onEshwara
,
despite
the
curious
hint
of
glow
lingering
in
the
sky
.
The
air
was
too
electrical
,
he
decided
.
And
then--Erda
!
He
had
slept
the
night
before
,
after
she
had
said
good-by
so
carelessly
,
without
realizing
that
the
good-by
was
for
ever
.
And
he
had
not
had
time
to
think
all
day
.
But
now
,
at
rest
in
the
cool
darkness
,
looking
from
his
lounge
chair
down
the
river
to
that
other
balcony
,
he
did
realize
it
.
For
ever
!
Yes
!
that
regret
was
in
his
life
for
ever
.
And
he
was
so
young
.
Only
twenty-five
.
Why
had
this
come
to
him
?
Erda
!
Erda
,
--his
heart
's
desire
.
He
sat
there
voiceless
,
sucking
mechanically
at
a
cigar
,
long
since
gone
out
;
but
that
was
as
much
the
cry
at
his
heart
as
if
he
had
allowed
himself
a
fine
frenzy
of
despair
in
older
fashion
.
And
he
imagined
her
as
he
had
seen
her--this
way
,
that
way
,
every
way
,
in
an
unending
torture
of
visions--until
he
exhausted
reality
,
and
fancy
showed
her
to
him
in
her
wedding
dress
.
And
then
he
felt
as
if
he
could
kill
the
Reverend
David
Campbell
without
shame
or
fear
.
He
was
vaguely
ashamed
of
the
lack
of
shame
,
however
,
especially
when
his
fancy
led
him
into
endless
mishaps
which
might
befall
a
man
,
especially
a
missionary
,
before
his
wedding
day
.
"
There
they
ate
a
missionary
--
"
Yes
,
sometimes
;
but
there
was
not
much
time
left
for
that
sort
of
end--
What
a
brute
he
was
,
when
the
only
thing
that
mattered
was
that
she
should
be
happy
and
content
.
But
would
she
be
so
?
It
went
on
and
on
and
on
,
the
controversy
between
himself
and
that
other
self
,
so
that
he
felt
worn
,
and
harassed
,
and
dirty
,
and
altogether
undesirable
,
when
Vincent
,
about
nine
o'clock
,
reappeared
,
dapper
and
scented
as
usual
,
in
his
mess
kit
,
and
expressed
surprise
at
finding
his
companion
still
undressed
.
He
was
hungry
as
a
hunter
,
he
said
;
besides
he
wanted
to
have
a
decent
interval
between
dinner
and
turning
in
.
And
that
must
be
early
,
for
he
had
just
heard
from
the
police
authorities
that
though
everything
was
quiet
for
the
night
,
absolutely
quiet
,
they
thought
it
would
be
safer
to
have
the
Pool
guarded
again
at
dawn
,
in
case
of
accidents
;
since
none
of
the
pilgrims
,
though
apparently
quite
resigned
,
had
as
yet
gone
on
.
"
They
never
do
till
the
next
day
;
Pidar
Narâyan
told
me
so
,
"
commented
Lance
,
crossly
.
"
Why
should
they
rake
us
up
at
such
an
unearthly
hour
?
Why
ca
n't
they
let
the
people
have
a
row
if
they
want
one
?
I
'd
like
it
;
give
a
fellow
something
to
do
in
this
beastly
hole
.
"
He
went
off
to
dress
moodily
,
wishing
savage
wishes
,
so
adding
,
perhaps
,
to
that
electricity
in
the
air
.
And
Vincent
gave
it
his
quota
of
desire
also
,
in
his
reckless
determination
to
regain
Paradise
,
as
it
was
lost
,
through
a
woman
.
And
that
play
of
Romeo
and
Juliet
in
the
scented
garden--Juliet
,
whose
bounty
was
"
as
boundless
as
the
sea
"
--was
a
bit
of
pure
paradise
to
him
.
He
had
never
,
he
thought
,
been
in
love
before
.
He
had
never
known
what
love
was
.
Those
other
loves
of
his
had
been
mean
,
ungenerous
,
calculating
.
So
he
was
at
his
best
,
his
brightest
,
during
dinner
.
Lance
,
on
the
contrary
,
was
at
his
worst
,
his
dullest
;
and
Vincent
made
this
his
excuse
for
going
to
his
room
betimes
.
He
was
not
due
at
the
palace
till
twelve
,
but
he
was
anxious
to
ensure
the
coast
being
clear
,
and
Lance
seemed
just
in
the
mood
when
a
fellow
sits
up
sulkily
,
out
of
pure
cussedness
,
and
drinks
whiskey-and-water
if
he
can
find
a
companion
on
whom
to
vent
his
cavillings
.
In
truth
Lance
would
have
liked
to
do
so
.
He
wanted
to
feel
miserable
;
but
after
Vincent
had
gone
,
and
he
was
left
alone
in
the
balcony
,
sleep
began
to
assert
itself
.
He
found
even
his
despair
becoming
dreamy
,
and
being
obstinate
,
tried
to
fight
against
the
fact
.
The
result
being
that
he
finally
fell
asleep
in
his
lounge
chair
with
a
soundness
and
unconsciousness
usually
reserved
for
bed
.
Fell
asleep
,
and
promptly
relaxed
into
content
with
happy
dreams
of
Erda
's
return
to
him
;
for
his
,
left
to
itself
,
was
a
healthy
soul
.
And
so
were
the
vast
majority
of
those
which
,
through
patient
yet
eager
eyes
,
were
looking
into
the
scarce-lit
darkness
of
the
streets
,
as
the
pilgrims
,
crowded
into
an
almost
solid
mass
,
seemed
to
slide
with
a
slow
,
almost
unseen
movement
,
through
them
.
They
were
waiting
for
the
dawn
.
If
nothing
new
came
before
then
,
they
would
pass
on
towards
the
'
Cradle
of
the
Gods
.
'
So
,
scarcely
seen
,
restless
yet
restful
,
their
feet
on
the
next
rung
of
the
golden
stairs
,
they
waited
.
And
overhead
the
young
moon
had
risen
with
a
copper-coloured
edge
to
its
crescent
of
light
.
For
the
glow
was
still
in
the
sky
,
and
the
troopers
in
the
Fort
,
resting
,
after
their
long
day
,
in
Indian
fashion
by
sprawling
on
their
beds
and
gossiping
,
had
dragged
these
beds
into
the
open
and
discarded
most
of
their
clothing
,
since
the
night
was
strangely
still
and
warm
.
So
even
the
wonder
what
had
become
of
the
risaldar-sahib
was
languid
.
For
Roshan
Khân
had
not
returned
.
And
yet
,
as
he
sat
in
a
quiet
courtyard
of
the
city
,
with
closed
doors
,
realizing
how
late
it
was
growing
,
he
had
no
fear
of
further
reprimand
.
On
the
contrary
,
his
pulses
were
bounding
with
the
certainty
that
he
would
gain
praise
.
And
there
was
something
beyond
this
mere
desire
for
personal
advantage
in
the
keen-witted
diplomacy
with
which
he
listened
,
with
which
he
suggested
,
with
which
he
led
the
talkers
on
to
tell
what
it
was
of
the
utmost
importance
that
he
should
know
,
not
so
much
to
himself
,
as
to
the
Government
he
served
.
For
his
vague
discontent
had
vanished
,
his
well-reasoned
,
well-founded
loyalty
returned
at
this
,
the
first
hint
at
anything
beyond
the
wild
,
aimless
intrigue
with
which
every
Indian
bazaar
teems
.
But
here
,
in
this
definite
plan
,
by
the
collaboration
of
his
troopers
,
of
liberating
fifteen
hundred
scoundrels
,
--or
,
at
least
,
desperadoes
,
--of
aping
the
stroke
of
action
which
made
the
great
mutiny
of
'
57
possible
,
was
something
tangible
.
