DILYS
BOOKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR
HISTORY OF FORT ST. GEORGE, MADRAS
ON THE COROMANDEL COAST
THE NAUTCH GIRL
THE FOREST OFFICER
A MIXED MARRIAGE
THE SANYASI
DILYS
CASTE AND CREED
THE TEA-PLANTER
THE INEVITABLE LAW
DARK CORNERS
THE UNLUCKY MARK
SACRIFICE
DILYS
AN INDIAN ROMANCE
BY
F. E. PENNY
AUTHOR OF
"THE SANYASI" "CASTE AND CREED" "SACRIFICE" ETC.
w
A NEW EDITION
LONDON
CHATTO & WINDUS
1911
PRINTED BY
WILLIAM CLOWBS AND SONS, LIMITED
LONDON AND BECCLES
DEDICATED TO
MRS. B. M. CROKER
IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF HER
ENCOURAGEMENT AND
SYMPATHY
DILYS
CHAPTER I
THE train drew up in a cloud of dust. Doors
were swung open, and streams of brown-skinned
travellers poured from the stifling third-class
carriages upon the platform.
From a Pulman car Owen Davenport de-
scended with a deliberation that was habitual.
He glanced up the platform, and an expression
of pleasure came over his face as his eye caught
sight of a tall spare figure clothed in kharkee.
It was the police-officer of the district, Rex
Carwardine, an old schoolfellow and friend of the
new arrival. Rex pushed his way through the
shouting, gesticulating crowd with good-humoured
authority, and the people fell back with hasty
deference before " the big Polliss master," as
they called him.
" Hallo ! Owen, old man ! " he exclaimed, as
he gripped the other by the hand.
After an exchange of greetings came the busi-
ness of collecting the luggage. It was not until
2 DILYS
the two men were seated in the strange hooded
two-wheeled vehicle, known to Rex's household
as the district cart, that they were able to hold
any conversation.
" It is good of you to pay me a visit like this.
Next best to going home is to get an old friend
from home to come and stay with one."
Owen smiled as he glanced at the sunburnt
face with its clear grey eyes. Rex had no pre-
tensions to good looks, yet the feminine eye
lingered with something like approval upon his
features, and men gave him their confidence
uninvited.
" I hate wearing virtues that don't belong to
me. They make me feel uncomfortable, like other
men's clothes. To be honest, I proposed paying
you this visit more in my own interests than
yours."
Rex laughed outright. " The same old
Owen ! " he cried, with keen enjoyment at the
close touch of far away schooldays. " I remember
how you used to say the most outrageous things
at Rugby with that saving preface * to be honest.'
We couldn't punch your head for being rude
because you claimed such virtue in speaking
honestly. Well, what is it ? "
There was a slight pause before the reply
came.
" An heiress."
" A what ? " shouted Rex, bringing his eyes
DILYS 3
from the country-bred mare to his friend's fair
Saxon face.
"A real bond fide heiress."
"We don't grow them in these parts," said
the police officer, flicking the mare with his whip
as she suddenly checked her smooth trot at sight
of a village pig by the roadside.
" Oh ! yes, you do. I have all the details at
my fingers' ends. I may as well tell you at once
that she is here here, in Cuddalore, to the best of
my belief, and that I am here to find her and "
he paused, leaving the sentence unfinished.
" Yes, and what else ? "
"To be honest " A laugh from his
friend caused him to hesitate. What he was
about to tell was not quite fair upon himself, yet
there was just enough truth in it to impel a man
of his nature to say it. He finished with a jerk
" and to marry her."
" Oh ! " And again the eye of the policeman
swept the features of his guest.
They were crossing the river, a narrow ribbon
of dazzling blue upon a bed of golden sand.
"Pull up a minute, and let me have a look
at the country," said Owen.
The river ran eastward to the sea, which was
not more than a mile away. The banks were flat,
and where the tides and storm-waves did not
reach, they were covered with palm-groves and
giant grasses. In a cold grey atmosphere the
4 DILYS
scene would have been dreary and depressing ;
but under the tropical light of a South Indian
sun, the landscape was full of colour. The new-
comer gazed across the yellow sands at the gleam-
ing water and azure sky until he was well-nigh
blinded.
"Over there is the old ruined Fort," said
Rex, pointing to the right with his whip.
" Uninhabited in the present day, I presume ? "
"Except for myself. My house is built on
the earthworks overlooking the river. It is a
little way from the cantonment, and has a repu-
tation for fever which it does not deserve. It
suits me in more ways than one."
They passed over the bridge, and drove on
under the shade of noble trees. Between the
cantonment and the sea stretched an open maidan.
It was dotted with white tents.
"Troops, I see," remarked Owen. "Are
they English or native ? "
" English ; they have been sent here from
Bangalore to get them out of the way of plague.
The commandant is a nice fellow, pleasant and
sociable. But I say, Owen, what about this
heiress ? Is she native or Eurasian ? "
" Neither ; she is English as far as birth is
concerned, and as pure-blooded as I am. It is
a most romantic story."
" We will have it when we get in."
They left the white tents behind, crossed a
DILYS 5
swampy watercourse, and passed along a smooth
carriage- drive between some low mounds, where
here and there a piece of broken masonry crumbled
half hidden under rank herbage. The bungalow,
embowered in trees, looked out upon the still
waters of the lagoon. A quarter of a mile away
the sea broke monotonously upon a sandy shore,
that was peculiarly desolate and deserted. Owen
looked round as he climbed down from the
dog-cart.
"Where is the Fort?"
" Gone long ago, as far as keep and drawbridge
are concerned. All that remains of Fort St.
David are these earthworks that you see about
.the place. Lally's guns knocked the Fort into
a cocked hat nearly a century and a half ago.
But come along inside ; you must be dying for
a drink after the heat and glare."
It was refreshingly cool within the walls of
the bungalow. Curtains of Indian muslin swung
to and fro in the moist breeze that blew in from
the sea, and there was no need of punkah. Doors
and windows opened on to deep verandahs that
stretched out into the shade of the long-armed
banyan-trees. A shrubbery of crotons and panax
bushes nestled close up to the walls of the house,
providing a wealth of colour with their gold and
crimson foliage and soft feathery green. The
sea-breeze brought on its wings the boom of
the sea, with occasionally the plaintive cry of a
6 DILYS
water-bird. A sigh of contentment escaped
Owen's lips as he put down his glass.
"You must amuse yourself till dinner. I have
a lot of work to do," said his host, as he left the
room for the office.
Dinner was over, and the servants had de-
parted to take their own meal at the back of the
house. Owen, extended at full length upon a
grass-hopper couch in the verandah, lighted his
cigarette in leisurely fashion. His story was yet
untold. One thing at a time, was his rule in life.
In some respects it was a good rule ; it ensured
the thorough performance of the task of the
moment. But there were occasions when the
attention had to be divided, when the grasp had
to be right and left, or the opportunity was lost
for ever. On these occasions Owen failed where
a man of greater readiness would have succeeded.
Being possessed of private means, his failures were
of no consequence, except so far as his pride was
concerned.
" Now about this heiress. I will tell you her
story, and then you must give me your help and
advice."
" In my official capacity or as a friend ? "
"Wait till you have heard what I have to
say."
This was the story which he told. There was
a Cornishman named Tregethin. He was the
younger son of a younger son, and had to work
DILYS 7
for his living. Mining was the profession that he
chose, and, when his training was finished, he was
tempted to accept the offer of employment in a
new mine which was being opened up in the
Wynaad in South India. He knew nothing
about the Wynaad, except what the prospectus
of the new mine could tell him. By diligent
inquiry he further learned that it was a district
in which coffee grew ; that the climate was cool
and pleasant, though apt to be feverish at certain
seasons. The salary was handsome, and for the
present he was to be manager and chief engineer.
Under the circumstances Tregethin felt justified
in marrying the girl of his choice before he
sailed.
The young bride, full of hope and happiness,
was charmed with all she saw. Life in camp on
the wild hills delighted her. The tropical forest
with its wealth of vegetation, the birds and butter-
flies, and the strange people who gathered round
the camp never ceased to interest her. Added
to this there was the new bungalow which was
being built under her eyes, and which bid fair
to become as pretty a house as the feminine heart
could desire. It was surrounded by a garden,
with a wonderful virgin soil that grew flowers
and vegetables as if by magic.
"Captain" Tregethin, as he called himself,
after the manner of mining managers, was not
quite so well satisfied with his department. The
8 DILYS
mine, which looked so well in the prospectus,
was in its earliest infancy of shaft-sinking and
shed-building. He and his wife were the only
Europeans. The rest of his staff consisted of a
Eurasian clerk or two, a dozen native maistries,
and a couple of hundred coolies. He threw him-
self into his work, determined that it should not
be his fault if it failed. And he wrote frequently
to Bombay, urging the more speedy despatch of
machinery and plant. The delays were not to
be accounted for by the difficulties of transport,
and there came periods when, for want of the
necessary machinery, he found it impossible to
keep his coolies employed.
Time passed, and Mrs. Tregethin, established
comfortably in her new house, was happy enough
in the prospect of motherhood. There was no
doctor within reach, but this did not trouble her
nor the busy husband. Attended only by the
native apothecary and the ayah, she became the
mother of a daughter, whom Tregethin baptized
himself under the name of Dilys. For a week
all seemed to be going well with mother and
child. Then fever suddenly set in, and a fort-
night later a broken-hearted husband buried his
wife amongst the Persian roses in the garden.
Just at that time some long-expected machinery
arrived, and Tregethin was obliged to be at the
works all day. He had no leisure to listen to
the complaints of the ayah, who wailed over the
DILYS 9
pining infant, crying that it would die if a foster-
mother was not found for it. There were no
native villages nor bazaars within reach nothing
but the mining camp of workers, and though it
contained a few women, none of them happened
to be qualified for the duties of foster-mother.
The machinery had been brought up by a
gang of Lumbadees. They are the gipsies of
India, and are also known as Brinjarees. They are
a wandering tribe, who do transport work among
the hills where there are no roads. Their sturdy
little bullocks possess something of the nature of
goats in their power of climbing. They pass
along wild hill paths and through forests, where
the way is nothing but a game track. In the
swampy valleys they pick out with unerring
instinct a firm footway over the spongy ground.
The Lumbadees are great thieves, yet they possess
some strange traits of honesty. The fidelity with
which they keep their word is a matter of history,
and they are scrupulously honest over all goods
committed to their charge. They possess a breed
of dogs of a sandy or grey colour. The dogs
have shaggy coats, and are larger in size than the
old-fashioned English sheep dogs. They are not
kept by any other caste ; like the poligars' animals,
though faithful to death to their own masters,
they are too ready to fight, and are treacherous
and savage towards strangers.
Amongst the gang of gipsies that brought up
io DILYS
the machinery was a young woman who had just
lost her baby. The ayah, with the maternal
instincts of her race, endeavoured to secure her
services. She made the woman a handsome offer
of clothes and money to take the situation of
amah, and reside at the bungalow for a year.
But nothing would induce the gipsy woman to
approach the residence of an Englishman. Her
husband, she vowed, would kill her if she entered
the house. The ayah solved the difficulty by
carrying the child to the Lumbadees' camp. The
foster-mother took to the little one with all the
love that should have been bestowed upon her
own. She even gained courage sufficiently to
meet the ayah near the house at stated times.
Late at night, early in the morning before the
cuckoos and barbets had begun to call, the foster-
mother was waiting for her charge. But never
once did she venture under the roof of the
Englishman. Ten days later, when the bullocks
were rested, the Lumbadees began to stir. They
were anxious to depart, and the foster-mother
must needs go with them.
The ayah was in despair ; she offered money
and jewels ; she begged, coaxed, and threatened,
but all in vain. The husband would not hear
of it. The woman would have stayed, for she
had grown fond of the fair-skinned smiling
baby ; but the tribe backed her husband's
decree and made it inexorable. The evening
DILYS 1 1
before the departure of the gipsies, the ayah
and the woman had a long and earnest talk.
Afterwards the ayah sought her master.
" Sir, the Lumbadee woman will not stay."
" Have you promised money and jewels ? "
" Yes, sir, and she would accept them if she
could, for she loves the little one ; but her people
say no."
" Then, what are we to do ? " asked the forlorn
widower, utterly at a loss to know what course to
pursue. The milk of the cows fed upon the rank
herbage of the hills would be poison to his tiny
daughter.
The ayah looked at him with swimming eyes.
" Sir, the baby will die if she loses the Lumbadee
mother."
" I know that," he replied irritably.
"But the Lumbadee mother, though she is
obliged to go, will continue to give her services if
master will let baby go too."
" With the Lumbadees ? " he almost shouted
in his atonishment.
" It is the only way. And what harm can
come if I go with the child ? The woman
promises faithfully that she will take care of me
and the baby, and we will come back in eighteen
months with the little missie, a strong English
child."
So the ayah pleaded, whilst the distracted
father listened. Gradually she conquered his
12 DILYS
scruples, and wrung from him a consent given
against his better judgment. Poor man ! It
seemed to him that a cruel fate had left him no
choice. It was that, or pronouncing the death-
warrant of his child.
The gipsies departed with their picturesque
string of bullocks ; one animal was loaded with
the clothes so carefully prepared by the fingers
now lying stiff and cold in the grave under the
rose bushes in the garden. Tregethin watched
the flirty with a heavy heart as men and cattle
trailed over the hills, dipping into the moist still
valleys, climbing by winding paths over the crests
of the breezy hills, till the last bright, blue cloth
and yellow string of cowries was lost in the distant
jungle.
The ayah was faithful to her charge, and three
times during the year she brought Dilys to the
bungalow, a smiling, crowing, chubby child, afraid
of nothing, disposed to be friendly with her
delighted father, and as happy as a little jungle
lamb. They could only come when the Lum-
badees had business that brought them into the
district ; but Tregethin was satisfied. At the last
visit he begged the ayah to stay and dispense with
the foster-mother. The good woman, thinking
only of her charge, pleaded for a few months
more. By that time missie would have teeth
to eat food properly, she urged. Tregethin hesi-
tated. Though Dilys was the picture of health,
DILYS 13
the ayah had not fared so well. Long tramping
over the hills, rough food, and an open-air life,
with only a rude tent for shelter, had told upon
her constitution. "Better stay," he said. But
the ayah was obstinate. " It is for only a little
time," she pleaded. So once more Tregethin
watched them go in the early morning light,
carrying the little Dilys in their train.
A few weeks later, two events happened which
curiously affected the destiny of the child. The
ayah died when the tribe was on one of its long
marches in the western ghats ; and about the same
time the mine stopped working for want of funds.
Tregethin struggled vainly against fate, hoping
that the remittances would arrive ; but instead of
these, he received peremptory orders to shut down
the works and incur no further expense. When
he made known the contents of the letter to his
work-people and subordinates, there was con-
sternation and complaint, for all wages were in
arrears. He did his best to satisfy the clamour-
ing coolies, and emptied the cash-chest to its last
coin. Convinced that there was nothing more to
be got they departed in a body. As their voices
died away in the distance, Tregethin read a
second letter which had been brought by the
market coolie. It asked him to come to Bombay
to receive the balance of his salary, and directed
him to leave a native clerk in charge of the mine.
The following morning he awoke with an
I 4 DILYS
uncomfortable sensation of loneliness. An op-
pressive silence hung over the deserted shaft ;
everything was still in the engine-shed ; even the
bungalow, itself was unusually quiet, and his
servant omitted, for the first time in his life, to
bring the early morning tea. He hastily dressed
himself and went out. Every native and Eura-
sian had departed, fearing starvation ; he was
absolutely alone in the settlement. When the
daily market coolie failed to arrive, Tregethin
began to think that he must follow the example
of his people. Yet he wished to remain if it was
possible. For the sake of the child he must stay.
