in the face curiously, clearly. - -"It's you, is it?" came the old inconsequent laugh. "Why don't you say -'Bravo!--Bravo!--Bra--'" - -The crimson rush of blood from her still-smiling lips dyed his hands -also, as he caught her up recklessly with a swift order to the others -to follow, and ran for the house. But as he ran, clasping her close, -close, to him, his whispered bravos assailed her dead ears -passionately, and when he laid her on her bed, he paused even in the -mad tumult of his rage, his anxiety, his hope for others to kiss the -palms of those brave hands ere he folded them decently on her breast, -and was out to fetch his horse, and return to where Kate waited for -him in the veranda, the child in her arms. Brave also; but the -certainty that he had left the flood-level of sympathy and admiration -behind him at the feet of a dead woman he had never known, was with -him even in his hurry. - -"I can't see anyone else about as yet," he said, as he reloaded -hastily, "and but for that fiend--that devil of a bird hounding him -on--what did it mean?--not that it matters now"--he threw his hand out -in a gesture of impotent regret and turned to mount. - -Kate shivered. What, indeed, did it mean? A vague recollection was -adding to her horror. Had she driven away once from an uncomprehensible -appeal in that relentless face? when the bird---- - -"Don't think, please," said Jim Douglas, pausing to give her a sharp -glance. "You will need all your nerve. The troops mutinied at Meerut -last night, and killed a lot of people. They have come on here, and I -don't trust the native regiments. Go inside, and shut the door. I must -reconnoiter a bit before we start." - -"But my husband?" she cried, and her tone made him remember the -strangeness of finding her in that house. She looked unreliable, to -his keen eye; the bitter truth might make her rigid, callous, and in -such callousness lay their only chance. - -"All right. He asked me to look after--her." - -He saw her waver, then pull herself together; but he saw also that her -clasp on Sonny tightened convulsively, and he held out his arms. - -"Hand the child to me for a moment," he said briefly, "and call that -poor lady's ayah from her wailing." - -The piteous whimperings from the darkened rooms within ceased -reluctantly. The old woman came with lagging step into the veranda, -but Jim Douglas called to her in the most matter-of-fact voice. - -"Here, Mai! Take your mem's charge. She told you to take care -of the boy, remember." The tear-dim doubtful eyes looked at him -half-resentfully, but he went on coolly. "Now, Sonny, go to your ayah, -and be a good boy. Hold out your arms to old ayah, who has had ever so -many Sonnys--haven't you, ayah?" - -The child, glad to escape from the prancing horse, the purposely rough -arms, held out its little dimpled hands. They seemed to draw the -hesitating old feet, step by step, till with a sudden fierce snatch, a -wild embrace, the old arms closed round the child with a croon of -content. - -Jim Douglas breathed more freely. "Now, Mrs. Erlton," he said, "I -can't make you promise to leave Sonny there; but he is safer with her -than he could be with you. She must have friends in the city. You -haven't _one_." - -He was off as he spoke, leaving her to that knowledge. Not a friend! -No! not one. Still, he need not have told her so, she thought proudly, -as she passed in and closed the doors as she had been bidden to do. -But he had succeeded. A certain fierce, dull resistance had replaced -her emotion. So while the ayah, still carrying Sonny, returned to her -dead mistress, Kate remained in the drawing room, feeling stunned. Too -stunned to think of anything save those last words. Not a friend! Not -one, saving a few cringing shop-keepers, in all that wide city to whom -she had ever spoken a word! Whose fault was that? Whose fault was it -that she had not understood that appeal? - -A rattle of musketry quite close at hand roused her from apathy into -fear for the child, and she passed rapidly into the next room. It was -empty, save for that figure on the bed. The ayah with her charge had -gone, closing the doors behind her; to her friends, no doubt. But she, -Kate Erlton, had none. The renewed rattle of musketry sent her to peer -through the jalousies; but she could see nothing. The sound seemed to -come from the open space by the church, but gardens lay between her -and that, blocking the view. Still it was quite close; seemed closer -than it had been. No doubt it would come closer and closer till it -found her waiting there, without a friend. Well! Since she was not -even capable of saving Sonny, she could at least do what she was -told--she could at least die alone. - -No! not quite alone! She turned back to the bed and looked down on the -slender figure lying there as if asleep. For the ayah's vain hopes of -lingering life had left the face unstained, and the folded hands hid -the crimson below them. Asleep, not dead; for the face had no look of -rest. It was the face of one who dreams still of the stress and strain -of coming life. - -So this was to be her companion in death; this woman who had done her -the greatest wrong. What wrong? the question came dully. What wrong -had she done to one who refused to admit the claims or rights of -passion? What had she stolen, this woman who had not cared at all? -Whose mind had been unsullied utterly. Only motherhood; and that was -given to saint and sinner alike. - -Given rightly here, for those little hands were brave mother-hands. -Kate put out hers softly and touched them. Still warm, still -life-like, their companionship thrilled her through and through. With -a faint sob, she sank on her knees beside the bed and laid her cheek -on them. Let death come and find her there! Let the finish of the -race, which was the win and the lose---- - -"Mrs. Erlton! quick, please!" - -Jim Douglas' voice, calling to her from outside, roused her from a -sort of apathy into sudden desire for life; she was out in the veranda -in a second. - -"The game's up," he said, scarcely able to speak from breathlessness; -and his horse was in a white lather. "I had to see to the Seymours -first, and now there's only one chance I can think of--desperate at -that. Quick, your foot on mine--so--from the step---- Now your hand. -One! two! three! That's right." He had her on the saddle before him -and was off through the gardens cityward at a gallop. "The 54th came -down from the cantonments all right," he went on rapidly, "but shot -their officers at the church--the city scoundrels are killing and -looting all about, but the main-guard is closed and safe as yet. I got -Mrs. Seymour there. I'll get you if I can. I'm going to ride through -the thick of the devils now with you as my prisoner. Do you see--there -at the turn. I'll hark back down the road--it's the only chance of -getting through. Slip down a bit across the saddle bow. Don't be -afraid. I'll hold as long as I can. Now scream--scream like the devil. -No! let your arms slack as if you'd fainted--people won't look so -much--that's better--that's capital--now--ready!" - -He swerved his horse with a dig of the spur and made for the crowd -which lay between him and safety. The words describing the rape of the -Sabine women, over the construing of which he remembered being birched -at school, recurred to him, as such idle thoughts will at such times, -as he hitched his hand tighter on Kate's dress and scattered the first -group with a coarse jest or two. Thank Heaven! She would not -understand these, his only weapons; since cold steel could not be -used, till it had to be used to _prevent_ her understanding. Thank -Heaven, too! he could use both weapons fairly. So he dug in the spurs -again and answered the crowd in its own kind, recklessly. A laugh, an -oath, once or twice a blow with the flat of his sword. And Kate, with -slack arms and closed eyes, lay and listened--listened to a sharper, -angrier voice, a quick clash of steel, a shout of half-doubtful, -half-pleased derision from those near, a jest provoking a roar of -merriment for one who meant to hold his own in love and war. Then a -sudden bound of the horse; a faint slackening of that iron grip on her -waist-belt. The worst of the stream was past; another moment and they -were in a quiet street, another, and they had turned at right-angles -down a secluded alley where Jim Douglas paused to pass his right hand, -still holding his sword, under Kate's head and bid her lean against -him more comfortably. The rest was easy. He would take her out by the -Moree gate--the alleys to it would be almost deserted--so, outside the -walls, to the rear of the Cashmere gate. They were already twisting -and turning through the narrow lanes as he told her this. Then, with a -rush and a whoop, he made for the gate, and the next moment they had -the open country, the world, before them. How still and peaceful it -lay in the sunshine! But the main-guard was the nearest, safest -shelter, so the galloping hoofs sped down the tree-set road along -which Kate generally took her evening drive. - -"And you?" she asked hurriedly as he set her down at the moat and bade -her run for the wicket and knock, while he kept the drawbridge. - -He shook his head. "The reliefs from Meerut must be in soon. If they -started at dawn, in an hour. Besides, I'm off to the Palace to see -what has really happened; information's everything." - -She saw him turn with a wave of his sword for farewell as the wicket -was opened cautiously, and make for the Moree gate once more. As he -rode he told himself there should be no further cause for anxiety on -her account. De Tessier's guns were in the main-guard now, and -reinforcements of the loyal 74th. They could hold their own easily -till the Meerut people smashed up the Palace. They could not be long -now, and the city had not risen as yet. The bigger bazaars through -which he cantered were almost deserted; everyone had gone home. But at -the entrance to an alley a group of boys clustered, and one ran out to -him crying, "Khân-sahib! What's the matter? Folk say people are being -killed, but we want to go to school." - -"Don't," said Jim Douglas as he passed on. He had seen the -schoolmaster, stripped naked, lying on his back in the broad daylight -as he galloped along the College road with Kate over his saddle-bow. - -"_Ari_, brothers," reported the spokesman. "He said '_don't_,' but he -can know naught. He comes from the outside. And we shall lose places -in class if we stop, and others go." - -So in the cheerful daylight the schoolboys discussed the problem, -school or no school; the Great Revolt had got no further than that, as -yet. - -But there was no cloud of dust upon the Meerut road, though straining -eyes thought they saw one more than once. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - NOON. - - -But if the schoolmaster of one school lay dead in the sunlight there -was another, well able to teach a useful lesson, left alive; and his -school remains for all time as a place where men may learn what men -can do. - -For about three hundred yards from the deserted College, about six -hundred from the main-guard of the Cashmere gate, stood the magazine, -to which the two young Englishmen, followed by a burlier one, had -walked back quietly after one of them had remarked that he could hold -his own. For there were gates to be barred, four walls to be seen to, -and various other preparations to be made before the nine men who -formed the garrison could be certain of holding their own. And their -own meant much to others; for with the stores and the munitions of war -safe the city might rise, but it would be unarmed; but with them at -the mercy of the rabble every pitiful pillager could become a recruit -to the disloyal regiments. - -"The mine's about finished now, sir," said Conductor Buckley, saluting -gravely as he looked critically down a line ending in the powder -magazine. "And, askin' your pardon, sir, mightn't it be as well to -settle a signal beforehand, sir; in case it's wanted? And, if you have -no objection, sir, here's Sergeant Scully here, sir, saying he would -look on it as a kind favor----" - -A man with a spade glanced up a trifle anxiously for the answer as he -went on with his work. - -"All right! Scully shall fire it. If you finish it there in the middle -by that little lemon tree, we shan't forget the exact spot. Scully -must see to having the portfire ready for himself. I'll give the word -to you, as your gun will be near mine, and you can pass it on by -raising your cap. That will do, I think." - -"Nicely, sir," said Conductor Buckley, saluting again. - -"I wish we had one more man," remarked the Head-of-the-nine, as he -paused in passing a gun to look to something in its gear with swift -professional eye. "I don't quite see how the nine of us are to work -the ten guns." - -"Oh! we'll manage somehow," said his second in command, "the native -establishment--perhaps----" - -George Willoughby; the Head-of-the-nine, looked at the sullen group of -dark faces lounging distrustfully within those barred doors, and his -own face grew stern. Well, if they would not work, they should at -least stay and look on--stay till the end. Then he took out his watch. - -"Twelve! The Meerut troops will be in soon--if they started at dawn." -There was the finest inflection of scorn in his voice. - -"They must have started," began his companion. But the tall figure -with the grave young face was straining its eyes from the bastion they -were passing; it gave upon the bridge of boats and the lessening white -streak of road. He was looking for a cloud of dust upon it; but there -was none. - -"I hope so," he remarked as he went on. He gave a half-involuntary -glance back, however, to the stunted lemon-bush. There was a black -streak by it, which might be relied upon to give aid at dawn, or dusk, -or noon; high noon as it was now. - -The chime of it echoed methodically as ever from the main-guard, -making a cheerful young voice in the officer's room say, "Well! the -enemy is passing, anyhow. The reliefs can't be long--if they started -at dawn." - -"If they had started when they ought to have started, they would have -been here hours ago," said an older man, almost petulantly, as he rose -and wandered to the door, to stand looking out on the baking court -where his men--the two companies of the 54th, who had come down under -his charge after those under Colonel Riply had shot down their -officers by the church--were lounging about sullenly. These men might -have shot him also but for the timely arrival of the two guns; might -have shot at him, even now, but for those loyal 74th over-awing them. -He turned and looked at some of the latter with a sort of envy. These -men had come forward in a body when the regiment was called upon by -its commandant to give honest volunteers to keep order in the city. -What had they had, which his men had lacked? Nothing that he knew of. -And then, inevitably, he thought of his six murdered friends and -comrades, officers apparently as popular as he, whose bodies were -lying in the next room waiting for a cart to remove them to the Ridge. -For even Major Paterson, saddened, depressed, looked forward to decent -sepulture for his comrades by and by--by and by when the Meerut troops -should arrive. And the half dozen or more of women upstairs were -comforting each other with the same hope, and crushing down the cry -that it seemed an eternity, already, since they had waited for that -little cloud of dust upon the Meerut road. But for that hope they -might have gone Meerutward themselves; for the country was peaceful. - -Even in Duryagunj, though by noon it was a charnel-house, the score or -so of men who kept cowards at bay in a miserable storehouse comforted -themselves with the same hope; and women with the long languid eyes of -one race, looked out of them with the temper and fire of the other, -saying in soft staccato voices--"It will not be long now. They will be -here soon, for they would start at dawn." - -"They will come soon," said a young telegraph clerk coolly, as he -stood by his instrument hoping for a welcome _kling_; sending, -finally, that bulletin northward which ended with the reluctant -admission, "we must shut up." Must indeed; seeing that some ruffians -rushed in and sabered him with his hands still on the levers. - -"They will be here soon," agreed the compositors of the _Delhi -Gazette_ as they worked at the strangest piece of printing the world -is ever likely to see. That famous extra, wedged in between English -election news, which told in bald journalese of a crisis, which became -the crisis of their own lives before the whole edition was sent out. - -But down in the Palace Zeenut Maihl had been watching that white -streak of road also, and as the hours passed, her wild impatience -would let her watch it no longer. She paced up and down the Queen's -bastion like a caged tigress, leaving Hâfzan to take her place at the -lattice. No sign of an avenging army yet! Then the troopers' tale must -be true! The hour of decisive action had come, it was slipping past, -the King was in the hands of Ahsan-Oolah, and Elahi Buksh, whose face -was set both ways, like the physician's. And she, helpless, half in -disgrace, caged, veiled, screened, unable to lay hands on anyone! Oh! -why was she not a man! Why had she not a man to deal with! Her -henna-stained nails bit into her palms as she clenched her hands, then -in sheer childish passion tore off her hampering veil and, rolling it -into a ball, flung it at the head of a drowsy eunuch in the outside -arcade--the nearest thing to a man within her reach. - -"No sign yet, Hâfzan?" she asked fiercely. - -"No sign, my Queen," replied Hâfzan, with an odd derisive smile. If -they did not come now, thought this woman with her warped nature, they -would come later on; come and put a rope round the necks of men who -had laid violent hands on women. - -"Then I stop here no longer!" cried Zeenut Maihl recklessly; "I must -see somewhat of it or die. Quick, girls, my dhooli, I will go back to -my own rooms. 'Twill at least bear me through the crowd, and the -jogging will keep the blood from tingling from very stillness." - -So through the tawdry, dirty, musky curtains a woman's fierce eye -watched the crowd hungrily, as the dhooli swung through it. A fierce -crowd too in its way, but lacking cohesion. Like the world without -those four rose-red walls, it was waiting for a master. And the man -who should have been master was taking cooling draughts, and composing -couplets, so her spies brought word. No hope from him till she could -lure him back from his vexation and put some of her own energy into -him. Who next was there likely to do her bidding? Her eye, taking in -all the strangeness of the scene, troopers stabling their horses in -the colonnades, sepoys bivouacking under the trees, courtiers hurrying -up and down the private steps, found none in all that crowd of -place-hunters, boasters, enthusiasts, whom she could trust. The King's -eldest son Mirza Moghul was the fiercest tempered of them all, the -only one whom she feared in any way; perhaps if she could get hold of -him---- - -As her dhooli swayed up the steps he was standing on them talking to -Mirza Khair Sultan. She could have put out her hand and touched him; -but even she did not dare convention enough for that. Nevertheless, -the sight of him determined her. If the King did not come back to her -by noon, she must lure the Mirza to her side. - -"Thou art a fool, Pir-jee," she said petulantly to Hussan Askuri who, -as father confessor, had entrance to the womens' rooms and was -awaiting her. "Thou hast no grip on the King when I am absent. Canst -not even drive that slithering physician from his side?" - -"Cooling draughts, seest thou, Pir-jee," put in Hâfzan maliciously, -"have tangible effects. Thy dreams----" - -"Peace, woman!" interrupted the Queen sternly, "'tis no time for -jesting. Where sits the King now?" - -"In the river balcony, Ornament-of-palaces," replied Fâtma glibly, -"where he is not to be disturbed these two hours, so the physician -says, lest the cooling draught----" - -The Queen stamped her foot in sheer impotent rage. "I must see -someone. And Jewan Bukht, my son? why hath he not answered my -summons?" - -"His Highness," put in Hâfzan gravely, "was, as I came by just now, -quarreling in his cups with his nephew, the princely Abool-Bukr, -regarding the Inspectorship-of-Cavalry; which office both desire--a -weighty matter----" - -"Peace! she-devil!" almost screamed the Queen. "Can I not see, can I -not hear for myself, that thy sharp wits must forever drag the rotten -heart to light--thou wilt go too far, some day, Hâfzan, and then----" - -"The Queen will have to find another scribe," replied Hâfzan meekly. - -Zeenut Maihl glared at her, then rolled round into her cushions as if -she were in actual physical pain. And hark! From the Lahore gate, as -if nothing had happened, came the chime of noon. Noon! and nothing -done. She sat up suddenly and signed to Hâfzan for pen and ink. She -would wait no longer for the King; she would at least try the Mirza. - -"'This, to the most illustrious the Mirza Moghul, Heir-Apparent by -right to the throne of Timoor,'" she dictated firmly, and Hâfzan -looked up startled. "Write on, fool," she continued; "hast never -written lies before? 'After salutation the Begum Zeenut Maihl,'"--the -humbler title came from her lips in a tone which boded ill for the -recipient of the letter if he fell into the toils,--"'seeing that in -this hour of importance the King is sick, and by order of physicians -not to be disturbed, would know if the Mirza, being by natural right -the King's vice-regent, desires the private seal to any orders -necessary for peace and protection. Such signet being in the hands of -the Queen'--nay, not that, I was forgetting--'the Begum.'" - -She gave an angry laugh as she lay back among her cushions and bid -them send the letter forthwith. That should make him nibble. Not that -she had the signet--the King kept that on his own finger--but if the -Mirza came on pretense or rather in hopes of getting it? Why! then; if -the proper order was given and if she could insure the aid of men to -carry out her schemes, the signet should be got at somehow. The King -was old and frail; the storm and stress might well kill him. - -So her thoughts ranged from one plot to another as she waited for an -answer. If this lure succeeded, she would but use the Heir-Apparent -for a time. What use was there in plotting for him? He could die, as -other heirs had died; and then the only person likely to put a spoke -in her wheel was Abool-Bukr. He was teaching his young uncle the first -pleasures of manhood, and might find it convenient to influence the -boy against her. It would be well therefore to get hold of him also. -That was not a hard task, and she sat up again without a moment's -hesitation and signed once more to Hâfzan. - -"Thy best flourishes," she said with an evil sneer, "for it goes to a -rare scholar; to a fool for all that, who would have folk think -nephews visit their aunts from duty! 'This to Newâsi loving and -beloved, greeting. Consequent on the disturbances, the princely nephew -Abool-Bukr lieth senseless here in the Palace.' Stare not, fool! -senseless drunk he is by this time, I warrant. 'Those who have seen -him think ill of him.'" Here she broke off into malicious enjoyment of -her own wit. "Ay! and those who have but heard of him also! 'The -course of events, however, being in the hands of Heaven, will be duly -reported.'" - -She coiled herself up again on the cushions, an insignificant square -homely figure draped in worn brocade and laden with tarnished jewelry; -ill-matched strings of pearls, flawed emeralds, diamonds without -sparkle. Yet not without a certain dignity, a certain symmetry of -purpose, harmonizing with the arched and frescoed room in which she -lay; a room beautiful in design and decoration, yet dirty, -comfortless, almost squalid. - -"Nay! not my signature," she yawned. "I am too old a foe of the -scholars; but a smudge o' the thumb will do. If I know aught of aunts -and nephews, she will be too much flustered by the news to look at -seals. And have word sent to the Delhi gate that the Princess -Farkhoonda be admitted, but goes not forth again." - -Her hard voice ceased; there was no sound in the room save that -strange hum from the gardens outside, which at this hour of the day -were generally wrapped in sun-drugged slumbers. - -But the world beyond, toward which the old King's lusterless eyes -looked as he lay on the river balcony, was sleepy, sun-drugged as -ever. Through the tracery-set archs showed yellow stretches of sand -and curving river, with tussocks of tall tiger-grass hiding the -slender stems of the palm-trees which shot up here and there into the -blue sky; blue with the yellow glaze upon it which comes from sheer -sunlight. A row of _saringhi_ players squatted in the room behind the -balcony, thrumming softly, so as to hide that strange hum of life -which reached even here. For the King was writing a couplet and was in -difficulties with a rhyme for _cartouche_ (cartridge); since he was a -stickler for form, holding that the keynote of the lines should -jingle. And this couplet was to epitomize the situation on the other -side of the _saringhies_. _Cartouche? Cartouche?_ Suddenly he sat up. -"Quick! send for Hussan Askuri; or stay!" he hesitated for an instant. -Hussan Askuri would be with the Queen, and no one ever admired his -couplets as she did. How many hours was it since he had seen her? And -what was the use of making couplets, if you were denied their just -meed of praise? "Stay," he repeated, "I will go myself." It was a -relief to feel himself on the way back to be led by the nose, and as -they helped him across the intervening courtyard he kept repeating his -treasure, imagining her face when she heard it. - - - "Kuchch Chil-i-Room nahin kya, ya Shah-i-Roos, nahin - Jo Kuchch kya na sara se, so cartouche ne." - - -A couplet, which, lingering still in the mouths of the people, -warrants the old poetaster's conceit of it, and--dog-anglicized--runs -thus: - - - "Nor Czar nor Sultan made the conquest easy, - The only weapon was a cartridge greasy." - - -"The Queen? Where is the Queen?" fumed the old man, when he found an -empty room instead of instant flattery; for he was, after all, the -Great Moghul. - -"She prays for the King's recovery," said Fâtma readily. "I will -inform her that her prayer is granted." But as she passed on her -errand, she winked at a companion, who hid her giggle in her veil; for -Grand Turk or not, the women hold all the trump cards in seclusion. So -how was the old man to know that the one who came in radiant with -exaggerated delight at his return, had been interviewing his eldest -son behind decorous screens, and that she was thanking Heaven piously -for having sent him back to her apron-string in the very nick of time. -Sent him, and Hussan Askuri, and pen and ink within reach of her quick -wit. - -"That is the best couplet my lord has done," she said superbly. "That -must be signed and sealed." - -So must a paper be, which lay concealed in her bosom. And as she spoke -she drew the signet ring lovingly, playfully from the King's finger -and walked over to where the scribe sat crouched on the floor. - -"Ink it well, Pir-jee," she said, keeping her back to the King; "the -impression must be as immortal as the verse." - -Despite the warning, a very keen ear might have detected a double -sound, as if the seal had needed a second pressure. That was all. - -So it came about that, half an hour or so afterward, the -Head-of-the-nine at the magazine was looking contemptuously at a paper -brought by the Palace Guards, and passed under the door, ordering its -instant opening. George Willoughby laughed; but some of the eight -dashed people's impudence and cursed their cheek! Yet, after the -laugh, the Head-of-the-nine walked over, yet another time, to that -river bastion to look down at that white streak of road. How many -times he had looked already, Heaven knows; but his grave face had -grown graver, though it brightened again after a glance at the lemon -bush. The black streak there would not fail them. - -"In the King's name open!" The demand came from Mirza Moghul himself -this time, for the Palace was without arms, without ammunition; and if -they were to defend it, according to the Queen's idea, against all -corners, till there was time for other regiments to rebel, this matter -of the magazine was important. Abool-Bukr was with him, half-drunk, -wholly incapable, but full of valor; for a scout sent by the Queen had -returned with the news that no English soldier was within ten miles of -Delhi, and within the last half hour an ominous word had begun to pass -from lip to lip in the city. - -Helpless! - -The masters were helpless. Past two o'clock and not a blow in revenge. -Helpless! The word made cowards brave, and brave folk cowards. And -many who had spent the long hours in peeping from their closed doors -at each fresh clatter in the street, hoping it was the master, looked -at each other with startled eyes. - -Helpless! Helpless! - -The echo of the thought reached the main-guard, still in touch with -the outside world, whence, as the day dragged by, fresh tidings of -danger drifted down from the Ridge, where men, women, and children lay -huddled helplessly in the Flagstaff Tower, watching the white streak -of road. It seems like a bad dream, that hopeless, paralyzing strain -of the eyes for a cloud of dust. - -But the echo won no way into the magazine, for the simple reason that -it knew it was not hopeless. It could hold its own. - -"Shoot that man Kureem Buksh, please, Forrest, if he comes bothering -round the gate again. He is really very annoying. I have told him -several times to keep back; so it is no use his trying to give -information to the people outside." - -For the Head-of-the-nine was very courteous. "Scaling ladders?" he -echoed, when a native superintendent told him that the princes, -finding him obdurate, had gone to send some down from the Palace. "Oh! -by all means let them scale if they like." - -Some of the Eight, hearing the reply, smiled grimly. By all means let -the flies walk into the parlor; for if that straight streak of road -was really going to remain empty, the fuller the four square walls -round the lemon bush could be, the better. - -"That's them, sir," said one of the Eight cheerfully, as a grating -noise rose above the hum outside. "That's the grapnels." And as he -turned to his particular gun of the ten, he told himself that he would -nick the first head or two with his rifle and keep the grape for the -bunches. So he smiled at his own little joke and waited. All the Nine -waited, each to a gun, and of course there was one gun over, but, as -the head of them had said, that could not be helped. And so the -rifle-triggers clicked, and the stocks came up to the shoulders; and -then?--then there was a sort of laugh, and someone said under his -breath, "Well, I'm blowed!" And his mind went back to the streets of -London, and he wondered how many years it was since he had seen a -lamplighter. For up ropes and poles, on roofs and outhouses, somehow, -clinging like limpets, running like squirrels along the top of the -wall, upsetting the besiegers, monopolizing the ladders, was a rush, -not of attack but of escape! Let what fool who liked scale the wall -and come into the parlor of the Nine, those who knew the secret -of the lemon-bush were off. No safety there beside the Nine! No -life-insurance possible while that lay ready to their hand! - -Would he ever see a lamplighter again? The trivial thought was with -the bearded man who stood by his gun, the real self in him, hidden -behind the reserve of courage, asking other questions too, as he -waited for the upward rush of fugitives to change into a downward rush -of foes worthy of good powder and shot. - -It came at last--and the grape came too, mowing the intruders down in -bunches. And these were no mere rabble of the city. They were the pick -of the trained mutineers swarming over the wall to stand on the -outhouse roofs and fire at the Nine; and so, pressed in gradually from -behind, coming nearer and nearer, dropping to the ground in solid -ranks, firing in platoons; so by degrees hemming in the Nine, hemming -in the lemon-bush. - -But the Nine were busy with the guns. They had to be served quickly, -and that left no time for thought. Then the smoke, and the flashes, -and the yells, and the curses, filled up the rest of the world for the -present. - -"This is the last round, I'm afraid, sir; we shan't have time for -another," said a warning voice from the Nine, and the Head of them -looked round quietly. Not more than forty yards now from the guns; -barely time, certainly, unless they had had that other man! So he -nodded. And the last round pealed out as recklessly, as defiantly, as -if there had been a hundred to follow--and a hundred thousand--a -hundred million. But one of the gunners threw down his fuse ere his -gun recoiled, and ran in lightly toward the lemon-tree, so as to be -ready for the favor he had begged. - -"We're about full up, sir," came the warning voice again, as the rest -of the Nine fell back amid a desultory rattle of small arms. The -tinkle of the last church bell, as it were, warning folk to hurry -up--a last invitation to walk into the parlor of the Nine. - -"We're about full up, sir," came that one voice. - -"Wait half a second," came another, and the Head-of-the-nine ran -lightly to that river bastion for a last look down the white streak -for that cloud of dust. - -How sunny it was! How clear! How still! that world beyond the smoke, -beyond the flashes, beyond the deafening yells and curses. He gave one -look at it, one short look--only one--then turned to face his own -world, the world he had to keep. Full up indeed! No pyrotechnist could -hope for better audience in so small a place. - -"Now, if you please!" - -Someone in the thick of the smoke and the flashes heard the yells and -curses and raised his cap--a last salute, as it were, to the school -and schoolmaster. A final dismissal to the scholars--a thousand of -them or so--about to finish their lesson of what men can do to hold -their own. And someone else, standing beside the lemon-bush, bent over -that faithful black streak, then ran for dear life from the hissing of -that snake of fire flashing to the powder magazine. - -A faint sob, a whispering gasp of horror, came from the thousand and -odd; but above it came a roar, a rush, a rending. A little puff of -white smoke went skyward first, and then slowly, majestically, a great -cloud of rose-red dust grew above the ruins, to hang--a corona -glittering in the slant sunbeams--over the school, the schoolmasters, -and the scholars. - -It hung there for hours. To those who know the story it seems to hang -there still--a bloody pall for the many; for the Nine, a crown indeed. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - SUNSET. - - -"What's that?" - -The question sprung to every lip; yet all knew the answer. The -magazine had saved itself. - -But in the main-guard, not six hundred yards off, where the very -ground rocked and the walls shook, the men and women, pent up since -noon, looked at each other when the first shock was over, feeling that -here was the end of inaction. Here was a distinct, definite challenge -to Fate, and what would come of it? It was now close on to four -o'clock; the day was over, the darkness at hand. What would it bring -them? If Meerut, with its two thousand, was so sore bested that it -could not spare one man to Delhi, what could they, a mere handful, -hope for save annihilation? - -Yet even Mrs. Seymour only clasped her baby closer, and said nothing. -For there was no lack of courage anywhere. And Kate, with another -child in her arms, paused as she laid it down, asleep at last, upon an -officer's coat, to feel a certain relief. If they were to fare thus, -that bitter self-reproach and agonizing doubt for vanished Sonny was -unavailing. His chance might well be better than theirs. - -Well indeed, pent up as they were cheek-by-jowl with four hundred -unstable sepoys, and with the ominously rising hum of the unstable -city on their unprotected rear. Up on the Flagstaff Tower crowning -the extreme northern end of the Ridge, away from this hum, where -Brigadier Graves had gathered together the remaining women and -children, so as to guard them as best he could with such troops as he -had remaining--many of them too unstable to be trusted cityward--they -were in better plight. For they had the open country round them--a -country where folk could still go and come with a fair chance of -safety, since even the predatory tribes, always ready to take -advantage of disorder, were still waiting to see what master the day -would bring forth. And they had also the knowledge that something was -being done, that they were not absolutely passive in the hands of -Fate, after Dr. Batson started in disguise to summon that aid from -Meerut which would not come of itself. Above all, they had the -decision, they had the power to act; while down in the main-guard they -could but obey orders. Not that the Flagstaff Tower did much with this -advantage; for it was paralyzed by that straining of the eyes for a -cloud of dust upon the Meerut road which was the damnation of Delhi. -Yet even here that decisive roar, that corona of red dust brightening -every instant as the sun dipped to the horizon, brought the conviction -that something must be done at last. But what? Hampered by women and -children, what could they do? If, earlier in the day, they had sent -all the non-combatants off toward Kurnal or Meerut, with as many -faithful sepoys as they could spare, arming everybody from the arsenal -down by the river, they would have been free to make some forlorn -hope--free, for instance, to go down _en-masse_ to the main-guard and -hold it, if they could. That was what one man thought, who, seven -miles out from Delhi--returning from a reconnaissance of his own to -see if help were on the way--saw that little puff of smoke, heard the -roar, and watched the red corona grow to brightness. - -But on the Ridge, men thought differently. The claims of those patient -women and children seemed paramount, and so it was decided to get back -the guns from the main-guard as a first step toward intrenching -themselves for the night at the tower. But the men in the main-guard -looked at each other in doubt when the order reached them. Was the -garrison going to be withdrawn altogether, leaving merely a forlorn -hope to keep the gate closed as long as possible against the outburst -of rabble, to whom it would be the natural and shortest route to -cantonments? If so, surely it would have been better to send the women -away first? Still the orders were clear, and so the gate was set wide -and the guns rumbled over the drawbridge under escort of a guard of -the 38th. That, at any rate, was good riddance of bad rubbish; though -the wisdom of sending the guns in such charge was doubtful. Yet how -could the little garrison have afforded to give up a single man even -of the still loyal 74th?--a company of whom had actually followed -their captain to the ruins of the magazine to see if they could do -anything, and returned, without a defaulter, to say that all was -confusion--the dead lying about in hundreds, the enemy nowhere. - -"How did the men behave, Gordon?" asked their commandant anxiously, -getting his Captain into a quiet corner. And the two men, both beloved -of their regiment, both believing in it, both with a fierce, wild hope -in their hearts that such belief would be justified, looked into each -other's faces for a moment in silence. There was a shadowing branch of -neem overhead as they stood in the sunlight. A squirrel upon it was -chippering at the glitter of their buckles; a kite overhead was -watching the squirrel. - -"I think they hesitated, sir," said Captain Gordon quietly. - -Major Abbott turned hastily, and looked through the open gate, past -the lumbering guns, to the open country lying peaceful, absolutely -peaceful, beyond. If he could only have got his men there--away from -the disloyalty of the 38th guard, the sullen silence of the 54th--if -he could only have given them something to do! If he could only have -said "Follow me!" they would have followed. - -And Kate Erlton, who, weary of the deadly inaction in the room above, -had drifted down to the courtyard, stood close to the archway looking -through it also, thinking, not for the first time that weary day, of -Alice Gissing's swift, heroic death with envy. It was something to die -so that brave men turned away without a word when they heard of it. -But as she thought this, the look on young Mainwaring's face as he -stood with others listening to her story, came back to her. It had -haunted her all day, and more than once she had sought him out, not -for condolence--he was beyond that--but for a trivial word or two; -just a human word or two to show him remembered by the living. And now -the impulse came to her again, and she drifted back--for there was no -hurry in that deadly, deadly inaction--to find him leaning listlessly -against a wall digging holes in the dry dust idly with the point of -his drawn sword for want of something better whereupon to use it. Such -a young face, she thought, to be so old in its chill anger and -despair! She went over to him swiftly, her reserve gone, and laid her -hand upon his holding the sword. - -"Don't fret so, dear boy," she said, and the fine curves of her mouth -quivered. "She is at peace." - -He looked at her in a blaze of fierce reproach. "At peace! How dare -you say so? How dare you think so--when she lies--there." - -He paused, impotent for speech before his unbridled hatred, then -strode away indignantly from her pity, her consolation. And as she -looked after him her own gentler nature was conscious of a pride, -almost a pleasure in the thought of the revenge which would surely be -taken sooner or later, by such as he, for every woman, every child -killed, wounded--even touched. She was conscious of it, even though -she stood aghast before a vision of the years stretching away into an -eternity of division and mutual hate. - -A fresh stir at the gate roused her, a quick stir among a group of -senior officers, recruited now by two juniors who had earned their -right to have their say in any council of war. These were two -artillery subalterns, begrimed from head to foot, deafened, -disfigured, hardly believing in their own safety as yet. Looking -at each other queerly, wondering if indeed they could be the -Head-of-the-nine and his second in command, escaped by a miracle -through the sally port in the outer wall of the magazine, and so come -back by the drawbridge, as Kate Erlton had come, to join the refugees -in the main-guard. Was it possible? And--and--what would the world -say? That thought must have been in their minds. And, no doubt, a vain -regret that they were under orders now, as they listened while Major -Abbott read out those just received from cantonments. Briefly, to take -back the whole of the loyal 74th and leave the post to the 38th and -the 54th--about a hundred and fifty openly disloyal men. - -A sort of stunned silence fell on the little group, till Major -Paterson of the 54th said quietly, officially to Major Abbott. "If you -leave, sir, I shall have to abandon the post; I could not possibly -hold it. Some of my men who have returned to the colors here might -possibly fight were we to stick together. But with retreat, and the -example of the 38th before them, they would not. I have, or I should -have, lives in my charge when you are gone, and I warn you that I must -use my own discretion in doing the best I can to protect them." - -"Paterson is right, Abbott," put in the civil officer, who had stuck -to his charge of the Treasury all day, and repelled the only attack -made by the enemy during all those long hours. "If I am to do any -good, I must have men who will fight. I don't trust the 54th; and the -38th are clearly just biding their time. This retreat might have done -six hours ago--might do now if it were general; but I doubt it." - -"Anyhow," put in another voice, "if the 74th are to go, they should -take the women with them--they couldn't fare worse than they are sure -to do here. I don't think the Brigadier can realize----" - -"Couldn't you refer it?" asked someone; but the Major shook his head. -The orders were clear; no doubt there was good cause for them. Anyhow -they must be obeyed. - -"Then as civil officer in charge of the Government Treasury, I ask for -quarter-of-an-hour's law. If by then----" - -The eager voice paused. Whether the owner thought once more of that -expected cloud of dust, or whether he meant to gallop to cantonments -in hope of getting the order rescinded is doubtful. Whether he went or -stayed doubtful also. But the fifteen minutes of respite were given, -during which the preparations for departure went on, the men of the -38th aiding in them with a new alacrity. Their time had come. Only a -few minutes now before the last fear of a hand-to-hand fight would be -over, the last chance of the master turning and rending them gone. It -lingered a bit, though, for rumbling wheels came over the drawbridge -once more, and voices clamored to be let in. The guns had returned. -The gunners had deserted, said the escort insolently, and guns being -in such case useless, they had preferred to rejoin their brethren; as -for their officer, he had preferred to go on. - -Kate Erlton, drawn from the inner room once again by the creaking of -the gates, saw a look pass between one or two of the officers. And -there stood the 74th, smart and steady, waiting for marching orders. -No need to close the gates again, since time was up; the fifteen -minutes had slipped by, bringing no help, just as the long hours had -dragged by uselessly. So the gate stood open to the familiar, friendly -landscape, all aglow with the rays of the setting sun. Close at hand, -within a stone's throw, lay the tall trees and dense flowering -thickets of the Koodsia gardens, where fugitives might have found -cover. To the left were the ravines and rocks of the Ridge, fatal to -mounted pursuit, and in the center lay the road northward, leading -straight to the Punjab, straight from that increasing roar of the -city. There had been no attack as yet; but every soul within the -main-guard knew for a certainty that the first hint of retreat would -bring it. - -How could it do otherwise? The decisive answer of the magazine, with -its thousand-and-odd good reasons against the belief that the master -was helpless, had died away. The refuse and rabble of the city had -ceased to wander awestruck among the ruins, murmuring, "What tyranny -is here?"--that passive, resigned comment of the weaker brother in -India. In the Palace, too, they had recovered the shock of the mean -trick of the Nine, who, however, must, thank Heaven, be all dead too. - -So as the gate stood open, and the sun streamed through it into the -wide courtyard, glinting on the buckles and bayonets, Major Abbott's -voice rose quietly. "Are you ready, Gordon?" The drawbridge was clear -of the guns now, clear of everything save the slant shadows. - -"All ready, sir," came the quiet reply. - -"Number!" called the Commandant, but a voice at his right hand pleaded -swiftly. "Don't wait for sections, Huzoor! Let us go!" And another at -his left whispered, "For God's sake, Huzoor! quick; get them out -quick!" - -Major Abbott hesitated a second, only a second. The voices were the -voices of good men and true, whom he could trust. "Fours about! Quick -march!" he corrected, and a sort of sigh of relief ran down the -regiment as it swung into position and the feet started rhythmically. -Action at last!--at long last! - -"Good-by, old chap," said someone cheerfully, but Major Abbott did not -turn. "Good-by! Good-by!" came voices all round; steady, quiet voices, -as the disciplined tramp echoed on the drawbridge, and a bar of -scarlet coats grew on the rise of the white road outside. - -"Good-by, Gordon! Good-by!" - -The tall figure in its red and gold was under the very arch, shining, -glittering in the sunlight streaming through it. Another step or two -and he would have been beyond it. But the time for good-by had come. -The time for which the 38th had been waiting all day. He threw up his -arms and fell dead from his horse without a cry, shot through the -heart. The next instant the gate was closed, its creaking smothered in -the wild, senseless cry "To kill, to kill, to kill," in a wild, -senseless rattle of musketry. For there was really no hurry; the -handful of Englishmen were helpless. Major Abbott and his men might -clamor for re-entry at the gate if they chose. They could not get in. -Nor could the remnant of the 74th, deprived of its loyal companions, -of the only two men who seemed to have controlled it, do anything. And -the 54th were helpless also by their own act; for they had pushed -Major Paterson through the gate before it closed. - -So there was no one left even to try and stem the tide. No one to -check that beast-like cry. - -"_Mâro! Mâro! Mâro!_" - -But, in truth, it would have been a hopeless task. The game was up; -the only chance was flight. And two, foreseeing this for the last -hour, had already made good theirs by jumping from an embrasure in the -rampart into the ditch, while one, uninjured by the fall, had -scrambled up the counter-scarp, and was running like a hare for those -same thickets of the Koodsia. - -"Come on! Come on!" cried others, seeing their success. And then? And -then the cries and piteous screams of women reminded them of something -dearer than life, and they ran back under a hail of bullets to that -upper room which they had forgotten for the moment. And somehow, -despite the cry of kill, despite the whistling bullets, they managed -to drag its inmates to the embrasure. But--oh! pathos and bathos of -poor humanity! making smiles and tears come together--the women who -had stared death in the face all day without a wink, stood terrified -before a twenty-feet scramble with a rope of belts and handkerchiefs -to help them. It needed a round shot to come whizzing a message of -certain death over their heads to give them back a courage which never -failed again in the long days of wandering and desperate need which -was theirs ere some of them reached safety. - -But Kate neither hesitated nor jumped. She had not the chance of doing -either. For that longing look of hers through the open gates had -tempted her to creep along the wall nearer to them; so that the rush -to close them jammed her into a corner against a door, which yielded -slightly to her weight. Quick enough to grasp her imminent danger, she -stooped instantly to see if the door could be made to yield further. -And that stoop saved her life, by hiding her from view behind the -crowd. The next moment she had pushed aside a log which had evidently -rolled from some pile within, and slipped sideways into a dark -outhouse. She was safe so far. But was it worth it? The impulse to go -out again and brave merciful death rose keen, until with a flash, the -memory of that escape through the crowd came back to her; she seemed -to hear the changing ready voice of the man who held her, to feel his -quick instinctive grip on every chance of life. - -Chance! There was a spell in the very word. A minute after logs jammed -the door again, and even had it been set wide, none would have guessed -that a woman, full of courage, ay! and hope, crouched behind the piles -of brushwood. So she lay hidden, her strongest emotion, strange to -say, being a raging curiosity to know what had become of the others, -what was passing outside. But she could hear nothing save confused -yells, with every now and again a dominant cry of "_Deen! Deen!_" or -"_Jai Kali ma!_" For faith is one of the two great passions which make -men militant, The other, sex. But as a rule it has no cry; it fights -silently, giving and asking no words--only works. - -So fought young Mainwaring, who, with his back to that same wall -against which Kate had found him leaning, was using his sword to a -better purpose than digging holes in the dust; or rather had adopted a -new method of doing the task. He had not tried to escape as the others -had done; not from superior courage, but because he never even thought -of it. When he was free to choose, how could he think of leaving those -devils unpunished, leaving them unchecked to touch her dead body, -while he lived? He gave a little faint sob of sheer satisfaction as he -felt the first soft resistance, which meant that his sword had cut -into flesh and blood; for all his vigorous young life made for death, -nothing but death. Was not she dead yonder? - -So, after a bit, it seemed to him there was too little of it -there--that it came slowly, with his back to the wall and only those -who cared to go for him within reach--for the crowd was dense, too -dense for loading and firing. Dense with a hustling, horrified wonder, -a confused prodding of bayonets. So, without a sound, he charged -ahead, hacking, hewing, never pausing, not even making for freedom, -but going for the thickest silently. - -"_Amuk! Sayia! A-muk!_" The yell that he was mad, possessed, rang -hideously as men tumbled over each other in their hurry to escape, -their hurry to have at this wild beast, this devil, this horror. And -they were right. He was possessed. He was life instinct with death; -filled with but one desire--to kill, or to be killed quickly. - -"_Saiya! Amuk! Saiya!_--out of his way--out of his way! _Amuk! Saiya!_ -Fate is with him! The gods are with him. _Saiya! Amuk!_" - -So, by chance, not method; so by sheer terror as well as hacking and -hewing, the tall figure found itself, with but a stagger or two, -outside the wooden gates, out on the city road, out among the gardens -and the green trees. And then, "Hip, hip, hurray!" His ringing cheer -rose with a sort of laugh in it. For yonder was her house!--her house! - -"Hip, hip, hurray!" As he ran, as he had run in races at school, his -young face glad, the fingers on the triggers behind him wavered in -sheer superstitious funk, and two troopers coming down the road -wheeled back as from a mad dog. The scarlet coat with its gold -epaulettes went crashing into a group red-handed with their spoil, out -of it impartially into a knot of terrified bystanders, while down the -lane left behind it by the hacking and hewing came bullet after -bullet; the fingers on the triggers wavered, but some found a billet. -One badly. He stumbled in the dust and his left arm fell oddly. But -the right still hacked and hewed as he ran, though the crowd lessened; -though it grew thin, too thin for his purpose; or else his sight was -failing. But there, to the right, the devils seemed thicker again. -"Hip, hip, hooray!" No! trees. Only trees to hew--a garden--perhaps -the garden about her house--then, "Hip, hip----" - -He fell headlong on his face, biting the soft earth in sheer despite -as he fell. - -"Don't touch him, brothers!" said one of the two or three who had -followed at a distance, as they might have followed a mad dog, which -they hoped others would meet and kill. "Provoke him not, or the demon -possessing him may possess us. 'Tis never safe to touch till they have -been dead a watch. Then the poison leaves them. Krishnjee, save us! -Saw you how he turned our lead?" - -"He has eaten mine, I'll swear," put in another sepoy boastfully, -pointing gingerly with his booted foot to a round scorched hole in the -red coat. "The muzzle was against him as I fired." - -"And mine shall be his portion too," broke in a new arrival -breathlessly, preparing to fire at the prostrate foe; but the first -speaker knocked aside the barrel with an oath. - -"Not while I stand by, since devils choose the best men. As 'tis, -having women in our houses 'twere best to take precautions." He -stooped down as he spoke, and muttering spells the while, raised a -little heap of dust at the lad's head and feet and outstretched -arms--a little cross of dust, as it were, on which the young body lay -impaled. - -"What is't?" asked a haughty-looking native officer, pausing as he rode -by. - -"'Tis a hell-doomed who went possessed, and Dittu makes spells to keep -him dead," said one. - -"Fool!" muttered the man. "He was drunk, likely. They get like that, -the cursed ones, when they take wine." And he spat piously on the red -coat as he passed on. So they left the lad there lying face down in -the growing gloom, hedged round by spells to keep him from harming -women. Left him for dead. - -But the scoffer had been right. He was drunk, but with the Elixir of -Life and Love which holds a soul captive from the clasp of Death for a -space. So, after a time, the cross of dust gave up its victim; he -staggered to his feet again; and so, tumbling, falling, rising to fall -again, he made his way to the haven where he would be, to the side of -a dead woman. - -And the birds, startled from their roosting-places by the stumbling, -falling figure, waited, fluttering over the topmost branches for it to -pass, or paused among them to fill up the time with a last twittering -song of goodnight to the day; for the sun still lingered in the -heat-haze on the horizon as if loath to take its glow from that corona -of red dust above the northern wall of Delhi, mute sign of the only -protest made as yet by the master against mutiny. - -And now he had left the city to its own devices. The rebels were free -to do as they liked. The three thousand disciplined soldiers, more or -less, might have marched out, had they chose, and annihilated the -handful of loyal men about the Flagstaff Tower. But it was -sunset--sunset in Rumzân. And the eyes of thousands, deprived even of -a drop of water since dawn, were watching the red globe sink in the -West, hungrily, thirstily; their ears were attuned but to one -sound--the firework signal from the big mosque that the day's fast was -over. The very children on the roofs were watching, listening, so as -to send the joyful news that day was done, in shrill voices to their -elders below, waiting with their water-pots ready in their hands. - -Then, in good truth, there was no set purpose from one end of the city -to another. From the Palace to the meanest brothel which had belched -forth its vilest to swell the tide of sheer rascality which had ebbed -and flowed all day, the one thought was still, "What does it mean? How -long will it last? Where is the master?" - -So men ate and drank their fill first, then looked at each other -almost suspiciously, and drifted away to do what pleased them best. -Some to the Palace to swell the turmoil of bellicose loyalty to the -King--loyalty which sounded unreal, almost ridiculous, even as it was -spoken. Others to plunder while they could. The bungalows had long -since been rifled, the very church bells thrown down and broken; for -the time had been ample even for wanton destruction. But the city -remained. And while shops were being looted inside, the dispossessed -Goojurs were busy over Metcalfe House, tearing up the very books in -their revenge. The Flagstaff Tower lay not a mile away, almost -helpless against attack. But there was no stomach for cold steel in -Delhi on the 11th of May, 1857. No stomach for anything except safe -murder, safe pillaging. Least of all was it to be found in the Palace, -where men had given the rein to everything they possessed--to their -emotions, their horses, their passions, their aspirations. Stabling -some in the King's gardens, some in dream-palaces, some in pigstyes of -sheer brutality. Weeping maudlin tears over heaven-sent success, and -boasting of their own prowess in the same breath; squabbling insanely -over the partition of coming honors and emoluments. - -Abool-Bukr, drunk as a lord, lurched about asserting his intention of -being Inspector-General of the King's cavalry, and not leaving man, -woman, or child of the hell-doomed alive in India. For he had been -right when he had warned Newâsi to leave him to his own life, his own -death; when he had shrunk from the inherited bloodstains on his hands, -the inherited tinder in his breast. It had caught fire with the first -spark, and there was fresh blood on his hands: the blood of a Eurasian -boy who had tried to defend his sister from drunken kisses. Someone in -the melée had killed the girl and finished the boy: the Prince himself -being saved from greater crime by tumbling into the gutter and setting -his nose a-bleeding, a catastrophe which had sent him back to the -Palace partially sobered. - -But Princess Farkhoonda Zamâni, safe housed in the rooms kept for -honored visitors, knew nothing of this, knew little even of the -disturbances; for she had been a close prisoner since noon--a prisoner -with servants who would answer no questions, with trays of jewels and -dresses as if she had been a bride. She sat in a flutter, trying to -piece out the reason for this kidnaping. Was she to be married by -force to some royal nominee? But why to-day? Why in all this turmoil, -unless she was required as a bribe. The arch-plotter was capable of -that. But who? One thing was certain, Abool-Bukr could know nothing of -this--he would not dare--and suddenly the hot blood tingled through -every vein as she lay all unconsciously enjoying the return to the -easeful idleness and luxury she had renounced. But if he did dare? if -it was not mere anger which brought bewilderment to heart and brain, -as she hid her face from the dim light which filtered in through the -lattice--the dim, scented, voluptuous light from which she had fled -once to purer air? - -And not a hundred yards away from where she was trying to steady her -bounding pulse, Abool-Bukr himself was bawling away at his favorite -love-song to a circle of intimates, all of whom he had already -provided with places on the civil list. His head was full of promises, -his skin as full of wine as it could be, and he not be a mere wastrel -unable to enjoy life. For Abool-Bukr gave care to this; since to be -dead drunk was sheer loss of time. - - - "Ah mistress rare, divine, - Thy lover like a vine - With tendril arms entwine." - - -Here his effort to combine gesture with song nearly caused him to fall -off the steps, and roused a roar of laughter from some sepoys -bivouacking under the trees hard by. But Mirza Moghul, passing hastily -to an audience with the King, frowned. To-day, when none knew what -might come, the Queen might have her way so far; but this idle -drunkard must be got rid of soon. He would offend the pious to begin -with, and then he could not be trusted. Who could trust a man who had -been known to lure back his hawk because a bird's gay feathers shone -in the sunshine? - -But Ahsan-Oolah, dismissed from feeling the royal pulse once more, by -the Mirza's audience, paused as he passed to recommend a cooling -draught if the Inspector-General of Cavalry wanted to keep his head -clear. It was the physician's panacea for excitement of all kinds. But -an exhibition of steel would have done better on the 11th of May. - -There was no one, however, to administer it to Delhi, and even the -refugees in the Flagstaff Tower were beginning to give up hope of its -arriving from Meerut. Those in the storehouse at Duryagunj still clung -to the belief that succor must come somehow; but Kate Erlton, behind -the wood-pile, knew that her hope lay only in herself. - -For how could Jim Douglas, as he more than once passed through the now -open and almost deserted Cashmere gate, in the hope, or rather the -fear, of finding some trace of her, know that she was hidden within a -few yards of him? or, how could she distinguish the sound of his -horse's hoofs from the hundreds which passed? - -She must have escaped with the others, he concluded, as he galloped -toward the cantonments to see if she were there. But she was not. He -had failed again, he told himself; failed through no fault of his own; -for who could have foretold that madness of retreat from the gate? - -So now, there was nothing to be done in Delhi save gather what -information he could, give decent burial--if he could--to Alice -Gissing's body, and, if no troops arrived before dawn, leave the city. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - DUSK. - - -"I entreat you to leave, sir. Believe me, there is nothing else to be -done now. It will be dark in half an hour, and we shall need every -minute of the night to reach Kurnal." - -It was said openly now by many voices. It had been hinted first when, -the corona of red dust having just sprung to hide the swelling white -dome of the distant mosque, a dismal procession had come slowly up the -steep road to the tower with a ghastly addition to the little knot of -white faces there--slowly, slowly, the drivers of the oxen whacking -and jibing at them as if the cart held logs or refuse, as if the -driving of it were quite commonplace. Yet in a way the six bodies of -English gentlemen it held were welcome additions; since it was -something to see a dear face even when it is dead. But they were -fateful additions, making the disloyal 38th regiment, posted furthest -from the Tower--partly commanded by it and the guns, in case of -accident--shift restlessly. If others had done such work, ought not -they to be up and doing? And now another procession came filing up -from the city--the two guns returning from the Cashmere gate. They -came on sullenly, slowly, yet still they came on; another few minutes -and the refugees would have been the stronger, the chances of mutiny -weaker. The 38th saw this. Their advanced picket rushed out, drove off -the gunners and the officers, and, fixing bayonets, forced the drivers -to wheel and set off down the road again at a trot. And down the road, -commanded by other guns, they went unchecked; for the refugees did not -dare to give the order to fire, lest it should be disobeyed. The -effect, we read, would probably have been "that the guns would have -been swung round and fired on the orderers; and so not an European -would have escaped to tell the tale; this catastrophe, however, was -mercifully averted and the crisis passed over." It reads strangely, -but once more, there were women and children to think of. And few men -are strong enough to say, much less set it down in black and white as -John Nicholson did, that the protection "of women and children in some -crises is such a very minor consideration that it ceases to be a -consideration at all." - -Still, it began to be patent to all that there was little good in -remaining in a place where they did not dare to defend themselves. -There were carriages and horses ready; the road to Karnal was still -fairly safe. Would it not be better to retreat? But the Brigadier held -out. He had, in deference partly to others, wholly for the sake of his -helpless charges, weakened the city post. Why should he have done that -if he meant to abandon his own? Then he was an old sepoy officer who -had served boy and man in one regiment, rising to its command at last, -and he was loath to believe that the 38th regiment, which had been -specially commended to him by his own, would turn against him, if only -he were free to handle it. - -And this hope gained color from the fact, that to him personally and -to his direct orders, the regiment was still cheerfully obedient. - -So the waiting went on, and there were no signs of the 74th returning. -What had happened? Fresh disaster? The voices urging retreat grew -louder. - -"Have it your own way, gentlemen," said the Brigadier at last. "The -women and children had better go, at any rate, and they will need -protection; so let all retire who will, and in what way seems best to -them. I stay here." - -So on foot, on horseback, in carriages, the exodus began forthwith; -hastening more rapidly when the first man to jump from the embrasure -at the Cashmere gate arrived with that tale of hopeless calamity. - -But still the Brigadier refused to join the rout. He had been hanging -on the skirts of Hope all day, trying, wisely or unwisely, to shield -women and children behind that frail shelter. So he had been tied hand -and foot. Now he would be free. True! the mystery of oncoming dusk -made that red city in the distance loom larger, but a handful of -desperate men unhampered, with plenty of ammunition, might hold such a -post as the Flagstaff Tower till help arrived. He meant to try it, at -any rate. Then nearly half of the 74th had got away safely--they were -long in turning up certainly--but when they came they would form a -nucleus. The 54th were not all bad, or they would not have saved their -Major. Even the 38th, if they could once be got away from the sight of -weakness, from that ghastly cart with its mute witness to successful -murder, might respond to a familiar commonplace order. They were -creatures of habit, with drill born in the blood, bred in the bone. - -"I stay here," he said shortly. Said it again, even when neither the -escaped officers nor men turned up. Said it again, when the guns -rolled off toward Meerut, leaving him face to face with a sprinkling -of the 74th and 54th, and the mass of the 38th, sullen, but still -obedient. - -The sun, now some time set, had left a flaming pennant in the sky, -barring it low down on the horizon with a blood-red glow marking the -top of the dust-haze, and the quick chill of color which in India -comes with the lack of sunlight, even while its heat lingers to the -touch, had fallen upon all things--upon the red Ridge, upon the -distant line of trees marking the canal, upon the level plain between -them where all the familiar landmarks of cantonment life still showed -clearly, despite the darkening sky. Guard-rooms, lines, bells-of-arms, -wide parade-grounds--all the familiar surroundings of a sepoy's life, -and behind them that red flare of a day that was done. - -"There is no use, sir, in stopping longer," said the Brigade-major, -almost compassionately, to the figure which sat its horse steadfastly, -but with a despondent droop of the shoulders. - -"No possible use, sir," echoed the Staff Doctor kindly. The three were -facing westward, for that vain hope of help from the east had been -given up at last; and behind them, barely audible, was the faint hum -of the distant city. A shaft of cormorants flying jheel-ward with -barbed arrow head, trailed across the purpling sky; below them the red -pennant was fading steadily. The day was done. But to one pair of eyes -there seemed still a hope, still a last appeal to something beyond -east or west. - -"Bugler! sound the assembly!" - -The Brigadier's voice rang sharp over the plain, and was followed, -quick as an echo, quick from that habit of obedience on which so much -depended, by the cheerful notes. - -"Come--to the co-lors! Come quick, come all--come quick, come -all--come quick! Quick! Come to the colors!" - -Last appeal to honor and good faith, to memory and confidence. But -they had passed with the day. Yet not quite, for as the rocks and -stones, the distant lines, the familiar landmarks gave back the call, -a solitary figure, trim and smart in the uniform of the loyal 74th, -fell in and saluted. - -In all that wide plain one man true to his salt, heroic utterly, -standing alone in the dusk. A nameless figure, like many another hero. -Yet better so, when we remember that but a few hours before his -regiment had _volunteered to a man_ against their comrades and their -country! So sepoy----, of company----, can stand there, outlined -against the dying day upon the parade-ground at Delhi, as a type of -others who might have stood there also, but for the lack of that cloud -of dust upon the Meerut road. - -Brigadier Graves wheeled his horse slowly northward; but at the sight -the sepoys of the 38th, still friendly to him personally, crowded -round him urging speed. It was no place for him, they said. No place -for the master. - -Palpably not. It was time, indeed, for the thud of retreating hoofs to -end the incident, so far as the master was concerned; the actual -finale of the tragic mistake being a disciplined tramp, as the sepoy -who had fallen in at the last Assembly fell out again, at his own word -of command, and followed the master doggedly. He was killed fighting -for us soon afterward. - -"God be praised!" said the 38th, as with curious deliberation they -took possession of the cantonments. "That is over! He has gone in -safety, and we have kept the promise given to our brothers of the 56th -not to harm him." So, joined by their comrades from the city, they set -guards and gave out rations, with double and treble doses of rum. -Played the master, in fact, perfectly; until, in the darkness, a -rumble arose upon the road, and one-half of the actors fled cityward -incontinently and the other half went to bed in their huts like good -boys. But it was not the troops from Meerut at last. It was only their -old friends the guns, once more brought back from the fugitives by -comrades who had finally decided to stand by the winning side. - -So the question has once more to be asked, "What would have happened, -if, even at that eleventh hour, there really _had_ been a cloud of -dust on the Meerut road?" - -As it was, confidence and peace were restored. In the city they -had never been disturbed. It seemed weary, bewildered by the -topsy-turvydom of the day, desirous chiefly of sleep and dreams. So -that Kate Erlton, peering out through a chink in the wood-store, felt -that if she were ever to escape from the slow starvation which stared -her in the face, she could choose no better time than this, when -traffic had ceased, and the moon had not yet risen. She had settled -that her best chance lay in creeping along the wall at first, then, -taking advantage of the gardens, cutting across to that same -sally-port through which the heroes of the magazine had told her they -had made their escape. She did not know the exact situation, but she -could surely find it. Besides, the ruins would most likely be -deserted, and the other gates of the city, even if they were not -closed for the night, as the gate here was, would be guarded. Once out -of the city, she meant to make for the Flagstaff Tower; for, of -course, she knew nothing of its desertion. - -So she set the door ajar softly, and crept out. And as she did so, the -whiteness of her own dress, even in the dense blackness, startled her, -and roused the trivial wish that she had put on her navy-blue cotton -instead, as she had meant to do that day. Strange! how a mere -chance--the word was like a spur always, and she crept along the wall, -hoping that the smoking, flaring fire of refuse in the opposite -corner, round which the guard were sitting, so as to be free of -mosquitoes, might dazzle their eyes. It was her only chance, however, -so she must risk it. Then suddenly, under her foot, she felt something -long, curved, snakelike. It was all she could do not to scream; but -she set her teeth, and trod down hard with all her strength, her heart -beating wildly in the awful suspense. But nothing struck her, there -was no movement. Had she killed it? Her hand went down in the dark -with a terror in it lest her touch should light on the head--perhaps -within reach of the fangs. But she forced herself to the touch, -telling herself she was a coward, a fool. - -Thank Heaven! no snake after all, only a rope. A rope that must have -been used for tethering a horse, for here under her foot was straw, -rustling horribly. No! not now--that was something soft. A blanket; a -horse's double blanket, dark as the darkness itself. Here was a -chance, indeed. She caught it up and paused deliberately in the -darkest corner of the square, to slip off shoes and stockings, -petticoats and bodice; so, in the scantiest of costumes, winding the -long blanket round her, as a skirt and veil in ayah's fashion. Her -face could be hidden by a modest down-drop over it, her white hands -hidden away by the modest drawing of a fold across her mouth. Her -feet, then, were the only danger, and the dust would darken them. She -must risk that anyhow. So, boldly, she slipped out of the corner, and -made for the gate, remembering to her comfort that it was not England -where a lonely woman might be challenged all the more for her -loneliness. In this heathen land, that down-dropped veil hedged even a -poor grass-cutter's wife about with respect. What is more, even if she -were challenged, her proper course would be to be silent and hurry on. -But no one challenged her, and she passed on into the denser shadows -of the church garden to regain her breath; for it had gone somehow. -Why, she knew not; she had not felt frightened. Then the question -came, what next? Get to the magazine, somehow; but the strain of -looking forward seemed far worse than the actual doing, so she went on -without settling anything, save that she would avoid roads, and give -the still smoking roofless bungalows as wide a birth as possible, -lest, in the dark, she should come on some dead thing--a friend -perhaps. And with the thought came that of Alice Gissing. The house -lay right on her path to the magazine. Surely she must be near it now. -Was that the long sweep of its roof against the sky? If she could see -so much, the moon must be rising, and she could have no time to lose. -As she crept along through the garden, she wondered why the bungalow -had not been burned like the others. Perhaps the ayah's friends had -saved it, or, perhaps, there had not been much to attract them in the -little hired house. Or, perhaps---- - -Hark! She crouched back, from voices close beside her, and doubled a -bit; but they seemed to follow her. And straight ahead the trees -ended, and she must brave the open space by the house itself; unless, -indeed, she slipped by the row of servant's houses to the veranda, and -so--through the rooms--gain the further side. Or she might hide in the -house till these voices passed, There they were again! She made a -breathless dash for the shadow, ran on till she found the veranda, and -deciding to hide for a time, passed in at the first door--the door of -the room where she had left Alice Gissing lying dead a few hours -before. But it was too dark, as yet, to see if she lay there still, -too dark to see even if the house had been plundered. It must have -been, however, for the very floor-cloths were gone; the concrete -struck cold to her feet. And a sudden terror at the darkness, the -emptiness, coming over her, she passed on rapidly to the faintly -glimmering square of the further door, seen through the intervening -rooms. There were three of them; bedroom, drawing room, dining room, -set in a row in Indian fashion, all leading into each other, all -opening on to the veranda; the two end ones opening also into the side -veranda. She could get out again, therefore, by this further door. But -it was bolted. She undid the bolts, only to find it hasped on the -outside. A feeling of being trapped seized upon her. She ran to the -other door. Hasped also. The drawing-room door? Firmer even than the -others. But what a fool she was to feel so frightened, when she could -always go out as she had come in when the voices had passed. She stole -back softly, knowing they must be just outside, and almost fancying, -in her alarm, that she heard a step in the veranda. But there was the -glimmering square of escape, open. No! shut too! shut from the -outside. - -Had they seen her and shut the door? And there, indeed, were -footsteps! Loud footsteps and voices coming up the long flight of -steps which led to the veranda from the road. Coming straight, and she -locked in, helpless. - -She threw up her hands involuntarily at a bright flash in the veranda. -Was it lightning? No! a pistol shot, a quick curse, a fall. A yell of -rage, a rush of those feet upon the steps, and then another flash, -another, and another! More curses and a confused clashing! She stood -as if turned to stone, listening. Hark! down the steps, surely, this -time, another rush, a cry, a scuffle, a fall. Then, loud and -unmistakable, a laugh! Then silence. - -Merciful Heavens! what was it? What had happened? She shook at the -door gently, but still there was silence. Then, gripping the woodwork, -she tried to peer out. But she could only see the bit of veranda in -front of her which, being latticed in and hung with creepers, was very -dark. The rest was invisible from within. She leaned her ear on the -glass and listened. Was that a faint breathing? "Who's there?" she -cried softly; but there was no answer. She sank down on the floor in -sheer bewilderment and tried to think what to do, and after a time, a -faint glimmer of the rising moon aiding her, she went round to every -door and tried it again. All locked inside and out. And now she could -see that the house had been pillaged to the uttermost. There was -literally nothing left in it. Nothing to aid her fingers if she tried -to open the doors. By breaking the upper panes of glass, of course, -she could undo the top bolt, but how was she to reach the bottom ones -behind the lower panels? And why? why had they been locked? Who had -locked the one by which she had come in? What was there that needed -protection in that empty house. Was there by chance someone else? -Then, suddenly, the remembrance of what she had left lying in the end -room hours before came back to her. She had forgotten it utterly in -her alarm and she crept back to see if Alice Gissing still kept her -company. The bed was gone, but by the steadily growing glimmer of the -moon she could see something lying on the floor in the very center of -the room. Something strangely orderly, with a look of care and -tidiness about it; but not white--and her dress had been white. Kate -knelt down beside it and touched the still figure gently. What had it -been covered with? Some sort of network, fine--silken--crimson. An -officer's sash surely! And now her eyes becoming accustomed to what -lay before them, and the light growing, she saw that the curly head -rested on an officer's scarlet coat. The gold epaulettes were arranged -neatly on either side the delicate ears so as not to touch them. Who -had done this? Then that step she had thought she heard in the veranda -must have been a real one. Someone must have been watching the dead -woman. - -She was at the door in an instant rapping at a pane, "Herbert! -Herbert! are you there? Herbert! Herbert!" He might have done this -thing. He might have come over from Meerut, for he had loved the dead -woman, he had loved her dearly. - -But there was no answer. Then wrapping the blanket round her hand she -dashed it through the pane, and removing the glass, managed to crane -out a little. She could see better so. Was that someone, or only a -heap of clothes in the shadow of the corner by the inner wall? By this -time the moonlight was shining white on the orange-trees on the -further side of the road. She could see beyond them to the garden, but -nothing of the road itself, nothing of the steep flight of steps -leading down to it; a balustrade set with pots filling up all but the -center arch prevented that. - -"Herbert!" she cried again louder, "is that you?" But there was not a -sound. - -God in heaven! who lay there? dying or dead? helplessness broke down -her self-control at last, and she crept back into the room, back to -the old companionship, crying miserably. Ah! she was so tired, so -weary of it all. So glad to rest! A sense of real physical relief came -to her body as, for the first time for long, long hours, she let her -muscles slacken, and to her mind as she let herself cry on, like a -child, forgetting the cause of grief in the grief itself. Forgetting -even that after a time in sheer rest; so that the moon, when it had -climbed high enough to peep in through the closed doors, found her -asleep, her arms spread out over the crimson network, her head resting -on what lay beneath it. But she slept dreamfully and once her voice -rose in the quick anxious tones of those who talk in their sleep. - -"Freddy! Freddy!" she called. "Save Freddy, someone! Never mind, ayah! -He is only a boy, and the other, the other may----" Then her words -merged into each other uncertainly, after the manner of dreamers, and -she slept sounder. - -Soundest of all, however, in the cool before the dawn; so that she did -not wake with a stealthy foot in the side veranda, a stealthy hand on -the hasp outside; did not wake even when Jim Douglas stood beside her, -looking down vexedly on the blanket-shrouded figure pillowed on the -body he came to seek. For he had been delayed by a thousand -difficulties, and though the shallow grave was ready dug in the -garden, the presence of this native--even though a woman, -apparently--must make his task longer. Was it a woman? One hand on his -revolver, he laid the other on the sleeper's shoulder. His touch -brought Kate to her feet blindly, without a cry, to meet Fate. - -"My God! Mrs. Erlton!" he cried, and she recognized his voice at once. -Fate indeed! His chance and hers. His chance and hers! - -She stood half stupefied by her dreams, her waking; but he, after his -nature, was ready in a second for action, and broke in on his own -wondering questions impatiently. "But we are losing time. Quick! -you must get to some safer place before dawn. Twist that blanket -right--let me, please. That will do. Now, if you will follow close, I -must get you hidden somewhere for to-day. It is too near dawn for -anything else. Come!" - -She put out her hand vaguely, as if to stave his swift decision away, -and, looking in her face, he recognized that she must have time, that -he must curb his own energy. - -"Then it was you who fired," she said in a dull voice. "You who shut -me in here? You who killed those voices. Why didn't you answer when I -called, when I thought it was Herbert? It was very unkind--very -unkind." - -He stared at her for a second, and then his hand went out and closed -on hers firmly. "Mrs. Erlton! I'm going to save you if I can. Come. I -don't know what you're talking about, and there is no time for talk. -Come." - -So, hand in hand, they passed into the side veranda, through which he -had entered, and so, since the nearest way to the city lay down that -flight of steps, to the front one. - -"Take care," he cried, half-stumbling himself, and forcing her to -avoid something that lay huddled up against the wall. It was a dead -man. And there, upon the steps which showed white as marble in the -moonlight, were two others in a heap. A third lower down, ghastlier -still, lying amid dark stains marring the whiteness, and with a gaping -cut clearly visible on the shoulder. - -But that still further down! Jim Douglas gave a quick cry, -dropped Kate's hand, and was on his knees beside the tall young -figure--coatless, its white shirt stiff with blood, which lay head -downward on the last steps as if it had pitched forward in some mad -pursuit. As he turned it over on its back gently, the young face -showed in the moonlight stern, yet still exultant, and the sword, -still clenched in the stiff right hand, rattled on the steps. - -"Mainwaring! I don't understand," he said, looking up bewildered into -Kate's face. The puzzle had gone from it; she seemed roused to life -again. - -"I understand now," she said softly, and as she spoke she stooped -and raised the boy's head tenderly in her hands. "Don't let us -leave him here," she went on eagerly, hastily. "Leave him there, -beside--beside--_her_." - -Jim Douglas made no reply. He understood also dimly, and he only -signed to her to take the feet instead. So together they managed to -place that dead weight within the threshold and close the door. - -Then Jim Douglas held out his hand again, but there was a new -friendliness in its grip. "Come!" he said, and there was a new ring in -his voice, "the night is far spent, the day is at hand." - -It was true. As they stepped from the now waning moonlight into the -shadow of the trees, the birds, beginning to dream of dawn, shifted -and twittered faintly among the branches. And once, startling them -both, there was a louder rustling from a taller tree, a flutter of -broad white wings to a perch nearer the city, a half-sleepy cry of: - -"_Deen! Deen! Futteh Mohammed!_" - -"If I had time," muttered Jim Douglas fiercely, "I would go and wring -that cursed bird's neck! But for it----" Kate's tighter clasp on his -hand seemed like an appeal, and he went on in silence. - -So, as they slipped from the gardens into the silent streets, the -muezzin's monotonous chant began from the shadowy minaret of the big -mosque. - -"Prayer is more than sleep!--than sleep!--than sleep!" - -The night was far spent; the day was indeed at hand--and what would it -bring forth? Jim Douglas, with a sinking at his heart, told himself he -could at least be thankful that one day was done. - - - - - - BOOK IV. - - "SUCH STUFF AS DREAMS ARE MADE OF." - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - THE DEATH PLEDGE. - - -The outer court of the Palace lay steeped in the sunshine of noon. Its -hot rose-red walls and arcades seemed to shimmer in the glare, and the -dazzle and glitter gave a strange air of unreality, of instability to -all things. To the crowds of loungers taking their siesta in every -arcade and every scrap of shadow, to the horses stabled in rows in the -glare and the blaze, to the eager groups of new arrivals which, from -time to time, came in from the outer world by the cool, dark tunnel of -the Lahore gate to stand for a second, as if blinded by the shimmer -and glitter, before becoming a part of that silent, drowsy stir of -life. - -From an arch close to the inner entry to the precincts rose a -monotonous voice reading aloud. The reader was evidently the author -also, for his frown of annoyance was unmistakable at a sudden -diversion caused by the entry of a dozen or more armed men, shouting -at the top of their voices: "_Pâdisâth, Pâdisâth, Pâdisâth!_ We be -fighters for The Faith. _Pâdisâth!_ a blessing, a blessing!" - -A malicious laugh came from one of the listeners in the arcade--a -woman shrouded in a Pathan veil. - -"'Tis as well his Majesty hath taken another cooling draught," came -her voice shrilly. "What with writing letters for help to the Huzoors -to please Ahsan-Oolah and Elahi-Buksh, and blessing faith to please -the Queen, he hath enough to do in keeping his brain from getting -dizzy with whirling this way and that. Mayhap faith will fail first, -since it is not satisfied with blessings. They are windy diet, and I -heard Mahboob say an hour agone that there was too much faith for the -Treasury. Lo! moonshee-jee, put that fact down among thy heroics--they -need balance!" - -"Sure, niece Hâfzan," reproved the old editor of the Court Journal, "I -see naught that needs it. Syyed Abdulla's periods fit the case as peas -fit a pod; they hang together." - -"As we shall when the Huzoors return," assented the voice from the -veil. - -"They will return no more, woman!" said another. It belonged to a man -who leaned against a pilaster, looking dreamily out into the glare -where, after a brief struggle, the band of fighters for the faith had -pushed aside the timid door-keepers and forced their way to the inner -garden. Through the open door they showed picturesquely, surging down -the path, backed by green foliage and the white dome of the Pearl -Mosque rising against the blue sky. - -"The Faith! The Faith! We come to fight for the Faith!" - -Their cry echoed over the drowsy, dreaming crowds, making men turn -over in their sleep; that was all. - -But the dreaminess grew in the face looking at the vista through the -open door till its eyes became like those Botticelli gives to his -Moses--the eyes of one who sees a promised land--and the dreamy voice -went on: - -"How can they return; seeing that He is Lord and Master? Changing the -Day to Darkness, the Darkness into Day. Holding the unsupported skies, -proving His existence by His existence, Omnipotent. High in Dignity, -the Avenger of His Faithful people." - -The old editor waggled his head with delighted approval; the author -fidgeted over an eloquence not his own; but Hâfzan's high laugh rang -cynically: - -"That may be so, most learned divine; yet I, Hâfzan, the harem scribe, -write no orders nowadays for King or Queen without the proviso of -'writ by a slave in pursuance of lawful order and under fear of death' -in some quiet corner. For I have no fancy, see you, for hanging, even -if it be in good company. But, go on with thy leading article, -moonshee-jee, I will interrupt no more." - -"Thus by a single revolution of time the state of affairs is completely -reversed,[4] and the great and memorable event which took place four -days ago must be looked upon as a practical warning to the uninformed -and careless, namely the British officers and those who never dreamed -of the decline and fall of their government, but who have now -convincing proof of what has been written in the Indelible Tablets by -God. The following brief account, therefore, of the horrible and -memorable events is given here solely for the sake of those still -inclined to treat them as a dream. On Monday, the 16th of Rumzân, that -holy month in which the Word of God came down to earth, and in which, -for all time, lies the Great Night of Power, the courts being open -early on account of the hot weather, the magistrate discharging his -wonted duties, suddenly the bridge toll-keeper appeared, informing him -that a few Toork troopers had first crossed the bridge----" - -The dreamy-faced divine turned in sharp reproach. "Not so, Syyed-jee. -The vision came first--the vision of the blessed Lord Ali seen by the -muezzin. Wouldst make this time as other times, and deny the miracles -by which it is attested as of God?" - -"Miracles!" echoed Hâfzan. "I see no miracle in an old man on a -camel." - -The divine frowned. "Nor in a strange white bird with a golden crown, -which hovered over the city giving the sacred cry? Nor in the -fulfillment of Hussan Askuri's dream?" - -Hâfzan burst into shrill laughter. "Hussan Askuri! Lo! Moulvie -Mohammed Ismail, didst thou know the arch dreamer as I, thou wouldst -not credit his miracles. He dreams to the Queen's orders as a bear -dances to the whip. And as thou knowest, my mistress hath the knack of -jerking the puppet strings. She hath been busy these days, and even -the Princess Farkhoonda----" - -"What of the Princess?" asked the newswriter, eagerly, nibbling his -pen in anticipation. - -"Nay, not so!" retorted Hâfzan. "I give no news nowadays, since I -cannot set 'spoken under fear of death' upon the words." - -She rose as she spoke, yet lingered, to stand a second beside the -divine and say in a softer tone, "Dreams are not safe, even to the -pious, as thou, Moulvie-sahib. A bird is none the less a bird because -it is strange to Delhi and hath been taught to speak. That it was seen -all know; yet for all that, it may be one of Hussan Askuri's tricks." - -"Let it be so, woman," retorted Mohammed Ismail almost fiercely, "is -there not miracle enough and to spare without it? Did not the sun rise -four days ago upon infidels in power? Where are they now? Were there -not two thousand of them in Meerut? Did they strike a blow? Did they -strike one here? Where is their strength? Gone! I tell thee--gone!" - -Hâfzan laid a veiled clutch on his arm suddenly and her other hand, -widening the folds of her shapeless form mysteriously, pointed into -the blaze and shimmer of sunlight. "It lies there, Moulvie-sahib, it -lies there," she said in a passionate whisper, "for God is on their -side." - -It was a pitiful little group to which she pointed. A woman, her mixed -blood showing in her face, her Christianity in her dress, being driven -along like a sheep to the shambles across the courtyard. She clasped a -year-old baby to her breast and a handsome little fellow of three -toddled at her skirts. She paused in a scrap of shade thrown by a tree -which grew beside a small cistern or reservoir near the middle of the -court, and shifted the heavy child in her arms, looking round, as she -did so, with a sort of wild, fierce fear, like that of a hunted -animal. The cluster of sepoys who had made their prisoner over to the -Palace guard turned hastily from the sight; but the guard drove her on -with coarse jibes. - -"The rope dangles close, Moulvie-jee," came Hâfzan's voice again. -"Ropes, said I? Gentle ropes? Nay! only as the wherewithal to tie -writhing limbs as they roast. If thou hast a taste for visions, pious -one, tell me what thou seest ahead for the murderers of such poor -souls?" - -"Murderers," echoed Mohammed Ismail swiftly; "there is no talk of -murder. 'Tis against our religion. Have I not signed the edict against -it? Have we not protested against the past iniquity of criminals, and -ignorant beasts, and vile libertines like Prince Abool-Bukr, who take -advantage----" - -"He was too drunk for much evil, learned one!" sneered Hâfzan. "Godly -men do worse than he in their own homes, as I know to my cost. As for -thine edict! Take it to the Princess Farkhoonda. She is a simple soul, -though she holds the vilest liver of Delhi in a leash. But the -Queen--the Queen is of different mettle, as you edict-signers will -find. There are nigh fifty such prisoners in the old cook-room now. -Wherefore?" - -"For safety. There are nigh forty in the city police station also." - -Hâfzan gathered her folds closer, "Truly thou art a simple soul, pious -divine. Dost not think there is a difference, still, between the -Palace and the city? But God save all women, black or white, say I! -Save them from men, and since we be all bound to hell together by -virtue of our sex, then will it be a better place than Paradise by -having fewer men in it." - -She flung her final taunts over her shoulder at her hearers as she -went limping off. - -"Heed her not, most pious!" said her uncle apologetically. "She hath -been mad against men ever since hers, being old and near his end, took -her, a child, and----" - -But Moulvie Mohammed Ismail was striding across the courtyard to the -long, low, half-ruinous shed in which the prisoners were kept. - -"Have they proper food and water?" he asked sharply of the guard. "The -King gave orders for it." - -"It comes but now!" replied the sergeant glibly, pointing to a file of -servants bearing dishes which were crossing the courtyard from the -royal kitchens. The Moulvie gave a sigh of relief, for Hâfzan's hints -had alarmed him. These same helpless prisoners lay on his conscience, -since he and his like were mainly responsible for the diligent search -for Christians which had been going on during the last few days; for -it was not to be tolerated that the faithful should risk salvation by -concealing them. The proper course was plain, unmistakable. They -should be given up to the authorities and be made into good -Mohammedans; by persuasion if possible, if not, by force. In truth the -Moulvie dreamed already of ninety and odd willing converts, as a -further manifestation of divine favor. Perhaps more; though most of -these ill-advised attempts at concealment must have come to an end by -now. - -They had indeed; those four days of peace, of hourly increasing -religious enthusiasm for a cause so evidently favored by High Heaven, -had made it well nigh impossible to carry on a task attempted by so -many, when it seemed likely to last for a few hours only. - -Even Jim Douglas told himself he must fail unless he could get help. -He had succeeded so far, simply because--by a mere chance--he had, not -one but several, places of concealment ready to his hand without the -necessity for taking anyone into his confidence. For he had found it -convenient in his work to have cities of refuge, as it were, where he -could escape from curiosity or change a disguise at leisure. The -shilling or so a month required for the rent of a room in some -tenement house being more than repaid by the sense of security the -possession gave him. It was to one of these, therefore, that he took -Kate on the dawn of the 12th, leaving her locked up in it alone; till -night enabled him to take her on to another; so by constant change -managing to escape suspicion. But as the days passed in miraculous -peace, he recognized the hopelessness of continuing this life for -long. To begin with, Kate's nerves could not stand it. She was brave -enough, but she had an imagination, and what woman with that could -stand being left alone in the dark for twelve hours at a time, never -knowing if the slow starvation, which would be her fate if anything -untoward happened to him, had not already begun? He could not expect -her to stand it, when three days of something far less difficult had -left him haggard, his nerves unstrung; left him with the possibility -looming in the future of his losing his self-control some day, and -going madly for the whole world as young Mainwaring had done. Not that -he cared for Kate's safety so much, as that the mere thought of -failure roused a beast-like ferocity in him. So, as he wandered -restlessly about the city, waiting in a fever of impatience for some -sign of the world without those rose-red walls--waiting day by day, -with a growing tempest of rage, for the night to return and let him -creep up some dark stairs and assure himself of a woman's safety, he -was piecing together a plan in case---- Of what? In case the stories -he heard in the bazaars were true? No! that was impossible. How could -the English have been wiped out of India? Yet as he saw the deserted -shops being reopened in solemn procession by an old pantaloon on an -elephant calling himself the Emperor, when he saw Abool-Bukr letting -off squibs in general rejoicing over the reestablishment of Mohammedan -empire; above all when he saw the tide of life returning to the -streets, his mad desire to strike a blow and smash the sham was -tempered by an almost unbearable curiosity as to what had really -happened. But he dared not try and find out. Useless though he knew it -was, he hung round the quarter where Kate lay concealed for the day, -feeling a certain consolation in knowing that he was as close to her -as he dared to be. Such a life was manifestly impossible, and so, bit -by bit, his plan grew. Yet, when it had grown, he almost shrank from -it, so strange did it seem, in its linking of the past with the -present. For Kate must pass as his wife--his sick wife, hidden, as -Zora had been, on some terraced roof, with Tara as her servant; he, -meanwhile, passing as an Afghan horse-dealer, kept from returning -North, like others of his trade, by this illness in his house. The -plan was perfectly feasible if Tara would consent. And Jim Douglas, -though he ignored his own certainty, never really doubted that she -would. He had not been born in the mist-covered mountains of the North -for nothing. Their mysticism was part of his nature, and he felt that -he had saved her for this; that for this, and this only, he had played -that childish but successful cantrip with her hair. In a way, was not -the pathetic idyl on the roof with little Zora but a rehearsal of a -tragedy--a rehearsal without which he could not have played his part? -Strange thread of fate, indeed, linking these women together! and -though he shrank from admitting its very existence, it gave him -confidence that the whole would hang together securely. So that when -he sought Tara out, his only real doubt was whether it would be wiser -to tell her the truth about Kate, or assert that she was his wife. He -chose the latter as less risky, since, even if Tara refused aid, she -would not overtly betray anyone belonging to him. - -But Tara did not refuse. To begin with, she could have refused nothing -in the first joy of finding him safe when she had believed him dead -like all the other Huzoors. And then a vast confusion of love, and -pride, and remorse, and fierce passionate denial of all three, led her -into consent. If the Huzoor wanted her to help to save his wife why -should she object? Though it was nothing to her if the mem was _his_ -mem or not. Jim Douglas, listening to the eager protest, wondered if -he might not safely have saved himself an unnecessary complication; -but then he wondered at many things Tara said and did. At her quick -frown when he promised her both hair and locket as her reward. At the -faint quiver amid the scorn with which she had replied that he would -still want the latter for the mem's hair. At her slow smile when he -opened the gold oval to show the black lock still in sole possession. -She had turned aside to look at the hearth-cakes she had been toasting -when he came in, and then gone into the necessary details of -arrangement in the most matter-of-fact way. Naturally the Huzoor had -sought help from his servant. From whom else could he seek it? As for -her saintship, there was nothing new in that. She had been suttee -always as the master very well knew. So nothing she did for him, or he -for her, could make that suffer. Therefore she would arrange as she -had arranged for Zora. The Huzoor must rent a roof--roofs were -safest--and she would engage a half-blind, half-deaf old sweeper-woman -she knew of. Perhaps another if need be. But the Huzoor need have no -fear of such details if he gave her money. And this Jim Douglas had -hidden in the garden of his deserted bungalow in Duryagunj; so that in -truth it seemed as if the whole plan had been evolved for them by a -kindly fate. - -And yet Jim Douglas felt a keen pang of regret when, for the first -time, he gave the familiar knock of those old Lucknow days at the door -of a Delhi roof and Tara opened it to him, dressed in the old crimson -drapery, the gold bangles restored to her beautiful brown arms. He had -brought Kate round during the previous night to the lodging he had -managed to secure in the Mufti's quarter, and, leaving her there -alone, had taken the key to Tara; this being the safest plan, since -everything could then be arranged in discreet woman's fashion before -he put in an appearance. - -And the task had been done well. The outside square or yard of -parapeted roof which he entered lay conventional to the uttermost. A -spinning-wheel here, a row of water-pots there, a mat, a reed stool or -two, a cooking place in one corner, a ragged canvas screen at the -inner doors. Nothing there to prepare him for finding an Englishwoman -within; an Englishwoman with a faint color in her wan cheeks; a new -peace in her gray eyes, busy--Heaven save the mark!--in sticking some -disjointed jasmine buds into the shallow saucer of a water-pot. - -"Tara brought them strung on a string," said Kate half apologetically -after her first welcome, as she noted his look. "I suppose she meant me -to wear them--with the other things," she paused to glance down with a -smile at her dress, "but it seemed a pity. They were like a new world -to me--like a promise--somehow." - -He sat down on the edge of the string bed feeling a little dazed and -looked at her and her surroundings critically. It was a pleasant -sunshiny bit of roof, vaulted by the still cool morning sky. There was -a little arcaded room at one end, the topmost branches of a neem tree -showed over one side; on the other, the swelling dome of the big -mosque looked like a great white cloud, and in one corner was a sort -of square turret, from the roof of which, gained by a narrow brick -ladder, the whole city was visible. For it was the highest house in -the quarter, higher even than the roof beside it, over which the same -neem tree cast a shadow. - -And as he looked, he thought idly that no dress in the world was more -graceful than the Delhi dress with its billowy train and loose, soft, -filmy veil. And Kate looked well in white--all in white. He pulled -himself up sharply; but indeed memory was playing him tricks, and -the stress and strain of reality seemed far from that slip of -sun-saturated roof where a graceful woman in white was sticking -jasmine buds into water. And suddenly the thought came that Zora would -have worn the chaplets heedlessly; there would have been no -sentimentality over withered flowers on her part. - -"A promise," he echoed half-bitterly. "Well! one must hope so. And -even if the worst comes, it will come easier here." - -She looked up at him reproachfully. "Don't remind me of that, please," -she said hurriedly; "I seem to have forgotten--here under the blue -sky. I dare say it's very trivial of me, but I can't help it. -Everything amuses me, interests me. It is so quaint, so new. Even this -dress; it is hardly credible, but I wished so much for a looking-glass -just now, to see how I looked in it." - -Her eyes met his almost gayly, and he felt an odd resentment in -recognizing that Zora would have said the words as frankly. - -"I have one here--in a ring," he replied somewhat stiffly, with a -vague feeling he had done all this before, as he untied the knot of a -small bundle he had brought with him. "It is not much use--for that -sort of thing--I'm afraid," he went on, "but I think you had better -have these: it is a great point--even for your own sake--to dress as -well as play the part." - -Kate, with a sudden gravity, looked at the pile of native ornaments he -emptied out on to the bed. Bracelets in gold and silver, anklets, odd -little jeweled tassels for the hair, quaint silk-strung necklets and -talismans. - -"Here is the looking-glass," he said, choosing out a tiny round one -set in filigree gold; "you must wear it on your thumb--but it will -barely go on my little finger," he spoke half to himself, and Kate, -fitting on the ring, looked at him and set her lips. - -"It is too small for me also," she said, laying it down with -a faint air of distaste. "They are very pretty, Mr. Greyman," -she added quickly, "but I would rather not--unless it is really -necessary--unless you think----" - -He rose half-wearily, half-impatiently. "I should prefer it; but you -can do as you like. The jewels belonged to a woman I loved very -dearly, Mrs. Erlton. She was not my wife--but she was a good woman for -all that. You need not be afraid." - -Kate felt the blood tingle to her face as she laid violent hands on -the first ornament she touched. It happened to be a solid gold bangle. -"It is too small too," she said petulantly, trying to squeeze her hand -through it. "Really it would be better----" - -"Excuse me," he replied coolly, "if you will let me." He drew the -great carved knobs apart deftly, slipped her wrist sideways through -the opening, and had them closed again in a second. - -"You can't take it off at night, that is all," he went on, "but I will -tell Tara to show you how to wear the rest. I must be off now and -settle a thousand things." - -As he passed into the outer roof once more, Kate felt that flush, half -of resentment, half of shame, still on her face. In such surroundings -how trivial it was, and yet he had guessed her thought truly. Had he -guessed also the odd thrill which the touch of that gold fetter gave -her? Half-mechanically she tried to loosen it, to remove it, and then -with an impatient frown desisted and began to put on the other -bracelets. What did it matter, one way or the other? And then, -becoming interested despite herself, she set to work to puzzle out -uses and places for the pile. - -Meanwhile Jim Douglas was dinning instructions into Tara's ear; but -she also, he told himself angrily, was trivial to the last degree. And -when finally he urged an immediate darkening of Kate's hair and a -faint staining of the face to suit the only part possible with her -gray eyes--that of a fair Afghan--he flung away in despair from the -irrelevant remark: - -"But the mem will never be so pretty as Zora; and besides she has such -big feet." - -Big feet! He swore under his breath that all women were alike in this, -that they saw the whole world through the medium of their sex; and -_that_ was at the bottom of all the mischief. Delhi had been lost to -save women; the trouble had begun to please them. Even now, as far as -he could see, resistance would collapse but for one woman's ambition; -though despite the Queen and her plots, a hundred brave men or so -might still be masters of Delhi if they chose. Since it was still each -for himself, and the devil take the hindmost with the mutineers. The -certainty of this had made these long days of inaction almost beyond -bearing to him; and as Jim Douglas passed out into the street he -thought bitterly that here again a woman stood in the way; since but -for Kate he could surely have forced Meerut into making reprisals by -reporting the true state of affairs. - -Yet every hour made these reprisals more difficult. Indeed, as he left -the Mufti's quarters on that morning of the 16th of May, something was -going on in the Palace which ended indecision for many a man and left -no chance of retreat. For Zeenut Maihl saw facts as clearly as Jim -Douglas, and knew that the first tramp of disciplined feet would be -the signal for scuttle; if a chance of escape remained. - -And so this something was going on. By someone's orders of course; by -whose is one of the unanswered questions of the Indian Mutiny. - -The Queen herself was sitting with the King, amicably, innocently, -applauding his latest couplet; which was in sober truth, one of his -best: - - - "God takes this dice-box world, shakes upside down, - Throws one defeat, and one a kingly crown." - - -He was beginning to feel the latter on the old head, which was so -diligently stuffed with dreams; but the Queen knew in her heart of -hearts that the fight for sovereignty had only just begun. So her mind -was chiefly occupied in a spiteful exultation at the thought of some -folk's useless terror when--this thing being done--they would find -their hands irrevocably on the plow. Ahsan-Oolah and Elahi-Buksh, for -instance; their elaborate bridges would be useless; and Abool-Bukr -with his squibs and processions, Farkhoonda with her patter of virtue -and religion. If only for the sake of immeshing this last victim -Zeenut Maihl would not have shrunk; since those three or four days of -cozening had left the Queen with a still more vigorous hate for the -Princess Farkhoonda, who had fallen into the trap so easily, and who -already began to give herself airs and discuss the future on a plane -of equality. Pretty, conceited fool! who even now, so the spies said, -was waiting to receive the Prince, her nephew, for the first time -since she came to the Palace. The very fact that it was the first time -seemed an aggravation in the Queen's angry eyes, proving as it did a -certain reality in Farkhoonda's pretensions to decorum. - -In truth they were very real to the Princess herself; had been gaining -reality ever since that first deft suggestion of a possibility had set -her heart beating. The possibility, briefly, of the King choosing to -set aside that early marriage so tragically interrupted; choosing to -declare it no marriage and give his consent to another. Newâsi had -indignantly scouted the suggestion, had stopped her ears, her heart; -but the remembrance of it lingered, enervating her mind, and as she -waited for the interview with the Prince she felt vaguely that it was -a very different matter receiving him in these bride-like garments, in -these dim, heavily scented rooms, to what it had been under the clear -sky in her scholar's dress. Yet as she stooped from mere habit, -aroused by the finery itself, to arrange her long brocaded train into -better folds, she gave something between a sigh and a laugh at the -certainty of his admiration. And after all, why should she not have it -if the King---- - -The sound of a distant shot made her start and pause, listening for -another. So she stood a slim figure ablaze with color and jewels, a -figure with studied seductiveness in every detail of its dress; and -she knew that it was so. Why not? If--if he liked it so, and if the -King---- - -Newâsi clasped her hands nervously and walked up and down the dim -room. Abool was late, and he had no right to be late on this his first -visit of ceremony to his aunt. The Mirza-sahib was no doubt late, -admitted her attendants, but the door-keeper had reported a -disturbance of some kind in the outer court which might be the cause -of delay. - -A disturbance! Newâsi, a born coward, shrank from the very thought, -though she felt that it could be nothing--nothing but one of the many -brawls, the constant quarrels. - -God and his prophet! who--what was that? She recoiled with a scream of -terror from the wild figure which burst in on her unceremoniously, -which followed her retreat into the far corner, flung itself at her -knees, clasping them, burying its face among her scented draperies. -But by that time her terror was gone, and she stooped, trying to free -herself from those clinging arms, from the disgrace, from the outrage; -from the drunken---- - -"Abool!" she cried fiercely, then turning to the curious tittering -women, stamped her foot at them and bade them begone. And when they -had obeyed, she beat her little hands against those clinging ones -again with wild upbraidings, till suddenly they fell as if paralyzed -before the awful horror and dread in the face which rose from her -fineries. - -"Come, Newâsi!" stammered the white trembling lips, "come from this -hangman's den. Did I not warn thee? But thou hast put the rope round -my neck--I who only wanted to live my own life, die my own death. -Come! Come!" - -He stumbled to his feet, but seemed unable to stir. So he stood -looking at his hands stupidly. - -Farkhoonda looked too, her face growing gray. - -"What is't, Abool?" she faltered; "what is't, dear?" - -But she knew; it was blood, new shed, still wet. - -He stood silent, gazing at the stains stupidly. "I did not strike," he -muttered to himself, "but I called; or did I strike? I--I----" He -threw up his head and his words rushed recklessly in a high shrill -voice, "I warned thee! I told thee it was not safe! They were herded -like sheep in the sunshine by the cistern, and the smell of blood rose -up. It was in my very nostrils, for, look you, that first shot missed -them and killed one of my men. I saw it. A round red spot oozing over -the white--and they herded like sheep----" - -"Who?" she asked faintly. - -"I told thee; the prisoners, with the cry to kill above the cries -of the children, the flash of blood-dulled swords above women's -heads--and I---- Nay! I warned thee, Newâsi, there was butcher -_here_"--his blood-stained hands left their mark on his gay clothes. - -"Abool!" she cried, "thou didst not----" - -"Did I?" he almost screamed. "God! will it ever leave my sight? I gave -the call, I ran in, I drew my sword. It spurted over my hands from a -child's throat as I would have struck--or--or--did I strike? Newâsi!" -his voice had sunk again almost to a whisper, "it was in its mother's -arms,--she did not cry,--she looked and I--I----" he buried his face -in his hands--"I came to thee." - -She stood looking at him for a moment, her hands clenched, her -beautiful soft eyes ablaze; then recklessly she tore the jewels from -her arms, her neck, her hair. - -"So she has dared! Yea! Come! thou art right, Abool!" The words mixed -themselves with the tinkle of bracelets as, flung from her in wild -passion, they rolled into the corners of the room, with the chink of -necklaces as they fell, with the rustle of brocade and tinsel as she -tore them from her. "She has killed them--the helpless fugitives, -guests who have eaten the King's salt! She thinks to beguile us -all--to beguile thee. But she shall not. It is not too late. Come! -Come! Abool--thou shalt have all from me--yea! all, sooner than she -should beguile thee thus--Come!" - -She had snatched an old white veil from its peg and wrapped it round -her, as she passed rapidly to the door; but he did not move. So she -passed back again as swiftly to take his hand, stained as it was, and -lay her cheek to it caressingly. - -"Thou didst not strike, dear, thou didst not! Come, dear, that -she-devil shall not have thee--I will hold thee fast." - -Five minutes after a plain curtained dhoolie left the precincts and -swayed past the Great Hall of Audience with its toothed red arches, -looking as if they yawned for victims. The courtyard beyond lay -strangely silent, despite the shifting crowd, which gathered and -melted and gathered again round the little tree-shaded cistern where -but the day before Hâfzan and the Moulvie had watched a mother pause -to clasp her baby to softer, securer rest. - -The woman and the child were at the cistern now, and the Rest had -come. Softer, securer than all other rest, and the mother shared it; -shared it with other women, other children. - -But as the Princess Farkhoonda, fearful of what she might see, peeped -through the dhoolie curtains, there was nothing to be seen save the -shifting, curious crowd, while the impartial sunshine streamed down on -it, and those on whom it gazed. - -So let the shifting, crowding years with their relentless questioning -eyes shut out all thought of what lay by the cistern, save that of -rest and the impartial sunshine streaming upon it. - -For as the beautiful soft eyes drew back relieved, a bugle rang -through the arcades, echoed from the wall, floated out into the city. -The bugle to set watch and ward, to close the gates; since the -irrevocable step had been taken, the death-pledge made. - -So the dream of sovereignty began in earnest behind closed gates. But -if women had lost Delhi, those who lay murdered about the little -cistern had regained it. For Hâfzan had spoken truth; the strength of -the Huzoors lay there. - -The strength of the real Master. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - PEACE? PEACE? - - -Three weeks had passed, and still the dream of sovereignty went on -behind the closed gates, while all things shimmered and simmered in -the fierce blaze of summer sunlight. The city lay--a rose-red glare -dazzling to look at--beside the glittering curves of the river, and -the deserted Ridge, more like a lizard than ever, sweltered and slept -lazily, its tail in the cool blue water, its head upon the cool green -groves of the Subz-mundi. And over all lay a liquid yellow heat-haze -blurring every outline, till the whole seemed some vast mirage. - -And still there were no tidings of the master, no cloud of dust upon -the Meerut road. None. - -Amazing, incredible fact! Men whispered of it on the steps of the -Great Mosque when, the last Friday of the fast coming round, its -commination service brought many from behind closed doors to realize -that by such signs of kingship as beatings of drums, firing of -salutes, and levying of loans, Bahâdur Shâh really had filched the -throne of his ancestors from the finest fighters in the world. Filched -it without a blow, without a struggle, without even a threat, a -defiance. - -So here they were in a new world without posts or telegraphs, laws or -order. Time itself turned back hundreds of years and all power of -progress vested absolutely in one old man, the Light of Religion, the -Defender of the Faith, the Great Moghul. If that were not a miracle it -came too perilously near to one for some folk's loyalty; and so they -drifted palaceward when prayers were over to swell the growing crowd -of courtiers about the Dream King. And even the learned and most loyal -lingered on the steps to whisper, and call obscure prophecies and -ingenious commentaries to mind, and admit that it was strange, -wondrous strange, that the numerical values of the year should yield -the anagram "_Ungrez tubbah shood ba hur soorut_," briefly "The -British shall be annihilated." For the Oriental mind loves such -trivialities. - -And, to all intents and purposes, the English were annihilated, during -that short month of peace between the 11th of May and the 8th of June, -1857; for Delhi knew nothing of the vain striving, the ceaseless -efforts of the master to find tents and carriages, horses, ammunition, -medicine, everything once more, save, thank Heaven! courage, and the -determination to be master still. - -Even Soma admitted the miracle grudgingly; for he had so far bolstered -up his disloyalty by thoughts of a fair fight. He had not, after all, -gone to Delhi direct, but had cut across country to his own village -near Hansi, and had waited there, hoping to hear of a regular outbreak -of hostilities before definitely choosing his side; and he was still -waiting when, after a fortnight, his greatest chum in the regiment had -turned up from Meerut. For Davee Singh had been one of the many sepoys -of the 11th who had gone back to the colors after that one brief night -of temptation was over. Soma had known this, and more than once as he -waited, the knowledge had been as a magnet drawing him back to the old -pole of thought; for that his chum should be led to victory and he be -among the defeated was probable enough to make Soma hate himself in -anticipation. - -But here was Davee Singh, a deserter like he was, sulkily -uncommunicative to the village gossips, but to his fellow admitting -fiercely that the latter had been right. The Huzoors had forgotten how -to fight. Meerut was quiet as the grave; but there was no word of -Delhi, and folk said--what did they not say? - -So these two, with a strange mixture of regret and relief in their -hearts, set out for Delhi to see what was happening there; not knowing -that many of their fellows were drifting from it, weary like -themselves of inaction. - -They had arrived there, two swaggering Rajpoots, in the midst of the -thanksgivings and jollity of the Mohammedan Easter which followed on -the last Friday of Fast; and they had fallen foul of it frankly. As -frankly as the Mohammedans would have fallen foul of a Hindoo -Saturnalia, or both Mohammedans and Hindoos would have fallen foul of -the festivities in honor of the Queen's Birthday which, on this 25th -of May, 1857, were going on in every cantonment in India as if there -was no such thing as mutiny in the world. So, annoyed with what they -saw and heard, they joined themselves to other Rajpoot malcontents -promptly. They sneered at the old pantaloon's procession, which was in -truth a poor one, though half the tailors in Delhi had been impressed -to hurry up trappings and robes. Perhaps if Abool-Bukr had still been -in charge of squibs and such like, it would have been better; but he -was not. The order he had given to let the Princess Farkhoonda's -dhoolie pass out, before the gates were closed on that day of the -death-pledge, had been his last exercise of authority; for the next -Court Journal contained the announcement that he was dismissed from -his appointment. So he, hovering between the Thunbi Bazaar and the -Mufti's quarter, had nothing to do with the procession at which the -Rajpoots sneered, criticising Mirza Moghul, the Commander-in-Chief's -seat on a horse, and talking boastfully of Vicra-maditya and Pertap as -warlike Hindoos will. Until, about dusk, words came to blows amid a -tinkling of anklets and a terrible smell of musk; for valor drifted as -a matter of course to the wooden balconies of the Thunbi Bazaar during -the month of miracle. So that the inmates, coining money, called down -blessings on the new régime. - -Soma, however, with a cut over one eye sorely in need of a stitch, -swore loudly when he could find none to patch him up save a doddering -old Hakeem, who proposed dosing him with paper pills inscribed with -the name of Providence; an incredible remedy to one accustomed to all -the appliances of hospitals and skilled surgery. - -"Yea! no doubt he is a fool," assented the other sepoys in frank -commiseration, "yet he is the best you will get. For see you, brother, -the doctors belong to the Huzoors; so many a brave man must expect to -die needlessly, since those cursed dressers are not safe. There was -one took the bottles and things and swore he could use them as well as -any. And luck went with him until he gave five heroes who had been -drunk the night before somewhat to clear their heads. By all the gods -in Indra's heaven they were clear even of life in half an hour. So we -fell on the dresser and cleared him too. Yea! fool or no fool, paper -pills are safer!" - -Jim Douglas, who, profiting by the dusk and confusion, had lingered by -the group after recognizing Soma's voice, turned away with a savage -chuckle; not that the tale amused him, but that he was glad to think -six of the devils had gone to their account. For those long days of -peace and enforced inaction had sunk him lower and lower into sheer -animal hatred of those he dare not rebuke. He knew it himself, he felt -that his very courage was becoming ferocity, and the thought that -others, biding their time as he was, must be sinking into it also, -filled him with fierce joy at the thought of future revenge. And yet, -so far as he personally was concerned, those long days had passed -quietly, securely, peacefully, and he could at any time climb out of -all sight and sound of turmoil to a slip of sunlit roof where a woman -waited for him with confidence and welcome in her eyes. With something -obtrusively English also for his refreshment, since tragedy, even the -fear of death, cannot claim a whole life, and Kate took to amusing -herself once more by making her corner of the East as much like the -West as she dare. That was not much, but Jim Douglas' eye noted the -indescribable difference which the position of a reed stool, the -presence of a poor bunch of flowers, the little row of books in a -niche, made in the familiar surroundings. For there were books and to -spare in Delhi; for the price of a few pennies Jim Douglas might have -brought her a cartload of such loot had he deemed it safe; but he did -not, and so the library consisted of grammars and vocabularies from -which Kate learned with a rapidity which surprised and interested her -teacher. In truth she had nothing else to do. Yet when he came, as he -often did, to find her absorbed in her work, her eyes dreamy with the -puzzle of tense, he resented it inwardly, telling himself once more -that women were trivial creatures, and life seemed trivial too, for in -truth his nerves were all jangled and out of tune with the desire to -get away from this strange shadow of a past idyll; to leave all -womanhood behind and fall to fighting manfully. So that often as he -sat beside her, patient outwardly, inwardly fretting to be gone even -in the nightmare of the city, his eye would fall on the circlet of -gold he had slipped, out of sheer arrogance and imperious temper, -round that slender wrist, and feel that somehow he had fettered -himself hopelessly when, more than a year past, he had given that -promise. His chance and hers! Was this all? One woman's safety. And -she, following his eyes to the bangle, would feel the thrill of its -first touch once more, and think how strange it was that his chance -and hers were so linked together. But, being a woman, her heart would -soften instinctively to the man who sat beside her, and whose face -grew sterner and more haggard day by day; while hers?