Something
which
,
when
known
to
the
uttermost
,
must
be
told
without
delay
to
his
superior
officer
.
A
vast
pride
swept
through
him
,
as
,
when
the
gongs
were
striking
one
,
--short
,
yet
with
lingering
vibration
in
the
dull
,
still
air
,
--he
made
his
way
,
fast
as
he
could
,
back
to
the
Fort
.
Without
him
,
and
such
as
he
,
faithful
despite
limitations
,
what
would
the
Masters
know
?
Hours
before
,
as
he
went
out
,
he
had
arranged
with
Akbar
Khân
that
the
palace
door
giving
on
the
great
square
between
it
and
the
Fort
should
be
on
the
latch
only
,
so
that
he
might
slip
in
at
any
time
and
take
his
chance
of
hiding
in
the
garden
,
his
chance
of
seeing
Laila
before
the
dawn
came
and
he
had
to
go
back
to
the
Fort
.
The
old
sinner
,
indeed
,
had
jumped
at
this
indefinite
arrangement
,
which
bound
him
to
nothing
;
which
made
it
unnecessary
for
him
even
to
broach
the
subject
of
an
interview
to
his
mistress
.
Since
what
was
easier
to
say
than
that
it
had
been
impossible
;
as
,
indeed
,
it
was
!
Perhaps
Roshan
Khân
had
himself
grasped
this
fact
;
perhaps
in
insisting
on
this
entry
to
the
garden
he
had
been
backing
more
than
his
own
luck
,
and
had
been
meditating
a
coup
d'état
of
his
own
.
However
that
may
have
been
,
all
was
forgotten
in
his
newly
recovered
loyalty
,
his
keen
ambition
,
as
he
hurried
back
to
the
Fort
intent
on
but
one
thing--the
forewarning
and
forearming
of
those
whom
he
had
long
ago
deliberately
chosen
as
his
masters
.
Some
of
his
men
were
still
lounging
about
on
their
beds
,
and
he
spoke
a
word
to
them
as
he
passed
,
warning
them
to
be
ready
if
wanted
.
So
,
leaving
them
in
sudden
vague
excitement
,
he
passed
on
to
the
inner
court
.
Here
,
where
Lance
Carlyon
's
small
band
of
Sikh
pioneers
were
quartered
in
the
long
,
low
building
in
which
the
fortified
gateway
stood
,
no
one
was
astir
.
And
no
lights
were
visible
in
the
opposite
building
where
Lance
and
Vincent
lived
.
Doubtless
everyone
was
in
bed
.
He
passed
on
,
therefore
,
swiftly
to
the
room
he
knew
to
be
his
Captain
's
,
and
knocked
.
There
was
no
answer
.
He
opened
the
door
and
looked
in
.
It
was
empty
.
A
vague
wonder
assailed
him
,
and
he
passed
on
to
Lance
Carlyon
's
room
.
It
was
empty
also
,
and
the
vague
uneasiness
died
down
.
They
must
be
sitting
up
still
in
the
balcony
overlooking
the
river
,
where
they
sat
every
day
after
dinner
.
Stupid
of
him
not
to
have
gone
there
first
;
and
yet
,
surely
,
it
was
late
.
Perhaps
they
were
uneasy
;
perhaps
they
had
already
heard
!
An
open
letter
"
On
Her
Majesty
's
Service
"
lying
on
the
dinner
table
as
he
passed
through
the
mess
room
(
which
was
still
lit
up--sign
that
the
servants
had
gone
to
sleep
awaiting
their
masters
'
call
)
attracted
his
attention
.
He
glanced
at
it
,
half
fearing
to
find
himself
forestalled
by
the
police
authorities
.
No
!
It
was
from
them
,
as
he
had
seen
at
once
;
but
it
was
only
that
notice
for
dawn
.
Ah
!
what
was
this
?
this
tiny
scrap
of
paper
,
which
had
been
twisted
to
a
cocked-hat
note
,
lying
caught
in
the
fold
of
the
foolscap
,
with
the
two
words--
"
twelve
o'clock
"
--written
on
it
?
In
a
woman
's
writing
.
Roshan
knew
enough
of
invitations
from
Englishwomen
to
be
sure
of
that
.
The
vague
uneasiness
returned
,
as
he
went
on
to
the
balcony
beyond
the
dining-room
.
There
too
,
the
swinging
lamp
still
burnt
,
and
showed
him
Lance
Carlyon
fast
asleep
in
a
lounge
chair
;
but
no
one
else
.
Where
was
Captain
Dering
?
Captain
Dering
,
who
had
the
key
of
the
little
door
in
the
bastion
;
Captain
Dering
,
who
had
had
a
note
with
"
twelve
o'clock
"
in
it
?
A
sudden
thought
struck
him
.
If--if
there
was
anything
in
his
vague
fear--then
,
by
taking
the
canoe
,
which
lay
at
the
bottom
of
the
stairs
,
he
could
slip
down
stream
,
and
see--
Forgetting
everything
else
,
Roshan
stole
softly
past
the
sleeping
Lance
,
and
went
down
the
stairs
.
The
canoe
was
not
there
.
Then
Captain
Dering
must
have
taken
it
and
gone--whither
?
There
was
but
one
place
whither
he
was
likely
to
go
alone
at
that
hour
of
the
night
;
one
place
,
a
stair
like
this
leading
up
to
a
balcony
over
the
river
where
he
had
gone
once
before
with
a
woman
,
a
woman
in
a
dress
which
marked
her
for
what
she
was
,
really--a
dress
that
marked
her
secluded--which
made
this
,
shame
unutterable
!
Roshan
's
impotent
fury
rose
hot
at
the
inexpressible
humiliation
.
The
thought
of
Captain
Dering
and
Laila
alone
in
that
balcony
meant
but
one
thing
to
his
inherited
ideas
.
No
glaze
of
romance
was
possible
.
It
was
shame
unutterable
,
irredeemable
.
Shame
that
must
be
revenged
without
delay
.
So
,
forgetting
everything
else
in
the
world
except
this
,
he
passed
the
sleeping
Lance
once
more
,
hurried
back
to
his
quarters
for
his
revolver
,
and
only
stopping
to
see
that
one
chamber
at
least
was
loaded
,
made
his
way
to
that
door
which
he
knew
would
be
on
the
latch
.
That
patient
,
eager
crowd
was
still
thronging
the
courtyard
as
he
crossed
it
,
pausing
a
moment
beside
the
great
gun
which
centred
the
union-jack
of
raised
paths
.
The
"
Teacher
of
Religion
!
"
Ay
!
they
needed
a
teacher
,
needed
a
lesson
;
these
aliens
,
these
usurpers
,
these
depravers
of
women
.
Yet
,
in
sober
truth
,
Vincent
Dering
,
at
that
moment
sitting
in
the
little
balcony
alone
with
Laila
Bonaventura
,
felt
quite
virtuous
.
They
had
just
come
in
from
the
garden
,
where
they
had
been
strolling
and
whispering
,
and
now
,
as
they
sat
together
,
without
a
word
,
scarcely
a
thought
,
in
the
faint
light
of
the
young
moon
and
a
red
jewelled
hand-lamp--which
Laila
,
with
that
unfailing
instinct
of
hers
for
all
that
matched
the
passionate
mystery
of
the
place
,
had
set
in
a
carved
niche
,
where
it
looked
like
a
votive
offering
to
the
unseen
image
of
a
saint--Vincent
could
feel
the
warm
ivory
of
her
cheek
against
his
own
,
hear
the
soft
chink
of
her
jewels
as
they
slid
towards
him
,
following
the
soft
warm
curves
on
which
they
lay
.
The
red
light
of
the
lamp
glittered
faintly
in
red
stars
on
the
myriad
facets
of
looking-glass
with
which
the
vaulted
roof
above
them
was
adorned
.
