THE
HOSTS
OF
THE
LORD
BY
FLORA
ANNIE
STEEL
AUTHOR
OF
"
ON
THE
FACE
OF
THE
WATERS
,
"
"
MISS
STUART
'S
LEGACY
,
"
"
THE
FLOWER
OF
FORGIVENESS
,
"
ETC.
New
York
THE
MACMILLAN
COMPANY
LONDON
:
MACMILLAN
+
CO.
,
Ltd
.
1900
All
rights
reserved
A
SHADOW
"
Understand
!
Of
course
you
do
n't
.
I
do
n't
,
though
I
've
been
here
two
years
.
And
what
's
more
,
I
do
n't
want
to
,
"
retorted
a
rather
undersized
Englishman
,
whose
white
drill
suit
made
him
look
like
a
stem
to
the
huge
mushroom
of
a
pith
hat
which
he
wore
.
Despite
this
protection
his
face
was
brown
exceedingly
,
and
faintly
wrinkled
through
sheer
exposure
to
sun-bright
,
sun-dried
air
.
The
fact
enhanced
the
monkey
type
of
his
features
,
and
made
his
clear
,
light-blue
eyes--so
set
that
they
were
shadowless
below
and
cavernous
above--look
quite
aggressively
cool
,
inquisitive
,
intelligent
.
"
So
long
as
we
do
n't
understand
them
,
"
he
went
on
,
"
and
they
do
n't
understand
us
,
we
jog
along
the
same
path
amicably
,
like--well
!
like
the
pilgrims
to
the
'
Cradle
of
the
Gods
,
'
and
the
telegraph-posts
to
the
Adjutant
General
's
office
up
the
road
yonder--and
I
'll
trouble
you
to
cram
more
space
than
that
between
two
earthly
poles
!
No
!
It
is
when
we
begin
to
have
glimmerings
that
the
deuce
and
all
comes
in--
"
He
paused
in
the
molten
gold
of
sunlight
,
which
made
the
yellow
sand
,
the
corn-coloured
tussocks
of
tiger-grass
still
yellower
and
still
more
corn-coloured
,
to
glance
round
,
as
if
measuring
the
distance
between
the
long
,
low
line
of
mud
enclosure
they
had
left
but
a
few
hundred
yards
behind--yet
which
,
already
,
was
losing
itself
in
an
illimitable
sand
stretch
beyond--and
a
bigger
tuft
in
the
sand
stretch
ahead
;
a
tuft
of
spear-points
and
horses
,
bayonets
and
men
,
waiting
beside
the
first
faint
semblance
of
a
reed-paved
road
.
Then
he
took
out
his
watch
.
Apparently
he
found
leisure
at
his
disposal
,
for
he
walked
on
.
"
There
's
a
nursery
rhyme
they
taught
me
,
"
he
continued
,
"
when
my
moral
nature
was
at
the
mercy
of
any
fool
who
chose
to
take
an
interest
in
it--
'
But
if
poor
Pussy
understood
,
she
'd
be
,
indeed
,
a
naughty
creature
!
'
It
did
n't
run
so
consecutively
,
of
course
;
in
fact
'
creature
'
rhymed
to
'
teach
her'--but
I
learnt
it
that
way
.
Children
do
that
sort
of
thing
a
sight
deal
oftener
than
their
elders
think
.
"
The
younger
of
the
two
men
in
uniform
with
whom
he
was
walking
laughed--the
honest
,
elated
,
conscious
laugh
of
one
who
has
not
many
good
stories
about
himself
,
and
happens
on
an
opportunity
for
telling
one
of
them
.
"
I
used
to
say
,
'
Six
days
shalt
thy
neighbour
do
all
that
thou
hast
to
do
,
and
the
seventh
day
shalt
thou
do
no
manner
--
'
"
"
Shut
up
,
Lance
!
"
interrupted
his
elder
companion
with
a
laugh
.
"
It
is
a
ripping
excuse
for
your
intolerable
laziness
,
but
I
do
n't
believe--
"
"
Fact
,
I
assure
you
,
"
protested
Lance
Carlyon
aggrievedly
,
"
and
considering
I
really
thought
that
was
the
proper
version
for
ten
years
of
my
life
,
I--
"
Dr.
George
Dillon
took
off
his
mushroom
hat
suddenly
,
and
wiped
his
forehead
as
if
to
smooth
away
the
wrinkles
which
his
smiles
had
brought
to
it
.
"
Lordy
!
It
's
a
queer
world
,
"
he
put
in
.
"
There
is
really
no
good
in
understanding
most
things
.
As
for
this
place--
!
Great
Scott
!
What
would
happen
if
my
fifteen
hundred
scoundrels
,
whom
you
saw
digging
like
babes
in
the
open
just
now
,
were
to
understand
that
I--one
Englishman
in
charge--had
virtually
no
force
majeure
--
"
"
Do
n't
insult
us
,
Dillon
!
"
remonstrated
Captain
Vincent
Dering
,
a
certain
swagger
underlying
his
jest
.
"
Eshwara
is
a
garrison
town
,
remember
,
now
;
I
'm
commandant
,
and
Carlyon
's
staff--
"
He
had
,
in
fact
,
ridden
that
morning
as
far
as
Dr.
Dillon
's
house
in
charge
of
a
troop
of
native
cavalry
and
some
Sikh
pioneers
who
had
gone
on
,
under
a
native
officer
,
to
take
up
their
temporary
quarters
in
the
half-ruined
Fort
,
just
beyond
the
old
town
of
Eshwara
.
And
now
,
having
thus
secured
their
breakfasts
,
he
and
his
lieutenant
were
on
their
way
towards
the
horses
and
escort
they
had
bidden
await
them
at
the
boat
bridge
which
lay
between
them
and
their
destination
.
For
George
Dillon
was
in
control
of
a
large
industrial
gaol
,
whose
inmates
had
for
months
been
digging
the
head
works
of
a
canal
,
which
was
to
take
off
just
below
the
town
,
on
the
farther
side
of
the
river
.
"
Are
you
?
"
replied
the
doctor
,
with
a
look
of
pity
;
"
then
I
hope
you
'll
both
forget
the
fact
.
We
've
got
on
all
right
without
you
,
hitherto
.
So
if
you
'll
stick
to
marking
out
the
Viceroy
's
camp
,
and
generally
preparing
the
way
of
the
Lord-sahib
,
I
'll
be
obliged
to
you
.
By
the
way
,
is
he
coming
to
open
the
canal
on
the
10th
,
really
?
"
"
So
they
say
.
That
is
,
if
you
are
ready
for
the
show
by
then
.
I
believe
he
could
put
it
off
till
the
11th
or
12th
.
Dashwood
said
something
to
that
effect
.
"
"
Then
Dashwood
's
an
ass
.
The
10th
is
bad
enough
.
The
place
will
be
filling
up
even
then
.
"
"
Filling
up
!
How
?
"
"
Pilgrims
.
But
on
the
11th
and
12th
!
By
George
!
you
should
see
them
!
The
'
Assyrians
came
down
like
a
wolf
on
the
fold
,
'
is
nothing
to
it
;
only
these
are
the
Hosts
of
the
Lord
,
I
suppose
.
And
so
Dashwood
suggested
the
11th
or
12th--the
Vaisakh
festival
,
did
he
?
Well
,
he
is
an
ass
!
But
that
's
always
the
way
.
We
try
to
understand
feelings
,
instead
of
trying
to
know
facts
.
However
,
we
shall
be
ready
for
the
opening
,
never
fear
.
Smith
expects
his
C
.
S.
I
.
over
it
,
he
says
,
and
that
's
enough
guarantee
.
You
know
Smith
,
do
n't
you
,
Dering
?
Walsall
Smith--I
think
his
wife
said
she
knew
you
.
"
"
Yes
,
"
he
interrupted
,
with
rather
unnecessary
decision
,
"
Mrs.
Walsall
Smith
is
a
great
friend
of
mine
,
a
very
great
friend
.
"
"
Jolly
for
you
,
having
friends
in
Eshwara
,
"
assented
Lance
,
in
uneasy
haste
.