He persevered for a few days ; but when the store-
room was emptied of provisions, and a whole day
was passed on biscuits and a cup of milk, he knew
that the end had come, and that he must go too.
He locked the sheds, fastened doors and
windows, let loose all the live stock the six
country cows, the goats, and the fowls saddled
his Mahratta pony, and rode away from the
deserted mine and from the grave among the
roses. He was filled with a feverish anxiety to
accomplish his journey, and to get back to the
mine in time to receive the ayah and the child on
their return from their final wanderings.
But misfortune dogged his heels. At the
foot of the hills he sold his pony to buy food
and a railway ticket. He could not afford to
travel all the way to Bombay by rail, and so did
DILYS 15
the rest of the journey on foot, tramping along
the dusty sunburnt roads towards the great sea-
port. It was one thing to live on the hills in a
cool climate, but quite another to walk along the
heated roads of the plains. The sun affected his
health, and when at last Bombay was reached, he
was only fit for hospital. In his more lucid
moments he spoke of the ayah and his daughter,
but the nurse and doctor thought that the delirium
of the sun-fever still disturbed his brain. The
broken story of the child travelling with its ayah,
under the protection of a wandering tribe or
Lumbadees was so improbable, so incompre-
hensible, when other and simpler means might
surely have been found to provide for it. They
soothed him with smooth promises as they might
have comforted a babbling child, and Tregethin
died, not unpeacefully, leaving his little daughter
stranded in a strange land, and lost amongst a
strange people.
Six months from the date when Tregethin had
last watched the gipsies depart, they returned, true
to their word, to deliver up their charge, for so the
tribe considered Dilys. The door of the bunga-
low was locked and the camp deserted. The
engineers and miners, the clerks and coolies were
gone, and, worst of all, the master himself had
vanished. The bungalow was in possession of
jungle cats and bats. The garden and its paths
were already in the arms of a vigorous growth of
i 6 DILYS
creepers, and the herbage of the flower-beds had
sprung up breast high.
The Lumbadees looked round in blank con-
sternation. If the ayah had been with them they
would have taken counsel with her, and she and
the child would have sought an asylum at the
nearest missionary station. But there was no one
to give advice but the foster-mother in whose
arms the pretty little English maid nestled fondly.
She was devotedly attached to Dilys and had but
one course to suggest, the adoption of the child
until the father should be found. The gipsies
shrugged a careless shoulder and agreed to her
proposition. Their share of the bargain had been
performed and they had no time to waste looking
for the Englishman. Breaking open the bunga-
low they helped themselves to movable properties,
the price of which would suffice to pay them for
the keep of Dilys ; and then, without further
thought on the matter, they returned to their
transport duties amongst the native merchants on
the West coast.
Already Dilys's appearance differed from what
it was in the ayah's time. Her European clothes
so scrupulously preserved by the good woman
were replaced by the more convenient cloth worn
by the Lumbadee children. The ayah, faithful to
her trust, always talked to the baby in English,
and taught it a few words of its mother tongue.
The gipsy woman knew no English, and only
DILYS 17
spoke her own queer language, and the patois of
the districts which they traversed between the
West coast and the plateau. So the little snow-
drop grew up amongst the tawny tiger-lilies, a
gipsy child in everything but colour.
CHAPTER II
DAVENPORT having arrived at this point of his
story relapsed into silence as though the tale was
ended. Rex handed him the box of cigars and
called to his servant to bring sodawater and ice.
The sea-breeze blew fresh and cool through the
verandah rustling the leaves of the crotons. The
flying-foxes quarrelled greedily over the figs on
the banyan trees, and from the camp on the
maidan came the sound of the distant bugle.
" Well, and has this child turned out to be an
heiress ? "
"Yes; a mortality in the Tregethin family
during the last few years has left her the sole
survivor of her generation."
^ "And now you want to find her ? "
"That's it."
" If she is alive."
" Oh, she is alive all right," replied Owen, as
he gave his undivided attention to the lighting of
his cigar, and then proceeded to superintend the
mixing of a whisky and soda. Rex waited,
knowing of old that his friend was not to be
18
DILYS 19
hurried. " Yes, she exists right enough. Tre-
gethin had a sister younger than himself, with
whom he corresponded at long intervals. He
told her of the birth of the child and the subse-
quent death of the mother. He added that the
baby had been put out to nurse, with the ayah to
look after it, and that the foster-mother was a
gipsy woman. Then followed a long silence, at
the end of which she learned that her brother was
dead. She wrote to the secretary of the closed
mine asking for information about the child, but
could get none. A few years later she married.
Her husband was the owner of a coffee estate in
Mysore ; and chance thus brought her to India
and to a district adjoining that in which Tregethin
had laboured. No sooner had she arrived than
she renewed her inquiries, visiting the hospital
where he died, interviewing doctor and nurse,
questioning them closely as to his last hours and
supposed delirious statements. Then she made a
pilgrimage to the mine. The camp was not easy
to find, for the jungle had grown to the roofs of
the sheds. White ants and rust had been busy in
the bungalow and the place was enmeshed with
creepers ; not a human soul had visited it for
years. The wild pigs and monkeys were in undis-
turbed possession and seemed likely to remain so.
" She didn't succeed, then, in finding the
child ? " asked Rex.
" Mrs. Myrtle was a woman of perseverance.
20 DILYS
She went back to her husband's estate nothing
daunted, and set her woman's wit to work. With
the help of her ayah as interpreter, she questioned
every coolie that set foot upon the estate. From
a West-coast man she heard of a tribe of gipsies
who had with them a fair-skinned child supposed
to be a Mahratta or Tyar foundling. These
Lumbadees had gone north into the Konkanee
country, said the coolie, because of some trouble
with the police over the smuggling of sandalwood
from Mysore to the West coast."
" Those gipsy fellows are born smugglers. I
have something to do with them myself between
here and Pondicherry, smuggling French brandy
and perfumes," said Rex, who was deeply in-
terested.
"Are there any of the tribe here now?"
asked Davenport.
"I saw some with a string of bullocks carry-
ing ground-nuts only yesterday. The French
ship the nuts roots they ought to be called to
the Continent to help in the manufacture of salad-
oil."
" The Lumbadees were not altogether strangers
to the coffee-planter, and at the very first appear-
ance on the estate of their blue cloths and cowrie
ornaments, Mrs. Myrtle got speech with them.
They consented to be the bearers of a message,
should they ever meet any members of the tribe
that possessed the so-called Tyar child. The
DILYS 21
message was simple but to the point. * Foster-
mother of the Englishman's daughter, keep faith
with the father and bring his child to the Chief
Magistrate of Mysore city.' '
" She should have put it into the hands of
the police," said Rex.
" On the contrary, it was the police whom
the Lumbadees were endeavouring to avoid ; and
her method proved successful. One day the
Brahmin magistrate saw a Lumbadee child of
about seven years of age standing in his verandah.
She talked a strange mixture of gipsy language,
Tamil and Malayalum. It was Dilys Tregethin.
The Lumbadees had brought her back true to
their trust ; but they took care not to show them-
selves, for they still feared that the police might
make it disagreeable for the gang."
" How could Mrs. Myrtle identify her ? "
asked the police-officer.
" The gipsies returned with the child some
remnants of European clothing and a small gold
locket containing a photograph of Tregethin.
This trinket the ayah had hung round the baby's
neck soon after the mother's death, and it was
carefully preserved, probably under the impression
that it was a charm of some kind. Mrs. Myrtle
was perfectly satisfied that it was her brother's
long-lost daughter. Having no children of her
own, she took Dilys to her heart at once."
" She must have been a strange little creature to
22 DILYS
be suddenly admitted into a well-ordered English
household. How did Miss Trcgethin take to the
new life ? "
" She soon settled down and learned to wear
English clothing, to eat her food like a civilized
being and to speak in her mother tongue.
When she was ten years old, Mrs. Myrtle sent
her to the nuns at Pondicherry to be educated
under French governesses, and she spent her
holidays on the estate ; very happy times they
were, too, according to poor Mrs. Myrtle's
account."
" Apparently you have found your heiress, and
she is safely sheltered under the wing of a
motherly relative," remarked Rex.
" My tale is not quite finished," replied his
deliberate friend. " At the age of seventeen she
left school with a knowledge of French and
English as well as the native tongues of her
childhood, which, living in India as she did, she
never lost. Six months after she left the nuns at
Pondicherry she became heiress to a considerable
sum of money, her aunt having a life interest in
part of it. Now this is the curious part of my
story. On coming into this property the Myrtles
decided to sell their estate in Mysore and to retire
to England, taking Miss Tregethin with them.
They made all the necessary preparations, engaged
their passages in a steamer sailing from Bombay at
a certain date, packed their trunks and arranged
DILYS 23
to start on the homeward journey. The very
morning they were to leave Dilys was missing.
She vanished in a marvellous manner, no one
knew where. She left no letter to explain her
strange conduct, and she gave no sign previously
of her intentions. She simply disappeared off the
scenes."
" Surely the police could trace her," said Rex.
He had infinite faith in his department.
" It proved too tough a task for the Mysore
police anyway. Myrtle and his wife had to put
off their journey and they stayed on for nearly a
year, turning heaven and earth to find the girl ;
but to no purpose. Mrs. Myrtle at last became
so worn out with anxiety and disappointment
that the doctors ordered her home without further
delay. There they came to my brother, who is a
solicitor, and who is doing the law business for the
Tregethin estate, and they told him the whole
story which I have just given to you."
" Did he think that she was murdered ? "
" We had a suspicion that such might have
been the case, though there was no reason why
the girl should have met with such an awful fate.
Our suspicions have been set at rest on that
point."
" Perhaps there was a lover."
" Not that Mrs. Myrtle knew of."
"Was nothing heard of her ?"
"Absolutely nothing, until three months ago,
24 DILYS
when she came of age. Then my brother received
a letter from her directing him to continue the
management of her property until such time as
she should claim it. It was clear and concise,
showing a shrewd knowledge of her position.
He sent it to Mrs. Myrtle, who had made up her
mind that Dilys was dead, and was becoming
reconciled to that idea. It upset her terribly, and
she wanted to start for India by the next boat.
But she is in a very precarious state of health, and
her husband persuaded her to send me instead.
So here I am, a barrister not over-burdened with
work, under orders to find Miss Tregethin at any
.
cost.
" Did he also tell you to marry her ? " asked
Rex, regarding his old friend with amused eyes.
" Oh no ! " replied the imperturbable Owen.
" To be honest, that was quite my own idea."
" What made you think of it ? "
" You see, I promised Mrs. Myrtle that I
would bring Dilys home with me. * She won't
come,' said that lady, and then she began to cry.
Women's tears always make me lose my head.
* I will make her come. If I can't do it in any
other way, I'll marry her,' I exclaimed."
" What did Mrs. Mrytle say to that ? " asked
Rex.
" She just jumped at it, and it comforted her
beyond measure."
"You have taken a leap in the dark, old
DILYS 25
fellow, and no mistake ! I should be very sorry
to call myself the husband of a girl who has had
such a strange bringing-up as Miss Tregethin." i
" Whatever she may be like, I feel that I am
pledged to Mrs. Myrtle, if I can't persuade Dilys
to go otherwise."
" You think that the lady will follow you to
the other end of the earth if once she is caught
in the toils of matrimony ? "
" That is to be seen ; meanwhile I must find
her, and you must help."
" If she disappeared in Mysore, I suppose
you will look for her there. I don't see how I
can be of any assistance, as my district is Cuddalore,
which is out of your beat altogether."
" I don't agree with you," said Davenport.
He finished his whisky and soda, and rose
from the cane lounge with a yawn suggestive
of bed.
Why ? "
" Because of the address to which she directed
my brother to send his reply," answered the guest,
holding out his hand in good-night greeting.
" And that was ? " Rex's curiosity was
mastering every other emotion.
" The letter was to be sent * To the care of
Soobarow, Head Constable, Cuddalore, South
India. To be called for.' '
Owen turned towards his room without
another word. His long journey had tired him
26 DILYS
out, and he did not note the expression of blank
astonishment on the face of his companion.
" Soobarow ! What on earth has my most
trusted head-constable got to do with Dilys
Tregethin, the lost heiress ? "
CHAPTER III
THE town of Cuddalore on the Coromandel coast
is a little more than a hundred miles south of
Madras. The district of Arcot in which it stands
is mostly flat, producing grain, indigo, sugar-cane
and ground-nuts. An old trunk road from north
to south passes through the cantonment and town,
running parallel with the railway. The scenery
has a charm of its own. Avenues of hoary old
trees, stretches of emerald rice-fields, gleaming
sheets of water, villages, palm-groves and casua-
rina plantations, with here and there uncultivated
patches of rock and cactus, vary the landscape.
The tropical sun steeps everything in rich colours,
rosy at morn, golden at noon, and purple at sun-
set. Between the old town and the cantonment
runs the Gudalam river, a thread of blue in the
dry weather, and a raging torrent of brown muddy
water in the rains.
The Europeans employed in the service of
Government live in the cantonment on the north
side of the river. The old town on the south
side is the abode of the native population. In
27
28 DILYS
addition to the Hindoos and Mahomedans, there
is a little colony of Europeans and Eurasians.
The Englishmen are mostly old soldiers who
have taken their pensions and have elected to
spend the rest of their lives in the country. The
attraction is usually a native or Eurasian wife
together with a natural liking for the luxuries of
the tropics, a plentiful supply of cheap food and
liquor, and cheap servants and house-rent. The
poorest European or Eurasian can obtain the
services of a kitchen servant in return for his
food.
John Brand and Ben Bullen were two pen-
sioners who had adopted this course. They served
the Company and afterwards the Queen for many
years in the same regiment. Bullen belonged to
Suffolk, and the accent of the Eastern counties
still hung about his speech, especially in moments
of excitement. He had married a native woman
who made him an excellent wife, and had borne
him a large family.
Brand was bred and born in London, a towns-
man to the tip of his fingers. In days gone by
he had been the smartest sergeant in the regiment.
There promotion stopped, for Brand had a little
weakness which militated against his advancement
in life. To use his own expression, he was oc-
casionally " overtook." It did not happen often,
but when it did, he was noisy and troublesome ;
and though his servant did his best to screen his
DILYS 29
master, the truth leaked out, and Brand climbed
the regimental ladder no higher.
Bullen and Brand formed a friendship which
proved to be life-long. They banded together
with four others and shared the services of a
native servant whom they called Rammersammy,
shortened sometimes to Sammy. He cleaned
their accoutrements, and waited on them "just
as if they were lords," to quote their own words,
and all for the sum of six rupees a month.
Ramaswamy attached himself especially to Brand,
v/ho undertook to train him. It was admitted
by all his comrades that Brand knew better than
any of them how a gentleman's servant should
behave, having occupied that position himself
before he joined the ranks. No one could accuse
him of shirking his task ; he spared no pains in
teaching Ramaswamy how to brush, clean, and
polish, how to fold and put away clothes, and
how to lay them out ready for use. Like all
native servants, the man was flattered by the
unremitting attention and interest shown in his
work. He rose to the occasion, and took as
great a pride in his success as was evinced by
his instructor. He became the smartest "boy'*
in the barracks, and was the envy of all the
other syndicates of masters. If there was one
thing in which he excelled above all others, it
was in his manner and mode of address. Brand
managed to instil into him something of the
30 DILYS
quiet alertness of a first-class valet, who antici-
pates without obtrusiveness his master's wants.