It
fell
,
reddening
the
red
lights
on
the
gold-stiffened
crimson
waves
of
her
dress
,
that
sent
such
a
bewildering
perfume
to
cloud
his
senses
with
passionate
content
.
A
vast
tenderness
,
a
vast
triumph
,
surged
through
him
at
the
thought
of
her
.
Who
dared
to
judge
her
by
the
narrow
standards
of
to-day--she
,
who
had
gone
back
boldly
to
realities
!
This
was
what
poets
had
sung
since
time
began
;
this
was
what
the
world
had
exchanged
for
Paradise
!
Juliet
!
Juliet
!
And
if
he
was
the
"
god
of
her
idolatry
,
"
she
was
to
him
the
"
dearest
morsel
of
earth
.
"
He
bent
and
whispered
the
name
to
her
with
a
kiss
.
And
as
he
did
so
,
a
step
,
swift
,
bold
,
masterful
,
sounded
in
the
passage
above
;
the
step
of
one
with
a
right
to
be
there
.
Vincent
,
startled
,
sat
listening
;
but
Laila
was
on
her
feet
in
a
second
,
with
a
reckless
laugh
.
"
Father
Laurence
!
"
she
cried
.
"
Well
!
let
him
come
.
I
'm
not
afraid
!
For
he
loved
her
.
He
must
remember
!
"
So
,
as
a
dim
figure
showed
,
half
seen
,
in
the
archway
,
she
stood
like
a
queen
,
her
hand
raised
,
her
head
thrown
back
;
a
sight
never
to
be
forgotten
.
"
There
is
no
use
in
being
angry
,
guardian
,
"
she
called
,
in
her
full-throated
voice
.
"
It
is
too
late
for
that
.
Remember--
"
She
paused
,
gave
a
slight
scream
,
and
flung
herself
before
Vincent
.
There
was
a
flash
,
a
second
scream
,
and
then
the
arches
rang
with
the
echoes
of
a
pistol-shot
.
"
Laila
!
Laila
!
"
"
You
damned
scoundrel
!
You
've
killed
her
!
"
"
Laila
!
Laila
!
"
There
were
two
voices
echoing
the
woman
's
name
,
but
only
that
one
pistol-shot
.
Then
two
useless
clicks
of
a
trigger
,
before
,
with
an
oath
,
Roshan
Khân
flung
the
revolver
from
him
and
fled
.
TRAPPED
But
that
pistol-shot
,
as
it
pierced
the
hot
,
sultry
air
in
the
vaulted
archways
,
was
caught
by
a
sudden
blast
of
warm
wind
,
sweeping
God
knows
whence
,
to
God
knows
where
!
and
was
blown
out
riverwards
,
citywards
.
Blown
by
that
sudden
blast
,
like
the
hot
breath
of
someone
's
anger
,
which
always
heralds
an
electrical
dust-storm
.
One
moment
there
is
the
stillness
of
the
uttermost
void
brooding
over
the
deep
;
the
next
,
causelessly
,
God
knows
why
!
the
spirit
moving
palpably
.
And
so
it
is
always
when
the
ever-recurring
struggle
for
the
right
road
to
that
lost
Paradise
,
for
the
right
method
of
regaining
that
bartered
birthright
,
begins
afresh
among
the
sons
of
Adam
.
When
the
Hosts
of
the
Lord
,
--fighting
,
as
men
always
fight
,
under
the
banner
of
Right
,
for
what
they
think
good
and
true
,
for
what
seems
to
them
to
bring
them
nearer
to
the
golden
gates--change
armed
peace
for
war
.
It
was
so
now
;
and
Lance
Carlyon
,
waking
to
the
familiar
,
yet
unfamiliar
sound
of
that
pistol-shot
,
woke
also
to
the
knowledge
that
someone
had
already
resorted
to
that
last
argument
between
man
and
his
fellow
.
Who
was
it
?
And
why
?
As
he
stood
,
still
half
dazed
by
sleep
,
listening
,
as
one
does
instinctively
,
for
another
shot
to
follow
the
first
,
a
new
sound
distracted
his
attention
.
Was
he
still
asleep
and
dreaming
?
or
was
that
really
Erda
Shepherd
's
voice
,
rising
towards
him
from
the
sliding
,
unseen
river
?
"
I
will
come
back
to
you
directly
,
"
it
said
in
Urdu
.
The
half-heard
promise
of
the
words
took
him
by
storm
,
making
him
forget
the
strangeness
of
the
language
.
Yet
even
that
made
his
bewilderment
more
utter
.
And
all
around
him
,
about
him
,
a
mist--or
was
it
a
cloud
,
or
what
was
it
?
--had
sprung
into
being
.
A
wreath
as
of
smoke
drifted
past
the
wide
arches
of
the
balcony
,
blotting
out
the
pale
shimmer
of
the
young
moon
.
The
swinging
lamp
above
his
head
darkened
,
reddened
,
as
the
dust-atoms
leapt
from
the
earth
into
the
air
,
obedient
to
the
call
of
that
mightiest
force
in
nature
which
holds
the
world
together
,
and
guides
it
on
its
way
among
the
stars
.
Pidar
Narâyan
had
been
right
!
The
electrical
storm
had
come
!
But
Erda
had
come
with
it
.
He
could
see
her
now
,
standing
at
the
top
of
the
river
steps
,
dimmed
by
the
dust-atoms
that
glittered
faintly
in
the
clouded
ray
of
the
lamp
;
could
see
her--tall
,
slim
,
white--with
a
red-gold
ball
in
her
hand
.
So
it
was
only
a
dream
;
he
was
asleep
still
!
The
certainty
of
this
,
the
knowledge
that
he
would
wake
soon
,
made
him
yield
to
impulse
,
to
emotion
,
as
he
would
never
have
done
otherwise
.
He
held
out
his
arms
to
the
gracious
vision
,
his
voice
rang
with
passion
.
"
Erda
!
Erda
!
You
have
come
back
to
me
!
--the
world
's
desire--my
heart
's
desire
!
"
And
then
,
suddenly
,
his
heart
a-tremble
for
the
first
time
,
he
drew
back
from
his
own
fervour
almost
apologetically
;
for
the
scared
look
of
the
face
seen
through
those
earth-atoms
had
brought
it
home
to
him
that
this
was
no
dream
.
This
was
Erda
Shepherd
herself
,
the
woman
who
was
the
"
dearest
atom
of
God
's
earth
"
to
him
.
And
she
had
come
back
,
for
what
?
Not
to
listen
to
his
passion
,
anyhow
.
"
What
is
the
matter
?
"
he
asked
briefly
,
sternly
;
for
it
came
home
to
him
also
that
the
cause
must
be
grave
.
She
gave
a
little
shiver
;
the
hearing
of
that
first
greeting
had
upset
her
calm
,
her
courage
,
at
last
.
Yet
they
had
been
firm
till
then
;
and
,
Heaven
knows
!
the
long
hours
of
slipping
through
the
rapids
in
the
wake
of
that
heaving
,
plunging
mass
of
logs
had
been
trying
enough
to
anyone
.
Then
for
the
last
half
hour
,
since
Am-ma
had
cut
the
raft
adrift
to
follow
them
at
its
leisure
through
the
slacker
currents
,
and
,
in
obedience
to
her
order
,
had
forged
ahead
with
his
paddle
,
her
anxiety
had
risen
to
fever-pitch
;
since
the
night
,
so
far
as
she
could
judge
,
must
be
waning
fast
,
and
her
errand
would
be
useless
if
she
were
not
in
Eshwara
before
the
dawn
.
For
,
as
she
had
listened
to
Am-ma
's
garrulous
talk
while
he
steered
,
the
conviction
had
grown
that
the
danger
to
peace
and
safety--if
there
was
any--lay
in
the
future
,
not
in
the
past
;
that
this
dawn
,
and
not
yesterday
's
,
was
to
be
the
signal
for
the
insensate
,
almost
incredible
attempt
to
wreck
authority
.
