goodmany
warders
in
it
,
"
remarked
the
Commissioner
,
dryly
.
And
the
doctor
nodded
.
"
Now
there
's
only
the
hospital
,
"
said
the
latter
,
when
the
solitary
cells
had
been
inspected
,
the
cook
room
interviewed
,
and
the
dinner
to
come
tasted
.
"
It
wo
n't
take
you
long
.
There
was
only
one
case
in
this
morning
.
"
But
as
they
entered
the
long
open
ward
,
like
a
cloister
,
mud-plastered
as
all
else
,
but
with
iron
beds
looking
strangely
at
variance
with
their
surroundings
,
two
of
these
were
occupied
,
and
at
one
,
a
hospital
dresser
was
standing
,
looking
somewhat
scared
.
Dr.
Dillon
gave
a
hasty
exclamation
as
he
stepped
up
to
the
bed
and
looked
at
the
sick
man
.
"
When
did
he
come
in
?
"
he
asked
briefly
.
"
Ten
minutes
ago
,
Huzoor
;
the
baboo
hath
given
him--
"
"
Never
mind
what
he
hath
given
him
,
"
interrupted
the
doctor
,
holding
up
his
hand
in
warning
,
"
go
on
with
it
,
and
tell
the
baboo-sahib
to
come
to
me
for
orders--at
once
.
Now
then
,
sir
,
that
's
all--and
a
bit
too
much
too--
"
he
added
in
a
lower
voice
,
as
they
passed
out
together
,
"
for
it
's
a
case
of
cholera
.
"
The
Commissioner
looked
grave
.
"
That
will
complicate
matters
,
wo
n't
it
?
"
"
Ca
n't
say
.
You
never
can
tell
.
They
may
take
it
as
a
dispensation
,
or
there
may
never
be
another
case
.
That
fellow
's
done
for
,
anyhow--he
'll
be
dead
in
an
hour
.
"
"
That
's
quick
,
is
n't
it
?
"
asked
his
companion
,
calmly
.
"
Rather
.
I
've
seen
a
man
go
out
in
ten
minutes
,
though
.
The
worst
of
it
is
,
"
he
added
,
with
a
frown
,
"
if
there
really
is
some
conspiracy
at
the
bottom
of
the
discontent
,
it
is
as
likely
as
not
the
devils
who
are
working
it
,
may
take
advantage
of
this--I
do
n't
mean
of
this
death--
that
goes
without
saying
.
But
when
cholera
is
about
,
poison
is
hard
to
detect
,
and
even
if
I
stamp
out
the
disease
,
which
I
mean
to
do
,
they
may
simulate
it
.
"
He
bit
at
his
thumbnail
viciously
as
he
strode
on
,
thinking
and
muttering
.
"
By
God
!
"
he
murmured
,
"
if
I
could
catch
'
em
at
it
!
However
,
"
he
added
aloud
,
"
it
's
no
good
fussing
.
If
the
thing
comes
,
it
comes
,
and
I
've
kept
you
here
too
long
as
it
is
,
sir
.
Do
you
know
it
's
close
on
half-past
ten
?
"
"
Be
jabers
!
"
exclaimed
the
Commissioner
,
"
only
twenty
minutes
to
bathe
,
shave
,
breakfast
,
and
put
on
me
gold
lace
continuations
.
Well
,
ta
,
ta
!
I
'll
see
you
at
the
show
,
of
course
.
"
Dr.
Dillon
looked
puzzled
for
an
instant
;
the
puzzledom
of
a
man
whose
thoughts
are
recalled
from
afar
.
"
The
show
?
Oh
,
yes
!
I
was
forgetting
.
Rather
,
sir
.
Why
!
it
is
as
much
my
canal
as
Smith
's
,
for
we
've
done
every
inch
of
it
together
;
besides
,
I
have
got
to
drive
his
wife
down
.
"
"
Where
the
deuce
is
Dering
?
"
asked
the
Commissioner
,
quite
ingenuously
;
but
George
Dillon
flushed
up
.
It
was
visible
even
under
his
leather-like
tan
.
"
I
really
ca
n't
say
,
sir
;
otherwise
engaged
,
I
presume
.
"
His
elder
turned
to
him
,
surprised
,
yet
with
instant
apology
.
"
I
'm
sorry
;
I
should
n't
have
said
it
;
but
I
really
meant
nothing
.
"
Dr.
Dillon
gave
a
dry
,
sardonic
laugh
.
"
Oh
!
it
is
all
right
,
sir
.
I
quite
believe
you
did
n't
.
Nobody
does
mean
anything
in
that
sort
of
connection
.
It
's
left
for
the
doctors
to
face
facts
as
they
are
really
;
and
then
you
call
us
brutal
.
"
He
turned
back
,
as
he
spoke
,
to
the
hospital
.
Half
an
hour
afterwards
,
however
,
having
in
the
interim
provided
for
every
contingency
he
could
foresee
,
including
the
bare
possibility
of
his
carrying
infection
,
he
appeared
in
Mrs.
Smith
's
drawing-room
,
looking--for
him--quite
smart
and
spruce
;
since
,
as
he
had
said
,
this
end
to
three
years
'
work
was
an
event
in
his
life
also
.
He
found
her
,
dressed
in
her
daintiest
,
in
a
rocking-chair
;
and
as
he
entered
,
his
quick
trained
ear
took
in
the
petulance
of
the
recurring
push
of
one
daintily
shod
foot
.
The
room
was
darkened
,
and
full
of
the
scent
of
flowers
.
It
was
a
familiar
room
to
him
,
yet
he
never
entered
it
without
a
glad
recognition
of
the
extreme
feminine
refinement
shown
in
its
every
detail
;
for
its
mistress
was
one
of
those
women
whose
fragility
comes
less
from
physical
delicacy
than
from
sensitiveness
of
mind
.
She
was
leaning
back
in
her
chair
listlessly
;
yet
the
white
ringed
hands
which
clasped
the
fair
curls
on
her
forehead
showed
an
almost
passionate
strain
of
muscle
.
"
I
believe
you
'll
have
to
go
without
me
,
"
she
said
,
as
he
approached
,
"
I
've
such
a
racking
headache
.
I
do
n't
believe
I
can
face
it--I
'm
sure
I
ca
n't
.
"
He
passed
on
to
her
side
,
and
laid
his
hand
on
one
of
hers
for
an
instant
,
while
his
quick
eye
took
in
the
details
around
him
.
A
note
had
slipped
from
her
lap
to
the
floor
.
It
lay
face
up
,
and
the
words
"
Dear
Mrs.
Smith
,
so
sorry--
"
showed
in
Vincent
Dering
's
writing
.
So
,
not
content
with
the
message
of
excuse
sent
her
by
the
offender
through
him
,
she
must
have
written
!
That
was
a
dangerous
development
of
the
situation
.
He
stood
looking
down
at
her
indulgently
,
as
he
might
on
a
fractious
child
who
did
not
understand
.
And
she
did
not--poor
soul
!
"
You
're
nervous
,
"
he
said
.
"
Let
me
give
you
half
a
whiskey-and-soda
before
we
start
.
It
'll
make
you
all
right
.
"
"
Nervous
!
"
she
echoed
irritably
,
her
foot
setting
her
chair
a-swing
to
match
her
tone
.
"
I
'm
never
nervous--you
know
that
is
not
one
of
my
failings--is
it
?
"
"
No
,
"
he
replied
,
"
but
you
are
a
bundle
of
nerves
for
all
that
.
You
would
n't
be
the
woman
you
are
if
you
were
n't
.
And
you
are
nervous
at
this
moment
.
Nervous
,
despondent
,
out
of
heart
.
Come
!
make
an
effort
!
"
She
gave
a
petulant
little
giggle
of
impatience
.
"
You
speak
as
if
I
were
a
Mrs.
Dombey
;
but
I
'm
not
that
sort
.