And he taught him to use the honorific " sir "
freely. It became "sar" in Ramaswamy's mouth,
and the sound of it was music in the ears of his
masters.
When, in the course of years, one by one of
his employers departed, Bullen to be married, and
the others with the regiment to England, Rama-
swamy remained contentedly with Brand, following
him into private life. Wages were at first scantily
and irregularly paid, but in addition to the bond
of attachment between master and man, there
were compensations which made life worth living
to the servant grown old in his master's service.
Brand's favourite pursuit was fishing in the
Gudalam. The old man might often be seen
wending his way to the river, wearing shirt and
trousers and a pith hat. His feet were bare, and
he carried a large creel slung across his shoulders
after the fashion of all enthusiastic anglers.
Fishing-rods and a box of bait completed his
outfit.
When he went to ask for his mail letters at
the post-office on the arrival of the English mail,
letters which never came ; or when he walked to
the Kutchery to receive his pension, his appear-
ance was very different ; for Brand was a dandy
in his way. On retirement from the service in
place of the smart uniform of his sovereign, he
DILYS 31
adopted a neat suit of white duck, which was as
becoming to his dapper little figure as the white
drill regulation jacket. The same care was ob-
served in making his toilette as when he dressed
for parade. A spotless shirt and collar, a clean
suit, and a satin tie were laid out by the careful
Ramaswamy, who helped his master into them
when the barber had finished his work. The
brown canvas shoes were neatly tied ; a gold
signet ring and a silver-topped cane, produced
from some secret hiding-place known only to
Ramaswamy, completed the costume, which in
Bullen's eyes at least marked Brand as "quite
the gentleman."
Having made his toilette, Brand seated him-
self on a chair in the verandah, and waited until
Ramaswamy had assumed a blue cotton coat, a
turban of white muslin, and some stiff starched
drapery falling in giant folds round his thin old
legs. As he emerged from the smoky den at the
back of the house, which served as kitchen and
dwelling, Brand usually greeted him with the
query, " Made yourself quite clean like a
gentleman's servant ? "
Yes, sar."
" Then come along, boy." And they started
for the Kutchery followed by the admiring eyes
of the townspeople, who thought Mr. " Berrand,"
as they called him, as great a personage as the
Government officer himself. The Englishman
32 DILYS
walked in front, whilst his servant trotted at a
respectful distance behind, keeping sufficiently
near to be able to hear his master should he
desire to hold any conversation. At the Kutchery
he found Bullen, who had come on the same
errand.
The two pensioners were well known to Mr.
Hensley. He had a liking for them both, and
seldom let them go without having a chat. Brand
did most of the talking, whilst Bullen listened in
admiration of his friend's powers of conversation
so far exceeding his own. After signing the
receipt, the money was handed to them. Bullen
put his into his trousers-pocket in true British
style ; but Brand, with a lofty gesture, handed
the cash to his servant, and then stood at atten-
tion in his best regimental manner to hear Mr.
Hensley's remarks. Every pay-day the same
little scene was enacted with variations according
to the time at the disposal of the collector. The
topics discussed were the old regimental days,
the wickedness of the natives with the general
degeneracy of the times, and the increasing
impudence of the Hindoos.
Meanwhile Ramaswamy, assuming the dignity
and importance of a Treasury peon, squatted on
the matted floor of the office and counted the
rupees with a precision w r orthy of a larger sum,
arranging the coins into little heaps, which were
counted again and again. Having reckoned it up
DILYS 33
for the twentieth time he waited for the signal
from his master to put it in a grimy canvas bag.
Brand and Mr. Hensley continued to chat until
a pause occurred, when the old soldier turned to
his boy.
" Is the money right ? "
" Yes, sar."
" You haven't dropped any ? "
" No, sar."
" Nor slipped any of it into that big turban
of yours ? "
" No, sar."
"You can't trust these natives, sir," this to
Mr. Hensley, in a confidential tone. " They are so
shifty." Then to the boy, " Here, give it to me."
Yes, sar."
Ramaswamy jingled it into the bag, tied it up,
and tendered it to his master, who withdrew his
hand as if on second thoughts.
" No, boy, you can carry it yourself," he said,
with a magnificent condescension.
"Yes, sar ; I keep take care, sar.'
As Ramaswamy stowed it away in a hidden
pocket of some mysterious inner garment under
the blue coat, Brand turned to Mr. Hensley and
said
" I've had this boy for thirty years come next
Christmas, sir. He has been a good servant to
me. I used to share him with my mates. We
had to strap him sometimes, he was such a beggar
D
34 DILYS
for drink." Here Ramaswamy's eyes twinkled
with decorously repressed amusement. " But he
don't often break out now. He is devoted to
me, and I could trust him with thousands of
rupees ; he'd never touch one."
During this relation of his vices and virtues,
the old man stood wagging his head in cordial
assent to all that his master said, as proud as if he
were the Governor's own body-servant.
" But he's one among many, he is. The rest
of them are cunning shifty devils, cringing before
your face, but playing the very deuce behind your
back. It's only when you take 'em in hand, as I
have took this one, that you can lick 'em into any-
thing that's fit for European service. This one,
he's mastered, he is ain't yer, boy ? and he
knows it."
There was a little shower of hearty "Yes,
sars " from Ramaswamy, and his head wagged
until the muslin turban seemed likely to fall off.
When Bullen described the incident to his
wife and daughter afterwards, as he never failed
to do, he invariably concluded with the words,
" Well, there, Mr. Brand always is such a gentle-
man, he is."
Mr. Hensley never omitted to address a few
kind words to Ben Bullen.
" Is your wife quite well, Bullen ? "
Ben's conversational powers were not great,
but his wife was one of the topics upon which he
DILYS 35
could be eloquent. He had married a native
named Mariamah, a name which he had con-
verted into Mary, or more familiarly " Molly,
mor." As Brand took credit for the training of
Ramaswamy, so Bullen prided himself upon the
making of Mrs. Bullen and her excellence as
a wife and mother. According to his account,
all her domestic virtues had been inculcated by
himself.
" She's middling, thank-ye, sir. She is busy
knitting me a pair of socks. There, it's the truth
I'm speaking, them socks are knitted just as if an
Englishwoman had done them. You couldn't
tell the difference."
" She makes you a good wife ? "
" That she do ; and, excepting for her colour,
she might be a European. I have taught her to
read a little, and she can cook and sew. Every
Sunday she goes to church regular, just as my
mother did."
" I am glad she is a Christian," remarked Mr.
Hensley.
" She wasn't born a Christian, but I converted
her, I did, sir. That took me some time to do
it, but J told her she'd go to hell if she didn't
come Christian. Her people were very much
against it. One day she come to me and she say,
" Ben, are you going to hell ? " and I said, " No,
mor, I ain't going there, and don't you think it."
"Then I shan't go," said she. "Well, if that's
36 DILYS
so, I had better speak to the Missionary," I said,
and I did so that very day. He baptized her in
the Mission Church, where I afterwards married
her, and he was wonderful pleased with the way I
did it. Would you believe it, sir, that I have
never took a stick to her, not once, and we have
been married twenty-five years."
The two pensioners departed, Brand saluting
with the smartness of a young colour-sergeant,
Bullen touching his hat Suffolk fashion, and
Ramaswamy salaaming low.
On reaching home Brand, with the assistance
of his boy, divested himself of his finery, and
returned to his usual dress of shirt and trousers.
Whatever he might be doing, whether it was
fishing in the river or smoking in the seclusion of
his own verandah, he wore a pair of clean white
ducks. It was his opinion that a gentleman
might be known by his nether garments. Shirts
did not matter ; they might be of flannel or
cotton, and there was no style about them.
Natives wore shirts ; they did not know how to
put them on, and looked (as he expressed it), fine
objects in them. But trousers were the mark of
an Englishman, and clean trousers were the mark
of a gentleman. It was no temptation to him y
therefore, as it was to his friend Bullen, to wear
pyjamas in the house after the manner of Eurasians.
When Brand was dilating upon the many virtues
and vices of his servant, the black eyes twinkled
DILYS 37
at the memory of certain episodes connected with
his master's dual garments.
Brand's one weakness has been already men-
tioned. There were occasions happily rare
when he was " overtook." Bazaar rumour had it
that Ramaswamy followed his master's example,
but where they procured the liquor was a mystery,
the drinking fit not being coincident with the
drawing of the pension. The stuff they drank
was something better than the coarse, fiery arrack
of the country, for it treated them both well, and
left little sign behind it. There was a whisper
that it was French brandy.
When Brand was under the influence of drink
his tongue was loosened, and he babbled of matters
which should be kept secret. This was the one
anxiety of Ramaswamy's life. In the privacy of
the house it did not matter what Brand said,
but it was unsafe to allow him to go abroad.
Naturally of a reserved nature, like all town-bred
men, he was on his guard even when his glib
tongue wagged its fastest. But brandy caused
him to bare his very soul to the commonest coolie.
Therefore his faithful servant was careful to see
that his master indulged his weakness in private
with locked doors. So long as the boy was
present to watch over him, all went well.
Brand in his cups was full of national and
regimental pride, and his companion was obliged
to listen to long stories of the doings of the
3 8 DILYS
regiment, as he stood behind his master's chair
repeating, " Yes, sar ; no, sar ; yes, sar," con-
tinuously. The pleasure of being addressed as
" Sir," lifted Brand to the very skies on a
pinnacle of happiness. When the stones were
exhausted, he showed signs of haughtiness, and
was inclined to criticise his attendant.
" Rammersammy."
"Yes, sar!"
" Come here.' 1
"Yes, sar!"
" You scoundrel."
"No, sar!"
" But I say "
" Yes, sar ! "
" that you are a scoundrel.'*
" Yes, sar ; no, sar ! "
" Rammersammy," with still greater seventy.
" Yes, sar ! I thinking master soon made
captain now captain, sar ! Yes, sar ! No, sar !
Master make very good captain, sar I Ramaswamy
plenty proud of master ; yes, sar ! "
Gradually lulled by Ramaswamy's chant,
Brand fell into deep sleep. Then it was the old
servant's opportunity ; but before indulging him-
self, he made his master secure by removing the
white-duck trousers. In his worst moments
nothing would have induced Brand to leave his
house without his garments. Usually they were
removed after he was asleep ; but there had been
DILYS 39
occasions when he showed signs of wishing to go
into the town after he had had a little liquor.
Ramaswamy was equal to the crisis. Vowing that
the dhoby had just arrived, and that the trousers
must go to the wash at once, he pulled them off
without ceremony, and handed him the cotton
garments worn at night. A clean pair of ducks
were not forthcoming until Brand was fit to be
trusted among his fellow-men again.
With Brand asleep and trouserless on his
string cot, Ramaswamy ventured to indulge. A
moderate glass of raw brandy was sufficient to
make him happy, and he usually recovered long
before his master. If, on awaking, Brand de-
manded more spirit, it was dealt out with a sparing
hand ; but no white ducks were permitted until
he was quite sober. Like all Englishmen, he was
a worm without them. In vain he begged and
prayed for the precious article of male attire. It
was of no use. He even shed tears, but Rama-
swamy was adamantine, and swore that they were
miles away at the dhoby tank.
Once and once only, Brand, after a glass or
two, managed to get into the street ; Ramaswamy
being for some reason absent at the critical
moment. Furnished with the door-key and a tin
plate, the old pensioner wandered down the
thronged streets of the bazaar, singing a wild
canteen song, and keeping time upon the plate
with the key. He soon had a mob about his
40 DILYS
heels. He was just in that boastful, self-glorious
condition, when he wanted his full mead of " sar."
The native boys of the town only hooted and
jeered at him, delighted to have the opportunity
of baiting a helpless "Tommy."
Ramaswamy came home, found the door open
and the bottle on the table. It told its own tale,
and, fearing disaster, he rushed out to seek his
master. There he was, in the thick of the bazaar,
expatiating on the rascality of the natives, and on
the excellency of brandy, offering to fight any one
who disputed his statement. A group of police
peons had gathered near the scene of the dis-
turbance, and were endeavouring to summon up
sufficient courage to arrest him. But the arrest
of a British soldier under the influence of liquor
is almost as formidable a business to a native as
trapping a tiger.
Just at that moment an old man blundered
up against Brand, and, instead of apologizing,
loaded him with abuse. Brand's blood was up
in a moment, and he reached out an unsteady
hand to grab his assailant, hitting wildly with the
other. Ramaswamy dodged the blows, leading
his master unconsciously towards his domicile.
The door stood open, and an unceremonious
push sent Brand headlong over the threshold.
The door was quickly closed, shutting out the
gaze of an excited crowd, and he was presently
extended at full length on his cot. Ramaswamy
DILYS 41
suddenly altered his tone, and interlarding his
speech with a profusion of " Sar ! " and " Dhoby,
sar," pulled off the white ducks before the
Englishman was aware of his intention.
For this escapade Brand was kept four days
in durance vile before Ramaswamy would serve
him out a clean pair. Never had the dhoby been
so long in bringing back the linen. But never
before had Brand given Ramaswamy such a fright.
When he was once more sober he wrote a piteous
appeal to Mr. Hensley, begging him to use his
authority with the dhoby, and oblige the man to
return the clothes. He sent the letter by Rama-
swamy, who explained matters fully.
" My master too much plenty drinking, sar !
I can't give t'ousers till quite well again."
" What has he been doing ? " asked Mr.
Hensley, much amused with the old servant's
method of controlling his master.
"Plenty talking, plenty singing, plenty fight-
ing in the bazaar. Too much bobbery making
and polliss giving trouble," was the explanation.
Mr. Hensley laughed, and promised to look
in that evening. He found Brand very miserable
and depressed.
" Hallo, Brand 1 What's the matter ? "
The pensioner looked sheepish and thoroughly
ashamed of himself, as he replied
"Well, sir, to tell you the truth, I've been
overtook."
42 DILYS
"This is a serious matter ; you ought to
know better than to do such a thing," said Mr.
Hensley, with due gravity.
" Yes, sir, that's true," was the repentant reply.
"I thought that you had got over this weakness.
How did you manage to be overtaken in this way ? "
Brand looked up and down and then at
Ramaswamy for help, but he could think of no
excuse or explanation. At last he said
" Well, sir, there you beat me, for I really don't
know how I come to be overtook in this way."
" And the dhoby has taken all your clothes,
you say ? "
" Yes, sir ; that drunken warmint, Rama-
swamy, let the man have them all. I can't think
what he was about, except that he had been at
the bottle, which I, like a fool, left on the table.
He's such a beggar for drink. But I'll strap him
as soon as I can get my clothes on."
Ramaswamy did not show any fear at this
terrible threat. On the contrary, he approached
with a smile of confidence, and said
" Dhoby done bring clothes, sar."
" That's right," said Mr. Hensley, rising to go.
"Now you can dress yourself decently, Brand "
" Like a gentleman, sir."
"And don't let it occur again. It is such a
disgraceful example to the whole town."
Mr. Hensley departed, leaving Brand to make
his toilette and resume his national garments.
CHAPTER IV
IT was mail day that is to say, the day on which
the weekly English mail was expected. Delivery
by the native postman, known as the post-peon,
was slow and uncertain. When there was a heavy
bag, he used his own judgment in the distribution
of it. Having delivered the usual quantity of
letters, he was apt to retain the surplus for the
next day's round. The English residents of
Cuddalore preferred to send their own peons
for their letters. Other inhabitants, native as
well as Eurasian, who did not possess peons, went
in person if they had reason to think that any
of their friends had been writing. But the native
of India is not addicted to correspondence other
than what is necessary to business, and the
townspeople of Cuddalore had little business that
required the assistance of the post.