An
attempt
which
yet--incredible
,
insensate
though
it
be--might
bring
death
to--to
one
she
held
very
dear
.
She
admitted
so
much
now
to
herself
,
and
,
pulling
that
self
together
,
looked
that
dear
one
in
the
face
.
"
There
is
a
good
deal
the
matter
,
"
she
said
.
"
You
had
better
call
Captain
Dering
to
hear
it
,
too
;
it
will
save
time
.
"
He
nodded
acquiescence
,
but
ere
he
left
her
,
the
instinct
in
him
to
guard
his
"
dearest
atom
"
to
the
uttermost
from
others
,
made
him
set
a
chair
for
her
,
and
,
glancing
round
for
a
wrap
,
take
the
mess
jacket
he
had
laid
aside
for
a
smoking
coat
,
and
fold
it
round
her
.
For
the
air
had
grown
suddenly
chill
,
as
it
always
does
in
a
sand-storm
.
"
You
must
be
cold
in
that
dress
,
"
he
said
.
As
he
did
so
the
daintiness
of
it
struck
him
,
the
scent
of
the
orange
blossoms
made
him
turn
pale
.
Despite
his
hurry
,
his
certainty
that
something
serious
was
ahead
,
he
paused
to
ask
sharply
:
"
That
is
your
wedding
dress
,
is
n't
it
?
"
--
"
I
am
not
married
,
if
you
mean
that
!
"
she
answered
as
sharply
.
Then
she
flushed
up
angrily
,
more
at
the
comprehension
shown
in
her
own
answer
than
the
meaning
in
his
question
,
and
burst
out
:
"
What
does
it
matter
if
I
am--or
if
it
is
?
Go
!
I
tell
you
,
and
call
Captain
Dering
!
"
Yet
,
when
he
was
gone
,
she
lay
back
in
the
chair
and
shivered
again
;
all
the
more
because
of
the
unaccustomed
touch
about
her
throat
of
the
gold
lace
on
a
mess
jacket
.
How
red
it
looked
against
her
white
dress
!
And
what
a
lot
of
little
gold
buttons
there
were
at
its
edge
:
foolish
,
useless
,
little
ornamental
gilt
buttons
,
round
and
red-gold
,
like--
The
comparison
brought
back
Lance
's
cry
of
welcome
,
and
made
her
realize
that
,
quite
mechanically
,
she
still
held
in
her
hand
that
useless
,
foolish
,
unnecessary
orange
!
That
,
of
course
,
was
what
had
made
him
remember
;
had
made
him
say
those
words
which
had
come
like
the
writing
on
the
wall
to
remind
her
of
her
own
guilt
.
She
flung
the
fruit
from
her
,
hastily
,
into
the
unseen
river
beyond
the
arches
.
Only
just
in
time
,
ere
Lance
reëntered
,
with
a
puzzled
face
.
"
I
ca
n't
find
Dering
anywhere
,
"
he
said
vexedly
.
"
He
is
not
in
his
room
.
Has
n't
been
to
bed
,
either
;
though
he
turned
in
early
saying
he
was
half
asleep
.
I
wonder
what
is
up
?
Can
he
have
heard
already
,
do
you
think
?
Scarcely
;
and
he
would
not
have
gone
without
waking
me
.
"
His
surprise
seemed
to
absorb
him
.
"
Then
I
must
tell
you
,
for
there
is
no
time
to
be
lost
,
"
interrupted
Erda
,
impatiently
.
Yet
,
even
in
her
strenuous
desire
to
make
him
understand
quickly
,
she
did
not
fail
to
explain
,
breathlessly
,
how
she
came
to
be
dressed
as
she
was
.
She
had
been
trying
on
her
wedding
dress
to
see
if
it
fitted
,
and
had
gone
into
the
garden
for--for--flowers
,
when
Am-ma
and
his
raft
had
come
floating
down
the
river
.
And
was
not
that
all
true
?
she
asked
herself
passionately
,
as
she
told
the
tale
.
It
was
all
of
the
truth
,
anyhow
,
that
he
or
anyone
else
was
ever
to
know
.
So
she
had
come
to
warn
them
,
as
she
was
.
A
great
joy
at
her
courage
filled
Lance
as
he
listened
,
for
to
most
men
the
possibility
of
a
woman
acting
as
a
man
might
act
comes
as
a
wonder
.
"
It
was
awfully
plucky
of
you
,
"
he
began
;
but
she
cut
him
short
with
a
question
as
to
what
was
to
be
done
now
.
"
Warn
Dillon
,
first
of
all
,
"
he
said
readily
.
"
We
have
a
wire
laid
on
,
you
know
.
I
only
hope
this
infernal--I
beg
your
pardon--dust-storm
wo
n't
interfere
with
the
connection
.
You
had
better
come
over
with
me
to
the
office
;
it
is
just
across
the
yard
,
and
I
do
n't
like
leaving
you
alone
.
Do
you
mind
?
"
"
I
'll
come
,
of
course
,
--but
I
must
make
sure
of
Am-ma
waiting
first
,
"
she
added
,
with
a
ring
in
her
voice
;
the
ring
of
a
vigorous
vitality
which
finds
itself
face
to
face
with
action
.
"
He
said
the
raft
could
n't
overtake
us
for
half
an
hour
.
But
he
must
not
go
,
anyhow
,
and
he
will
want
to
.
I
had
difficulty
in
getting
him
to
leave
it
,
as
it
was
.
But
I
had
to
make
him
.
I
had
to
be
in
time
!
"
"
And
you
are--loads
of
time
!
"
he
called
,
as
he
ran
down
the
river
steps
before
her
,
to
give
the
order
.
"
It
is
n't
two
o'clock
yet
,
and--
"
he
paused
abruptly
,
on
seeing
,
to
his
surprise
,
that
only
Am-ma
's
strange
craft
lay
sidling
against
the
bottom
step
,
over
which
little
waves
were
curving
hurriedly
,
to
reach
up
the
wall
,
as
if
the
water-atoms
were
as
restless
as
those
of
earth
,
as
eager
to
seek
a
new
element
.
For
the
air
was
growing
darker
,
thicker
every
instant
with
the
intruders
.
He
looked
round
hastily
,
but
there
was
no
sign
of
the
canoe
anywhere
.
Yet
he
had
seen
it
moored
to
its
ring
before
dinner
!
Vincent
must
have
taken
it
.
Whither
?
An
answer
leapt
to
Lance
's
mind
,
and
he
flushed
up
,
even
in
the
dark
,
redly
.
If
this
was
so--what
the
deuce
was
to
be
done
?
There
was
an
added
confusion
,
an
added
responsibility
in
his
face
as
he
ran
back
to
where
Erda
stood
waiting
him
,
and
,
catching
up
a
lamp
from
the
mess
table
,
started
with
her
close
at
his
heels
for
the
office
.
"
That
is
the
first
thing
,
anyhow
!
"
he
muttered
,
half
to
himself
.
"
Dillon
must
be
warned--
"
"
And
perhaps
Captain
Dering
will
be
back
by
then
,
"
she
suggested
cheerfully
,
as
,
with
the
mess
jacket
worn
as
it
should
be
for
greater
convenience
of
action
and
greater
protection
(
she
had
slipped
her
arms
into
it
,
deliberately
,
while
waiting
for
Lance
)
,
she
followed
in
the
little
halo
of
dull
,
red
light
cast
by
the
lamp
through
the
dust-mist
.
The
courtyard
was
still
without
sign
of
life
;
for
there
was
nothing
to
guard
here
.
The
massive
gates
of
the
citadel
once
closed
,
and
a
sentry
outside
the
wicket
,
there
could
be
no
fear
of
secret
comings
and
goings
.