Besides
,
it
killed
her
.
I
am
not
coming
.
It
does
n't
really
matter
,
you
know
;
nobody
will
miss
me--it
will
be
all
right
.
"
George
Dillon
,
watching
her
,
felt
sorry
,
for
once
,
at
the
correctness
of
his
own
diagnosis
.
He
knew
her
so
well
that
it
seemed
imperative
to
give
her
a
hint
of
the
reality
.
The
danger
of
a
final
éclaircissement
with
Captain
Dering
seemed
imminent
,
and
the
shock
of
it
might
lead
to
anything
,
if
the
knowledge
of
her
own
weakness
came
to
her
in
the
presence
of
the
man
she
had
cheated
herself
into
calling
a
friend
.
"
Your
husband
would
.
It
is
a
great
day
for
him
,
"
he
said
,
laying
his
dexterous
surgeon
's
hand
full
on
the
raw
.
As
he
expected
,
the
answer
came
passionately
,
and
gave
him
an
opening
.
"
He
!
O
,
he
is
quite
happy
as
it
is
!
He
would
n't
miss
me
a
bit
.
Why
should
he
?
I
am
not
complaining
,
mind
you--but
why
should
he
?
He
has
interests
enough
without
me
.
"
Dr.
Dillon
deliberately
sought
for
the
nearest
chair
,
drew
it
close
,
and
sat
down
beside
his
patient
in
professional
fashion
,
his
eyes
on
her
face
,
his
hands
on
his
knees
.
"
My
dear
lady
,
"
he
said
,
"
do
n't
talk--excuse
me--rubbish
.
Try
and
remember
what
women
are
always
forgetting--that
they
are
women
,
and
that
,
while
Eve
swallowed
her
portion
of
the
fatal
apple
,
his
stuck--thank
God
for
it
!
--in
Adam
's
throat
.
"
She
ceased
her
rocking
,
to
sit
and
stare
at
him
with
a
growing
resentment
,
which
belied
the
words
that
came
at
last
,
almost
sullenly
.
"
I
do
n't
understand
what
you
mean
in
the
very
least
.
What
has
Eve
's
apple
to
do
with--my
headache
?
"
"
A
very
great
deal
,
"
he
answered
coolly
,
"
and
with
more
than
your
headache
,
which
,
by
the
way
,
is
only
a
symptom
,
not
a
cause
.
The
real
evil
is--is
something
different
.
If
you
do
not
understand--though
I
think
you
do
a
little--
"
she
shook
her
head--
"
I
can
only
repeat
my
advice
about
the
whiskey-and-soda
;
for
I
cannot
explain
to
you
crudely
what
I
mean
.
"
She
interrupted
him
angrily
.
"
You
have
no
right
to
hint
at
things
you
dare
not
say
.
"
Her
very
indignation
betrayed
her
,
and
he
smiled
kindly
.
"
Perhaps
not
,
"
he
said
.
Then
he
paused
,
hesitated
,
finally
leant
nearer
,
with
a
look
of
resolve
in
his
queer
,
intelligent
face
.
"
But
I
will
tell
you
what
I
can
do
.
I
can
sacrifice
my
self-respect
and
tell
you
a
bit
of
my
personal
history
which
I
never
meant
you
to
know
,
but
which
may
help
to
cure--your
headache
.
"
His
voice
,
usually
so
dry
,
had
a
softness
in
it
,
though
he
went
on
without
the
faintest
emotion
.
"
Mrs.
Smith
,
I
have
done
myself
the
honour
for
nearly
three
years
,
of
considering
you
as
near
perfection
as
a
woman
can
he
.
Allow
me
to
finish
,
please
!
I
have
done
more
.
I
have
been
,
as
the
phrase
runs
,
in
love
with
my
ideal
of
perfection
;
but
I
think
you
will
admit
that
I
have
never
allowed
my
feelings
to
give
you
,
myself
,
or
anyone
else
a--shall
we
say
,
a
nervous
headache
?
Now
,
after
that
,
do
n't
you
think
we
had
better
start
?
"
He
rose
in
quite
a
matter-of-fact
way
,
took
up
his
hat
,
and
waited
for
her
answer
.
He
had
to
wait
some
time
,
while
the
petulance
of
her
renewed
rocking
ceased
gradually
in
a
determined
rhythm
,
and
he
felt
his
courage
going
down
to
his
boots
.
It
was
heroic
treatment
,
but
she
was
a
healthy
subject
,
and
her
anger
would
pass
.
Anything
was
better
than
letting
her
perfection
suffer
.
The
even
creak
of
the
rocker
ended
at
last
,
and
she
rose
,
as
he
had
risen
,
calmly
,
and
faced
him
.
"
I
quite
understand
now
what
you
meant
,
Dr.
Dillon
,
"
she
said
freezingly
,
"
and
why
you
did
not
care
to
explain
.
I
shall
,
of
course
,
never
be
able
to
forgive
you
for
daring
to
dream
such
a
thing
possible
,
but--
"
"
But
,
"
he
interrupted
,
without
a
quiver
,
"
you
will
take
that
half
whiskey-and-soda
.
Here
!
qui-hi
!
Whiskey
sharâb
belâtee
pani
la'o
juldi
;
mem-sahiba
jata
hai
.
(
Bring
whiskey-and-soda
;
the
mem
is
going
.
)
"
Perhaps
the
command
of
that
assertion
helped
her
to
a
decision
.
At
any
rate
she
did
not
countermand
it
,
but
spent
the
rather
awkward
pause
which
inevitably
ensued
in
a
perfect
field-day
of
her
hat-pins
among
her
curls
and
veil
.
Whereat
George
Dillon
,
despite
a
certain
bruised
feeling
,
smiled
,
telling
himself
she
was
a
true
woman
.
Nevertheless
when
,
as
she
was
stepping
into
the
dogcart
,
his
friendly
help
came
necessarily
to
the
fore
again
,
she
reverted
to
her
dignified
resentment
.
"
I
ought
,
"
she
said
stiffly
,
"
to
have
thanked
you
for--for
your
good
opinion
of
me
,
and
your
evident
desire
to
be
kind
.
I
do
so
now
.
But
I
fear
it
will
be
quite
impossible
for
me
to
forget
or
forgive
the
delusion
.
"
"
That
is
quite
a
minor
matter
,
"
he
put
in
,
gleefully
.
"
Now
,
cheer
up
,
Bacilla
,
you
brute
,
or
we
shall
be
late
,
"
Bacilla
being
his
term
of
abuse
for
a
pony
which
required
a
little
stick
.
They
were
only
just
in
time
,
no
more
.
Five
minutes
after
they
had
joined
the
company
gathered
on
the
red-brick
masonry
of
the
canal
head
,
under
a
canopy
of
waving
garlands
and
gay
bunting
,
with
that
inevitable
British
flag
as
the
centre
of
all
,
the
small
man
with
the
big
star
on
his
breast
took
a
step
forward
,
raised
a
handle
,
and
,
as
the
first
drops
of
water
trickled
through
a
sluice
,
declared
,
in
a
violent
Scotch
accent
,
"
that
the
Victoria-Kaiser-i-Hind
"
canal
was
open
.
So
,
keeping
time
as
it
were
,
slowly
,
majestically
,
to
those
(
also
inevitable
)
strains
of
"
God
save
the
Queen
,
"
the
outer
floodgates
swung
back
,
allowing
the
river
to
have
permanent
possession
during
good
behaviour
,
of
the
walled
basin
between
them
and
the
inner
ones
.
Thus
,
slowly
,
with
a
gurgling
of
water
seeking
its
level
,
the
surface
rose
till
the
half-open
sluices
in
the
second
gates
were
reached
,
and
a
thin
curve
tipped
over
to
fall
with
a
splash
,
and
send
a
tiny
scout
of
a
stream
to
find
out
what
this
new
straight
road
might
mean
.