On the arrival of the English mail following
that which brought Owen Davenport, the cus-
tomary group gathered round the post-office
waiting for the letters to be given out. The
belted servants of the judge, the collector, and
43
44 DILYS
other civilians, each bearing a leather post-bag,
were seated under the shade of the tamarind tree,
leaving the verandah of the post-office bungalow
to the Europeans and Eurasians.
"We have visitors," announced Babajee, Mr.
Hensley's servant.
" Sent on to your master from Madras by
Government ?" asked the judge's peon.
" Not this time ; they are friends of the
Missie. They travelled out on the same ship
with her, and being pleasant gentlemen, the
Missie asked them to visit her father."
" Perhaps she has chosen one for her husband,
instead of the polliss-officer ? "
Babajee shook his head negatively. "The
Missie laughs too much to be thinking of
marriage. She is always making fun. Only
yesterday, she turned the laughter of the house
against the cook. Even the master smiled when
o
he heard the tale. The cook is a good man, and
pleases the master with his dishes. But when all
his work is done, he likes his arrack and his pipe
as we do."
His listeners wagged their heads in unanimous
approval of the sentiment.
" Last evening, after dinner was finished, the
visitors, who are strange men with un-English
ways, asked if they might have some hot soup
at midnight. The Missie took a tin from the
storeroom, and went herself to the kitchen to
DILYS 45
tell the cook how to warm the soup. By that
time he had smoked his pipe, and drunk his
arrack. It was not to be supposed that he could
understand what the Missie said. She called the
ayah. * What is this ? ' she asked. That owl
of a woman, instead of replying that he was sick
with fever, told the Missie that he had been
drinking arrack. It was foolish of the cook to
deny the woman milk for her coffee."
" Was the Missie angry ? '*
A broad grin illumined the face of Babajee as
he continued
" Our Missie is never angry. She made fun
only. She called me and Marava, and directed
us to take the cook to the Pound, together with
his mat and blanket, and he slept the night
there ; the Pound peon having orders not to let
him depart until he should pay the fee of a donkey.
His wife took the money this morning, and the
cook goes about with a ball of fire in his belly.
He will not take his ease again for the future
until the Missie is safe in bed."
" Why did the strange gentlemen require hot
soup at midnight ? "
" They are poochee-catchers. They catch
beetles and flies of all sorts ; flower-flies, fruit-
flies, even loathsome creeping-flies and worms,
which they shut in boxes and send to Germany.
After dinner, they go forth with muslin bags
and lanterns. The flies come towards the light
46 DILYS
and get entangled in the waving bags. Then
they come home and require soup and beer."
" What is the meaning of this madness ? "
" Henri, their Pondicherry butler, says that it
is done by order of the German Emperor. The
flower-flies are to adorn the walls of his daughter's
bridal chamber ; the loathsome flies and worms
are for the manufacture of spells and potions
against the enemies of the Emperor."
"Shuh!" said a voice behind them. They
turned to see Naga, the police-peon, who held
the coveted post of messenger in Carwardine's
office. He had come up in time to hear the last
sentence or two.
" Ho ! Naga, you are late this morning."
" So is the mail," replied the young man. His
dark-blue uniform, and neat turban to match, gave
him a smart military appearance, of which he was
fully conscious ; but his pride was literally in his
boots. He, only, of all the peons in the canton-
ment, wore boots. They were large and of heavy
regulation make, and they creaked like a cavalry
saddle. Naga gloried in their music, which, by an
elaborate bending of the foot, he developed to its
fullest extent.
u Where is your post-bag ? "
"The master is calling for the letters himself
this morning."
" Wherefore ? " asked three or four of the
men at once.
DILYS 47
"I know not, so I came to see. He sent me
with a note to the Collector's Missie, and I am on
my way back. He is dining to-night at your
house," he concluded, addressing himself to
Babajee.
"Then he will see the poochee-catchers."
" Shuh ! they are not only catchers of
poochees."
" What are they if not ? Surely all day and
half the night they hunt for flies."
" There are other things to be found besides
flies," said Naga, mysteriously.
" What ? " eagerly chorused his hearers.
But the young man would not commit
himself.
" That is our business," he replied. " My
master has orders to watch them."
" Was the order given by Government ? "
" It came by telegraph."
"No such order has been sent through the
telegraph, or we should have heard of it from
Naraswamy. He writes the messages as the
clerk reads them off the machine."
" You know nothing of what goes on in our
office," said Naga, contemptuously. " Let every
man mind his own works, and see to the weeds in
his own garden. The telegrams which my master
receives tell the world one thing, but speak to
him of other matters. Three mornings ago came
a wire from the Commissioner of Police, Madras.
48 DILYS
The words were " two nineteen." The master
read it, tore it in pieces, and threw it in the
waste-paper basket where we found it. *It was
only necessary to watch what was done that day
to discover the meaning of the message. As
soon as my father, the head-constable, came to
the office, he talked with him in a low voice.
Later, I saw my father, with two of his men who
were without uniform, go towards the Garden
House. He spoke to Abdul, the butler, and the
men remained to work in the garden and help
the tent lascars. Shuh ! What does all this
mean but that the police-officer has orders to
watch the catchers of poochees, and report what
they do and how they pass their time night and
day."
A circle of natives had gathered round the
peons, and were listening with absorbing interest
to the conversation. Amongst them was Rama-
swamy, whose master in full dress had arrived at
the post-office to inquire for letters. The blue-
coated figure took a step forward and asked
" Where have they come from ? "
" They say they are from Bombay, but their
luggage bears railway labels of Lahore, Rangoon,
and Pondicherry."
" The world contains but one liar, and that is
the human tongue. Their boxes tell truer words
than their speech," cried Naga, with a laugh, in
which the assembly joined.
DILYS 49
The eyes of the old man shone with a bird-
like alertness, as he asked if it were possible
that the strangers were dealers in wine from
Pondicherry. Again the company laughed as
Naga replied
" We do not need their help in that trade."
There was a rattle in the verandah made by
the opening of the shutters of the sorting-room.
It was a signal that the mail was ready for distri-
bution. The peons rose to their feet, but held
back until the occupants of the verandah had been
served. Among these were the two European
pensioners, the English orderly from the camp,
and three or four other Englishmen of that class,
with half a dozen Eurasians. The letters for the
troops were handed out, and then Brand stepped
forward as if by the common consent of the com-
pany.
" Any letters for John Elton Brand, Esquire ? "
he asked.
"No, sir, not this morning."
" Not even my newspaper ? "
" No, sir."
" Rammersammy," called John Elton Brand,
Esquire.
" Sar," came the reply, long drawn out and far
reaching. The wiry old figure of the servant who
had inquired if the strangers were smugglers from
Pondicherry detached itself from the group out-
side and ran forward.
50 DILYS
"Boy."
"Yes, sar."
" There are no letters for the house, and you
can go home."
"Yes, sar."
"And prepare tiffin."
" Yes, sar."
Ramaswamy trotted off towards the town in
obedience to the orders given, and the business of
the post-office, which had been momentarily sus-
pended to watch the familiar little comedy, was
resumed. There was an indulgent smile on the
faces of the Europeans and Eurasians present.
Every mail-day without fail Brand presented him-
self at the post-office with the usual inquiry for
letters. Ramaswamy always accompanied him to
carry home the heavy budget which never came.
The rest of the company would have felt that
something was wanting in the scene if Brand had
missed his weekly inquiry. He was generally
liked by his fellow-men, including the natives. The
antagonistic sentiments to which he gave expres-
sion in conversing with Mr. Hensley did not
influence his actions, which were when sober
never otherwise than kind and friendly towards
Hindoo and Mohamedan alike. Indeed there
were times when they gladly availed themselves
of his good-natured services.
Brand withdrew from the vicinity of the
window to make room for others, and stood aside,
DILYS 51
twirling his carefully kept white moustache and
displaying the gold signet-ring. His chum pressed
forward.
" Anything for Ben Bullen this morning ? "
An envelope bearing an English stamp was
handed out. As Ben's fingers closed upon it,
Rex Carwardine pushed his way through the
crowd.
" Hallo, Bullen, got a letter from home ? "
" Yes, sir, one from my brother."
" Didn't know that you had any relations left,"
remarked Rex, glancing at the postmark, which
was Stratford in Essex.
" I have a younger brother who is still living.
Now and again he writes to me ; but I haven't
seen him for thirty years or more."
During the conversation Brand had ranged
himself up by the side of his old mess-mate, and
stood at attention with a broad smile ready to
come into the conversation as soon as an oppor-
tunity offered.
"Where does he live ? " asked Rex.
"At Stratford, just out of London, because he
still feels as if he was in the Eastern counties
when he's in Essex."
" Has he got a pension, like you ? "
" No, he was always cleverer than me. He's
a clerk in an office, and has done very well for
himself. He's more like Mr. Brand, here, though
he don't set quite so much store by his dress."
52 DILYS
Bullen cast an admiring glance at his friend, who
beamed in response. Rex had his own reason for
continuing his chat ; nothing that went on in the
verandah escaped his watchful eye as he thus idly
talked.
" Did you receive any letters, Brand ? "
" No, sir ; I was disappointed of my mail this
morning. Even my newspaper was forgotten.
But it's of no consequence. When I don't get
any letters, old Ben lets me read his."
"And when Mr. Brand has a letter and I
haven't, then he passes it on to me."
Meanwhile the delivery from the window was
proceeding fast. The peons were drawing near
to receive their bags which had been carried inside
to be rilled and locked. Among them was Naga,
who pressed forward unabashed to hear and see
all that he could. Lastly came a few natives,
whose correspondence bore the inland stamp.
When they had all been served, and the verandah
was nearly empty, Brand and Bullen having
strolled off together, Rex asked for his tappal. A
large packet of official documents was passed out
to him. He glanced rapidly through the bundle.
There was a letter for Owen, addressed to his care.
" Any letters for Soobarow, my head-constable
or for a Miss Tregethin, care of Soobarow ?" he
asked.
The clerk searched right and left. " No, sir,
none."
DILYS 53
" Are you quite sure that there is not one by
the English mail directed to the office to be called
for ? Look again, please."
The clerk brought the different packets of
letters prepared for delivery through the postman,
and went carefully over them in sight of the
police-officer, but there was nothing for the head-
constable.
"Soobarow had his letter yesterday, sir. It
was from his wife's brother at Madras, who has
been ill. He asked for money," said the clerk.
Such a letter could not be the one for which
he was searching, and Rex turned away in per-
plexity. Owen had assured him that his brother
would write without fail to Miss Tregethin by the
mail following the one that took him out. The
letter addressed to Owen was probably from the
brother and would explain. As he was stepping
off the verandah Naga approached with a military
salute, holding out Miss Hensley's reply.
" Here, take these to the bungalow," said
Rex, handing him the newspapers and a packet of
official documents, whilst he pushed the private
missives into his pocket. " By-the-by, is your
father here ? " he asked, looking round at the
remnant of the crowd.
No, sir."
" Nor anyone except yourself from his house ?"
Naga' s keen eye swept the group and the
approach to the post-office.
54 DILYS
" No, sir."
Carwardine mounted his horse and galloped in
the direction of the Garden House, whilst Naga
joined the peons, who had slung their post-bags
'across their shoulders and were waiting at a little
distance.
"Did you discover why your master came
down to receive his own tappal ? " asked Babajee.
Naga, puffed up with pride over the pos-
session of knowledge, wagged his head affirma-
tively. He was in no hurry to impart his
information.
"Speak," echoed the eager peons, as they
moved towards the warm dusty road.
" He came to see what letters there were for
my father."
" Why should he look into the water-pots of
his own waterman ? " asked Babajee.
Naga laughed as he replied, " Let him look !
He will find naught but water drawn from his
own well."
" There was no letter for the head-constable ? "
" None ; did it not come yesterday ? and do
we not all know the contents ? My uncle has
been ill, and wants money. The clerk told him
about it, and what it contained."
"Did the clerk also say that it came from
Pondicherry ? " asked the judge's peon.
" Shumah ! Is the man a verandah crow that
he should tell all that he knows, instead of only
DILYS 55
that which is necessary to satisfy the master ?
He said that the letter came from Madras, and
his words were believed."
There was a chorus of laughter led by the
light-hearted Naga, and the peons went their
different ways, Naga's boots sounding in the
distance as he leisurely tramped towards the old
ruined fort, the bundle of letters wrapped in a
red-cotton handkerchief.
Half an hour later Rex rode up the carriage-
drive. He found his friend in the garden, under
the shade of the banyan trees, enjoying the fresh
morning air.
"Here is your letter, Owen. I went to the
post-office myself to see what the mail brought.
There was nothing for Miss Tregethin nor for
Soobarow."
Devonport broke the seal and glanced eagerly
through the pages. Presently he exclaimed
" That's odd most strange ! Are you quite
sure that there was no letter addressed to the care
of Soobarow ? "
" Quite ; I must have seen it if it had
been there. The mail was spread out without
any secrecy. Your brother doubtless altered
his arrangements."
"On the contrary, he says, *I am despatching
by this same mail my letter to Miss Tregethin
addressed according to her directions. You
ought to be able to trace her with Carwardine's
56 DILYS
assistance. I have mentioned Mrs. Myrtle's
anxiety, and have begged her to communicate
with you and with her aunt, if only to set Mrs.
Myrtle's mind at rest. Don't do anything to
prevent the delivery of the letter ; but find the
girl if you possibly can.' Well, old chap, what
do you say to that ? "
"We will have breakfast, and then we will
see what a surprise visit to Soobarow's house will
do," replied the police-officer as he strode into
the bungalow and called for the morning meal.
CHAPTER V
THE old ruined fort at Cuddalore is a relic of the
past. Before the English obtained a foothold
upon the Coromandel coast, a rich Hindoo mer-
chant fixed upon the spot, where it stands, for
the erection of his warehouses. He threw up
earthworks to protect himself from robbers, and
mounted some cannon upon the rude fortifications
to keep the marauding horsemen of the Mahrattas
at a distance. His country ships came over the
river bar with merchandise from the Ganges, from
Siam, from Ceylon, and even from China and
Persia. The goods were sent inland by the aid
of the Brinjarees, and a lucrative market was
found on the plateau of Mysore.
Then came the Dutch and English merchants,
disputing, with commercial jealousy, each other's
right to be there. The Hindoo merchant's de-
scendants, alarmed at the approach of fresh
hordes of Mahrattas on the land side, and of
a strange white people from the sea, packed up
their wealth of gold and jewels accumulated
by their father, and departed South, where they
57
58 DILYS
would be secure from foreign traders and inland
thieves.
When the English merchants asked, at the
end of the seventeenth century, for a domicile in
Cuddalore, the reigning Rajah offered them the
deserted fort. They readily agreed to pay the
sum demanded, in exchange for which they were
to have the ruined warehouses and fortifications
which surrounded them, together with as much
land as could be covered by "random" cannon-
balls fired from the ramparts.
The chief gunner, with his guns of longest
range, was sent over from Fort St. George,
Madras, and was directed by the shrewd old
merchants of the East India Company to enclose
as much land as possible with his " random shot.",
The shot were marked down and the boundary
line drawn. The villages thus enclosed are still
known as the " Cannon-ball villages."
The fort was repaired and strengthened.
Warehouses and dwellings were rebuilt. Quarters
for a garrison were erected, and a market was
opened for the products of the district. The walls
echoed to the sound of the bugle, the hum of
busy voices, the chant of stalwart porters, and
the grunt of the transport bullocks belonging to
the gipsies.