"
I
suppose
they
are
about
the
only
people
here
,
eh
,
doctor
?
"
he
went
on
,
changing
the
subject
;
but
the
latter
's
clear
eyes
and
brain
were
occupied
for
a
moment
in
taking
stock
of
Captain
Dering
's
singular
,
if
a
trifle
voyant
personal
attractions
;
one
of
the
most
noticeable
of
which
was
the
perfect
curve
of
his
throat
and
cheek
.
"
I
beg
your
pardon--people
,
did
you
say
?
"
asked
Dr.
Dillon
,
after
the
pause
.
"
Plenty
of
people
,
if
you
count
padrés
--the
place
swarms
with
missions
,
you
know
.
But
if
you
mean
polo--
"
He
shook
his
head
.
Lance
Carlyon
's
honest
young
face
clouded
,
then
grew
cheerful
again
.
"
Well
!
there
must
be
a
lot
of
black
partridge
,
and
I
expect
there
's
fish
in
the
river
.
Besides
,
it
's
an
awfully
picturesque
place--By
Jove
!
it
is
,
Dering
,
is
n't
it
?
"
They
had
reached
the
tuft
of
spear-points
and
horses
,
men
and
bayonets
,
and
before
them
lay
Eshwara
,
sun-saturate
,
shadowless
,
in
the
April
noon
.
So
seen
,
across
the
still
lagoon
of
water
formed
by
the
junction
of
the
two
streams
,
the
Hara
and
the
Hari
,
which
edged
the
low-lying
triangular
spit
from
which
its
fortified
,
temple-set
walls
rose
,
Eshwara
seemed
at
the
very
foot
of
the
blue
barrier
of
hill
behind
it
,
whose
serrated
edge
,
paler
than
the
blue
sky
above
it
,
claimed
three-quarters
of
all
things
visible
for
this
world
.
That
,
indeed
,
was
the
noticeable
point
in
the
picture
presented
to
the
eye
.
As
a
rule
Heaven
claims
the
larger
half
of
all
perspectives
.
Here
,
the
three
elements
,
earth
,
air
,
water
,
lay
across
the
view
in
three
broad
bands
of
blue
,
curiously
similar
in
tint
;
for
the
sky
was
pale
with
excess
of
light
,
the
hills
with
excess
of
heat
,
and
the
water
paler
than
either
by
reason
of
a
white
silt
which
it
brought
with
it
from
the
snows
;
a
white
silt
which
a
recent
flood
had
left
in
a
fine
film
upon
the
sand
stretches
that
showed
here
and
there
in
the
broad
basin
.
"
It
is
a
gypsum
detritus
,
"
explained
the
doctor--
"
from
the
'
Cradle
of
the
Gods'--the
cave
,
you
know
,
where
the
rivers
rise
.
The
pilgrims
go
,
in
fact
,
for
this
very
stuff
.
Find
it
in
the
ice
crannies
,
call
it
'
the
clay
of
immortality
,
'
smear
themselves
with
it
,
and
then
die
happy
,
in
hundreds
,
of
pneumonia
!
Those
are
the
facts
.
I
do
n't
profess
to
understand
them
;
and
as
I
told
you
I
do
n't
want
to
.
It
's
dangerous
.
As
that
cracked
old
Jesuit
,
Father
Narâyan
,
admitted
,
with
that
unfathomable
smile
of
his
,
when
all
the
other
parsons
were
at
me
for
refusing
to
allow
them
access
to
a
postulate
or
a
catechumen
,
or
someone
of
that
sort
,
who
was
sent
to
my
jail
'
the
Church
has
always
admitted
the
value
of
invincible
ignorance
.
'
"
"
Father
Narâyan
!
"
interrupted
Lance
Carlyon
eagerly
,
"
I
suppose
that
's
the
Father
Ninian
Bruce
who
has
lived
here
fifty
years
,
and
has
a
sort
of
Begum
in
tow
,
a
descendant
of
General
Bonaventura
's
,
who
was
the
Nawabs
'
favourite
.
I
want
to
see
that
old
chap
;
he
must
be
a
character
.
My
grandmother
,
old
Lady
Carewe
,
used
to
tell
me
about
him
;
long
yarns
,
though
she
had
n't
met
him
since
she
was
in
her
teens
in
a
convent
at
Rome
,
and
he
was
father
confessor
,
I
suppose--she
's
a
Holy
Roman
,
you
know
,
and
was
a
desperate
flirt
too
.
"
"
So
am
I
,
"
said
Vincent
Dering
quickly
.
"
I
mean
a
Catholic--at
least
my
people
are
.
So
I
can
tell
you
one
thing
,
Dillon
;
Father
Ninian
is
n't
a
Jesuit
.
I
was
talking
about
him
at
the
Club
,
when
I
knew
I
was
coming
here
,
and
Father
Delamere
was
indignant
at
the
idea--said
he
was
a
disgrace
to
his
cloth
.
"
George
Dillon
's
dry
face
grew
dryer
.
"
Did
he
,
indeed
!
I
quite
agree
that
he
is
,
but
I
did
n't
think
Delamere
would
have
admitted
the
fact
himself
!
As
for
Pidar
Narâyan
,
as
the
natives
call
him
,
he--he--
"
here
the
dry
face
melted
.
"
Bless
the
man
,
"
he
continued
,
and
the
dry
voice
grew
soft
,
"
he
thinks
he
knows
more
about
doctoring
than
I
do
,
and
the
worst
of
it
is--
"
here
a
perfectly
charming
smile
took
possession
of
every
wrinkle--
"
he
does
,
in
a
way
;
for
the
natives
believe
in
him
,
and
the
'
saffron
bag
'
is
the
best
of
all
remedies
.
You
see
,
when
he
was
younger
,
he
used
often
to
go
with
the
pilgrims
and
try
to
pull
some
of
the
poor
devils
out
of
the
fire--or
rather
out
of
the
snow--for
the
'
Cradle
of
the
Gods
'
lies
yonder
.
"
He
pointed
to
where
,
faint
and
far
,
a
peak
showed
paler
than
the
rest
.
"
Why
do
n't
they
smear
themselves
here
?
"
asked
Lance
stolidly
.
"
Why
?
Because
they
do
n't
.
Besides
,
there
is
n't
much
to
come
and
go
upon
for
a
robe
of
righteousness
here
.
Look
!
the
breeze
is
blowing
it
away
already
!
"
In
truth
the
sun
,
which
with
the
other
three
elements
of
earth
,
and
air
,
and
water
,
give
us
,
in
all
religions
,
the
whole
spiritual
life
of
man
,
--the
world
of
his
probation
,
the
heaven
of
his
hopes
,
the
means
of
his
purification
,
and
the
fire
of
his
retribution--had
scorched
the
fine
film
to
dust
,
and
the
wind
,
blowing
where
it
listed
,
was
sweeping
it
away
,
leaving
the
sand
stretches
unregenerate
as
ever
.
"
An
extra
touch
of
pipe-clay
!
"
laughed
Vincent
Dering
,
dusting
his
knee
as
he
settled
himself
in
his
saddle
.
"
Well
!
good-by
,
old
chap
.
I
shall
see
you
again
soon
,
for
I
shall
be
coming
over
to
the
Smiths
'
pretty
often
,
and
I
suppose
your
regiment
of
ruffians
leaves
you
off
duty
sometimes
.
Carlyon
,
make
Dillon
an
honourary
member
of
the
headquarters
mess
!
"
George
Dillon
,
leaning
with
his
hands
in
his
pockets
against
the
rail
of
the
first
pontoon
,
watching
the
little
cavalcade
start
,
nodded
.
"
Thanks
.
I
'm
over
pretty
often
at
the
Palace
.
Pidar
Narâyan
plays
the
fiddle
,
and
the
Begum
,
--as
you
call
her
,
--Miss
Laila
Bonaventura
,
has
a
voice
.
Besides
,
Babylon--I
mean
Eshwara--amuses
me
.
"
"
Why
Babylon
?