Only
a
tiny
scout
,
since
the
earthworks
beyond
had
to
be
accustomed
by
degrees
to
their
new
tenant
.
Still
the
new
way
was
open
,
and
the
current
of
the
river
hesitated
in
the
old
one
.
"
Bravo
,
Smith
!
"
cried
George
Dillon
,
coming
round
,
when
the
cheering
and
general
congratulations
were
over
,
to
slap
his
colleague
on
the
back
,
metaphorically
and
actually
.
"
We
've
done
that
;
and
now
perhaps
,
old
man
,
you
'll
have
time
for
other
things
.
"
"
Yes
,
"
assented
the
tall
,
gaunt
man
,
dreamily
;
"
now
I
shall
have
time
to
settle
that
point
about
the
searchlight
.
"
"
The
what
?
"
"
Search-light
.
There
's
been
a
correspondence
in
the
Engineer
about
it
;
and
as
I
've
all
the
electric
plant
here
,
lying
useless
,
now
the
show
's
over
,
--until
it
's
wanted
for
something
else
,
of
course
,
--I
am
going
to
see
if
I
ca
n't
overcome
their
difficulty
in
concentrating
all
the
power
on
a
sufficiently
narrow
area
.
I
believe
I
know
how
to
do
it
.
"
George
Dillon
looked
at
him
with
fierce
,
humorous
exasperation
.
"
Believe
!
"
he
echoed
.
"
I
know
you
can
!
You
are
the
most
intolerably
circumscribed
,
self-concentrated
,
narrow-minded
machine
of
a
man
I
ever
came
across
.
Heaven
help
you
!
"
As
he
drove
Mrs.
Smith
home
again
,
it
was
his
turn
to
sit
mumchance
until
,
womanlike
,
she
relented
faintly
,
and
,
exaggerating
her
own
powers
,
trusted
she
had
not
been
,
etc
.
,
though
of
course
,
etc
.--
"
Not
in
the
least
,
thank
you
,
"
he
replied
.
"
I
was
only
meditating
if
I
should
tell
you
that
I
think
Eugene
has
softening
of
the
brain
.
"
"
Softening
of
the
brain
!
"
she
echoed
,
horrified
.
"
Oh
,
doctor
,
do
you
think
it
's
that
?
"
"
Well
,
it
is
n't
softening
of
the
heart
,
anyhow
,
"
he
said
grimly
.
"
But
I
'm
not
joking
.
If
someone
does
n't
get
a
hold
on
some
portion
of
that
man--I
do
n't
care
what
it
is--heart
,
brain
,
stomach
,
anything--and
prevent
him
from
killing
himself
with
work
,
India
will
lose
her
best
engineer
.
What
he
wants
is
someone
to--to
give
him
a
nervous
headache
!
"
"
We
will
leave
that
subject
alone
,
please
,
"
she
said
loftily
;
but
when
her
husband
joined
them
in
the
verandah
,
she
went
over
ostentatiously
to
him
and
pinned
a
carnation
in
his
buttonhole
,
hoping
he
would
like
it
better
than
the
rose
she
gave
him
the
day
before
,
which--this
was
in
a
louder
tone
for
the
doctor
's
benefit--he
had
forgotten
to
put
in
!
"
Did
I
,
my
dear
?
"
replied
her
spouse
.
"
Oh
,
yes
!
I
remember
you
put
it
in
my
minim
glass
because
I
was
working
in
my
shirt-sleeves
.
Then
I
wanted
the
glass
.
So
it
got
withered
and
the
head
snapped
off
.
"
Dr.
Dillon
laughed--his
usual
dry
laugh
.
"
That
is
one
of
the
many
tragedies
which
come
from
the
delusion
all
women
have
that
flowers
ca
n't
be
out
of
place
.
"
THE
CHURCH
MILITANT
When
Roshan
Khân
had
joined
those
two
great
stabilities
,
Faith
and
Love
,
into
one
passionate
desire
for
Vincent
Dering
's
damnation
,
he
had
meant
to
follow
the
English
etiquette
on
such
occasions
,
and
keep
his
aspiration
to
himself
.
But
it
had
been
impossible
for
him
instantly
to
rejoin
the
society
in
which
he
found
himself
;
that
is
,
a
society
which
shared
that
fundamental
crime--which
more
even
than
any
definite
jealousy
had
roused
his
anger
against
Captain
Dering--of
being
alien
to
his
creed
,
his
customs
,
his
code
of
conduct
towards
women
.
So
he
had
wandered
off
into
the
garden
again
,
shadowed
by
old
Akbar
's
incredulity
,
curiosity
,
and
sympathy
;
until
,
partly
from
sheer
impatience
,
but
mostly
from
sheer
inherited
habit
of
employing
such
as
Akbar
Khân
in
anything
approaching
an
intrigue
,
he
had
made
a
clean
breast
of
the
situation
.
Even
the
latter
,
however
,
had
,
as
it
were
,
shied
at
the
extreme
novelty
of
the
idea
when
it
was
first
mooted
;
but
,
by
degrees
,
its
vast
possibilities
of
advantage
to
faithful
old
retainers
overpowered
his
abject
terror
at
the
bare
idea
of
Father
Narâyan
suspecting
such
a
thing
.
The
old
master
,
he
told
himself
,
was
old
,
indeed
!
God
only
knew
if
he
would
last
a
year
or
a
day
;
therefore
it
would
be
well
to
ensure
the
favour
of
the
new
mistress
.
And
there
could
be
no
harm
in
sounding
her
as
to
what
course
that
favour
would
follow
.
One
could
never
tell
with
a
woman
;
and
his
wicked
,
experienced
old
eyes
had
caught
many
a
hint
of
Anâri
Begum
in
Laila
's
childhood
.
Perhaps
she
had
changed
since
she
went
to
Calcutta
.
He
could
but
try
.
So
when
,
on
the
morning
after
the
ball
,
Laila
,
in
obedience
to
her
pious
resolve
to
do
nothing
really
wrong
,
had
bidden
him--with
threats
of
vengeance
if
he
betrayed
the
fact
of
their
having
come
at
all--remove
and
return
certain
trays
of
clothes
and
jewels
which
had
been
smuggled
by
someone
into
her
room
,
he
had
fallen
at
her
feet
,
confessed
falsely
that
he
was
the
offender
,
and
besought
her
not
to
impose
so
unmerited
a
disgrace
on
his
employer
,
who
had
been
actuated
by
the
ordinary
rules
of
native
etiquette
which
prescribed
some
recognition
of
his
cousin
,
the
head
of
his
family
.
Naturally
enough
,
this
brought
the
girl
's
curiosity
,
long
restless
,
to
his
aid
;
and
she
sat
listening
to
the
many
things
he
had
to
tell
her
,
with
that
faintly
mysterious
smile
of
hers
.
And
as
she
listened
,
she
watched
a
pigeon
,
all
jewelled
about
its
bosom
in
rainbow
hues
,
and
with
a
dainty
little
pair
of
silver
jingles
about
its
jasper
feet
,
which
was
coquetting
and
pirouetting
to
attract
the
attention
of
its
neighbours
on
the
wide
marble
sill
of
her
latticed
window
.
For
Laila
had
a
room
in
the
upper
storey
all
painted
,
carved
,
and
set
with
little
balconies
,
which
was
worthy
of
any
king
's
favourite
.
And
Father
Ninian
,
mindful
lingeringly
of
the
fine
ladies
'
boudoirs
of
his
youth
in
Rome
,
had
filled
it
,
against
her
return
from
school
,
with
all
the
prettiest
spoils
of
the
palace
.
Sèvres
vases
,
rare
old
cabinets
,
quaint
carved
tables
which
had
been
brought
thither
for
the
dead
Nawabs
;
treasures
that
were
also
,
inevitably
,
of
the
king's-favourite
type
,
--therefore
unlike
the
owner
of
the
room
,
as
she
sat
in
her
white
muslin
frock
,
heavy-eyed
,
almost
sallow
,
from
the
last
night
's
dissipation
.