"
I
hope
to
God
he
may
,
"
said
Lance
,
ahead
,
and
his
tone
made
the
girl
wonder
.
His
face
,
too
,
surprised
her
,
as
,
sitting
down
to
the
instrument
,
he
signalled
for
attention
.
No
doubt
when
time
is
an
object
,
there
must
always
be
a
sense
of
strain
in
that
pause
before
the
answering
tinkle
comes
to
tell
that
a
human
hand
and
brain
is
at
the
other
end
of
the
thin
wire
which
means
so
much
,
but
there
was
more
than
that
in
Lance
Carlyon
's
frown
.
In
truth
,
as
he
waited
,
he
was
not
thinking
so
much
of
what
would
happen
if
the
communication
was
interrupted
,
but
what
was
to
be
done
if
it
was
not
.
Thinking
that
he
must
,
somehow
,
warn
Vincent
.
Thinking
how
awkward
it
would
be
for
him
if
there
was
a
row
,
and
he
absent
,
as
it
were
,
without
leave
!
So
it
was
Erda
who
recalled
him
to
the
wider
issue
.
"
What
are
you
going
to
do
,
if
Dr.
Dillon
does
n't
hear
?
"
She
had
to
raise
her
voice
a
little
,
for
something--either
coming
wind
or
far-distant
thunder--had
brought
a
curious
,
faint
reverberation
to
the
air
.
It
seemed
to
come
from
all
quarters
,
scarcely
distinguishable
,
yet
unmistakable
,
like
the
roll
of
a
half-muffled
drum
,
or
a
deep
organ
note
quivering
into
silence
.
The
darkness
all
about
them
grew
thicker
and
thicker
.
Lance
,
close
beside
her
in
that
red
lamp
circle
,
showed
as
if
seen
through
gauze
.
How
unreal
it
all
was
!
Herself
,
most
of
all
,
in
a
mess
jacket
,
and
,
of
course--but
this
thought
came
second--her
wedding
dress
!
And
then
it
struck
her
that
she
,
herself
,
was
more
unreal
than
anything
else
.
To
be
there
at
dead
of
night
,
feeling
no
fear
,
only
a
sort
of
savage
interest--
"
But
if
he
does
n't
hear
,
"
she
persisted
,
"
you
will
have
to
go
down
the
river
and
warn
him
.
"
He
nodded
.
And
yet
his
thought
went
first
to
the
fact
that
,
if
he
had
to
do
this
,
if
Roshan
Khân
had
to
be
left
in
charge
of
the
relief
,
it
would
be
still
more
awkward
for
Vincent
Dering
.
Tring-a-tring-tring
!
The
answering
tinkle
brought
a
little
breath
of
joy
to
them
both
;
but
Erda
felt
inclined
to
stamp
her
feet
at
the
slow
precision
with
which
Lance--who
had
to
remember
each
equivalent
sign--spelt
out
his
message
.
He
could
not
be
quicker
,
of
course
,
and
yet
surely
he
might
!
She
longed
to
snatch
at
the
handles
herself
,
though
she
could
not
signal
at
all
.
"
There
,
that
's
done
!
"
she
cried
,
as
a
continuous
short
rattle
followed
from
the
other
end
,
which
Lance
translated
into--
"
All
right
,
await
you
.
"
"
Now
!
what
is
to
be
done
next
?
"
"
Roshan
Khân--he
'll
get
the
men
together
,
"
answered
Lance
,
already
on
his
way
to
the
wicket
in
the
gate
.
To
his
surprise
,
it
was
closed
.
He
knocked
,
no
answer
came
.
Erda
,
holding
the
lamp
,
looked
at
him
startled
.
"
Sentry
!
"
he
called
.
"
Sentry
!
Open
the
door
!
Miracle
!
'
"
It
was
the
password
for
the
night
,
given
by
Captain
Dering
in
contemptuous
memory
of
the
day
;
but
it
produced
no
result
.
The
wicket
remained
obstinately
closed
.
"
They
've
locked
us
in
!
"
whispered
Erda
;
the
lowering
of
her
voice
being
due
to
a
swift
instinct
that
the
less
fuss
made
the
better
;
the
less
chance
of
interruption
.
Lance
bent
his
ear
to
the
keyhole
to
listen
.
Those
dull
,
muffled
reverberations--either
distant
thunder
,
or
faint
,
ineffective
explosions
of
electricity
close
at
hand--were
louder
now
;
but
he
could
hear
no
sound
above
them
.
He
shook
his
head
.
Erda
had
the
lamp
on
the
ground
in
a
second
,
and
was
beside
it
,
her
red-gold
hair
in
the
dust
,
as
she
peered
through
a
three-inch
iron
grating
between
the
iron-rimmed
door
and
the
iron
lintel
.
When
she
rose
up
her
face
was
like
the
iron
also
.
"
They
've
trapped
us
!
"
she
whispered
.
"
There
is
a
sentry
outside--I
saw
his
feet
.
Come
away
,
and
let
us
settle
what
to
do
.
And
say
something
,
something
angry--you
know
what
I
mean
.
"
"
Damn
that
brute
!
"
said
Lance
,
cordially
,
in
a
loud
voice
,
"
where
the
deuce
has
the
sentry
gone
to
?
I
'll
have
it
out
with
him
to-morrow
,
the
infernal--
"
Erda
,
ahead
with
the
lamp
,
turned
to
look
back
,
and
put
her
finger
on
her
lips
reproachfully
.
"
That
's
quite
enough
,
"
she
said
;
but
she
said
it
with
a
smile
.
That
vigorous
delight
in
action
which
some
women
feel
was
making
her
blood
race
through
her
veins
.
"
Now
what
's
to
be
done
?
"
she
said
swiftly
,
as
she
put
the
lamp
down
on
the
mess
table
again
.
"
Let
's
think
hard
.
"
The
gate
was
closed
against
interference
with--with--
something
!
That
was
evident
.
Proof
positive
,
therefore
,
that
Am-ma
's
tale
was
true
.
So
it
followed
that
the
most
urgent
need
for
help
was
at
the
gaol
.
But
how
to
reach
it
,
and
with
whom
?
Lance
's
thoughts
turned
instantly
to
Roshan
Khân
.
Was
he--could
he
be
in
the
plot
?
Surely
not
.
Yet
with
or
without
his
knowledge
,
the
outer
court
was
in
the
hands
of
rebels
who
thought
their
English
officers
were
caught
like
rats
in
a
trap
;
for
,
of
course
,
they
did
not
know
Dering
was
absent
.
And
so
it
was
.
He
and
his
pioneers--twenty
or
thereabouts--were
in
a
trap
.
What
could
they
do
to
get
out
of
it
?
Their
arms
,
scaling
ladders
,
everything
,
were
in
the
outside
courtyard
.
What
would
be
the
use
,
either
,
of
trying
to
force
the
door
?
Mere
waste
of
time
.
The
thing
required
was
to
prevent
those
fifteen
hundred
men
with
a
criminal
past
being
let
loose
on
Eshwara
,
let
loose--as
men
like
them
had
been
in
the
Mutiny--to
give
a
lead
over
.
And
that--how
was
that
to
be
done
?
He
looked
across
to
Erda
,
and
took
sudden
comfort
in
the
quick
intelligence
of
her
face
.
"
You
had
better
take
my
place
with
Am-ma
,
"
she
said
sharply
.
"
Go
down
stream
to
the
spit
,
cut
across
by
the
mission
house
,
and
chance
getting
over
to
the
police
camp
.
"
He
had
thought
of
this
before
.
The
extra
police
,
with
their
two
officers
,
who
had
come
over
to
see
the
festival
through
peacefully
,
were
encamped
above
the
boat-bridge
and
though
,
of
course
,
most
of
the
men
would
be
scattered
on
duty
through
the
town
,
even
some
help
would
be
better
than
none
.