On the coast between Cuddalore and Madras
lies the French settlement of Pondicherry. The
eyes of the French merchants turned greedily
DILYS 59
upon the prosperous English traders ; Dupleix,
the ambitious Governor of Pondicherry, dreamed
dreams of greatness, which at one period seemed
likely to be realized. At his bidding Lally, with
his troops, appeared before Cuddalore in 1758,
and took the town and the fort.
Before the end of the eighteenth century
Fort St. David was so damaged by the varying
fortunes of war, that it was considered beyond
repair ; and the twentieth century finds it a mere
mass of ruins, partially hidden under rank vege-
tation. The earthworks remain with their old
casemates and bomb-proof rooms. Subterranean
ways run completely round the fort under these
earthworks. At short intervals galleries, which
formerly led to powder-chambers, branch off from
the encircling passages. It would require a bold
man indeed to penetrate their unillumined depths.
Here and there the masonry has fallen, blocking
the way ; but it forms no impediment to the
present inhabitants, the snakes, rats, scorpions,
bats, lizards and centipedes, that have the tunnels
all to themselves.
The only bungalow built upon this once busy
spot was occupied by Rex Carwardine. It stood
upon the south-east bastion, facing the river.
Trees of a century and a half old clustered round it,
and a wild tangled garden of flowering shrubs and
plants stretched from the very walls of the house
down to the rank marshy growth that bordered
60 DILYS
the river. The carriage-drive passed out on the
north side, where there had formerly been a
massive gate and guard-room.
As Rex and Owen drove through the opening
to reach the road on their way to Soobarow's
house, they passed the two pensioners, who were
turning into the fort. The figure of Brand in his
fishing costume was familiar enough to the police-
officer, who frequently caught sight of him
strolling about with his bundle of fishing-rods on
the banks of the river below the garden, or upon
the opposite shore where the cocoa-nut palms
fringed the water. He was usually accompanied
by his servant, who carried a large basket on his
head to hold the fish. To-day Brand had made
no change in his dress. Both he and Bullen
wore the same suit, in which they had called at the
post-office a couple of hours earlier.
Rex pulled up with an inquiring glance.
" Were you coming to see me ? " he asked.
"N-no, sir," replied Bullen, with a slight
embarrassment of manner.
" You are not going fishing to-day, Brand ? "
he continued, glancing at the signet- ring and
malacca cane.
" Not this morning ; but I shall be out on the
river this afternoon. We are just strolling round
for a chat and a smoke ; and I am going to show
this lazy beggar where I catch the eels he's so fond
of. It's down by the south-east corner of the
D1LYS 6 1
Fort, near where the river goes into the sea, not
very far from your house, sir."
"If you take any good sea fish, Brand, I
should be much obliged if you would let me have
a dish. But I don't care for anything that comes
out of the river, as you know."
Brand's eyes twinkled and the fragment of a
smile hovered under his moustache.
" There are as good fish in that river as ever
came out of the sea, and they give a great deal
more sport than the sea fish. I could sell half a
hundredweight a day to the fellows in camp, if I
had the time to catch them. They're wonderfully
fond of fish, aren't they, Ben ? "
His companion, who was lost in admiration of
his friend's flow of speech, allowed his lips to
widen into a grin of amusement, as he replied
" Ah, bor ; you're right. They fare as if they
couldn't live without Mr. Brand's fish, sir," he
concluded, summoning up his courage to take a
part in the conversation.
"What's the matter with the river fish ? " asked
Owen.
" They have a muddy flavour," answered Rex.
" They don't all taste alike, sir ; and if you
take a drop of brandy with them, you can't taste
the mud in the least," said Brand, addressing
himself to Davenport.
" I wish there was no such thing as brandy in
the world," remarked Rex, as he drove on and left
62 D1LYS
the old soldiers chuckling with amusement. They
watched him out of sight before they continued
their way.
" Why should you dislike its existence ? "
" It is giving us no end of trouble with the
troops. How those men in camp manage to get
hold of it puzzles us all. Men, who were per-
fectly sober before they came here, have been
found quite overcome. Major Adamson is much
annoyed and worried, as it sends so many men
into the hospital tents, to say nothing of the
guard-room."
" Why does it send them into hospital.'*
"They are overcome and lie down to sleep
where the sun falls upon them ; then they have
fever and liver."
" The supply should be stopped. Where do
they get it ? "
" That apparently is a mystery. Of course
some is taken at the canteen and some at the
arrack shops in the bazaar ; but we cannot find
any cases of excessive drinking at either places.
If the men have nothing more than they buy there,
all I can say is, that they must have uncommonly
weak heads, if they are upset to the extent Major
Adamson reports ! "
" What have you to do with it ? "
" He has asked me to set a watch upon the
men and on the places they frequent ; but, so far,
I can find out nothing absolutely nothing."
DILYS 63
A victoria passed with the hood up. A girl
leaned forward and waved her hand.
" By Jingo ! What a pretty woman ! Who
js she ? " asked Owen.
" Miss Hensley, the daughter of our
Collector."
" Oughtn't I to go and pay my respects to
the Collector ? " asked Davenport, gravely.
Rex laughed, as he replied, " You will see her
to-night. We are going there to dine. But I
warn you that it is of no use to lose your heart in
that direction."
" Is that so ? and who is the lucky man ? "
" I am," answered Rex, calmly.
Owen glanced at him with some curiosity.
" To be honest, you don't look " he paused,
feeling suddenly as if he were on delicate ground.
His companion concluded the sentence without
any hesitation.
" like a man who is in love. But I am
in love all the same."
Owen was uncomfortable at the turn taken by
the conversation, not being at all anxious to
become the recipient of confidences. But Rex,
seasoned by long residence in small Indian
stations, was quite accustomed to discuss his own
and his neighbours' affairs. His engagement was
known, and there was no mystery about his future.
He continued pouring information into the ears
of his unwilling hearer.
64 D1LYS
" We are not going to be married just yet.
Her mother being dead, she has to keep house for
her father, and he can't spare her for a while. At
present I have so much district work that I am
content to leave matters as they are. I am out
camping more than half the year, and I don't
think that she would care for the life."
They drove on in silence till they reached the
town. Soobarow occupied a house in the same
street as that in which Bullen lived. Bullen's
dwelling, like/ Brand's, formerly belonged to a
European in the service of the Company. It
stood in a small compound enclosed by a low wall.
The front door and lower window were engulfed
in a deep verandah. Never very airy in its
palmiest days, its dimness was increased by the
screens and bamboo blinds put up by Mrs. Bullen
in native fashion to ensure privacy. In Ben's
words, it was done to keep out the rudeness of
the natives, for whom he had the same theoretical
contempt as was exhibited by Brand. Soobarow's
house was thoroughly native in its architecture
and plan. In the centre was the usual courtyard,
upon which the rooms opened. When the street
door was closed a more complete privacy was
obtained than Mrs. Bullen could compass with
all her screens.
Mrs. Bullen and the head-constable's wife
were sisters, though the fact was not generally
known. The anglicizing of the former had partly
DILYS 65
destroyed the intimacy of the sisters. Perhaps
if there had been no rising generation, they might
have been on a more intimate footing. But
Bullen's olive - complexioned family posed as
Europeans, and domineered over their darker
cousins. This did not prevent them from play-
ing together as children, and sharing each other's
toys. As they grew older, the younger Bullens
went to the English school, where they occupied
forms, and wrote copies in copy-books with ink.
Soobarow's children attended a school kept by
a native. There they sat upon the floor, and
acquired the art of caligraphy by tracing letters
in the sand. The difference in the methods of
education only increased the jealousy which
existed between the young people. As they
grew up to man and womanhood the breach
widened, and though the intercourse between
the two families did not cease, the children of
Soobarow found that the circumstances of their
cousins' birth kept them at a distance.
No one felt this estrangement more than Naga,
who from his earliest boyhood had been the
devoted admirer of Daisy. When she put herself
into flowing muslin skirts and bright-coloured
ribbons, his heart sank whilst it fluttered within
him. She was so beautiful, yet further removed
than ever from his plane of life.
Rex drew up before the door of Soobarow's
house, and called aloud to announce his presence.
F
66 DILYS
His shout was answered by the appearance of one
of Naga's small brothers.
"Where is your father?" asked Rex, in
Tamil.
" He has gone on his round, sir," was the
reply made by an intelligent boy with a pleasant
manner of address, which he had picked up from
the Bullen family.
" How are you to find out if they have any
visitors ? Can you go in and see ? " asked
Owen.
" I am afraid not, unless there was any urgent
necessity. Mrs. Soobarow is not purdahshtn, but
she would consider it highly improper to receive
a gentleman visitor." He turned to the boy
again. " Who have you here just now ? "
" My mother and sister. The others are at
school, but they will be home presently."
" Did the postman bring your father a letter
this morning ? "
" No, sir ; but he brought one yesterday,
which was from my uncle."
" Have you had any visitors lately ? "
" No one except Mr. Brand, who called this
morning to ask which way my father had gone.
Father does not always take the same round, as
perhaps your honour knows.
Rex questioned the boy further, but could learn
nothing more, so, turning his horse's head, he
proceeded up the street. As he passed Bullen's
DILYS 67
house he caught sight of Daisy peeping out from
behind the verandah blind. She had been drawn
there by curiosity, as her ears caught the sound of
his horse's hoofs. She smiled and nodded as she
said, " Good morning, Mr. Carwardine," with a
fairly correct English accent. He pulled up,
struck by a sudden thought.
" Good morning, Miss Bullen ; is your father
at home ? "
" No, he is gone out walking with Mr. Brand ;
but if you will come in and see my mamma, she
will be very pleased."
The police-officer accepted her invitation for
himself and his friend. Daisy drew the bamboo
curtain aside with a plump soft hand, on which
shone rings and bangles. She was daintily though
inexpensively dressed, and her hair was neatly
done in modern European fashion. Owen, who
always had an eye for a pretty girl, gazed at her
with approval and some surprise. They pene-
trated the shaded verandah and passed into the
apartment called by Ben the parlour. A round
table stood in the exact centre of the room. It
was covered by a bright green cloth, in the middle
of which was a vase of native-made paper flowers
impossible roses of red, blue, and white. Round
the room were arranged a small sideboard and
half a dozen chairs with symetrical precision.
The walls were adorned with coloured lithographs
representing rural scenes in England, which Ben
68 DILYS
assured his family were exactly like the places
he had known in his childhood. These crude
landscapes were all that his children had besides
his own description to guide them to a know-
ledge of the native land of their father. With
unconscious pathos they spoke of the land as
" Home."
Daisy left her guests to summon her mother,
who followed her daughter almost immediately
into the room. Mrs. Bullen wore a print frock,
simply made, and over it was draped a white
muslin cloth native fashion. Advancing towards
the Englishmen with outstretched hand, she
greeted them warmly in a slightly foreign accent.
" You do not often pay me a visit, Mr. Car-
wardine. What a pity Mr. Bullen is out. He
will be so sorry to miss you. Daisy told you
that he was out walking with Mr. Berrand ? "
" Yes, and I remember that we met him as we
drove here."
Mrs. Bullen laughed. " Oh ! that Mr. Ber-
rand ! My ! How fond he is of fishing ! He
said he would show Mr. Bullen where he caught
the biggest eels. Have you tried them curried,
Mr. Carwardine ? My ! But they are good ! "
" Never," replied Rex. " I hope that your
husband had good news from home this morning."
"Yes, I think it was all right. Daisy, you
read the letter. What did your uncle say ? "
Mrs. Bullen. was proud of her husband's
DILYS 69
English relatives, and often regretted that there
were not more of them.
" My uncle wrote that he was quite well,
except for rheumatism. My pappa says that he
ought to come out here and pay us a visit, then
he would get rid of his rheumatics."
" But, child, he cannot leave his appointment.
He is a writer in an office in London, Mr.
Carwardine. Would you like to see the letter ?
It is somewhere in the room. Find it, Daisy,
and let Mr. Carwardine see how nicely your
uncle writes."
Daisy rose obediently, and produced a large
envelope from between the leaves of the family
Bible lying in a conspicuous place upon the green
cloth. In the dim light of the screened room
Rex could just decipher the neat clerkly hand.
The document was of no interest except to the
Bullen family, and he returned it to Daisy.
Just as they were about to depart, there was
a sound of footsteps on the verandah,
" Any one at home ? " asked a pleasant
English voice.
" Oh my ! It is Mr. Spring and Mr. Barnes
from the Camp ! " cried Mrs. Bullen, excitedly.
Her head was in danger of being turned by the
number of her European callers. She felt herself
immeasurably superior to her sister down the
street, to whom no such social delights were
permitted. " Ask them to walk in, Daisy," she
70 DILYS
continued, in close imitation of her husband's
company manners. " The gentlemen from the
Camp often pay us a visit. I am very glad to
see them, because my children find it very dull
here. They have few companions, and they are
pleased to see any one from home."
As Mrs. Bullen concluded, two well-set-up
English corporals walked in. Daisy's eyes lingered
upon their smart uniforms with open admiration
as she gave them chairs. The young men seated
themselves in awkward silence. The presence of
the police-officer was disconcerting, and kept
them tongue-tied.
" I must be getting back to office, Mrs. Bullen.
I suppose that you have not had any lady visitors
lately, strangers or otherwise ? " said Rex, as he
shook hands.
" No, we never have any lady visitors, except
those who live in Cuddalore."
" Did you ever hear of a Miss Tregethin ? "
"Daisy, have we ever seen Miss Tree-
getheen ? "
" No, mamma, she has never been here."
" You haven't seen a strange English lady
passing down the street ? "
" Oh ! my ! no ! " echoed mother and
daughter.
As soon as the gentlemen had disappeared the
tongues of the soldiers were loosened.
" What did the police-officer want ? " asked
DILYS 71
Corporal Barnes of Daisy, as she came back from
the verandah, where she had politely escorted her
guests at their departure. The question was
prompted as much by jealousy as curiosity.
"They came in to have a chat in a friendly
way, just as you have done," replied Mrs. Bullen
for her daughter. " Get out the glasses, Daisy ;
perhaps the gentlemen will have something to
drink."
A decanter and a couple of glasses were pro-
duced from the cellarette of the small sideboard.
Daisy poured out a glass for each and replaced
the decanter in the cellarette.
" Here's to you, Miss Bullen," said Corporal
Barnes, in his best style.
" Thank you, Mr. Barnes, the same to you,"
replied the smiling Daisy, accepting his atten-
tions with simple pleasure.
Presently she relieved him of his empty glass,
and he turned to Mrs. Bullen with shy diffidence,
saying
" I have brought a little present for Miss
Bullen, which I hope you will allow her to accept."
The scene had been previously rehearsed as
Barnes and his friend walked to the house.
"Pull it out, Barnes," said Corporal Spring,
with approval and encouragement ; his friend was
doing it " slap up to the mark," to use his own
expression.
From the depths of his sleeve, which was
72 DILYS
securely stopped by his handkerchief, Barnes pro-
duced a small parcel and handed it to Mrs. Bullen.
Daisy's heart fluttered as her mother opened it,
displaying a gold brooch set with turquoise.
" Oh, Daisy ! What will your pappa say ?
You are a lucky girl. It is kind of you, Mr.
Barnes ; but you should not spend your money
over my girl in this way," cried Mrs. Bullen,
delightedly.
The young corporal blushed with pleasure,
and his eyes devoured the pretty Daisy as she
fingered the treasure, and by-and-by placed it in
the laces at her neck. Her mother also watched
her, but with different thoughts. She had her
ambitions for her child, and Corporal Barnes
came near to fulfilling the highest of them.