"
asked
Captain
Dering
,
stooping
to
straighten
his
stirrup
.
The
doctor
laughed
,
as
his
lounge
changed
to
a
start
homeward
.
"
Means
the
same
thing
.
Esh-dwarra--or
in
another
tongue
,
Bab-y-lon
,
--is
'
the
Gate
of
God
,
'
though
Babylon
stands
for
something
else
nowadays
,
does
n't
it
?
That
's
why
I
say
it
's
never
any
use
to
find
out
the
meanings
of
things
.
They
change
so
.
Stick
to
facts
;
they
do
n't
.
Well
,
ta-ta
.
I
'll
see
you
to-morrow
,
most
likely
,
at
the
Palace
.
They
have
a
sort
of
concert-practice-afternoon
on
Wednesdays--some
of
the
Mission
ladies
sing
jollily
in
parts--and
the
old
man
is
sure
to
ask
you
.
He
sets
great
store
on
his
ward
's
position
;
besides
,
I
told
him
you
were
a
nailer
at
the
piano
.
"
Vincent
Dering
made
a
wry
face
.
"
The
deuce
you
did
!
My
dear
fellow
,
I
could
n't
play
hymn
tunes
to
save
my
life
.
I
shall
refuse
.
"
"
Pity
,
"
replied
Dr.
Dillon
over
his
shoulder
,
as
he
swung
off
in
strides
which
emphasized
the
undue
shortness
of
his
trousers
,
"
for
I
heard
Mrs.
Smith
say
they
wanted
a
good
accompanist
.
She
sings
alto
--rather
well
.
"
"
Oh
,
does
she
?
"
said
Captain
Dering
,
in
a
different
tone
.
As
they
set
their
faces
different
ways
,
there
was
a
smile
on
both
,
but
the
doctor
's
was
scarcely
a
pleasant
one
;
it
would
,
in
fact
,
have
been
wholly
sardonic
but
for
the
touch
of
impatient
weariness
it
brought
with
it
.
So
,
through
the
sun-bright
,
sun-dried
air
,
while
George
Dillon
walked
back
to
his
fifteen
hundred
malefactors
,
the
little
trail
of
spear-points
and
bayonets
,
men
and
horses
,
drifted
at
a
foot-pace
across
the
frail
bridge
towards
the
town
;
drifted
unsteadily
,
the
yielding
boats
swaying
,
the
wooden
girders
giving
and
groaning
over
their
burden
.
Seen
so
,
with
but
a
plank
between
it
and
the
milky
water
creased
by
the
faint
current
,
there
was
something
unreal
in
the
gay
troop
of
colour
and
glitter
making
its
way
to
the
quaint
,
storeyed
town
,
ablaze
in
the
sunlight
,
which
turned
each
golden
temple-spike
to
a
star
.
A
cool
breeze
fluttered
the
lance-pennants
,
and
brought
that
faint
film
of
white
to
horse
and
man
,
warm
flesh
,
and
cold
steel
.
And
far
away
on
that
pale
peak
,
a
little
white
cloud
had
rested
,
hiding
the
"
Cradle
of
the
Gods
.
"
"
There
must
be
fish
here
,
"
remarked
Lance
dogmatically
.
"
I
'll
get
out
my
rods
to-morrow
and
try
for
a
'
mahseer
.
'
"
And
the
earnestness
of
his
face
,
as
he
lifted
his
eyes
skyward
to
watch
a
couple
of
cormorants
,
would
have
suited
a
knight-errant
of
old
on
the
quest
of
the
Holy
Grail
.
"
It
wo
n't
be
half
bad
,
I
expect--for
a
time
,
at
any-rate
,
"
assented
Vincent
Dering
,
still
with
that
content
upon
his
face
.
"
We
will
get
up
some
fun
while
the
camp
is
here
,
of
course
;
and
after
that--
"
he
paused
,
and
the
content
became
greater--
"
we
'll
manage
for
the
month
or
so
we
have
to
stop
.
At
least
I
shall
.
"
His
voice
was
soft
.
He
might
have
been
another
knight-errant
of
old
,
riding
across
to
the
enchanted
castle
of
his
beloved
.
"
I
beg
pardon
,
sir
,
"
said
a
voice
behind
him
;
a
voice
with
a
strong
native
accent
,
yet
with
a
curiously
English
phrasing
in
it
,
"
but
by
dismounting
here
you
will
reach
the
Fort
in
a
few
minutes
on
foot
.
The
road
is
longer
.
"
Captain
Dering
turned
,
as
if
surprised
,
to
the
speaker
,
a
native
officer
who
sat
his
horse
at
the
salute
;
then
smiled
,
and
with
a
clatter
of
accoutrements
slipped
to
the
ground
.
"
Come
along
,
Carlyon
.
I
was
forgetting
that
Roshan
Khân
is
up
to
the
ropes
here
.
You
belong
to
Eshwara
,
do
n't
you
,
risaldar
sahib
?
"
The
man
to
whom
he
spoke
had
slipped
from
his
saddle
also
,
and
stood
,
smart
as
uniform
could
make
him
,
still
as
discipline
could
hold
him
.
He
was
a
good-looking
young
Mahomedan
of
about
thirty
,
curiously
English
in
his
movements
,
curiously
native
in
his
exaggeration
of
martial
airs
.
"
Huzoor
!
"
he
assented
.
"
We
are
connected
with
the
late
Nawab
's
house
.
"
He
spoke
with
absolute
indifference
,
but
Captain
Dering
,
as
they
left
the
bazaar
,
which
led
from
the
bridge
,
for
a
short
flight
of
steps
and
a
narrow
alley
cleaving
it
's
way
through
crowded
,
shouldering
houses
,
remarked
aside
:
--
"
I
believe
that
means
he
is
about
the
nearest
relation
left
.
The
Colonel
,
I
know
,
was
n't
sure
about
the
wisdom
of
his
coming
here
;
but
then
the
Colonel
is
that
sort
.
So
I
insisted
.
One
wants
somebody
who
can
tell
you
things
in
a
new
place
.
What
's
that
,
in
there
,
Roshan
?
"
They
had
come
to
a
long
,
high
wall
,
with
trees
showing
above
it
,
which
stretched
away
on
their
right
hand
for
two
or
three
hundred
yards
,
until
it
ended
in
an
arched
tunnel
through
a
massive
block
of
buildings
at
right
angles
to
it
.
"
The
palace
garden
,
sir
;
and
that
is
the
palace
.
There
is
no
entrance
this
side
.
"
"
The
women
's
apartments
,
I
suppose
?
"
"
Huzoor
,
"
assented
Roshan
Khân
once
more
.
"
The
Miss
Sahib
lives
there
now
,
and
the
Padré
has
his
chapel
there
too
.
The
river
runs
along
the
side
,
and
it
is
pleasant
.
"
"
Pleasant
and
cool
,
"
echoed
Lance
,
as
the
shadow
of
the
tunnel
closed
in
on
them
.
"
I
'd
no
idea
it
was
so
hot
outside
.
By
Jove
!
what
a
quaint
place
.
"
They
were
emerging
on
a
wide
,
square
courtyard
of
which
the
palace
formed
one
side
,
the
fort
another
,
a
flight
of
steps
leading
down
to
the
river
a
third
,
while
the
fourth
was
apparently
,
a
wing
of
the
palace
.
All
three
walls
were
absolutely
blank
save
for
a
low
door
at
each
of
the
four
corners
;
and
these
were
,
so
to
speak
,
connected
with
each
other
by
pathways
raised
two
steps
above
the
rest
of
the
courtyard
.
A
similar
footpath
crossed
it
in
the
middle
and
so
completed
the
resemblance
to
a
union-jack
;
for
the
pathways
were
of
white
marble
and
red
Agra
stone
,
the
courtyard
of
purple-blue
brick
.
These
paths
met
in
a
round
platform
in
the
centre
,
where
,
on
a
stone
carriage
,
stood
an
old
cannon
.