"
So
she--my
grandmother
,
you
say--was
a
dancing-girl--a
real
dancing-girl
?
"
Even
her
surprise
and
curiosity
were
listless
.
Yet
the
next
moment
,
while
Akbar
was
protesting
the
superiority
of
Anâri
Begum
over
all
the
dancing-girls
of
his
vast
experience
,
she
had
burst
into
a
sudden
laugh
,
uncovered
one
of
the
trays
with
kicks
which
sent
first
one
,
then
the
other
of
her
bronze
slippers
flying
,
seized
on
a
pair
of
silver
anklets
,
and
there
she
was
centring
a
Persian
rug
spread
on
the
marble
floor
as
if
she
had
been
born
to
it
.
Coquetting
,
pirouetting
,
with
a
challenging
clash
,
a
half-impudent
jerk
of
the
jingles
,
for
all
the
world
like
the
pigeon
on
the
window-sill
.
Like
something
else
also
;
so
that
old
Akbar
felt
a
shiver
run
through
him
,
lest
,
after
all
,
his
first
impression
should
prove
right
,
and
this
be
no
more
than
a
simulacrum
,
--a
ghost
,
a
changeling
,
come
to
possess
the
usually
indifferent
lazy
Miss-
baba
.
Yet
when
,
all
of
a
sudden
,
she
raised
her
white
muslin
skirt
high
in
both
hands
and
began
to
sing
,
at
the
top
of
her
voice
,
the
wicked
little
love
song
which
Vincent
Dering
had
sung
the
first
day
she
met
him
,
old
Akbar
's
dread
turned
to
sheer
wonder
.
This
was
not
a
ghost
,
but
a
devil
;
reckless
,
unrestrained
,
with
a
fling
of
white
arms
,
a
kick
of
white
feet
,
all
held
to
rhythm
by
the
outrageous
frivolity
of
the
song
,
until
,
with
that
last
staccato
note
,
she
threw
herself
in
a
chair
,
breathless
,
gurgling
with
laughter
and
sheer
mischief
.
"
Lo
!
Akbar
,
"
she
gasped
,
"
my
grandmother
never
danced
like
that
,
did
she
?
I
do
n't
believe
she
was
my
grandmother
!
I
believe
you
are
telling
stories
!
"
Akbar
looked
wise
,
and
thrust
out
his
folded
hands
in
cringing
protest
.
"
The
most
noble
says
true
,
Anâri
Begum
never
danced
thus
.
But
there
is
the
grandfather
,
Bun-avâtar-
sahib
bahadur
,
to
be
accounted
for
also
.
"
Laila
frowned
.
The
reminder
brought
back
the
other
side
of
the
story
,
to
which
she
had
listened
so
often
from
her
guardian
's
lips
,
while
her
pretended
indifference
masked
a
real
pride
.
Of
her
grandfather
's
gallantry
,
his
good
looks
,
his
love
of
adventure
.
And
of
someone
else
,
also
,
who
had
always
had
a
secret
attraction
for
the
girl
.
That
most
beautiful
woman
in
Rome
,
the
companion
of
princes
,
the
divine
singer
,
the
best
,
the
dearest--
Laila
's
laughter
failed
her
;
she
rose
,
and
going
over
to
the
window
looked
out
absently
,
startling
the
pigeon
into
flight
.
The
sun
turned
its
breast
purple
,
and
green
,
and
gold
,
as
it
fluttered
down
to
renew
its
pirouetting
on
a
cupola
below
,
just
above
the
river
.
And
below
that
again
was
the
roof
of
the
balcony
where
she
had
sat
with
Vincent
.
The
girl
's
eyes
grew
soft
.
She
understood
now
.
That
best
,
that
dearest
,
that
most
beautiful
,
must
have
loved
her
guardian
.
That
was
the
secret
of
his
remembrance
.
How
could
one
ever
forget
that
one
had
sat
in
a
balcony
hand
in
hand
?
So
content
,
yet
saying
so
little--only
feeling
.
But
he
had
said
some
things
.
He
had
said
she
was
beautiful
,
that
she
ought
always
to
wear
that
dress
,
and
she
had
told
him
she
could
not
,
--that
she
must
send
it
back--that
he
must
learn
to
like
her
as
much
in
her
ordinary
clothes--that
he
would
never
see
her
in
that
dress
again
.
But
,
after
all
,
why
not--if--
?
She
turned
suddenly
to
the
go-between
.
"
There
is
no
need
to
take
them
back
to-day
,
"
she
said
,
sharply
;
"
but
thou
canst
tell
the
person
who
sent
them--he
who
claims
cousinship--that
I
will
not
keep
them
,
that
I
know
nothing
of
them
;
that
he
must
send
and
take
them
away
.
"
Akbar
,
with
an
inward
determination
to
do
nothing
so
palpably
foolish
,
salaamed
down
to
the
ground
.
The
Presence
,
he
said
,
in
doing
this
showed
her
dignity
;
it
was
undoubtedly
the
right
course
to
pursue
.
But
,
in
the
mean
time
,
would
the
Begum-
sahiba
--she
must
excuse
a
tongue
which
could
not
always
bear
with
the
paltry
present
,
which
remembered
the
facts
of
the
past
,
the
possibilities
of
the
future--not
temper
her
noble
severity
with
the
usual
courtly
favour
?
Her
cousin
's
grandmother
,
a
most
virtuous
princess
,
sister
to
the
late
Nawab
,
was
still
alive
.
Her
memory
of
Bun-avatâr-
sahib
was
still
so
green
that
doubtless
she
would
be
able
to
tell
the
Begum-
sahiba
many
things
of
which
a
mere
mean
slave
could
not
be
cognizant
.
And
this
most
virtuous
,
most
interesting
one
,
had
long
been
anxious
to
return
a
visit
which
the
Begum-
sahiba
had
graciously
paid
her
,
in
company
with
a
missen
-miss--
"
What
!
That
funny
old
fat
woman
!
"
interrupted
Laila
,
with
a
laugh
.
"
That
dirty
old
thing
?
I
remember
,
she
did
claim
to
be
a
relation
of
the
Nawab
's
.
And
when
I
asked
her
why
she
wore
such
dirty
clothes
she
was
angry
,
and
said
she
had
beautiful
ones
all
tied
up
in
bundles
!
I
do
n't
believe
she
had
,
though--
"
"
The
dress
the
Begum-
sahiba
wore
last
night
is
one
of
them
,
"
interrupted
Akbar
,
quietly
;
"
it
belonged
to
Anâri
Begum
,
Huzoor
,
and
there
are
plenty
more
like
it
.
And
all
are
really
the
Huzoor
's
;
no
one
else
's
.
"
Laila
looked
down
on
the
trays
with
a
new
interest
.
"
Did
it
really
belong
to--to
her
?
"
she
asked
;
"
and
the
jewels
also
?
"
"
The
jewels
also
.
There
are
plenty
of
them
.
And
if
Anâri
Begum
was
really
the
Begum-
sahiba
's
grandmother
,
then
the
jewels
are
hers
by
right
.
"
"
She
can
come
if
she
wishes
,
"
interrupted
Laila
,
impatiently
.
"
I
see
thy
craft
,
Akbar
,
but
I
care
not
for
that
.
Yet
it
will
be
fun
to
receive
her
as--as
a
Begum
.
And
no
harm
either
,
since
the
missen
ladies
receive
her
,
I
know
,
and
her
like--when
they
will
come
!
It
will
be
at
night
,
of
course
,
to
ensure
her
privacy
,
so
Pidar
Narâyan
need
know
nothing
.
Only
"
--she
paused
,
a
change
swept
over
her
face
,
leaving
it
dimpled
,
cunning
,
full
of
mischief
and
cajolery
.
"
I
do
naught
for
naught
!