--she could see -enough of it in the little looking-glass on her thumb to recognize -that she was positively getting fat! She tried to amuse him by telling -him so, by telling him many of the little humorous touches which come -even into tragic life, and he was quite ready to smile at them. But -only to please her. So day by day a silence grew between them as they -sat on the inner roof, while Tara spun outside, or watched them -furtively from some corner. And the flare of the sunset, unseen behind -the parapeted wall, would lie on the swelling dome and spiked minarets -of the mosque and make the paper kites, flown in this month of May by -half the town, look like drifting jewels; fit canopy for the City of -Dreams and for this strangest of dreams upon the housetop. - -"Has--has anything gone wrong?" she asked in desperation one day, when -he had sat moodily silent for a longer time than usual. "I would -rather you told me, Mr. Greyman." - -He looked at her, vaguely surprised at the name; for he had almost -forgotten it. Forgotten utterly that she could not know any other. And -why should she? He had made the promise under that name; let them -stick to it so long as Fate had linked their chances together. - -"Nothing; not for us at least," he said, and then a sudden remorse at -his own unfriendliness came over him. "There was another poor chap -discovered to-day," he added in a softer tone. "I believe that you and -I, Mrs. Erlton, must be the only two left now." - -"I dare say," she echoed a little wearily, "they--they killed him I -suppose." - -He nodded. "I saw his body in the bazaar afterward. I used to know him -a bit--a clever sort----" - -"Yes----" - -"Mixed blood, of course, or he could not have passed muster so long as -a greengrocer's assistant." - -"Well--I would rather hear if you don't mind." - -His dark eyes met hers with a sudden eagerness, a sudden passion in -them. - -"What a little thing life is after all! He only said one word--only -one. He was selling watermelons, and some brute tried to cheat him -first, and then cheeked him. And he forgot a moment and said: -_Chup-raho_,' (be silent)--only that!--'_chup-raho_'! They were -bragging of it--the devils. We knew he couldn't be a coolie, they -said, that is a master's word.' My God! What wouldn't I give to say it -sometimes! I could have shouted to them then, _Chup-raho_, you fools! -you cowards!' and some of them would have been silent enough----" - -He broke off hurriedly, clenching his hands like a vise on each other, -as if to curb the tempest of words. - -"I beg your pardon," he said after a pause, rising to walk away; "I--I -lose control----" He paused again and shook his head silently. Kate -followed him and laid her hand on his arm; the loose gold fetter -slipped to her wrist and touched him too. - -"You think I don't understand," she said with a sudden sob in her -voice, "but I do--you must go away--it isn't worth it--no woman is -worth it." - -He turned on her sharply. "Go? You know I can't. What is the use of -suggesting it? Mrs. Erlton! Tara is faithful; but she is faithful to -me--only to me--you must see that surely----" - -"If you mean that she loves you--worships the very ground you tread -on," interrupted Kate sharply, "that is evident enough." - -"Is that my fault?" he began angrily; "I happened----" - -"Thank you, I have no wish to hear the story." - -The commonplace, second-rate, mock-dignified phrase came to her lips -unsought, and she felt she could have cried in sheer vexation at -having used it there; in the very face of Death as it were. But Jim -Douglas laughed; laughed good-naturedly. - -"I wonder how many years it is since I heard a woman say that? In -another world surely," he said with quite a confidential tone. "But -the fact remains that Tara protects you as my wife, and if I were to -go----" - -Kate looked at him with a quick resentment flaming up in her face -beneath the stain. - -"I think you are mistaken," she said slowly. "I believe Tara would be -better pleased if--if she knew the truth." - -"You mean if I were to tell her you are not my wife?" he replied -quickly. "Why?" - -"Because I should be less of a tie to you--because----" She paused, -then added sharply, "Mr. Greyman, I must ask you to tell her the -truth, please. I have a right to so much, surely. I have my reasons -for it, and if you do not, I shall." - -Jim Douglas shrugged his shoulders. "In that case I had better tell -her myself; not that I think it matters much one way or another, so -long as I am here. And the whole thing from beginning to end is -chance, nothing but chance." - -"Your chance and mine," she murmured half to herself. It was the first -time she had alluded openly to the strange linking of their fates, and -he looked at her almost impatiently. - -"Yes! your chance and mine; and we must make the best of it. I'll tell -her as I go out." - -But Tara interrupted him at the beginning. - -"If the Huzoor means that he does not love the mem as he loved Zora, -that requires no telling, and for the rest what does it matter to this -slave?" - -"And it matters nothing to me either," he retorted roughly, "but of -this be sure. Who kills the mem kills me, unless I kill first; and by -Krishnu, and Vishnu, and the lot, I'd as lief kill you, Tara, as -anyone else, if you get in my way." - -A great broad flash of white teeth lit up her face as she salaamed, -remarking that the Huzoor's mother must have been as Kunti. And Jim -Douglas understanding the complimentary allusion to the God-visited -mother of the Lunar race, wished as he went downstairs, that he was -like the Five Heroes in one respect, at least, and that was in having -only a fifth part of a woman to look after, instead of two whole ones -who talked of love! So he passed out to listen, and watch, and wait, -while the fire-balloons went up into the velvety sky, replacing the -kites. For May is the month of marriages also, and night after night -these false stars floated out from the Dream-City to form new -constellations on the horizon for a few minutes and then disappear -with a flare into the darkness. Into the darkness whence the master -did not come. Yet, as the month ended, villagers passing in with grain -from Meerut averred that the masters were not all dead, or else God -gave their ghosts a like power in cursing and smiting--which was all -poor folk had to look for; since some had appeared and burned a -village. - -Not all dead? The news drifted from market to market, but if it -penetrated through the Palace gates it did not filter through the new -curtains and hangings of the private apartments where the King took -perpetual cooling draughts and wrote perpetual appeals for more -etiquette and decorum. For nothing likely to disturb the unities of -dreams was allowed within the precincts, where every day the old King -sat on a mock peacock throne with a new cushion to it, and listened -for hours to the high-flown letters of congratulation which poured in, -each with its own little covering bag of brocade, from the neighboring -chiefs. And if any day there happened to be a paucity of real ones, -Hussan Askuri could supply them, like other dreams, at so much a -dozen; since nothing more costly than the brocade bag came with them. -So that the Mahboob's face, as Treasurer, grew longer and longer over -the dressmaker's and upholsterer's bills, and the Court Journal was -driven into recording the fact that someone actually presented a -bottle of _Pandamus odoratissimus_, whatever that may be. Some subtle -essence, mayhap, favorable to dreaminess; since, in the month of -peace, drugs were necessary to prevent awakening. - -Especially when, on the 30th of May, a sound came over the distant -horizon; the sound of artillery. - -At last! At last! Jim Douglas, who, in sheer dread of his own growing -despair, had taken to spending all the time he dared in moody silence -on that peaceful roof, started as if he had been shot, and was down -the stairs seeking news. The streets were full of a silent, restless -crowd, almost empty of soldiers. They had gone out during the night, -he learned, Meerutward; tidings of an army on the banks of the Hindu -river, seven or eight miles out, having been brought in by scouts. - -At last! At last! He wandered through the bazaars scarcely able to -think, wondering only when the army could possibly arrive, feeling a -mad joy in the anxious faces around him, lingering by the groups of -men collected in every open space simply for the satisfaction of -hearing the wonder and alarm in the words: "So the master lives." - -He lived indeed! Listen! That was his voice over the eastern horizon! -Kate, when he came back to the roof about noon, had never seen him in -this mood before, and wondered at his fire, his gayety, his youth. But -the recognition brought a dull pain with it, in the thought that this -was natural to the man; that gloomy moodiness the result of her -presence. - -"You are not afraid, surely?" he said suddenly, breaking off in the -recital of some future event which seemed to him certain. - -"No. I am only glad," she replied slowly. "It could not have lasted -much longer. It is a great relief." - -"Relief," he echoed, "I wonder if you know the relief it is to me?" -And then he looked at her remorsefully. "I have been an awful brute, -Mrs. Erlton, but women can scarcely understand what inaction means to -a man." - -Could they not? she wondered bitterly as he hastened off again, -leaving her to long weary hours of waiting; till the red flush of -sunset on the bubble dome of the mosque brought him back with a new -look on his face; a look of angry doubt. - -"The sepoys are coming in again," he said; "they claim a victory--but -that, of course, is impossible. Still I don't understand, and it is so -difficult to get any reliable information." - -"You should go out yourself--I believe it would be best for us both," -replied Kate, "Tara----" - -He shook his head impatiently. "Not now. What is the use of risking -all at the last. We can only have to wait till to-morrow. But I don't -understand it, all the same. The sepoys say they surprised the -camp--that the buglers were still calling to arms when their artillery -opened fire. But so far as I can make out they have lost five guns, -and from the amount of bhang they are drinking, I believe it was a -rout. However, if you don't mind, I'll be off again--and--and don't be -alarmed if I stay out." - -"I'm not in the least alarmed," she replied. "As I have told you -before, I don't think it is necessary you should come here at all." - -He paused at the door to glance back at her half-resentfully. To be -sure she did not know that he had slept on its threshold as a rule; -but anyhow, after eating your heart out over one woman's safety for -three weeks, it was hard to be told that you were not wanted. But, -thank Heaven! the end was at hand. And yet as he lingered round the -watch-fires he heard nothing but boasting, and in more than one of the -mosques thanksgivings were being offered up; while outside the walls -volunteers to complete the task so well begun were assembling to go -forth with the dawn and kill the few remaining infidels. Some drunk -with bhang, more intoxicated by the lust of blood which comes to -fighting races like the Rajpoot with the first blow. It had come to -Soma, as, with fierce face seamed with tears, he told the tale again -and again of his chum's gallant death. How Davee Singh, brother in -arms, his boyhood's playmate, seeing some cowards of artillerymen -abandoning a tumbril full of ammunition to the cursed Mlechchas, had -leaped to it like a black-buck, and with a cry to Kali, Mother of -Death, had fired his musket into it; so sending a dozen or more of the -hell-doomed to their place, and one more brave Rajpoot to Swarga. - -"_Jai! Jai! Kâli ma ki jai!_" - -An echo of the dead man's last cry came from many a living one, as -muskets were gripped tighter in the resolve to be no whit behind. A -few more such heroes and the Golden Age would come again; the age of -the blessed Pandâva, who forgot the cause in the quarrel. - -And so for one day more Jim Douglas strained his ears for that distant -thunder on the horizon, while the people of the town, becoming more -accustomed to it, went about their business, vaguely relieved at -anything which should keep the sepoys' hands from mischief. - -The red sunset glow was on the mosque again when he returned to the -little slip of roof to find Kate working away at her grammars calmly. -The best thing she could do, since every word she learned was an -additional safeguard; and yet the man could not help a scornful smile. - -"It is a rout this time, I am sure," he said; "and yet there is no -sign of pursuit. I cannot understand it; there seems a Fate about it!" - -"Is that anything new?" she asked wearily, as she laid down her book, -and with the certain precision which marked all her actions, saw that -the water was really boiling before she made the tea. It was made in a -_lota_, and drunk out of handleless basins, yet for all that it was -Western-made tea, strong and unspiced, with cream to put to it also, -which she skimmed from a dish set in cold water in the coolest, -darkest place she could find. Dreamlike indeed, and Jim Douglas, -drinking his tea, felt, that with his eyes shut, he might have dreamed -himself in an English drawing room. - -"Nothing new," he retorted, "but it seems incomprehensible. Hark! -That is a salute; for the victory, I suppose. Upon my soul I feel as -if--as if I were a dream myself--as if I should go mad! Don't look -startled--I shan't. The whole thing is a sham--I can see that. But why -has no one the pluck to give the House-of-Cards a push and bring it -about their ears? And what has become of the army at the Hindun? It -took three days to march there from Meerut, I hear--not more than -twenty-four miles. No! I cannot understand it. No wonder the people -say we are all dead. I begin to believe it myself." - -He heard the saying often enough certainly to bring relief during the -1st and 2d of June, when there was no more distant thunder on the -horizon, and the whole town, steeped and saturated with sunshine, lay -half-asleep, the soldiers drowsing off the effect of their drugs. - -Dead? Yea! the masters were dead, and those who had escaped were in -full retreat up the river; so at least said villagers coming in with -supplies. But someone else who had come in with supplies also, sat -crouched up like a grasshopper on a great pile of wool-betasseled -sacks in the corn market and laughed creakily. "Dead! not they. -As the _tanda_ passed Karnal four days agone the camping ground -was white as a poppy field with tents, and the soldiers like -the flies buzzing round them. And if folk want to hear more, I, Tiddu -Baharupa-Bunjârah, can tell tales beyond the Cashmere gate on the -river island where the bullocks graze." - -The creaking voice rose unnecessarily loud, and a man in the dress of -an Afghan who had been listening, his back to the speaker, moved off -with a surprised smile. Tiddu had proved his vaunted superiority in -that instance; though by what arts he had penetrated the back of a -disguise, Jim Douglas could not imagine. Still here was news -indeed--news which explained some of the mystery, since the seeming -retreat up the river had been, no doubt, for the purpose of joining -forces. But it was something almost better than news--it was a chance -of giving them. He had not dared, for Kate's sake, to risk any -confederate as yet; but here was one ready to hand--a confederate, -too, who would do anything for money. - -So that night he sat in tamarisk shadow on the river island talking in -whispers, while the monotonous clank of the bells hung on the -wandering bullocks sounded fitfully, the flicker of the watchfires -gleamed here and there on the half-dried pools of water, the fireflies -flashed among the bushes, and every now and again a rough, rude chant -rose on the still air. - -"They have been there these ten days, Huzoor," came Tiddu's -indifferent voice. "They are waiting for the siege train. Nigh on -three thousand of them, and some black faces besides." - -Jim Douglas gave an exclamation of sheer despair. To him, living in -the House-of-Cards, the Palace-of-Dreams, such caution seemed -unnecessary. Still, the past being irretrievable, the present remained -in which by hook or by crook to get the letter he had with him, ready -written, conveyed to the army at Kurnal. And Tiddu, with fifty rupees -stowed away in his waistband, being lavish of promise and confidence, -there was no more to be done save creep back to the city, feeling as -if the luck had turned at last. - -But the next morning he found the Thunbi Bazaar in a turmoil of talk. -There were spies in the city. A letter had been found, written in the -Persian character, it is true but with the devilish knowledge of the -West in its details of likely spots for attack, the indecision of -certain quarters in the city, its general unpreparedness for anything -like resistance. Who had written it? As the day went on the camps were -in uproar, the Palace invaded, the dream disturbed by denouncings of -Ahsan-Oolah, the giver of composing draughts--Mahboob Ali, the checker -of the purse strings; even of Mirza Moghul, commander-in-chief -himself, who might well be eager to buy his recognition as heir by -treachery. - -The net result of the letter being that, as Jim Douglas, with wrath in -his heart, crept out at dusk to the low levels by the Water Bastion, -intent on having it out with Tiddu, he could see gangs of sepoys still -at work by torchlight strengthening the bridge defense, and had to -dodge a measuring party of artillerymen busy range-finding. His -suggestions had been of use! - -But the old Bunjârah took his fierce reproaches philosophically. "'Tis -the miscreant Bhungi," he assented mournfully. "He is not to be -trusted, but Jhungi having a tertian ague, I deemed a surer foot -advisable. Yet the Huzoor need not be afraid. Even the miscreant would -not betray his person; and for the rest, the Presence writes Persian -like any court moonshee." - -The calm assumption that personal fear was at the bottom of his -reproaches, made Jim Douglas desire to throttle the old man, and only -the certainty that he dare not risk a row prevented him from going for -the ill-gotten rupees at any rate. His thought, however, seemed read -by the old rascal, for a lean protesting hand, holding a bag, -flourished out of the darkness, and the creaking voice said -magnificently: - -"Before Murri-âm and the sacred neem, Huzoor, I have kept my bargain. -As for Jhungi or Bhungi, did I make them that I should know the evil -in them? But if the Huzoor suspects one who holds his tongue, let the -bargain between us end." - -His hearer could not repress a smile at the consummate cunning of the -speech. "You can keep the money for the next job," he said briefly; "I -haven't done with you yet, you scoundrel." - -A grim chuckle came out of the shadows as the hand went back into -them. - -"The Huzoor need not fret himself, whatever happens. The end is nigh." - -It seemed as if it must be with three thousand British soldiers within -sixty miles of Delhi; or less, since they might have marched during -those five days. They might be at Delhi any moment. Three thousand -men! Enough and to spare even though in the last few days a detachment -or two of fresh mutineers had arrived. Ah! if the blow had been struck -sooner. If--if---- - -Kate listened during those first days of June to many such wishes, -despairs, hopes, from one whose only solace lay in words; since with -relief staring him in the face, Jim Douglas crushed down his craving -for action. There was no real need for it, he told her; it must -involve risk, so they must wait--sleep and dream like the city! - -For, lulled by the delay, stimulated to fresh fancy by the newcomers, -the townspeople went on their daily round monotonously; the sepoys -boasted and drank bhang. And in the Palace, the King, in new robes of -state sat on his new cushion and put the sign-manual to such trifles -as a concession to a home-born slave that he might "continue, as -heretofore, a-tinning the royal sauce-pans!" though Mahboob Ali's face -lengthened as he doled out something on account for faith and finery, -and suggested that the army might at least be employed in collecting -revenue somewhere. But the army grinned in the commander-in-chief's -face, scorned laborious days, and between the seductions of the Thunbi -Bazaar gave peaceful citizens what one petitioner against plunder -calls "a foretaste of the Day of Judgment." - -But one soul in Delhi felt in every fiber of him that the Judgment had -come--that atonement must be made. - -"Thou wilt kill thyself with prayers and fastings and seekings of -other folks' salvations, Moulvie-sahib," said Hâfzan almost petulantly -as, passing on her rounds, she saw Mohammed Ismail's anxious face, -seeking audience with everyone in authority, "Thou hast done thy best. -The rest is with God; and if these find death also, the blame will lie -elsewhere." - -"But the blame of those, woman?" he asked fiercely, pointing with -trembling finger to the little cistern shaded by the peepul tree. - -Hâfzan gave a shrill laugh as she passed on. - -"Fear not that either, learned one! This world's atonement for that -will be sufficient for future pardon." - -It might be so, Mohammed Ismail told himself as he hurried off -feverishly to another appeal. He had erred in ignorance there; but -what of the forty prisoners still at the Kotwâli--forty stubborn -Christians despite their dark skins? They were safe so far, but -if the city were assaulted?--if some of the fresh, fiery-faithed -newcomers---- The doubt left him no peace. - -"If thou wilt swear, Moulvie-jee, on thine own eternal salvation that -they are Mohammedans, or stake thy soul on their conversion," jeered -those who held the keys. A heavy stake, that! A solemn oath with forty -stubborn Christians to deal with. No wonder Mohammed Ismail felt -judgment upon him already. - -But the stake was staked, the oath spoken on the 6th of June. The -record of it is brief, but it stands as history in the evidence of one -of the forty. "We were released in consequence of a Moulvie of the -name of Mohammed Ismail giving evidence that we were all Mohammedan; -or that if any were Christian they would become Mohammedan." - -And it was given none too soon. For on the 6th of June as the sun set, -a silhouette of a man on a horse stood clear against the red-gold in -the west, looking down from the Ridge on Delhi. Looking down on the -city bathed in the dreamy glamour of the slanting sunbeams; rose-red -and violet-shadowed, with the great white dome hovering above the -smoke wreaths, and a glitter of gold on the eastern wall, where, -backed by that arcaded view of the darkening Eastern plains, an old -man sat listening to sentiments of fidelity from a pile of little -brocaded bags. - -It was Hodson of Hodson's Horse, reconnoitering ahead. So there was an -Englishman on the Ridge once more as the paper kites came down on the -6th of June. But the fire balloons did not go up; for the night set in -gusty and wet, giving no chance to new constellations. - -Jim Douglas did not sleep at all that night, for Tiddu had brought -word that the English were at Alipore, ten miles out; and nothing but -the dread of needless risk kept him in Delhi. For any risk was -needless when to a certainty the English flag would be flying over the -city in a few hours. - -And Hodson of Hodson's Horse back at Alipore slept late, for he -lingered, weary and wet after his long ride, to write to his wife ere -turning in, that "if he had had a hundred of the Guides he could have -gone right up to the city wall." - -But Mohammed Ismail slept peacefully, his work being over, and dreamed -of Paradise. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - THE CHALLENGE. - - -"For Gawd's sake, sir! don't say I'm unfit for dooty, sir," pleaded a -lad, who, as he stood to attention, tried hard to keep the sharp -shivers of coming ague from the doctor's keen eyes. "I'm all right, -aint I, mates? It aint a bad sort o' fever at worst, as I oughter -know, havin' it constant. It's go ter hell, an' lick the blood up fust -as I'm fit for with Jack Pandy. That's all the matter--you see if it -aint, sir!" - -He threw his fair curly head back, his blue eyes blazed with the -coming fever light, but the bearded man next to him murmured, "'Ee's -all right, sir. 'Ee'll 'old 'is musket straight, never fear," and the -Doctor walked on with a nod. - -"They killed his girl at Meerut," said his company officer in a -whisper, and Herbert Erlton, standing by, set his teeth and glanced -back, blue eye meeting blue eye with a sort of triumph. - -For it was the 7th of June, and the blow was to be struck, the -challenge given at last. - -Nearly a month, thought Herbert Erlton, since it had happened. He had -spent much of the time in bed, struck down with fever; for he had -regained Meerut with difficulty, wounded and exhausted. And then it -had been too late--too late for anything save to hang round hungrily -in the hopes of that challenge to come, with many another such as he. - -But it had come at last. The camp was ringing with cheers for the -final reinforcement, every soul who could stand was coming out of -hospital, and the air, new washed with rain, and cool, seemed to put -fresh life, and with it a desire to kill, into the veins of every son -of the cold North. - -And now the dusk was at hand. The men, half-mad with impatience, -laughed and joked over each trivial preparation. Yet, when the order -came with midnight, weapons were never gripped more firmly, more -sternly, than by those three thousand Englishmen marching to their -long-deferred chance of revenge. And some, not able to march, toiled -behind in hopes of one fair blow; and not a few, unable even for so -much, slipped desperately from hospital beds to see at least one -murderer meet with his reward. - -For, to the three thousand marching upon Delhi that cool dewy night, -sent--so they told themselves--for special solace and succor of the -Right, there were but two things to be reckoned with in the wide -world: Themselves--Men. Those others--Murderers. - -The fireflies, myriad-born from the rain, glimmered giddily in the low -marshy land, the steady stars shone overhead, and Major Erlton looked -at both indifferently as he rode, long-limbed and heavy, through the -night whose soft silence was broken only by the jingle of spurs and -the squelching of light gun-wheels in water-logged ruts; save -when--from a distance--the familiar tramp, tramp, of disciplined feet -along a road came wafted on the cool wind; for the column in which he -was doing duty moved along the canal bank so as to take the enemy, who -held an intrenched position five miles from Alipore, in flank. But -Herbert Erlton was not thinking of stars or fireflies; was not -thinking of anything. He was watching for other lights, the twinkling -cresset lights which would tell where the Murderers waited for that -first blow. He did not even think of the cause of his desire; he was -absorbed in the revenge itself, and a bitter curse rose to his lips, -when just before dawn the roll of a gun and the startled flocks of -birds flying westward told him that others were before him. - -"Hurry up, men! For God's sake hurry up!" The entreaty passed along -the line where the troopers of the 9th Lancers were setting shoulders -to the gun-wheels, and everyone, men and officers alike, was listening -with fierce regret to the continuous roll of cannon, the casual rattle -of musketry, telling that the heavy guns were bearing the brunt of it -so far. - -"Hurry up, men! Hurry up. That's the bridge ahead! Then we can go for -them!" - -Hark! A silence; if silence it could be called, now that the shouts, -and yells, and confused murmur of battle could be heard. But the guns -were silent; and hark again. A ringing cheer! Bayonet work that, at -last, at last! And yonder, behind the fireflies in the bushes? Surely -men in flight! Hurrah! Hurrah! - -When Major Erlton returned from that wild charge it was to find that -one splendid rush from the 75th Regiment had cleared the road to -Delhi. The Murderers had been swept from their shelter, their -guns--some fighting desperately, others standing stupidly to meet -death, and many with clasped hands and vain protestations of loyalty -on their lips paying the debt of their race. But one man had paid some -other debt, Heaven knows what; and the Rifle Brigade cleared the road -to Delhi of an English deserter fighting against his old regiment. - -It had not taken an hour; and now, as the yellow sun peered over the -eastern horizon, a little knot of staff officers consulted what to do -next. - -What to do? Herbert Erlton and many another wondered stupidly what the -deuce fellows could mean by asking the question when the jagged line -of the Ridge lay not three miles off, and Delhi lay behind that? Could -any sane person think that England had done its duty at sunrise, even -though forty good men and true of the three thousand had dealt their -first and last blow? - -But if some did, there were not many; so, after a pause, the march -began again. Westward, by a forking road, to the flat head of the -Lizard lying above the Subz-mundi, eastward toward the tail and the -old cantonment. And this time the bayonets went with the jingling -spurs, and together they cleared the green groves merrily. Still, even -so, it was barely nine o'clock when they met the eastward column again -at Hindoo Rao's house and shook hands over their bloodless victory. -For the eastward force had lost one man, the westward seven, despite -the fact that the retreating Murderers had attempted a rally in their -old lines. - -Nine o'clock! In seven hours the ten miles had been marched, the -battle of Budli-ke-serai won, and below them lay Delhi. Within twelve -hundred yards rose the Moree Bastion, the extreme western point of -that city face which, with the Cashmere gate jutting about its middle -and the Water Bastion guarding its eastern end, must be the natural -target of their valor--a target three-quarters of a mile long by -twenty-four feet high. - -Seven hours! And the Murderers had been driven into the city, while -the men had gained "twenty-six guns and the finest possible base for -the conduct of future operations." For the Ridge, the old cantonments -were once more echoing to the master's step, and the city folk, as -they looked eagerly from the walls, had the first notice of defeat in -the smoke and flames of the sepoy lines which the English soldiers -fired in reckless revenge; reckless because the tents were not up, and -they might at least have been a shelter from the sun. - -But the Delhi force, taken as a whole, was in no mood to think; and so -perhaps those at the head of it felt bound to think the more. There -was Delhi, undoubtedly, but the rose-red walls with their violet -shadows looked formidable. And who could tell how many Murderers it -harbored? A thousand of them or thereabouts would return to Delhi no -more; but, even so, if all the regiments known to have mutinied and -come to Delhi were at their full strength, the odds must still be -close on four to one. And then there was the rabble, armed no doubt -from the larger magazine below the Flagstaff Tower, which, alas, had -found no Willoughby for its destruction on the 11th of May. And then -there was the May sun. And then--and then---- - -"What's up? When are we going on?" asked Major Erlton, sitting fair -and square on his horse, in the shadow of the big trees by Hindoo -Rao's house, as an orderly officer rode past him. - -"Aren't going on to-day. Chief thinks it safer not--these native -cities----" - -He was gone, and Herbert Erlton without a word threw himself heavily -from his horse with a clatter and jingle of swords and scabbards and -Heaven knows what of all the panoply of war; so with the bridle over -his arm stood looking out over the bloody city which lay quiet as the -grave. Only, every now and again, a white puff of smoke followed by a -dull roar came from a bastion like a salute of welcome to the living, -or a parting honor to the dead. - -Was it possible? His eyes followed the familiar outline mechanically -till they rested half-unconsciously on some ruins beside the city -wall. Then with a rush memory came back to him, and as he turned -hurriedly to loosen his horse's girths, the tears seemed to scald his -tired angry eyes. Yet it was not the memory of Alice Gissing only, -which sent these unwonted visitors to Herbert Erlton's eyes; it was a -wild desperate pity and despair for all women. - -And as he stood there ignoring his own emotion, or at least hiding it, -one of the women whom he pitied was looking up with a certain -resentful eagerness at a man, who, from the corner turret of that roof -in the Mufti's quarter, was straining his eyes Ridgeways. - -"They must rest, surely," she said sharply; "you cannot expect them to -be made of iron----"; as you are, she was about to add, but withheld -even that suspicion of praise. - -"Well! There goes the bugle to pitch tents, anyhow," retorted Jim -Douglas recklessly. "So I suppose we had better have our breakfast -too--coffee and a rasher of bacon and a boiled egg or so. By God! its -incredible--it's----" He flung himself on a reed stool and covered his -face with his hands for a second; but he was up facing her the next. -"I've no right to say these things--no one knows better than I how -worse than idle it is to press others to one's own tether--I learned -that lesson early, Mrs. Erlton. But"--he gave a quick gesture of -impotent impatience--"when the news first came in, the men who brought -it ran in at the Cashmere and Moree gates in hundreds, and out at the -Ajmere and Turkoman, calling that the masters had come back; and -people were keeking round the doors hopefully. I tell you the very -boys as I came in here were talking of school again--of holiday tasks, -perhaps--Heaven knows! People were running in the streets--they will -be walking now--in another hour they will be standing; and then! Well! -I suppose the General funks the sun. So I'll be off. I only came -because I thought I had better be here in case; you see the men would -have had their blood up rushing the city----" - -"And your breakfast?" she asked coldly, almost sarcastically; for he -seemed to her so hard, so grudging, while her sympathies, her -enthusiasms were red-hot for the newcomers. - -He laughed bitterly. "I've learned to live on parched grain like a -native, if need be, and I take opium too; so I shall manage." He was -back again to the turret, however, before two o'clock, curtly -apologetic, calmer, yet still eager. The people, to be sure, he said, -had given up keeking round their doors at every clatter, and the gates -had been closed on deserters by the Palace folk; but no one had -thought of bricking them up, and after going round everywhere he -doubted if there were more than seven or eight thousand real soldiers -in Delhi. The 74th and the 11th regiments had been slipping away for -days, and numbers of men who had remained did not really mean to -fight. Tiddu, who seemed to know everything, said that the mutineers -had been very strongly in-trenched at Budli-serai, so the resistance -could not have been very dogged, or our troops could not have fought -their way in before nine o'clock. Yes! since she pressed for an -answer, the General might have been wise in waiting for the cool. Only -he personally wished he had thought it possible, for then he would at -any rate have tried to get a letter sent to the Ridge. Now it was too -late. - -And then suddenly, as he spoke, a fierce elation flashed to his face -again at the sound of bugles, the roll of a gun from the Moree -Bastion; and he was up the stairs of the turret in a second, casting a -half-humorous, wholly deprecating glance back at her. - -"A hare and a tortoise once--I learned that at school--put it into -Latin!" he said lightly, as the walls round them quivered to the -reverberating rolls, thundering from the city wall. - -Kate walked up and down the roof restlessly, passing into the outer -one so as to be further from that eager sentinel and his criticisms. -Tara was spinning calmly, and Kate wondered if the woman could be -alive. Did she not know that brave men on both sides were going to -their deaths? And Tara, from under her heavy eyelashes, watched Kate, -and wondered how any woman who had brought Life into the world could -fear Death. Did not the Great Wheel spin unceasingly? Let brave men, -then, die bravely--even Soma. For she knew by this time that her -brother was in Delhi, and by the master's orders had dodged his -detection more than once. So the two women waited, each after their -nature; while like the pulse of time itself, the beat of artillery -shook the walls. It came so regularly that Kate, crouching in a corner -weary of restless pacing to and fro, grew almost drowsy and started at -a step beside her. - -"A false alarm," said Jim Douglas quietly; "a sortie, as far as I -could judge, from the Moree; easily driven back." - -His tone roused her antagonism instantly. "Perhaps they are waiting -for night." - -"There is a full moon--almost," he replied; "besides, there is fair -cover up to within four hundred yards of the Cabul gate. They could -rush that, and a bag or two of gunpowder would finish the business." - -"They could do that as well to-morrow," she remarked hotly. - -"I hope to God they won't be such fools as to try it!" he replied as -hotly. "If they don't come in to-night they will have to batter down -the walls, and then the city will go against them. What city wouldn't? -It will rouse memories we can't afford to rouse. Who could? And every -wounded man who creeps in to-day will be a center of resistance by -to-morrow. The women will hound others on to protect him. It is their -way. You have always to allow for humanity in war. Well! we must wait -and see." He paused and rubbed his forehead vexedly. "If I had known, -I might have got out with the sortie; but I suppose I couldn't -really----" He paused, shrugged his shoulders, and went out. - -And Kate, as she sat watching the red flush of sunset grow to the -dome, remembered his look at her with a half-angry pang. Why should -she be in this man's way always? So the day died away in soft silence, -and there on the housetop it seemed incredible that so much hung in -the balance, and that down in the streets the crowds must be drifting -to and fro restlessly. At least she supposed so. Yet, monotonous as -ever, there was the evening cry of the muezzin and the persistent -thrumming of toms-toms and saringis which evening brings to a native -city. It rose louder than usual from a roof hard by, where, so Tara -told her, a princess of the blood royal lived; a great friend of -Abool-Bukr's. The remembrance of little Sonny's hands all red with -blood, and the cruel face smiling over an apology, made her shiver, -and wonder as she often did with a desperate craving what the child's -fate had been. Why had she let the old ayah take him? Why was he not -here, safe; making life bearable? As she sat, the tears falling -quietly over her cheeks, Tara came and looked at her curiously. "The -mem should not cry," she said consolingly. "The Huzoor will save her -somehow." - -For an instant Kate felt as if she would rather he did not. Then on -the distance and the darkening air came a familiar sound: the evening -bugle from the Ridge with its cheerful invitation: - -"Come-and-set-a-picket-boys! come-and-keep-a-watch." - -So someone else was within hail, ready to help! The knowledge brought -her a vast consolation, and for the first time in that environment she -slept through the night without wakening in deadly dreamy fear at the -least sound. - -Even the uproarious devilry of Prince Abool in the alley below did not -rouse her, when about midnight he broke loose from the feverish -detaining hold which Newâsi had kept on him by every art of her power -during the day, lest the master returning should find the Prince in -mischief. But now he lurched away with a party of young bloods who had -come to fetch him, swearing that he must celebrate the victory -properly. But for a moment's weakness, fostered by a foolish, fearful -woman, he might have led the cavalry. He wept maudlin tears over the -thought, swearing he would yet show his mettle. He would not leave one -hell-doomed alive; and, suiting the action to the word, he began -incontinently to search for fugitives in some open cowyards close by, -till the strapping dairymaids, roused from slumber, declared in -revenge that they had seen a man slip down the culvert of the big -drain. Five minutes afterward Prince Abool, half-choked, half-drowned, -was dragged from the sewer by his comrades, protesting feebly that he -must have killed an infidel; else why did the blood smell so horribly? - -But after that the city sank into the soundlessness, the stillness, of -the hour before dawn, save for a recurring call of the watch bugles on -wall and Ridge and the twinkling lights which burned all night in camp -and court. For those two had challenged each other, and the fight was -to the bitter end. What else could it be with a death-pledge between -them? The townspeople might sleep uncertain which side they would -espouse, but between the Men and the Murderers the issue was clear. - -And it remained so, even though the month-of-miracle lingered, and no -assault came on the morrow, or the day after, or the day after that. -So that the old King himself set his back to the wall and for once -spoke as a King should. "If the army will not fight without pay, -punish it," he said to the Commander-in-chief. But it was only a flash -in the pan, and he retired once more to the latticed marble balcony -and set the sign-manual to a general fiat that "those who would be -satisfied with a trifle might be paid something." Whereat Mahboob Ali -shook his head, for there was not even a trifle in the privy purse. - -As for the city people, their ears and tongues grew longer during -those three days, when the sepoys, returning from the sorties and -skirmishes, brought back tales of glorious victory, stupendous -slaughter. Her man had killed fifteen Huzoors himself, and there were -not five hundred left on the Ridge, said Futteh-deen's wife to -Pera-Khân's as they gossiped at the wall; and a good job too. When -they were gone there would be an end of these sword cuts and bullet -wounds. Not a wink of sleep had she had for nights, yawned Zainub, -what with thirsts and poultices! And on the steps of the mosque, too, -the learned lingered to discuss the newspapers. So Bukht Khân with -fifty thousand men was on his way to swear allegiance, and the Shah of -Persia had sacked Lahore, where Jan Larnce himself had been caught -trying to escape on an elephant and identified by wounds on his back. -And the London correspondent of the _Authentic News_ was no doubt -right in saying the Queen was dumfoundered, while the St. Petersburg -one was clearly correct in asserting that the Czar was about to put on -his crown at last. Why not, since his vow was at an end with the -passing of India from British supremacy? - -So the dream went on; the little brocaded bags kept coming in; the -stupendous slaughter continued. Yet every night the Widow's Cruse of a -Ridge echoed to the picket bugles, and the court and the camp twinkled -at each other till dawn. - -A sort of vexed despairing patience came to Jim Douglas, and more than -once he apologized to Kate for his moodiness, like a patient who -apologizes to his nurse when unfavorable symptoms set in. He gave her -what news he could glean, which was not much, for Tiddu had gone south -for another consignment of grain. But on the morning of the 12th he -turned up with a face clearer than it had been; and a friendlier look -in his eyes. - -"The guides came in to camp yesterday. Splendid fellows. They were at -it hammer and tongs immediately, though that man Rujjub Ali I told you -of--it was he who said Hodson was with the force--declares they -marched from Murdin in twenty-one days. Over thirty miles a day! Well! -they looked like it. I saw them ride slap up to the Cabul gate. -And--and I saw someone else with them, Mrs. Erlton. I wasn't sure at -first if I had better tell you; but I think I had. I saw your -husband." - -"My husband," she echoed faintly. In truth the past seemed to have -slipped from her. She seemed to have forgotten so much; and then -suddenly she remembered that the letter he had written must still be -in the pocket of the dress Tara had hidden away. How strange! She must -find it, and look at it again. - -Jim Douglas watched her curiously with a quick recognition of his own -rough touch. Yet it could not be helped. - -"Yes. He was looking splendid, doing splendidly. I couldn't help -wishing---- Well! I wish you could have seen him; you would have been -proud." - -She interrupted him with swift, appealing hand. "Oh!--don't--please -don't--what have I to do with it? Can't you see--can't you understand -he was thinking of--of her--and doesn't she deserve it? while -I--I----" - -It was the first breakdown he had seen during those long weeks of -strain, and he stood absolutely, wholly compassionate before it. - -"My dear lady," he said gently, as he walked away to give her time, -"if you good women would only recognize the fact which worse ones do, -that most men think of many women in their lives, you would be happier. -But I doubt if Major Erlton was thinking of anyone in particular. He -was thinking of the dead, and you are among them, for _him_; remember -that. Come," he continued, crossing over to her again and holding out -his hand. "Cheer up! Aren't you always telling me it is bad for a man -to have one woman on the brain, and think, think how many there may be -to avenge by this time!" - -His voice, sounding a whole gamut of emotion, a whole cadence of -consolation, seemed to find an echo in her heart, and she looked up at -him gratefully. - -It would have found one also in most hearts upon the Ridge, where men -were beginning to think with a sort of mad fury of women and children -in a hundred places to which this unchecked conflagration of mutiny -was spreading swiftly. What would become of Lucknow, Cawnpore, Agra, -if something were not done at Delhi? if the challenge so well given -were not followed up? And men elsewhere telegraphed the same question, -until, half-heartedly, the General listened, and finally gave a -grudging assent to a plan of assault urged by four subalterns. - -What the details were matters little. A bag of gunpowder somewhere, -with fixed bayonets to follow. A gamester's throw for sixes or -deuce-ace, so said even its supporters. But anything seemed better -than being a target for artillery practice five times better than -their own, while the mutiny spread around them. - -The secret was well kept as such secrets must be. Still the afternoon -of the 12th saw a vague stir on the Ridge, and though even the -fighting men turned in to sleep, each man knew what the midnight order -meant which sent him fumbling hurriedly with belts and buckles. - -"The city at last, mates! No more playin' ball," they said to each -other as they fell in, and stood waiting the next order under the -stars; waiting with growing impatience as the minutes slipped by. - -"My God! where is Graves?" fumed Hodson. "We can't go on without him -and his three hundred. Ride, someone, and see. The explosion party is -ready, the Rifles safe within three hundred yards of the wall. The -dawn will be on us in no time--ride sharp!" - -"Something has gone wrong," whispered a comrade. "There were lights in -the General's tent and two mounted officers--there! I thought so! It's -all up!" - -All up indeed! For the bugle which rang out was the retreat. Some of -those who heard it remembered a moonlight night just a month before -when it had echoed over the Meerut parade ground; and if muttered -curses could have silenced it the bugle would have sounded in vain. -But they could not, and so the men went back sulkily, despondently to -bed. Back to inaction, back to target practice. - -"Graves says he misunderstood the verbal orders, so I understand," -palliated a staff-officer in a mess tent whither others drifted to -find solace from the chill of dis-appointment, the heat of anger. A -tall man with hawk's eyes and sparse red hair paused for a moment ere -passing out into the night again. "I dislike euphemisms," he said -curtly. "In these days I prefer to call a spade a spade. Then you can -tell what you have to trust to." - -"Hodson's in a towering temper," said an artilleryman as he watched a -native servant thirstily; "I don't wonder. Well! here's to better luck -next time." - -"I don't believe there will be a next time," echoed a lad gloomily. -And there was not, for him, the target practice settling that point -definitely next day. - -"But why the devil couldn't--" began another vexed voice, then paused. -"Ah! here comes Erlton from the General. He'll know. I say, Major----" -he broke off aghast. - -"Have a glass of something, Erlton?" put in a senior hastily, "you -look as if you had seen a ghost, man!" - -The Major gave an odd hollow laugh. "The other way on--I mean--I--I -can't believe it--but my wife--she--she's alive--she's in Delhi." The -startled faces around seemed too much for him; he sat down hurriedly -and hid his face in his hands, only to look up in a second more -collectedly. "It has brought the whole d----d business home, somehow, -to have her there." - -"But how?" the eager voices got so far--no further. - -"I nearly shot him--should have if he had not ducked, for the get up -was perfect. Some of you may know the man--Douglas--Greyman--a trainer -chap, but my God! a well plucked one. He sneaked into my tent to tell. -But I don't understand it yet, and he said he would come back and -arrange. It was all so hurried, you see; I was due at the muster, and -he was off when he heard what was up to see Graves--whom he knows. Oh, -curse the whole lot of them! Here, khânsaman! brandy--anything!" - -He gulped it down fiercely, for he had heard of more than life from -Jim Douglas. - -The latter, meanwhile, was racing down a ravine as his shortest way -back to the city. His getting out had been the merest chance, -depending on his finding Soma as sentry at the sally port of the -ruined magazine. He had instantly risked the danger of another -confederate for the opportunity, and he was just telling himself with -a triumph of gladness that he had been right, when a curious sound -like the rustling of dry leaves at his very feet, made him spring into -the air and cross the flat shelf of rock he was passing at a bound; -for he knew what the noise meant. A true lover's knot of deadly viper, -angry at intrusion, lay there; the dry Ridge swarms with them. But, as -he came down lightly on his feet again, something slipped from under -one, and though he did not fall, he knew in a second that he was -crippled. Break or sprain, he knew instantly that he could not hope to -reach the sally-port before Soma's watch was up. Yet get back he must -to the city; for this--he had tried a step by this time with the aid -of a projecting rock--might make it impossible for him to return for -days if he did the easiest thing and crawled upward again hands and -knees. That, then, was not to be thought of. The Ajmere gate, however, -_might_ be open for traffic; the Delhi one certainly was, morning and -evening. The latter meant a round of nearly four miles, and endless -danger of discovery; but it must be done. So he set his face westward. - -It was just twenty-four hours after this, that Tara, unable for longer -patience, told Kate that she must lock herself in, while she went out -to seek news of the master. Something must have happened. It was -thirty-six hours since they had seen him, and if he was gone, that was -an end. - -Her face as she spoke was fierce, but Kate did not seem to care; she -had, in truth, almost ceased to care for her own safety except for the -sake of the man who had taken so much trouble about it. So she sat -down quietly, resolved to open the locked door no more. They might -break it in if they chose, or she could starve. What did it matter? - -Tara meanwhile went, naturally, to seek Soma's aid, all other -considerations fading before the master's safety; and so of course -came instantly on the clew she sought. He had left the city, let out -by Soma's own hands; hands which had never meant to let him in again, -that being a different affair. And though he had said he would return, -why should he? asked Soma. Whereupon Tara, to prove her ground for -fear, told of the hidden mem. She would have told anything for the -sake of the master. And Soma looked at her fierce face apprehensively. - -"That is for after!" she said curtly, impatiently. "Now we must make -sure he is not wounded. There was fighting to-day. Come, thou canst -give the password and we can search before dawn if we take a light. -That is the first thing." - -But as, cresset in hand, Tara stooped over many a huddled heap or -long, still stretch of limb, Kate, with a beating heart, was listening -to the sound of someone on the stairs. The next moment she had flung -the door wide at the first hint of the first familiar knock. - -"Where is Tara?" asked Jim Douglas peremptorily, still holding to the -door jamb for support. - -"She went--to look for you--we thought--what has happened?--what is -the matter?" she faltered. - -"Fool! as if that would do any good! Nothing's the matter, Mrs. Erlton. -I hurt my ankle, that's all." He tried to step over the threshold as -he spoke, but even that short pause, from sheer dogged effort, had -made its renewal an agony, and he put out his hand to her blindly. "I -shall have to ask you to help me," he began, then paused. Her arm was -round him in a second, but he stood still, looking up at her -curiously, "To--to help," he repeated. Then she had to drag him -forward by main force so that he might fall clear of the door and -enable her to close it swiftly. For who could tell what lay behind? - -One thing was certain. That hand on her arm had almost scorched -her--the ankle he had spoken of must have been agony to move. Yet -there was nothing to be done save lay cold water to it, and to his -burning head, settle him as best she could on a pillow and quilt as he -lay, and then sit beside him waiting for Tara to return; for Tara -could bring what was wanted. But if Tara was never to return? Kate -sat, listening to the heavy breathing, broken by half-delirious moans, -and changing the cool cloths, while the stars dipped and the gray of -dawn grew to that dominant bubble of the mosque; and, as she sat, a -thousand wild schemes to help this man, who had helped her for so -long, passed through her brain, filling her with a certain gladness. - -Until in the early dawn Tara's voice, calling on her, stole through -the door. - -It was still so dark that Kate, opening it with the quick cry--"He is -here, Tara, he is here safe," did not see the tall figure standing -behind the woman's, did not see the menace of either face, did not see -Tara's quick thrust of a hand backward as if to check someone behind. - -So she never knew that Jim Douglas, helpless, unconscious, had yet -stepped once more between her and death; for Tara was on her knees -beside the prostrate figure in a second, and Soma, closing the door -carefully, salaamed to Kate with a look of relief in his handsome -face. This settled the doubtful duty of denouncing the hidden -Mlechchas. How could that be done in a house where the master lay -sick? - -And he lay sick for days and weeks, fighting against sun-fever and -inflammation, against the general strain of that month of inaction, -which, as Kate found with a pulse of soft pity, had sprinkled the hair -about his temples with gray. - -"He would die for her," said Tara gloomily, grudgingly, "so she must -live, Soma----" - -"Nay! 'twas not I----" began her brother, then held his peace, -doubtful if the disavowal was to his praise or blame; for duty was a -puzzle to most folk in those hot, lingering days of June, when the -Ridge and the City skirmished with each other and wondered mutually if -anything were gained by it. Yet both Men and Murderers were cheerful, -and Major Erlton going to see the hospital after that fifteen hours' -fight of the 23d of June, when the centenary of Plassey, a Hindoo -fast and a Mohammedan festival, made the sepoys come out to certain -victory in full parade uniform, with all their medals on, heard the -lad whose girl had been killed at Meerut say in an aggrieved tone, -"And the nigger as stuck me 'ad 'er Majesty's scarlet coatee on 'is -d----d carcass, and a 'eap of medals she give him a-blazin' on his -breast--dash 'is impudence." - -So blue eye met blue eye again sympathetically, for that was no time -to see the pathos of the story. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - BUGLES AND FIFES. - - -There was a blessed coolness in the air, for the rains had broken, the -molten heats of June had passed. And still that handful of obstinate -aliens clung like barnacles to the bare red rocks of the Ridge. Clung -all the closer because in one corner of it, beside the canal, they had -become part of the soil itself in rows on rows of new-made graves. A -strong rear-guard this, what with disease and exposure superadded to -skirmishes and target-practice. Yet, though not a gun in the city had -been silenced, not a battery advanced a yard, the living garrison day -after day dug these earthworks for the dead one, firm as it, in silent -resolve to yield no inch of foot-hold on those rocks till the Judgment -Day, when Men and Murderers should pass together to the great -settlement of this world's quarrels. - -And yet those in command began to look at each other, and ask what the -end was to be, for though, despite the daily drain, the Widow's Cruse -grew in numbers as time went on, the city grew also, portentously. - -Still the men were cheerful, the Ridge strangely unlike a war-camp in -some ways; for the country to the rear was peaceful, posts came every -day, and there was no lack even of luxuries. Grain merchants deserting -their city shops set up amid the surer payments of the cantonment -bazaar, and the greed for gain brought hawkers of fruit, milk, and -vegetables to run the gauntlet of the guns, while some poor folk -living on their wits, when there was not a rag or a patch or a bit of -wood left to be looted in the deserted bungalows, took to earning -pennies by tracking the big shot as they trundled in the ravines, and -bringing them to the masters, who needed them. - -Between the rain-showers too, men, after the manner of Englishmen, -began to talk of football matches, sky races, and bewail the fact of -the racket court being within range of the walls. But some, like Major -Reid, who never left his post at Hindoo Rao's house for three months, -preferred to face the city always. To watch it as a cat watches a -mouse to which she means to deal death by and by. Herbert Erlton was -one of these, and so his old khânsaman, with whom Kate used to quarrel -over his terribly Oriental ideas of Irish stew and such like--would -bring him his lunch, sometimes his dinner, to the pickets. It was -quite a dignified procession, with a cook-boy carrying a brazier, so -that the Huzoor's food should be hot, and the bhisti carrying a porous -pot of water holding bottles, so that the Huzoor's drink might be -cool. The khânsaman, a wizened figure with many yards of waistband -swathed round his middle, leading the way with the mint sauce for the -lamb, or the mustard for the beefsteak. He used at first to mumble -charms and vows for safe passage as he crossed the valley of the -shadow; as a dip where round shot loved to dance was nicknamed by the -men. But so many others of his trade were bringing food to the master -that he soon grew callous to the danger, and grinned like the rest -when a wild caper to dodge a trundling, thundering ball made a -fair-haired laddie remark sardonically to the caperer, "It's well for -you, my boy, that you haven't spilled my dinner." - -Perhaps it was, considering the temper of the times. Herbert Erlton, -eating his lunch, sheltered from the pelting rain behind the low scarp -which by this time scored the summit of the Ridge, smiled also. He was -all grimed and smirched with helping young Light--the gayest dancer in -Upper India--with his guns. He helped wherever he could in his spare -time, for a great restlessness came over him when out of sight of -those rose-red walls. They had a fascination for him since Jim -Douglas' failure to return had left him uncertain what they held. So, -when the day's work slackened, as it always did toward sunset, and the -rain clearing, he had drifted back to his tent for a bath and a -change, he drifted out again along the central road, where those off -duty were lounging, and the sick had their beds set out for the sake -of company and cooler air. It was a quieter company than usual, for -some two days before the General himself had joined the rear-guard by -the canal; struck down by cholera, and dying with the half-conscious, -wholly pathetic words on his lips, "strengthen the right." - -And that very day the auctions of his and other dead comrades' effects -had been held; so that more than one usually thoughtless youngster -looked down, maybe, on a pair of shoes into which he had stepped over -a grave. - -Still it was an eager company, as it discussed Lieutenant Hills' -exploit of the morning, and asked for the latest bulletin of that -reckless young fighter with fists against the swords. - -"How was it?" asked the Major, "I only heard the row. The beggars must -have got clean into camp." - -"Right up to the artillery lines. You see it was so beastly misty and -rainy, and they were dressed like the native vidette. So Hills, -thinking them friends, let them pass his two guns, until they began -charging the Carabineers; and then it was too late to stop 'em." - -"Why?" - -"Carabineers--didn't stand, somehow, except their officer. So Hills -charged instead. By George! I'd have given a fiver to see him do it. -You know what a little chap he is--a boy to look at. And then----" - -"And then," interrupted the Doctor, who had been giving a glance at a -ticklish bandage as he passed the bed round which the speakers were -gathered, "I think I can tell you in his own words; for he was quite -cool and collected when they brought him in--said it was from bleeding -so much about the head----" - -A ripple of mirth ran through the listeners, but Major Erlton did not -smile this time; the laugh was too tender. - -"He said he thought if he charged it would be a diversion, and give -time to load up. So he rode--Yes! I should like to have seen it -too!--slap at the front rank, cut down the first fellow, slashed the -next over the face. Then the two following crashed into him, and down -he went at such a pace that he only got a slice to his jacket and -lay snug till the troop--a hundred and fifty or so--rode over him. -Then--ha--ha! he got up and looked for his sword! Had just found it -ten yards off, when three of them turned back for him. He dropped one -from his horse, dodged the other, who had a lance, and finally gashed -him over the head. Number three was on foot--the man he'd dropped, he -thinks, at first--and they had a regular set to. Then Hills' cloak, -soaked with rain, got round his throat and half choked him, and the -brute managed to disarm him. So he had to go for him with his fists, -and by punching merrily at his head managed all right till he tripped -over his cloak and fell----" - -"And then," put in another voice eagerly, "Tombs, his Major, who had -been running from his tent through the thick of those charging devils -on foot to see what was up that the Carabineers should be retiring, -saw him lying on the ground, took a pot shot at thirty paces--and -dropped his man!" - -"By George, what luck!" commented someone; "he must have been blown!" - -"Accustomed to turnips, I should say," remarked another, with a -curiously even voice; the voice of one with a lump in his throat, and -a slight difficulty in keeping steady. - -"Did they kill the lot?" asked Major Erlton quickly. - -"Bungled it rather, but it was all right in the end. They were a -plucky set, though; charged to the very middle of the camp, shouting -to the black artillery to join them, to come back with them to Delhi." - -"But they met with a pluckier lot!" interrupted the man who had -suggested turnips. "The black company wasn't ready for action. The -white one behind it was; unlimbered, loaded. And the blackies knew it. -So they called out to fire--fire at once--fire sharp--fire through -them--Well! d----n it all, black or white, I don't care, it's as -plucky a thing as has been done yet." He moved away, his hands in his -pockets, attempting a whistle; perhaps to hide his trembling lips. - -"I agree," said the Doctor gravely, "though it wasn't necessary to -take them at their word. But somehow it makes that mistake afterward -all the worse." - -"How many of the poor beggars were killed, Doctor," asked an uneasy -voice in the pause which followed. - -"Twenty or so. Grass-cutters and such like. They were hiding in the -cemetery from the troopers, who were slashing at everyone, and our men -pursuing the party which escaped over the canal bridge--made--made a -mistake. And--I'm sorry to say there was a woman----" - -"There have been too many mistakes of that sort," said an older voice, -breaking the silence. "I wish to God some of us would think a bit. -What would our lives be without our servants, who, let us remember, -outnumber us by ten to one? If they weren't faithful----" - -"Not quite so many, Colonel," remarked the Doctor with a nod of -approval. "Twenty families came to the Brigade-major to-day with their -bundles, and told him they preferred the quiet of home to the -distraction of camp. I don't wonder." - -"It is all their own fault," broke in an angry young voice, "why did -they----" - -And so began one of the arguments, so common in camp, as to the right -of revenge pure and simple. Arguments fostered by the newspapers, -where, every day, letters appeared from "Spartacus," or "Fiat -Justitia," or some such _nom de plume_. Letters all alike in one -thing, that they quoted texts of Scripture. Notably one about a -daughter of Babylon and the blessedness of throwing children on -stones. - -But Major Erlton did not stop to listen to it. The ethics of the -question did not interest him, and in truth mere revenge was lost in -him in the desire, not so much to kill, as to fight. To go on hacking -and hewing for ever and ever. As he drifted on smoking his cigar he -thought quite kindly of the poor devils of grass-cutters who really -worked uncommonly well; just, in fact, as if nothing had happened. So -did the old khânsaman, and the sweeper who had come back to him on his -return to the Ridge, saying that the Huzoor would find the tale of -chickens complete. And the garden of the ruined house near the -Flagstaff Tower whither his feet led him unconsciously, as they often -did of an evening, was kept tidy; the gardener--when he saw the tall -figure approaching--going over to a rose-bush, which, now that the -rain had fallen, was new budding with white buds, and picking him a -buttonhole. He sat down on the plinth of the veranda twiddling it idly -in his fingers as he looked out over the panorama of the eastern -plains, the curving river, and the city with the white dome of the -mosque hanging unsupported above the smoke and mist wreaths. For now, -at sunsetting, the sky was a mass of rose-red and violet cloud and a -white steam rose from the dripping trees and the moist ground. It was -a perfect picture. But he only saw the city. That, to him, was India. -That filled his eye. The wide plains east and west, north and south, -where the recent rain had driven every thought save one of a harvest -to come, from the minds of millions, where the master meant simply the -claimer of revenue, might have been non-existent so far as he, and his -like, were concerned. - -Yet even for the city he had no definite conception. He merely looked -at it idly, then at the rosebud he held. And that reminding him of a -certain white marble cross with "Thy will be done" on it, he rose -suddenly, almost impatiently. But there was no resignation in _his_ -face, as he wandered toward the batteries again with the white flower -of a blameless life stuck in his old flannel coat and a strange -conglomerate of pity and passion in his heart, while the city--as the -light faded--grew more and more like the clouds above it, rose-red and -purple; until, in the distance, it seemed a city of dreams. - -In truth it was so still, despite the clangor of bugles and fifes -which Bukht Khân brought with him when, on the 1st of July, he -crossed the swollen river in boats with five thousand mutineers. A -square-shouldered man was Bukht Khân, with a broad face and massive -beard; a massive sonorous voice to match. A man of the Cromwell type, -of the church militant, disciplinarian to the back-bone, believing in -drill, yet with an eye to a Providence above platoon exercise. And -there was no lack of soldiers to drill in Delhi by this time. They -came in squads and battalions, to jostle each other in the streets and -overflow into the camp on the southern side of the city; that furthest -from the obstinate colony on the Ridge. But first they flung -themselves against it in all the ardor of new brooms, and failing to -sweep the barnacles away, subsided into the general state of -dreaminess and drugs. For the bugles and fifes could always be -disobeyed on the plea that they were not sounded by the right -Commander-in-Chief. There were three of them now. Bukht Khân the -Queen's nominee, Mirza Moghul, and another son of the King's, Khair -Sultân. So that Abool-Bukr's maudlin regrets for possible office -became acute, and Newâsi's despairing hold on his hand had to gain -strength from every influence she could bring to bear upon it. Even -drunkenness and debauchery were safer than intrigue, to that vision of -retribution which seemed to have left him, and taken to haunting her -day and night. So she held him fast, and when he was not there wept -and prayed, and listened hollow-eyed to a Moulvie who preached at the -neighboring mosque; a man who preached a judgment. - -"Thou art losing thy looks, mine Aunt," said the Prince to her one -day. Not unkindly; on the contrary, almost tenderly. "Dost know, -Newâsi, thou art more woman than most, for thou dost brave all things, -even loss of good name--for I swear even these Mufti folk complain of -thee--for nothing. None other I know would do it, so I would not have -it--for something. Yet some day we shall quarrel over it; some day thy -patience will go; some day thou wilt be as others, thinking of -thyself; and then----" - -"And then, nephew?" she asked coldly. - -He laughed, mimicking her tone. "And then I shall grow tired and go -mine own way to mine own end." - -In the meantime, however, the thrummings and drummings went on until -Kate Erlton, watching a sick bed hard by, felt as if she must send -round and beg for quiet. It seemed quite natural she should do so, for -she was completely absorbed over that patient of hers, who, without -being seriously ill, would not get better. Who passed from one relapse -of fever to another with a listless impatience, and now, nearly a -month after he had stumbled over the threshold, lay barely -convalescent. It had been a strange month. Stranger even than the -previous one, when she had dragged through the lonely days as best she -could, and he had wandered in and out restlessly, full of strain and -stress. If even that had been a curious linking of their fates, what -was this when she tended him day and night, when the weeks slipped by -securely, almost ignorantly? For though Soma came every day to inquire -after the master, standing at the door to salute to her, spick and -span in full uniform, he brought no disturbing news. - -It seemed to her, now, that she had known Jim Douglas all his life. -And in truth she had learned something of the real man during the few -days of delirium consequent on the violent inflammation which set in -on the injured ankle. But for the most part he had muttered and moaned -in liquid Persian. He had always spoken it with Zora, who had been -taught it as part of her attractions, and no doubt it was the jingle -of the jewels as Kate tended him, which reminded him of that -particular part of his life. - -By the time he came to himself, however, she had removed all the -fineries, finding them in the way; save the heavy gold bangle which -would not come off--at least not without help. He used to watch it -half confusedly at first as it slipped up and down her arm, and -wondered why she had not asked Tara to take it off for her; but he -grew rather to like the look of it; to fancy that she had kept it on -on purpose, to be glad that she had; though it was distinctly hard -when she raised him up on his pillows! For, after all, fate linked -them strangely, and he was grateful to her--very grateful. - -"You are laughing at me," she said one morning as she came up to his -bed, with a tray improvised out of a brass platter, and found him -smiling. - -"I have been laughing at you all the morning, when I haven't been -grumbling," he replied, "at you and the chicken tea, and that little -fringed business, to do duty as a napkin, I suppose, and the -fly-paper--which isn't the least use, by the way, and I'm sure I could -make a better one--and the mosquito net to give additional protection -to my beauty when I fall asleep. Who could help laughing at it?" - -She looked at him reproachfully. "But it makes you more comfortable, -surely?" - -"Comfortable," he echoed, "my dear lady! It is a perfect convalescent -home!" - -But in the silence which followed his right hand clenched itself over -a fold in the quilt unmistakably. - -"If you will take your chicken tea," she replied cheer-fully, despite -a faint tremble in her voice, "you will soon get out of it. And -really, Mr. Greyman, you don't seem to have lost any chance. Soma is -not very communicative, but everything seems as it was. I never keep -back anything from you. But, indeed, the chief thing in the city seems -that there is no money to pay the soldiers. Do you know, I'm afraid -Soma must loot the shops like the others. He seems to get things for -nothing; though of course they are extraordinarily cheap. When I was a -mem I used to pay twice as much for eggs." - -He interrupted her with a laugh that had a tinge of bitterness in it. -"Do you happen to know the story of the Jew who was eating ham during -a thunderstorm, Mrs. Erlton?" - -She shook her head, smiling, being accustomed by this time to his -unsparing, rather reckless ridicule. - -"He looked up and said, 'All this fuss about a little bit of pork.' So -all this fuss has taught you the price of eggs. Upon my word! it is -worse than the convalescent home!" He lay back upon his pillows with a -half-irritated weariness. - -"I have learned more than that, surely----" she began. - -"Learned!" he echoed sharply. "You've learned everything, my dear -lady, necessary to salvation. That's the worst of it! Your chatter to -Tara--I hear when you think I am asleep. You draw your veil over your -face when the water-carrier comes to fill the pots as if you had been -born on a housetop. You--Mrs. Erlton! If I were not a helpless idiot I -could pass you out of the city to-morrow, I believe. It isn't your -fault any longer. It's mine, and Heaven only knows how long. Oh! -confound that thrumming and drumming. It gets on my nerves--my -nerves!--pshaw!" - -It was then that Kate declared that she would really send Tara---- - -"Mrs. Erlton presents her compliments to the Princess Farkhoonda -Zamâni, and will be obliged," jested Jim Douglas; then paused, in -truth more irritated than amused, despite the humor on his face. And -suddenly he appealed to her almost pitifully, "Mrs. Erlton! if anyone -had told you it would be like this--your chance and mine--when the -world outside us was alive--was struggling for life--would you--would -you have believed it?" - -She bent to push the chicken tea to a securer position. "No," she said -softly; then to change the subject, added, "How white your hands are -getting again! I must put some more stain on them, I suppose." She -spoke regretfully, though she did not mind putting it on her own. But -he looked at the whiteness with distinct distaste. - -"It is with doing nothing and lying like a log. Well! I suppose I -shall wake from the dream some day, and then the moment I can -walk----" - -"There will be an end of peace," she interrupted, quite resolutely. "I -know it is very hard for you to lie still, but really you must see how -much safer and smoother life has been since you were forced to give in -to Fate." - -"And Kate," he muttered crossly under his breath. But she heard it, -and bit her lip to prevent a tender smile as she went off to give an -order to Tara. For the vein of almost boyish mischief and lighthearted -recklessness which showed in him at times always made her think how -charming he must have been before the cloud shadowed his life. - -"The master is much better to-day, Tara," she said cheerfully. "I -really think the fever has gone for good." - -"Then he will soon be able to take the mem away," replied the woman -quickly. - -"Are you in such a hurry to get rid of me?" asked Kate with a smile, -for she had grown fond of the tall, stately creature, with her solemn -airs of duty, and absolute disregard of anything which came in its -way. The intensity of the emotion which swept over the face, which was -usually calm as a bronze statue, startled Kate. - -"Of a truth I shall be glad to go back. The Huzoors' life is not my -life, their death not my death." - -It was as if the woman's whole nature had recoiled, as one might -recoil from a snake in the path, and a chill struck Kate Erlton's -heart, as she realized on how frail a foundation peace and security -rested. A look, a word, might bring death. It seemed to her incredible -that she should have forgotten this, but she had. She had almost -forgotten that they were living in a beleagured city, though the -reverberating roll of artillery, the rush and roar of shells, and the -crackle of musketry never ceased for more than a few hours at a time. - -She was not alone, however, in her forgetfulness. Half Delhi had -become accustomed to cannon, to bugles and fifes, and went on its -daily round indifferently. But in the Palace the dream grew ominously -thin once or twice. For not a fraction remained in the Treasury, no -effort to collect revenue had been made anywhere, and fat Mahboob, the -only man who knew how to screw money out of a stone, lay dying of -dropsy. And as he lay, the mists of personal interest in the future -dispersing, he told his old master, the King, some home truths -privately, while Ahsan-Oolah, the physician, administering cooling -draughts as usual, added his wisdom to the eunuch's. There was no hope -where there was no money. Life was not worth living without a regular -pension. Let the King secure his and secure pardon while there was -yet time, by sending a letter to the General on the Ridge, and -offering to let the English in by Selimgarh and betray the city. When -all was said and done, others had betrayed _him_, had forced _his_ -hand; so let him save himself if he could, quietly, without a word to -any but Ahsan-Oolah. Above all, not one word to Zeenut Maihl, Hussan -Askuri, and Bukht Khân--that Trinity of Dreams! - -With which words of wisdom mayhap lightening his load of sins, the fat -eunuch left the court once and for all. So the old King, as he sat -listening to the quarrels of his Commander-in-Chief, had other -consolation besides couplets; and when he wrote - - - "No peace, no rest, since armies round me riot, - Life lingers yet, but ere long I shall die o't," - - -he knew--though his yellow, wax-like mask hid the knowledge from -all--that a chance of escape remained. - -The old King's letter reached the Ridge easily. There was no -difficulty in communication now. Spies were plentiful, and if Jim -Douglas had been able to get about, he could have set Major Erlton's -mind at rest without delay. But Soma positively refused to be a -go-between; to do anything, in short, save secure the master's safety. -And the offer of betrayal arrived when the man who held command of the -Ridge felt uncertain of the future; all the more so because of the -telegrams, the letters--almost the orders--which came pouring in to -take Delhi--to take it at once! Early in the month, the gamester's -throw of assault had been revived with the arrival of reinforcements, -only to be abandoned once more, within an hour of the appointed -time, in favor of the grip-of-death. But now, though the whisper had -gone no further than the General's tent, a third possibility was -allowed--retreat. The six thousand were dwindling day by day, the men -were half dead with picket duty, wearied out with needless skirmishes, -crushed by the tyranny of bugles and fifes. - -If this then could be? There was no lack of desire to believe it -possible; but Greathed of the politicals, and Sir Theophilus Metcalfe -shook their heads doubtfully. Hodson, they said, had better be -consulted. So the tall man with the blue hawk's eyes, who had lost his -temper many times since that dawn of the 12th of June, when the first -assault had hung fire, was asked for his opinion. - -"We had a chance at the beginning," he said. "We could have a chance -now, if there was someone--but that is beside the question. As for -this, it is not worth the paper it is written on. The King has no -power to fulfill his promise. He is virtually a prisoner himself. That -is the truth. But don't send an answer. Refer it, and keep him quiet." - -"And retreat?" - -"Retreat is impossible, sir. It would lose us India." - - -"Any news, Hodson?" asked Major Erlton, meeting the free-lance as he -rode back to his tent after his fashion, with loose rein and loose -seat, unkempt, undeviating, with an eye for any and every advantage. - -"None." - -"Any chance of--of anything?" - -"None with our present chiefs. If we had Sir Henry Lawrence here it -would be different." - -But Sir Henry Lawrence, having done his duty to the uttermost, already -lay dead in the residency at Lucknow, though the tidings had not -reached the Ridge. And yet more direful tidings were on their way to -bring July, that month of clouds and cholera, of flies and funerals, -of endless buglings and fifings, to a close. - -It came to the city first. Came one afternoon when the King sat in the -private Hall of Audience, his back toward the arcaded view of the -eastern plains, ablaze with sunlight, his face toward the garden, -which, through the marble-mosaic traced arches, showed like an -embroidered curtain of green set with jeweled flowers. Above him, on -the roof, circled the boastful legend: - - - "If earth holds a haven of bliss - It is this--it is this--it is this!" - - -And all around him, in due order of precedence, according to the -latest army lists procurable in Delhi, were ranged the mutinous native -officers; for half the King's sovereignty showed itself in punctilious -etiquette. At his feet, below the peacock throne, stood a gilded cage -containing a cockatoo. For Hâfzan had been so far right in her -estimate of Hussan Askuri's wonders that poor little Sonny's pet, duly -caught, and with its crest dyed an orthodox green, had been used--like -the stuffed lizard--to play on the old man's love of the marvelous. -So, for the time being, the bird followed him in his brief journeyings -from Audience Hall to balcony, from balcony to bed. - -The usual pile of brocaded bags lay below that again, upon the marble -floor, where a reader crouched, sampling the most loyal to be used as -a sedative. One would be needed ere long, for the Commanders-in-Chief -were at war; Bukht Khân, backed by Hussan Askuri, with his long black -robe, his white beard, and the wild eyes beneath his bushy brows, and -by all the puritans and fanatics of the city; Mirza Moghul by his -brother, Khair Sultân, and most of the Northern Indian rebels who -refused a mere ex-soubadar's right to be better than they. - -"Let the Light-of-the-World choose between us," came the sonorous -voice almost indifferently; in truth those secret counsels of Bukht -Khân with the Queen, of which the Palace was big with gossip, held -small place, allowed small consideration for the puppet King. - -"Yea! let the Pillar-of-State choose," bawled the shrill voice of the -Moghul, whose yellow, small-featured face was ablaze with passion. -"Choose between his son and heir and this low-born upstart, this -soubadar of artillery, this puritan by profession, this debaucher of -King's----" - -He paused, for Bukht Khân's hand was on his sword, and there was an -ominous stir behind Hussan Askuri. Ahsan-Oolah, a discreet figure in -black standing by the side of the throne, craned his long neck -forward, and his crafty face wore an amused smile. - -Bukht Khân laughed disdainfully at the Mirza's full stop. "What I am, -sire, matters little if I can lead armies to victory. The Mirza hath -not led his, _as yet_." - -"Not led them?" interrupted an officious peace-bringer. "Lo! the -hell-doomed are reduced to five hundred; the colonels are eating their -horses' grain, the captains are starving, and our shells cause terror -as they cry, 'Coffin! Coffin! (_boccus! boccus!_)----'" - -"The Mirza could do as well as thou," put in a partisan, heedless of -the tales to which the King, however, had been nodding his head, "if, -as thou hast, he had money to pay his troops. The Begum Zeenut Maihl's -hoards----" - -The sword and the hand kept company again significantly. "I pay my men -by the hoard I took from the infidel, Meean-jee," retorted the loud, -indifferent voice. "And when it is done I can get more. The Palace is -not sucked dry yet, nor Delhi either." - -The Meean, well known to have feathered his nest bravely, muttered -something inaudible, but a stout, white-robed gentleman bleated -hastily: - -"There is no more money to be loaned in Delhi, be the interest ever so -high." - -The broad face broadened with a sardonic smile. "I borrow, banker-jee, -according to the tenets of the faith, without interest! For the rest, -five minutes in thy house with a spade and a string bed to hang thee -on head down, and I pay every fighter for the faith in Delhi his -arrears." - -"_Wâh! Wâh!_" A fierce murmur of approval ran round the audience, for -all liked that way of dealing with folk who kept their money to -themselves. - -"But, Khân-jee! there is no such hurry," protested the keeper of -peace, the promoter of dreams. "The hell-doomed are at the last gasp. -Have not two Commanders-in-Chief had to commit suicide before their -troops? And was not the third allowed by special favor of the Queen to -go away and do it privately? This one will have to do it also, and -then----" - -"And a letter has but this day come in," said a grave, clever-looking -man, interrupting the tale once more, "offering ten lakhs; but as the -writer makes stipulations, we are asking what treasury he means to -loot, or if it is hidden hoards." - -Bukht Khân shrugged his shoulders. "The Meean's or the banker's hoards -are nearer," he said brutally, "and money we must have, if we are to -fight as soldiers. Otherwise----" He paused. There was a stir at the -entrance, where a news-runner had unceremoniously pushed his way in to -flourish a letter in a long envelope, and pant with vehement show of -breathlessness. "In haste! In haste! and buksheesh for the bringer." - -The King, who had been listening wearily to the dispute, thinking -possibly that the paucity of commanders on the Ridge was preferable to -the plethora of them at court, looked up indifferently. They came so -often, these bearers of wonderful news. Not so often as the little -brocaded bags; but they had no more effect. - -"Reward him, Keeper-of-the-Purse," he said punctiliously, "and read, -slave. It is some victory to our troops, no doubt." - -There was a pause, during which people waited indifferently, -wondering, some of them, if it was bogus news that was to come or not. - -Then the court moonshee stood up with a doubtful face. "'Tis from -Cawnpore," he murmured, forgetting decorum and etiquette; forgetting -everything save the news that the Nâna of Bithoor had killed the two -hundred women and children he had pledged himself to save. - -Bukht Khân's hand went to his sword once more, as he listened, and he -turned hastily to Hussan Askuri. "That settles it as _thou_ wouldst -have it," he whispered. "It is Holy War indeed, or defeat." - -But Mirza Moghul shrank as a man shrinks from the scaffold. - -The old King stood up quickly; stood up between the lights looking out -on the curtain of flowers. "Whatever happens," he said tremulously, -"happens by the will of God." - -His sanctimoniousness never failed him. - -So on the night of the 23d of August there was an unwonted stillness -in the city, and the coming of day did not break it. The rain, it is -true, fell in torrents, but many an attack had been made in rain -before. There was none now. The bugles and fifes had ended, and folk -were waiting for the drum ecclesiastic to begin. What they thought -meanwhile, who knows? Delhi held a hundred and fifty thousand souls, -swelled to nigh two hundred thousand by soldiers. Only this, -therefore, is certain, the thoughts must have been diverse. - -But on the Ridge, when, after a few days, the tidings reached it with -certainty, there was but one. It found expression in a letter which -the General wrote on the last day of July. "It is my firm intention to -hold my present position and resist attack to the last. The enemy are -very numerous, and may possibly break through our intrenchments and -overwhelm us, but the force will die at its post." - -No talk of retirement now! The millions of peasants plowing their land -peaceably in firm faith of a just master who would take no more than -his due, the thousands even in the bloody city itself waiting for this -tyranny to pass, were not to be deserted. The fight would go on. The -fight for law and order. - -So the sanctimonious old King had said sooth, "Whatever happens, -happens by the will of God." - -Those two hundred had not died in vain. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - THE DRUM ECCLESIASTIC. - - -The silence of the city had lasted for seven days. And now, on the 1st -of August, the dawn was at hand, and the rain which had been falling -all night had ceased, leaving pools of water about the city walls. -Still, smooth pools like plates of steel, dimly reflecting the gray -misty sky against which the minarets of the mosque showed as darker -streaks, its dome like a faint cloud. - -And suddenly the silence ended. The first shuddering beat of a royal -salute vibrated through the heavy dewy air, the first chord of "God -save the Queen," played by every band in Delhi, floated Ridgeward. - -The cheek of it! - -That phrase--no other less trenchant, more refined--expressed purely -the feeling with which the roused six thousand listened from picket or -tent, comfortable bed or damp sentry-go, to this topsy-turveydom of -anthems! The cheek of it! The very walls ought to fall Jericho-wise -before such sacrilegious music. - -But in the city it sent a thrill through hearts and brains. For it -roused many a dreamer wild had never felt the chill of a sword-hilt on -his palm to the knowledge that the time for gripping one had come. - -Since this was Bukr-eed, the Great Day of Sacrifice. No common -Bukr-eed either, when the blood of a goat or a bull would worthily -commemorate Abraham's sacrifice of his best and dearest, but something -more akin to the old patriarch's devotion. Since on Bukr-eed, 1857, -the infidel was to be sacrificed by the faithful, and the faithful by -the infidel. - -For the silence of seven days had been a silence only from bugles and -fifes; the drum ecclesiastic had taken their place. The mosques had -resounded day and night to the wild tirades of preachers, and even -Mohammed Ismail, feeling that in religious war lay the only chance of -forgiveness for past horrors, spent every hour in painting its -perfections, in deprecating any deviation from its rule. The sword or -the faith for men; the faith without the sword for those who could not -fight. But others were less scrupulous, their denunciations less -guarded, and as the processions passed through the narrow streets -flaunting the green banner, half the Mohammedan population felt that -the time had come to strike their blow for the faith. And Hussan -Askuri dreamed dreams; and the Bird-of-Heaven, with its crest new-dyed -for the occasion, gave the Great Cry viciously as it was paraded -through jostling crowds in the Thunbi Bazaar, where religion found -recruits by the score even among the women. While Abool-Bukr, vaguely -impressed by the stir, the color, the noise, took to the green and -swore to live cleanly. So that Newâsi's soft eyes shone as she -repeated Mohammed Ismail's theories. They were very true, the Prince -said; besides this could be nothing but honest fighting since there -were no women on the Ridge; whereupon she stitched away at his green -banner fearlessly. - -But in the Palace it needed all Bukht Khân's determination and Hussan -Askuri's wily dreams to reconcile the old King to the breach of -etiquette which the sacrifice of a camel instead of a bull by the -royal hands involved. For the army--three-quarters Brahmin and Rajpoot -had been promised, as a reward for helping to drive out the infidel, -that no sacred kine should be killed in Hindustan. - -And others besides the King objected to the restriction. Old Fâtma, -for instance, Shumsha-deen the seal-cutter's wife, as she swathed her -husband's white beard with pounded henna leaves to give it the -orthodox red dye. - -"What matters it, woman?" he replied sternly, but with an odd quaver -in his voice. "There is a greater sacrifice than the blood of bulls -and goats, and that I may yet offer this blessed Eed." - -"And mayhap, mother," suggested the widowed, childless -daughter-in-law, "a goat will serve our turn better than a stirk this -year: there will be enough for offering, and belike there may be no -feasting." - -The old lady, high-featured, high-tempered, wept profusely between -her railings at the ill-omened suggestion; but the old Turk admitted -the possibility with a strained wondering look in the eyes which had -lost their keenness with graving texts. So, as the day passed the -women helped him faithfully in his bath of purification, and the -daughter-in-law, having the steadiest hand, put the antimony into the -old man's eyes as he squatted on a clean white cloth stretched in the -center of the odd little courtyard. She used the stylus she had -brought with her to the house as a bride, and it woke past memories in -the old brain, making the black-edged old eyes look at the wife of his -youth with a wistful tenderness. For it was years since a woman had -performed the kindly office; not since the finery and folly of life -had passed into the next generation's hands. But old Fâtma thought he -still looked as handsome as any as he finally stepped into the streets -in his baggy trousers with one green shawl twisted into a voluminous -waistband, another into a turban, his flaming red beard flowing over -his white tunic, and a curved scimitar--it was rather difficult to get -out of its scabbard by reason of rust--at his side. - -"Lo here comes old Fâtma's Shumsha-deen," whispered other women, -peeping through other chinks. "He looks well for sure; better by far -than Murri-am's Faiz-Ahmud for all his new gold shoes!" - -And those two, daughter and mother-in-law, huddled in unaccustomed -embrace to see the last of their martyr through the only convenient -crack, felt a glow of pitiful pride before they fell a-weeping and -a-praying the old pitiful prayer of quarrelers that God would be good -to His own. - -There were thousands in Delhi about sunsetting on the 1st of August -praying that prayer, though there were hundreds who held aloof, -talking learnedly of the House of Protection as distinguished from the -House of the Enemy, as they listened to the evening call to prayer. -How could there be Holy War, when that had echoed freely during the -British rule? And Mohammed Ismail, listening to their arguments -feverishly, knew in his heart that they were right. - -But the old Shumsha-deens did not split hairs. So as the sun set they -went forth in thousands and the gates were closed behind them; for -they were to conquer or die. They were to hurl themselves recklessly -on the low breastworks which now furrowed the long line of hill. Above -all, on that which had crept down its side to a ruined temple within -seven hundred yards of the Moree Bastion. - -So, about the rising of the moon, two days from full, began such a -cannonading and fusillading as was not surpassed even on that final -day when the Ridge, taking similar heart of grace, was to fling itself -against the city. - -Major Erlton, off duty but on pleasure in the Saming-House breastwork, -said to his neighbor that they must be mad, as a confused wild rush -burst from the Moree gate. Six thousand or so of soldiers and -Shumsha-deens with elephants, camels, field-pieces, distinct in the -moonlight. And behind them came a hail of shell and shot, with them a -rain of grape and musket-balls. But above all the din and rattle could -be heard two things: The cries of the muezzins from the minarets, -chanting to the four corners of Earth and Sky that "Glory is for all -and Heaven for those who bleed," and an incessant bugling. - -"It's that man in front," remarked Major Erlton. "Do you think we -shall manage, Reid? There's an awful lot of them." - -Major Reid looked round on his little garrison of dark faces; for -there was not an Englishman in the post; only a hundred quaint squat -Ghoorkas, and fifty tall fair Guides from the Western frontier. - -"We'll do for just now, and I can send for the Rifles by and by. -There's to be no pursuit, you know. The order's out. Ought to have -been out long ago. Reserve your fire, men, till they come close up." - -And come close they did, while Walidad Khân, fierce fanatic from -Peshawur, and Gorakh-nâth, fiercer Bhuddist from Nepâl, with fingers -on trigger, called on them jibingly to come closer still; though -twenty yards from a breastwork bristling with rifles was surely close -enough for anyone? But it was not for the bugler who led the van, -sounding assemblies, advances, doubles; anything which might stir the -hearts behind. - -"He has got a magnificent pair of bellows," remarked an officer, who, -after a time, came down with a hundred and fifty of the Rifles to aid -that hundred and fifty natives in holding the post against six -thousand and more of their countrymen. - -"Splendid! he has been at it this hour or more," said Major Erlton. "I -really think they are mad. They don't seem to aim or to care. There -they are again!" - -It was darker now, and Walidad Khân from Peshawur and Gorakh-nâth from -Nepâl, and Bill Atkins from Lambeth had to listen for that tootling of -assemblies and advances to tell them when to fire blindly from the -embrazures into the smoke and the roar and the rattle. So they fell to -wondering among themselves if they had nicked him that time. Once or -twice the silence seemed to say they had; but after a bit the tootling -began again, and a disappointed pair of eyes peeping curiously, -recklessly, would see a dim figure running madly to the assault again. - -"Plucky devil!" muttered Major Erlton as with the loan of a rifle he -had his try. There was a look of hope on dark faces and white alike as -they cuddled down to the rifle stocks and came up to listen. It was -like shooting into a herd of does for the one royal head; and some of -the sportsmen had tempers. - -"_Shaitân-ke-butcha!_" (Child of the devil), muttered Walidad Khân, -whereat Gorakh-nâth grinned from ear to ear. - -"Wot cher laughin' at?" asked Bill Atkins, who had been indulging in -language of his own. "A feller can't 'it ghosts. An' e's the piper as -played afore Moses; that's what 'ee is." - -"Look sharp, men!" came the officer's warning. "There's a new lot -coming on. Wait and let them have it." - -They did. The din was terrific. The incessant flashes lighting -up the city, showed its roofs crowded with the families of absent -Shumsha-deens. So High Heaven must have been assailed, indeed, that -night. - -And even when dawn came it brought no Sabbath calm. Only a fresh batch -of martyrs. But they had no bugler; for with the dawn some fierce -frontiersman, jesting Cockney, or grinning Ghoorkha may have risked -his life for a fair shot in daylight at the piper who played before -Moses. Anyhow, he played no more. Perhaps the lack of him, perhaps the -torrents of rain which began to fall as the sun rose, quenched the -fires of faith. Anyhow, by nine o'clock the din was over, the drum -ecclesiastic ceased to beat, and the English going out to count the -dead found the bugler lying close to the breastwork, his bugle still -in his hand; a nameless hero save for that passing jest. - -But someone in the city no doubt mourned the piper who played before -Moses, as they mourned other martyrs. More than a thousand of them. - -Yet the Ridge, despite the faith, and fury, and fusillading, had only -to dig one grave; for fourteen hours of what the records call "unusual -intrepidity"--contemptuously cool equivalent for all that faith and -fury--had only killed one infidel. - -Shumsha-deen's Fâtma, however, was as proud as if he had killed a -hundred; for he had bled profusely for the faith, having been at the -very outset of it all kicked by a camel and sent flying on to a rock -to dream confused dreams of valor till the bleeding from his nose -relieved the slight concussion of his brain, and enabled him to go -home, much shaken, but none the worse. - -But many hundreds of women never saw their Shum-sha-deens again, or if -they saw them, only saw something to weep over and bind in white -swaddling clothes and gold thread. - -So by dark on the 2d of August the sound of wailing women rose from -every alley, and the men, wandering restlessly about the bazaars, -listened to the sound of tattoo from the Ridge and looked at each -other almost startled. - -"Go-to-bed-Tom! Go-to-bed-Tom! Drunk-or-sober-go-to-bed-Tom!" - -The Day of Sacrifice was over, and Tom was going to bed quietly as if -nothing had happened! They did not know that three-quarters of the -Toms had been in bed the night before, undisturbed by the martyrs' -supreme effort. If they had, they might have wondered still more -persistently what Providence was about. - -But in the big mosque, among the great white bars of moonlight -slanting beneath the dome, one man knew. He stood, a tall white figure -beneath a furled green banner, his arms outspread, his voice rising in -fierce denunciation. - -"Cursed[5] be they who did the deed, who killed jehad! Lo! I told you -in my dream in the past and ye would not believe. I tell it again that -ye may know. It was dawn. And the Lord Christ and the Lord Mohammed -sat over the World striving each for His own according to the Will of -the Most High who sets men's quarrels before the Saints in Heaven with -a commander to each. And I saw the Lord Christ weep, knowing that -justice was on our side. So the fiat for victory went forth, and I -slept. But I dreamed again and lo! it was eve with a blood-red -sunsetting westward. And the Lord Christ wept still, but the Lord -Mohammed's voice rang loud and stern. 'Reverse the fiat. Give the -victory to the women and the children.' So I woke. And it is true! is -true! Cursed be they who killed jehad!" - -The voice died away among the arches where, in delicate tracery, the -attributes of the Great Creator were cut into changeless marble. -Truth, Justice, Mercy, all the virtues from which all religions make -their God. - -"He is mad," said some; but for the most part men were silent as they -drifted down the great Flights-of-Steps to the city, leaving Mohammed -Ismail alone under the dome. - -"Didst expect otherwise, my Queen?" said Bukht Khân hardily. "So did -not I! But the end is gained. Delhi was not ours in heart and soul -before. It is now. When the assault comes those who fought for faith -will fight for their skins. And at the worst there is Lucknow for good -Sheeahs like the Queen and her slave. We have no tie here among these -Sunnies who think only of their hoards." - -Zeenut Maihl shrank from him with her first touch of fear, for she had -eight or nine lakhs of rupees hidden in that very house. This man whom -she had summoned to her aid bid fair to make flight necessary even for -a woman. Had she ventured too much? Was there yet time to throw him -over, throw everyone over and make her peace? She turned instinctively -in her thoughts to one who loved money also, who also had hoards to -save. And so, within half an hour of Bukht Khân's departure, -Ahsan-Oolah was closeted with the Queen, who after the excitement of -the day needed a cooling draught. - -Most people in the Palace needed one that night, for by this time -almost all the possible permutations of confederacy had come about, -with the result that--each combination's intrigue being known to the -next--a general distrust had fallen upon all. In addition, there was -now a fourth Commander-in-Chief; one Ghaus Khân, from Neemuch, who -declared the rest were fools. - -In truth the Dream was wearing thin indeed within the Palace. - -But on that peaceful little housetop in the Mufti's quarter it seemed -more profound than ever; it seemed as if Fate was determined to leave -nothing wanting to the strange unreal life that was being lived in the -very heart of the city. Jim Douglas was almost himself again. A little -lame, a little uncertain still of his own strength; and so, -remembering a piece of advice given him by the old Baharupa never to -attempt using the Gift when he was not strong enough for it to be -strong, he had been patient beyond Kate's hopes. But on this 2d of -August, after lying awake all night listening to the roar and the din, -he had insisted on going out when Soma did not turn up as usual to -bring the news. He would not be long, he said, not more than an hour -or two, and the attempt must be made some time. At no better one than -now, perchance, since folk would be occupied in their own affairs. - -"Besides," he added with a smile, "I'm ready to allow the convalescent -home its due. While I've been kept quiet the very thought of concealed -Europeans has died out." - -"I don't know!" she interrupted quickly. "It isn't long since Prince -Abool-Bukr chased that blue-eyed boy of the Mufti's over the roofs -thinking he was one--don't you remember I was so afraid he might climb -up here?" - -"That's the advantage of being up-top," he replied lightly. "Now, if -anything were to happen, you could scramble down. But the Prince was -drunk, and I won't go near his haunts--there isn't any danger--really -there isn't!" - -"I shall have to get accustomed to it even if there is," she replied -in the same tone. - -Jim Douglas paused at the door irresolutely. "Shall I wait till Tara -returns?" - -"No, please don't. She is not coming back till late. She grows -restless if she does not go--and I am all right." - -In truth Tara had been growing restless of late. Kate, looking up from -the game of chess--at which her convalescent gave her half the pieces -on the board and then beat her easily--used to find those dark eyes -watching them furtively. Zora Begum had never played shatrïnj -with the master, had never read with him from books, had never -treated him as an equal. And, strangely enough, the familiar -companionship--inevitable under the circumstances--roused her jealousy -more than the love-making on that other terraced roof had done. _That_ -she understood. _That_ she could crush with her cry of suttee. But -_this_--this which to her real devotion seemed so utterly desirable; -what did it mean? So she crept away, when she could, to take up the -saintly role as the only certain solace she knew for the ache in her -heart. - -Therefore Kate sat alone, darning Jim Douglas' white socks--which as a -better-class Afghan he was bound to wear--and thinking as she did so -how incredibly domestic a task it was! Still socks had to be darned, -and with Tara at hand to buy odds and ends, and Soma with his -knowledge of the Huzoor's life ready to bring chessboards, and soap, -and even a book or two, it seemed as if the roof would soon be a very -fair imitation of home. So she sat peacefully till, about dusk, -hearing a footfall on the stairs halting with long pauses between the -steps; her vexation at her patient's evident fatigue overcame her -usual caution; and without waiting for his signal knock she set the -door wide and stepped out on to the stairs to give him a hand if need -be. And then out of the shadow of the narrow brick ladder came a -strange voice panting breathlessly: - -"Salaam! mem-sahib." She started back, but not in time to prevent a -bent figure with a bundle on its back from stumbling past her on to -the roof; where, as if exhausted, it leaned against the wall before -slipping the bundle to the floor. It was an ordinary brown blanket -bundle full of uncarded cotton, and the old woman who carried it was -ragged and feeble. Emaciated too beyond belief, as if cotton-spinning -had not been able to keep soul and body comfortably together. Not a -very formidable foe this--if foe it was. Why! surely she knew the -face. - -"I have brought Sonny back, Huzoor," came the breathless voice. - -Sonny! Kate Erlton gave a little cry. She recollected now. "Oh, ayah!" -she began recklessly, "what? where is he?" - -The old woman stumbled to the door, closed the catch, and then leaned -exhausted upon the lintel, sinking down slowly to a squatting -position, her hand upon her heart. There was more in this than the -fatigue of the stairs, Kate recognized. - -"He is in the bundle, Huzoor. The mem did not know me. She will know -the baba." - -Know him! As her almost incredulous fingers fumbled at the knots, her -mind was busy with an adorable vision of white embroideries, golden -curls, and kissable, dimpled milk and roses. So it was no wonder that -she recoiled from the ragged shift and dark skin, the black -close-cropped hair shaved horribly into a wide gangway from nape to -forehead. - -"Oh, ayah!" she cried reproachfully, "what have you done to Sonny -baba!" for Sonny it was unmistakably in the guise of a street urchin. -A foolish remark to make, doubtless, but the old Mai, most of whose -life had been passed in the curling of golden curls, the prinking of -mother's darlings, did not think it strange. She looked wistfully at -her charge, then at Kate apologetically. - -"It was safer, Huzoor. And at least he is fat and fresh. I gave him -milk and _chikken-brât_.[6] And it was but a tiny morsel of opium just -to make him quiet in the bundle." - -Something in the quavering old voice made Kate cross quickly to the -old woman and kneel beside her. - -"You have done splendidly, ayah, no one could have done better!" - -But the interest had died from the haggard face. "They said folk -would be damned for it," she muttered half to herself, "but what could -I do? The mem, my mem, said 'Take care of the boy.' So I gave him -_chikken-brât_ and milk." She paused, then looked up at Kate slowly. -"But I can grind and spin no more, Huzoor. My life is done. So I have -brought him here--and----" she paused again for breath. - -"How did you find me out?" asked Kate, longing to give the old woman -some restorative, yet not daring to offer it, for she was a -Mussulmâni. - -The old Mai reached out a skeleton of a hand, half-mechanically, to -flick away a fluff of cotton wool from the still sleeping child's -face. "It was the _chikken-brât_, Huzoor. The Huzoor will remember the -old mess khânsaman? He did the _pagul khanas_ [picnics] and nautches -for the sahib logue. A big man with gold lace who made the cake at -Christmas for the babas and set fire to plum-puddeens as no other -khânsaman did. And made _estârfit_ turkeys and _sassets_ [stuffed -turkey and sausages]--and----" She seemed afloat on a Bagh-o-bahâr -list of comestibles, a dream of days when, as ayah, she had watched -many a big dinner go from the cook room. - -"But about the _chikken-brât_, ayah?" asked Kate with a lump in her -throat; for the wasted figure babbling of old days was evidently close -on death. - -"Huzoor! Mungul Khân keeps life in him, these hard times, with the -selling of eggs and fowls. So he, knowing me, said there was more -_chikken-brât_ than mine being made in the quarter. The Huzoor need -have no fear. Mungul weeps every day and prays the sahibs may return, -because his last month's account was not paid. A sweeper woman, he -said, bought 'halflings' for an Afghan's bibi. As if an Afghani would -use three halflings in one day! No one but a mem making _chikken-brât_ -would do that. So I watched and made sure, against this day; for I was -old, and I had not spun or ground for long." - -"You should have come before," said Kate gently. "You have worn -yourself out." - -The old woman stumbled to her feet. "My life was worn before, Huzoor. -I am very old. I have put many boy-babies into the mem's arms to make -them forget their pain, and taken them from them to put the flowers -round them when they were dead. He was safer with me speaking our -language; with you he may remember. But I shall be dead, so I can do -no more." - -"Wait, do wait till the sahib returns," pleaded Kate. - -The Mai paused, her hand on the latch. "What have I to do with the -sahibs, Huzoor? Mine were not much count. They made my mems cry, or -laugh; cry first, then laugh. It is bad for mems. But my mem did -not care, she only cared for the babies and so there was always a -flower for the grave. Matadeen, the gardener, made it and the big -Huzoor--Erlton sahib----" - -She ceased suddenly and went mumbling down the stairs leaving Kate to -close the door again and drop on her knees beside the sleeping child. -Was he sleeping or had the opium----? She gave a sigh of relief -as--her hair tickling his cheek as she bent to listen--up came a -chubby unconscious hand to brush the tickle away. - -Sonny! It seemed incredible. The house would be a home indeed with his -sweet "Mifis Erlton" echoing through it. Not what the old Mai had said -was true. There would be danger in English prattle. She must not tell -him who she was. He must be kept as safe as that other child over -across the seas whose empty place this one had partly filled; that -other child who in all these storms and stress was, thank Heaven! so -safe. She must deny herself that pleasure, and be content with this -terribly disguised Sonny. Then she wondered if the dye came off as -hers did; so with wet finger began trying the experiment on the -child's cheek. A little; but perhaps soap and warm water might--She -gathered Sonny in her arms and went over to the cooking-place. And -there, to her unreasoning delight, after a space, was a square inch or -so of milk and roses. It was trivial, of course; Mr. Greyman would say -womanish, but she should like to see the real Sonny just once! She -could dye him again. So, with the sleeping child on her lap, she began -soft dabbings and wipings on the forehead and cheeks. It was a -fascinating task and she forgot everything else; till, as she began -work on the nose, what with the tickling and the tepid bathings -dispelling the opium drowsiness, Sonny woke, and finding himself in -strange arms began to scream horribly. And there she was forgetful of -caution among other things, kissing and cuddling the frightened child, -asking him if he didn't know her and telling him he was a good little -Sonnikins whom nobody in the world would hurt! At which juncture, with -brain started in a new-old groove, he said amid lingering sobs: - -"Oh, Mifis Erlton! What _has_ a-come of my polly?" - -She recognized her slip in a second; but it was too late. And hark! -Steps on the stair, and Sonny prattling on in his high, clear lisp! -Not one step, but two; and voices. A visitor no doubt. Sometimes, to -avoid suspicion, it was necessary to bring them in. She knew the -routine. The modest claim for seclusion to her supposed husband in -Persian, the leaving of the door on the latch, the swift retreat into -the inner roof during the interval decorously allowed for such escape. -All this was easy without Sonny. The only chance now was to stop his -prattle even by force, give the excuse that other women were within, -and trust to a man's quickness outside. - -Vain hope! Sonny wriggled like an eel, and, just as the expected knock -came, evaded her silencing hand, so that the roof rang with outraged -yells: - -"Oh! 'oo's hurtin' me! Oo's hurtin' me!" - -Without the words even, the sound was unmistakable. No native child -was ever so ear-piercing, so wildly indignant. Kate, beside herself, -tried soothings and force distractedly, in the midst of which an -imperative voice called fiercely: - -"Open the door quick, for God's sake! Anything's better than that." - -For the moment, doubtless, Sonny's yells ending with victory; but -another cry came sharp and short, as--the door giving under Kate's -hasty fingers--two men tumbled over the threshold. Jim Douglas -uppermost, his hands gripping the other's throat. - -"Shut the door!" he gasped. "Lock it. Then my revolver--no--a knife-- -no noise--quick. I can't hold--the brute long." - -Kate turned and ran mechanically, and the steel in her hand gleamed as -she flew back. Jim Douglas, digging his knees into the ribs below -them, loosened one hand cautiously from the throat and held it out, -trembling, eager. - -But Kate saw his face. It might have been the Gorgon's, for she stood -as if turned to stone. - -"Don't be a fool!" he panted--"give it me! It's the only----" A -sudden twist beneath him sent his hand back to the throat. "It's--it's -death anyway----" - -Death! What did that matter? she asked herself. Let it come, rather -than murder! - -"No!" she said suddenly, "you shall not. It is not worth it." The -knife, flung backward, fell with a clang, but the eyes which--though -that choking grip on the throat made all things dim--had been fixed on -its gleam, turned swiftly to those above them and the writhing body -lay still as a corpse. None too soon, for Jim Douglas was almost -spent. - -"A rope," he muttered briefly, "or stay, your veil will do." - -But Kate, trembling with the great passion and pity of her decision, -had scarce removed it ere Jim Douglas, changing his mind, rose to his -feet, leaving his antagonist free to do so likewise. - -"Get up, Tiddu," he said breathlessly, "and thank the mem for saving -your life. But the door's locked, and if you don't swear----" - -"The Huzoor need not threaten," retorted Tiddu, far more calmly as he -retwisted his rag of a turban. "The Many-Faced know gratitude. They do -not fall on those who find them helpless and protect them." - -The thrust was keen, for in truth the old Baharupa had, not half an -hour before, by sheer chance found his pupil in difficulties and -insisted on seeing him safe home, and on his promising not to go out -again till he was stronger; to both of which coercions Jim Douglas, in -order to evade suspicion, had consented. Yet, but for Kate, he would -have knifed the old man remorselessly. Even now he felt doubtful. - -Tiddu, however, saved him further anxiety by stepping close to Kate -and salaaming theatrically. - -"By Murri-âm and the neem, the mem is as my mother, the child as my -child." - -So, for the first time, both he and Jim Douglas looked toward Sonny, -who, with wide-planted legs and wondering eyes, had been watching -Tiddu solemnly; the quaintest little figure with his red and white -cheeks and black muzzle. - -The old mime burst into a guffaw. "_Wâh!_ what a monkeyling! _Wâh!_ -what a _tamâsha_" (spectacle), he cried, squatting down on his heels -to look closer. In truth Sonny was like a hill baboon, especially when -he smiled too; broadly, expectantly, at the familiar word. - -"_Tamathâ-wallah!_" he said superbly, "_bunao ramâtha, juldi -bunao!_" (Make an amusement; make it quick.) - -Tiddu, a child himself like all his race in his delight in children, a -child also in his capacity of sudden serenity, caught up Kate's fallen -veil, and in an instant dashed into the hackneyed part of the -daughter-in-law, while Kate and Jim Douglas stared; left behind, as it -were, by this strange irresponsible pair--the mimic of life, and the -child ignorant of what was mimicked. Tragedy a minute ago! Now Farce! -They looked at each other, startled, for sympathy. - -"Make a funny man now," came Sonny's confident voice, "a funny man -behind a curtain--a funny man wif a gween face an' a white face, an' a -lot of fwowers an' a bit o' tring." - -Tiddu looked round quickly at Jim Douglas. "_Wâh!_" he said, "the -little Huzoor has a good memory. He remembers the Lord of Life and -Death." - -But Kate had remembered it too, and she also had turned to -Jim Douglas passionately, almost accusingly. "It was you! You were -Fate--you---- Ah! I understand now!" - -"Do you?" he answered with a frown. "Then it's more than I do." He -walked away moodily toward the knife Kate had flung away, and stooped -to pick it up. "But you were right in what you did. It was an -inspiration. Look there!" - -He pointed to the old Baharupa, who was playing antics to amuse Sonny, -who lisped, "_Thâ bâth!_" (bravo!) solemnly at each fresh effort. But -Kate shivered. "I did nothing. I thought I did; but it was Fate." - -"My dear lady," he retorted with a kindly smile, "it is all in the -nature of dreams. The convalescent home is turned into a _crèche_. But -we must transfigure the street urchin into the darling of his parents' -hearts----" He paused and looked at Kate queerly. "I'll tell Tara to -rig him out properly; and you must take off half the stain, you know, -and leave some color on his cheeks; for he must play the part as well -as----" He laughed suddenly. "It is really more dream-like than ever!" -he added. And Kate thought so too. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - VOX HUMANA. - - -The five days following on the 2d of August were a time of festivity -for the Camp, a time of funerals for the City. There was a break in -the rains, and on the Ridge the sunshine fell in floods upon the fresh -green grass, and the air, bright and cool, set men's minds toward -making the best of Nature's kindness; for she had been kind, indeed, -to the faithful little colony, and few even of the seniors could -remember a season so favorable in every way. And so the messes talked -of games, of races; and men, fresh from seeing their fellows killed by -balls on one side of the Ridge, joined those who, on the other side, -were crying "Well bowled!" as wickets went down before other balls. - -But in the city the unswept alleys fermented and festered in the -vapors and odors which rose from the great mass of humanity pent -within the rose-red walls. For the gates had been closed strictly save -for those with permits to come and go. This was Bukht Khân's policy. -Delhi was to stand or fall as one man. There was to be no sneaking -away while yet there was time. So hundreds of sepoys protesting -illness, hunger, urgent private affairs--every possible excuse for -getting leave--were told that if they would not fight they could sulk. -Starve they might, stay they should. The other Commanders-in-Chief, it -is true, spent money in bribing mercenaries for one week's more -fighting; but Bukht Khân only smiled sardonically. He had tried bugles -and fifes, he had tried the drum-ecclesiastic; he was now trying his -last stop. The _vox humana_ of self-preservation. - -In the city itself, however, the preservation of life took for the -present another form, and never within the memory of man had there -been such a pounding of pestles and mortars over leaf-poultices. The -sound of it rose up at dawn and eve like the sound of the querns, -mingling with the _vox humana_ of grief as the eastern and southern -gates were set wide to let the dead pass out, and allow the stores for -the living to pass in. - -It formed a background to the gossip at the wells where the women met -to draw water. - -"Faiz-Ahmed found freedom at dawn," said one between her yawns. "He -was long in the throes. The bibis made a great wailing, so I could not -even sleep since then. There are no sons, see you, and no money now -the old man's annuity is gone." - -"Loh, sister!" retorted another, "thou speakest as if death were a -morsel of news to let dissolve on the tongue. There be plenty such -soppets in Delhi, and if I know aught of wounds there will be another -at nightfall. My mistress wastes time in the pounding of simples, and -I waste time in waiting for them till my turn comes at the shop; for -if it be not gangrened, I have no eyes." The speaker jerked her pot to -her shoulder deftly and passed down the alley. - -"Juntu is wise in such matters," said a worn-looking woman with sad -eyes; "I must get her to glance at my man's cut. 'Tis right to my -mind--he will put naught but water to it, after some foreign -fashion--but who can tell these times?" - -"Save that none pass their day, sister. Death will come of the Great -Sickness, or the wound, as it chooses," put in a half-starved soul who -had to carry a baby besides her pot. "The cholera rages in our alley. -'Tis the smell. None sweep the streets or flush the gutters now." - -"Ari, Fukra!" cried a fierce virago, "thou art a traitor at heart! She -bewails the pig-eating infidels who gave her man five rupees a month -to bring water to the drains. Ai teri! If they saved one life from -good cholera, have they not reft a hundred in exchange from widows and -orphans? Oo-ai-ie-ee!" - -Her howling wail, like a jackal's, was caught up whimperingly by the -others; and so they passed on with their water pots, to spread through -the city the tale of Faiz-Ahmed's freedom, Juntu's suspicions of -gangrene, and Kartina the butcher's big wife's retort. And, in the -evening, folk gathered at the gates, and talked over it all again as -the funerals passed out; old Faiz-Ahmed, in his new gold shoes, -looking better as a corpse, tied up in tinsel, than as a martyr, so -the spectators agreed. Whereat _his_ family had their glow of pride -also. - -Then, when the show was over, the crowd dispersed to pay visits of -condolence, and raise the wailing _vox humana_ in every alley. - -Greatly to Jim Douglas' relief, for there was another voice difficult -to keep quiet when the cool evenings came, and all Kate's replies in -Hindustani would not beguile Sonny's tongue from English. He was the -quaintest mother's darling now, in a little tinsel cap fringed with -brown silk tassels hiding that dreadful gangway, anklets, and -bracelets on his bare corn-colored limbs, the ruddy color showing -through the dye on his cheeks, his palms all henna-stained, his eyes -blackened with kohl, and a variety of little tinsel and brocaded -cootees ending far above his dimpled knees. There were little muslin -and net ones too, cunningly streaked with silver and gold, for Tara -was reckless over the boy. She insisted, too, on a great black smudge -on his forehead to keep away the evil eye; and Soma, coming now with -the greatest regularity, brought odd little coral and grass necklets -such as Rajpoot bairns ought to wear; while Tiddu, the child's great -favorite, had a new toy every day for the little Huzoor. Paper -whirligigs, cotton-wool bears on a stick, mud parrots, and such like, -whereat Sonny would lisp, "_Thâ bath_, Tiddu." Though sometimes he -would go over to Kate and ask appealingly, "Miffis Erlton! What has -a-come of my polly?" - -Then she, startled into realities by the words, would catch him up in -her arms, and look around as if for protection to Jim Douglas, who, -having overdone himself in the struggle with Tiddu, had felt it wiser -to defer further action for a day or two. The more so because Tiddu -had promised to help him to the uttermost if he would only be -reasonable and leave times and seasons to one who had ten times the -choice that he had. - -So he would smile back at Kate and say, "It's all right, Mrs. Erlton. -At least as right as it can be. The lot of them are devoted to the -child." - -Yet in his heart he knew that there was danger in so many -confederates. He felt that this incredibly peaceful home on the -housetop could not last. Here he was looking at a woman who was not -his wife, a child who was not his child, and feeling vaguely that they -were as much a part of his life as if they were. As if, had they been -so, he would have been quite contented. More contented than he had -been on that other roof. He was, even now, more contented than he had -been there. As he sat, his head on his hand, watching the pretty -picture which Kate, in Zora's jewels, made with the be-tinseled, -be-scented, bedecked child, he thought of his relief when years before -he had looked at a still little morsel lying in Zora's veil. Had it -been brutal of him? Would that dead baby have grown into a Sonny? Or -was it because Sonny's skin was really white beneath the stain that he -thought of him as something to be proud of possessing; of a boy who -would go to school and be fagged and flogged and inherit familiar -virtues and vices instead of strange ones? - -"What are you thinking of, Mr. Greyman? Do you want anything?" came -Kate's kind voice. - -"Nothing," he replied in the half-bantering tone he so often used -toward her; "I have more than my fair share of things already, surely! -I was only meditating on the word 'Om'--the final mystery of all -things." - -So, in a way, he was. On the mystery of fatherhood and motherhood, -which had nothing to do with that pure idyl of romantic passion on the -terraced roof at Lucknow, yet which seemed to touch him here, where -there was not even love. Yet it was a better thing. The passion of -protection, of absolute self-forgetfulness, seeking no reward, which -the sight of those two raised in him, was a better thing than that -absorption in another self. The thought made him cross over to where -Kate sat with the child in her lap, and say gravely: - -"The _crèche_ is more interesting than the convalescent home, at least -to me, Mrs. Erlton! I shall be quite sorry when it ends." - -"When it ends?" she echoed quickly. "There is nothing wrong, is there? -Sonny has been so good, and that time when he was naughty the -sweeper-woman seemed quite satisfied when Tara said he was speaking -Pushtoo." - -"But it cannot last for all that," he replied. "It is dangerous. I -feel it is. This is the 5th, and I am nearly all right. I must get -Tiddu to arrange for Sonny first. Then for you." - -"And you?" she asked. - -"I'll follow. It will be safer, and there is no fear for me. I can't -understand why I've had no answer from your husband. The letter went -two days ago, and I am convinced we ought." - -The frown was back on his face, the restlessness in his brain; and -both grew when in private talk with Tiddu the latter hinted at -suspicions in the caravan which had made it necessary for him to be -very cautious. The letter, therefore, had certainly been delayed, -might never have reached. If no answer came by the morrow, he himself -would take the opportunity of a portion of the caravan having a permit -to pass out, and so insure the news reaching the Ridge; trusting to -get into the city again without delay, though the gates were very -strictly kept. Nevertheless, in his opinion, the Huzoor would be wiser -with patience. There was no immediate danger in continuing as they -were, and the end could not be long if it were true that the great -Nikalseyn was with the Punjâb reinforcements. Since all the world knew -that Nikalseyn was the prince of sahibs, having the gift, not only of -being all things to all people, but of making all people be all things -to him, which was more than the Baharupas could do. - -In truth, the news that John Nicholson was coming to Delhi made even -Jim Douglas hesitate at risking anything unnecessarily, so long as -things went smoothly. As for the letter to Major Erlton, it was no -doubt true that the number of spies sending information to the Ridge -had made it difficult of late to send any, since the guards were on -the alert. - -It was, indeed, even for the Queen herself, who had a missive she was -peculiarly anxious should not fall into strange hands. - -"There is no fear, Ornament of Palaces," said Ahsan-Oolah urbanely; "I -will stake my life on its reaching." He did not add that his chief -reason for saying so was that a similar letter, written by the King, -had been safely delivered by Rujjub Ali, the spy, whose house lay -conveniently near the physician's own, and from whom both the latter -and Elahi-Buksh heard authentic news from the Ridge. News which made -them both pity the poor old pantaloon who, as they knew well, had been -a mere puppet in stronger hands. And these two, laying their heads -together, in one of those kaleidoscope combinations of intrigue which -made Delhi politics a puzzle even at the time, advised the King to use -the _vox celeste_ as an antidote to the _vox humana_ of the city, -which was being so diligently fostered by the Queen and Bukht Khân. -Let him say he was too old for this world, let him profess himself -unable longer to cope with his coercers and claim to be allowed to -resign and become a fakir! But the dream still lingered in the old -man's brain. He loved the brocaded bags, he loved the new cushion of -the Peacock throne; and though the cockatoo's crest was once more -showing a yellow tinge through the green, the thought of jehâd -lingered sanctimoniously. But other folk in the Palace were beginning -to awake. Other people in Delhi besides Tiddu had heard that Nikalseyn -was on his way from the Punjâb and not even the rose-red walls had -been able to keep out his reputation. Folk talked of him in whispers. -The soldiers, unable to retreat, unwilling to fight, swore loudly that -they were betrayed; that there were too many spies in the city. Of -that there could be no doubt. Were not letters found concealed in -innocent looking cakes and such like? Had not one, vaguely suggesting -that some cursed infidels were still concealed in the city, been -brought in for reward by a Bunjârah who swore he had picked it up by -chance? The tales grew by the telling in the Thunbi Bazaar, making -Prince Abool-Bukr, who had returned to it incontinently after the -disastrous failure of faith on the 2d, hiccough magnificently that, -poor as he was, he would give ten golden mohurs to anyone who would -set him on the track of a hell-doomed. Yea! folk might laugh, but he -was good for ten still. Ay! and a rupee besides, to have the offer -cried through the bazaar; so there would be an end to scoffers! - -"What is't?" asked the languid loungers in the wooden balconies, as -the drum came beating down the street. - -"Only Abool offering ten mohurs for a Christian to kill," said one. - -"And he swore he had not a rupee when I danced for him but yesterday," -said another. - -"He has to pay Newâsi, sister," yawned a third. - -"Then let her dance for him--I do it no longer," retorted the -grumbler. - -So the crier and his drums passed down the scoffing bazaar. "He will -find many at that price," quoth some, winking at their neighbors; for -the Prince was a butt when in his cups. - -Thus at earliest dawn next morning, the 7th of August, Tiddu gave a -signal knock at the door of the roof, rousing Jim Douglas who, since -the child's arrival, had taken to sleeping across it once more. - -"There is danger in the air, Huzoor," he said briefly; "they cried a -reward for the infidels in the bazaar yesterday. There is talk of some -letter." - -"The child must go--go at once," replied his hearer, alert in an -instant; but Tiddu shook his head. - -"Not till dark, Huzoor. The bullocks are to pass out with the moon, -and he must pass out with them. In a sack, Huzoor. Say nothing till -the last. Then, the Huzoor knows the cloth merchant's by the Delhi -gate?" - -Jim Douglas nodded. - -"There is a court at the back. The bullocks are there, for we are -taking cloth the Lâla wants to smuggle out. A length or two in each -empty sack; for he hath been looted beyond limits. So he will have no -eyes, not the caravan either, for secret work in dark corners. Bring -the boy drugged as he came here, the Rajpootni will carry the bundle -as a spinner, to the third door down the lane. 'Tis an empty yard; I -will have the bullock there with the half-load of raw cotton. We have -two or three more as foils to the empty bags. Come as a Bunjârah, then -the Huzoor can see the last of the child, and see old Tiddu's -loyalty." - -The familiar whine came back to his voice; he could scarcely resist a -thrust forward of his open hand. But dignity or no dignity, Jim -Douglas knew that itching palm well, and said significantly: - -"It will be worth a thousand rupees to you, Tiddu, if the child gets -safe." - -A look of offended virtue came over the smooth face. "This slave is -not thinking of money. The child is as his own child." - -"And the mem as your mother, remember," put in the other quickly. - -Tiddu hesitated. "If his servant saves the baba, cannot the master -save the lady?" he said with the effrontery of a child trying how far -he might go; but Jim Douglas' revolver was out in a second, and Tiddu, -with an air of injured innocence, went on without a pause: - -"The mem will be safe enough, Huzoor, when the child is gone, if the -Huzoor will himself remain day and night to answer for the screened, -sick woman within. His slave will be back by dawn; and if he smells -trouble, the mem must be moved in a dhoolie to another house, the -Rajpootni must go home, and I will be mother-in-law. I can play the -part, Huzoor." - -He could indeed! If Kate were to be safe anywhere, it would be with -this old scoundrel with his thousand-faces, his undoubted gift for -influencing the eyes of men. Three days of passing from one place to -another, with him in some new character, and their traces must be -lost. A good plan certainly! - -"And there is no danger to-day?" he asked finally. Tiddu paused again, -and his luminous eyes sought the sahib's. "Who can say that, Huzoor, -for a mem, in this city. But I think none. We can do no more, danger -or not. And I will watch. And see, here is the dream-giver. The -Rajpootni will know the dose for the child." - -The dream-giver! All that day the little screw of paper Tiddu had -taken from his waistbelt lay in a fold of Jim Douglas' high-twined -pugri, and its contents seemed to make him dull. Not that it mattered, -since there was literally nothing to be done before dusk; for it would -be cruel to tell Kate and keep her on tenterhooks all day to no -purpose. But after a while she noticed his dullness, and came over to -where he sat, his head on his hand, in his favorite attitude. - -"I believe you are going to have fever and ague again," she said -solicitously; "do take some aconite; if we could only get some -quinine, that would end the tiresome thing at once." - -He took some to please her, and because her suggestion gave him a -reasonable excuse for being slack; but as he lounged about lazily, -watching her playing with the boy, seeing her put him to sleep as the -heat of the day came on, noting the cheerful content with which she -adapted herself to a simplicity of life unknown to her three months -before, the wonder of the circumstances which had led to it faded in -the regret that it should be coming to an end. It had been three -months of incredible peace and good-will; and to-day the peace and -goodwill seemed to strike him all the more keenly because he knew that -in an hour or so at most he must disturb it. It seemed hard. - -But something else began the task for him. About sunset a sudden -flash dazzled his eyes, and ere he grasped its vividness the walls -were rocking silently, and a second after a roar as of a thousand -thunder-claps deafened his ears. Kate had Sonny in her arms ere he -could reach her, thrusting her away from the high parapet wall, which, -in one already cracked corner, looked as if it must come down; which -did indeed crumble outward, leaving a jagged gap halfway down its -height, the debris falling with a rattle on the roof of the next -house. - -But ere the noise ended the vibration had passed, leaving him with -relief on his face looking at a great mushroom of smoke and steam -which had shot up into the sky. - -"It's the powder factory!" he exclaimed, using Hindustani for Tara's -benefit as well, since she had rushed in from the outer court at the -first hint of danger to cling round his feet. "It is all over now, but -it's lucky we were no nearer." - -As he spoke he was wondering if this would make any difference in -Tiddu's plans for the night, since the powder factory had stood -equa-distant between them and the Delhi gate. He wondered also what -had caused the explosion. Not a shell certainly. The factory had -purposely been placed at the furthest point from the Ridge. However, -there was a fine supply of powder gone, and, he hoped, a few -mutineers. But Kate's mind had reverted to that other explosion which -had been the prologue to the three months of peace and quiet. Was this -one to be the epilogue? A vague dread, a sudden premonition made her -ask quickly: - -"Can it mean anything serious? Can anything be the matter, Mr. -Greyman? Is anything wrong?" - -It was a trifle early, he thought. She might have had another half -hour or so. But this was a good beginning, or rather a fitting end. - -"And you have known this all day?" she said reproachfully when he told -her the truth. "How unkind of you not to tell me!" - -"Unkind!" he echoed. "What possible good----" - -"I should have known it was the last day--I--I should have made -the--the most of it." - -He felt glad of his own impatience of the sentimentality as he turned -away, for in truth the look on her face hit him hard. It sent him to -pace up and down the outer roof resting till the time for action came. -Then he had a whispered consultation with Tara regarding the dose of -raw opium safe for a child of Sonny's years. - -"Are you sure that is not too much?" he asked anxiously. - -Tara looked at the little black pellet she was rolling gravely. "It is -large, Huzoor, but it is for life or death; and if it was the Huzoor's -own son I would give no less." - -Once more the remembrance of the still little morsel in Zora's tinsel -veil brought an odd compunction; the very possibility of this strange -child's death roused greater pain than that certainty had done. He -felt unnerved at the responsibility; but Kate, looking up as he -rejoined her, held out her hand without a tremor. - -"Give it me, please," she said, and her voice was steady also; "he -will take it best from me. I have some sugar here." - -The child, drowsy already with the near approach of bedtime, was in -her lap, and rested its head on her breast, as with her arms still -round him her hands disguised the drug. - -"It is a very large dose," she said dully. "I knew it must be; that's -why I wanted to give it--myself. Sonny! Open your mouth, darling--it's -sweet--there--swallow it quick--that's a good Sonnikins." - -"You are very brave," he said with a catch in his voice. - -She glanced up at him for a second with a sort of scorn in her eyes. -"I knew he would take it from me," she replied, and then, shifting the -child to an easier position, began to sing in a half voice: - - - "There is a happy land----" - - -"Far--farze--away," echoed Sonny contentedly. It was his usual -lullaby, chosen because it resembled a native air, beloved of ayahs. - -And as she sang and Sonny's eyelids drooped the man watched them both -with a tender awe in his heart; and the other woman, crouching in the -corner, watched all three with hungry, passionate eyes. Here, in this -group of man, woman, and child, without a personal claim on each -other, was something new, half incomprehensible, wholly sweet. - -"He is asleep now," said Kate after a time. "You had better take him." - -He stooped to obey, and she stooped also to leave a long, lingering -kiss on the boy's soft cheek. It sent a thrill through the man as he -recognized that in giving him the child she had given him more than -kisses. - -The feeling that it was so made him linger a few minutes afterward at -the door with a new sense of his responsibilities toward her to say: - -"I wish I had not to leave you alone." - -"You will be back directly, and I shall be all right," she said, -pausing in her closing of the door, for Tara had already passed down -the stair with her bundle. - -"Shall I lock it outside?" he began. Tara and he had been used to do -so in those first days when they left her. - -She laid her hand lightly on his arm. "Don't," she said, "don't get -anxious about me again. What can happen in half an hour?" - -He heard her slip the catch on the staple, however, before he ran -downstairs. He was to take a different road to the Delhi gate from the -quiet, more devious alleys which Tara would choose in her character of -poor spinner carrying her raw stuff home. She was to await his -arrival, to deposit the bundle somewhere close to the third door in -the back lane by the cloth merchant's shop, leaving it to him to take -inside, as if he were one of the caravan; this plan insuring two -things--immunity from notice in the streets, and also in the yard. -But, as Tara would be longer than he by a few minutes in reaching the -tryst, he purposely went through a bit of the Thunbi Bazaar to hear -what he could of the explosion. He was surprised--a trifle alarmed--at -the excitement. Crowds were gathered round many of the balconies, -talking of spies, swearing that half the court was in league with the -Ridge, and that, after all, Abool-Bukr might not have a wild-goose -chase. - -"There will be naught but slops and slaps for him in _my_ information, -I'll swear," said one with a laugh. "I'll back old Mother Sobrai to -beat off a dozen princes." - -"And blows and bludgeons in _mine_," chuckled another. "I chose the -house of Bahâdur, the single-stick player." - -And as, having no more time to lose, he cut across gateward, he saw -down an alley a mob surging round Ahsan-Oolah, the physician's, house, -and heard a passerby say, "They have the traitor safe." It made him -vaguely uneasy, since he knew that when once the talk turns on hidden -things, people, not to be behindhand in gossip, rake up every trivial -doubt and wonder. - -Still there was a file of bullocks waiting by the cloth merchant's as -arranged. And as he passed into the lane a dim figure, scarce seen in -the dark, slipped out of the further end. And there was the bundle. He -caught it up as if it belonged to him, and after knocking gently at -the third door, pushed it open, knowing that he must show no -hesitation. He found himself in a sort of outhouse or covered -entrance, pitch dark save for a faintly lighter square showing an -outlet, doubtless into the yard beyond. He moved toward it, and -stumbled over something unmistakably upon the floor. A man! He dropped -the bundle promptly to be ready in case the sleeper should be a -stranger. But there was no movement, and he kneeled down to feel if it -was Tiddu. A Bunjârah I--that was unmistakable at the first touch--but -the limpness was unmistakable too. The man was dead--still warm, but -dead! By all that was unlucky!--not Tiddu surely! With the flint and -steel in his waist-cloth, he lit a tuft of cotton from the bundle as a -torch. - -It was Jhungi!--Jhungi, with a knife in his heart! - -"Huzoor!" came the familiar creak, as Tiddu, attracted by the sudden -light, stole in from the yard beyond. "Quick! there is no time to -lose. Give me the bundle and go back." - -"Go back!" echoed Jim Douglas amazed. - -"Huzoor! take off the Bunjârah's dress. I have a green turban and -shawl here. The Huzoor must go back to the mem at once. There is -treachery." - -Jim Douglas swore under his breath as he obeyed. - -"I know not what, but the mem must not stay there. I heard him -boasting before, and just now I caught him prying." - -"Who, Jhungi?" - -Even at such a moment Tiddu demurred. - -"The Huzoor mistakes. It is the miscreant Bhungi--Jhungi is -virtuous----" - -"You killed him then?" interrupted the hearer, putting the last touch -to his disguise. - -"What else could I do, Huzoor? I had only my knife. And it is not as -if it were--Jhungi----" - -But Jim Douglas was already out of the door, running through the dark, -deserted lanes while he dared, since he must walk through the bazaar. -And as he ran he told himself that he was a fool to be so anxious. -What could go wrong in half an hour? - -What indeed! - -As he stood five minutes after, staring into the dark emptiness of the -roof, he asked himself again and again what could have happened? There -had been no answer to his knock; the door had been hasped on the -outside, yet the first glance as he entered made him realize that the -place was empty of life. And though he had lit the cresset, with a -fierce fear at what it might reveal, he could find no trace, even of a -struggle. Kate had disappeared! Had she gone out? Impossible. Had Tara -heard of the danger, returned, and taken her elsewhere? Possible, but -improbable. He passed rapidly down the stairs again. The story below -the roof, being reserved for the owner's use on his occasional visits -to Delhi, was empty; the occupants of the second floor, pious folk, -had fled from the city a day or two before; and when he paused to -inquire on the ground floor to know if there had been any disturbance -he found the door padlocked outside--sure sign that everyone was out. -Oh! why, he thought, had he not padlocked that other door upstairs? He -passed out into the street, beginning to realize that his task was -over just as he had ceased to gird at it. There was nothing unusual to -be seen. The godly folk about were beginning to close their gates for -the night, and some paused to listen with an outraged air to the -thrummings and drummings from the Princess Farkhoonda's roof. And that -was Abool Bukr's voice singing: - - - "Oh, mistress rare, divine!" - - -Then it could scarcely be he, and Kate might have found friends in -that quarter, where so many learned folk deemed the slaughter of women -unlawful. But there was no use in speculating. He must find Tara -first. He paused, however, to inquire from the cobbler at the corner. -"Disturbance?" echoed the man. Not much more than usual; the Prince, -who had passed in half an hour agone, being perhaps a bit wilder after -his wildgoose-chase. Had not the Agha-sahib heard? The wags of the -bazaar had taken up the offer made by the Prince, and his servants had -sworn they were glad to get him to the Princess', since they had been -whacked out of half a dozen houses. He was safe now, however, since -when he was of that humor Newâsi Begum never let him go till he was -too drunk for mischief. - -Then, thought Jim Douglas, it was possible that Jhungi might have -given real information; still but one thing was certain--the roof was -empty; the dream had vanished into thin air. - -He did not know as he passed through the dim streets that their dream -was over also, and that John Nicholson stood looking down from the -Ridge on the shadowy mass of the town. He had posted in a hundred and -twenty miles that day, arriving in time to hear the explosion of the -magazine. The city's salute of welcome, as it were, to the man who was -to take it. - -He had been dining at the Headquarters mess, taciturn and grave, a wet -blanket on the jollity, and the Moselle cup, and the fresh cut of -cheese from the new Europe shop; and now, when others were calling -cheery goodnights as they passed to their tents, he was off to wander -alone round the walls, measuring them with his keen, kindly eyes. A -giant of a man, biting his lips beneath his heavy brown beard, making -his way over the rocks, sheltering in the shadow, doggedly, moodily, -lost in thought. He was parceling out his world for conquest? settling -already where to prick the bubble. - -But, in a way, it was pricked already. For, as he prowled about -the Palace walls, a miserable old man, minus even the solace of -pulse-feeling and cooling draughts, was dictating a letter to Hâfzan, -the woman scribe. A miserable letter, to be sent duly the next day to -the Commanders-in-Chief, and forwarded by them to the volunteers of -Delhi. A disjointed rambling effusion worthy of the shrunken mind and -body which held but a rambling disjointed memory even of the advice -given it. - -"Have I not done all in my power to please the soldiery?" it ran. "But -it is to be deplored that you have, notwithstanding, shown no concern -for my life, no consideration for my old age. The care of my health -was in the hands of Ahsan-Oolah, who kept himself constantly informed -of the changes it underwent. Now there is none to care for me but God, -while the changes in my health are such as may not be imagined; -therefore the soldiers and officers ought to gratify me and release -the physician, so that he may come whenever he thinks it necessary to -examine my pulse. Furthermore, the property plundered from his house -belonged to the King, therefore it should be traced and collected and -conveyed to our presence. If you are not disposed to comply, let me be -conveyed to the Kutb shrine and employ myself as a sweeper of the -Mosque. And if even this be not acceded I will still relinquish every -concern and jump up from my seat. Not having been killed by the -English I will be killed by you; for I shall swallow a diamond and go -to sleep. Moreover, in the plunder of the physician's house, a small -box containing our seal was carried away. No paper, therefore, of a -date subsequent to the 7th of August, 1857, bearing our seal, will be -valid." - -A miserable letter indeed. The dream of sovereignty had come to an end -with that salute of welcome to John Nicholson. - - - - - - BOOK V. - - "THERE AROSE A MAN." - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - FORWARD. - - -"Are you here on duty, sir?" asked a brief, imperious voice. Major -Erlton, startled from a half dream as he sat listlessly watching the -target practice from the Crow's Nest, rose and saluted. His height -almost matched the speaker's, but he looked small in comparison with -the indescribable air of dominant power and almost arrogant strength -in the other figure. It seemed to impress him, for he pulled himself -together smartly with a certain confidence, and looked, in truth, -every inch a soldier. - -"No, sir," he replied as briefly, "on pleasure." - -A distinct twinkle showed for a second in General Nicholson's deep-set -hazel eyes. "Then go to your bed, sir, and sleep. You look as if you -wanted some." He spoke almost rudely; but as he turned on his heel he -added in a louder voice than was necessary had he meant the remark for -his companion's ear only, "I shall want good fighting men before long, -I expect." - -If he did, he might reckon on one. Herbert Erlton was not good at -formulating his feelings into definite thoughts, but as he went back -to the peaceful side of the Ridge he told himself vaguely that he was -glad Nicholson had come. He was the sort of a man a fellow would be -glad to follow, especially when he was dead-sick and weary of waiting -and doing nothing save get killed! Yes! he was a real good sort, and -as even the Chaplain had said at mess, they hadn't felt quite so -besieged on the Ridge these last two days since he came. And, by -George! he had hit the right nail on the head. A man wasn't much good -without sleep. - -So, with a certain pride in following the advice, Major Erlton flung -himself on his cot and promptly dozed off. In truth he needed rest. -Sonny Seymour's safe arrival in camp two nights before, in charge -of a Bunjârah, from whom even Hodson had been unable to extract -anything--save that the Agha-sahib had forgotten a letter in his -hurry, and that the mem was safe, or had been safe--had sent Major -Erlton to watch those devilish walls more feverishly than ever. Not -that it really mattered whether Kate was alive or dead, he told -himself. No! he did not mean that, quite. He would be awfully -glad--God! how glad! to know her safe. But it wouldn't alter other -things, would not even alter them in regard to her. So, once more he -waited for the further news promised him, with a strange indifference, -save to the thought that, alive or dead, Kate was within the -walls--like another woman--like many women. - -And now he was dreaming that he was inside them also, sword in hand. - -There seemed some chance of it indeed, men were saying to each other, -as they looked after John Nicholson's tall figure as it wandered into -every post and picket; asking brief questions, pleased with brief -replies. Every now and again pausing, as it were, to come out of his -absorption and take a sudden, keen interest in something beyond the -great question. As when, passing the tents of the only lady in camp, -he saw Sonny, who had been made over to her till he could be sent back -to his mother, who had escaped to Meerut, during which brief time he -was the plaything of a parcel of subalterns who delighted in him, -tinsel cap, anklets, and all. Major Erlton had at first rather -monopolized the child, trying to find out something definite from him; -but as he insisted that "Miffis Erlton lived up in the 'ky wif a man -wif a gween face, and a white face, and a lot of fwowers, and a bit of -tring," and spoke familiarly of Tiddu, and Tara, and Soma, without -being able to say who they were, the Major had given it up as a bad -job, and gone back to the walls. So the subalterns had the child to -themselves, and were playing pranks with him as the General passed by. - -"Fine little fellow!" he said suddenly. "I like to see children's legs -and arms. Up in Bunnoo the babies were just like that young monkey. -Real corn-color. I got quite smitten with them and sent for a lot of -toys from Lahore. Only I had to bar Lawrence from peg-tops, for I knew -I should have got peg-topping with the boys, and that would have been -fatal to my dignity as D. C. That is the worst of high estates. You -daren't make friends, and you have to make enemies." - -The smile which had made him look years younger faded, and he was -back in the great problem of his life: how to keep pace with his -yoke-fellows, how to scorn consequences and steer straight to -independent action, without spoiling himself by setting his seniors -and superiors in arms against him. He had never solved it yet. His -career had been one long race with the curb on. A year before he had -thrown up the game in disgust, and begged to be transferred from the -Punjab while he could go with honor, and even his triumphant march -Delhi-ward--in which he found disaffection, disobedience, and doubt, -and left fear, trembling, and peace--had been marred by much rebuking. -So that once, nothing but the inner sense that pin-points ought not to -let out the heart's blood, kept him at his post; and but two days -before, on the very eve of that hundred-and-twenty mile rush to Delhi, -he had written claiming definitely the right of an officer in his -position to quarrel with anybody's opinion, and asserting his duty of -speaking out, no matter at what risk of giving offense. - -And now, a man years younger than those in nominal command,--he was -but six-and-thirty,--and holding views diametrically opposed to -theirs, he had been sent here, virtually, to take Delhi because those -others could not. No wonder, then, that the question how to avoid -collision puzzled him. Not because he knew that his appointment was in -itself an offense, that some people affected to speak of him still as -Mr. Nicholson--that being his real rank; but because he knew in his -heart of hearts that at any moment he might do something appalling. -Move troops under someone else's command, without a reference, as he -had done before, during his career! Then, naturally, there must be -ructions. He had a smile for the thought himself. Still, for the -present, concord was assured; since until his column arrived, the -repose of the lion crouching for a spring was manifestly the only -policy; though it might be necessary to wag the tail a bit--to do more -than merely forbid sorties and buglings. The fools, for instance, who -harrassed the Metcalfe House picket might be shown their mistake and -made to understand that, if the Ridge called "time!" for a little -decent rest before the final round, it meant to have it. So he passed -on his errand to inculcate Headquarters with his decision, leaving -Sonny playing with the boys. - -Meanwhile one of the garrison, at least, had found the benefit of his -keen judgment. Herbert Erlton had passed from dreams of conflict to -the real rest of unconscious sleep, oblivious of everything, even -those rose-red walls. - -But within them another man, haggard and anxious as he had been, was -still allowing himself none in his search for Kate Erlton. Tara, as -much at a loss as he, helping him; for though at first she had been -relieved at the idea of the mem's disappearance, she had soon realized -that the master ran more risk than ever in his reckless determination -to find some trace of the missing woman. And Tiddu, who had returned, -helped also. The mem, he said, must have found friends; must be alive. -Such a piece of gossip as the discovery and death of an English woman -could not have been kept from the Thunbi Bazaar. Then those who had -passed from the roof had been calm enough to hasp the door behind -them; that did not look like violence. If the Huzoor would only be -patient and wait, something would turn up. There were other kindly -folk in the city besides himself! But, in the meantime, he would do -well to allow Soma to slip into the sulky indifference he seemed to -prefer, and take no notice of it. It only meant that he, and half the -good soldiers in Delhi, were mad with themselves for having chosen the -losing side. For with Nikalseyn on the Ridge, what chance had Delhi? - -This was rather an exaggerated picture; still it was a fairly faithful -presentment of the inward thoughts of many, who, long before this, had -begun to ask themselves what the devil they were doing in that galley? -Yet there they were, and there they must fight. Soma, however, was -doubtful even of that. His heart positively ached as he listened to -the tales told in the very heart of Delhi of the man whom other men -worshiped--the man who took forts single-handed, and said that, given -the powers of a provost-marshal, he would control a disobedient army -in two days! The man who yoked bribe-taking tahseeldars into the -village well-wheel to draw water for the robbed ryots, and set women -of loose virtue, who came into his camp, to cool in muddy tanks. The -man who flung every law-book on his office table at his clerks' heads, -and then--with a kindly apologetic smile--paused while they replaced -them for future use. The man who gave toys to children, and -remorselessly hung two abettors of a vile murder, when he could not -lay hands on the principal. The man, finally, who flogged those who -worshiped him into promising adoration for the future to a very -ordinary mortal of his acquaintance! Briefly the hero, the demi-god, -who perhaps was neither, but, as Tiddu declared, had simply the -greatest gift of all--the gift of making men what he wished them to -be. Either way it was gall and wormwood to Soma--hero-worshiper by -birth--that his side should have no such colossal figure to follow. -So, sulky and sore, he held aloof from both sides, doing his bounden -duty to both, and no more. Keeping guards when his fellows took bribes -to fight, and agreeing with Tiddu, that since some other besides -themselves knew of the roof, it was safer for the master to lock it -up, and live for a time elsewhere. - -So, all unwittingly, the only chance of finding Kate was lost. For -what had happened was briefly this: Five minutes after Jim Douglas had -left her, Prince Abool-Bukr, who had kept this _renseignement_--given -him by a Bunjârah, who had promised to be in waiting and was not--to -the last, because it was close to the haven where he would be, had -come roystering up the stairs followed by his unwilling retainers, -suggesting that the Most Illustrious had really better desist from -violating seclusion since they were all black and blue already. But, -from sheer devilry and desire to outrage the quarter, which by its -complaints had already brought him into trouble, the Prince had begun -battering at the door. Kate, running to bar it more securely, saw that -the hasp, carelessly hitched over the staple, was slipping--had -slipped; and had barely time to dash into the inner roof ere the -Prince, unexpectant of the sudden giving way, tumbled headlong into -the outer one. The fall gave her an instant more, but made him angry; -and the end would have been certain, if Kate, seeing the new-made gap -in the wall before her, had not availed herself of it. There was a -roof not far below she knew; the _débris_ would be on a slope -perhaps--the blue-eyed boy had escaped by the roofs. All this flashed -through her, as by the aid of a stool, which she kicked over in her -scramble, she gained the top of the gap and peered over. The next -instant she had dropped herself down some four feet, finding a -precarious foothold on a sliding slope of rubble, and still clinging -to the wall with her hands. If no one looked over, she thought -breathlessly, she was safe! And no one did. The general air of decent -privacy alarmed the retainers into remembering that two of their -number had found death their reward for their master's last escapade -in that quarter; so, after one glance round, they swore the place was -empty, and dragged him off, feebly protesting that it was his last -chance, and he had not bagged a single Christian. - -Kate heard the door closed, heard the voices retreat downstairs, and -then set herself to get back over the gap. It did not seem a difficult -task. The slope on which she hung gave fair foothold, and by getting a -good grip on the brickwork, and perhaps displacing a brick or two in -the crack lower down, as a step, she ought to get up easily. It was -lucky the crack was there, she thought. In one way, not in another, -for, as in her effort she necessarily threw all her weight on the -wall, another bit of it gave way, she fell backward, and so, half -covered with bricks and mud, rolled to the roof below, which was -luckily not more than eight or nine feet down. It was far enough, -however, for the fall to have killed her; but, though she lay quite -unconscious, she was not dead, only stunned, shaken, confused, unable -absolutely to think. It was almost dawn, indeed, before she realized -that her only chance of getting up again was in calling for help, and -by that time the door of the roof above had been locked, and there was -no one to hear her. The few square yards of roof on to which she had -rolled belonged to one of those box-like buildings, half-turrets, -half-summer houses, which natives build here, there, and everywhere at -all sorts of elevations, until the view of a town from a topmost roof -resembles nothing so much as the piles of luggage awaiting the tidal -train at Victoria. - -This particular square of roof belonged to a tiny outhouse, which -stood on a long narrow roof belonging in its turn to an arcaded slip -of summer-house standing on a square, set round by high parapet walls. -Quite a staircase of roofs. Her one had had a thatch set against the -wall, but it had fallen in with the weight of bricks and mortar. Still -she might be able to creep between it and the wall for shelter. And on -the slip of roof below, Indian corn was drying, during this break in -the rains. Rains which had filled a row of water-pots quite full. -Since she could not make those above her hear, she thought it might be -as well to secure herself from absolute starvation, before broad -daylight brought life to the wilderness of roofs around her. So she -scrambled down a rough ladder of bamboo tied with string, and, after a -brief look into the square below, came back with some parched grain -she had found in a basket, and a pot of water. She would not starve -for that day. By this time it was dawn, and she crept into her -shelter, listening all the while for a sound from above; every now and -again venturing on a call. But there was no answer, and by degrees it -came to her that she must rely on herself only for safety. She was not -likely to be disturbed that day where she was, unless people came to -repair the thatch. And under cover of night she might surely creep -from roof to roof down to some alley. What alley? True, her goal now -lay behind her, but these roofs, set at every angle, might lead her -far from it. And how was she to know her own stair, her own house, -from the outside? She had passed into it in darkness and never left it -again. Then what sort of people lived in these houses through which -she must creep like a thief? Murderers, perhaps. Still it was her only -chance; and all that burning, blistering day, as she crouched between -the thatch and the wall, she was bolstering up her courage for the -effort. She could see the Ridge clearly from her hiding place. Ah! if -she had only the wings of the doves--those purple pigeons which, -circling from the great dome of the mosque, came to feast unchecked on -the Indian corn. The people below, then, must be pious folk. - -It was past midnight and the silence of sleep had settled over the -city before she nerved herself to the chance and crept down among the -corn. No difficulty in that; but to her surprise, a cresset was still -burning in the arcaded veranda below, sending three bars of light -across the square through which she must pass. It would be better to -wait a while; but an hour slipped by and still the light gleamed into -the silence. Perhaps it had been forgotten. The possibility made her -creep down the brick ladder, prepared to creep up again if the silence -proved deceptive. But what she saw made her pause, hesitating. It was -a woman reading from a large book held in a book-rest. The Koran, of -course. Kate recognized it at once, for just such another had been -part of the necessary furniture of her roof. And what a beautiful -face! Tender, refined, charming. Not the face of a murderess, surely? -Surely it might be trusted? Those three months behind the veil had -made Kate realize the emotionality of the East; its instinctive -sympathy with the dramatic element in life. She remembered her sudden -impulse in regard to the knife and its effect on Tiddu; she felt a -similar impulse toward confidence here. And then she knew that the -doors might be locked below, and that her best chance might be to -throw herself on the mercy of this woman. - -The next moment she was standing full in the light close to the -student, who started to her feet with a faint cry, gazing almost -incredulously at the figure so like her own, save for the jewels -gleaming among the white draperies. - -"Bibi," she faltered. - -"I am no bibi," interrupted Kate hurriedly in Hindustani. "I am a -Christian--but a woman like yourself--a mother. For the sake of -yours--or the sake of your sons, if you are a mother too--for the sake -of what you love best--save me." - -"A Christian! a mem!" In the pause of sheer astonishment the two women -stood facing each other, looking into each other's eyes. Prince -Abool-Bukr had been right when he said that Kate Erlton reminded him -of the Princess Farkhoonda da Zamâni. Standing so, they showed -strangely alike indeed, not in feature, but in type; in the soul which -looked out of the soft dark, and the clear gray eyes. - -"Save you!" The faint echo was lost in a new sound, close at hand. A -careless voice humming a song; a step coming up the dark stair. - - - "O mistress rare, divine!" - - -God and His Prophet! Abool himself! Newâsi flung her hands up in sheer -horror. Abool! and this Christian here! The next instant with a fierce -"Keep still," she had thrust Kate into the deepest shadow and was out -to bar the brick ladder with her tall white grace. She had no time for -thought. One sentence beat on her brain--"for the sake of what you -love best, save me!" Yea! for his sake this strange woman must not be -seen--he must not, should not guess she was there! - -"Stand back, kind one, and let me pass," came the gay voice -carelessly. It made Kate shudder back into further shadow, for she -knew now where she was; and but that she would have to pass those bars -of light would have essayed escape to the roofs again. - -But Newâsi stood still as stone on the first step of the stairs. - -"Pass!" she repeated clearly, coldly. "Art mad, Abool? that thou -comest hither with no excuse of drunkenness and alone, at this hour of -the night. For shame!" - -Why, indeed, she asked herself wildly, had he come? He was not used to -do so. Could he have heard? Had he come on purpose? There was a sound -as if he retreated a step, and from the dark his voice came with a -wonder in it. - -"What ails thee, Newâsi?" - -"What ails me!" she echoed, "what I have lacked too long. Just anger -at thy thoughtless ways. Go----" - -"But I have that to tell thee of serious import that none but thou -must hear. That which will please thee. That which needs thy kind wise -eyes upon it." - -"Then let them see it by daylight, not now. I will not, Abool. Stand -back, or I will call for help." - -The sound of retreat was louder this time, and a muttered curse came -with it; but the voice had a trace of anxiety in it now--anxiety and -anger. - -"Thou dost not mean it, kind one; thou canst not! When have I done -that which would make thee need help? Newâsi! be not a fool. Remember -it is I, Abool; Abool-Bukr, who has a devil in him at times!" - -Did she not know it by this time? Was not that the reason why he must -not find this Christian? Why she must refuse him hearing? Though it -was true that he had a right to be trusted; in all those long years, -when had he failed to treat her tenderly, respectfully? As she stood -barring his way, where he had never before been denied entrance, she -felt as if she herself could have killed that strange woman for being -there, for coming between them. - -"Listen, Abool!" she said, stretching out her hands to find his in the -dark. "I mean naught, dear, that is unkind. How could it be so between -me and thee? But 'tis not wise." She paused, catching her breath in a -faint sob. He could not see her face, perhaps if he had, he would have -been less relentless. - -"Wherefore? Canst not trust thy nephew, fair aunt?" The sarcasm bit -deep. - -"Nephew! A truce, Abool, to this foolish tale," she began hotly, when -he interrupted her. - -"Of a surety, if the Princess Farkhoonda desires it! Yet would Mirza -Abool-Bukr still like to know wherefore he is not received?" - -His tone sent a thrill of terror through her, his use of the name he -hated warned her that his temper was rising--the devil awakening. - -"Canst not see, dear," she pleaded, trying to keep the hands he would -have drawn from hers--"folk have evil minds." - -He gave an ugly laugh. "Since when hast thou begun to think of thy -good name, like other women, Newâsi? But if it be so, if all my -virtue--and God knows 'tis ill-got--is to go for naught, let it end." - -She heard him, felt him turn, and a wild despair surged up in her. -Which was worst? To let him go in anger beyond the reach of her -controlling hand mayhap--go to unknown evils--or chance this one? -Since--since at the worst death might be concealed. God and His -Prophet! What a thought! No! she would plead again--she would -stoop--she would keep him at any price. - -"Listen!" she whispered passionately, leaning toward him in the dark, -"dost ask since when I have feared for my good name? Canst not -guess?--Abool! what--what does a woman, as I am, fear--save -herself--save her own love----" - -There was an instant's silence, and then his reckless jeering laugh -jarred loud. - -"So it has come at last! and there is another woman for kisses. That -is an end indeed! Did I not tell thee we should quarrel over it some -day? Well, be it so, Princess! I will take my virtue elsewhere." - -She stood as if turned to stone, listening to his retreating steps, -listening to his nonchalant humming of the old refrain as he passed -through the courtyard into the alley. Then, without a word, but -quivering with passion, she turned to where Kate cowered, and dragged -her by main force to the stairs where, a minute before; she had -sacrificed everything for her. No! not for her, for him! - -"Go," she said bitterly. "Go! and my curse go with you." - -Kate fled before the anger she saw but did not understand. Yet as she -flew down the steep stairs she paused involuntarily to listen to the -sound--a sound which needed no interpreter as the liquid Persian had -done--of a woman sobbing as if her heart would break. - -She had no time, however, even for wonder, and the next instant she -was out in the alley, turning to the right. For the knowledge that it -was the Princess Farkhoonda who had helped her, gave the clew to her -position. But the house, the stair? How could she know it? She must -try them one after another; since she would know the landing, the door -she had so often opened and shut. Still it was perilously near dawn -ere she found what she was sure was the right one; but it was -padlocked. - -They must have gone; gone and left her alone! - -For the first time, ghastly, unreasoning fear seized on her; she could -have beaten at the door and screamed her claim to be let in. And even -when, the rush of terror passed, she sat stupidly on the step, not -even wondering what to do next, till suddenly she remembered that she -had keys in her pocket. That of the inner padlock, certainly; perhaps -of the outer one, also, since Tara had given up using her duplicate -altogether. - -She had; and five minutes after, having satisfied herself that the -roof remained as it was--that it was merely empty for a time--she -tried to feel grateful. But the loneliness, the dimness, were too much -for her fatigue, her excitement. So once more the sound which needs no -interpreter rose on the warm soft night. - -It was two days after this that Tiddu held a secret consultation with -Soma and Tara. The Agha-sahib, he said, was getting desperate. He was -losing his head, as the Huzoors did over women-folk, and he must be -got out of the city. It was not as if he did any good by staying in -it. The mem was either dead, or safely concealed. There was no -alternative, unless, indeed, she had already been passed out to the -Ridge. There was talk of that sort among Hodson's spies, and he was -going to utilize the fact and persuade the Huzoor to creep out to the -camp and see. Soma could pass him out, and would not pass him in -again; which was fortunate. Since folk in addition to protecting -masters had to make money, when every other corn-carrier in the place -was coining it by smuggling gold and silver out of the city for the -rich merchants. Tara, with a sudden fierce exultation in her somber -eyes, agreed. Let the Huzoor go back to his own life, she said; let -him go to safety, and leave her free. As for the mem, the master had -done enough for her. And Soma, sulky and lowering with the dull glow -of opium in his brain--for the drug was his only solace now--swore -that Tiddu was right. Delhi was no place for the master. And once out -of it, the fighting would keep him: he knew him of old. As for the -mem, he would not harm her, as Tara had once suggested he should. That -dream was over. The Huzoors were the true masters; they had men who -could lead men. Not Princes in Cashmere shawls who couldn't understand -a word of what you said, and mere _soubadars_ cocked up, but real -_Colonels_ and _Generâls_. - -The result of this being that on the night of the 11th, between -midnight and dawn, Jim Douglas, with that elation which came to him -always at the prospect of action, prepared to slip out of the -sally-port by the Magazine, disguised as a sepoy. This was to please -Soma. To please Tiddu, however, he wore underneath this disguise the -old staff uniform from the theatrical properties. It reminded him of -Alice Gissing, making him whisper another "bravo" to the memory of the -woman whom he had buried under the orange-trees in the crimson-netted -shroud made of an officer's scarf. - -But Tiddu's remark, that an English uniform would be the safest, once -he was beyond the city, sent sadness flying, in its frank admission -that the tide had turned. - -Turned, indeed! The certainty came with a great throb of fierce joy -as, half an hour afterward, slipping past the gardens of Ludlow -Castle, he found himself in the thick of English bayonets, and felt -grateful for the foresight of the old staff uniform. They were on -their way to surprise and take the picket; not to defend but to -attack. - -The opportunity was too good to be lost. There was no hurry. He had -arranged to remain three days on the Ridge--he might not have another -opportunity of a free fair fight. - -He had forgotten every woman in the world, everything save the welcome -silence before him as he turned and stole through the trees also, -sword in hand. - -By all that was lucky and well-planned! the picket must be asleep! Not -a sound save the faint crackle of stealthy feet almost lost in the -insistent quiver of the cicalas. No! there was a challenge at last -within a foot or two. - -"Who--kum--dar?" - -And swift as an echo a young voice beside him came jibingly: - -"It's me, Pandy! Take that." - -It's me! Just so; me with a vengeance. For the right attack and the -left were both well up. There was a short, sharp volley; then the -welcome familiar order. A cheer, a clatter, a rush and clashing with -the bayonets. It seemed but half a minute before Jim Douglas found -himself among the guns slashing at a dazed artilleryman who had a -port-fire in his hand. So the artillery on either side never had a -chance, and Major Erlton, riding up with the 9th Lancers as the -central attack, found that bit of the fighting over. The picket was -taken, the mutineers had fled cityward leaving four guns behind them. -And against one of these, as the Major rode close to gloat over it, -leaned a man whom he recognized at once. - -"My God! Douglas," he said, "where--where's Kate?--where's my wife?" - -It was rather an abrupt transition of thought, and Jim Douglas, who -was feeling rather queer from something, he scarcely knew what, looked -up at the speaker doubtfully. - -"Oh, it is you, Major Erlton," he said slowly. "I thought--I mean I -hoped she was here--if she isn't--why, I suppose I'd better go back." - -He took his arm off the gun and half-stumbled forward, when Major -Erlton flung himself from his horse and laid hold of him. - -"You're hit, man--the blood's pouring from your sleeve. Here, off with -your coat, sharp!" - -"I can't think why it bleeds so?" said Jim Douglas feebly, looking -down at a clean cut at the inside of the elbow from which the blood -was literally spouting. "It is nothing--nothing at all." - -The Major gave a short laugh. "Take the go out of you a bit, though. -I'll get a tourniquet on sharp, and send you up in a dhooli." - -"What an unlucky devil I am!" muttered Jim Douglas to himself, and the -Major did not deny it: he was in a hurry to be off again with the -party told to clear the Koodsia Gardens. Which they did successfully -before sunrise, when the expedition returned to camp cheering like -demons and dragging in the captured guns, on which some of the wounded -men sat triumphantly. It was their first real success since -Budli-ke-serai, two months before; and they were in wild spirits. - -Even the Doctor, fresh from shaking his head over many a form lifted -helplessly from the dhoolis, was jubilant as he sorted Jim Douglas' -arm. - -"Keep you here ten days or so I should say. There's always a chance of -its breaking out again till the wound is quite healed. Never mind! You -can go into Delhi with the rest of us, before then." - -"Yoicks forward!" cried a wounded lad in the cot close by. The Doctor -turned sharply. - -"If you don't keep quiet, Jones, I'll send you back to Meerut. And you -too, Maloney. I've told you to lie still a dozen times." - -"Sure, Docther dear, ye couldn't be so cruel," said a big Irishman -sitting at the foot of his bed so as to get nearer to a new arrival -who was telling the tale of the fight. "And me able-bodied and -spoiling to be at me wurrk this three days." - -"It's a curious fact," remarked the Doctor to Jim Douglas as he -finished bandaging him, "the hospital has been twice as insubordinate -since Nicholson came in. The men seem to think we are to assault Delhi -tomorrow. But we can't till the siege train comes, of course. So you -may be in at the death!" - -Jim Douglas felt glad and sorry in a breath. - -Finally he told himself he could let decision stand over for a day or -two. He must see Hodson first, and find out if the letter he had had -from his spies about an Englishwoman, concealed in Delhi, referred to -Kate Erlton. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - BITS, BRIDLES, SPURS. - - -The letter, however, did not refer to Kate; though, curiously enough, -the Englishwoman it concerned had been, and still was concealed in an -Afghan's house. Kate, then, had not been the only Englishwoman in -Delhi. There was a certain consolation in the thought, since what was -being done for one person by kindly natives might very well be done -for another. Besides, removed as he was now from the fret and strain -of actual search, Jim Douglas admitted frankly to Major Hodson that he -was right in saying that Mrs. Erlton must either have come to an end -of her troubles altogether, or have found friends better able, -perhaps, than he to protect her. - -Regarding the first possibility also Major Hodson was skeptical. He -had hundreds of spies in the city. Such a piece of good luck as the -discovery of a Christian must have been noised abroad. They had not -mentioned it; he did not, therefore, believe it had occurred. He -would, however, inquire, and till the answer came it would be foolish -to go back to the city. Jim Douglas admitted this also; but as the -days passed, the desire to return increased; especially when Major -Erlton came to see him, which he did with dutiful regularity. Jim -Douglas could not help admiring him when he stood, stiff and square, -thanking him as Englishmen thank their fellows for what they know to -be beyond thanks. - -"I am sure no one could have done more, and I know I couldn't have -done a quarter so much; and I'm grateful," he said awkwardly. Then -with the best intentions, born from a real pity for the haggard man -who sat on the edge of his cot looking as men do after a struggle of -weeks with malarial fever, he added, "And the luck has been a bit -against you all the time, hasn't it?" - -"As yet, perhaps," replied Jim Douglas, feeling inclined then and -there to start cityward, "but the game isn't over. When I go back----" - -"Hodson says you could do no good," continued the big man, still with -the best intentions. - -"I don't agree with him," retorted the other sharply. - -"Perhaps not--but--but I wouldn't, if I were you. Or--rather--_I_ -should of course--only--you see it is different for me. She----" Major -Erlton paused, finding it difficult to explain himself. The memory of -that last letter he had written to Kate was always with him, making -him feel she was not, in a way, his wife. He had never regretted it. -He had scarcely thought what would happen if she came back from the -dead, as it were, to answer it; for he hated thought. Even now the -complexity of his emotions irritated him, and he broke through them -almost brutally. "She was my wife, you see. But you had nothing to do -with it; so you had better leave it alone. You've done enough already. -And as I said before, I'm grateful." - -So he had stalked away, leaving his hearer frowning. It was true. The -luck had been against him. But what right had it to be so? Above all, -what right had that big brutal fellow to say so? There he was going -off to win more distinction, no doubt. He would end by getting the -Victoria Cross, and confound him! from what people said of him, he -would well deserve it. - -While he? Even these two days had brought his failure home to him. And -yet he told himself, that if he had failed to save one Englishwoman, -others had failed to save hundreds. Fresh as he was to the facts, they -seemed to him almost incredible. As he wandered round the Ridge -inspecting that rear-guard of graves, or sat talking to some of the -thousand-and-odd sick and wounded in hospital, listening to endless -tales of courage, pluck, sheer dogged resistance, he realized at what -a terrible cost that armed force, varying from three to six thousand -men, had simply clung to the rocks and looked at the city. There -seemed enough heroism in it to have removed mountains; and coming upon -him, not in the monotonous sequence of day-to-day experience, but in a -single impression, the futility of it left him appalled. So did the -news of the world beyond Delhi, heard, reliably, for the first time. -Briefly, England was everywhere on her defense. It seemed to him as if -from that mad dream of conquest within the city he had passed to as -strange a dream of defeat. And why? The fire, unchecked at first, had -blazed up with fresh fuel in place after place and left?--Nothing. Not -a single attempt to wrest the government of the country from us; not -even an organized resistance, when once the order to advance had been -given. Had there been some mysterious influence abroad making men -blind to the truth? - -It was about to pass away if there had been, he felt, when on the -14th, he watched John Nicholson re-enter the Ridge at the head of his -column. And many others felt the same, without in any way disparaging -those who for long months of defense had borne the burden and heat of -the day. They simply saw that Fate had sent a new factor into the -problem, that the old order was changing. The defense was to be -attack. - -And why not, with that reinforcement of fine fighting men? Played in -by the band of the 8th, amid cheering and counter-cheering, which -almost drowned the music, it seemed fit--as the joke ran--if not to -face hell itself, at any rate to take _Pandymonium_. The 52d Regiment -looked like the mastiff to which its leader had likened it. The 2d -Sikhs were admittedly the biggest fellows ever seen. The wild -Mooltânee Horse sat their lean Beloochees with the loose security of -seat which tells of men born to the saddle. - -Jim Douglas noted these things like his fellows; but what sent that -thrill of confidence through him was the look on many a face, as at -some pause or turn it caught a glimpse of the General's figure. It was -that heroic figure itself, seen for the first time, riding ahead of -all with no unconsciousness of the attention it attracted! but with a -self-reliant acceptance of the fact--as far from modesty as it was -from vanity--that here rode John Nicholson ready to do what John -Nicholson could do. But in the pale face, made paler by the darkness -of the beard, there was more than this. There was an almost languid -patience as if the owner knew that the men around him said of him, "If -ever there is a desperate deed to do in India, John Nicholson is the -man to do it," and was biding his time to fulfill their hopes. - -The look haunted Jim Douglas all day, stimulating him strangely. Here -was a man, he felt, who was in the grip of Fate, but who gave back the -grip so firmly that his Fate could not escape him. Gave it back -frankly, freely, as one man might grip another's hand in friendship. -And then he smiled, thinking that John Nicholson's hand-clasp would go -a long way in giving anyone a help over a hard stile. If he had had a -lead-over like that after the smash came; if even now---- Idle -thoughts, he told himself; and all because the picturesqueness of a -man's outward appearance had taken his fancy, his imagination. For all -he knew, or was ever likely to know---- - -He had been sitting idly on the edge of his cot in the tiny tent Major -Erlton had lent him, having in truth nothing better to do, and now a -voice from the blaze and blare of the heat and light outside startled -him. - -"May I come in--John Nicholson?" - -He almost stammered in his surprise; but without waiting for more than -a word the General walked in, alone. He was still in full uniform; and -surely no man could become it more, thought Jim Douglas involuntarily. - -"I have heard your story, Mr. Douglas," he began in a sonorous but -very pleasant voice. "It is a curious one. And I was curious to see -you. You must know so much." He paused, fixed his eyes in a perfectly -unembarassed stare on his host's face, then said suddenly, with a sort -of old-fashioned courtesy: "Sit you down again, please; there isn't a -chair, I see; but the cot will stand two of us. If it doesn't it will -be clearly my fault." He smiled kindly. "Wounded too--I didn't know -that." - -"A scratch, sir," put in his hearer hastily, fighting shy even of that -commiseration. "I had a little fever in the city; that is all." - -The bright hazel eyes, with a hint of sunlight in them, took rather an -absent look. "I should like to have done it myself. I've tried that -sort of thing; but they always find me out." - -"I fancy you must be rather difficult to disguise," began Jim Douglas -with a smile, when John Nicholson plunged straight into the heart of -things. - -"You must know a lot I want to know. Of course I've seen Hodson and -his letters; but this is different. First: Will the city fight?" - -"As well as it knows how, and it knows better than it did." - -"So I fancied. Hodson said not. By the way, he told me that you -declared his Intelligence Department was simply perfect. And his -accounts--I mean his information--wonderfully accurate." - -"I did, indeed, sir," replied Jim Douglas, smiling again. - -Nicholson gave him a sharp look. "And he is a wonderfully fine soldier -too, sir; one of the finest we have. Wilson is sending him out this -afternoon to punish those Ringhars at Rohtuck. I don't know why I -should present you with this information, Mr. Douglas?" - -"Don't you, sir?" was the cool reply; "I think I do. Major Hodson may -have his faults, sir, but the Ridge couldn't do without him. And I'm -glad to hear he is going out. It is time we punished those chaps; time -we got some grip on the country again." - -The General's face cleared. "Hm," he said, "you don't mince matters; -but I don't think we lost much grip in the Punjâb. And as for -punishments! Do you know over two thousand have been executed -already?" - -"I don't, sir; though I knew Sir John's hand was out. But if you'll -excuse me, we don't want the hangings now--they can come by-and-by. We -want to lick them--show them we are not really in a blind funk." - -"You use strong language too, sir--very strong language." - -"I did not say we _were_ in one----" began Jim Douglas eagerly, when a -voice asking if General Nicholson were within interrupted him. - -"He is," replied the sonorous voice calmly. "Come in, Hodson, and I -hope you are prepared to fight." The bright hazel eyes met Jim -Douglas' with a distinct twinkle in them; but Major Hodson -entering--a perfect blaze of scarlet and fawn and gold, loose, lank, -lavish--gave the speech a different turn. - -"I hope you'll excuse the intrusion, sir," he said saluting, as it -were, loudly, "but being certain I owed this piece of luck to your -kind offices, I ventured to follow you. And as for the fighting, sir, -trust Hodson's Horse to give a good account of itself." - -"I do, Major, I do," replied Nicholson gravely, despite the twinkle, -"but at present I want you to fight Mr. Douglas for me. He suggests we -are all in a blind funk." - -With anyone else Jim Douglas might have refused this cool demand, for -it was little else, that he should defend his statement against a man -who in himself was a refutation of it, who was a type of the most -reckless, dare-devil courage and dash; but the thought of that umpire, -ready to give an overwhelming thrust at any time, roused his temper -and pugnacity. - -"I'm not conscious of being in one myself," said the Major, turning -with a swing and a brief "How do, Douglas." He was the most martial of -figures in the last-developed uniform of the Flamingoes, or the -Ring-tailed Roarers, or the _Aloo Bokhâra's_, as Hodson's levies were -called indiscriminately during their lengthy process of dress -evolution. "And what is more, I don't understand what you mean, sir!" - -"General Nicholson does, I think," replied the other. "But I will go -further than I did, sir," he added, facing the General boldly: "I only -said that the natives thought we were in a blind funk. I now assert -that they had a right to say so. We never stirred hand or foot for a -whole month." - -"Oh! I give you in Meerut," interrupted Hodson hastily. "It was -pitiable. Our leaders lost their heads." - -"Not only our leaders. We all lost them. From that moment to this it -seems to me we have never been calm." - -"Calm!" echoed Hodson disdainfully. "Who wants to be calm? Who would -be calm with those massacred women and children to avenge." - -"Exactly so. The horrors of those ghastly murders got on our nerves, -and no wonder. We exaggerated the position from the first; we -exaggerate the dangers of it now." - -"Of taking Delhi, you mean?" interrupted Nicholson dryly. - -Jim Douglas smiled. "No, sir! Even you will find that difficult. I -meant the ultimate danger to our rule----" - -"There you mistake utterly," put in Hodson magnificently. "We mean to -win--we admit no danger. There isn't an Englishman, or, thank Heaven, -an Englishwoman----" - -"Is the crisis so desperate that we need levy the ladies?" asked his -adversary sarcastically. "Personally I want to leave them out of the -question as much as I can. It is their intrusion into it which has -done the mischief. I don't want to minimize these horrors; but if we -could forget those massacres----" - -"Forget them! I hope to God every Englishman will remember them when -the time comes to avenge them! Ay! and make the murderers remember -them, too." - -"If I had them in my power to-day," put in the sonorous voice, "and -knew I was to die to-morrow, I would inflict the most excruciating -tortures I could think of on them with an easy conscience." - -"Bravo! sir," cried Hodson, "and I'd do executioner gladly." - -John Nicholson's face flinched slightly. "There is generally a common -hangman, I believe," he said; then turned on Jim Douglas with bent -brows: "And you, sir?" - -"I would kill them, sir; as I would kill a mad dog in the quickest way -handy; as I'd kill every man found with arms in his hands. Treason is -a worse crime than murder to us now; and by God! if I tortured anyone -it would be the men who betrayed the garrison at Cawnpore. Yet even -there, in our only real collapse, what has happened? It is reoccupied -already--the road to it is hung with dead bodies. Havelock's march is -one long procession of success. Yet we count ourselves beleaguered. -Why? I can't understand it! Where has an order to charge, to advance -boldly, met with a reverse? It seems to me that but for these -massacres, this fear for women and children, we could hold our own -gayly. Look at Lucknow----" - -"Yes, Lucknow," assented Hodson savagely. "Sir Henry, the bravest, -gentlest, dead! Women and children pent up--by Heaven! it's sickening -to think what may have happened." - -John Nicholson shot a quick glance at Jim Douglas. - -"It proves my contention," said the latter. "Think of it! Fifteen -hundred, English and natives, in a weak position with not even a -palisade in some places between them and five times their number of -trained soldiers backed by the wildest, wickedest, wantonest town -rabble in India! What does it mean? Make every one of the fifteen -hundred a paladin, and, by Heaven! they are heroes. Still, what does -it mean?" - -He spoke to the General, but he was silent. - -"Mean?" echoed Hodson. "Palpably that the foe is contemptible. So he -is. Pandy can't fight----" - -"He fought well enough for us in the past. I know my regiment----" Jim -Douglas caught himself up hard. "I believe they will fight for us -again. The truth is that half, even of the army, does not want to -fight, and the country does not mean fight at all." - -"Delhi?" came the dry voice again. - -"Delhi is exceptional. Besides, it can do nothing else now. Remember -we condemned it, unheard, on the 8th of June." - -"I told you that before, sir; didn't I?" put in Hodson quickly. "If we -had gone in on the 11th, as I suggested." - -"You wouldn't have succeeded," replied Jim Douglas coolly. Nicholson -rose with a smile. - -"Well, we are going to succeed now. So, good-luck in the meantime, -Hodson. Put bit and bridle on the Rânghars. Show them we can't have -'em disturbing the public peace, and kicking up futile rows. Eh--Mr. -Douglas?" - -"No fear, sir!" said Hodson effusively. "The Ring-tailed Roarers are -not in a blind funk. I only wish that I was as sure that the -politicals will keep order when we've made it. I had to do it twice -over at Bhâgput. And it is hard, sir, when one has fagged horses and -men to death, to be told one has exceeded orders----" - -"If you served under me, Major Hodson," said the General with a sudden -freeze of formality, "that would be impossible. My instructions are -always to do everything that can be done." - -Jim Douglas felt that he could well believe it, as with a regret that -the interview was over, he held the flap of the tent aside for the -imperial figure to pass out. But it lingered in the blaze of sunshine -after Major Hodson had jingled off. - -"You are right in some things, Mr. Douglas," said the sonorous voice -suddenly: "I'd ask no finer soldiers than some of those against us. By -and by, unless I'm wrong, men of their stock will be our best war -weapons; for, mind you, war is a primitive art and needs a primitive -people. And the country isn't against us. If it were, we shouldn't be -standing here. It is too busy plowing, Mr. Douglas; this rain is -points in our favor. As for the women and children--poor souls"--his -voice softened infinitely--"they have been in our way terribly; -but--we shall fight all the better for that, by and by. Meanwhile we -have got to smash Delhi. The odds are bigger than they were first. But -Baird Smith will sap us in somehow, and then----" He paused, looking -kindly at Jim Douglas, and said, "You had better stop and go in -with--with the rest of us." - -"I think not, sir----" - -"Why? Because of that poor lady? Woman again--eh?" - -"In a way; besides, I really have nothing else to do." - -John Nicholson looked at him for a moment from head to foot; then said -sharply: - -"I didn't know, sir. I give my personal staff plenty of work." - -For an instant the offer took his hearer's breath away, and he stood -silent. - -"I'm afraid not, sir," he said at last, though from the first he had -known what his answer would be. "I--I can't, that's the fact. I was -cashiered from the army fifteen years ago." - -General Nicholson stepped back, with sheer anger in his face. "Then -what do you mean, sir, by wearing Her Majesty's uniform?" - -Jim Douglas looked down hastily on old Tiddu's staff properties, which -he had quite forgotten. They had passed muster in the darkness of the -tent, but here, in the sunlight, looked inconceivably worn, and -shabby, and unreal. He smiled rather bitterly; then held out his -sleeve to show the braiding. - -"It's a general's coat, sir," he said defiantly. "God knows what old -duffer it belonged to; but I might have worn it first- instead of -second-hand, if I hadn't been a d----d young fool." - -The splendid figure drew itself together formally, but the other's -pride was up too, and so for a minute the two men faced each other -honestly, Nicholson's eyes narrowing under their bent brows. - -"What was it? A woman, I expect." - -"Perhaps. I don't see that it matters." - -A faint smile of approval rather took from the sternness of the -military salute. "Not at all. That ends it, of course." - -"Of course." - -Not quite; for ere Jim Douglas could drop the curtain between himself -and that brilliant, successful figure, it had turned sharply and laid -a hand on his shoulder. A curiously characteristic hand--large, thin, -smooth, and white as a woman's, with a grip in it beyond most men's. - -"You have a vile habit of telling the truth to superior officers, Mr. -Douglas. So have I. Shake hands on it." - -With that hand on his shoulder, that clasp on his, Jim Douglas felt as -if he were in the grip of Fate itself, and following John Nicholson's -example, gave it back frankly, freely. So, suddenly the whole face -before him melted into perfect friendliness. "Stick to it, man--stick -to it! Save that poor lady--or--or kill somebody. It's what we are all -doing. As for the rest"--the smile was almost boyish--"I may get the -sack myself before the general's coat. I'm insubordinate enough, they -tell me--but I shall have taken Delhi first. So--so good-luck to you!" - -As he walked away, he seemed to the eyes watching him bigger, more -king-like, more heroic than ever; perhaps because they were dim with -tears. But as Jim Douglas went off with a new cheerfulness to see -Hodson's Horse jingle out on their lesson of peace, he told himself -that the old scoundrel, Tiddu, had once more been right. Nikalseyn had -the Great Gift. He could take a man's heart out and look at it, and -put it back sounder than it had been for years. He could put his own -heart into a whole camp and make it believe it was its own. - -Such a clattering of hoofs and clinking of bits and bridles had been -heard often before, but never with such gay light-heartedness. Only -two days before a lesson had been given to the city. There had been no -more harrassing of pickets at night. Now the arm of the law was going -coolly to reach out forty miles. It was a change indeed. And more than -Jim Douglas watched the sun set red on the city wall that evening with -a certain content in their hearts. As for him, he seemed still to feel -that grip, and hear the voice saying, "Stick to it, man, stick to it! -Save that poor lady or kill somebody. It's what we are all doing." - -He sat dreaming over the whole strange dream with a curious sense of -comradeship and sympathy through it all, until the glow faded and left -the city dark and stern beneath the storm-clouds which had been -gathering all day. - -Then he rose and went back to his tent cheerfully. He would run no -needless risks; he would not lose his head; but as soon as the doctors -said it was safe, he would find and save Kate, or--_kill somebody_. -That was the whole duty of man. - -Kate, however, had already been found, or rather she had never been -lost; and when Tara, a few hours after Jim Douglas slipped out of the -city, had gone to the roof to fetch away her spinning wheel, and -finding the door padlocked on the inside, had in sheer bewilderment -tried the effect of a signal knock, Kate had let her in as if, so poor -Tara told herself, it was all to begin over again. - -All over again, even though she had spent those few hours of freedom -in a perfect passion of purification, so that she might return to her -saintship once more. - -The gold circlets were gone already, her head was shaven, the coarse -white shroud had replaced the crimson scarf. Yet here was the mem -asking for the Huzoor, and setting her blood on fire with vague -jealousies. - -She squatted down almost helplessly on the floor, answering all Kate's -eager questions, until suddenly in the midst of it all she started to -her feet, and flung up her arms in the old wild cry for righteousness, -"I am suttee! before God! I am suttee!" - -Then she had said with a gloomy calm, "I will bring the mem more food -and drink. But I must think. Tiddu is away; Soma will not help. I am -alone; but I am suttee." - -Kate, frightened at her wild eyes, felt relieved when she was left -alone, and inclined not to open the door to her again. She could -manage, she told herself, as she had managed, for a few days, and by -that time Mr. Greyman would have come back. But as the long hours -dragged by, giving her endless opportunity of thought, she began to -ask herself why he should come back at all. She had not realized at -first that he had escaped, that he was safe; that he was, as it were, -quit of her. But he was, and he must remain so. A new decision, almost -a content, came to her with the suggestion. She was busy in a moment -over details. To begin with, no news must be sent. Then, in case he -were to return, she must leave the roof. Tara might do so much for -her, especially if it was made clear that it was for the master's -benefit. But Tara might never return. There had been that in her -manner which hinted at such a possibility, and the stores she had -brought in had been unduly lavish. In that case, Kate told herself, -she would creep out some night, go back to the Princess Farkhoonda, -and see if she could not help. If not, there was always the -alternative of ending everything by going into the streets boldly and -declaring herself a Christian. But she would appeal to these two women -first. - -And as she sat resolving this, the two women were cursing her in their -inmost hearts. For there had been no bangings of drums or thrumming of -sutâras on Newâsi's roof these three days. Abool-Bukr had broken away -from her kind, detaining hand, and gone back to the intrigues of the -Palace. So the Mufti's quarter benefited in decent quiet, during which -the poor Princess began that process of weeping her eyes out, which -left her blind at last. But not blind yet. And so she sat swaying -gracefully before the book-rest, on which lay the Word of her God, her -voice quavering sometimes over the monotonous chant, as she tried to -distill comfort to her own heart from the proposition that "He is -Might and Right." - -And far away in another quarter of the town Tara, crouched up before a -mere block of stone, half hidden in flowers, was telling her beads -feverishly. "_Râm-Râm-Sita-Râm!_" That was the form she used for a -whole tragedy of appeal and aspiration, remorse, despair, and hope. -And as she muttered on, looking dully at the little row of platters -she had presented to the shrine that morning--going far beyond -necessity in her determination to be heard--the groups of women coming -in to lay a fresh chaplet among the withered ones and give a "jow" to -the deep-toned bell hung in the archway in order to attract the god's -attention to their offering, paused to whisper among themselves of her -piety. While more than once a widow crept close to kiss the edge of -her veil humbly. - -It was balm indeed! It was peace. The mem might starve, she told -herself fiercely, but she would be suttee. After all the strain, and -the pain, and the wondering ache at her heart, she had come back to -her own life. This she understood. Let the Huzoors keep to their own. -This was hers. - -The sun danced in motes through the branches of the peepul tree above -the little shrine, the squirrels chirruped among them, the parrots -chattered, sending a rain of soft little figs to fall with a faint -sound on the hard stones, and still Tara counted her beads feverishly. - -"_Râm-Râm-Sita-Râm! Râm-Râm-Sita-Râm!_" - -"Ari! sisters! she is a saint indeed. She was here at dawn and she -prays still," said the women, coming in the lengthening shadows with -odd little bits of feastings. A handful of cocoa-nut chips, a platter -of flour, a dish of curds, or a dab of butter. - -"_Râm-Râm-Sita-Râm!_" - -And all the while poor Tara was thinking of the Huzoor's face, if he -ever found out that she had left the mem to starve. It was almost dark -when she stood up, abandoning the useless struggle, so she waited to -see the sacred Circling of the Lights and get her little sip of holy -water before she went back to her perch among the pigeons, to put on -the crimson scarf and the gold circlets again. Since it was hopeless -trying to be a saint till she had done what she had promised the -Huzoor she would do. She must go back to the mem first. - -But Kate, opening the door to her with eyes a-glitter and a whole -cut-and-dried plan for the future, almost took her breath away, and -reduced her into looking at the Englishwoman with a sort of fear. - -"The mem will he suttee too," she said stupidly, after listening a -while. "The mem will shave her head and put away her jewels! The mem -will wear a widow's shroud and sweep the floor, saying she comes from -Bengal to serve the saint?" - -"I do not care, Tara, how it is done. Perhaps you may have a better -plan. But we must prevent the master from finding me again. He has -done too much for me as it is; you know he has," replied Kate, her -eyes shining like stars with determination. "I only want you to save -him; that is all. You may take me away and kill me if you like; and if -you won't help me to hide, I'll go out into the streets and let them -kill me there. I will not have him risk his life for me again." - -"_Râm-Râm-Sita-Râm!_" said Tara under her breath. That settled it, and -at dawn the next day Tara stood in her odd little perch above the -shrine among the pigeons, looking down curiously at the mem who, -wearied out by her long midnight walk through the city and all the -excitement of the day, had dozed off on a bare mat in the corner, her -head resting on her arm. Three months ago Kate could not have slept -without a pillow; now, as she lay on the hard ground, her face looked -soft and peaceful in sheer honest dreamless sleep. But Tara had not -slept; that was to be told from the anxious strain of her eyes. She -had sat out since she had returned home, on her two square yards of -balcony in the waning moonlight, looking down on the unseen shrine, -hidden by the tall peepul tree whose branches she could almost touch. - -Would the mem really be suttee? she had asked herself again and again. -Would she do so much for the master? Would she--would she really shave -her head? A grim smile of incredulity came to Tara's face, then a -quick, sharp frown of pain. If she did, she must care very much for -the Huzoor. Besides, she had no right to do it! The mems were never -suttee. They married again many times. And then this mem was married -to someone else. No! she would never shave her head for a strange man. -She might take off her jewels, she might even sweep the floor. But -shave her head? Never! - -But supposing she did? - -The oddest jumble of jealousy and approbation filled Tara's heart. So, -as the yellow dawn broke, she bent over Kate. - -"Wake, mem sahib!" she said, "wake. It is time to prepare for the day. -It is time to get ready." - -Kate started up, rubbing her eyes, wondering where she was; as in -truth she well might, for she had never been in such a place before. -The long, low slip of a room was absolutely empty save for a reed mat -or two; but every inch of it, floor, walls, ceiling, was freshly -plastered with mud. That on the floor was still wet, for Tara -had been at work on it already. Over each doorway hung a faded -chaplet, on each lintel was printed the mark of a bloody hand, and -round and about, in broad finger-marks of red and white, ran the -eternal _Râm-Râm-Sita-Râm!_ in Sanskrit letterings. In truth, Tara's -knowledge of secular and religious learning was strictly confined to -this sentence. There was a faint smell of incense in the room, rising -from a tiny brazier sending up a blue spiral flame of smoke before a -two-inch high brass idol with an elephant's head which sat on a niche -in the wall. It represented Eternal Wisdom. But Kate did not know -this. Nor in a way did Tara. She only knew it was Gunesh-jee. And -outside was the yellow dawn, the purple pigeons beginning to coo and -sidle, the quivering hearts of the peepul leaves. - -"I have everything ready for the mem," began Tara hurriedly, "if she -will take off her jewels." - -"You must pull this one open for me, Tara," said Kate, holding out her -arm with the gold bangle on it. "The master put it on for me, and I -have never had it off since." - -Tara knew that as well as she. Knew that the master must have put it -on, since _she_ had not. Had, in fact, watched it with jealous eyes -over and over again. And there was the mem without it, smiling over -the scantiness and the intricacies of a coarse cotton shroud. - -"There is the hair yet," said Tara with quite a catch in her voice; -"if the mem will undo the plaits, I will go round to the old poojârnis -and get the loan of her razor--she only lives up the next stair." - -"We shall have to snip it off first," said Kate quite eagerly, for, in -truth, she was becoming interested in her own adventures, now that she -had, as it were, the control over them. "It is so long." She held up a -tress as she spoke. It was beautiful hair; soft, wavy, even, and the -dye--unrenewed for days--had almost gone, leaving the coppery sheen -distinct. - -"She would never cut it off!" said Tara to herself as she went for the -razor. No woman would ever shave her head willingly. Why! when she had -had it done for the first time, she had screamed and fought. Her -mother-in-law had held her hands, and---- - -She paused at the door as she re-entered, paralyzed by what she saw. -Kate had found the knife Tara used for her limited cooking, and, -seated on the ground cheerfully, was already surrounded by rippling -hair which she had cut off by clubbing it in her hand and sawing away -as a groom does at a horse's tail. - -Tara's cry made her pause. The next moment the Rajpootni had snatched -the knife from her and flung it one way, the razor another, and stood -before her with blazing eyes and heaving breast. - -"It is foolishness!" she said fiercely. "The mems cannot be suttee. I -will not have it." - -Kate stared at her. "But I must----" she began. - -"There is no must at all," interrupted Tara superbly; "I will find -some other way." And then she bent over quickly, and Kate felt her -hands upon her hair. "There is plenty left," she said with a sigh of -relief. "I will plait it up so that no one will see the difference." - -And she did. She put the gold bangle on again also, and by dawn the -next day Kate found herself once more installed as a screened woman; -but this time as a Hindoo lady under a vow of silence and solitude in -the hopes of securing a son for her lord through the intercession of -old Anunda, the Swâmi. - -"I have told Sri Anunda," said Tara with a new respect in her manner. -"I had to trust someone. And he is as God. He would not hurt a fly." -She paused, then went on with a tone of satisfaction, "But he says the -mem could not have been suttee, so that foolishness is well over." - -"But what is to be done next, Tara?" asked Kate, looking in -astonishment round the wide old garden, arched over by tall forest -trees, and set round with high walls, in which she found herself. In -the faint dawn she could just see glimmering straight paths parceling -it out into squares; and she could hear the faint tinkle of the water -runnels. "I can't surely stop here." - -"The mem will only have to keep still all day in the darkest corner -with her face to the wall," said Tara. "Sri Anunda will do the rest. -And when Soma returns he must take the mem away before the thirty -regiments come and the trouble begins." - -"Thirty regiments!" echoed Kate, startled. - -"He and others have gone out to see if it is true. They say so in the -Palace; but it is full of lies," said Tara indifferently. - -It was indeed. More than ever. But they began to need confirmation, -and so there was big talk of action, and jingling of bits and bridles -and spurs in the city as well as in the camp. They were to intercept -the siege train from Firozpur; they were to get round to the rear of -the Ridge and overwhelm it. They were to do everything save attack it -in face. - -And, meanwhile, other people besides Soma and such-like Sadducean -sepoys had gone out to find the thirty regiments, and secret scouts -from the Palace were hunting about for someone to whom they might -deliver a letter addressed - - -"To the Officers, Subadars, Chiefs, and others of the whole military -force coming from the Bombay Presidency: - -"To the effect that the statement of the defeat of the Royal troops at -Delhi is a false and lying fabrication contrived by contemptible -infidels--the English. The true story is that nearly eighty or ninety -thousand organized Military Troops, and nearly ten or fifteen thousand -regular and other Cavalry, are now here in Delhi. The troops are -constantly engaged, night and day, in attacks on the infidels, and -have driven back their batteries from the Ridge. In three or four -days, please God, the whole Ridge will be taken, when every one of the -base unbelievers will be sent to hell. You are, therefore, on seeing -this order, to use all endeavors to reach the Royal Presence, so, -joining the Faithful, give proofs of zeal, and establish your renown. -Consider this imperative." - - -But though they hunted high and low, east, north, south, and west, the -Royal scouts found no one to receive the order. So it came back to -Delhi, damp and pulpy; for the rains had begun again, turning great -tracts of country into marsh and bog, and generally wetting the -blankets in which the sepoys kept guard sulkily. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - THE BEGINNING OF THE END. - - -They drenched Kate Erlton also, despite the arcaded trees above her -corner as she sat with her face to the wall in the wide old garden. At -first her heart beat at each step on the walk behind her, but she soon -realized that she was hidden by her vow, happed about from the -possibility of intrusion by her penance. But not many steps came by -her; they kept chiefly to the other end of the garden where Sri Anunda -was to be found. It was a curious experience. There was a yard of two -of thatch, screened by matting and supported by bamboos, leaning not -far off against the wall; and into this she crept at night to find the -indulgence of a dry blanket. At first she felt inclined to seek its -shelter when the rain poured loudly on the leaves above her and fell -thence in big blobs, making a noise like the little ripe figs when the -squirrels shook them down; but the remembrance that such women as Tara -performed like vows cheerfully kept her steady. And after a day or two -she often started to find it was already noon or dusk, the day half -gone or done. Time slipped by with incredible swiftness in watching -the squirrels and the birds, in counting the raindrops fall from a -peepul leaf. And what a strange peace and contentment the life -brought! As she sat after dark in the thatch, eating the rice and milk -and fruit which Tara brought her stealthily, she felt, at times, a -terrified amaze at herself. If she ever came through the long struggle -for life, this surely would be the strangest part of the dream. Tara, -indeed, used to remark with a satisfied smile that though the mem -could not of course be suttee, still she did very well as a devoted -and repentant wife. Sri Anunda could never have had a better penitent. -And then, in reply to Kate's curious questions, she would say that Sri -Anunda was a Swâmi. If the mem once saw and spoke to him she would -know what that meant. He had lived in the garden for fifteen years. -Not as a penance. A Swâmi needed no penance as men and women did; for -he was not a man. Oh, dear no! not a man at all. - -So Kate, going on this hint of inhumanity, and guided by her -conventional ideas of Hindoo ascetics, imagined a monstrosity, and -felt rather glad than otherwise that Sri Anunda kept out of her way. - -She was eager also to know how long she might have to stay in his -garden. The vow, Tara said, lasted for fifteen days. Till then no one -would question her right to sit and look at the wall; and by that time -Soma would have returned, and a plan for getting the mem away to the -Ridge settled. For the master was evidently not going to return to the -city; perhaps he had forgotten the mem? Kate smiled at this, drearily, -thinking that indeed he might; for he might be dead. But even this -uncertainty about all things, save that she sat and watched the -squirrels and the birds, had ceased to disturb her peace. - -As a matter of fact, however, he was thinking of her more than ever, -and with a sense of proprietorship that was new to him. Here, by God's -grace, was the one woman for him to save; the somebody to kill, should -he fail, needing no selection. There were enough enemies and to spare -within the walls still, even though they had been melting away of -late. But a new one had come to the Ridge itself, which, though it -killed few, sapped steadily at the vigor of the garrison. This was the -autumnal fever, bad at Delhi in all years, worse than usual in this -wet season, counterbalancing the benefit of the coolness and sending -half a regiment to hospital one day and letting them out of it the -next, sensibly less fit for arduous work. It claimed Jim Douglas, -already weakened by it, and made his wound slow of healing. - -"You haven't good luck certainly," said Major Erlton, finding him with -chattering teeth taking quinine dismally. "I don't know how it is, but -though I'm a lot thinner, this life seems to suit me. I haven't felt -so fit for ages." - -He had not been so fit, in truth. It was a healthier, simpler life -than he had led for many a long year; and ever since John Nicholson -had bidden him go back to his tent and sleep, even the haggardness had -left his face; the restlessness having been replaced by an eager -certainty of success. He was coming steadily to the front, too, so the -Ridge said, since Nicholson had taken him up. And he had well deserved -this, since there was not a better soldier; cool, stubborn, certain to -carry out orders. The very man, in short, whom men like the General -wanted; and if he stayed to the finish he would have a distinguished -career before him. - -But Herbert Erlton himself never thought of this; he hated thought -instinctively, and of late had even given up thinking of the city. He -never sat and watched the rose-red walls now. Perhaps because he was -too busy. So he left that to Jim Douglas, who had nothing else to do, -while he went about joyously preparing to accompany Nicholson in his -next lesson of law and order. - -For in the city it was becoming more and more difficult every day to -make the lies pass muster, even in the Palace; and so, in despair, the -four Commanders-in-Chief for once had laid their heads together and -concocted a plan for intercepting the siege train from Ferozpur. So it -was necessary that they should be taught the futility of such -attempts. Not that even the Palace people really believed them -possible. How could they? when almost every day, now, letters came to -the Ridge from some member or another of the Royal family asking -effusively how he could serve the English cause. Only the old King, -revising his lists of precedence, listening still to brocaded bags, -taking cooling draughts, making couplets, being cozened by the Queen, -and breathed upon by Hussan Askuri, hovered between the policy of -being the great Moghul and a poor prisoner in the hands of fate. But -the delights of the former were too much for him as a rule, and he -would sit and finger the single gold coin which had come as a present -from Oude as if he were to have the chance of minting millions with a -similar inscription. - -"Bahâdur Shâh Ghâzee has struck upon gold the coin of Victory." - -Even in its solitary grandeur it had, in truth, a surpassing dignity -of its own in the phrase--"struck upon gold the coin of Victory." So, -looking at it, he forgot that it was a mere sample, sent, as the -accompanying brocaded bag said, with a promise to pay more when more -victory brought more gold. But Zeenut Maihl, as she looked at it, -thought with a sort of fury of certain gold within reach, hidden in -her house. What was to become of these coins with John Company's mark -on them? For she still lingered in the Palace. Other women had fled, -but she was wiser than they. She knew that, come what might, her life -was safe with the English as victors; so there was nothing but the -gold to think of. The gold, and Jewun Bukht, her son. The royal signet -was in her possession altogether now, and sometimes the orders, -especially when they were for payment of money, had to go without it, -because "the Queen of the World was asleep." But she did not dream. -That was over; though in a way she clung fiercely to hope. So Ghaus -Khân with the Neemuch Brigade, and Bukht Khân with the Bareilly -Brigade, and Khair Sultân with the scrapings and leavings of the -regiments, who, owning no leader of their own, did what was right in -their own eyes, set out to intercept the big guns; and Nicholson set -out on the dawn of the 25th to intercept them. - -The rain poured down in torrents, the guns sank to their axles in mud, -the infantry slipped and slithered, the cavalry were blinded by the -mire from the floundering horses. So from daybreak till sunset the -little force, two thousand in all--more than one-half of whom were -natives--labored eighteen miles through swamps. At noon, it is true, -they called a halt nine miles out at a village where the women -clustered on the housetops in wild alarm, remembering a day--months -back--when they had clustered round an unleavened cake, and the -head-man's wife had bidden them listen to the master's gun over the -far horizon. - -They were to listen to it again that day. For the enemy was ten miles -further over the marshes; and it was but noon. The force, no doubt, -had been afoot since four; but General Nicholson was emphatically not -an eight-hour man. So the shovings and slitherings of guns and mortals -began again cheerfully. - -Still it was nigh on sundown when, across a deep stream flowing from -the big marshes to the west, these contract-workers came on the job -they were eager to finish ere nightfall. Six thousand rebels of all -arms, holding three villages, a bastioned old serai, and a town. It -was a strong position, in the right angle formed by the stream and the -flooded canal into which it flowed. Water, impassable save by an -unknown ford in the stream, by a bridge held in force over the canal, -on two sides of it. On the others dismal swamps. A desperately strong -position to attack at sundown after eighteen miles slithering and -shoving in the pouring rain; especially with unknown odds against you. -Not less, anyhow, than three to one. But John Nicholson had, a single -eye; that is, an eye which sees one salient point. Here, it was that -bridge to the left, leading back to safe shelter within the walls of -Delhi. A cowardly foe must have no chance of using that bridge during -silent night watches. So, without a pause, fifteen hundred of the two -thousand waded breast-high across the stream to attack the six -thousand, Nicholson himself riding ahead for a hasty reconnoissance, -since the growing dusk left scant leisure for anything save action. -Yet once more a glance was sufficient; and, ere the men, exposed to a -heavy fire of grape in crossing the ford, were ready to advance, the -orders were given. - -There was a hint of cover in some rising ground before the old -serai--the strongest point of the defense. He would utilize this, rush -the position, change front, and sweep down on the bridge. That must -not remain as a chance for cowards an instant longer than he could -help; for Nicholson in everything he did seems never to have -contemplated defeat. - -So flanked by the guns, supported by squadrons of the 9th Lancers and -the Guides cavalry, the three regiments[7] marched steadily toward the -rising ground, following that colossal figure riding, as ever, ahead. -Till suddenly, as his charger's feet touched the highest ground, -Nicholson wheeled and held up his hand to those below him. - -"Lie down, men!" came his clear strong voice as he rode slowly along -the line; "lie down and listen to what I've got to say. It's only a -few words." - -So, sheltered from the fire, they lay and listened. "You of the 61st -know what Sir Colin Campbell said to you at Chillianwallah. He said -the same thing to others at the Alma. I say it to you all now. 'Hold -your fire till within twenty or thirty yards of that battery, and -then, my boys! we will make short work of it!'" - -Men cannot cheer lying on their stomachs, but the unmelodious -grunt--"We will, sir, by God, we will!"--was as good as one. - -Nicholson faced round on the serai again, and gave the order to the -artillery. So, in sharp thuds widening into a roar, the flanking guns -began work. Half a dozen rounds or so, and then the rider--motionless -as a statue in the center--looked back quickly, waved his sword, and -went on. The men were up, after him, over the hillock, into the morass -beyond, silently. - -"Steady, men! steady with it. On with you! Steady!" - -They listened to the clear sonorous voice once more, though there was -no shelter now from the grape and canister, and musket balls; or -rather only the shelter of that one tall figure ahead riding at a -foot's-pace. - -"Steady! Hold your fire! I'll give the word, never fear! Come on! Come -on!" - -So through a perfect bog they stumbled on doggedly. Here and there a -man fell; but men will fall sometimes. "Now then! Let them have it." - -They were within the limit. Twenty yards off lay the guns. There was -one furious volley; above it one word answered by a cheer. - -So at the point of the bayonet the serai was carried. Then without a -pause the troops changed front with a swiftness unforeseen and swept -on to the left. - -"To Delhi, brothers! To Delhi!" The old cry, begun at Meerut, rose now -with a new meaning as the panic-stricken guns limbered up and made for -the bridge. Too late! Captain Blunt's were after them, chasing them. -The wheel of the foremost, driven wildly, jammed; those following -couldn't pull up. So, helter skelter, they were in a jumble, out of -which Englishmen helped the whole thirteen! The day, or rather the -night, was won; for Nature's dark flag of truce hung even between the -assailants and the few desperate defenders of the third village, who, -with escape cut off, were selling their lives at a cost to the -attackers of seventeen out of that total death-roll of twenty-five. -But Nicholson knew his position sure, so he left night to finish the -rout, and, with his men, bivouacked without food or cover among the -marshes; for it was too dark to get the baggage over the ford. Yet the -troops were ready to start at daybreak for an eighteen miles tramp -back to the Ridge again. There was no talk of exhaustion now, as at -Budli-ke-serai; so just thirty-six hours after they started, that is, -just one hour for every mile of morass and none for the fight, they -startled the Ridge by marching in again and clamoring for food! But -Nicholson was in a towering temper. He had found that another brigade -had been lurking behind the canal, and that if he had had decent -information he might have smashed it also, on his way home. - -"He hadn't even a guide that he didn't pick up himself," commented -Major Erlton angrily. "By George! how those niggers cave in to him! -And his political information was all rot. If the General had obeyed -instructions he would have been kicking his heels at Bahâdagurh -still." - -"We heard you at it about two o'clock," said a new listener. "I -suppose it was a night attack--risky business rather." - -Herbert Erlton burst into a laugh; but the elation on his face had a -pathetic tenderness in it. "That was the bridge, I expect. _He_ blew -it up before starting. _He_ sat on it till then. Besides there were -the wagons and tumbrils and things. _He_ told Tombs to blow them up, -too, for of course _he_ had to bring the guns back, and _he_ couldn't -shove the lot." - -As he passed on some of his listeners smiled. - -"It's a case of possession," said one to his neighbor. - -"Pardon me," said another, who had known the Major for years. "It's a -case of casting out. I wonder----" The speaker paused and shrugged his -shoulders. - -"Did you hear his name had gone up for the V. C.?" began his -companion. - -"Gone up! My dear fellow! It might have gone up fifty times over. But -it isn't his pluck that I wonder at; it is his steadiness. He never -shirks the little things. It is almost as if he had found a -conscience." - -Perhaps he had. He was cheerful enough to have had the testimony of a -good one, as, in passing, he looked in on Jim Douglas and met his -congratulations. - -"Bad shilling!" replied the Major, beautifully unconscious. "So you've -heard--and--hello! what's up?" For Jim Douglas was busy getting into -disguise. - -"That old scoundrel Tiddu came into camp with the news an hour ago," -said the latter, whose face was by no means cheerful. "He was out -carrying grain--saw the fugitives, and came in here, hoping for -backsheesh, I believe. But"--Jim Douglas looked round rapidly at the -Major--"I'm awfully afraid, Erlton, that he has not been in Delhi, to -speak of, since I left. And I was relying on him for news----" - -"There isn't any--is there?" broke in Major Erlton with a queer hush -in his voice. - -"None. But there may be. So I'm off at once. I couldn't have a better -chance. The villain says the sepoys are slipping in on the sly in -hundreds; for the Palace folk, or at least the King, thinks the troops -are still engaged, and is sending out reinforcements. So I shall have -no trouble in getting through the gates." - -Major Erlton, radiant, splashed from head to foot, covered at once -with mud and glory, looked at the man opposite him with a curious -deliberation. - -"I don't see why you should go at all," he said slowly. "I wouldn't, -if I--I mean I would rather you didn't." - -"Why?" The question came sharply. - -"Do you want the truth?" asked Herbert Erlton with a sudden frown. - -"Certainly." - -"Then I'll tell it, Mr. Greyman--I mean Douglas--I--I'm grateful, -but--d----n me, sir, if--if I want to be more so! I--I gave you my -chance once--like a fool; for I might have saved her----" - -The hard handsome face was all broken up with passionate regret, and -the pity of it kept Jim Douglas silent for a moment. For he understood -it. - -"You might," he said at last. "But I don't interfere with you here. -You can't save her--your wife, I mean--and if I fail you can -always----" - -"There is no need to tell me what to do then," interrupted Major -Erlton grimly. "I'll do it without your help." - -He turned on his heel, then paused. "It isn't that I'm ungrateful," he -repeated, almost with an appeal in his voice. "And I don't mean to be -offensive; only you and I can't----" - -His own mental position seemed beyond him, and he stood for a moment -irresolute. Then he held out his hand. - -"Well, good-by. I suppose you mean to stick to it?" - -"I mean to stick to it. Good-by." - -"And I must be off to my bed. Haven't slept a wink for two nights, and -I shall be on duty to-morrow. Well! I believe I've as good a chance of -seeing Kate here as you have of finding her there; but I can't prevent -your going, of course." - -So he went off to his bed, and Jim Douglas, following Tiddu, who was -waiting for him in the Koodsia Gardens, carried out his intention of -sticking to it; while John Nicholson in his tent, forgetful of his -advice to both of them, was jotting down notes for his dispatch. One -of them was: "The enemy was driven from the serai with scarcely any -loss to us, and made little resistance as we advanced." The other was: -"Query? How many men in buckram? Most say seven or eight thousand. I -think between three and four." - -He had, indeed, a vile habit of telling the truth, even in dispatches. -So ended the day of Nujjufghar. - -The next morning, the 27th, broke fine and clear. Kate Erlton waking -with the birds, found the sky full of light already, clear as a pale -topaz beyond the overarching trees. - -She stood after leaving her thatch, looking into the garden, lost in a -sort of still content. It seemed impossible she should be in the heart -of a big city. There was no sound but the faint rustling of the wet -leaves drying themselves in the soft breeze, and the twitterings of -squirrels and birds. There was nothing to be seen but the trees, and -the broad paths rising above the flooding water from the canal-cut -which ran at the further side. - -And Sri Anunda had lived here for fifteen years; while she? How long -had she been there? She smiled to herself, for, in truth, she had lost -count of days altogether, almost of Time itself. She was losing hold -of life. She told herself this, with that vague amaze at finding it -so. Yes she was losing her grip on this world without gaining, without -even desiring, a hold on the next. She was learning a strange new -fellowship with the dream of which she was a part, because it would -soon be past; because the trees, the flowers, the birds, the beasts, -were mortal as herself. A squirrel, its tail a-fluff, was coming down -the trunk of the next tree in fitful half-defiant jerks, its bright -eyes watching her. The corner of her veil was full of the leavings of -her simple morning meal, which she always took with her to scatter -under the trees; and now, in sudden impulse, she sank down to her -knees and held a morsel of plantain out tenderly. - -Dear little mortal, she thought, with a new tenderness, watching it as -it paused uncertain; until the consciousness that she was being -watched in her turn made her look up; then pause, as she was, -astonished, yet not alarmed, at the figure before her. It was neither -tall nor short, dark nor fair, and it was wrapped from knee to -shoulder in a dazzling white cloth draped like a Greek chiton, which -showed the thin yet not emaciated curves of the limbs, and left the -poise of the long throat bare. The head was clean shaven, smooth as -the cheek, and the face, destitute even of eyebrows, was softly seamed -with lines and wrinkles which seemed to leave it younger, and -brighter, as if in an eternity of smile-provoking content. But the -eyes! Kate felt a strange shock, as they brought back to her the -innocent dignity Raphael gave to his San-Sistine Bambino. For this was -Sri Anunda; could be no one else. In his hand he held a bunch of -henna-blossom, the camphire of Scripture, the cypress of the Greeks; -yellowish green, insignificant, incomparably sweet. He held it out to -her, smiling, then laid it on her outstretched hand. - -"The lesson is learned, sister," he said softly. "Go in peace, and -have no fear." - -The voice, musical exceedingly, thrilled her through and through. She -knelt looking after him regretfully as, without a pause, he passed on -his way. So that was a Swâmi! She went back to her corner--for already -early visitors were drifting in for Sri Anunda's blessing--and with -the bunch of henna-blossom on the ground before her sat thinking. - -What an extraordinary face it was! So young, so old. So wise, so -strangely innocent. Tara was right. It was not a man's face. Yet it -could not be called angelic, for it was the face of a mortal. Yes! -that was it, a mortal face immortal through its mortality; through the -circling wheel of life and death. The strong perfume of the flowers -reaching her, set her a-thinking of them. Did he always give a bunch -when the penance was over and say the lesson was learned? It was a -significant choice, these flowers of life and death. For bridal hands -had been stained with henna, and corpses embalmed with it for ages, -and ages, and ages. Or was that "peace go with you," that "have no -fear" meant as an encouragement in something new? Had they been making -plans? had anything happened? She scarcely seemed to care. So, as the -cloudless day passed on, she sat looking at the henna-blossom and -thinking of Sri Anunda's face. - -But something _had_ happened. Jim Douglas had come back to the city -and Tara knew it. She had barely escaped his seeing her, and she felt -she could not escape it long. And then, it seemed to her, the old life -would begin again; for she would never be able to keep the truth from -him. The mem might talk of deceit glibly; but if it came to telling -lies to the master she would fail. - -There was only one chance. If she could get the mem safely out of the -city at once; then she could tell the truth without fear. The -necessity for immediate action came upon her by surprise. She had -ceased to expect the master's return, she had not cared personally for -Kate's safety, and so had been content to let the future take care of -itself. But now everything was changed. If Kate were not got rid of, -sent out of the city, one of two things must happen: The master must -be left to get her out as best he could, at the risk of his life; or -she, Tara, must return to the old allegiance; return and sit by, while -the mem in a language she did not understand, told the Huzoor how she -had been willing to be suttee for him! - -So while Kate sat looking at the henna-blossom, Tara sat telling -herself that at all costs, all risks, she must be got out of the city -that night. She, and her jewels. They were at present tied up in a -bundle in Tara's room, but the Huzoor might think her a thief if the -mem went without them. And another thing she decided. She would not -tell the mem the reason of this sudden action. True, Kate had -professed herself determined that the master should not risk his life -for her again; but women were not--not always--to be trusted. For the -rest, Soma must help. - -She waited till dusk, however, before appealing to him, knowing that -her only chance lay in taking him by storm, in leaving him no time for -reflection. So, just as the lights were beginning to twinkle in the -bazaars, she made her way, full of purpose, to the half ruined sort of -cell in the thickness of the wall not far from the sally-port, in -which of late--since he had taken morosely to drugs--he was generally -to be found at this time, waking drowsily to his evening meal before -going out. - -She found him thus, sure enough, and began at once on her task. He -must help. He could easily pass out the mem. That was all she asked of -him. But his handsome face settled into sheer obstinacy at once. He -was not going to help anyone, he said, or harm anyone, till they -struck the first blow, and then they had better defend themselves. -That was the end. And so it seemed; for after ten minutes of entreaty, -he stood up with something of a lurch ere he found his feet, and bid -her go. She only wasted her time and his, since he must eat his food -ere he went to relieve the sentry at the sally-port. - -She caught him up reproachfully, almost indignantly. - -"Then thou art there, on guard! and it needs but the opening of a -door, a thrusting of a woman out--to--_die_, perchance, Soma. Remember -that!" - -She spoke with a feverish eagerness, as if the suggestion had its -weight with her, but he treated it contemptuously. - -"Loh!" he said in scorn. "What a woman's word! Thank the Gods I was -not born one." - -The taunt bit deep, and Tara drew herself up angrily. So the brother -and sister stood face to face, strangely alike. - -"Wast not?" she retorted bitterly. "The Gods know. Is there not woman -in man, and man in woman, among those born at a birth? Soma! for the -sake of that--do this for me----" It was her last appeal; she had kept -it for the last, and now her somber eyes were ablaze with passionate -entreaty. "See, brother! I claim it of you as a right. Thou didst take -my sainthood from me once. Count this as giving it back again." - -"Back again?" echoed Soma thickly. "What fool's talk is this?" - -"Let it be fool's talk, brother," she interrupted, with a strange -intensity in her voice. "I care not--thou dost not know; I cannot tell -thee. But--but _this_ will be counted to thee in restitution. Soma! -think of it as my sainthood! Sure thou dost owe me it! Somal for the -sake of the hand which lay in thine." - -In her excitement she moved a step forward, and he shrank back -instinctively. True, she was a saint in another way if those scars -were true; but--at the moment, being angry with her, he chose to -doubt, to remember. "Stand back!" he cried roughly, unsteadily. "What -do I owe thee? What claim hast thou?" - -The question, the gesture outraged her utterly. The memory of a whole -life of vain struggling after self-respect surged to her brain, -bringing that almost insane light to her eyes. "What?" she echoed -fiercely--"this!" Ere he could prevent it, her hand was in his, -gripping it like a vice. - -"So in the beginning--so in the end!" she gasped, as he struggled with -her madly. "Tara and Soma hand in hand. Nay! I am strong as thou." - -She spoke truth, for his nerve and muscle were slack with opium; yet -he fought wildly, striking at her with his left hand, until in a -supreme effort she lost her footing, they both staggered, and he--as -she loosed her hold--fell backward, striking his head against a -projecting brick in the ruined wall. - -"Soma!" she whispered to his prostrate figure, "art hurt, brother? -Speak to me!" - -But he lay still, and, with a cry, she flung herself on her knees -beside him, feeling his heart, listening to his breathing, searching -for the injury. It was a big cut on the crown of the head; but it did -not seem a bad one, and she began to take his unconsciousness more -calmly. She had seen folk like that before from a sudden fall, and -they came to themselves, none the worse, after a while. But scarcely, -here, in time to relieve guard. - -She stood up suddenly and looked round her. Soma's uniform hung on a -peg, his musket stood in a corner. - -Half an hour after this, Kate, waiting in the thatch for Tara to come -as usual, gave a cry, more of surprise than alarm, as a tall figure, -in uniform, stepped into the flickering light of the cresset. - -"Soma!" she cried, "what is it?" - -A gratified smile came to the curled mustachios. "Soma or Tara, it -matters not," replied a familiar voice. "They were one in the -beginning. Quick, mem-sahib. On with the jewels. I have a dark veil -too for the gate." - -Kate stood up, her heart throbbing. "Am I to go, then? Is that what -Sri Anunda meant?" - -"Sri Anunda! hath he been here?" Tara paused, sniffed, and once more -those dark eyes met the light ones with a fierce jealousy. "He hath -given thee henna-blossom. I smell it; and he gives it to none but -those who---- So the Swâmi's lesson is learned--and the disciple can -go in peace----" She broke off with a petulant laugh. "Well! so be it. -It ends my part. The mem will sleep among her own to-night; Sri Anunda -hath said it. Come----" - -"But how? I must know how," protested Kate. - -The laugh rose again. "Wherefore? The mem is Sri Anunda's disciple. -For the rest, I will let the mem out through the little river-gate. -There is a boat, and she can go in peace." - -There was something so wild, so almost menacing in Tara's face, that -Kate felt her only hope was to obey. And, in good sooth, the scent of -the henna-blossom she carried with her, tucked into her bosom, gave -her, somehow, an irrational hope that all would go well as she -followed her guide swiftly through the alleys and bazaars. - -"The mem must wait here," whispered Tara at last, pausing behind one -of the ungainly mausoleums in what had been the old Christian -cemetery. "When she hears me singing Sonny-baba's song, she must -follow to the Water-gate. It is behind the ruins, there." - -Kate crouched down, setting her back, native fashion, against the -tomb. And as she waited she wondered idly what mortal lay there; so, -being strangely calm, she let her fingers stray to the recess she felt -behind her. There should be a marble tablet there; and even in the -dark she might trace the lettering. But the recess was empty, the -marble having evidently been picked out. So it was a nameless grave. -And the next? She moved over to it stealthily, then to the next. -But the tablets had been taken out of all and carried off--for -curry-stones most likely. So the graves were nameless; those beneath -them mortals--nothing more. As she waited under the stars, her mind -reverted to Sri Anunda and the Wheel of Life and Death. The -immortality of mortality! Was that the lesson which was to let her go -in peace? - -She started from the thought as that native version of the "Happy -Land" came, nasally, from behind the ruins. As she passed them, a -group of men were squatted gossiping round a hookah, and more than one -figure passed her. But a woman with her veil drawn, and a clank of -anklets on her feet, did not even invite a curious eye; for it was -still early enough for such folk to be going home. - -Then, as she passed down a flight of steps, a hand stole out from a -niche and drew her back into a dark shadow. The next minute, with a -low whisper, "There is no fear! Sri Anunda hath said it. Go in peace!" -she felt herself thrust through a door into darkness. But a feeble -glimmer showed below her, and creeping down another flight of steps, -she found herself outside Delhi, looking over the strip of low-lying -land where in the winter the buffaloes had grazed beneath Alice -Gissing's house, but which was now flooded into a still backwater by -the rising of the river. And out of it the stunted kikar and tamarisks -grew strangely, their feathery branches arching over it. But to the -left, beyond the Water Bastion, rose a mass of darker foliage--the -Koodsia Gardens. Once there she would be beyond floods, and Tara had -said there was a boat. Kate found it, moored a little further toward -the river--a flat-bottomed punt, with a pole. It proved easier to -manage than she had expected; for the water was shallow, and the -trunks and branches of the trees helped her to get along, so that -after a time she decided on keeping to that method of progress as long -as she could. It enabled her to skirt the river bank, where there were -fewer lights telling of watch-fires. Besides, she knew the path by the -river leading to Metcalfe House. It might be under water now; but if -she crept into the park at the ravine--if she could take the boat so -far--she might manage to reach Metcalfe House. There was an English -picket there, she knew. So, as she mapped out her best way, a sudden -recollection came to her of the last time she had seen that river -path, when her husband and Alice Gissing were walking down it, and -Captain Morecombe---- - -Ah! was it credible? Was it not all a dream? Could this be real--could -it be the same world? - -She asked herself the question with a dull indifference as she -struggled on doggedly. - -But not more than two hours afterward the conviction that the world -had not changed came upon her with a strange pang as she stood once -more on the terrace of Metcalfe House with English faces around her. - -"By Heaven, it's Mrs. Erlton!" she heard a familiar voice say. It -seemed to her hundreds of miles away in some far, far country to which -she had been journeying for years. "Here! let me get hold of her--and -fetch some water--wine--anything. How--how was it, Sergeant?" - -"In a boat, sir, coming hand over hand down at the stables. She sang -out quite calmly she was an English-woman, and----" - -"Then--then they touched their caps to me," said Kate, making an -effort, "and so I knew that I was safe. It was so strange; it--it -rather upset me. But I am all right now, Captain Morecombe." - -"We had better send up for Erlton," said another officer aside; but -Kate caught the whisper. - -"Please not. I can walk up to cantonments quite well. And--I would -rather have no fuss--I--I couldn't stand it." - -She had stood enough and to spare, agreed the little knot of men with -a thrill at their hearts as they watched her set off in the moonlight -with Captain Morecombe and an orderly. They were to go straight to the -Major's tent; and if he was still at mess, which was more than likely, -since it was only half-past nine, Captain Morecombe was to leave her -there and go on with the news. There would be no fuss, of that she -might be sure, said the latter, forbearing even to speak to her on the -way, save to ask her if she felt all right. - -"I feel as if I had just been born," she said slowly. In truth, she -was wondering if that spinning of the Great Wheel toward Life again -brought with it this forlornness, this familiarity. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - AT LAST. - - -No fuss indeed! Kate, as she sat in her husband's little tent waiting -for him to come to her, felt that so far she might have arrived from a -very ordinary journey. The bearer, it is true, who had been the -Major's valet for years, had salaamed more profoundly than usual, had -even put up a pious prayer, and expressed himself pleased; but he had -immediately gone off to fetch hot water, and returning with it and -clean towels, had suggested mildly that the mem might like to wash her -face and hands. Kate, with a faint smile, felt there was no reason why -she should not. She need not look worse than necessary. But she paused -almost with a gasp at the familiar half-forgotten luxuries. Scented -soap! a sponge--and there on the camp table a looking-glass! She -glanced down with a start at the little round one in the ring she -wore; then went over to the other. A toilet cover, brushes, and combs, -her husband's razors, gold studs in a box; and there, her own -photograph in a frame, a Bible, and a prayer book, the latter things -bringing her no surprise, no emotion of any kind. For they had always -been fixtures on Major Erlton's dressing-table, mute evidences to no -sentiment on his part, but simply to the bearer's knowledge of the -proprieties and the ways of real sahibs. But the other things she saw -made her heart grow soft. The little camp bed, the simplicity and -hardness of all in comparison with what her husband had been wont to -demand of life; for he had always been a real prince, feeling the -rose-leaf beneath the feather bed, and never stinting himself in -comfort. Then the swords, and belts, and Heaven knows what panoply of -war--not spick-and-span decorations as they used to be in the old -days, but worn and used--gave her a pang. Well! he had always been a -good soldier, they said. - -And then, interrupting her thoughts, the old khânsaman had come in, -having taken time to array himself gorgeously in livery. The Father of -the fatherless and orphan, he said, whimperingly, alluding to the fact -that he had lost both parents--which, considering he was past sixty, -was only to be expected--had heard his prayer. The mem was spared to -Freddy-baba. And would she please to order dinner. As the Major-sahib -dined at mess, her slave was unprepared with a roast. Fish also would -partake of tyranny; but he could open a tin of Europe soup, and with a -chicken cutlet--Kate cut him short with a request for tea; by and by, -when--when the Major-sahib should have come. And when she was alone -again, she shivered and rested her head on her crossed arms upon the -table beside which she sat, with a sort of sob. This--Yes!--this of -all she had come through was the hardest to bear. This surge of pity, -of tenderness, of unavailing regret for the past, the present, the -future. What?--What could she say to him, or he to her, that would -make remembrance easier, anticipation happier? - -Hark! there was his step! His voice saying goodnight to Captain -Morecombe. - -"I hope she will be none the worse," came the reply. "Good-night, -Erlton--I'm--I'm awfully glad, old fellow." - -"Thanks!" - -She stood up with a sickening throb at her heart. Oh! she was glad -too! So glad to see him and tell him to---- - -How tall he was, she thought, with a swift recognition of his good -looks, as he came in, stooping to pass under the low entrance. Very -tall, and thin. Much thinner, and--and--different somehow. - -"Kate!" He paused half a second, looking at her curiously--"Kate! -I'm--I'm awfully glad." He was beside her now, his big hands holding -hers; but she felt that she was further away from him than she had -been in that brief pause when she had half-expected, half-wished him -to take her in his arms and kiss her as if nothing had happened, as if -life were to begin again. It would have been so much easier; they -might have forgotten then, both of them. But now, what came, must come -without that chrism of impulse; must come in remembrance and regret. -_Awfully glad!_ That was what Captain Morecombe had said. Was there no -more between them than that? No more between her and this man, who was -the father of her child. The sting of the thought made her draw him -closer, and with a sob rest her head on his shoulder. Then he stooped -and kissed her. "I--I didn't know. I wasn't sure if you'd like it," he -said, "but I'm awfully glad, old girl, upon my life I am. You must -have had a terrible time." - -She looked up with a hopeless pain in her eyes. He was gone from her -again; gone utterly. "It was not so bad as you might think," she -answered, trying to smile. "Mr. Greyman did so much----" - -"Greyman! You mean Douglas, I suppose?" - -She stared for a second. "Douglas? I don't know. I mean----" Then she -paused. How could she say, "The man you rode against at Lucknow," when -she wanted to forget all that; forget everything? And then a sudden -fear made her add hastily, "He is here, surely--he came long ago." - -Major Erlton nodded. "I know; but his real name is Douglas; at least -he says so. Do you mean to say you haven't seen him? That he didn't -help you to get out?" - -"You mean that--that he has gone back?" asked Kate faintly. - -Her husband gave a low whistle. "What a queer start; a sort of Box and -Cox. He went back to find you yesterday." - -Kate's hand went up to her forehead almost wildly. Then Tara must have -known. But why had she not mentioned it? Still, in a way, it was best -as it was; since once he heard she, Kate, had gone, he would return. -For Tara would tell him, of course. - -These thoughts claimed her for the moment, and when she looked up, she -found her husband watching her curiously. - -"He must have done an awful lot for you, of course," he said shortly; -"but I'd rather it had been anyone else, and that's a fact. However, -it can't be helped. Hullo! here's the khânsaman with some tea. -Thoughtful of the old scoundrel, isn't it?" - -"I--I ordered it," put in Kate, feeling glad of the diversion. - -Major Erlton laughed kindly. "What, begun already? The old sinner's -had a precious easy time of it; but now----" He pulled himself up -awkwardly, and, as if to cover his hesitation, walked over to a box, -and after rummaging in it, brought out a packet of letters. -"Freddy's," he said cheerfully. "He's all right. Jolly as a sandboy. I -kept them--in--in case----" - -A great gratitude made the past dim for a moment. He seemed nearer to -her again. "I can't look at them to-night, Herbert," she said softly, -laying her hand beside his upon them. "I'm--I'm too tired." - -"No wonder. You must have your tea and go to bed," he replied. Then he -looked round the tent. "It isn't a bad little place, you'll find--I'm -on duty tonight--so--so you'll manage, I dare say." - -"On duty?" she echoed, pouring herself out a cup of tea rather hastily. -"Where?" - -"Oh! at the front. There is never anything worth going for now. We are -both waiting for the assault; that's the fact. But I shan't be back -till dawn, so----" - -He was standing looking at her, tall, handsome, full of vitality; and -suddenly he lifted a fold of her tinsel-set veil and smiled. - -"Jolly dress that for a fancy ball, and what a jolly scent it's got. -It is that flower, isn't it? You look awfully well in it, Kate! In -fact, you look wonderfully fit all round." - -"So do you!" she said hurriedly, her hand going up to the henna -blossom. There was a sudden quiver in her voice, a sudden fierce pain -in her heart. "You--you look----" - -"Oh! I," he replied carelessly, still with admiring eyes, "I'm as fit -as a fiddle. I say! where did you get all those jewels? What a lot you -have! They're awfully becoming." - -"They are Mr. Greyman's," she said; "they belonged to his--to----" -then she paused. But the contemptuously comprehending smile on her -husband's face made her add quietly, "to a woman--a woman _he loved -very dearly_, Herbert." - -There was a moment or two of silence, and then Major Erlton went to -the entrance, raised the curtain, and looked out. A flood of moonlight -streamed into the tent. - -"It's about time I was off," he said after a bit, and there was a -queer constraint in his voice. Then he came over and stood by Kate -again. - -"It isn't any use talking over--over things to-night, Kate," he said -quietly. "There's a lot to think of and I haven't thought of it at -all. I never knew, you see--if this would happen. But I dare say you -have; you were always a oner at thinking. So--so you had better do it -for both of us. I don't care, _now_. It will be what you wish, of -course." - -"We will talk it over to-morrow," she said in a low voice. She would -not look in his face. She knew she would find it soft with the memory -held in that one word--now. Ah! how much easier it would have been if -she had never come back! And yet she shrank from the same thought on -his lips. - -"There was always the chance of my getting potted," he said almost -apologetically. "But I'm not. So--well! let's leave it for -to-morrow." - -"Yes," she replied steadily, "for to-morrow." - -He gathered some of his things together, and then held out his hand. -"Good-night, Kate. I wouldn't lie awake thinking, if I were you. -What's the good if it? We will just have to make the best of it for -the boy. But I'd like you to know two things----" - -"Yes----" - -"That I couldn't forget, of course; and that----" he paused. "Well! -that doesn't matter; it's only about myself and it doesn't mean much -after all. So, good-night." - -As she moved to the door also, forced into following him by the ache -in her heart for him, more than for herself, the jingle of her anklets -made him turn with an easy laugh. - -"It doesn't sound respectable," he said; then, with a sudden -compunction, added: "But the dress is much prettier than those dancing -girls', and--by Heaven, Kate! you've always been miles too good for -me; and that's the fact. Well I--let us leave it for to-morrow." - -Yes! for to-morrow, she told herself, with a determination not to -think as, dressed as she was, she nestled down into the strange -softness of the camp bed, too weary of the pain and pity of this -coming back even for tears. Yet she thought of one thing; not that she -was safe, not that she would see the boy again. Only of the thing he -had been going to tell her about himself. What was it? She wanted to -know; she wanted to know all--everything. "Herbert!" she whispered to -the pillow, "I wish you had told me--I want to know--I want to make it -easier for--for us all." - -And so, not even grateful for her escape, she fell asleep dreamlessly. - -It was dawn when she woke with the sound of someone talking outside. -He had come back. No! that was not his voice. She sat up listening. - -"The servants say she is asleep. Someone had better go in and wake -her. The Doctor----" - -"He's behind with the dhooli. Ah! there's Morecombe; he knows her." - -But there was no need to call her. Kate was already at the door, her -eyes wide with the certainty of evil. There was no need even to tell -her what had happened; for in the first rays of the rising sun, seen -almost starlike behind a dip in the rocky ridge, she saw a little -procession making for the tent. - -"He--he is dead," she said quietly. There was hardly a question in her -tone. She knew it must be so. Had he not begged her to leave it till -to-morrow? and this was to-morrow. Were not her eyes full of its -rising sun, and what its beams held in their bright clasp? - -"It seems impossible," said someone in a low voice, breaking in on the -pitiful silence. "He always seemed to have a charmed life, and then, -in an instant, when nothing was going on, the chance bullet." - -It did not seem impossible to her. - -"Please don't make a fuss about me, Doctor," she pleaded in a tone -which went to his heart when he proposed the conventional solaces. -"Remember I have been through so--so much already. I can bear it. I -can, indeed, if I'm left alone with him--while it is possible. Yes! I -know there is another lady, but I only want to be alone, with him." - -So they left her there beside the little camp-bed with its new burden. -There was no sign of strife upon him. Only that blue mark behind his -ear among his hair, and his face showed no pain. Kate covered it with -a little fine handkerchief she found folded away in a scented case she -had made for him before they were married. It had Alice Gissing's -monogram on it. It was better so, she told herself; he would have -liked it. She had no flowers except the faded henna blossom, but it -smelled sweet as she tucked it under the hand which she had left half -clasped upon his sword. She might at least tell him so, she thought -half bitterly, that the lesson was learned, that he might go in peace. - -Then she sat down at the table and looked over their boy's letters -mechanically; for there was nothing to think of now. The morrow had -settled the problem. Captain Morecombe came in once or twice to say a -word or two, or bring in other men, who saluted briefly to her as they -passed to stand beside the dead man for a second, and then go out -again. She was glad they cared to come; had begged that any might come -who chose, as if she were not there. But at one visitor she looked -curiously, for he came in alone. A tall man--as tall as Herbert, she -thought--with a dark beard and keen, kindly eyes. She saw them, for he -turned to her with the air of one who has a right to speak, and she -stood up involuntarily. - -"His name was up for the Victoria Cross, madam," said a clear, -resonant voice, "as you may know; but that is nothing. He was a fine -soldier--a soldier such as I--I am John Nicholson, madam--can ill -spare. For the rest--he leaves a good name to his son." - -The sunlight streamed in for an instant on to the little bed and its -burden as he passed out, and glittered on the sword and tassels. Kate -knelt down beside it and kissed the dead hand. - -"That was what you meant, wasn't it, Herbert?" she whispered. "I wish -you had told it me yourself, dear." - -She wished it often. Thinking over it all in the long days that -followed, it came to be almost her only regret. If he had told her, if -he had heard her say how glad she was, she felt that she would have -asked no more. And so, as she went down every evening to lay the white -rosebuds the gardener brought her on his grave she used to repeat, as -if he could hear them, his own words: "It is the finish that is the -win or the lose of a race." - -That was what many a man was saying to himself upon the Ridge in the -first week of September. For the siege train had come at last. The -winning post lay close ahead, they must ride all they knew. But those -in command said it anxiously; for day by day the hospitals became more -crowded, and cholera, reappearing, helped to swell the rear-guard of -graves, when the time had come for vanguards only. - -But some men--among them Baird Smith and John Nicholson--took no heed -of sickness or death. And these two, especially, looked into each -other's eyes and said, "When you are ready I'm ready." Their seniors -might say that an assault would be thrown on the hazard of a die. What -of that; if men are prepared to throw sixes, as these two were? They -had to be thrown, if India was to be kept, if this bubble of -sovereignty was to be pricked, the gas let out. - -In the city and the Palace also, men, feeling the struggle close, put -hand and foot to whip and spur. But there was no one within the walls -who had the seeing single eye, quick to seize the salient point of a -position. Baird Smith saw it fast enough. Saw the thickets and walls -of the Koodsia Gardens in front of him, the river guarding his left, a -sinuous ravine--cleaving the hillside into cover creeping down from -the Ridge on his right to within two hundred yards of the city wall. -And that bit of the wall, between the Moree gate and the Water -Bastion, was its weakest portion. The curtain walls long, mere -parapets, only wide enough for defense by muskets. So said the spies, -though it seemed almost incredible to English engineers that the -defense had not been strengthened by pulling down the adjacent houses -and building a rampart for guns. - -In truth there was no one to suggest it, and if it had been suggested -there was no one to carry it out, for even now, at the last, the -Palace seethed with dissension and intrigue. Yet still the sham went -on inconceivably. Jim Douglas, indeed, walking through the bazaars in -his Afghan dress, very nearly met his fate through it. For he was -seized incontinently and made to figure as one of the retinue of the -Amir of Cabul's ambassador, who, about the beginning of September, was -introduced to the private Hall of Audience as a sedative to doubtful -dreamers, and a tonic to brocaded bags. Luckily for him, however, -the men called upon to play the other part in the farce--chiefly -cloth-merchants from Peshawur and elsewhere, whom Jim Douglas had -dodged successfully so far--had been in such abject fear of being -discovered themselves that they had no thought of discovering others. -For Bahâdur Shâh had the dust and ashes of a Moghul in him still. Jim -Douglas recognized the fact in the very obstinacy of delusion in the -wax-like, haggard old face looking with glazed, tremulous-lidded eyes -at the mock mission; and in the faded voice, accepting his vassal of -Cabul's promise of help. It was an almost incredible scene, Jim -Douglas thought. Given it, there was no limit to possibilities in this -phantasmagoria of kingship. The white shadows of the marble arches -with their tale of boundless power and wealth in the past, the wide -plains beyond, the embroidered curtain of the sunlit garden, the -curves of courtiers, most of them in the secret, no doubt; and below -the throne these tag-rag and bob-tail of the bazaars, one of them at -least a hell-doomed infidel, figuring away in borrowed finery! All -this was as unreal as a magic lantern picture, and like it was -followed hap-hazard, without rhyme or reason, by the next on the -slide; for, as he passed out of the Presence he heard the question of -appointing a Governor to Bombay brought up and discussed gravely; that -province being reported to have sent in its allegiance _en bloc_ to -the Great Moghul. The slides, however, were not always so dignified, -so decorous. One came, a day or two afterward, showing a miserable old -pantaloon driven to despair because six hundred hungry sepoys would -not behave according to strict etiquette, but, invading his privacy -with threats, reduced him to taking his beautiful new cushion from the -Peacock Throne and casting it among them. - -"Take it," he cried passionately, "it is all I have left. Take it, and -let me go in peace!" - -But the lesson was not learned by him as yet; so he had to remain; for -once more the sepoys sent out word that there was to be no skulking. -To do the Royal family justice, however, they seem by this time to -have given up the idea of flight. To be sure they had no place to -which they could fly, since the dream required that background of -rose-red wall and marble arches. So even Abool-Bukr, forsaking -drunkenness as well as that kind, detaining hand, clung to his -kinsfolk bravely, behaving in all ways as a newly married young prince -should who looked toward filling the throne itself at some future -time.[8] - -The sepoys themselves had given up blustering, and many, like Soma, -had taken to bhang instead; drugging themselves deliberately into -indifference. The latter had recovered from the blow on the back of -his head, which, however, as is so often the case, had for the time at -any rate deprived him of all recollection of the events immediately -preceding it. So, as Tara had restored his uniform before he was able -to miss it, he treated her as if nothing had occurred; greatly to her -relief. The fact had its disadvantages, however, by depriving her of -all corroborative evidence of the mem having really left the city. -Thus Jim Douglas, warned by past experience, and made doubtful by -Tara's strange reticences, refused to believe it. Her whole story, -indeed, marred, as it was, by the endless reserves and exaggerations, -seemed incredible; the more so because Tiddu--who lied wildly as to -his constant sojourn in Delhi--professed utter disbelief in it. So, -after a few days' unavailing attempt to get at the truth, Jim Douglas -sent the old man off with a letter of inquiry to the Ridge, and waited -for the answer. - -Waited, like all Delhi, under the shadow of the lifted sword which -hung above the city. A sword, held behind a simulacrum of many, by one -arm, sent for that purpose; for John Lawrence, being wise, knew that -the shadow of that arm meant more even than the sword it held to the -wildest half of the province under his control, a province trembling -in the balance between allegiance and revolt; a province ready to -catch fire if the extinguisher were not put upon the beacon light. And -all India waited too. Waited to see that sword fall. - -But a hatchet fell first. Fell in the lemon thickets and pomegranates -of the walled old gardens, so that men who worked at the batteries -still remember the sweet smell that went up from the crushed leaves. A -welcome change; for the Ridge, crowded now with eleven thousand -troops, was not a pleasant abode. It was on Sunday, the 6th of -September, that the final reinforcements came in, and on the 7th the -men, reading General Wilson's order for the appointing of prize agents -in each corps, and his assurance that all plunder would be divided -fairly, felt as if they were already within the walls. The hospitals, -too, were giving up their sick; those who could not be of use going to -the rear, Meerut-ward, those fit for work to the front. And that night -the first siege battery was traced and almost finished below the -Sammy-House, while, under cover of this distraction on the right, the -Koodsia Gardens and Ludlow Castle on the left were occupied by strong -pickets. - -But that first battery--only seven hundred yards from the Moree -Bastion--had a struggle for dear life. The dawn showed but one gun in -position against all the concentrated fire of the bastion which, -during the night, had been lured into a useless duel with the old -defense batteries above. Only one gun at dawn; but by noon--despite -assault and battery--there were five, answering roar for roar. Then -for the first time began that welcome echo: the sound of crumbling -walls, the grumbling roll of falling stones and mortar. By sunset the -gradually diminishing fire from the bastion had ceased, and the -bastion itself was a heap of ruins. By this time the four guns in the -left section of the battery were keeping down the fire from the -Cashmere gate, and so protecting the real advance through the gardens. -That was the first day of the siege, and Kate Erlton, sitting in her -little tent, which had been moved into a quiet spot, as she had begged -to be allowed to stay on the Ridge until some news came of the man to -whom she owed so much, thought with a shudder she could not help, of -what it must mean to many an innocent soul shut up within those walls. -It was bad enough here, where the very tent seemed to shake. It must -be terrible down there beside the heating guns, in the roar and the -rattle, the grime and the ache and strain of muscle. But in the -city--even in Sri Anunda's garden----! - -So, naturally enough, she wondered once more what could have become of -the man who had gone back to find her nearly ten days before. - -"May I come in? John Nicholson." - -She would have recognized the voice even without the name, for it was -not one to be forgotten. Nor was the owner, as he stood before her, a -letter in his hand. - -"I have heard from Mr. Douglas, Mrs. Erlton," he said. "It is in the -Persian character, so I presume it is no use showing it to you. But it -concerns you chiefly. He wants to know if you are safe. I have to -answer it immediately. Have you any message you would like to send?" - -"Any message?" she echoed. "Only that he must come back at once, of -course." - -John Nicholson looked at her calmly. - -"I shall say nothing of the kind," he replied. "It is best for a man -to decide such matters for himself." - -She flushed up hotly. "I had not the slightest intention of dictating -to Mr.--Mr. Douglas, General Nicholson; but considering how much he -has already sacrificed for my sake----" - -"You had better let him do as he likes, my dear madam," interrupted -the General, with a sudden kindly smile, which, however, faded as -quickly as it came, leaving his face stern. "He, like many another -man, has sacrificed too much for women, Mrs. Erlton; so if ever you -can make up to him for some of the pain, do so--he is worth it. -Good-by. I'll tell him that you are safe; but that in spite of that, -he has my permission to go ahead and kill--the more the better." - -She had not the faintest idea why he made this last remark; but it did -not puzzle her, for she was occupied with his previous one. Sacrificed -too much! That was true. He carried the scars of the knife upon him -clearly. And the man who had just left her presence, who, for all his -courtesy, had treated her so cavalierly? She was rather vexed with -herself for feeling it, but a sudden sense of being a poor creature -came over her. It flashed upon her that she could imagine a world -without women--she was in one, almost, at that very moment--but not a -world without men. Yet that ceaseless roar filling the air had more to -do with women than men; it went more as a challenge of revenge than a -stern recall to duty. - -It was true. The men, working night and day in the batteries, thought -little of men's rights, only of women's wrongs. Even General Wilson in -his order had appealed to those under him on that ground only, urging -them to spend life and strength freely in vengeance on murderers. - -And they did. Down in the scented Koodsia Gardens the men never seemed -to tire, never to shrink, though the shot from the city--not two -hundred and fifty yards away--flew pinging through the trees above -them. But the high wall gave cover, and so those off duty slept -peacefully in the cool shade, or sat smoking on the river-terrace. - -Thus, while the first battery, pounding away from the right at the -Moree and Cashmere bastions, diverted attention, and the enemy, -deceived by the feint, lavished a dogged courage in trying to keep up -some kind of reply, a second siege battery in two sections was traced -and made in front of Ludlow Castle, five hundred yards from the -Cashmere gate. By dawn on the 11th both sections were at work -destroying the defenses of the gate, and pounding away to breach the -curtain wall beside it. So the roar was doubled, and the vibrations of -the air began to quiver on the wearied ear almost painfully. Yet they -were soon trebled, quadrupled. Trebled by a party of wide-mouthed -mortars in the garden itself. Quadrupled by a wicked, dare-devil, -impertinent little company of six eighteen-pounders and twelve small -mortars, which, with Medley of the Engineers as a guide, took -advantage of a half ruined house to creep within a hundred and sixty -yards of the doomed walls despite the shower of shell and bullets from -it. For by this time the murderers in the city had found out that the -men were at work at something in the scented thickets to the left. Not -that the discovery hindered the work. The native pioneers, who bore -the brunt of it, digging and piling for the wicked little intruder, -were working with the master, working with volunteers--officers and -men alike--from the 9th Lancers and the Carabineers. So, when one of -their number toppled over, they looked to see if he were dead or alive -in order to sort him out properly. And if he was dead they would weep -a few tears as they laid him in the row beside the others of his kind, -before they went on with their work quietly; for, having to decide -whether a comrade belonged to the dead or the living thirty-nine times -one night, they began to get expert at it. So by the 12th, fifty guns -and mortars flashed and roared, and the rumble of falling stones -became almost continuous. Sometimes a shell would just crest the -parapet, burst, and bring away yards of it at a time. - -Up on the Ridge behind the siege batteries, when the cool of the -evening came on, every post was filled with sightseers watching the -salvos, watching the game. And one, at least, going back to get ready -for mess, wrote and told his wife at Meerut, that if she were at the -top of Flagstaff Tower, she would remain there till the siege was -over--it was so fascinating. But they were merry on the Ridge in these -days, and the messes were so full that guests had to be limited at -one, till they got a new leaf in the table! Yet on the other slope of -the Ridge, men were tumbling over like the stones in the walls. -Tumbling over one after another in the batteries, all through the -night of the 12th, and the day of the 13th. - -Then at ten o'clock in the evening, men, sitting in the mess-tents, -looked at each other joyfully, yet with a thrill in their veins, as -the firing ceased suddenly. For they knew what that meant; they knew -that down under the very walls of the city, friends and comrades were -creeping, sword in one hand, their lives in the other, through the -starlight, to see if the breaches were practicable. - -But the city knew them to be so; and already the last order sent by -the Palace to Delhi was being proclaimed by beat of drum through the -streets. - -So, monotonously, the cry rang from alley to alley. - -"Intelligence having just been brought that the infidels intend an -assault to-night, it is incumbent on all, Hindoo and Mohammedan, from -due regard to their faith, to assemble directly by the Cashmere gate, -bringing iron picks and shovels with them. This order is imperative." - -Newâsi Begum, among others, heard it as she sat reading. She stood up -suddenly, overturning the book-rest and the Holy Word in her haste; -for she felt that the crisis was at hand. She had never seen -Abool-Bukr since the night, now a whole month past, when he had -taunted her with being one more woman ready for kisses. Her pride had -kept her from seeking him, and he had not returned. But now her -resentment gave way before her fears. She _must_ see him--since God -only knew what might be going to happen! - -True in a way. But up on the Ridge one man felt certain of one thing. -John Nicholson, with the order for an assault at dawn safe in his -hand, knew that he would be in Delhi on the 14th of September--a day -earlier than he had expected. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - THROUGH THE WALLS. - - -It was a full hour past dawn on the 14th of September ere that sudden -silence fell once more upon the echoing rocks of the Ridge and the -scented gardens. So, for a second, the twittering birds in the -thickets behind them might have been heard by the men who, with fixed -bayonets, were jostling the roses and the jasmines. But they were -holding their breath--waiting, listening, for something very -different; while in the ears of many, excluding all other sounds, -lingered the cadence of the text read by the chaplain before dawn in -the church lesson for the day. - -"Woe to the bloody city--the sword shall cut thee off." - -For to many the coming struggle meant neither justice nor revenge, but -religion. It was Christ against Anti-Christ. So, whether for revenge -or faith they waited. A thousand down by the river opposite the Water -Bastion. A thousand in the Koodsia facing the main breach, with John -Nicholson, first as ever, to lead it. A thousand more on the broad -white road fronting the Cashmere Bastion, with an explosion party -ahead to blow in the gate, and a reserve of fifteen hundred to the -rear waiting for success. Briefly, four thousand five hundred -men--more than half natives--for the assault, facing that half mile or -so of northern wall; thus within touch of each other. Beyond, on the -western trend, two thousand more--mostly untried troops from Jumoo and -a general muster of casuals--to sweep through the suburbs and be ready -to enter by the Cabul gate when it was opened to them. - -Above, on the Ridge, six hundred sabers awaiting orders. Behind it -three thousand sick in hospital, a weak defense, and that rear-guard -of graves. - -And in front of all stood that tall figure with the keen eyes. "Are -you ready, Jones?" asked Nicholson, laying his hand on the last -leader's shoulder. His voice and face were calm, almost cold. - -"Ready, sir!" - -Then, startling that momentary silence, came the bugle. - -"Advance!" - -With a cheer the rifles skirmished ahead joyfully. The engineers -posted in the furthest cover long before dawn--who had waited for -hours, knowing that each minute made their task harder--rose, waving -their swords to guide the stormers toward the breach! Then, calmly, as -if it had been dark, not daylight, crested the glacis at a swift walk, -followed by the laddermen in line. Behind, with a steady tramp, the -two columns bound for the breaches. But the third, upon the road, had -to wait a while, as, like greyhounds from a leash, a little company -slipped forward at the double. - -Home of the Engineers first with two sergeants, a native havildar, and -ten Punjab sappers, running lightly, despite the twenty-five pound -powder bags they carried. Behind them, led by Salkeld, the firing -party and a bugler. Running under the hail of bullets, faster as they -fell faster, as men run to escape a storm; but these courted it, -though the task had been set for night, and it was now broad daylight. - -What then? They could see better. See the outer gateway open, the -footway of the drawbridge destroyed, the inner door closed save for -the wicket. - -"Come on," shouted Home, and was across the bare beams like a boy, -followed by the others. - -Incredible daring! What did it mean? The doubt made the scared enemy -close the wicket hastily. So against it, at the rebels' very feet, the -powder bags were laid. True, one sergeant fell dead with his; but as -it fell against the gates his task was done. - -"Ready, Salkeld!--your turn," sang out young Home from the ditch, into -which, the bags laid, the fuse set, he dropped unhurt. So across the -scant foothold came the firing party, its leader holding the portfire. -But the paralysis of amazement had passed; the enemy, realizing what -the audacity meant, had set the wicket wide. It bristled now with -muskets; so did the parapet. - -"Burgess!--your turn," called Salkeld as he fell, and passed the -portfire to the corporal behind him. Burgess, alias Grierson,--someone -perchance retrieving a past under a new name,--took it, stooped, then -with a half articulate cry either that it was "right" or "out," fell -back into the ditch dead. Smith, of the powder party, lingering to see -the deed done, thought the latter, and, matchbox in hand, sprang -forward, cuddling the gate for safety as he struck a light. But it was -not needed. As he stooped to use it, the port-fire of the fuse -exploded in his face, and, half blinded, he turned to plunge headlong -for escape into the ditch. A second after the gate was in fragments. - -"Your turn, Hawthorne!" came that voice from the ditch. So the bugler, -who had braved death to sound it, gave the advance. Once, twice, -thrice, carefully lest the din from the breaches should drown it. Vain -precaution, not needed either; for the sound of the explosion was -enough. That thousand on the road was hungering to be no whit behind -the others, and with a wild cheer the stormers made for the gate. - -But Nicholson was already in Delhi, though ten minutes had gone in a -fierce struggle to place a single ladder against an avalanche of shot -and stone. But that one had been the signal for him to slip into the -ditch, and, calling on the 1st Bengal Fusiliers to follow, escalade -the bastion, first as ever. - -Even so, others were before him. Down at the Water Bastion, though -three-quarters of the laddermen had fallen and but a third of the -storming party remained, those twenty-five men of the 8th had gained -the breach, and, followed by the whole column, were clearing the -ramparts toward the Cashmere gate. Hence, again, without a check, -joined by the left half of Nicholson's column, they swept the enemy -before them like frightened sheep to the Moree gate; though in the -bastion itself the gunners stood to their guns and were bayoneted -beside them. There, with a whoop, some of the wilder ones leaped to -the parapet to wave their caps in exultation to the cavalry below, -which, in obedience to orders, was now drawn up, ready to receive, -guarding the flank of the assault, despite the murderous fire from the -Cabul gate, and the Burn Bastion beyond it. Sitting in their saddles, -motionless, doing nothing, a mark for the enemy, yet still a wall of -defense. So, leaving them to that hardest task of all--the courage of -inaction--the victorious rush swept on to take the Cabul gate, to -sweep past it up to the Burn Bastion itself--the last bastion which -commanded the position. - -And then? Then the order came to retire and await orders at the Cabul -gate. The fourth column, after clearing the suburbs, was to have been -there ready for admittance, ready to support. It was not. And -Nicholson was not there also, to dare and do all. He had had to pause -at the Cashmere gate to arrange that the column which had entered -through it should push on into the city, leaving the reserve to hold -the points already won. And now, with the 1st Fusiliers behind him, he -was fighting his way through the streets to the Cabul gate. So, -fearing to lose touch with those behind, over-rating the danger, -under-estimating the incalculable gain of unchecked advance with an -eastern foe, the leader of that victorious sweeping of the ramparts -was content to set the English flag flying on the Cabul gate and await -orders. But the men had to do something. So they filled up the time -plundering. And there were liquor shops about. Europe shops, full of -wine and brandy. - -The flag had been flying over an hour when Nicholson came up. But by -that time the enemy--who had been flying too--flying as far as the -boat bridge in sheer conviction that the day was lost--had recovered -some courage and were back, crowding the bastion and some tall houses -beside it. And in the lane, three hundred yards long, not ten feet -wide, leading to it, two brass guns had been posted before bullet -proof screens ready to mow down the intruders. - -Yet once more John Nicholson saw but one thing--the Burn Bastion. -Built by Englishmen, it was one of the strongest--the only remaining -one, in fact, likely to give trouble. With it untaken a thorough hold -on the city was impossible. Besides, with his vast knowledge of native -character, he knew that the enemy had expected us to take it, and -would construe caution into cowardice. Then he had the 1st Bengal -Fusiliers behind him. He had led them in Delhi, they had fallen in his -track in tens and fifties, and still they had come on--they would do -this thing for him now. - -"We will do what we can, sir," said their commandant, Major Jacob--but -his face was grave. - -"We will do what men can do, sir," said the commandant of that left -half of the column; "but honestly, I don't think it can be done. We -have tried it once." His face was graver still. - -"Nor I," said Nicholson's Brigade-major. - -Nicholson, as he stood by the houses around the Cabul gate, which had -been occupied and plundered by the troops, looked down the straight -lane again. It hugged the city wall on its right, its scanty width -narrowed here and there by buttresses to some three feet. About a -third of the way down was the first gun, placed beside a feathery -kikar tree which sent a lace-like tracery of shadow upon the screen. -As far behind was the second. Beyond, again, was the bastion jutting -out, and so forcing the lane to bend between it and some tall houses. -Both were crowded with the enemy--the screens held bayonets and -marksmen. There was a gun close to the bastion in the wall, but to the -left, cityward, in the low, flat-roofed mud houses there seemed no -trace of flanking foes. - -"I think it can be done," he said. He knew it must be done ere the -Palace could be taken. So he gave the orders. Fusiliers forward; -officers to the front! - -And to the front they went, with a cheer and a rush, overwhelming the -first gun, within ten yards of the other. And one man was closer -still, for Lieutenant Butler, pinned against that second bullet-proof -screen by two bayonets thrust through the loopholes at him, had to -fire his revolver through them also, ere he could escape this -two-pronged fork. - -But the fire of every musket on the bastion and the tall houses was -centered on that second gun. Grape, canister, raked the narrow -lane--made narrower by fallen Fusiliers--and forced those who remained -to fall back upon the first gun--beyond that even. Yet only for a -moment. Reformed afresh, they carried it a second time, spiked it and -pressed on. Officers still to the front! - -Just beyond the gun the commandant fell wounded to death. "Go on, men, -go on!" he shouted to those who would have paused to help him. -"Forward, Fusiliers!" - -And they went forward; though at dawn two hundred and fifty men had -dashed for the breach, and now there were not a hundred and fifty left -to obey orders. Less! For fifty men and seven officers lay in that -lane itself. Surely it was time now for others to step in--and there -were others! - -Nicholson saw the waver, knew what it meant, and sprang forward sword -in hand, calling on those others to follow. But he asked too much. -Where the 1st Fusiliers had failed, none cared to try. That is the -simple truth. The limit had been reached. - -So for a minute or two he stood, a figure instinct with passion, -energy, vitality, before men who, God knows with reason, had lost all -three for the moment. A colossal figure beyond them, ahead of them, -asking more than mere ordinary men could do. So a pitiful figure--a -failure at the last! - -"Come on, men! Come on, you fools--come on, you--you----" - -What the word was, which that bullet full in the chest arrested -between heart and lips, those who knew John Nicholson's wild temper, -his indomitable will, his fierce resentment at everything which fell -short of his ideals, can easily guess. - -"Lay me under that tree," he gasped, as they raised him. "I will not -leave till the lane is carried. My God! Don't mind me! Forward, men, -forward! It _can_ be done." - -An hour or two afterward a subaltern coming out of the Cashmere gate -saw a dhooli, deserted by its bearers. In it lay John Nicholson in -dire agony; but he asked nothing of his fellows then save to be taken -to hospital. He had learned his lesson. He had done what others had -set him to do. He had entered Delhi. He had pricked the bubble, and -the gas was leaking out. But he had failed in the task he had set -himself. The Burn Bastion was still unwon, and the English force in -Delhi, instead of holding its northern half up to the very walls of -the Palace, secure from flanking foes, had to retire on the strip of -open ground behind the assaulted wall--if, indeed, it had not to -retire further still. Had one man had his way it would have retired to -the Ridge. Late in the afternoon, when fighting was over for the day, -General Wilson rode round the new-won position, and, map in hand, -looked despairingly toward the network of narrow lanes and alleys -beyond. And he looked at something close at hand with even greater -forebodings; for he stood in the European quarter of the town among -shops still holding vast stores of wine and spirits which had been -left untouched by that other army of occupation. - -But what of this one? This product of civilization, and culture, and -Christianity; these men who could give points to those others in so -many ways, but might barter their very birthright for a bottle of rum. -Yet even so, the position must be held. So said Baird Smith at the -chief's elbow, so wrote Neville Chamberlain, unable to leave his post -on the Ridge. And another man in hospital, thinking of the Burn -Bastion, thinking with a strange wonder of men who could refuse to -follow, muttered under his breath, "Thank God! I have still strength -left to shoot a coward." - -And yet General Wilson in a way was right. Five days afterward Major -Hodson wrote in his diary: "The troops are utterly demoralized by hard -work and hard drink. For the first time in my life I have had to see -English soldiers refuse repeatedly to follow their officers. Jacob, -Nicholson, Greville, Speke were all sacrificed to this." - -A terrible indictment indeed, against brave men. - -Yet not worse than that underlying the chief's order of the 15th, -directing the Provost-marshal to search for and smash every bottle and -barrel to be found, and let the beer and wine, so urgently needed by -the sick, run into the gutters; or his admission three days later that -another attempt to take the Lahore gate had failed from "the refusal -of the European soldiers to follow their officers. One rush and it -could have been done easily--we are still, therefore, in the same -position to-day as we were yesterday." - -So much for drink. - -But the enemy luckily was demoralized also. It was still full of -defense; empty of attack. - -For one thing, attack would have admitted a reverse; and over on that -eastern wall of the Palace, in the fretted marble balcony overlooking -the river, there was no mention, even now, of such a word. Reverse! -Had not the fourth column been killed to a man? Had not Nikalseyn -himself fallen a victim to valor? But Soma, and many a man of his -sort, gave up the pretense with bitter curses at themselves. They had -seen from their own posts that victorious escalade, that swift, -unchecked herding of the frightened sheep. And they--intolerable -thought!--were sheep also. They saw men with dark faces, no whit -better than they--better!--the Rajpoot had at least a longer record -than the Sikh!--led to victory while they were not led at all. So -brought face to face once more with the old familiar glory and honor, -the old familiar sight of the master first--uncompromisingly, -indubitably first to snatch success from the grasp of Fate, and hand -it back to them--they thought of the past three months with loathing. - -And as for Nikalseyn's rebuff. Soma, hearing of it from a comrade, hot -at heart as he, went to the place, and looked down the lane as John -Nicholson had done. By all the Pandâvas! a place for heroes indeed! -Ali! if he had been there, he would have stayed there somehow. He -walked up and down it moodily, picturing the struggle to himself; -thinking with a curious anger of those men on the housetops, in the -bastion, taking potshots at the unsheltered men below. That was all -there would be now. They might drive the masters back for a time, they -might inveigle them into lanes and reduce their numbers by tens and -fifties, they, men of his sort, might make a brave defense. - -Defense! Soma wanted to attack. Attracted by the faint shade of the -kikar tree he sat down beneath it, resting against the trunk, looking -along the lane once more, just as, a day or two before, John Nicholson -had rested for a space. And the iron of failure entered into this -man's heart also, because there was none to lead. And with the master -there had been none to follow. - -Suddenly he rose, his mind made up. If that was so, let him go back to -the plow. That also was a hereditary trade. - -That night, without a word to anyone, leaving his uniform behind him, -he started along the Rohtuck road for his ancestral village. But he -had to make a detour round the suburbs, for, despite that annihilation -spoken of in the Peace, they were now occupied by the English. - -Yet but little headway had been made in securing a firmer hold within -the city itself. - -"You can't, till the Burn Bastion is taken and the Lahore gate -secured," said Nicholson from his dying bed, whence, growing -perceptibly weaker day by day, yet with mind clear and unclouded, he -watched and warned. The single eye was not closed yet, was not even -made dim by death. It saw still, what it had seen on the day of the -assault; what it had coveted then and failed to reach. - -But it was not for five days after this failure that even Baird Smith -recognized the absolute accuracy of this judgment, and, against the -Chief's will, obtained permission to sap through the shelter of the -intervening houses till they could tackle the bastion at close and -commanding quarters without asking the troops to face another lane. So -on the morning of the 19th, after a night of storm and rain cooling -the air incredibly, the pick-ax began what rifles and swords had -failed to do. By nightfall a tall house was reached, whence the -bastion could be raked fore and aft. Its occupants, recognizing this, -took advantage of the growing darkness to evacuate it. Half an hour -afterward the master-key of the position was in English hands. - -Rather unsteady ones, for here again the troops--once more the 8th, -the 75th, the Sikh Infantry, and that balance of the Fusiliers--had -found more brandy. - -"_Poisoned, sir?_" said one thirsty trooper, flourishing a bottle of -Exshaw's Number One before the eyes of his Captain, who, as a last -inducement to sobriety, was suggesting danger. "Not a bit of it. -Capsules all right." - -But this time England could afford a few drunk men. The bastion was -gone, and by the Turkoman and Delhi gates half the town was going. And -not only the town. Down in the Palace men and women, with fumbling -hands and dazed eyes, like those new roused from dreams, were -snatching at something to carry with them in their flight. Bukht Khân -stood facing the Queen in her favorite summer-house, alone, save for -Hâfzan, the scribe, who lingered, watching them with a certain malice -in her eyes. She had been right. Vengeance had been coming. Now it had -come. - -"All is not lost, my Queen," said Bukht Khân, with hand on sword. "The -open country lies before us, Lucknow is ours--come!" - -"And the King, and my son," she faltered. The dull glitter of her -tarnished jewelry seemed in keeping with the look on her face. There -was something sordid in it. Sordid, indeed, for behind that mask of -wifely solicitude and maternal care lay the thought of her hidden -treasure. - -"Let them come too. Naught hinders it." - -True. But the gold, the gold! - -After he had left her, impatient of her hesitation, a sudden terror -seized her, lest he might have sought the King, lest he might persuade -him. - -"My bearers--woman! Quick!" she called to Hâfzan. "Quick, fool! my -dhooli!" - -But even dhooli bearers have to fly when vengeance shadows the -horizon; and in that secluded corner none remained. Everyone was busy -elsewhere; or from sheer terror clustered together where soldiers were -to be found. - -"The Ornament-of-Palaces can walk," said Hâfzan, still with that faint -malice in her face. "There is none to see, and it is not far." - -So, for the last time, Zeenut Maihl left the summer-house whence she -had watched the Meerut road. Left it on foot, as many a better woman -as unused to walking as she was leaving Delhi with babies on their -breasts and little children toddling beside them. Past the faint -outline of the Pearl Mosque, through the cool damp of the watered -garden with the moon shining overhead, she stumbled laboriously. Up -the steps of the Audience Hall toward a faint light by the Throne. The -King sat on it, almost in the dark; for the oil cressets on a trefoil -stand only seemed to make the shadows blacker. They lay thick upon the -roof, blotting out that circling boast. Before him stood Bukht Khân, -his hand still on his sword, broad, contemptuously bold. But on either -side of the shrunken figure, half lost in the shadows also, were other -counselors. Ahsan-Oolah, wily as ever, Elahi Buksh, the time-server, -who saw the only hope of safety in prompt surrender. - -"Let the Pillar-of-Faith claim time for thought," the latter was -saying. "There is no hurry. If the soubadar-sahib is in one, let him -go----" - -Bukht Khân broke in with an ugly laugh, "Yea, Mirza-sahib, I can go, -but if I go the army goes with me. Remember that. The King can keep -the rabble. I have the soldiers." - -Bahâdur Shâh looked from one to the other helplessly. Whether to go, -risk all, endure a life of unknown discomfort at his age, or remain, -alone, unprotected, he knew not. - -"Yea! that is true. Still there is no need for hurry," put in the -physician, with a glance at Elahi Buksh. "Let my master bid the -soubadar and the army meet him at the Tomb of Humayon to-morrow -morning. 'Twill be more seemly time to leave than now, like a thief -in the night." - -Bukht Khân gave a sharp look at the speaker, then laughed again. He -saw the game. He scarcely cared to check it. - -"So be it. But let it be before noon. I will wait no longer." - -As he passed out hastily he almost ran into a half-veiled figure, -which, with another behind it, was hugging one of the pillars, peering -forward, listening. He guessed it for the Queen, and paused instantly. - -"'Tis thy last chance, Zeenut Maihl," he whispered in her ear. "Come if -thou art wise." - -The last. No! not that. The last for sovereignty perhaps, but not for -hidden treasure. Half an hour afterward, a little procession of Royal -dhoolies passed out of the Palace on their way to Elahi Buksh's house -beside the Delhi gate, and Ahsan-Oolah walked beside the Queen's. He -had gold also to save, and he was wise; so she listened, and as she -listened she told herself that it would be best to stay. Her life was -safe, and her son was too young for the punishment of death. As for -the King, he was too old for the future to hold anything else. - -Hâfzan watched her go, still with that half-jeering smile, then turned -back into the empty Palace. Even in the outer court it was empty, -indeed, save for a few fanatics muttering texts; and within the -precincts, deserted utterly, silent as the grave. Until, suddenly, -from the Pearl Mosque a voice came, giving the call to prayer; for it -was not far from dawn. - -She paused, recognizing it, and leaving the marble terrace -where she had been standing, looking riverward, walked over to the -bronze-studded door, and peered in among the white arches of the -mosque for what she sought. - -And there it was, a tall white figure looking westward, its back -toward her, its arms spread skyward. A fanatic of fanatics. - -"Thou art not wise to linger here, Moulvie sahib," she called. "Hast -not heard? The Burn Bastion is taken. The King and Queen have fled. -The English will be here in an hour or so, and then----" - -"And then there comes judgment," answered Mohammed Ismail, turning to -look at her sternly. "Doth not it lie within these walls? I stay here, -woman, as I have stayed." - -"Nay, not here," she argued in conciliatory tones. "It lies yonder, in -the outer court, by the trees shadowing the little tank. Thou canst -see it from the window of my uncle's room. And he hath gone--like the -others. 