"
That
's
a
big
gun
,
"
said
Vincent
Dering
,
when
,
with
a
quickened
clink
of
his
spurred
steps
he
had
reached
it
;
so
,
laying
his
hand
lightly
on
the
cylinder
,
he
vaulted
to
it
,
as
on
to
a
horse
,
and
stooped
to
read
an
inscription
on
the
riveted
band
about
the
breech
.
"
Sanskrit
,
"
he
said--
"
that
stumps
me
!
it
's
so
confounded
straight
.
Ah
!
here
it
is
in
Persian
too--that
's
better
.
"
There
was
a
faint
clash
of
steel
on
stone
,
for
,
as
he
read
the
motto
aloud
,
Roshan
's
hand
,
stiffening
on
his
sword-hilt
,
made
ground
and
scabbard
meet
.
Captain
Dering
slipped
to
his
feet
again
with
a
laugh
.
"
'
Teacher
of
religion
,
and
instructor
of
souls
;
'
that
's
about
a
correct
translation
,
is
n't
it
,
risaldar
sahib
?
Well
!
I
'd
back
a
Maxim
against
old
Blunderbore
as
a
missionary
agent
nowadays
.
Hullo
!
they
worship
it
still
,
do
they
?
"
He
pointed
to
a
faded
chaplet
of
marigolds
around
the
muzzle
,
and
a
red
hand
printed
on
the
marble
below
.
The
Mahomedan
's
face
took
on
the
expression
of
his
race
and
creed
;
all
unconsciously
,
too
,
he
reverted
to
his
own
language
.
"
The
idolators
do
that
when
they
come
to
bathe
;
and
they
give
alms
to
the
saint
,
when
he
is
inside
.
"
"
Inside
!
"
echoed
Captain
Dering
.
"
What
!
Inside
the
gun
?
"
Here
Lance
,
who
had
promptly
peered
down
the
muzzle
,
came
up
from
it
excitedly
,
asserting
that
the
saint
was
there
now
;
he
could
see
the
brute
's
fuzzy
head
half
way
down
,
so
he
must
have
crawled
in
feet
foremost--one
of
those
naked
brutes
who
smeared
themselves
with
ashes
,
to
judge
by
his
chignon
.
"
Make
a
ripping
mop
,
"
laughed
Vincent
Dering
,
after
glancing
down
in
his
turn
;
"
clean
the
gun
nicely
,
"
--then
the
insouciance
of
his
face
disappeared
,
its
curves
hardened--
"
and
by
God
!
I
'll
make
him
.
I
'm
not
going
to
have
my
guns
worshipped
!
eh
,
Roshan
?
"
"
Huzoor
,
"
assented
the
Mahomedan
once
more
,
this
time
joyfully
,
as--a
decorous
two
paces
behind--his
spurs
jingled
in
harmony
with
his
captain
's
across
the
raised
union-jack
towards
the
river-end
of
the
courtyard
where
,
in
a
projecting
bastion
right
upon
the
bathing
steps
,
the
low
arched
door
stood
which
gave
access
to
the
Fort
.
In
order
to
reach
it
they
had
to
pass
the
solitary
visible
occupant
of
the
wide
,
sunlit
courtyard
.
This
was
a
man--of
what
rank
,
education
,
occupation
,
none
could
tell--who
having
raised
a
square
of
two-inch-high
mud
wall
between
his
twice-born
purity
and
the
world
,
was
preparing
his
daily
food
.
Naked
,
save
for
his
waistcloth
,
and
the
thread
of
the
twice-born
over
his
left
shoulder
,
he
was
isolated
even
from
his
kindred
.
Alone
with
himself
and
his
God
.
Before
him
in
the
mud-plastered
square
,
as
he
sat
immovable
,
was
the
mud
fireplace
on
which
his
wheaten
dough-cake
was
cooking
;
beside
him
was
a
leaf-platter
of
curds
,
a
brass
vessel
of
milk
;
a
sight
to
be
seen
a
hundred
times
a
day
in
India
;
one
which
should
never
be
forgotten
.
The
noon
was
almost
shadowless
;
yet
,
even
so
,
as
he
led
the
way
,
Captain
Dering
,
from
sheer
habit
,
swerved
to
step
further
from
the
sacred
square
.
Doing
so
his
foot
slipped
an
instant
on
the
lower
step
.
He
gave
an
impatient
exclamation
and
passed
on
.
A
minute
later
the
door
of
the
fort
clanged
behind
the
little
party
,
cutting
short
an
English
laugh
.
Then
,
not
till
then
,
the
man
in
that
square
of
purity
showed
signs
of
life
.
He
rose
quietly
,
almost
unconcernedly
,
took
the
half-baked
cake
from
the
embers
,
the
leaf-platter
of
curds
,
the
vessel
of
milk
,
and
going
down
to
the
river
's
edge
,
flung
his
dinner
into
it
,
to
feed
the
fishes
.
In
that
stumble
,
the
plume-like
fringe
of
Vincent
Dering
's
high
peaked
turban
had
sent
a
shadow
to
overtop
the
two-inch
barrier
between
one
man
and
his
fellows
.
"
HE
SHALL
FEED
HIS
FLOCK
LIKE
A
SHEPHERD
"
The
garden
of
the
old
palace
at
Eshwara
had
been
rightly
described
by
Roshan
Khân
as
a
pleasant
place
.
Longer
than
it
was
broad
,
its
shady
walks
and
orange
groves
clung
to
the
river
,
raised
above
it
by
a
balconied
wall
against
which
the
current
ran
dimpling
.
On
two
of
the
remaining
sides
,
a
twenty-feet
high
barrier
of
sheer
masonry
,
buttressed
and
bastioned
,
blocked
out
all
curious
eyes
.
On
the
third
,
separating
it
from
the
courtyard
where
the
big
gun
stood
,
rose
the
palace
.
Seen
thus
intimately
from
within
,
the
latter
had
changed
its
character
.
No
longer
severe
,
stern
,
giving
a
blank
stare
at
the
world
from
the
narrow
slits
of
infrequent
windows
,
it
had
grown
fanciful
,
almost
fantastic
,
full
of
canopied
turrets
and
inconsequent
little
latticed
retreats
.
At
least
in
the
two
upper
storeys
;
for
the
lower
one
was
more
solid
,
its
chief
feature
being
a
wide
,
aisled
passage
leading
right
through
it
to
a
door
which
gave
on
the
courtyard
.
Being
exactly
opposite
the
one
in
the
corner
of
the
Fort
bastion
on
the
other
side
,
this
door
opened
,
as
the
latter
did
,
on
one
of
the
slantwise
limbs
of
the
quaint
union-jack
of
raised
paths
which
centred
in
the
cannon
.
It
was
not
necessary
,
however
,
to
go
round
by
this
in
crossing
from
one
door
to
the
other
,
as
by
keeping
to
the
river
steps
,
you
could
do
so
on
the
same
level
.
In
old
times
the
guardians
of
the
frail
beauties
for
whose
delectation
the
garden
had
been
made
,
had
lived
in
the
crypt-like
vaulted
rooms
which
opened
out
from
this
aisled
passage
;
so
keeping
the
gate
against
illegal
wanderings
.
Since
the
only
other
exit
from
the
garden
,
save
by
boat
,
was
through
the
second
storey
of
the
women
's
apartments
,
and
as
this
was
by
a
door
leading
directly
into
the
royal
rooms
(
which
were
on
the
other
side
of
the
tunnel
that
gave
access
to
the
courtyard
,
and
also
divided
the
palace
into
two
portions--male
,
and
female
)
,
the
butterfly
prisoners
had
had
no
chance
of
fluttering
to
strange
honey
.
In
those
days
,
therefore
,
the
door
had
always
been
bolted
and
barred
.
It
stood
wide
open
,
however
,
showing
a
vista
of
green
at
the
farther
end
of
the
passage
,
when
Captain
Dering
and
Lance
Carlyon
came
over
to
it
in
reply
to
the
intimation
that
Miss
Laila
Bonaventura
was
"
At
Home
for
music
on
Wednesday
afternoons
,
"
which
had
been
brought
to
the
Fort
overnight
by
an
old
pantaloon
.