After further chat the two men took their
leave, promising to come again soon. Daisy
accompanied them to the entrance, and pulled aside
the bamboo curtain. She stepped out into the
broad sunlight, and her white draperies gleamed
with dazzling brightness. Barnes glanced at the
brooch which nestled in the little frills beneath
her smooth round chin.
" You do look nice in that brooch, Miss
Bullen," he said, as he held her hand.
The girl's eyes softened as she returned his
glance.
The couple were too much engrossed to see
Naga, who was at that moment passing down the
DILYS 73
street on his way home to dinner. The police-
peon, however, took note of every detail, and his
handsome features clouded suddenly with a scowl
of jealous anger as he caught the expression on
their faces. Yet why should he mind ? And what
business was it of his to trouble himself about his
cousin's love-affairs ? Marriages between native
men and Eurasian women were not approved of
by either community. He was fully aware that
Daisy's father would sooner see her dead than
united to himself, even though he was her own
cousin. Besides the difference of race, there
was another bar to any such union. Daisy was
a Christian, whilst Naga followed the faith of his
father, who was a heathen.
CHAPTER VI
"WE have not met with much success so far,"
remarked Davenport, as he and Rex drove towards
the cantonment. " I suppose that the attraction
to the soldiers is that nice little half-caste girl."
" Undoubtedly ; Bullen encourages them for
the girl's sake, and he enjoys the companionship
of people of his own profession and nation. He
and Brand are both popular in the camp. I see
Brand with one or two of the men now and then
down by the river, instructing them in the gentle
craft."
" What can have become of my brother's letter
to Miss Tregethin ? " asked Owen.
" If it came, it must have been stopped in the
post-office here by one of the clerks. Why not
write yourself to the address ? Tell her of Mrs.
Myrtle's illness, and ask for an interview."
" So I will. Say nothing to your head-con-
stable, and we will see what happens."
Rex touched up the mare with his whip.
They were halfway between the town and the
cantonment, and had just come in sight of a small
74
DILYS 75
party of gipsies, who were hurrying their laden
animals toward the camp. Rex overtook them
just before they reached the tents. He pulled up
sharply, and his horse-keeper, at a sign from his
master, ran to the mare's head. At sight of the
Lumbadees the police-officer had come to a
sudden decision.
" Get down, Owen ; this is an opportunity
not to be lost. I shall catch the scoundrels red-
handed. Unless I am very much mistaken, they
are carrying smuggled liquor to the camp."
As he spoke he jumped out of the cart, fol-
lowed by his friend. The gipsies endeavoured to
hurry their bullocks forward, but Rex placed
himself in front of the frightened animals.
"Now then, my men, let me see what you
have got in your packs," he said in Tamil.
Placing their hands together they began to
whine in chorus
" Sir ! sir ! We are poor men only, and we
are carrying cotton for the English soldiers to
make pillows in their camp. Please excuse, and
let us go on ; we are in a hurry."
" First let me look at the cotton," said Rex ;
his voice was even and good tempered, but had a
tone of command in it.
A strong young gipsy took a step forward
from the group, and constituted himself spokes-
man.
" If your honour will place a hand upon the
76 DILYS
bags, the cotton may be easily felt." He pushed
his animal within reach of Rex.
" Open the bundle," was the reply.
"There is no time to open, your honour.
The hour of the promised delivery of the cotton
is already past, and we must hurry as fast as our
tired bullocks can go." There was an obstinate
expression on the man's face as he spoke, and the
words were uttered in a dogged tone of resistance,
which roused the suspicions of the police-officer
still further.
" Unload this bullock, and let me see what you
are carrying besides cotton."
There was no movement to execute his orders
on the part of the Lumbadees, who were watching
their spokesman in sulky silence. Rex drew a
knife from the pocket of his jacket, opened it
before the gipsies were aware of his intentions,
and severed the thongs which held the packs. As
they fell to the ground there was a murmur of
dismay, but none dared to interfere. Carwardine
leaned over one of the bags of wool and ripped it
from one end to the other. The white cotton,
released from the confining pressure of the sack,
fell away. Rex plunged his hand into the yield-
ing mass and produced a bottle of French brandy.
There were five more bottles concealed with the
first.
" Caught at last ! " he cried, as he grasped
the arm of the young Lumbadee.
D1LYS 77
Without a word of warning the gipsy flung
himself violently upon the police-officer, who was
overbalanced and thrown to the ground. Owen,
ready for something of the sort, wrenched the
infuriated Lumbadee away just as his fingers were
about to close over Rex's throat. The Lumbadees
looked dangerous for a moment or two. Then
one of the older men said something in gipsy
language, and their expression changed as if by
magic. Two of them laid restraining hands upon
the rash assailant and held him whilst the old man
spoke.
" Sir, it is all a mistake, and he has brought
shame upon us by lifting his hand against the
officer of the Sircar. Follow us now to the camp
and hear what the sergeant has to say, to whom
the cotton and the liquor have been sent."
"Bring that fellow along with you," replied
Rex, as he brushed the dust from his uniform and
got into the cart. " It is just possible that the
sergeant may be able to clear these fellows of
blame, but I shall have to punish that young
firebrand," he remarked to Owen as they drove
slowly on, followed by the Lumbadees and their
bullocks.
"Have you ever been attacked like that
before?"
" Never ; though I have been told that the
tribe has been grumbling at the close supervision
that I have lately enforced. My constables have
78 DILYS
been stopping them on the Pondicherry road ;
but somehow they have not been able to bring
any charge against the Lumbadees that would
make a case. I must let justice take its course
against this young man. If I allow the assault to
pass, they will take fresh courage and attack me
in force one day, when they meet me alone in the
district. One has to be very firm and just with a
half-tamed people like these."
On arrival at the camp the canteen-sergeant
was summoned to explain the situation.
" Are you expecting any wool to make pillows
for the men ? " asked Carwardine.
The sergeant glanced from Rex to the gipsies
at a loss for an answer. As his eye caught sight
of the bottles of brandy, the colour mounted to
his brow. The old Lumbadee pressed forward
and handed him a paper. His brow cleared as he
read its contents.
" I am expecting some brandy, sir ; six dozen
for the canteen. I see that the coolies have had
an accident with one of their packs. I hope there
are no bottles broken."
Rex was slightly taken aback. "Where is
the invoice ? "
The sergeant went into the tent, and returned
with a paper which he tendered to the police-
officer. It purported to be an invoice from a
native shopkeeper in Madras, advising the
despatch of six dozen bottles of brandy as directed.
DILYS 79
" I think you will find it all right," said the
sergeant. " I can show you the order signed by
Major Adamson."
"If the liquor comes from Madras, and the
major knows all about it, I need not do anything
more. I felt sure, when the men would not tell
me what they were carrying, that they were
smuggling something from French territory.
Why do you have it up from Madras in this
way ? Surely it would be quicker and cheaper
to send it by rail."
"We have so many breakages by rail when
ordering from these native merchants. They
don't know how to pack. It takes a little longer,
but it is just as cheap to get it up by the
Lumbadees. The bottles are handed over to
them without the trouble of packing ; they bring
them in their own way, usually packed in cotton
like this, and we have never lost a bottle. I give
them a trifle for the cotton-wool, as the men are
glad to have it for pillows."
Rex looked at the gipsies, whose faces were
losing the sulky look with which they had been
overcast.
" You were stupid fellows not to tell me what
you were carrying. All this trouble might have
been saved if you had but spoken. You can go,
but I shall bring that man before the magistrate
for his violence. A few weeks in jail will be a
lesson to him."
80 DILYS
The gipsy was handed over to two police-
peons, who were on duty near the camp, with
directions to take him to the police-station. Rex
and his friend drove away quickly, as it was
nearly lunch-time.
The sergeant smiled, and then winked at the
retreating cart. " A bit too hasty, young man ;
you won't catch them like that," was his apos-
trophe, as he gazed at the sun-lit cloud of dust
that covered their retreat. Then he turned to
the Lumbadees, who were busy taking out the
contents of the packs, and directed them to bring
the brandy into the store-tent. With their assist-
ance he packed it at the bottom of a large wooden
case. Paying the old Lumbadee for the trans-
port, he dismissed the men. As soon as they
had departed, he hastily placed the cotton over
the brandy. On the top of the cotton he put a
layer of empty soda-water bottles. When Major
Adamson looked into the tent the next morning,
he saw nothing but a case half full of empties
waiting to be refilled by Corporal Barnes, who
worked the soda-water machine.
The end of the day found Bullen taking his
ease in the verandah of his house. He smoked
a long clay pipe known as a churchwarden. His
wife sat near him, with her knitting, of which
he was so proud, lying upon her lap. Daisy,
having superintended the washing up of the
supper things, was lighting the lamp in the
DILYS 8 1
sitting-room, which opened on to the verandah.
There had been an excellent curry for supper,
much appreciated by the whole Bullen family,
excepting the master. For him a dish of fried
fish had been prepared. He objected, with British
prejudice, to curry more than once a day.
" Molly mor, what did he say her name was ? "
he asked after a long silence.
" Treegetheen, Terreegetheen ; do you know
the lady, Mr. Bullen ? " His wife preferred to
address him in this manner ; she had the native
prejudice against uttering her husband's baptismal
name. As Bullen did not reply, she continued,
" It was lucky that Daisy was wearing her new
dress to-day when Mr. Barnes called. He thinks
a great deal of our Daisy. Perhaps if you ask
him to come often enough he will marry her."
Two or three of the younger Bullens had
joined their parents and were seated on the steps,
the bamboo blind at the entrance having been
rolled up as soon as the sun set.
" Oh, Daisy girl ! You will be a fine lady,"
cried one of her younger brothers. "Pappa, do
you think they will let me join your old regiment
when I grow up ? "
Bullen took his pipe from his mouth, and let
his eyes rest on his offspring with critical gaze.
" What do you squat like that for, Tommy ?
You sit just like a native. How often have I
told you to let your feet hang down like an
G
82 DILYS
Englishman, and not tuck 'em under you as if
you were a boy out of the bazaar."
Tommy brought his feet quickly from beneath
his small body, and dropped them to the level of
the next step.
" Would they let me enlist as you did, pappa ? "
asked the lad.
Bullen shook his head. "They won't have
any colour in the ranks, if they keep things up to
the mark as they used to do. They don't mind
it sometimes in the married quarters ; but it isn't
every colonel who will stand that. Colour in the
ranks spoils the look of a regiment."
The faces of his sons fell ; but their sister
spoke words of comfort.
"What do you boys want with a regiment?
You get on with your books, and pappa will
get you into Government service. Oh my !
What good would you be if you had to fight,
Tommy ? and you, Jimmy boy ? You would
run away."
Bullen glanced at his daughter and laughed.
He was proud of his Daisy, and firm in his belief
that she would be an acquisition to the married
quarters of any regiment, in spite of her touch of
colour. His eye caught the glint of gold in the
lace at her neck.
" Let me look at the brooch given to you by
Corporal Barnes."
She removed it from her dress and handed it
DILYS 83
to him. As he was examining the blue stones
Brand walked in. He nodded to his chum, and
shook hands ceremoniously with the rest of the
family, down to the smallest Bullen on the steps.
"Thank you, my dear," he said, in his best
London style, when Daisy pushed a chair forward.
" I remember when I handed a chair to her lady-
ship, the Countess of Tamworth she and her
noble lord had looked in to see my gentleman,
just as I have dropped in this evening she
broke off in her talk to say, 'Thank you,' just
as gracious as if a duke had given her the chair,
instead of a valet."
"That's real manners, that is, together,"
remarked Bullen, comprehensively to his family.
"What did you reply, Mr. Berrand," asked
Mrs. Bullen, who was much impressed, and felt
herself in touch with the highest circles of English
life.
" I bowed slightly like this, and I said,
* Thank you, my lady ; ' and then I took a step
or two backwards, as the lords do when they're
waiting on Royalty, like this and then I left
the room."
"He knows how things should be done, he
does," remarked Bullen to his family.
" I have never seen a countess ; is she like
the Queen ? and does she wear a crown of
diamonds ? " asked Mrs. Bullen.
" Her ladyship was just as simply dressed as
84 D1LYS
Daisy is at this very moment, in a white frock,
all muslin and lace ; the only ornament she wore
was a gold brooch set with blue stones, very
much like the one that you have in your hand,
Ben."
Daisy felt a glow of pride as she listened to
this description, which ended by likening herself
to one of the great ladies of England.
"This brooch was given to our Daisy by
Corporal Barnes this morning," said Bullen, as
he passed the jewel to Brand. " He must be a
steady saving young fellow to be able to buy a
thing like that. The brooch must have cost
a lot of money."
" Barnes is doing very well, and he is not a
man to allow himself to be overtook. Yes, thank
you, Mrs. Bullen, I should like a drop, just the
least little drop, to show my good will. He helps
the canteen- sergeant, keeps the tallies, and makes
the minerals. He and I have been fishing to-
gether several times." Brand winked at his
friend, and Bullen laughed.
" He had better not fish too often, bor. It's
safer for him, if he's coming after our Daisy, not
to have too much of that kind of sport."
" Oh, he's all right. Don't you worry your-
self about him. He knows how to go about
fishing without my help now. The only trouble
we have is the major. He's wonderfully fond
of fishing too, and sometimes he wants to take
DILYS 85
our water. It isn't likely that the men wish to
run up against their officers when they are
amusing themselves."
" I am not saying that there is any real harm
in it. I don't take a hand in it myself, as you
know "
"But you don't object to buying the fish we
catch," quickly responded Brand.
" You and I, we are out of the coach, bor, so
we can't fall off and hurt ourselves. But Barnes,
he's different. If he doesn't mind his business
and keep off sport, he may be broke ; and when
a man is broke, his wife's heart is often broke
too."
"Pappa, the head-constable wants to speak
to you," cried one of the children, who had been
sitting on the steps of the verandah. The young
Bullens never called Soobarow uncle. Bullen
rose from his chair.
" Come in, Soobarow. I see you have Naga
with you. Come in, both of you, and sit down."
They entered, Naga making his boots sound
their loudest in what he fondly hoped was a
thoroughly English fashion. He glanced round
at Daisy to note the impression that they made
upon her. It was not often that they paid the
Bullen family a visit, as Soobarow never came
except on business, and Naga's calls were dis-
couraged by Bullen and his wife for reasons of
their own. The entrance of the new-comers
86 DILYS
filled the verandah to overflowing. Bullen
glanced at his wife and said
" It's time some of these young 'uns were
getting to bed, mor. Now then, come and say
good night."
Daisy led them round, and they solemnly
tendered their plump soft hands to the company
in turn, including their uncle and cousin. These
two watched the ceremony with a mixture of
curiosity and admiration that was not lost on
the gratified parents, no such ceremonies being
customary in the domestic circle of the head-
constable. Lastly, the little people kissed their
father.
"Molly, don't you forget to hear them
children their prayers," he called after his wife,
as she headed the procession towards the sleep-
ing-room at the back of the house where a dim
tumbler lamp flickered.
"All right, pappa," she called from behind
the screen that hid the bedroom door.
On the disappearance of the younger portion
of the family with Mrs. and Miss Bullen, Brand
rose and laid his half-finished pipe upon the
balustrade of the verandah.
" Here, what are you doing, bor ? Just you
sit down again. Soobarow and I haven't got any
secrets that I know of," said Bullen, hospitably,
as he settled the new-comers in the chairs vacated
by his wife and daughter.
DILYS 87
Soobarow was a well-built native of broad
proportions. He carried himself with a military
bearing which his son imitated. The natural
dignity of the father, however, was not so easily
assumed by the son, whose manner was apt to
border on arrogance, when he fancied that he
was being most dignified. The elder man settled
himself in the chair, and turned deferentially
towards his host.