If
I
please
thee
,
thou
must
please
me
!
If
thou
art
their
messenger
,
thou
must
be
mine
also
;
or
I
tell
Pidar
Narâyan
!
"
Akbar-
khân
's
wicked
old
eyes
positively
leered
approval
;
he
waggled
his
head
and
chuckled
.
Wherefore
not
?
Was
there
a
better
,
more
careful
messenger
in
the
world
than
he
,
or
one
more
capable
of
deft
arrangings
?
"
I
want
none
,
"
she
put
in
with
a
quick
distaste
,
a
shrinking
from
his
manner
.
"
'
Tis
but
to
take
a
note
to
Dering-
sahib
;
he
must
know
somewhat
before
he
comes
with
the
other
sahib
logue
this
afternoon
.
There
is
no
arrangement
needed
,
no
fuss
.
"
How
could
there
be
,
she
asked
herself
,
as
,
after
the
old
sinner
had
gone
off
,
charmed
at
this
renewal
of
a
once
familiar
occupation
,
she
sat
on
the
window-sill
looking
down
on
the
roof
of
the
balcony
where
she
had
been
so
content
.
For
what
could
be
simpler
than
to
make
it
quite
clear
that
you
were
real
,
that
you
did
not
pretend
,
that
you
were
not
even
afraid
?
That
,
briefly
,
you
were
not
like
Mrs.
Smith
,
who
took
so
much--one
could
not
help
seeing
that
!
--and
gave
so
little--one
could
not
help
seeing
that
,
also
!
For
what
was
a
"
Thanks
!
many
,
Captain
Dering
,
"
in
return
for
all
the
trouble
he
lavished
on
her
?
So
it
came
to
pass
that
when
Vincent
Dering
went
to
the
palace
that
afternoon
,
some
words
were
haunting
heart
and
brain
,
as
Juliet
's
words
must
have
haunted
Romeo
's
.
No
more
;
no
less
.
But
they
slid
into
and
filled
up
the
blanks
between
some
words
of
his
own
which
he
had
spoken
carelessly
,
not
five
minutes
before
he
had
first
seen
Laila
,
and
which
came
back
to
his
memory
unbidden
.
"
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
play
Romeo
and
Juliet
in
this
garden
nicely
.
"
Well
,
he
had
played
it
for
an
hour
or
two
,
swept
off
his
feet
by
chance
.
Whether
he
would
continue
to
play
it
was
unsettled
till
her
note
came
.
That
ended
his
vague
reluctance
,
and
he
went
over
to
the
palace
,
eager
as
any
lover
could
be
for
the
interview
she
suggested
in
"
the
old
place
when
it
grows
dusk
,
and
the
people
will
mostly
have
gone
.
"
For
those
of
the
camp
who
were
bound
to
follow
the
Viceroy
's
whim
of
riding
by
the
old
road--the
pilgrims
'
road--while
the
big
camp
went
round
by
the
longer
,
easier
route
,
had
promised
to
look
in
on
the
palace
on
their
way
past
it
,
for
a
cup
of
tea
,
a
good-by
.
Since
already
,
the
functions
over
,
the
dream-city
had
begun
to
melt
away
;
the
Hosts
of
the
Lord-
sahib
were
passing
on
.
"
Glory
be
!
"
said
the
Commissioner
with
heart-felt
gratitude
,
"
we
've
done
our
worst
and
leave
you
to
take
the
consequences
.
That
's
sound
policy
.
Anyhow
,
we
are
ahead
of
everybody
on
the
road
to
heaven
,
and
the
pilgrims
will
have
to
swallow
the
dust
of
our
feet
!
I
wonder
how
they
'll
like
it
.
"
He
was
in
wild
spirits
,
like
a
schoolboy
escaped
from
school
;
yet
as
he
paused
to
shake
hands
with
Dr.
Dillon
,
he
said
aside
,
"
Any
more
cases
?
"
"
Two
,
"
said
the
doctor
,
laconically
,
"
both
dead
.
It
is
a
bad
type
.
"
His
hearer
's
face
was
unmovable
as
he
turned
to
Mrs.
Smith
,
who
stood
close
by
.
"
Good-by
,
my
dear
lady
,
"
he
said
cheerfully
,
"
remember
me
house
is
yours
if
you
,
or
the
child
,
want
it
.
Doctor
,
could
n't
you
conscientiously
recommend
change
of
air
to
the
hills
?
Could
n't
ye
swear
the
close
proximity
to
an
open
canal
and
a
gaol
is
unwholesome
?
If
ye
could
,
you
'd
oblige
a
grass-widower
,
whose
wife
is
at
Baden-Baden--or
is
it
Marienbad
?
--living
prodigally
,
while
he
has
to
fill
himself
with
husks
which
no
self-respecting
swine
would
eat
.
Faith
,
me
dear
madam
,
I
'd
bless
you
if
you
'd
come
and
kill
the
cook
.
It
's
a
woman
's
work
;
not
a
man
's
.
"
Dr.
Dillon
,
with
a
quick
look
,
backed
him
up
instantly
.
"
Certainly
.
I
told
Mrs.
Smith
a
long
time
ago
that
she
and
Gladys
had
had
enough
of
Eshwara
.
Indeed
,
as
her
doctor
,
she
would
be
doing
me
a
personal
favour
if--
"
Muriel
Smith
swept
round
on
him
sharply
.
She
was
looking
her
very
best
,
in
her
very
best
gown
;
white
,
mystic
,
wonderful
,
with
a
faint
gleam
of
silver
embroidery
about
waist
and
hem
.
And
she
had
been
obtrusively
,
unnecessarily
friendly
with
Vincent
Dering
all
the
afternoon
;
even
now
she
was
standing
with
him
attached
to
her
apron-strings
.
"
I
do
n't
think
nervous
headaches
are
dangerous
,
"
she
said
,
eying
Dr.
Dillon
coolly
.
"
But
thanks
all
the
same
.
I
should
love
to
kill
somebody
;
even
a
cook
.
Perhaps
I
may
,
by
and
by
,
when
all
the
nice
people
leave
.
I
'm
so
sorry
you
're
going
,
but
we
are
still
to
be
quite
gay
,
are
n't
we
,
Captain
Dering
?
And
that
reminds
me
we
have
to
settle
when
that
riding
party
is
to
come
off
.
Good-by--good-by
!
"
She
waved
her
hand
to
the
departing
Commissioner
,
and
carried
Vincent
Dering
off
,
with
a
defiant
look
at
the
doctor
.
He
,
knowing
her
,
smiled
indulgently
;
but
Father
Ninian
,
who
had
come
down
to
see
his
guest
off
,
looked
after
her
with
a
wistful
pain
in
his
kind
old
face
.
"
That
is
a
mistake
,
"
he
said
briefly
;
then
the
wistfulness
grew
into
a
puzzled
look
,
and
he
added
,
half
to
himself
,
"
It
need
not
be
,
surely
;
there
is
something
wrong
.
I
ca
n't
understand--
"
Dr.
Dillon
,
catching
the
end
of
the
remark
,
gave
a
cynical
laugh
and
turned
on
his
heel
.
"
No
one
does
,
"
he
said
as
he
went
off
.
He
would
not
discuss
her
even
with
dear
old
Pidar
Narâyan
.
For
the
rest
,
though
he
was
keen
to
get
back
to
his
jail
,
he
would
wait
till
she
tired
of
her
game
,
and
then
drive
her
home
himself
to
her
idiot
of
a
husband
,
who
was
too
busy
over
his
blessed
search-light
to
see
things
that
were
going
on
under
his
very
eyes
.
Captain
Dering
,
however
,
was
already
impatient
.
It
was
growing
dusk
;
the
shadows
were
claiming
the
garden
bit
by
bit
,
and
as
the
glint
left
the
varnished
leaves
of
the
orange
trees
,
the
white
flowers
stood
out
like
little
stars
against
the
gloom
and
sent
a
bewildering
perfume
into
the
darkening
air
.