A
very
old
pantaloon
with
a
wizened
face
,
a
few
sparse
hairs--dyed
flaming
red--standing
at
right
angles
to
his
cheeks
,
and
a
marvellous
livery
,
consisting
for
the
most
part
of
yards
upon
yards
of
tarnished
tinsel
cloth
,
twisted
and
twined
about
head
and
waist
like
Saturn
's
rings
.
The
oldest
of
old
pantaloons
,
with
a
back
curved
by
a
life-time
of
obeisances
,
a
toothless
mouth
,
still
full
of
sonorous
titles
,
and
a
wicked
old
eye
,
watchful
for
the
least
want
of
the
master
,
be
it
good
or
evil
.
A
pantaloon
,
with
Heaven
knows
what
history
of
unutterable
things
hidden
in
his
old
brain
,
such
as
is
to
be
seen
,
even
in
these
days
,
lingering
round
the
ruins
of
a
native
court
;
a
figure
despicable
enough
,
yet
real
;
so
in
a
way
pathetic
,
by
reason
of
its
absolute
lack
of
real
interest
in
things
as
they
are
.
And
now
as
the
two
Englishmen
paused
,
--partly
because
the
swift
change
from
the
glare
without
to
the
gloom
within
was
startling
,
--this
same
pantaloon
,
with
a
white
muslin
robe
superadded
to
the
livery
as
a
badge
of
his
dignity
as
door-keeper
,
precipitated
himself
upon
them
from
the
shadows
,
with
ancient
skips
of
alacrity
and
loop-like
salaams
;
then
with
crab-like
sidlings
led
the
way
,
the
young
men
following
.
"
I
must
have
that
old
chap
on
paper
before
I
leave
,
"
said
Vincent
Dering
;
"
he
's
too
good
to
be
lost
.
"
So
,
their
steps
echoing
cheerfully
with
their
laughter
,
they
went
on
until
,
towards
the
middle
of
the
passage
,
the
aisle
to
their
left
widened
,
and
through
a
maze
of
pillars
and
arches
,
a
glimpse
or
two
of
air
and
sunlight
showed
sharply
.
Lance
took
a
curious
step
towards
them
.
"
Opens
on
to
the
river
,
I
expect
;
jolly
cool
it
must
be
in
the
hot
weather
!
By
Jove
!
those
old
sinners
knew
how
to
be
comfortable
.
Hullo
!
"
--he
paused
in
a
sort
of
horror--
"
I
say
,
Dering
!
I
believe
it
's
a
chapel
.
Yes
!
it
is
!
"
He
took
off
his
cap
instinctively
,
and
moved
another
step
forward
to
see
better
.
But
Captain
Dering
called
impatiently
,
"
Oh
,
come
along
,
do
,
Carlyon
!
I
did
n't
promise
to
go
to
church
!
Hymns
are
bad
enough
in
all
conscience
.
"
Lance
,
however
,
stood
rooted
to
the
spot
,
cap
in
hand
.
"
Hush
!
"
he
said
in
a
low
voice
,
"
I
believe
they
are
having
service
.
"
As
he
spoke
a
robed
figure
showed
between
the
arches
against
the
sunlight
beyond
them
;
showed
with
something
in
its
lifted
hands
,
then
passed
to
some
unseen
altar
.
"
Oh
,
come
along
,
do
!
there
's
a
good
chap
,
and
let
's
get
out
of
the
way
,
"
repeated
Captain
Dering
,
sharply
.
"
It
's
Father
Narâyan
,
I
suppose
,
--he
's
as
mad
as
a
hatter
,
and
boshes
the
whole
business--at
least
,
so
Delamere
said
.
I
told
you
we
were
a
bit
early
,
but
you
would
start
;
still
it
's
too
bad
of
the
old
man
to
have
his
chapel
in
the
front
hall
!
Come
along
!
and
let
us
wait
in
the
garden--it
looks
an
awfully
jolly
one--awfully--
"
He
paused
,
perhaps
at
the
change
,
this
time
,
from
gloom
to
glare
,
perhaps
at
the
sudden
sense
of
anticipation
,
the
sudden
quickening
of
the
pulse
of
life
,
which
made
him
draw
a
long
breath
involuntarily
.
It
was
not
unfamiliar
to
him
,
that
sudden
stir
of
vitality
,
of
expectation
;
and
with
a
curious
smile
on
his
face
he
crossed
to
the
edge
of
the
marble
plinth
on
which
the
passage
opened
,
and
leaning
over
the
balustrade
,
looked
down
to
a
terrace
below
,
and
so
on
to
the
garden
itself
.
A
perfect
wilderness
of
common
flowers
,
sown
broadcast
,
lay
at
his
feet
,
hemming
in
a
shallow
marble
tank
,
which
was
nearly
covered
with
the
dewy
leaf-cups
of
the
lotus
,
and
set
round
with
mosaic
arabesques
.
From
this
tank
two
aqueducts
led
to
the
edge
of
the
terrace
,
and
ended
in
steep
slopes
of
fretted
marble
,
where
cascades
had
once
wimpled
and
dimpled
down
to
the
water-maze
which
lay
below--a
shiny
lake
,
cobwebbed
over
by
narrow
marble
paths
just
wide
enough
for
the
bare
,
flying
feet
of
a
laughing
girl
.
Beyond
was
scented
shade
,
with
glints
of
water-courses
gleaming
here
and
there
;
while
here
and
there
came
a
peep
of
a
latticed
balcony
overhanging
the
river
;
a
balcony
just
large
enough
for
a
laughing
girl
and
her
lover
.
Yet
there
was
not
even
a
butterfly
to
be
seen
hovering
over
the
flowers
.
All
was
still
,
all
was
silent
,
until
Vincent
Dering
's
careless
laugh
echoed
through
the
stillness
,
the
silence
.
"
Ca
n't
you
imagine
it--all
lit
up--they
used
to
put
coloured
lamps
behind
the
cascades
,
I
'm
told
,
and
play
'
Catch
who
can
'
up
and
down
and
all
around
the
place
!
On
the
whole
I
expect
they
enjoyed
themselves--better
than
the
type-writing
girls
of
to-day
do
,
for
instance
.
"
"
Got
beastly
sick
of
enjoying
themselves
before
they
had
done
with
it
,
I
expect
,
"
replied
Lance
,
succinctly
,
"
especially
if
there
was
always
such
a
confounded
strong
smell
of
orange
blossoms
.
Bah
!
I
'd
prefer
a
polecat
;
but
,
"
he
gave
a
distasteful
glance
at
his
companion
,
"
I
believe
you
like
strong
scents
.
"
"
Why
not
?
"
laughed
Vincent
Dering
,
drawing
out
a
handkerchief
deluged
with
white-rose
,
and
sniffing
at
it
,
"
it
's
a
harmless
taste
,
"
here
his
jest
passed
to
earnest
,
and
his
eyes
took
a
half
soft
,
half
cynical
expression
,
--
"
so
's
the
other
,
in
a
way
.
It
is
n't
altogether
despicable
to
let
yourself
loose
in
Paradise
without
an
arrière
pensée
of
flaming
swords
.
Especially
if
you
can
give
pleasure
to
someone
else
thereby
.
One
could
act
Romeo
and
Juliet
nicely
in
this
garden
.
And
have
your
choice
of
balconies
,
too
,
"
he
continued
,
returning
to
jest
,
"
even
if
the
young
woman--
"
He
glanced
back
as
if
to
verify
his
remark
from
the
façade
of
the
palace
,
but
what
he
saw
behind
him
brought
a
sudden
straightening
of
his
lounge
,
and
rather
an
elaborate
doffing
of
his
sailor
hat
;
for
he
was
always
a
trifle
ornate
in
his
courtesy
towards
women
,
and
the
girl
who
stood
within
a
pace
or
two
of
him
was
distinctly
attractive
,
if--even
at
the
first
glance--a
little
too
bread-and-buttery
for
his
taste
;
too
young
,
too
clumsy
as
to
waist
,
too
massive
in
the
contours
of
face
and
figure
.