" I have come to ask your advice on a small
matter, Mr. Bullen. When I went to the office
to make my report, Mr. Carwardine inquired
if I knew any English lady of the name of
Tregethin."
There was a slight pause before Bullen an-
swered. At length he asked, "What did you
reply?"
"I told him that I knew no one of that
name. Then he asked if any letter had come
from England for Miss Tregethin addressed to
my house."
Bullen kept silence, and Naga took the oppor-
tunity of adding his contribution to the story.
" The master called at the post-office himself in-
stead of sending me with the bag. He questioned
the clerks about letters and the lady, but he could
learn nothing."
" Nor do we know this lady," added Soobarow,
looking from Bullen to Brand.
"Don't you worry your heads about her,
88 DILYS
together. There ain't no such lady, you may
depend," said Bullen.
" But see what came this evening," ex-
claimed Soobarow, as he produced Owen's letter
to Dilys from the folds of a cotton handker-
chief.
Bullen removed his pipe from his lips in blank
astonishment whilst Brand eagerly leaned forward
to read the inscription.
" * Miss Tregethin, care of Soobarow, Head
Constable, Cuddalore. To be called for/ Did
you call for it, Soobarow ? "
" No ; the post-peon lives near my house, and
he brought it down to save me the trouble of
fetching it."
Ben examined it closely, and then passed it on
to Brand, who took it to the wall-lamp, turned it
over, held it up to the light in an attempt to look
through it, shaking his head all the time in wise
perplexity.
" You had better keep that note lying handy
somewhere, and if any one should call for it, you
can let Mr. Carwardine know," advised Bullen at
length.
"That was what I thought of doing, Mr.
Bullen," replied Soobarow, quite satisfied with the
decision.
" Have you sent that money to your brother
at Pondicherry that he wrote for ? "
" It went this morning."
DILYS 89
" How did you send it ? Not by money-order,
I hope."
Soobarow laughed as he replied, " I know how
to tread a mountain path without setting my foot
upon a loose stone. The money went by the
Lumbadees."
Daisy's brooch, which her father had been
examining when they came in, was still lying on
the arm of Bullen's chair. The attention of Naga
had for some moments past been centred upon it.
Now he ventured to take it in his hand.
"That's a pretty thing," remarked Bullen to
Soobarow.
" Your daughter's ? "
" Yes, given to her by Corporal Barnes of the
camp."
The young police-peon moved restlessly in his
chair as he listened to the conversation of his
elders, and his boots creaked.
" Are you making a marriage between him
and your daughter, Mr. Bullen ? " asked Soobarow.
"Well, I can't exactly say," replied Bullen,
with importance and condescension. " You see,
we don't set about them sort of matters as you do.
We leave it more to the young people. Me and
my wife, we have to encourage them a bit. We
ask Barnes to come here, and we let Daisy sit and
talk to him whilst he takes a drink of something
or other. And he generally brings a friend with
him, just to show that at present there is nothing
90 DILYS
particular. On Sunday evening he walks to
church with Daisy and her mother and the young
ones, and he will sit here and have a pipe with me
after he has brought 'em back. Now he is begin-
ning to give her presents, and that means that
he'll speak before long, first to her to find out if
he has taken her fancy, and then he'll come to
me. That ain't your way of doing it, I know,"
concluded Ben with indulgent superiority.
*< If we left it to our girls and boys, our
marriages would not be satisfactory," remarked
Soobarow, who had observed that Naga had been
listening intently. He had no desire to raise
rebellion in his son's breast against his own auto-
cratic government of the home circle, and he was
not altogether pleased when Naga ventured to
give his opinion on the English method.
" Our married ones would perhaps quarrel less
if they had the choosing of each other, and our
women would be happier."
"You may be quite sure that they won't be
happy if they have no voice in the matter. I
hope my Daisy will marry where her heart goes.
If she is satisfied, no doubt I shall be happy too."
At this point of the conversation Daisy entered
the verandah, carrying a tray on which were some
steaming hot cups of coffee. As she handed one
to Naga, he gave her back the brooch.
" Do you like Mr. Barnes, Daisy ? " he asked,
in a low earnest voice.
DILYS 91
" Oh no, not particularly," she answered, with
a coy laugh which Naga mistook for indifference.
If she had been a native and was hoping for
marriage, she would have hung her head in tongue-
tied modesty. It set his heart bounding with
hope which was madness and folly.
"Will you marry him? "
" Oh, my ! I don't know. What silly ques-
tions you ask, Naga," giggled Daisy.
" Have you any coffee for Brand, Daisy ? "
asked Bullen, before he helped himself to the last
cup on the tray. " Where is he ? He hasn't
gone home, has he ? "
" Mr. Brand has been helping me in the back
verandah, pappa,just as if I were an English lady.
He says he won't take any coffee ; he will prefer
a drop of hot grog. I wanted to put the kettle
on to the charcoal when I took off the coffee ; but
he would not allow me. Mr. Brand is so polite."
Daisy shot a glance at her cousin which made
him wish once again that he had been born an
Englishman.
" That's what I always say ; he has such
beautiful manners," commented Bullen, with warm
approval.
A few minutes later Brand came back, bearing
a small tin kettle in one hand, and a tray on which
was a lime and some sugar in the other. He
placed them on the flat top of the balustrade with
a flourish worthy of an experienced club waiter.
92 DILYS
Assisted by Daisy, the grog was mixed, whilst
many gallant compliments were paid by the old
soldier. Soobarow and his son looked on visibly
impressed, and the younger mentally took a lesson
in what he believed to be the correct manners in
English society. When the coffee and grog were
finished the company rose to depart.
" You must keep that letter, Soobarow, until
some one asks for it. That's my advice," said
Bullen, as he bade him good night. " Where is
it?"
" Here," said Brand, as he held it out to
Soobarow ; adding, with a wink at Bullen, " It's
my opinion that in this case there is no lady,
though it isn't often, Miss Bullen, that you can
say that."
THE time flew by quickly and pleasantly for
Owen. Oriental life was new to him, and he
found it full of fascinations. Following the
advice of his friend, he went the round of the
station, paying calls which resulted in a shower of
invitations to tennis and dinner-parties. Since he
was the guest of her fianc^ Marion Hensley
was especially gracious, and scarcely a day passed
that he did not find himself at the Garden House,
as Mr. Hensley's residence was called. Fre-
quently, when Rex was detained by his work, he
sent Owen off to make excuses for himself, and
to amuse and be amused. His proxy proved
sufficiently entertaining, and Marion uttered no
reproaches when her busy lover appeared late in
the day and apologetic.
The visitors were still staying at the Garden
House, and Owen was soon on good terms with
the two German entomologists. They were all
more or less idle men whose time was their own,
and they were thus thrown together. The story
of the lost heiress interested them, and they
93
94 DILYS
tendered much advice to the searcher, who sub-
mitted it all to Marion Hensley. They were
particularly urgent that he should pay a visit to
the mine and offered to accompany him there.
Rex was absorbed in his work. The trouble
with the troops was not solved ; on the contrary,
it increased day by day rather than lessened. As
the Lumbadees had appeared in numbers with the
arrival of the men in camp, he drew his own in-
ference from the coincidence. Before the white
tents sprang up on the maidan, Cuddalore was
only visited now and then by the gipsies, and then
they came by twos and threes. Now he heard of
gangs of eighteen and twenty coming and going
with frequency. He gave repeated orders to his
subordinates concerning the necessity of watching
them and their transport cattle ; but his men
failed to lay their hands upon a single case of
smuggling liquor into camp.
There is no one in the world so subject to
occasional attacks of blindness as the police-peon
of India. His natural instincts cause him to
regard smuggling with lenient eyes. It is difficult
to persuade him that it has anything to do with
dishonesty. From the head-constable downwards,
the carriage of contraband goods is placed in the
category of such minor offences as drunkenness,
trespassing, and carrying no light on the road
after dark with a bullock-cart. Hence the anxiety
of the police-officer to catch the gipsies himself,
DILYS 95
and hence also his determination to prosecute the
Lumbadee who had made the attack. His action
had an unexpected result.
The morning following the arrest, a lame gipsy
woman presented herself at the office and begged
for an interview. As soon as she was admitted,
she fell at the feet of the police-officer and implored
his mercy. Gradually Rex gathered that she was
the mother of the man who was in trouble.
She was too old to work and too lame to
follow the transport gangs. Her daughter lived
with her, and her son supported her. If he was
sent to prison, they would both starve. But she
begged in vain. Rex was firm in his determina-
tion to punish the man, and it was not without
some difficulty that he got rid of the suppliant.
He was sorry for her, but he would not allow his
pity to interfere with his duty.
Before he left the office he called Soobarow
into his room and spoke to him about the necessity
of taking decisive action with the Lumbadees.
The head-constable listened deferentially.
" Why is your honour so anxious to convict ? "
he asked. " The Lumbadees will go as suddenly
as they came, and for years we shall have no
further trouble."
Rex glanced sharply in his face, but read
nothing. His reply had a touch of impatience
in it.
" You know the reason as well as I do,
96 DILYS
Soobarow. The soldiers in camp are undoubtedly
obtaining spirit through their assistance, and the
men disgrace themselves by their excesses."
" If the gipsies carry the liquor across the
boundary they should be stopped by the officers of
the custom-house. It is impossible to catch them
here."
" Why should it be so ! " asked Rex.
" Because there are people more clever than
the gipsies at the back of the business. The
Lumbadees are but tools," was the reply.
" Can you find out how the liquor is carried
into the camp ? "
Soobarow remained silent a few seconds. " It
might be possible to discover it. Your honour
would prosecute the receivers, of course ? "
" I should put the matter into the hands of
the commanding officer, if I found that a soldier
was implicated. It is against the rules to bring
liquor into the camp, except that which goes to the
canteen and the mess. A man caught breaking
the rule is liable to heavy punishment."
<c It is a difficult task that your honour has set
us to do. The crow is a cunning bird, but it is
ill adapted to trapping the kite. The British
soldier has a keener vision than the kite, where
strong drink is concerned. But with your
honour's permission, I and my men will do our
best to find out where the leakage is."
" It means reward and promotion, remember.
DILYS 97
The youngest man in the force shall step over his
seniors if he can put me on the right scent."
As he ceased speaking there was a sound of
creaking boots outside the door, and Naga entered
with a note for his master.
" Here, Naga, take the office-box back to the
bungalow, and tell the butler to prepare some
dinner for me," Rex said, as he placed his helmet
upon his head. He sighed a little wearily. There
was a couple of hours' work in those papers, which
the peon was carrying home. It meant that he
would be unable to accompany his guest to a
friend's house where they were to have dined.
When Davenport started, Rex sent a message
to say that he would look in after dinner to
apologize for his enforced absence.
Nine o'clock struck, and the police-officer was
ready to walk to his destination. The light of
a young moon, which was dropping towards its
setting, made a lantern unnecessary. The servants
had gone to their suppers behind the bungalow,
and he was alone. He heard the swish of drapery
and a footfall upon the steps of the verandah.
" Who is there ? " he asked in Tamil.
A figure draped in a blue Lumbadee cloth
came out of the dim moonlight, and placed herself
in an attitude of supplication before him.
Behind her stood a large, grey Lumbadee dog,
which sniffed the air and watched the Englishman
with observant eyes.
H
9 8 DILYS
" Sir ! I come to ask mercy," cried the woman,
in the language of the country. Her voice was
gentle and denoted youth. " I ask mercy for my
brother. My mother is heart-broken. Never
has her son been in trouble. Ah ! sir ! you do
not know how good he has been to her, and how
hard he has worked to keep her in comfort ! Be
merciful and forgive."
As she spoke, she raised herself into a kneeling
posture and lifted her face to his. The light from
the lamp fell full upon it, and he had an oppor-
tunity of studying the regular features. Her dark
eyes looked appealingly into his. She clasped
her hands together and pleaded the cause of
her brother with still greater earnestness, whilst
he stood silently regarding her. At length he
said
" I am sorry that I cannot grant your request.
As I told your mother, I could not let your
brother escape punishment. It is a serious
offence to interfere with a servant of Government
in the execution of his duty."
" I know ! I know ! You speak but the
truth, sir ! He was wrong, and deserves punish-
ment. But, for my mother's sake, be merciful."
His eyes rested on the oval face ; he was
conscious of feeling perturbed as she continued
her entreaty. When she ceased he brushed aside
the faint stirring of pity, and said
" I cannot do it. I regret that your brother
DILYS 99
has brought this trouble upon you and your
mother. Cannot you earn for yourselves ? "
" She is entirely dependent upon him unless
she becomes a beggar. Some time ago my
mother had an accident ; she broke her leg,
and ever since then she has been unable to travel
with the tribe. She moves too slowly to keep
up with the bullocks, and she is too old to carry
loads like the younger women. So I have
remained with her, travelling by easy stages
when she has needed to take a journey. But
more often we have lived quietly by ourselves,
and our brother has seen that we have not
wanted for rice. If we lose him now, how am
I to support my mother ? "
Rex turned away, and the girl rose to her
feet, whilst the dog gave a low growl. She
shook out the folds of her coarse, blue cloth,
and rearranged the end, which was draped as
a hood over her hair. Moving slightly, so
that she again faced him, her eyes sought his
for a more favourable reply. But it was in vain
that she looked for a relenting on his part.
"Justice must take its course," he said
shortly.
" You can stop the proceedings if you choose,"
she replied quickly.
" I have no wish to do so," he answered.
" Why are you so severe ? " she asked. Her
modulated tone of entreaty again struck a note
ioo DILYS
of pity in his breast which made it hard to
maintain his severity of tone. He replied with
more gentleness than he had hitherto shown.
" Because he is one of your caste. Your
tribesmen give trouble. They carry wine and
spirits from French territory without paying
the tax, and the Government is cheated of its
revenues."
"It is the owners of the liquor who cheat.
What does the poor Lumbadee know about
revenue ? Does he not faithfully pay the tax
upon his bullock ? And having paid the cess,
he carries goods without asking questions."
She spoke with a renewed hope.
"Indeed, you make a mistake. You must
be aware, since you belong to the tribe, that the
gipsies know quite well what they are about when
they carry contraband goods in from Pondicherry.
They take the risk with their eyes open, and
their employers pay them accordingly."
" My brother was not caught carrying any-
thing contraband."
" No ; but he assaulted me as I was en-
deavouring to discover whether the law had been
evaded or not. 1 still have a suspicion that there
was something wrong about the loads on the
bullocks, otherwise why should he have attacked
me?"
" Sir, a dog flies at a man when he is
startled."
DILYS 101
"Therefore a dog must be chained," he
rejoined.
"Not unless he is dangerous. The Lum-
badees are not evil-doers. They are kind-hearted
and faithful to those who understand them."
A flicker of a smile hovered round her full
lips as she uttered these words.
" My good girl," exclaimed Rex, with a
sudden change of manner, " it is of no use telling
untruths to one possessing my knowledge ! "
He moved towards a small table whereon his
hat and stick lay. Did his ears deceive him, or
was that slight sound a low laugh ? He turned
upon her sharply. She was bending over the
dog, and her hand was laid upon its head. There
was not the ghost of a smile about her lips. On
the contrary, the curves had a downward trend,
and there was a suspicion of tears in her eyes as
she looked up and said
"Will you not be the friend of the Lum-
badees rather than their enemy ? "
Her pleading stirred him. He took refuge
in harshness.
" Go 1 " he said sternly. " I will listen no
longer. The law will have to take its course."