He
could
see
no
hint
of
Laila
anywhere
;
Laila
in
that
detestable
white
muslin
garment
which
made
him
long
vainly
to
get
rid
of
the
surroundings
which
suited
her
so
ill
,
drive
all
that
civilized
crew
from
the
garden
,
and
claim
it
as
his
own--and
hers
!
She
must
have
gone
to
the
balcony
already
.
She
must
be
waiting
for
him
.
And
yet
a
soft-heartedness
for
this
other
woman
with
whom
he
had
been
friends
,
whom
for
a
few
days
he
had
imagined
he
loved
(
it
had
come
to
this
now
)
forbade
him
from
leaving
her
cavalierly
.
So
it
was
long
past
dusk
,
and
the
short
Indian
twilight
was
hovering
on
the
edge
of
night
,
ere
he
made
his
escape
;
and
,
full
of
anxiety
lest
Laila
should
have
lost
patience
or
hope
,
hurried
down
to
the
wide
archway
,
and
so
,
by
the
turn
riverwards
,
to
the
right
,
into
the
balcony
.
Most
girls
,
he
told
himself
,
would
by
this
time
have
taken
offence
;
but
she
was
there
.
As
he
entered
,
her
figure
showed
dimly
against
the
light
beyond
.
"
I
'm
afraid
I
am
awfully
late
,
"
he
began
,
then
paused
;
for
,
as
she
turned
,
there
was
a
faint
clash
of
silver
,
a
faint
gleam
of
it
too
.
His
heart
gave
a
great
throb
of
glad
recognition
.
It
was
Laila
!
Laila
indeed
!
the
Laila
of
that
dream
last
night
.
And
she
had
risked
this
to
please
him
!
"
Are
you
?
"
she
said
.
"
I
thought
I
was
late
;
for
this
took
time
;
but
I
wanted
to
be
the
same--always
the
same
to
you
,
always--always
!
"
She
stretched
her
hands
to
him
,
but
he
set
them
aside
,
took
her
in
his
arms
,
and
kissed
her
passionately
.
"
Yes
!
Laila
!
always
Laila--my
Laila
!
"
She
gave
him
back
his
kisses
joyfully
.
"
I
knew
you
would
come
,
"
she
said
.
"
Love
comes
to
love
,
you
know
.
"
He
called
her
Juliet
then
,
and
many
another
lover
's
name
.
She
took
them
all
,
and
gave
them
back
again
without
reserve
,
until
,
as
they
stood
there
,
someone
passing
outward
from
the
arched
passage
to
the
garden
,
paused
to
listen
at
the
half-heard
sound
of
voices
.
For
Father
Ninian--who
had
come
down
to
his
own
rooms
for
a
pair
of
foils
wherewith
to
give
Lance
Carlyon
a
lesson
in
the
"
Addio
del
Marito
,
"
until
Captain
Dering
should
choose
to
come
out
of
the
recesses
of
the
garden
and
allow
of
their
going
back
to
the
Fort
together--knew
of
none
likely
to
use
,
or
even
to
be
aware
of
,
the
balcony
.
So
he
turned
thither
curiously
,
then
stood
arrested
,
so
that
the
clash
of
the
foils
on
the
stone
,
as
he
purposely
lowered
their
points
,
came
as
a
warning
to
those
two
that
they
were
observed
.
Laila
,
with
a
catlike
noiselessness
,
withdrew
in
a
second
.
She
,
a
yard
or
two
away
,
in
deepest
shadow
,
stood
leaning
in
a
careless
,
easy
attitude
over
the
balustrade
.
Her
only
possibility
of
escape
lay
,
she
felt
instinctively
,
in
showing
no
desire
to
do
so
.
Vincent
,
for
his
part
,
turned
to
face
the
old
priest
,
prepared
to
brazen
it
out
;
for
his
blood
was
running
like
wild-fire
in
his
veins
.
Yet
scarcely
so
fast
as
the
heart
's
blood
had
once
leapt
,
and
was
even
now
leaping
,
in
the
old
man
who
came
forward
,
facing
him
also
.
Came
forward
slowly
,
shortsightedly
,
a
foil
in
each
hand
.
If
he
had
held
out
one
,
bade
him
take
the
button
off
and
fight
for
his
life
,
Vincent
Dering
would
scarcely
have
been
surprised
,
would
almost
have
been
pleased
.
It
would
have
raised
him
in
his
own
self-esteem
.
For
he
knew
perfectly
well
he
had
no
right
to
be
there
;
that
,
as
yet
,
he
was
not
sure
of
his
own
footing
.
But
Pidar
Narâyan
did
not
.
He
paused
,
as
he
generally
did
,
a
few
paces
away
,
a
slender
,
straight
shadow
in
black
,
girt
about
with
that
pale
sash
,
on
which
,
and
on
his
pale
face
,
such
light
as
there
was
fell
softly
.
For
there
was
no
anger
in
the
latter
;
only
an
almost
passionate
regret
and
pity
.
Even
so
,
his
words
startled
the
young
man
,
who
stood
prepared
for
defiance
.
"
Oh
!
Captain
Dering
!
"
he
said
courteously
,
"
it
is
you
,
is
it
?
You
have
found
a
pleasant
place
,
indeed
!
But
scarcely
a
very
safe
one
for
your
companion--
"
he
turned
to
that
faint
gleam
of
white
and
silver
in
the
arched
shadow.--
"
The
air
grows
chill
,
madam
,
so
close
to
the
river
,
"
he
continued
,
his
voice
taking
a
tone
almost
of
command
,
"
and
you
are
lightly
clad
.
Will
you
not
be
wise
,
and
leave
us
?
"
Vincent
's
surprise
had
passed
by
this
time
into
a
rush
of
vexation
,
almost
indignation
,
for
he
had
grasped
the
old
man
's
mistake
.
For
an
instant
he
felt
bound
to
undeceive
him
,
then
the
impossibility
of
doing
so
held
him
silent
,
feeling
a
coward
indeed
;
so
,
desperately
,
he
could
only
join
his
voice
to
Father
Ninian
's
.
It
seemed
the
only
way
out
of
the
impasse
.
"
Perhaps
you
had
better
go--
"
Laila
did
not
need
more
.
Already
,
under
cover
of
the
shadow
,
she
had
dexterously
slipped
off
her
silver
jingles
,
lest
they
should
betray
what
really
seemed
to
her
her
worst
,
nay
!
her
only
offence
;
--the
taking
and
wearing
of
Roshan
Khân
's
present
.
And
now
,
wrapping
her
veil
about
her
like
a
cloak
,
gathering
her
trailing
skirts
to
orthodox
length
with
an
appalling
presence
of
mind
,
she
was
off
with
just
the
little
uneasy
laugh
which
might
well
befit
the
situation
.
She
left
her
companion
bewildered
,
yet
still
facing
the
old
man
recklessly
.
Since
he
could
not
explain
,
he
did
not
mean
to
be
hectored
.
Yet
,
once
again
,
the
old
voice
took
him
unawares
.
"
Memory
plays
strange
tricks
with
us
at
times
,
"
it
said
slowly
,
but
with
a
suggestion
of
the
fateful
,
hopeless
rhythm
of
a
Greek
chorus
in
it
.
"
She
has
taken
me
back
,
this
evening
,
nearly
sixty
long
years
.
The
river
before
us
is
the
yellow
flood
of
the
Tiber
,
the
woman
who
has
just
left
us
is
the
woman
I
loved--sixty
long
years
ago--I
had
kissed
her
,
as
you
have
kissed
her
.
I
had
told
her
I
loved
her
,
as
you
have
just
told
her--and
then
,
like
an
echo
from
the
river
below
where
a
boat
was
moored
,
came
to
our
ears
,
the
same
words
,
'
I
love
you.'--They
were
spoken
,
Captain
Dering
,
by
a
boy
,
barely
in
his
teens
,
to
a
waiting-maid
.