For
Captain
Vincent
Dering
's
taste
had
remained
constant
for
the
last
three
years
to
a
different
type
of
beauty
;
a
type
which
,
for
the
first
time
in
his
life
,
had
made
him
sentimental
,
romantic
,
more
or
less
unselfish
.
Still
the
girl
was
handsome
,
even
in
that
babyish
frock
of
starched
white
muslin
,
girt
about
with
a
yellow
silk
sash
.
The
dress
,
he
told
himself
,
--for
he
was
a
connoisseur
in
chiffons
,
and
had
a
pretty
turn
for
painting
in
addition--would
have
been
better
soft
,
and
creamy
;
but
thank
heaven
!
the
sash
was
not
blue
,
like
the
marker
of
the
missal
she
carried
in
her
hand
.
It
might
have
been
;
for
it
was
impossible
to
fathom
the
lack
of
all
sense
of
fitness
in
some
women
.
Yet
the
result
would
have
been
to
take
all
the
ivory
tints
from
this
girl
's
complexion
,
and
leave
it
jaundiced
.
And
the
ivory
was
charming
.
"
I
am
Miss
Bonaventura
,
"
she
began
in
a
set
way
,
which
convinced
Captain
Dering
that
she
had
been
sent
to
say
those
very
words
,
and
none
other
;
"
my
guardian
,
Father
Ninian
Bruce
,
will
be
here
directly
.
Wo
n't
you
come
upstairs
to
the
drawing-room
?
I
am
sorry
we
did
not
know
it
was
so
late
.
"
"
It
is
our
fault
;
we
are
disgracefully
early
,
"
put
in
Captain
Dering
.
"
I
told
Carlyon--
"
then
he
paused
,
feeling
curiously
at
a
loss
before
the
girl
's
look
of
stolid
gravity
.
"
Perhaps
your
watch
is
too
fast
,
"
she
suggested
,
"
and
then
my
guardian
likes
to
go
by
the
sun
.
He
says
it
never
needs
winding
up
.
But
I
think
it
is
inconvenient
,
when
everybody
else
has
a
watch
.
It
is
always
better
to
do
as
other
people
do
.
"
Her
voice
was
very
sweet
and
full
;
but
a
country-bred
accent
spoilt
its
beauty
,
and
brought
a
grimace
to
Captain
Dering
's
face
,
as
he
and
his
companion
dutifully
followed
the
speaker
up
one
of
the
curved
flights
of
steps
,
which
led
from
the
plinth
to
a
wide
loggia
on
the
second
storey
.
Like
the
room
seen
through
its
arches
,
this
was
lavishly
decorated
with
fragments
of
looking-glass
fashioned
into
flowing
designs
with
gilt
stucco
.
The
afternoon
sun
,
at
this
height
shining
full
into
the
loggia
,
made
it
a
veritable
star
chamber
.
"
What
a
charming
place
,
"
went
on
Captain
Dering
in
his
best
manner
.
"
Does
n't
it
remind
you
of
the
Arabian
Nights
,
Carlyon
?
"
A
sudden
vague
surprise
and
interest
came
to
the
girl
's
face
,
lightening
it
infinitely
.
"
Have
you
read
the
Alif
Laila
?
"
she
asked
.
"
My
moonshi
brought
it--I
have
to
learn
Urdu
,
you
know
,
because
my
guardian
thinks
I
ought
to
be
able
to
speak
to
the
people
,
as
he
does--and
I
wanted
to
read
it
,
because
it
is
my
name
,
you
see--Laila--it
means
'
night
,
'
I
believe--but
my
guardian
did
not
wish
it
.
He
gave
me
the
'
Mirror
of
Virtue
'
instead
.
It
is
a
very
,
very
long--
"
Her
almost
childish
garrulity
ceased
in
a
faint
flush
over
the
ivory
of
her
face
,
and
she
reverted
to
her
lesson
,
and
her
indifference--
"
The
other
people
will
be
here
directly
;
but
they
will
come
from
the
city
,
across
the
tunnel
,
and
go
straight
into
the
drawing-room
.
Would
you
like
to
come
in
there
,
or
stay
here
?
"
"
Oh
!
stay
here
,
please
!
"
said
Vincent
,
desperately
.
The
young
woman
was
getting
on
his
nerves
.
"
Then
perhaps
you
would
like
to
try
the
piano
?
"
persisted
Miss
Bonaventura
.
"
My
guardian
has
it
brought
out
here
on
Wednesday
afternoons
,
because
it
sounds
well
among
the
arches
.
Will
you
try
it
?
"
Her
hand--it
was
ivory
also
,
Vincent
observed
,
and
had
long
filbert-shaped
nails--held
the
cover
of
the
keyboard
open
stolidly
;
and
Lance
Carlyon
,
feeling
a
bit
desperate
also
,
said
appealingly
:
--
"
Do
,
Dering
.
He
is
a
nailer
at
the
piano
,
I
assure
you
,
Miss
Bonaventura
,
and
he
sings
too
.
"
"
So
my
guardian--
"
she
began
,
when
Vincent
's
patience
gave
way
and
,
with
a
perfect
devil
of
exasperation
roused
in
him
,
he
sat
down
on
the
music-stool
and
with
a
crash
burst
into
a
naughty
little
love
song
he
had
picked
up
at
Brindisi
on
the
way
out
.
He
did
it
simply
to
soothe
himself
;
so
,
to
do
him
justice
,
he
nearly
fell
off
the
music-stool
in
horror
when
,
at
the
refrain
of
the
second
verse
,
a
very
full
round
mezzo-soprano
joined
in
it
with
a
verve
and
abandon
far
exceeding
his
own
.
He
scarcely
knew
whether
to
apologize
,
or
go
on
;
but
Miss
Bonaventura
apparently
had
no
doubts
.
She
finished
with
a
gay
little
staccato
note
which
would
have
made
her
fortune
at
a
music
hall
,
and
then
turned
to
the
accompanist
with
a
smile
which
showed
an
absolutely
flawless
set
of
teeth
.
"
What
funny
words
;
but
I
like
them
,
and
the
tune
too
.
What
is
it
called
?
I
should
like
to
get
it
and
sing
it
to
my
guardian
.
"
Vincent
,
who
had
begun
a
stammering
regret
that
he
had
not
remembered
her
nationality
,
altered
his
phrase
,
with
a
sense
of
relief
,
to
"
You
know
Italian
very
well
,
I
suppose
,
Miss
Bonaventura
?
"
She
returned
to
her
indifference
immediately
.
"
My
guardian
and
I
speak
it
.
He
loves
Italy
and
the
Italians
.
He
knew
my
grandmother
there
.
She
was
a
princess
;
but
he
never
speaks
of
her
,
so
I
do
n't
know
very
much
about
it
.
Only
Mother
at
the
convent
said
that
my
guardian--
"
She
was
off
,
gaily
,
on
the
childishly
confidential
tack
again
,
when
the
sight
of
someone
coming
up
the
stairs
made
her
veer
towards
dignity
once
more
.
"
There
is
my
guardian
,
"
she
said
;
"
he
is
very
sorry
to
have
kept
you
waiting
.
"
Evidently
this
was
the
last
bit
of
her
lesson
,
for
she
closed
the
piano
with
great
decision
.
The
figure
which
came
slowly
towards
them
was
that
of
a
very
old
man
,
yet
one
older
,
by
many
years
,
than
his
looks
.
For
he
was
still
straight
,
save
for
a
slight
stoop
in
the
neck
;
but
this
,
by
the
backward
poise
of
the
head
thus
made
necessary
to
enable
his
brown
eyes
to
meet
all
things
,
after
their
habit
,
squarely
,
if
softly
,
gave
him
an
air
of
alertness
.
He
was
dressed
in
an
ordinary
black
soutane
,
but
wore
a
fine
white
embroidered
muslin
skull-cap
,
such
as
natives
wear
,
instead
of
a
black
one
.