Yet
how
to
leave
Erda
,
not
alone
even
,
but
with
twenty
men
whose
loyalty
would
depend
largely--as
it
always
did--on
action
,
on
their
having
someone
to
fight
?
"
But
you
,
"
he
began--
"
I
'll
stay
here
.
They
wo
n't
try
to
come
in--yet
a
while
.
I
am
not
afraid
of
being
alone
.
"
"
I
would
n't
mind
your
being
alone
,
"
he
put
in
,
"
but
my
Sikhs--
"
Your
Sikhs
,
"
she
echoed
.
"
Are
they
here
?
Then
why--
?
"
"
They
have
no
arms--I
could
find
some
,
perhaps--
"
--His
words--both
their
words--jostled
each
other
in
sheer
haste
.
"
Yes
!
then
why
do
n't
you
call
them
?
"
--
"
How
can
I
use
them--trapped
like
a
rat
.
They--they
might
be
worse
than
useless
,
without
something
to
do--without
a
lead
over--do
n't
you
see
?
--and
there
is
nothing--
"
--
"
Nothing
!
"
she
echoed
,
almost
savagely
,
as
she
clasped
and
unclasped
her
hands
,
dragging
the
fingers
through
each
other
,
in
sheer
straining
after
some
thought
on
which
to
clutch
,
in
cruel
whipping
and
spurring
of
her
wits
against
that
inaction
.
Nothing
!
Nothing
!
The
word
seemed
to
fill
the
world
.
Nothing
in
earth
or
air
or
fire
or--
"
Stay
!
"
she
cried
,
with
a
gasp
.
"
The
raft
!
The
raft
!
Am-ma
shall
fetch
it--it
must
be
close
by
,
now
.
There
will
be
room
.
It
can
float
down
to
opposite
the
gaol
.
"
He
stared
at
her
as
she
stood
in
her
white
,
and
scarlet
,
and
gold
.
"
By
Jove
!
"
he
said
softly
"
by
Jove
,
you
've
got
it
!
"
The
next
instant
he
was
off
to
rouse
his
men
,
and
she
was
on
the
bottom
step
giving
Am-ma
his
orders
,
short
,
sharp
,
clear
.
But
when
Lance
came
back
again
to
look
out
what
arms
and
ammunition
he
could
lay
hands
on
,
he
found
her
,
in
his
room
,
sorting
cartridges
as
if
she
had
done
it
all
her
life
;
and
her
face
turned
to
him
all
aglow
and
splendid
.
"
We
shall
manage
it
!
Am-ma
's
gone
.
He
did
n't
want
to
,
but
I
told
him
I
'd
kill
the
baby
if
he
did
n't
.
I
suppose
it
was
wrong
,
"
--though
her
woman
's
tongue
sought
speech
,
her
woman
's
hands
stuck
to
their
work--
"
but
I
could
n't
help
it
.
I
felt
so
savage
.
"
"
You
are
very
brave
,
"
he
said
simply
.
"
Brave
!
"
she
echoed
.
"
Why
not
?
People
talk
as
if
women
always
had
to
try
and
not
be
afraid
;
but
we
are
not
all
like
that
.
Some
of
us
want
to
fight
.
I
do
,
always
.
"
She
looked
it
,
as
,
when
all
was
ready
,
she
leant
,
straining
her
eyes
into
the
darkness
for
a
hint
of
Am-ma
's
return
.
"
He
must
come
,
"
she
muttered
to
herself
,
"
he
shall
come
!
"
And
he
did
.
A
bigger
wave
came
sweeping
up
to
the
wall
as
a
herald
,
and
then
a
voice
calling
for
a
rope
.
Half
a
dozen
were
ready
posted
in
the
men
's
hands
from
various
points
of
vantage
.
They
flew
outwards
;
one
,
from
Am-ma
's
hands
inwards
to
a
group
holding
a
lantern
on
the
steps
.
So
,
with
a
silent
haul
,
the
pioneers
had
the
raft
stopped
,
and
sidling
slowly
back
to
mooring
against
the
wall
.
Then
Lance
turned
to
Erda
hesitating
,
divided
between
his
loyalty
to
Vincent
,
and
to
her
.
"
The
palace
ought
to
be
warned
,
"
he
said
briefly--
"
if
I
go
there
ahead
on
Am-ma
's
craft
,
I
could
pick
you
up
on
your
way
down
.
Could
you
manage
?
"
She
gave
a
look
round
on
the
men
,
eager
with
the
sudden
excitement
,
with
the
rush
,
with
the
very
novelty
of
it
all
,
and
laughed--positively
laughed
.
"
Manage
?
Yes
!
of
course
I
can
manage--
havildar
!
see
those
cartridges
are
put
well
back
out
of
the
wet--stay
!
bring
down
that
table
,
someone
,
and
give
it
a
lash--
"
Yet
,
despite
this
absolute
lack
of
fear
,
despite
the
fact
that
she
evidently
wanted
and
desired
no
more
consideration
than
a
man
,
Lance
felt
a
wild
dislike
to
leaving
her
there
alone
,
as
he
stepped
on
to
Am-ma
's
skin
craft
,
and
,
edging
his
way
along
by
the
wall
,
prepared
to
drift
down
to
the
palace
balcony
.
It
was
mirk
dark
now
,
and
he
had
no
fear
of
being
seen
by
the
crowd
on
the
bathing
steps
and
the
courtyard
,
though
he
punted
his
way
with
the
paddle
shaft
within
a
yard
or
two
of
the
shore
;
for
he
wanted
to
judge
how
far
excitement
had
spread
,
how
far
the
crowd
was
aware
of
what
was
coming
at
dawn
.
To
judge
by
appearances
,
not
at
all
.
There
was
no
more
restlessness
,
no
more
movement
than
was
inevitable
in
such
a
concourse
of
men
,
women
,
and
children
.
Here
and
there
files
of
shadowy
forms
drifted
about
,
but
the
most
of
them
,
seen
by
the
little
lights
set
on
the
ground
beside
each
group
,
were
in
heaps
,
like
the
heaps
of
dead
on
a
battle-field
,
huddled
up
on
each
other
,
sleeping
,
resting
,
indistinguishable
,
shrouded
in
their
shawls
,
waiting
for
the
dawn
to
come
.
And
,
above
the
soft
,
yet
increasing
murmur
of
the
still
windless
storm
,
came
a
softer
murmuring
of
prayers
,
a
weird
low
chanting
.
The
Hosts
of
the
Lord
had
not
yet
risen
to
battle
.
The
Spirit
had
not
moved
;
the
Word
had
not
been
made
manifest
.
The
palace
,
also
,
lay
as
yet
undisturbed
,
unseen
,
in
the
darkness
.
Except
for
a
glimmer
of
red
light
just
above
the
river
,
a
paler
glimmer
closer
at
hand
.
The
red
light
must
be
by
the
stairs
for
which
he
was
steering
.
The
other
?
--
He
did
not
know
,
but
as
he
slipped
past
it
another
murmuring
as
of
prayer
seemed
to
come
from
within
.
It
must
come
from
the
chapel
;
if
so
,
then
Pidar
Narâyan
must
be
awake
also
.
He
felt
a
certain
relief
at
the
thought
when
he
caught
sight
of
the
canoe
at
the
bottom
of
the
steps
.
Then
Vincent
,
as
he
had
feared
,
was
there
;
but
not
on
the
errand
he
had
feared
,
if
Pidar
Narâyan
knew
of
it
.
So
,
mooring
his
strange
craft
to
the
canoe
,
he
ran
up
the
stairs
eagerly
.
MARGHERITA
Father
Ninian
had
been
awake
all
night
.
He
had
been
vaguely
uneasy
all
day
,
conscious
,
with
that
fine
perception
of
his
,
that
something
was
amiss
.
But
it
was
no
fear
of
what
might
happen
which
had
kept
him
watching
when
others
slept
.