The
boy
was
her
son
.
She
had
been
married
,
as
they
marry
them
in
Italy
,
almost
before
her
girlhood
,
and
I
,
the
boy
's
tutor
,
was
nearer
her
age
than
his
father--a
better
man
,
too
,
Captain
Dering
!
But
those
words--'I
love
you'--parted
us
once
,
and
for
all
.
They
mirrored
the
truth
for
us--the
truth
of
the
love
which
hides
in
balconies--in
pleasure
boats--
"
he
took
a
step
forward
,
and
his
whole
presence
changed
.
He
raised
his
hand
,
priest
to
its
finger
tips
.
"
Let
it
mirror
the
truth
to
you
also
,
my
son--leave
this
poor
lady
to
her
duty
,
as
I--
"
Vincent
Dering
broke
in
on
him
haughtily
,
his
pride
in
arms
,
impatience
at
the
falseness
of
his
position
making
him
discourteous
.
"
You
do
n't
understand
;
you
are
absolutely
mistaken--I
refuse
to
explain
,
but
I
really
must
ask
you
not
to
interfere
.
"
The
old
man
's
whole
bearing
changed
again
.
He
drew
himself
up
,
and
,
foils
in
hand
,
bowed
,
as
fencers
do
at
the
salute
.
"
Were
I
the
lady
's
husband
,
sir
,
I
would
make
you
answer
.
As
a
priest
of
God
,
I
must
warn
you
that
I
will
speak
,
if--
"
Vincent
Dering
interrupted
him
again
.
"
I
ca
n't
prevent
that--but
you
will
wrong
us--her
at
any
rate--the
best
,
the
kindest
woman--
"
He
paused
,
for
Father
Ninian
had
come
close
,
laid
a
hand
on
his
,
and
the
touch
seemed
to
bring
silence
.
"
It
is
sixty
long
years
,
Captain
Dering
,
"
he
said
,
and
his
eyes
seemed
to
pierce
through
the
darkness
,
"
since
I
have
laid
my
hand
on
my
fellow-men
save
in
the
hope
of
healing
.
It
was
a
fancy
of
mine
after--after
we
kissed
,
and
parted
.
But
I
touch
you
as
a
second
self
,
a
fellow-sinner
;
for
she
too
was
the
best--the
kindest--
"
His
old
voice
failed
.
Despite
his
anger
at
the
whole
miserable
mistake
,
Vincent
was
touched
;
but
despite
his
emotion
,
his
annoyance
strengthened
.
"
Possibly
,
"
he
broke
in
,
"
but
I
must
really
refuse
to
discuss
the
matter
further
.
Shall
we
end
this
,
sir
,
--unless--
"
he
gave
a
reckless
laugh
and
pointed
to
the
foils--
"
you
would
like
to
fight
it
out
?
"
Once
more
Father
Ninian
bowed
,
as
fencers
bow
in
the
salute
,
the
priest
,
the
wise
counsellor
,
lost
in
an
older
entity
than
these
;
in
the
high-born
Scotch
student
,
who
,
for
a
while
,
had
forgotten
his
vocation
to
ruffle
with
the
best
blood
in
Italy
.
"
I
have
not
the
privilege
of
being
the
lady
's
protector
,
"
he
answered
hotly
.
"
If
I
were
,
"
--He
paused
,
then
said
courteously
,
"
Shall
we
come
upstairs
?
I
came
down
for
these
foils
in
order
to
teach
Mr.
Carlyon
the
thrust
we
spoke
of
once
.
'
L'Addio
del
Marito
,
'
they
called
it
in
my
youth--I
doubt
if
the
name
has
changed
now
.
He
will
be
wondering
what
has
become
of
me
,
and--and
it
!
"
As
Vincent
followed
him
,
he
felt
a
thrill
at
the
savageness
of
the
old
man
's
tone
,
and
told
himself
that
here
was
the
Church
Militant
indeed
.
He
might
have
said
so
with
still
more
reason
ten
minutes
after
,
when
Father
Ninian
was
left
alone
.
For
the
hour
proved
too
late
for
lessons
,
and
Lance
Carlyon--who
had
been
out
of
sorts
ever
since
his
walk
at
dawn
with
Erda
Shepherd--was
obliged
to
give
in
to
dinner
,
grumbling
the
while
,
that
Vincent
was
the
worst
chum
he
ever
came
across
.
Never
to
be
found
when
he
was
wanted
,
then
turning
up
when
dear
old
Pidar
Narâyan
looked
as
if
he
could
have
licked
creation
.
Possibly
Lance
might
have
repeated
this
assertion
,
also
,
with
greater
fervour
,
could
he
have
been
witness
to
Father
Ninian
's
actions
,
when
,
his
last
guest
gone
,
he
went
to
put
the
foils
back
in
the
armoury
next
the
chapel
.
For
he
would
have
seen
him
,
with
head
bowed
over
the
crossed
foils
he
held
,
repeating
a
"
mea
culpa
"
as
he
passed
the
altar
;
but
ere
the
second
foil
matched
its
fellow
on
the
armoury
wall
,
he
would
have
seen
as
pretty
a
bit
of
sword-play
as
could
well
be
seen
.
Many
a
dexterous
turn
of
wrist
,
many
a
quick
imaginary
parry
,
many
a
sharp
riposte
,
following
each
other
accurately
,
as
if
memory
held
each
attack
,
each
defence
of
an
unseen
foe
;
until
finally
,
swift
as
a
flash
,
would
come
a
falter
back
,
as
if
from
a
blow
,
then
a
thrust
forward
.
There
was
a
little
silver
bell--such
as
men
put
to
a
falcon
's
hood--no
bigger
than
a
sixpence
,
shaped
like
a
man
's
heart
,
upon
the
tassel
of
a
resting
lance
beneath
the
solitary
foil
.
And
the
tassel
swayed
gently
in
the
cool
river
breeze
.
Yet
at
each
thrust
the
heart-shaped
bell
chimed
a
feeble
protest
under
the
button
of
the
foil
,
making
the
Church
Militant
smile
cheerfully
.
AT
THE
GATES
The
darkness
which
holds
the
dawn
was
,
as
a
rule
,
silent
as
the
grave
in
the
sand-stretches
beyond
the
river
,
where
the
wide
cut
of
the
canal
,
the
huge
mud-heap
of
the
gaol
,
with
its
scattered
workshops
and
houses
,
showed
as
mere
spots
and
lines
on
the
illimitable
plain
.
But
on
the
night
after
the
band
had
played
"
God
save
the
Queen
,
"
while
the
first
drops
of
sacred
water
trickled
over
the
chink
of
the
sluice
into
the
dry
bed
of
the
canal
below
,
its
silence
was
broken
by
unfamiliar
sounds
.
First
of
all
,
by
the
now
ceaseless
splash
of
the
thin
,
glassy
curve
of
water
on
its
way
to
find
out
this
new
road
to
the
sea
.
It
had
a
sort
of
dreamy
whisper
in
it
,
as
if
it
were
telling
its
first
impressions
,
its
hopes
,
its
fears
,
to
the
river
it
was
leaving
behind
.
And
on
this
background
of
ceaseless
sound
came
two
others
intermittently
.
The
first--a
muffled
hammering
from
the
darkness
which
hid
the
Viceroy
's
camp--told
of
departure
,
letting
the
night
know
that
another
white-winged
tent
was
flitting
,
and
that
the
dawn
must
be
prepared
to
find
its
place
empty
,
the
dream-city
in
ruins
,
the
Hosts
of
the
Lord-
sahib
gone
.
The
second
told
of
arrival
.
It
was
a
strange
cry
,
soft
,
almost
musical
:
--
"
Hârâ--Hârî--Hârâ--Hârî
!