His
grey
hair
showed
,
still
luxuriant
,
beneath
it
;
and
the
wide
sash
of
faded
lilac
silk
,
with
tasselled
ends
,
which
was
tied
in
a
bow
about
his
waist
,
set
off
his
still
slim
and
still
graceful
figure
.
"
I
hope
my
little
girl
has
been
doing
the
honours
properly
,
"
he
began
,
pausing
a
pace
or
two
from
the
young
men
,
and
not
offering
to
shake
hands
;
but
his
voice
was
a
welcome
in
itself
,
and
had
that
nameless
cachet
of
absolute
good
breeding
which
makes
offence
impossible
.
There
was
a
slight
hesitancy
in
it
too
,
now
and
again
,
which
was
overcome
by
a
look
that
took
the
listener
into
its
confidence
,
and
appealed
for
friendly
forbearance--
"
but
she
is
only
just
back
from
school
at
Calcutta
,
and
the
good
nuns
did
not
see
much
company
,
did
they
,
Laila
?
"
Then
in
an
undertone
of
solicitude
he
added
,
in
Italian
,
"
Didst
tell
them
,
cara
mia
?
--didst
remember
it
all
?
"
Laila
Bonaventura
looked
at
him
with
a
faint
resentment
.
"
I
think
so
,
guardian
,
"
she
replied
,
in
English
.
"
Did
n't
I
?
"
The
last
came
with
such
swift
,
almost
savage
,
challenge
of
voice
and
eyes
,
that
Vincent
Dering
,
the
recipient
,
felt
glad
of
the
diversion
caused
by
the
arrival
,
through
the
drawing-room
,
of
some
more
guests
to
claim
the
attention
of
the
host
and
hostess
,
and
so
leave
him
in
peace
.
"
I
say
,
that
girl
has
got
splendid
hair
,
has
n't
she
?
"
he
said
in
an
undertone
to
Lance
,
as
they
stood
a
little
apart
,
watching
the
new
comers
.
"
That
tall
one
,
you
mean--do
n't
admire
it
.
Puts
me
in
mind
of
that
devil
of
a
chestnut
who
nearly
killed
me
at
polo
;
a
chestnut
with
white
stockings
;
awfully
handy
,
but--
"
He
paused
as
Father
Ninian
came
up
to
them
.
"
You
can
scarcely
know
any
of
your
neighbours
as
yet
,
Captain
Dering
,
"
began
the
old
man
with
the
ceremony
of
a
past
age
,
"
so
perhaps
you
will
give
me
the
privilege
of
presenting
you
to
some
of
our
good
mission
ladies
.
"
"
Thanks
,
"
replied
Vincent
,
hastily
.
"
But
I
see
my
old
friend
,
Mrs.
Walsall
Smith
,
coming
in
.
I
must
just
go
and
shake
hands
.
But
I
'm
sure
Carlyon--
"
Lance
shot
a
perfectly
pathetic
glance
after
his
Captain
,
who
moved
off
to
meet
a
delicate-looking
fair
woman
who
at
that
moment
came
in
with
Dr.
Dillon
;
the
latter
taken
possession
of
and
monopolized
by
an
exceedingly
pretty
child
of
five
,
who
had
evidently
inherited
her
mother
's
fragility
.
"
Delighted
,
I
'm
sure
,
"
murmured
Lance
,
following
his
leader
dejectedly
.
"
Miss
Erda
Shepherd
,
Mr.
Lancelot--I
am
right
,
am
I
not--Carlyon
?
"
It
was
the
tall
girl
with
the
red-brown
hair
,
of
course
.
She
had
bronze
eyebrows
,
too
,
and
bronze
eyes--nice
ones
.
He
saw
so
much
as
he
made
his
bow
,
while
Father
Ninian
stood
looking
first
at
the
girl
,
then
at
the
young
man
;
and
as
he
looked
his
fine
old
hands
were
clasped
as
if
they
held
something
very
precious
.
It
was
a
habit
of
his
.
"
I
hope
you
will
like
each
other
,
"
he
said
in
his
kind
old
voice
;
and
then
,
ere
he
moved
away
,
his
hands
fell
apart
for
an
instant
as
if
giving
something
.
"
Peace
go
with
you
,
my
children
,
"
he
said
with
a
smile
.
Lance
felt
a
queer
,
unaccustomed
thrill
travel
from
the
nape
of
his
neck
to
his
boots
,
pausing
by
the
way
at
his
heart
.
It
was
an
unusual
method
of
introduction
,
certainly
;
yet
somehow
it
relieved
the
shyness
which
generally
beset
him
at
such
functions
.
He
found
himself
looking
frankly
into
the
bronze
eyes
,
and
something
in
them
made
him
say
,
almost
involuntarily
:
--
"
That
was
rather
a
jolly
way
of
beginning
to
be
friends
.
I
mean--
"
The
shyness
came
back
with
a
rush
;
he
blundered
horribly
.
"
Very
,
"
put
in
the
girl
,
interrupting
him
quite
simply
.
"
I
hope
it
will
be
peace
.
I
always
hope
that
.
You
know
I
am
a
missionary
.
"
"
Oh
,
"
he
replied
,
blankly
.
"
Yes
,
there
are
a
lot
of
you--I
mean--of
them
,
in
Eshwara
,
are
n't
there
?
"
Her
face
set
suddenly
,
her
mouth
grew
almost
stern
.
"
Not
enough
,
Mr.
Carlyon
;
not
half
enough
,
"
she
replied
.
And
the
militant
ring
of
her
voice
,
belying
the
peaceful
professions
of
the
previous
moment
,
made
him
look
at
her
curiously
,
recognizing
that
he
had
touched
some
quivering
nerve
of
mind
.
"
If
you
knew
Eshwara
as
I
know
it
,
"
she
went
on
,
passionately
,
"
you
would
say
so
too
;
I
'm
sure
you
would
.
"
The
bronze
eyes
,
meeting
his
blue
ones
,
though
they
gave
nothing
back
but
kindly
,
almost
boyish
,
surprise
,
seemed
satisfied
.
She
turned
suddenly
and
stretched
her
right
hand
over
the
river
which
slipped
oilily
past
the
wall
below
,
as
they
stood
beside
the
balustrade
of
the
loggia
.
"
Look
!
"
she
said
,
impulsively
.
"
Do
you
see
that
straight
white
thing
floating
down
the
curve
of
the
current
yonder
?
It
is
n't
a
log
;
those
others
are
;
plenty
of
logs
come
down
the
rivers
from
the
forests
in
the
hills
,
for
they
do
n't
catch
all
,
you
know
,
at
the
government
wood-station
.
And
so
the
people
here
catch
the
runaways
in
the
backwater
,
and
get
paid
for
them
.
But
that--
"
She
paused
and
her
other
hand
gripped
the
balustrade
hard
;
then
she
turned
back
to
him
with
a
faint
apology
.
"
Why
should
I
bother
you
?
Let
us
talk
of
something
else
.
There
is
no
reason
why
I
should
talk
of
these
things
to
you
so
soon
,
or
,
indeed
,
at
all
.
"
"
I
'd
rather
you
did
,
"
he
put
in
quickly
.
It
was
the
truth
.
A
sudden
curiosity
had
come
to
him
,
a
sudden
desire
to
know
more
,
to
think
more
.
He
was
less
of
a
boy
than
he
had
been
five
minutes
before
.
"
I--I
hope
you
will
,
"
he
added
;
"
really
I
do--I--I--
"
He
felt
his
manhood
as
he
had
never
felt
it
before
,
and
yet
,
in
a
way
,
he
was
more
forgetful
of
it
.
The
girl
opposite
him
was
womanhood
incarnate
to
him
,
and
yet
,
in
some
mysterious
way
,
beyond
it
,
above
it
.
"
You
and
I
must
be
about
the
same
age
,
I
expect
,
"
he
said
,
with
a
half-perplexed
frown
,
"
but
you
have
seen
a
lot
more
than
I
have
.
I
wish
you
'd
tell
me
,
please
!