It
was
the
memory
of
something
which
had
happened
;
for
,
by
a
coincidence
that
for
more
than
fifty
years
had
never
lost
its
mystical
significance
for
Ninian
Bruce--sentimentalist
as
he
was
to
his
finger
tips--the
night
of
the
Vaisakh
festival
,
when
the
pilgrims
watched
for
the
dawn
to
guide
them
on
their
way
to
the
'
Cradle
of
the
Gods
,
'
was
to
him
,
personally
,
the
saddest
and
gladdest
of
the
whole
year
.
Since
it
was
the
night
on
which
he
had
sinned
the
great
sin
of
his
life
,
and
repented
of
it
,
even
in
the
sinning
.
And
that
sinning
,
that
repenting
,
was
no
slight
thing
to
him
.
It
was
the
man
himself
;
for
the
passion
that
was
in
him
in
his
youth
was
in
him
in
his
old
age
.
It
had
only
changed
its
dwelling-place
.
It
had
fled
from
the
senses
,
and
found
refuge
in
the
emotions
.
In
a
way
,
indeed
,
by
thus
seeking
freedom
from
it
,
he
had
fallen
into
a
greater
thraldom
,
so
that
his
whole
life
had
been
as
much
swayed
by
this
renunciation
of
a
woman
as
it
would
have
been
by
her
possession
.
Old
as
he
was
,
this
very
night
had
brought
him--with
the
thought
that
Death
could
not
delay
much
longer
,
and
that
next
Vaisakh
festival
might
find
him
no
lonely
watcher--that
thrill
of
self-absorption
in
another
self
,
that
claim
for
all
,
which
is
the
essence
of
passion
.
For
this
woman
,
waiting
for
him
in
the
land
where
there
is
no
marrying
or
giving
in
marriage
,
was
still
a
woman
;
still
the
one
of
all
God
's
creatures
whom
he
claimed
,
and
who
claimed
him
,
even
as
the
first
woman
claimed
the
first
man
in
Paradise
.
So
he
had
passed
the
night
watches
of
the
Festival
of
Spring
:
as
he
had
always
passed
them
.
Partly
in
his
room
,
that
room
made
holy
by
her
presence
in
his
heart
,
partly
in
the
chapel
,
made
holy
by
the
Bodily
Presence
of
Him
for
Whose
sake
he
had
renounced
her
.
The
two
holinesses
were
inextricably
mixed
in
Pidar
Narâyan
's
mind
.
He
had
finished
one
of
the
masses
for
the
repose
of
a
sinning
yet
sainted
soul
,
and
,
before
repeating
the
next
,
was
confessing
his
own
repentance
in
his
room
,
when
that
hasty
footstep
along
the
passage
,
which
alarmed
those
two
lovers
in
the
balcony
nearer
the
garden
,
had
resounded
through
the
arches
.
It
had
disturbed
,
but
not
startled
him
,
its
very
boldness
reassuring
him
of
its
right
to
be
there
.
Probably
it
was
some
messenger
from
the
police
camp
or
the
Fort
.
So
he
had
risen
from
his
knees
calmly
and
passed
into
the
chapel
,
which
lay
between
his
room
and
the
balcony
,
in
order
to
see
who
it
could
be
.
For
the
candles
were
lit
on
the
Altar
and
sent
a
faint
light
into
the
vaulted
passage
beyond
.
It
was
as
he
paused
,
in
passing
,
to
do
homage
to
that
Bodily
Presence
upon
the
Altar
,
which
was
ready--as
he
was
in
his
robes--for
the
service
of
love
which
was
to
him
,
as
a
priest
,
his
duty
,
as
a
man
a
joy
unspeakable
,
that
the
pistol-shot
came
clamouring
through
the
arches
,
followed
by
those
despairing
cries
.
What
they
were
he
could
not
distinguish
,
but
that
they
were
urgent
was
unmistakable
,
and
had
he
been
young
as
he
had
been
on
that
night
long
years
ago
in
the
balcony
above
the
pale
flood
of
the
Tiber
,
he
could
not
have
been
quicker
to
reach
the
armoury
,
seize
the
long
rapier
,
which
he
had
not
used
,
save
in
play
,
since
those
ruffling
days
in
Rome
,
and
run
out
into
the
wide
,
dim
passage
whence
the
sound
had
reached
him
.
None
too
soon
!
Someone
was
already
flying
down
it
.
He
pulled
himself
up
for
attack
,
but
the
figure
ere
he
could
lunge
at
it
was
past
him
,
desperate
,
indifferent
,
flinging
him
against
the
wall
as
it
continued
its
reckless
way
to
the
outer
door
,
where
,
with
swift
opening
and
closing
,
it
disappeared
into
the
crowded
courtyard
,
out
of
sight--beyond
recall
!
He
stood
for
a
moment
,
stupefied
.
What
was
Roshan
Khân
doing
there
?
For
that
faint
light
from
the
Altar
had
given
him
a
glimpse
of
a
familiar
,
dark
face
,
Roshan
Khân
's
without
a
doubt
!
"
Laila
!
Laila
!
"
The
cry
was
clearer
this
time
and
the
blood
left
his
fine
old
face
in
sudden
doubt
as
he
turned
swiftly
to
his
left
.
Turned
,
and
saw
a
faint
red
glow
through
an
arch
far
down
the
passage
.
That
was
the
arch
leading
down
into
the
balcony
that
was
never
lit
up--that
was
never
to
be
lit
up
because
of
something
that
had
happened
there
long
ago--because
of
the
something
which
had
begun
a
tragedy
.
Why
was
it
lit
up
?
A
stronger
fear
caught
at
his
heart
.
Could
Laila
?
--No
!
--impossible
!
He
ran
on
,
and
the
next
moment
was
realizing
that
some
tragedy
had
ended
in
that
balcony
.
But
what
?
Who
was
the
woman
in
native
dress
who
stood
with
a
man
's
arm
around
her--a
man
in
a
scarlet
and
gold
mess
jacket
?
Ah
!
--that
was
Captain
Dering
,
undoubtedly
.
But
the
woman
?
The
woman
in
scarlet
and
gold
also--God
in
Heaven
!
--had
the
dead--
As
he
stared
,
the
long
,
supple
limbs
,
so
clearly
outlined
under
their
cunningly
contrived
draperies
,
seemed
to
lose
themselves
in
the
colour
,
the
glitter
of
rich
stuff
;
one
white
arm
,
losing
its
hold
on
a
cuff
of
scarlet
and
gold
,
swung
back
helplessly
,
and
Vincent
Dering
,
with
a
passionate
entreaty
to
his
darling
not
to
be
afraid
,
to
look
up
,
and
tell
him
where
she
was
hurt
,
sank
to
one
knee
the
better
to
support
what
he
held
.
And
so
the
face
,
tilted
backwards
over
his
shoulder
,
came
in
view
.
Laila
!
For
an
instant
Ninian
Bruce
stood
bewildered
.
Then
all
his
youth
,
the
pride
of
birth
,
the
dash
,
and
the
fire
which
had
made
that
youth
what
it
had
been
,
rose
up
in
him
.
The
blood
surged
back
to
his
face
in
wild
anger
,
in
savage
sense
of
insult
,
and
desire
for
revenge
.
"
How
dare
you
!
"
he
cried
,
clenching
his
hand
on
his
sword
.
"
You
shall
answer
for
this
,
sir
!
How
do
you
come
to
be
here
,
at
this
time
of
night
,
and
why
?
"
Vincent
,
who
at
the
first
word
had
given
a
hurried
glance
to
see
who
the
speaker
was
,
then
returned
to
his
task
with
the
indifference
of
one
absolutely
preoccupied
,
held
up
his
hand
passionately
against
more
.
"
Don't--and
do
n't
preach
,
for
God
's
sake
,
old
man
!