"
Then
every
now
and
again
in
a
sort
of
chant
:
"
Râm--Râm--Sita--Râm
!
"
It
was
the
pilgrims
'
cry
,
their
call
on
the
Creator
,
the
Destroyer
,
their
appeal
to
the
godhead
in
man
and
woman
;
for
the
forerunners
of
the
great
host
to
come
were
already
nearing
Eshwara
on
their
road
to
the
"
Cradle
of
the
Gods
.
"
But
there
was
a
fourth
sound
,
inaudible--by
reason
of
that
ceaseless
noise
of
water
through
the
chink
of
the
sluice--except
to
those
close
by
it
,
like
George
Dillon
,
as
he
stood
on
the
hand-bridge
above
the
closed
gates
looking
down
idly
into
the
darkness
which
prevented
him
from
seeing
the
cause
of
the
sound
.
He
had
been
up
all
night
.
On
his
return
,
--later
than
he
had
intended
,
owing
to
his
determination
not
to
be
defied
by
any
woman
,
--he
had
found
that
in
his
absence
cholera
had
been
hard
at
its
work
.
So
he
had
buckled
to
his
,
expecting
one
of
those
awful
nights
which
live
,
even
in
a
doctor
's
memory
,
as
a
horror
,
as
a
warning
to
those
best
fitted
to
stem
the
stream
of
death
,
that
they
are
but
straws
on
its
surface
.
But
he
had
been
mistaken
.
True
,
for
an
hour
or
so
,
cases
had
come
in
quicker
than
they
could
be
attended
to
;
then
,
suddenly
,
they
ceased
to
come
in
at
all
.
That
had
been
eight
hours
ago
.
Too
short
a
respite
for
certainty
,
but
Dr.
Dillon
,
being
no
novice
in
such
work
,
had
his
hopes
;
the
more
so
because
the
disease
,
from
the
very
outset
,
had
become
steadily
less
and
less
virulent
.
Even
so
,
seven
dead
bodies
lay
awaiting
the
first
glint
of
dawn
;
therefore
,
as
ill-luck
would
have
it
,
there
would
be
seven
columns
of
smoke
on
the
river
's
edge
for
all
to
see
!
It
was
inevitable
,
however
,
nor
could
he
do
more
to
prevent
others
coming
.
So
he
had
been
on
his
way
back
to
his
own
house
for
a
few
hours
'
rest
when
the
dreamy
splash
of
the
water
made
him
pause
to
lean
over
the
hand-rail
and
listen
to
it
,
as
he
finished
his
cigar
in
the
open
.
Then
it
was
that
he
heard
a
faint
tap
,
tapping
,
as
of
a
ghostly
hand
on
a
door
.
What
was
it
?
It
was
quite
distinct
,
though
almost
as
low
as
the
"
lip
,
lipping
"
of
the
water
,
made
restless
by
that
glassy
curve
against
the
gates
.
A
curiosity
to
know
seized
on
him
.
There
was
already
a
glimmer
of
dawn
in
the
east
;
he
might
as
well
wait
and
see
.
It
was
not
long
before
a
streak
of
something
faintly
white
made
him
call
himself
a
fool
.
The
cause
was
a
log
of
wood
.
He
might
have
thought
of
that
.
Even
that
faint
setting
of
a
stream
towards
a
new
way
must
have
drifted
it
here
.
The
thought
made
him
frown
,
for
this
fulfilment
of
the
river-people
's
prophecy
was
annoying
;
the
more
so
from
its
absolute
unlikelihood
.
Years
might
pass
without
such
a
chance
coming
again
;
yet
it
had
come
the
very
first
day
!
It
was
too
bad
.
The
stars
in
their
courses
were
fighting
against
him
.
In
a
pet
he
threw
the
remains
of
his
cigar
from
him
,
and
was
striding
off
,
when
a
faint
glimmer
,
as
of
a
candle
,
made
him
turn
sharply
and
look
down
whence
it
came
.
The
lighted
end
of
his
cigar
had
fallen
on
something
dry
,
inflammable
,
which
had
blazed
up
.
But
it
was
only
for
a
second
;
the
next
found
darkness
,
save
for
that
still
,
faint
,
glimmer
of
white
.
But
the
brief
gleam
had
told
him
it
was
not
a
log
which
had
drifted
astray--
It
was
a
corpse
.
That
tap
,
tapping
he
had
heard
had
been
from
the
dead
feet
seeking
vainly
to
pass
through
the
chink
of
the
sluice
,
swerving
with
the
side
current
,
coming
back
,
again
and
again
.
He
stood
,
grasping
the
rail
,
staring
down
at
the
dim
outline
almost
incredulously
,
and
feeling
,
despite
himself
,
a
trifle
shivery
.
Then
the
remembrance
that
this
was
a
thing
which
must
be
seen
by
none
,
which
somehow
,
and
as
quickly
as
possible
,
must
be
set
on
its
right
road
again
,
made
him
hurry
back
to
where
he
knew
some
coils
of
rope
,
which
had
been
used
for
bunting
at
the
ceremony
,
were
lying
.
Seizing
one--still
gaily
decorated--he
tied
a
brick
to
one
end
,
and
hurried
back
to
the
bridge
.
By
dropping
this
weighted
rope
over
the
dim
white
streak
he
was
able
to
edge
it
gradually
to
one
side
,
until
it
lay
moored
against
the
wall
of
the
basin
.
Kneeling
down
for
a
closer
look
,
he
could
see
,
in
the
fast-growing
light
,
that
it
was
the
corpse
of
a
woman
.
He
could
even
guess
the
death
she
died
,
and
if
proof
was
needed
,
it
could
be
found
in
the
hands
folded
at
full
stretch
down
the
body
;
the
thumbs
,
pointing
upward
,
linked
by
an
iron
ring
.
To
this
iron
ring
had
been
looped
a
little
tuft
of
the
tri-coloured
hank
of
cotton
which
plays
so
large
a
part
in
marriage
ceremonial
.
Dr.
Dillon
stood
up
and
swore
under
his
breath
.
The
fates
were
,
indeed
,
inexorable
in
their
spite
.
Of
all
things
unlucky
for
the
changing
stream
to
claim
,
a
corpse
seeking
union
with
Mother
Ganges
was
the
worst
;
and
of
all
corpses
,
this--the
cursed
one
,
which
had
held
two
lives
and
could
send
one
back
to
haunt
men--was
the
worst
.
He
must
get
rid
of
it
somehow
,
if
he
could
.
Fastening
the
rope
,
so
strangely
out
of
keeping
,
all
hung
as
it
was
with
gay
colours
,
to
the
iron
ring
which
showed
about
the
ankles
,
he
proceeded
to
tow
the
body
back
along
the
basin
,
past
the
first
gates
,
and
so
to
the
river
itself
.
Thus
far
was
simple
.
But
how
was
he
to
get
it
afloat
on
a
current
strong
enough
to
sweep
it
beyond
danger
of
its
returning
to
tap
at
the
gates
once
more
?
The
dawn
was
hastening
with
great
leaps
of
light
that
shot
in
broad
bars
from
the
darkest
spot
in
all
the
dark
horizon
;
the
spot
which
would
soon
be
the
brightest
,
ablaze
with
the
sun
himself
.
Already
the
broad
shield
of
the
river
was
changing
its
heraldry--the
sable
was
turning
to
steel
,
sign
that
the
world
would
side
with
the
light
.
What
was
to
be
done
?
He
looked
over
the
wide
waste
of
sand
and
water
,
with
a
perplexity
which
vanished
suddenly
in
a
smile
,
as
he
caught
sight
of
a
round
shadow
like
a
man
's
head
dipping
and
dancing
on
the
surface
.
He
walked
on
to
the
last
dry
spot
of
land
and
shouted--
"
Ai
!
fisherman
!
Ai
!
Gu-gu
!
Am-ma
!
anybody
!
Come
and
earn
a
gold
mohur
!
"