"
The
straight
white
glint
in
the
water
was
just
disappearing
behind
one
of
those
balconies
overhanging
the
river
,
where
there
was
only
room
for
a
pair
of
lovers
.
"
It
is
a
dead
girl
,
Mr.
Carlyon
,
"
she
said
in
a
low
voice
.
"
She
was
in
my
school
.
Her
people
were
very
bigoted--Brahmins
in
a
temple--but
they
let
her
be
taught
to
read
,
because
she
was
betrothed
to
an
educated
man
.
Last
year
she
was
married--she
was
but
a
child
still--and
I
have
only
seen
her
once
or
twice
since
.
Then
"
--the
voice
paused
a
second
.
"
She
was
very
frightened
,
poor
little
Premi
,
at
what
was
coming
.
'
I
shall
die
,
Miss-
sahib
,
I
shall
surely
die
,
'
she
said
to
me
the
very
last
time
I
saw
her
;
so
I
promised--I
am
a
medical
missionary
,
Mr.
Carlyon
.
But
when
the
time
came
,
they
would
not
let
me
in
.
I--I
went
to
the
husband--he
is
an
educated
man--you
may
have
heard
of
him--Rama-nund
,
a
great
speaker
,
--he
writes
,
too
,
and
all
that--but
he
said
he
was
helpless
with
the
women
;
and
I
am
not
sure
either
if
he
wished
it
himself--they
do
n't
know
their
own
minds
.
So
poor
little
Premi
and
her
baby--Oh
!
"
she
broke
off
with
an
infinite
pain
in
her
voice--
"
it
is
so
hard--so
hard
for
both
.
"
Her
face
,
set
riverwards
,
was
soft
,
yet
stern
;
full
of
fight
,
yet
full
of
pity
,
and
Lance
thought
of
a
virgin
martyr
in
the
illustrated
'
Lives
of
the
Saints
'
with
which
his
grandmother
,
Lady
Carewe
,
had
been
wont
to
still
his
boyish
unrest
on
Sunday
afternoons
.
Yet
there
was
something
beyond
that
self-concentrated
devotion
in
this
face
;
something
that
took
him
back
further
still
to
the
days
when
he
had
sobbed
out
his
childish
hurts
in
his
mother
's
arms
.
"
She
was
ill
all
yesterday
and
the
day
before--they
told
me
there
was
no
hope
of
either--they
just
let
them
die
.
And
they
always
put
them
in
the
river--they
have
iron
rings
round
their
wrists
and
ankles
to
prevent
them
coming
back
to
harm
the
men--
"
She
paused
and
turned
to
Lance
swiftly
.
"
Is
n't
it
true
that
there
are
not
enough
of
us--that
we
want
more
women
to
teach
them
what--
"
"
But
I
does
!
"
came
a
high
childish
treble
,
forcing
itself
irresistibly
even
on
the
attention
of
these
two
;
"
I
'
ikes
'
oo
twenty
'
fowsand
times
better
than
dad
,
an
'
I
'
ikes
Captain
Dering
ten
'
fowsand
times
better
too
;
an
'
so
does
'
mum--do
n't
'
oo
mummie
?
"
It
was
little
Gladys
Smith
,
who
,
clasping
both
Dr.
Dillon
's
hands
in
hers
,
had
swung
herself
back
from
him
so
as
to
toss
her
fair
curls
from
her
laughing
face
,
as
she
looked
up
at
him
mutinously
.
There
was
an
instant
's
awkward
pause
,
during
which
the
eyes
of
a
man
and
woman
met
for
a
second
.
Met
and
parted
hastily
;
but
not
before
the
girl
with
the
yellow
silk
sash
,
who
stood
between
them
,
had
looked
from
one
to
the
other
with
a
dim
surprise
unclosing
her
red
lips
,
and
showing
the
gleam
of
her
white
teeth
between
them
.
Then
Dr.
Dillon
said
,
carelessly
,
"
And
you
like
Akbar
Khân
better
than
any
of
us
,
you
young
sinner
,
because
he
gives
you
sweeties
!
Here
!
Akbar
Khân
,
bring
the
Missy-
baba
some
cream
toffee
!
"
The
old
pantaloon
,
who
,
with
his
loose
coatee
removed
and
a
white
duster
tucked
into
Saturn
's
waist-ring
was
now
helping
to
hand
round
coffee
and
cake
,
capered
up
with
a
voluble
,
but
toothless
,
--
"
Ger-reeb--pun-wâz
!
"
(
Protector
of
the
Poor
.
)
Gladys
helped
herself
discriminately
,
staring
at
the
old
servitor
the
while
.
"
But
I
do
n't
'
ike
Akbar
Khân
.
Do
I
,
son
of
an
owl
?
"
she
continued
superbly
,
in
the
accurate
Urdu
which
comes
so
daintily
from
lisping
English
babies
.
"
Did
I
not
say
I
would
hate
thee
because
thou
wouldst
not
tell
me
why
thou
didst
prostrate
thyself
before
the
soldier
in
the
courtyard
?
And
the
ayah
laughed
,
the
base-born
!
She
knew
also
,
and
would
not
say
,
and
so
did
the
soldier
;
so
I
hate
you
all
!
"
She
stamped
her
little
foot
,
and
shook
her
curls
defiantly
.
"
Gladys
!
"
cried
her
mother
,
reproachfully
.
"
Hullo
!
What
's
all
this
about
?
"
laughed
Captain
Dering
,
catching
the
child
up
in
his
arms
.
"
One
of
my
soldiers
insulting
you
?
Who
was
it
?
"
He
turned
,
with
the
absolute
command
of
his
race
,
to
the
be-ringed
one
,
who
stood
,
full
of
deprecatory
mumblings
and
salaamings
,
his
hands
,
holding
the
tray
of
sweets
,
trembling
visibly
.
"
Who
was
it
,
Khân-
jee
?
"
asked
Father
Ninian
,
in
a
curiously
even
tone
;
one
which
,
nevertheless
,
seemed
a
compelling
one
,
for
a
murmured
name
came
rapidly
,
followed
by
eager
explanations
.
Father
Ninian
frowned
,
and
deliberately
put
on
the
gold
pince-nez
which
always
hung
around
his
neck
.
He
seldom
used
it
,
however
,
being
,
he
would
say
playfully
,
in
his
native
Scotch
,
too
"
well
acquaint
"
with
Eshwara
and
all
in
it
to
need
such
help
after
fifty
years
experience
.
So
it
had
come
to
be
an
unfailing
sign
that
he
was
face
to
face
with
something
unexpected
,
something
new
.
Naturally
,
therefore
,
it
changed
the
character
of
his
face
,
bringing
back
to
it
a
strange
look
of
youth
;
of
hope
and
energy--the
look
of
choice
which
age
has
not
.
"
Roshan
Khân
,
"
he
echoed
,
"
why
comes
he
here
?
"
Then
in
sudden
recollection
he
turned
to
Vincent
Dering
.
"
Of
course
,
he
comes
with
you
.
I
knew
he
was
in
your
regiment
,
but
I
did
not
think
.
"
Captain
Dering
put
down
the
child
gently
.
"
Is
there
any
reason
,
sir
,
"
he
asked
decisively
,
"
why
he
should
not
be
here
?
If
so--
"
Father
Ninian
took
off
his
eye-glasses
slowly
.
He
was
back
on
familiar
ground
.
"
No
!
"
he
said
,
with
a
smile
and
a
shrug
of
the
shoulders
;
"
none
.
He
is
welcome
to
come
if
he
likes
.
He
is
a
fine
soldier
,
Captain
Dering
,
and
a
good
fencer
.
"
"
The
best
I
have
ever
come
across
,
"
put
in
Lance
Carlyon
.
Father
Ninian
laughed
,
a
satisfied
,
vainglorious
little
laugh
,
and
bowed
,
with
his
hand
on
his
heart
,
in
foreign
fashion
.
It
seemed
almost
as
if
something
had
brought
back
the
manners
of
a
different
life
.
"
His
master
thanks
you
,
"
he
said
gaily
.
"
I
taught
him
;
but
as
Esmond
said
of
the
botte
de