"
he
cried
recklessly
.
"
Come
and
help
,
if
you
like
.
Some
brute--Oh
,
curse
him
!
curse
him
!
"
His
one
trembling
hand
,
for
the
other
was
round
her
,
supporting
her
,
was
busy
with
the
quaint
,
jewelled
clasps
of
the
scented
corselet
,
which
was
crimsoning
deeper
with
another
dye
.
"
It
's
too
late
for
preaching
,
"
he
muttered
,
half
to
himself
,
--
"
too
late
!
too
late
!
"
The
words
seemed
to
stun
his
hearer
into
silence
.
He
stood
bewildered
.
Too
late
for
what
?
And
now
,
roused
by
that
pistol-shot
also
,
another
old
man
,
who
had
carefully
hidden
himself
away
from
the
possibility
of
being
found
by
Roshan
Khân
,
on
the
rage
for
an
impossible
interview
;
who
had
counted
,
with
malicious
cunning
,
on
the
cooling
effect
of
a
useless
waiting
in
the
garden
till
dawn
should
make
it
necessary
for
hot-blooded
lovers
to
return
to
the
Fort
,
stole
like
a
thief
to
the
balcony
.
What
could
have
happened
?
The
only
likely
trouble
which
had
occurred
to
his
vast
experience
had
been
the
possibility
of
Roshan
Khân
seeking
the
interview
upstairs
.
And
for
that
very
reason
had
not
he
,
Akbar
Khân
,
felt
it
his
duty
to
sleep
outside
his
mistress
's
door
?
What
more
could
faithful
servitude
be
expected
to
do
?
But
this
!
What
was
this
?
His
charge
had
stolen
a
march
upon
him
.
Old
as
he
was
in
the
care
of
frail
womanhood
,
he
had
been
imposed
upon
!
Then
,
as
he
crept
round
a
pillar
craftily
,
the
sight
of
Pidar
Narâyan
,
in
his
priestly
robes
,
made
the
old
sinner
throw
up
his
hands
and
grovel
in
the
dust
.
"
This
slave
knew
nothing
!
"
he
mumbled
,
gasping
.
"
This
was
unknown
.
And
for
the
other
,
I
told
him
it
was
too
soon
,
too
soon
,
--far
too
soon
.
"
Too
soon
,
and
too
late
!
What
did
it
all
mean
?
Father
Ninian
stood
helpless
,
paralyzed
;
but
Vincent
caught
at
the
words
.
"
The
other
!
"
he
echoed
.
"
You
black
devil
!
who
was
the
other
?
Who
was
that
man
?
Curse
him
!
"
He
paused
,
for
Laila
opened
her
eyes
.
"
It
was
Roshan
Khân
,
"
she
said
,
with
a
smile
,
that
half-amused
,
half-mysterious
smile
.
"
He
gave
me
the
dress
,
you
know
,
and
I
think
he
wanted
me--to
marry
him
.
Hush
!
what
's
the
use
of
being
angry--now
?
"
She
checked
his
incredulous
outcry
,
and
her
hand
hesitated
up
to
his
trembling
fingers
,
and
held
them
back
from
their
task
.
"
Do
n't
,
"
she
went
on
;
"
I
'd
rather--you
did
n't
waste
time
.
I
want
you
to
look
at
me--only
me--me
,
myself
.
Ah
!
that
's
nice
!
"
There
was
an
instant
's
silence
;
then
her
eyes
wandered
to
his
cuff
as
it
rested
on
her
corselet
,
and
she
smiled
again
.
"
We
match
,
do
n't
we
?
I
'm
glad
.
Besides
,
it
wo
n't
stain
much
.
I
expect--that
's
why
soldiers
wear
red
,
is
n't
it
?
"
The
deadly
realism
roused
Vincent
to
a
sort
of
fury
at
his
own
helplessness
.
But
what
could
a
man
do
,
caught
in
a
second
by
Fate
to
be
chief
actor
in
a
scene
like
this
,
where
he
was
lost
,
--lost
utterly
?
And
those
two
fools
looking
on--doing
nothing
!
"
At
least
,
in
common
charity
,
you
might
help
.
You
're
something
of
a
doctor
!
"
he
cried
passionately
.
"
We
can
settle
scores
afterwards
,
you
and
I
,
ca
n't
we
?
But
now
you
might
help
her
.
"
"
What
did
she
say
?
"
asked
Father
Ninian
,
tonelessly
.
He
had
caught
a
word
or
two
,
and
their
triviality
,
in
the
face
of
what
had
happened--a
triviality
common
in
those
who
have
been
struck
down
as
she
had
been
,
almost
painlessly--had
but
increased
his
bewilderment
.
"
What
does
it
mean
?
How
do
you
come
here
?
I
must
know
,
first
.
"
The
girl
had
turned
her
face
quickly
to
the
new
voice
;
and
,
after
vainly
trying
to
rise
,
lay
back
breathlessly
.
"
Tell
him
,
Vincent
;
he
's
Father
Laurence
.
Remember--he
must
know--and--and
I--can't--
"
"
Then
here
it
is
,
sir
!
"
broke
in
Vincent
,
brutally
.
"
If
you
will
wait
to
know
,
when
every
moment
is
precious
.
We
love
each
other--you
've
done
it
in
your
time
,
I
'm
told
!
I
've
been
coming
here
,
night
after
night
,
to
see
her
;
she
wears
that
dress
to
please
me--there
!
Now
you
've
got
it
!
And
to-night
,
some
devil--she
says
Roshan
Khân
,
but
she
's
dreaming
;
what
can
he
have
to
do
with
it
?
--stood
there
and
fired--at
me
,
I
think
;
but
she
flung
herself--Ah
!
Laila
,
my
darling
,
why
did
you
?
Now
,
will
that
satisfy
you--you--you--
"
"
Hush
!
"
came
Laila
's
voice--
"
there
is
no
use
in
being
angry
.
Besides
,
he
understands
;
he
knows
what
it
is
to
be
in
love
quite
well
.
Do
n't
you
,
guardian
?
You
loved
her
,
did
n't
you
?
Margherita
,
I
mean--
"
She
wandered
off
into
Italian--the
language
they
always
spoke
,
and
her
rich
voice
dulled
,
died
away
,
as
the
faintness
returned
.
"
For
God
's
sake
,
sir
,
bring
the
light
,
if
you
wo
n't
do
anything
else
!
"
cried
Vincent
,
wildly
.
"
She
has
fainted
,
I
think--I
ca
n't
see--it
is
so
dark
.
For
God
's
sake
,
sir
,
the
light
at
least
!
"
The
light
at
least
!
As
Father
Ninian
mechanically
took
the
red
lamp
from
its
niche
he
felt
that
he
needed
no
more
light
than
those
words
,
"
he
understands
,
"
had
sent
into
his
very
soul
.
Yes
,
he
knew
what
love
was
.
But
he
knew
also--it
came
home
to
him
in
a
second--that
his
love
,
even
after
all
these
years
,
differed
not
at
all
from
this
girl
's
.
He
heard
it
in
her
voice--that
voice
so
strangely
like
that
other
voice--which
he
remembered--oh
!
so
well
!
"
Take
off
the
shade
,
"
said
Vincent
,
"
it
makes
everything
so--so
red--you--you
ca
n't
see
the
truth
.
"
He
shivered
as
he
spoke
.
But
that
first
look
at
the
girl
had
been
enough
for
Pidar
Narâyan
.
It
had
roused
him
,
his
apathy
was
gone
.
He
thrust
the
lamp
into
Vincent
's
trembling
hands
without
a
word
,
and
his
own
steady
ones--the
hands
which
had
not
touched
their
kind
,
except
to
heal
body
or
soul
,
since
they
had
said
farewell
to
a
woman--took
up
the
task
.
So
for
a
few
minutes
there
was