'Twere better to await it there." - -She spoke as she would have spoken to a madman. And, indeed, she held -him to be little else. Here was a man who had saved forty infidels, -whose reward was sure. And who must needs imperil it by lingering -where death was certain; must needs think of his battered soul instead -of his body. Mohammed Ismail came and stood beside her, with a curious -acquiescence in regard to detail's which is so often seen in men -mastered by one idea. - -"It may be better so, sister," he said dreamily. "'Tis as well to be -prepared." - -Hâfzan's hard eyes melted a little, for she had a real pity for this -man who had haunted the Palace persistently, and lost his reason over -his conscience. - -If she could once get him into her uncle's room, she would find some -method of locking him in, of keeping him out of mischief. For herself, -being a woman, the Huzoors were not to be feared. - -"Yea! 'tis as well to be near," she said as she led the way. - -And the time drew near also; for the dawn of the 20th of September had -broken ere, with the key of the outer door in her bosom, she retired -into an inner room, leaving the Moulvie saying his prayers in the -other. Already the troops, recovered from their unsteadiness, had -carried the Lahore gate and were bearing down on the mosque. They -found it almost undefended. The circling flight of purple pigeons, -which at the first volley flew westward, the sun glistening on their -iridescent plumage, was scarcely more swift than the flight of those -who attempted a feeble resistance. And now the Palace lay close by. -With it captured, Delhi was taken. Its walls, it is true, rose -unharmed, secure as ever, hemming in those few acres of God's earth -from the march of time; but they were strangely silent. Only now and -again a puff of white smoke and an unavailing roar told that someone, -who cared not even for success, remained within. - -So powder bags were brought. Home of the Engineers sent for, that he -might light the fuse which gave entry to the last stronghold; for -there was no hurry now. No racing now under hailstorms, and over -tightropes. Calmly, quietly, the fuse was lit, the gate shivered to -atoms, and the long red tunnel with the gleam of sunlight at its end -lay before the men, who entered it with a cheer. Then, here and there -rose guttural Arabic texts, ending in a groan. Here and there the -clash of arms. But not enough to rouse Hâfzan, who, long ere this, had -fallen asleep after her wakeful night. It needed a touch on her -shoulder for that, and the Moulvie's eager voice in her ear. - -"The key, woman! The key--give it! I need the key." - -Half-dazed by sleep, deceived by the silence, she put her hand -mechanically to her bosom. His followed hers; he had what he sought, -and was off. She sprang to her feet, recognizing some danger, and -followed him. - -"He is mad! He is mad!" she cried, as her halting steps lingered -behind the tall white figure which made straight for a crowd of -soldiers gathered round the little tank. There were other soldiers -here, there, everywhere in the rose-red arcades around the sun-lit -court. Soldiers with dark faces and white ones seeking victims, -seeking plunder. But these in the center were all white men, and they -were standing, as men stand to look at a holy shrine, upon the place -where, as the spies had told them, English women and children had been -murdered. - -So toward them, while curses were in all hearts and on some lips, came -the tall white figure with its arms outspread, its wild eyes aflame. - -"O God of Might and Right! Give judgment now, give judgment now." - -The cry rolled and echoed through the arcades to alien ears even as -other cries. - -"He is mad--he saved them--he is mad!" gasped the maimed woman behind; -but her cry seemed no different to those unheeding ears. - -The tall white figure lay on its face, half a dozen bayonets in its -back, and half a dozen more were after Hâfzan. - -"Stick him! Stick him! A man in disguise. Remember the women and -children. Stick the coward!" - -She fled shrieking--shrill, feminine shrieks; but the men's blood was -up. They could not hear, they would not hear; and yet the awkwardness -of that flying figure made them laugh horribly. - -"Don't 'ustle 'im! Give 'im time! There's plenty o' run in 'im yet, -mates. Lord! 'e'd get first prize at Lillie Bridge 'e would." - -Someone else, however, had got it at Harrow not a year before, and was -after the reckless crew. Almost too late--not quite. Hâfzan, run to -earth against a red wall, felt something on her back, and gave a wild -yell. But it was only a boy's hand. - -"My God! sir, I've stuck you!" faltered a voice behind, as a man stood -rigid, arrested in mid-thrust. - -"You d----d fool!" said the boy. "Couldn't you hear it was a woman? -I'll--I'll have you shot. Oh, hang it all! Drag the creature away, -someone. Get out, do!" - -For Hâfzan, as he stood stanching the blood from the slight wound, had -fallen at his feet and was kissing them frantically. - -But even that indignity was forgotten as the stained handkerchief -answered the flutter of something which at that moment caught the -breeze above him. - -It was the English flag. - -The men, forgetting everything else, cheered themselves -hoarse--cheered again when an orderly rode past waving a slip of paper -sent back to the General with the laconic report: - -"Blown open the gates! Got the Palace!" - -But Hâfzan, her veil up to prevent mistakes, limped over to where the -Moulvie lay, turned him gently on his back, straightened his limbs and -closed his eyes. She would have liked to tell the truth to someone, -but there was no one to listen. So she left him there before the -tribunal to which he had appealed. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. - - -So the strain of months was over on the Ridge. Delhi was taken; the -Queen's health was being drunk night after night in the Palace of the -Moghuls. But there was one person to whom the passing days brought a -growing anxiety. This was Kate Erlton; for there were no tidings of -Jim Douglas. None. - -At first she had comforted herself with the idea that he was still, -for some reason or another, keeping to the yet unconquered part of the -city; that he was obliged to do so being impossible, the long files of -women and children seeking safety and passing through the Ridge -fearlessly precluding that consolation. Still it was conceivable he -might be busy, though it seemed strange he should have sent no word. -So, like many another in India at that time, she waited, hoping -against hope, possessing her soul in patience. She had no lack of -occupation to distract her. How could there be for a woman, when close -on twelve hundred men had come back from the city dead or wounded? - -But now the 21st of September was upon them. The city was occupied, -the work was over. Yet Captain Morecombe, coming back from it, shook -his head. He had spent time and trouble in the search, but had -failed--failed even, from Kate's limited ideas of their locality, to -find either Tara's lodging or the roof in the Mufti's quarter. She -could have found them herself, she said almost pathetically; but of -course that was impossible now, and would be so for some time to come. - -"I'm afraid it is no use, Mrs. Erlton," said the Captain kindly. -"There is not a trace to be found, even by Hodson's spies. Unless he -is shut up somewhere, he--he must be dead. It is so likely that he -should be; you must see that. Possibly before the siege began. Let us -hope so." - -"Why?" she asked quickly. "You mean that there have been horrible -things done of late?--things like that poor soldier who was found -chained outside the Cashmere gate as a target for his fellows? Have -there? I would so much rather know the worst,--I used always to tell -Mr. Douglas so,--it prevents one dreaming at night." She shivered as -she spoke, and the man watching her felt his heart go out toward her -with a throb of pity. How long, he wondered irrelevantly, would it -take her to forget the miserable tragedy, to be ready for consolation? - -"Yes, there have been terrible things on both sides. There always are. -You can't help it when you sack cities," he replied, interrupting -himself hastily with a sort of shame. "The Ghoorkhas had the devil in -them when I was down in the Mufti's quarter. They shot dozens of -helpless learned people in the Chelon-ke-kucha--one who coached me up -for my exams. And about twelve women in the house of a 'Professor of -Arabic'--so he styled himself--jumped down the wall to escape--their -own fears chiefly. For the men wanted loot, nothing else. That is the -worst of it. The whole story from beginning to end seems so needless. -It is as if Fate----" - -She interrupted him quietly, "It has been Fate. Fate from beginning to -end." - -He sat for an instant with a grave face, then looked up with a smile. -"Perhaps. It's rather _apropos des bottes_, Mrs. Erlton, but I wanted -to ask you a question. Hadn't you a white cockatoo, once? When you -first came here. I seem to recollect the bird making a row in the -veranda when I used to drive up." - -Her face grew suddenly pale, she sat staring at him with dread in her -eyes. "Yes!" she replied with a manifest effort, "I gave it to Sonny -Seymour because--because it loved him----" She broke off, then added -swiftly, eagerly, "What then?" - -"Only that I found one in the Palace to-day. There is a jolly marble -latticed balcony overlooking the river. The King used to write his -poetry there, they say. Well! I saw a brass cage hanging high up on a -hook--there has been no loot in the precincts, you know, for the Staff -has annexed them; I thought the cage was empty till I took it down -from sheer curiosity, and there was a dead cockatoo." - -"Dead!" echoed Kate, with a quick smile of relief. "Oh! how glad I am -it was dead." - -Captain Morecombe stared at her. "Poor brute!" he said under his -breath. "It was skin and bone. Starved to death. I expect they forgot -all about it when they got really frightened. They are cruel devils, -Mrs. Erlton." - -The Major had used the self-same words to Alice Gissing eighteen -months before, and in the same connection. But, perhaps fortunately -for Kate in her present state of nervous strain, that knowledge was -denied to her. Even so the coincidence of the bird itself absorbed -her. - -"It had a yellow crest," she began. - -"Oh! then it couldn't have been yours," interrupted Captain Morecombe, -rather relieved, for he saw that he had somehow touched on a hidden -wound. "This one was green; yellowish green. I dare say the King kept -pets like the Oude man----" - -"It is dead anyhow," said Kate hurriedly. - -And the knowledge gave her an unreasoning comfort. To begin with, it -seemed to her as if those fateful white wings, which had begun to -overshadow her world on that sunny evening down by the Goomtee river, -had ceased to hover over it. And then this rounding of the tale--for -that the bird was little Sonny's favorite she did not doubt--made her -feel that Fate would not leave that other portion of it unfinished. -The inevitable sequence would be worked out somehow. She would hear -something. So once more she waited like many another; waiting with -eyes strained past the last known deed of gallantry for the end which -surely must have been nobler still. When that knowledge came, she told -herself, she would be content. - -Yet there was another thing which held her to hope even more than -this; it was the remembrance of John Nicholson's words, "If ever you -have a chance of making up." They seemed prophetic; for he who spoke -them was so often right. Men talking of him as he lingered, watching, -advising, warning, despite dire agony of pain and drowsiness of -morphia, said there was none like him for clear insight into the very -heart of things. - -Yet he, as he lay without a complaint, was telling himself he had been -blind. He had sought more from his world than there was in it. And so, -though the news of the capture of the Burn Bastion brought a brief -rally, he sank steadily. - -But Hodson, coming into his tent to tell him of the safe capture of -the King and Queen upon the 21st at Humayon's Tomb, found him eager to -hear all particulars. So eager, that when the Sirdars of the Mooltanee -Horse (a regiment he had practically raised), who sat outside in -dozens waiting for every breath of news about their fetish, would not -keep quiet, he emphasized his third order by a revolver bullet through -the wall of the tent. Greatly to their delight since, as they retired -further off, they agreed that Nikalseyn was Nikalseyn still; and -surely death dare not claim one so full of life? - -Even Hodson smiled in the swift silence in which the laboring breath -of the dying man could be heard. - -"Well, sir," he went on, "as I was saying, I got permission, thanks to -you, to utilize my information----" - -"You mean Rujjub Ali's and that sneak Elahi Buksh's, I suppose," put -in Nicholson. "It was sharp work. The King only went to Humayon's Tomb -yesterday. They must have had it all cut and dried before, surely?" - -"The Queen has been trying to surrender on terms some time back, sir," -replied Hodson hastily. "She has a lot of treasure--eight lakhs, the -spies tell me--and is anxious to keep it. However, to go on. After -stopping with Elahi Buksh that night--no doubt, as you say, pressure -was put on them then--they went off, as agreed, to meet Bukht Khân, -but refused to go with him. Of course the promise of their lives----" - -"Then you were negotiating already?"[9] - -"Not exactly--but--but I couldn't have done without the promise unless -Wilson had agreed to send out troops, and he wouldn't. So I had to -give in, though personally I would a deal rather have brought the old -man in dead, than alive. Well, I set off this morning with fifty of my -horse and sent in the two messengers while I waited outside. It was -nearly two hours before they came back, for the old man was hard to -move. Zeenut Maihl was the screw, and when Bahâdur Shâh talked of his -ancestors and wept, told him he should have thought of that before he -let Bukht Khân and the army go. In fact she did the business for me; -but she stipulated for a promise of life from my own lips. So I rode -out alone to the causeway by the big gate--it is a splendid place, -sir; more like a mosque than a tomb, and drew up to attention. Zeenut -Maihl came out first, swinging along in her curtained dhooli, and -Rujjub, who was beside me, called out her name and titles decorously. -I couldn't help feeling it was a bit of a scene, you know; my being -there, alone, and all that. Then the King came in his palkee; so I -rode up, and demanded his sword. He asked if I were Hodson-sahib -bahâdur and if I would ratify the promise? So I had to choke over it, -for there were two or three thousand of a crowd by this time. Then we -came away. It was a long five miles at a footpace, with that crowd -following us until we neared the city. Then they funked. Besides I had -said openly I'd shoot the King like a dog despite the promise at the -first sign of rescue. And that's all, except that you should have seen -the officer's face at the Lahore gate when he asked me what I'd got in -tow, and I said calmly, 'Only the King of Delhi.' So that is done." - -"And well done," said Nicholson briefly, reaching out a parched right -hand. "Well done, from the beginning to the end." - -Hodson flushed up like a girl. "I'm glad to hear you say so, sir," he -replied as nonchalantly as he could, "but personally, of course, I -would rather have brought him in dead." - -Even that slight action, however, had left Nicholson breathless, and -the only comment for a time came from his eyes; bright, questioning -eyes, seeking now with a sort of pathetic patience to grasp the world -they were leaving, and make allowances for all shortcomings. - -"And now for the Princes," said Hodson. "Did you write to Wilson, -sir?" - -Nicholson nodded, "I think he'll consent. Only--only don't make any -more promises, Hodson. Some of them must be hung; they deserve death." - -His hearer gave rather an uneasy look at the clear eyes, and remarked -sharply: "You thought they deserved more than hanging once, sir." - -The old imperious frown of quick displeasure at all challenge came to -John Nicholson's face, then faded into a half-smile. "I was not so -near death myself. It makes a difference. So good-by, Hodson. I mayn't -see you again." He paused, and his smile grew clearer, and strangely -soft. "No news, I suppose, of that poor fellow Douglas, who didn't -agree with us?" - -"None, sir; I warned him it was useless and foolhardy to go back when -my information----" - -"No doubt," interrupted the dying man gently. "Still, I'd have gone in -his place." He lay still for a moment, then murmured to himself. "So -he is on the way before me. Well! I don't think we can be unhappy -after death. And, as for that poor lady--when you see her, Hodson, -tell her I am sorry--sorry she hadn't her chance." The last words were -once more murmured to himself and ended in silence. - -Kate Erlton, however, did not get the message which would, perhaps, -have ended her lingering hope. Major Hodson was too busy to deliver -it. Permission to capture the Princes was given him that very night, -and early the next morning he set off to Humayon's Tomb once more, -with his two spies, his second in command, and about a hundred -troopers. A small party indeed, to face the four or five thousand -Palace refugees who were known to be in hiding about the tomb, waiting -to see if the Princes could make terms like the King had done. But -Hodson's orders were strict. He was to bring in Mirza Moghul and Khair -Sultân, ex-Commanders-in-Chief, and Abool-Bukr, heir presumptive, -unconditionally, or not at all. - -The morning was deliciously cool and crisp, full of that promise of -winter, which in its perfection of climate consoles the Punjabee for -six months of purgatory. The sun sent a yellow flood of light over the -endless ruins of ancient Delhi, which here extend for miles on miles. -A nasty country for skulking enemies; but Hodson's pluck and dash were -equal to anything, and he rode along with a heart joyous at his -chance; full of determination to avail himself of it and gain renown. - -Someone else, however, was early astir on this the 22d of September, -so as to reach Humayon's Tomb in time to press on to the Kutb, if -needs be. This was the Princess Farkhoonda Zamâni. Ever since that -day, now more than a week past, when the last message to the city had -warned her that the supreme moment for the House of Timoor was at -hand, and she had started from her study of Holy Writ, telling herself -piteously that she must find Prince Abool-Bukr--must, at all sacrifice -to pride, seek him, since he would not seek her--must warn him and -keep his hand in hers again--she had been distracted by the -impossibility of carrying out her decision. For, expecting an -immediate sack of the town, the Mufti's people had barricaded the only -exit bazaar-ward, and when, after a day or two, she did succeed in -creeping out, it was to find the streets unsafe, the Palace itself -closed against all. But now, at least, there was a chance. Like all -the royal family, she knew of these two spies, Rujjub-Ali and Mirza -Elahi Buksh, who was saving his skin by turning Queen's evidence. She -knew of Hodson sahib's promise to the King and Queen. She knew that -Abool-Bukr was still in hiding with the arch-offenders, Mirza Moghul -and Khair Sultân, at Humayon's Tomb. Such an association was fatal; -but if she could persuade him to throw over his uncles, and go with -her, and if, afterward, she could open negotiations with the -Englishmen, and prove that Abool-Bukr had been dismissed from office -on the very day of the death challenge, had been in disgrace ever -since--had even been condemned to death by the King; surely she might -yet drag her dearest from the net into which Zeenut Maihl had lured -him--with what bait she scarcely trusted herself to think! The first -thing to be done, therefore, was to persuade Abool to come with her to -some safer hiding. She would risk all; her pride, her reputation, his -very opinion of her, for this. And surely a man of his nature was to -be tempted. So she put on her finest clothes, her discarded jewels, -and set off about noon in a ruth--a sort of curtain-dhoolie on wheels -drawn by oxen, gay with trappings, and set with jingling bells. They -let her pass at the Delhi gate, after a brief look through the -curtains, during which she cowered into a corner without covering her -face, lest they might think her a man, and stop her. - -"By George! that was a pretty woman," said the English subaltern who -passed her, as he came back to the guard-room. "Never saw such eyes in -my life. They were as soft, as soft as--well! I don't know what. And -they looked, somehow, as if they have been crying for years, and--and -as if they saw--saw something, you know." - -"They saw you--you sentimental idiot--that's enough to make any woman -cry," retorted his companion. And then the two, mere boys, wild with -success and high spirits, fell to horse-play over the insult. - -Yet the first boy was right. Newâsi's eyes had seen something day and -night, night and day, ever since they had strained into the darkness -after Prince Abool-Bukr when he broke from the kind detaining hand and -disappeared from the Mufti's quarter. And that something was a flood -of sunlight holding a figure, as she had seen it more than once, in a -wild unreasoning paroxysm of sheer terror. It seemed to her as if she -could hear those white lips gasping once more over the cry which -brought the vision. "Why didst not let me live mine own life, die mine -own death? but to die--to die needlessly--to die in the sunlight -perhaps." - -There was a flood of it now outside the ruth as it lumbered -along by the jail, not a quarter of a mile yet from the city gate. -Half-shivering she peeped through the gay patchwork curtains to assure -herself it held no horror. - -God and his Holy Prophet! What was that crowd on the road ahead? No, -not ahead, she was in it, now, so that the oxen paused, unable to go -on. A crowd, a cluster of spear-points, and then, against the jail -wall, an open space round another ruth, an Englishman on foot, three -figures stripped. No; not three! only two, for one had fallen as the -crack of a carbine rang through the startled air. Two? But one, now, -and that, oh! saints have mercy! the vision! the vision! It was Abool, -dodging like a hare, begging for bare life; seeking it, at last, out -of the sunshine, under the shadow of the ruth wheels. - -"Abool! Abool!" she screamed. "I am here. Come! I am here." - -Did he hear the kind voice? He may have, for it echoed clear before -the third and final crack of the carbine. So clear that the driver, -terrified lest it should bring like punishment on him, drove his goad -into the oxen; and the next instant they were careering madly down a -side road, bumping over watercourses and ditches. But Newâsi felt no -more buffetings. She lay huddled up inside, as unconscious as that -other figure which, by Major Hodson's orders, was being dragged out -from under the wheels and placed upon it beside the two other corpses -for conveyance to the city. And none of all the crowd, ready--so the -tale runs--to rescue the Princes lest death should be their portion in -the future, raised voice or hand to avenge them now that it had come -so ruthlessly, so wantonly. Perhaps the English guard at the Delhi -gate cowed them, as it had cowed those who the day before had followed -the King so far, then slunk away. - -So the little _cortège_ moved on peacefully; far more peacefully -than the other ruth, which, with _its_ unconscious burden, was racing -Kutb-ward as if it was afraid of the very sunshine. But the Princess -Farkhoonda, huddled up in all her jewels and fineries, had forgotten -even that; forgotten even that vision seen in it. - -But Hodson as he rode at ease behind the dead Princes seemed to court -the light. He gloried in the deed, telling himself that "in less than -twenty-four hours he had disposed of the principal members of the -House of Timoor"; so fulfilling his own words written weeks before, -"If I get into the Palace, the House of Timoor will not be worth five -minutes' purchase, I ween." Telling himself also, that in shooting -down with his own hand men who had surrendered without stipulations to -his generosity and clemency, surrendered to a hundred troopers when -they had five thousand men behind them, he "had rid the earth of -ruffians." Telling himself that he was "glad to have had the -opportunity, and was game to face the moral risk of praise or blame." - -He got the former unstintingly from most of his fellows as, in -triumphant procession, the bodies were taken to the chief police -station, there to be exposed, so say eye-witnesses, "In the very spot -where, four months before, Englishwomen had been outraged and -murdered, in the very place where their helpless victims had lain." - -A strange perversion of the truth, responsible, perhaps, not only for -the praise, but for the very deed itself; so Mohammed Ismail's barter -of his truth and soul for the lives of the forty prisoners at the -Kolwâb counted for nothing in the judgment of this world. - -But Hodson lacked either praise or blame from one man. John Nicholson -lay too near the judgment of another world to be disturbed by vexed -questions in this; and when the next morning came, men, meeting each -other, said sadly, "He is dead." - -The news, brought to Kate Erlton by Captain Morecombe when he came -over to report another failure, took the heart out of even her hope. - -"There is no use in my staying longer, I'm afraid," she said quietly. -"I'm only in the way. I will go back to Meerut; and then home--to the -boy." - -"I think it would be best," he replied kindly. "I can arrange for you -to start to-morrow morning. You will be the better for a change; it -will help you to forget." - -She smiled a little bitterly; but when he had gone she set to work, -packing up such of her husband's things as she wished the boy to have -with calm deliberation; and early in the afternoon went over to the -garden of her old house to get some fresh flowers for what would be -her last visit to that rear-guard of graves. To take, also, her last -look at the city, and watch it grow mysterious in the glamour of -sunset. Seen from afar it seemed unchanged. A mass of rosy light and -lilac shadow, with the great white dome of the mosque hanging airily -above the smoke wreaths. - -Yet the end had come to its four months' dream as it had come to hers. -Rebellion would linger long, but its stronghold, its very _raison -d'être_, was gone. And Memory would last longer still; yet surely it -would not be all bitter. Hers was not. Then with a rush of real regret -she thought of the peaceful roof, of old Tiddu, of the Princess -Farkhoonda--Tara--Soma--of Sri Anunda in his garden. Was she to go -home to safe, snug England, live in a suburb, and forget? Forget all -but the tragedy! Yet even that held beautiful memories. Alice Gissing -under young Mainwaring's scarf, while he lay at her feet. Her husband -leaving a good name to his son. Did not these things help to make the -story perfect? No! not perfect. And with the remembrance her eyes -filled with sudden tears. There would always be a blank for her in the -record. The Spirit which had moved on the Face of the Waters, bringing -their chance of Healing and Atonement to so many, had left hers in the -shadow. She had learned her lesson. Ah! yes; she had learned it. But -the chance of using it? - -As she sat on the plinth of the ruined veranda, watching the city -growing dim through the mist of her tears, John Nicholson's words came -back to her once more, "If ever you have the chance"; but it would -never come now--never! - -She started up wildly at the clutch of a brown hand on her wrist--a -brown hand with a circlet of dead gold above it. - -"Come!" said a voice behind her; "come quick! he needs you." - -"Tara!" she gasped--"Tara! Is--is he alive then?" - -"He would not need the mem if he were dead," came the swift reply. -Then with her wild eyes fixed on another gold circlet upon the wrist -she held, Tara laughed shrilly. "So the mem wears it still. She has -not forgotten. Women do not forget, white or black"--with a strange -stamp of her foot she interrupted herself fiercely--"come, I say, -come!" - -If there had been doubts as to the Rajpootni's sanity at times in past -days, there was none now. A glance at her face was sufficient. It was -utterly distraught, the clutch on Kate's arm utterly uncontrolled; so -that, involuntarily, the latter shrank back. - -"The mem is afraid," cried Tara exultantly. "So be it! I will go back -and tell the master. Tell him I was right and he wrong, for all the -English he chattered. I will tell him the mem is not suttee--how could -she be----" - -The old taunt roused many memories, and made Kate ready to risk -anything. "I am coming, Tara--but where?" She stood facing the tall -figure in crimson, a tall figure also, in white, her hands full of the -roses she had gathered. - -Tara looked at her with that old mingling of regret and approbation, -jealousy and pride. "Then she must come at once. He is dying--may be -dead ere we get back." - -"Dead!" echoed Kate faintly. "Is he wounded then?" - -A sort of somber sullenness dulled the excitement of Tara's face. "He -is ill," she replied laconically. Suddenly, however, she burst out -again: "The mem need not look so! I have done all--all she could have -done. It is his fault. He will not take things. The mem can do no -more; but I have come to her, so that none shall say, 'Tara killed the -master.' So come. Come quick!" - -Five minutes after Kate was swinging cityward in a curtained dhooli -which Tara had left waiting on the road below, and trying to piece out -a consecutive story from the odd jumble of facts and fancies and -explanations which Tara poured into her ear between her swift abuse of -the bearers for not going faster, and her assertion that there was no -need to hurry. The mem need not hope to save the Huzoor, since -everything had been done. It seemed, however, that Tiddu had taken -back the letter telling of Kate's safety, and that in consequence of -this the master had arranged to leave the city in a day or two, and -Tiddu--born liar and gold grubber, so the Rajpootni styled him--had -gone off at once to make more money. But on the very eve of his going -back to the Ridge, Jim Douglas had been struck down with the Great -Sickness, and after two or three days, instead of getting better, had -fallen--as Tara put it--into the old way. So far Kate made out -clearly; but from this point it became difficult to understand the -reproaches, excuses, pathetic assertions of helplessness, and fierce -declarations that no one could have done more. But what was the use of -the Huzoor's talking English all night? she said; even a suttee could -not go out when everyone was being shot in the streets. Besides, it -was all obstinacy. The master could have got well if he had tried. And -who was to know where to find the mem? Indeed, if it had not been for -Sri Anunda's gardener, who knew all the gardener folk, of course, she -would not have found the mem even now; for she would never have known -which house to inquire at. Not that it would have mattered, since the -mem could do nothing--nothing--nothing---- - -Kate, looking down on the bunch of white flowers which she had -literally been too hurried to think of laying aside, felt her heart -shrink. They were rather a fateful gift to be in her hands now. Had -they come there of set purpose, and would the man who had done so much -for her be beyond all care save those pitiful offices of the dead? -Still, even that was better than that he should lie alone, untended. -So, urged by Tara's vehement upbraidings, the dhooli-bearers lurched -along, to stop at last. It seemed to Kate as if her heart stopped -also. She could not think of what might lie before her as she followed -Tara up the dark, strangely familiar stair. Surely, she thought, she -would have known it among a thousand. And there was the step on which -she had once crouched terror-stricken, because she was shut out from -shelter within. But now Tara's fingers were at the padlock, Tara's -hand set the door wide. - -Kate paused on the threshold, feeling, in truth, dazed once more at -the strange familiarity of all things. It seemed to her as if she had -but just left that strip of roof aglow with the setting, sun, the -bubble dome of the mosque beginning to flush like a cloud upon the -sky. But Tara, watching her with resentful eyes, put a different -interpretation on the pause, and said quickly: - -"He is within. The mem was away, and it was quieter. But the rest is -all the same--there is nothing forgotten--nothing." - -Kate, however, heard only the first words, and was already across the -outer roof to gain the inner one. Tara, still beyond the threshold, -watched her disappear, then stood listening for a minute, with a face -tragic in its intensity. Suddenly a faint voice broke the silence, and -her hands, which had been tightly clenched, relaxed. She closed the -door silently, and went downstairs. - -Meanwhile Kate, on the inner roof, had paused beside the low string -bed set in its middle, scarcely daring to look at its burden, and so -put hope and fear to the touchstone of truth. But as she stood -hesitating, a voice, querulous in its extreme weakness, said in -Hindustani: - -"It is too soon, Tara; I don't want anything; and--and you needn't -wait--thank you." - -He lay with his face turned from her, so she could stand, wondering -how best to break her presence to him, noting with a failing heart the -curious slackness, the lack of contour even on that hard string bed. -He seemed lost, sunk in it; and she had seen that sign so often of -late that she knew what it meant. One thing was certain, he must have -food--stimulants if possible--before she startled him. So she stole -back to the outer roof, expecting to find Tara there, and Tara's help. -But the roof lay empty, and a sudden fear lest, after all, she had -only come to see him die, while she was powerless to fight that death -from sheer exhaustion, which seemed so perilously near, made her put -down the bunch of flowers she held with an impatient gesture. What a -fool she had been not to think of other things! - -But as she glanced round, her eye fell on a familiar earthenware -basin kept warm in a pan of water over the ashes. It was full of -_chikken-brât_, and excellent of its kind, too. Then in a niche stood -milk and eggs--a bottle of brandy, arrow-root---everything a nurse -could wish for. And in another, evidently in case the brew should be -condemned, was a fresh chicken ready for use. Strange sights these to -bring tears of pity to a woman's eyes; but they did. For Kate, reading -between the lines of poor Tara's confusion, began to understand the -tragedy underlying those words she had just heard: - -"I don't want anything, Tara. And you needn't wait, thank you." She -seemed to see, with a flash, the long, long days which had passed, -with that patient, polite negative coming to chill the half distraught -devotion. - -He must take something now, for all that. So, armed with a cup and -spoon, she went back, going round the bed so that he could see her. - -"It is time for your food, Mr. Greyman," she said quietly; "when you -have taken some, I'll tell you everything. Only you must take this -first." As she slipped her hand under him, pillow and all, to raise -his head slightly, she could see the pained, puzzled expression narrow -his eyes as he swallowed a spoonful. Then with a frown he turned his -head from her impatiently. - -"You must take three," she insisted; "you must, indeed, Mr. Greyman. -Then I will tell you--everything." - -His face came back to hers with the faintest shadow of his old -mutinous sarcasm upon it, and he lay looking at her deliberately for a -second or two. "I thought you were a ghost," he said feebly at last; -"only they don't bully. Well let's get it over." - -The memory of many such a bantering reply to her insistence in the -past sent a lump to her throat and kept her silent. The little low -stool on which she had been wont to sit beside him was in its old -place, and half-mechanically she drew it closer, and, resting her -elbow on the bed as she used to do, looked round her, feeling as if -the last six weeks were a dream. Tara had told truth. Everything was -in its place. There were flowers in a glass, a spotless fringed cloth -on the brass platter. The pity held in these trivial signs brought a -fresh pang to her heart for that other woman. - -But Jim Douglas, lying almost in the arms of death, was not thinking -of such things. - -"Then Delhi must have fallen," he said suddenly in a stronger voice. -"Did Nicholson take it?" - -"Yes," she replied quietly, thinking it best to be concise and give -him, as it were, a fresh grip on facts. "It has fallen. The King is a -prisoner, the Princes have been shot, and most of the troops move on -to-morrow toward Agra." - -It epitomized the situation beyond the possibility of doubt, and he -gave a faint sigh. "Then it is all over. I'm glad to hear it. Tara -never knew anything; and it seemed so long." - -Had she known and refused to tell, Kate wondered? or in her insane -absorption had she really thought of nothing but the chance Fate had -thrown in her way of saving this man's life? Yes! it must have been -very long. Kate realized this as she watched the spent and weary face -before her, its bright, hollow eyes fixed on the glow which was now -fast fading from the dome. "All over!" he murmured to himself. "Well! -I suppose it couldn't be helped." - -She followed his thought unerringly; and a great pity for this man who -had done nothing, where others had done so much, surged up in her and -made her seek to show his fate no worse than others. Besides, this -discouragement was fatal, for it pointed to a lack of that desire for -life which is the best weapon against death. She might fail to rouse -him, as those had failed who, but a day or two before, had sent -a bit of red ribbon representing the Victoria Cross to the dying -Salkeld--the hero of the Cashmere gate--and only gained in reply a -faint smile and the words, "They will like it at home." Still she -would try. - -"Yes, it is over!" she echoed, "and it has cost so many lives -uselessly. General Nicholson lost his trying to do the impossible--so -people say." - -Jim Douglas still lay staring at the fading glow. "Dead!" he murmured. -"That is a pity. But he took Delhi first. He said he would." - -"And my husband----" she began. - -He turned then, with curiously patient courtesy. "I know. Nicholson -wrote that in his letter. And I have been glad--glad he had his -chance, and--and--made so much of it." - -Once more she followed his thought; knew that, though he was too proud -to confess it, he was saying to himself that he had had his chance too -and had done nothing. So she answered it as if he had spoken. - -"And you had your chance of saving a woman," she said, with a break in -her voice, "and you saved her. It isn't much, I suppose. It counts as -nothing to you. Why should it? But to me----" She broke off, losing -her purpose for him in her own bitter regret and vague resentment. -"Why didn't you let them kill me, and then go away?" she went on -almost passionately. "It would have been better than saving me to -remember always that I stood in your way--better than giving me no -chance of repaying you for all--ah! think how much! Better than -leaving me alone to a new life--like--like all the others have done." - -She buried her face on her arm as it rested on the pillow with a sob. -This, then, was the end, she thought, this bitter unavailing regret -for both. - -So for a space there was silence while she sat with her face hidden, -and he lay staring at that darkening dome. But suddenly she felt his -hot hand find hers; so thin, so soft, so curiously strong still in its -grip. - -"Give me some more wine or something," came his voice consolingly. -"I'll try and stop--if I can." - -She made an effort to smile back at him, but it was not very -successful. His, as she fed him, was better; but it did not help Kate -Erlton to cheerfulness, for it was accompanied by a murmur that the -_chikken-brât_ was very different from Tara's stuff. So she seemed to -see a poor ghost glowering at them from the shadows, asking her how -she dared take all the thanks. And the ghost remained long after Jim -Douglas had dozed off; remained to ask, so it seemed to Kate Erlton, -every question that could be asked about the mystery of womanhood and -manhood. - -But Tara herself asked none when in the first gray glimmer of dawn she -crept up the stairs again and stood beside the sleepers. For Kate, -wearied out, had fallen asleep crouched up on the stool, her head -resting on the pillow, her arm flung over the bed to keep that touch -on his hand which seemed to bring him rest. Tara, once more in her -widow's dress, looked down on them silently, then threw her bare arms -upward. So for a second she stood, a white-shrouded appealing figure -against that dark shadow of the dome which blocked the paling eastern -sky. Then stooping, her long, lissome fingers busied themselves -stealthily with the thin gold chain about the sick man's neck; for -there was something in the locket attached to it which was hers by -right now. Hers, if she could have nothing else; for she was -suttee--suttee! - -The unuttered cry was surging through her heart and brain, rousing a -mad exultation in her, when half an hour afterward she re-entered the -narrow lane leading to the arcaded courtyard with the black old shrine -hiding under the tall peepul tree. And what was that hanging over the -congeries of roofs and stairs, the rabbit warren of rooms and passages -where her pigeon-nest was perched? A canopy of smoke, and below it -leaping flames. There were many wanton fires in Delhi during those -first few days of license, and this was one of them; but already, in -the dawn, English officers were at work giving orders, limiting the -danger as much as possible. - -"We can't save that top bit," said one at last, then turned to one of -his fatigue party. "Have you cleared everybody out, sergeant, as I -told you?" - -"Yes, sir! it's quite empty." - -It had been so five minutes before. It was not now; for that canopy of -smoke, those licking tongues of flame, had given the last touch to -Tara's unstable mind. She had crept up and up, blindly, and was now on -her knees in that bare room set round with her one scrap of culture, -ransacking an old basket for something which had not seen the light -for years, her scarlet tinsel-set wedding dress. Her hands were -trembling, her wild eyes blazed like fires themselves. - -And below, men waited calmly for the flames to claim this, their last -prize; for the turret stood separated from the next house. - -"My God!" came an English voice, as something showed suddenly upon the -roof. "I thought you said it was empty--and that's a woman!" - -It was. A woman in a scarlet, tinsel-set dress, and all the poor -ornaments she possessed upon her widespread arms. So, outlined against -the first sun-ray she stood, her shrill chanting voice rising above -the roar and rush of the flames. - -"Oh! Guardians eight, of this world and the next. Sun, Moon, and Air, -Earth, Ether, Water, and my own poor soul bear witness! Oh! Lord of -death, bear witness that I come. Day, Night, and Twilight say I am -suttee." - -There was a louder roar, a sudden leaping of the flames, and the -turret sank inwardly. But the chanting voice could be heard for a -second in the increasing silence which followed. - -"Shive-jee hath saved His own," said the crowd, looking toward the -unharmed shrine. - -And over on the other side of the city, Kate Erlton, roused by that -same first ray of sunlight, was looking down with a smile upon Jim -Douglas before waking him. The sky was clear as a topaz, the purple -pigeons were cooing and sidling on the copings. And in the bright, -fresh light she saw the gold locket lying open on the sleeper's -breast. She had often wondered what it held, and now--thinking he -might not care to find it at her mercy--stooped to close it. - -But it was empty. - -The snap, slight as it was, roused him. Not, however, to a knowledge -of the cause, for he lay looking up at her in his turn. - -"So it is all over," he said softly, but he said it with a smile. - -Yes! It was all over. Down on the parade ground behind the Ridge the -bugles were sounding, and the men who had clung to the red rocks for -so long were preparing to leave them for assault elsewhere. - -But one man was taking an eternal hold upon them; for John Nicholson -was being laid in his grave. Not in the rear-guard, however, but in -the van, on the outer-most spur of the Ridge abutting on the city -wall, within touch almost of the Cashmere gate. Being laid in his -grave--by his own request--without escort, without salute; for he knew -that he had failed. - -So he lies there facing the city he took. But his real grave was in -that narrow lane within the walls where those who dream can see him -still, alone, ahead, with yards of sheer sunlight between him and his -fellow-men. - -Yards of sheer sunlight between that face with its confident glance -forward, that voice with its clear cry, "Come on, men! Come on!" and -those--the mass of men--who with timorous look backward hear in that -call to go forward nothing but the vain regret for things familiar -that must be left behind. "Going! Going! Gone!" - -So, in a way, John Nicholson stands symbol of the many lives lost -uselessly in the vain attempt to go forward too fast. - -Yet his voice echoed still to the dark faces and the light alike: - -"Come on, men! Come on!" - - - - - - BOOK VI. - - - - - APPENDIX A. - - -_From_ A. DASHE, _Collector and Magistrate of Kujabpore, to_ R. TAPE, -_Esq., Commissioner and Superintendent of Kwâbabad_. - -_Fol. No_. O. - - Dated 11th May, 1858. - -SIR: In reply to your No. 103 of the 20th April requesting me to -report on the course of the Mutiny in my district, the measures taken -to suppress it, and its effects, if any, on the judicial, executive, -and financial work under my charge, I have the honor to inclose a -brief statement, which for convenience' sake I have drafted under the -usual headings of the annual report which I was unable to send in till -last week. I regret the delay, but the pressure of work in the English -office due to the revising of forfeiture and pension lists made it -unavoidable. - - I have the honor, etc., etc., - - A. DASHE, _Coll. and Magte_. - - -_Introductory Remarks_.[10]--So far as my district is concerned, the -late disturbances have simply been a military mutiny. At no time could -they be truthfully called a rebellion. In the outlying posts, indeed, -the people knew little or nothing of what was going on around them, -and even in the towns resistance was not thought of until the prospect -of any immediate suppression of the mutiny disappeared. - -The small force of soldiers in my district of course followed the -example of their brethren. Nothing else could be expected from our -position midway between two large cantonments; indeed the continuous -stream of mutinous troops which passed up and down the main road -during the summer had a decidedly bad effect. - -I commenced to disperse the disturbers of the public peace on the 21st -May. These were largely escaped felons from the Meerut jail; and the -fact that they were quite indiscriminate in their lawlessness enabled -me to rally most of the well-doing people on my side. I hanged a few -of the offenders, and having enlisted a small corps with the aid of -some native gentlemen (whose names I append for reference), sent it -out under charge of my assistant (I myself being forced throughout the -whole business to remain at headquarters and keep a grip on things) to -put down some Goojurs and other predatory tribes who took occasion to -resort to their ancestral habits of life. - -No real opposition, however, was ever met with; but in June (after our -failure to take Delhi by a _coup de main_ became known) there was an -organized attempt to seize the Treasury. Fortunately I had some twenty -or thirty of my new levy in headquarters at the time, so that the -attempt failed, and I was able to bring one or two of the ringleaders -(one, I regret to say, a man of considerable importance in my -district) to justice. - -I subsequently made several applications to the nearest cantonment for -a few European soldiers to escort my treasure--some two lakhs--to -safer quarters. But this, unfortunately, could not be granted to me, -so I had to keep a strong guard of men over the money who might have -been more useful elsewhere. - -Until the fall of Delhi matters remained much the same. Isolated bands -of marauders ravaged portions of my district, often, I regret to say, -escaping before punishment could be meted out to them. The general -feeling was one of disquiet and alarm to both Europeans and natives. -My table attendant, for instance, absented himself from dinner one -day, sending a substitute to do his work, under the belief that I had -given orders for a general slaughter of Mohammedans that evening. I -had done nothing of the kind. - -After the fall of Delhi, as you are aware, the mutinous fugitives, -some fifty or sixty thousand strong, marched southward in a compact -body and caused much alarm. But after camping on the outskirts of my -district for a few days, they suddenly disappeared. I am told they -dispersed during one night, each to his own home. Anyhow they -literally melted away, and the public mind seemed to become aware that -the contest was over, and that the struggle to subvert British rule -had ignominiously failed. Matters therefore assumed a normal aspect, -but I believe that there is more shame, sorrow, and regret in the -hearts of many than we shall probably ever have full cognizance of, -and that it will take years for the one race to regain its confidence, -the other its self-respect. - -_Civil Judicature_.--The courts were temporarily suspended for a week -or two; after that original work went on much as usual, but the -appellate work suffered. There was an indisposition both to institute -and hear appeals, possibly due to the total eclipse of the higher -appellate courts. I myself had little leisure for civil cases. - - -_Criminal Justice_.--There has been far less crime than usual during -the past year. Possibly because much of it had necessarily to be -treated summarily and so did not come on the record. I am inclined to -believe, however, that petty offenses really are fewer when serious -crime is being properly dealt with. - - -_Police_.--The less said about the behavior of the police the better. -The force simply melted away; but as it was always inefficient its -absence had little effect, save, perhaps, in a failure to bring up -those trivial offenses mentioned in the last para. - - -_Jails_.--The jail was happily preserved throughout; for the addition -of four or five hundred felons to the bad characters of my district -might have complicated matters. I was peculiarly fortunate in this, -since I learn that only nine out of the forty-three jails in the -Province were so held. - - -_Revenue_ (_Sub-head, Land_).--The arrears under this head are less -than usual, and there seems no reason to apprehend serious loss to -Government. - - -(_Opium_).--There has, I regret to say, been considerable detriment to -our revenue under this head, due to the fact that the smuggling of the -drug is extremely easy, owing to its small bulk, and that the demand -was greater than usual. - - -(_Stamps_).--The revenue here shows an increase of Rs. 72,000. I am -unable to account for this, unless the prevailing uncertainty made the -public mind incline toward what security it could compass in the -matter of bonds, agreements, etc. - - -(_Salt and Customs_).--This department shows a very creditable record. -My subordinates, with the help of a few volunteers, were able to -maintain the Customs line throughout the whole disturbances. Its value -as a preventative of roving lawlessness cannot be over-estimated. Four -hundred and eighty-two smugglers were punished, and the Customs -brought in Rs. 33,770 more than in '56. But the work done by this -handful of isolated European patrols, with only a few natives under -them, to the cause of law and order, cannot be estimated in money. - - -_Education_.--The higher education went on as usual. Primary -instruction suffered. Female schools disappeared altogether. - - -_Public Works_.--Many things combined to stop anything like a vigorous -prosecution of new public works, and those in hand were greatly -retarded. - - -_Post-Office_.--The work in this department suffered occasional lapses -owing to the murder of solitary runners by lawless ruffians, but the -service continued fairly efficient. An attempt was made, by the -confiscation of sepoys' letters, to discover if any organized plan of -attack or resistance was in circulation, but nothing incriminatory was -found, the correspondence consisting chiefly of love-letters. - - -_Financial_.--At one time the necessary cash for the pay of -establishments ran short, but this was met by bills upon native -bankers, who have since been repaid. - - -_Hospitals_.--The dispensaries were in full working order throughout -the year, and the number of cases treated--especially for wounds and -hurts, many of them grievous--above the average. - - -_Health and Population_.--Both were normal, and the supply of food -grains ample. Markets strong, and well supplied throughout. Some grain -stores were burned, some plundered; but, as a rule, if A robbed B, B -in his turn robbed C. So the matter adjusted itself. In many cases -also, the booty was restored amicably when it became evident that -Government could hold its own. - - -_Agriculture_.--Notwithstanding the violence of contest, the many -instances of plundered and burned villages, the necessary impressment -of labor and cattle, and the license of mutineers consorting with -felons, agricultural interests did not suffer. Plowing and sowing went -on steadily, and the land was well covered with a full winter crop. - - -_General Remarks_.--Beyond these plundered and burned villages, which -are still somewhat of an eyesore, though they are recovering -themselves rapidly, the only result of the Mutiny to be observed in my -district is that money seems scarcer, and so the cultivators have to -pay a higher rate of interest on loans. - -There are, of course, some empty chairs in the district durbar. I -append a list of their late occupants also, and suggest that the -vacancies might be filled from the other list, as some of those -gentlemen who helped to raise the levy have not yet got chairs. - -In regard to future punishments, however, I venture to suggest that -orders should be issued limiting the period during which mutineers can -be brought to justice. If some such check on malicious accusation be -not laid down we shall have a fine crop of false cases, perjuries, -etc., since the late disturbances have, naturally, caused a good many -family differences. In view of this also, I believe it would be -safest, in the event of such accusations in the future, to punish the -whole village to which the alleged mutineer belongs by a heavy fine, -rather than to single out individuals as examples. In a case like the -present it is extremely difficult to measure the exact proportion of -guilt attachable to each member of the community, and, even with the -very greatest care, I find it is not always possible to hang the right -man. And this is a difficulty which will increase as time goes on. - - - - - APPENDIX B. - - - DELHI, Christmas Day, 1858. - -DEAR MRS. ERLTON: I can scarcely believe that two whole years have -passed since I helped you to decorate a Christmas-tree in the -Government college here. Those long months before the walls, and those -others of wild chase after vanishing mutineers over half India seem to -belong to someone else's existence now that I--and the world around -me--are back in the commonplaces of life. I was down to-day helping -the chaplain's wife with another tree--she has a very pretty sister, -by the way, just out from England--and I almost fancied as I looked -into the dim screened veranda where we are going to have an -entertainment, that I could see you sitting there with little Sonny -Seymour on your lap as I found you that afternoon half asleep--that -interminable play about the Lord of Life and Death (wasn't it?) had -been too much for you. - -Well, I can only hope that Mr. Douglas' health and the pleasures of -that Scotch home, of which you wrote me such a delightful description, -will allow of your returning to India sometime and giving me a sight -of you again. - -Meanwhile I am reminded that I sent you off a small parcel by last -mail which I trust may arrive before the wedding, as this should do, -and convey to you the kindly remembrances of friends many thousand -miles away. Not that you will need to be reminded. I fancy that few -who went through the Indian Mutiny will ever need to have the faces -and places they saw there recalled to their memory. Terrible as it was -at the time, I myself feel that I would not willingly forget a single -detail. So, being certain that it holds your interest, your -imagination also, I am inclosing something for you to read. Can you -not imagine the Silent and Diffident Dashe writing it? I can, and the -careful way in which he would order the gallows to be removed and lay -down his sword in favor of his pen at the earliest opportunity. You -see he favors clemency Canning. So do most of us out here except -those who have not yet recovered their nerves. I remember hearing -Hodson--sad, wasn't it? his death over a needless piece of -dare-devilry--very angry over something Mr. Douglas said about our all -being in a blind funk. I am afraid it was true of a good many. Not -Dashe, however, he kept his district together by sheer absence of -fear, and so did many another. This report, then, will carry you on in -the story, as it were, since you left us. For the rest, there is not -much to tell. You remember our old mess khânsaman Numgal Khân? He -turned up, with his bill, and out of pure delight insisted on feasting -us so lavishly that we had to make him moderate his transports. Even -with _batta_ and prize money we should all have been bankrupt, like -the royal family. I can't help pitying it. Of course we have pensioned -the lot, but I expect precious little hard cash gets to some of those -wretched women. One of them, no less a person than the Princess -Farkhoonda Zamâni, that beast Abool-bukr's ally, has set up a girls' -school in the city. If she had only befriended you instead of turning -you out to find your own fate, she would have done better for herself. -Talking of friends and foes, it is rather amusing to find the villages -full of men busy at their plows with a suspiciously military set about -the shoulders, who, according to their own showing, never wore -uniform, or doffed it before the Mutiny began. I was much struck with -one of these defaulters the other day; a big Rajpoot, who, but for his -name, might have stood for the Laodicean sepoy you told me about. But -names can be changed, so can faces; and that reminds me that I had a -petition from that old scoundrel Tiddu the other day--you know I have -been put on to civil work lately, and shall end, I suppose, by being a -Commissioner as well as a Colonel. He has had a grant of land given -him for life, and he now wants the tenure extended in favor of one -Jhungi, who, he declares, helped you in your marvelous escape. It -seems there was another brother, one Bhungi, who--but I own to being a -little confused in the matter. Perhaps you can set me straight. -Meanwhile, I have pigeon-holed the Jhungi-Bhungi claim until I hear -from you. The old man was well, and asked fervently after Sonny, who, -by the way, goes home from Lucknow in the spring. I expect the -Seymours are about the only family in India which came out of the -business unscathed; yet they were in the thick of it. Truly the whole -thing was a mystery from beginning to end. I asked a native yesterday -if he could explain it, but he only shook his head and said the Lord -had sent a "breath into the land." But the most remarkable thing to my -mind about the whole affair is the rapidity with which it proved the -stuff a man was made of. You can see that by looking into the -cemeteries. India is a dead level for the present; all the heads that -towered above their fellows laid low. Think of them all! Havelock, -Lawrence, Outram. The names crowd to one's lips; but they seem to -begin and end with one--Nicholson! - -Well, good-by! I have not wished you luck--that goes without saying; -but tell Douglas I'm glad he had his chance. - - Ever yours truly, - - CHARLES MORECOMBE. - - - - - FOOTNOTES - - -[Footnote 1: From Colonel W. Wheler's defense.] - -[Footnote 2: This question is one which must be asked as we look back -through the years on this pitiful spectacle of the loyal regiment, -unarmed, facing the disloyal one shooting down its officers. Briefly, -on whom would the seventy men of the 11th, who never left the colors, -the hundred and twenty men who returned to them after the short night -of tumult was over, have fired if a company of English troops had come -up to turn the balance in favor of loyalty?] - -[Footnote 3: (How? His house lay a mile at least further off, and the -Collector's office was on the only route a messenger could take. No -record explains this. But the best ones mention casually that a -telegram of warning came to Delhi in the early morning of the 11th. -Whence? the wires to Meerut were cut. Lahore, Umballa, Agra, did not -know the news themselves. Can the story--improbable in any other -history, but in this record of fatal mistakes gaining a pathetic -probability--which the old folk in Delhi tell be true? The story of a -telegram sent _unofficially_ from Meerut the night before, received -while the Commissioner was at dinner, put unopened into his pocket, -and _forgotten_. - -Not susceptible of proof or disproof, it certainly explains three -things: - -1. Whence the warning telegram came. - -2. Why the Commissioner received information before a man a good mile -nearer the source. - -3. Why the Collector _at once_ sought for military aid.)] - -[Footnote 4: From the account in the native papers.] - -[Footnote 5: From a contemporaneous account.] - -[Footnote 6: Chicken broth.] - -[Footnote 7: 61st, 1st Fusiliers, 2d Punjabees.] - -[Footnote 8: His widow died last year, having spent thirty-eight years -of her fifty-four in cherishing the memory of a saint upon earth.] - -[Footnote 9: (Hodson in his diary says that the promise was virtually -given _two_ days before the capture. This was the 21st. It must -therefore have been given on the 19th. _Most likely_ in Elahi Buksh's -house. If so, on Hodson's own authority. Query. Was he there in -person?)] - -[Footnote 10: Every statement in this supposed report has been gleaned -from a real one, or from official papers published at the time. 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