She spoke a few words in Lumbadee to the
dog, which had growled angrily as Rex altered
his tone. Then she turned to the police-
officer.
" You are hard and ungenerous. You do not
102 DILYS
deserve the name of Englishman," she cried, with
a sudden burst of passion.
"At any rate, I am just," he answered,
astonished at her flow of words and assurance.
" Justice and mercy should go together. You
are without mercy."
"As you please ; only go, and go at once.
You force me to lose my time and my temper."
He placed his hat upon his head and took
up his walking-stick ; then he waited for her to
move. The night was fresh, with a pleasant
wind blowing in from the sea. The dark leaves
of the banyan trees glistened in the silver moon-
light. She let her eyes rest on his once more
with a steady gaze, which puzzled him. Was it
mockery or entreaty that lurked in their depths ?
Abruptly she departed, and seemed to glide rather
than walk down the steps of the verandah into
the subdued light of the moon ; the dog preceding
her.
Rex followed with the intention of seeing her
off the premises. Taking the path by the carriage-
drive, she passed through the garden gate, and
bent her steps towards the road. But before
reaching the exit of the fort, she bore to the right,
under the glacis, where the earthworks had once
ended in a facing of bricks and mortar, which
formed a wall. Here were the entrances to the
casemates and powder-chambers, which had re-
mained intact, the hard laterite masonry having
DILYS 103
resisted the ravages of the climate as well as the
destroying hand of the building thief. Keeping
along the wall within the fortifications, she picked
her way amongst the prickly pear and broken
debris, as if the ground was not unfamiliar. The
path she was pursuing encircled the inner fort,
and led back to the bungalow.
The police-officer hesitated. Marion Hensley
was dining at the house where he was expected,
and it was already late, his interview with the
girl having detained him. Curiosity, however,
proved stronger than love for the moment, and
he followed the gipsy girl. She seemed to have
no suspicion that she was being watched. He
quickened his pace, intending to warn her that
she must not loiter within the boundaries of the
fort. She was not more than fifteen yards away
when he struck his foot against a small piece of
masonry. The sound caught her ear, and she
turned. One moment he saw her in the moon-
light, as she glanced back with the alertness of a
startled animal. In the next she had vanished,
and as he bounded forward to the spot where she
disappeared, he fancied that he heard a laugh, low
and musical, but mocking.
He searched right and left, going on towards
his bungalow, and retracing his steps several
times ; more than once he uttered the call used
by natives to summon each other. Then he
returned to the place where he had seen her last,
io 4 DILYS
but there was not a sign of a human being nor of
the animal. Here and there along the earthworks,
was an occasional entrance to the subterranean
ways. She might easily have taken shelter in one
of these, but any attempt to follow her would be
useless. The passages were enveloped in inky
darkness, and he knew them to be the haunt of
snakes and centipedes. He scarcely believed that
she would dare to enter one without some sort of
light. But in case she had taken this course to
escape, he thought that it might be advisable to
mark the spot where she disappeared, and examine
it the next morning. It was just possible that
the Lumbadees were using one of the tunnels for
the storage of contraband stuff.
"There, my lady," he said, as he scratched up
the ground with his stick. " If that scoundrel of
a brother of yours has had the impudence to
make his storeroom under the very nose of the
police-officer, I shall find it to-morrow, without
doubt."
As he stooped in the moonlight to see that his
stick had effected some sort of mark in the loose
sand of the pathway, he heard her laughter again.
Glancing up, he caught her figure silhouetted
against the sky, as she strode lightly over the
top of the ramparts in the direction of the old
gateway, with the dog trotting close at her heels.
Once the animal stopped and looked back, as
though only waiting a word of command to return
DILYS 105
and attack him. But a low whistle brought it to
her heels, and they passed out of sight.
"That's odd," he said, rising to his feet.
" How on earth did she get up there ? She must
have braved the snakes and have hidden in one of
the old casemates. Well, so long as she leaves
the fort, I don't care where she goes. All I
want is to prevent her from loafing round my
bungalow."
The next morning the police-officer awoke
early. More than once in the night, his dreams
had shown him the Lumbadee girl, who gazed
at him now in entreaty, now in derision. It was
of her that he first thought when he unclosed his
eyes at the rising of the sun.
As soon as he had finished his early-morning
tea, he hurried round to the east side of the fort,
taking as nearly as possible the pathway traversed
the evening before. At the point where his
strange visitor had turned off the road, leading
out of the fort, he stood for a few seconds, calcu-
lating distances. Unless he was much mistaken,
she hid herself from his view about fifty yards
from where he was. He counted his steps as he
proceeded slowly along, scrutinizing the ground.
When he had gone thirty yards he stopped
abruptly. There, in the pathway, were his marks
as fresh as when he made them with the iron
ferrule of his walking-stick. The initials " R.C.,"
which looked so indistinct in the moonlight, stood
io6 DILYS
out as clearly as need be. He observed that there
was an entrance to a casemate almost opposite to
the sign in the sand.
" Yet I should have said that the distance was
greater. It shows how one may be deceived in
the dark," he mused, as he studied the rude
Roman capitals of his initials, the casemate oppo-
site, and the distances between himself and the
two ends of the path. He walked to the extreme
end of the track, noting its details right and left.
Then he retraced his steps and looked round
again. Yes, this must have been the spot. This
was the only casemate that had an unimpeded
entrance. All the others were more or less grown
up with the repellant prickly pear, or blocked
with fallen masses of broken masonry.
He entered the tunnel. Its roof, which was
barely six feet high, was arched with brickwork in
such a manner as to make it bomb-proof. The
atmosphere inside was hot and stifling, and his
nose detected the recent presence of goats and
bats. It was evident that the herdsmen, who
frequented the ramparts, made use of it in wet
weather as a shelter for themselves and their
animals.
Rex took a small lamp from his pocket and
lighted it. He kept a wary eye open for reptiles
and noisome insects, but to his surprise he saw
neither one nor the other. The tunnel turned to
the left, and terminated in a wall of dusty earth,
DILYS 107
through which not even a rat could have passed.
Having examined the subterranean way tho-
roughly, he regained the open air, thankful to
inhale the fresh sea-breeze into his lungs once
more.
So far he was satisfied that he had found the
means whereby the girl had effected her dis-
appearance ; but, at the same time, he was
distinctly vexed with himself. His powers of
observation at night had proved defective, and
had misled him. He could have sworn that he
had lost his quarry some twenty or thirty yards
further on towards the south-east corner of the
glacis ; and that it was upon the mound above
that particular spot that he had seen her figure
against the sky.
He went over the ground again, and the
further investigation only confirmed the tale told
by the walking-stick. It seemed impossible for
any human being to have been hidden at the
spot where he imagined the girl vanished, for the
cactus grew thickest just at that point, and formed
a barrier to the only casemate into which she could
possibly have crept.
CHAPTER VIII
THE letter-bag containing the inland morning
mail was handed to Rex as he reached the veran-
dah. He opened it, and found one for his friend.
He carried it to the garden, where Owen Daven-
port was revelling in the sweet scents and shady
arcades which accorded with his thoughts. The
boom of the sea, as it tumbled into surf, sounded
pleasantly on his ears. He stood where the
tuberose lilies clustered thickest. Over trusses
of oleander blossom his eye sought the blue line
of the sea, but his thoughts were not with the
restless ocean. Yet it was of the sea that he
spoke when he had greeted his host.
"Why should we not have some sea bath-
ing?" he asked.
" You would not find it worth the trouble of
toiling down in the sun to the water and back
across that dreary stretch of sand. Moreover,
there are sharks to be reckoned with on this
coast."
" The seaside, then, is one more of the
glamours of India one of the elusive delights,
1 08
DILYS 109
which seem within your grasp, but are unattain-
able."
" Like your heiress, for instance," said Rex,
with a laugh. " Talking of her, here is a letter
that looks as if it came from that lady herself.
The post-mark is Bangalore."
Owen opened the letter with some curiosity.
" You are right ; it is from Dilys Tregethin
herself. She says that she has received my
brother's letter, and my own. How astounding ! "
" It's odd, because Soobarow assures me that
no one has called for letters at his house ; and
that the one he received yours, of course is
still lying there unclaimed."
" She is much distressed to hear of her aunt's
illness," continued Owen. " At present she is at
Bangalore, to which place she is tied by certain
duties. But she does not say what they are."
" She has married, you may be sure," ex-
claimed Rex. " Your chance of securing the
heiress for yourself is gone."
The words roused a chain of thought in
Owen's mind, and he became silent. His com-
panion broke into his brown study by asking
what else Miss Tregethin had to say for herself.
" She wants money, and would like to know
if I can advance her some whilst she directs her
solicitor to forward a remittance from England."
" That's all right. Now you will be able to
put your hand upon her. I am always delighted
no DILYS
when a fellow, who is ' wanted,' wants something
himself. It is like the water-hole to the sports-
man when he is after big game."
" Apparently there will be no difficulty. Her
letter is quite simple and straightforward. She
gives me an address at Bangalore, to which I
am to write. She also asks if I am coming to
Bangalore. If so, she hopes I will call upon
her."
" Then the mystery is at an end, and I am no
longer interested. You will ask for an interview,
of course. You can't very well propose to a lady
whom you have never seen," said Rex, more in
fun than in earnest.
His words did not provoke an answering
laugh ; the chaff missed fire, something else
occupying his hearer's mind.
"To be honest, I shall show the letter to
Miss Hensley, with your kind permission, and
ask her advice."
He let his eyes rest a moment upon his
friend's face with an odd expression of uneasiness,
but turned them away abruptly as the ready reply
was given.
" Ah, do ! Marion has such a good head for
business, and she is the best-hearted girl in the
world."
" You are a lucky fellow," said Owen, as he
put an end to the conversation by strolling away
towards the bank of the river.
DILYS in
It was only eight o'clock, and Rex retraced his
steps to the bungalow. He could not afford to
be idle at that time in the morning ; and he was
soon deep in voluminous reports sent in from the
district. The heiress, Owen, even Miss Hensley,
were forgotten in his endeavours to extricate the
true from the false, and to follow threads that
were not will-o'-the-wisps, in different cases of
crime. Only those who have had experience
amongst the natives of India can conceive the
tortuous methods by which justice is sometimes
arrived at, and how easy it is for the wrong man
to be brought to punishment. In the very first
year of Carwardine's service, a case occurred which
proved a surprising eye-opener.
A robbery was committed, and the crime was
brought home in the clearest manner possible to
a one-eyed old man, who happened to be known
to Rex. The man had a peculiar walk, due to
partial paralysis. The robbery, which was accom-
panied by violence, took place at eleven o'clock
at night forty miles distant from where Rex was
camping. As the police-officer rode into camp
at nine o'clock that very night, he saw the one-
eyed man carrying a load of firewood upon his
back towards the village near the camp. Not
only did Rex notice the dragging of one leg
peculiar to his walk, but, as he passed, the old
man looked up in the light of a moon that
was nearly full, and made a salaam to the police-
ii2 DILYS
officer. Notwithstanding this fact, the evidence
against the villager was as conclusive as it could
possibly be.
Rex voluntarily appeared to witness in his
favour ; and he urged the impossibility of a man
of his age and infirmity being able to cover forty
miles in two hours, and to commit a robbery
single-handed with violence at the end of it. It
was of little use. A portion of the stolen property
had been found in the old man's house, and no
less than three witnesses swore to having seen
him lurking about the house where the robbery
was committed. His own people testified to his
absence all night, and declared on their oaths
that he was not home till daylight. So he was
sentenced to four years' imprisonment, and the
sentence was received with a blinking of the eyes
and a little grunt of resignation.
When Rex expressed his surprise to the old
man's son a stalwart, devil-may-care young man
full of good-humoured impudence, who stepped
into his father's shoes and ruled the house with
a rod of iron he replied with a laugh
" Sir, my father is a wonderful man, wise and
far-seeing. But he is old and of little use in
supporting the family, which is large. Is it not
better that he should serve in prison, where he
will be well cared for, in place of a younger man
who can work, and to whom the women and
children might look for support ? "
DILYS 113
" It is not right that the innocent should suffer
for the guilty," Rex replied.
The young man looked fearlessly into the
police-officer's eyes with an ingenuous smile, as
he made answer.
" When a man has passed the age of fifty, can
he call himself innocent of all evil in this country ?
Surely by that time he is deserving of some
punishment."
" If he is an evil-doer, of course he should be
punished," said Rex, somewhat puzzled.
" But not when he is young. If fate decrees
that he is to bear punishment at all, let it be
when he is old ; then no one but himself will
suffer. If it falls when he is young, who can say
how many others may suffer with him? My
father said himself that he was only fit for old
woman's work to gather firewood. It is a gain
to a large household like ours, living on a small
plot of land, when the old and infirm are removed
from the family."
" Because he is old and infirm, he could never
have committed that robbery," replied Rex.
The other laughed again and made a salaam.
" The gods and the Sircar have decreed it. They
are satisfied, so let it be."
Rex moved for a fresh trial, but his en-
deavour to obtain the release of the old villager
by proving an alibi was frustrated by the con-
fession of the crime by the prisoner, who averred
n 4 DILYS
that a friend had personated himself and deceived
the police-officer.
Rex was deeply engaged with the details of
a disappearance case which was giving him some
trouble. His subordinates, in the district where
it occurred, were too anxious to bring a charge
of murder on the strength of it against a man
who had incurred the anger of the Zemindar. Rex
had a strong suspicion that the arm of the law
was being used in this case as a weapon for
private revenge, and he was determined to frus-
trate any such design. " I shall have to go over
and look into matters personally," he said, as he
put the papers together again. There was the
sound of a voice outside. " Is that Soobarow ? "
he called to his servants. "Tell him to come in."
As he entered the head-constable said, "The
gentlemen at the Garden House have left for
Bangalore. They took the ten-o'clock train last
night."
" Have you discovered if they had any other
object in visiting the place except the collection
of insects ? "
Soobarow did not reply directly to the ques-
tion, but continued his report.
"Five nights they went out and caught
poochees of all sorts."
" Where did they go ? "
"Sometimes near the river, sometimes they
came round the fort. They were also upon that
DILYS 115
part where there are pools of water ; and, sir,,
they were several times near the camp, between!
the camp and the sea, among the sandhills."
The head-constable looked at his chief to see
if his words had roused any train of thought, but;
Rex gave no sign as he put another query.
" Did they take measurements, or write any-
thing down on paper ? "
" No, sir. They were not like the last gentle-
men who stayed with the judge. These took no
notice of the buildings, nor of the old fortifica- 1
tions. I told your honour that they had been
at Pondicherry. They left behind them three
empty wooden cases, such as are used by the
French merchants for packing spirits. Their
servant told us that the spirits were used for
holding the dead poochees. But who can say if
it was so ? "
The import of his subordinate's words was
not lost upon the police-officer this time.
" Did they take away any similar cases ? "
" There were four more with their luggage ;
and no less than six were sent on by goods train
two days ago," replied Soobarow, who was not
aware that the police-officer had made his own
inquiries, and had been satisfied by the sight of
certain invoices.
"You have taken the men off duty at the
Garden House, of course ? By-the-by, did the
gentlemen speak to any of the men in camp ? "
u6 DILYS
Soobarow answered in the negative, and
Rex proceeded to other matters. As the head-
constable was about to leave the room, Carwardine
asked casually if the letter for Miss Tregethin
had been claimed.
" No, sir ; it still lies at my house."
<{ Where do you keep it ? "
" My wife has it locked up with her jewels."
The Garden House at Cuddalore is usually
occupied by the Government official, known
throughout the Presidency as the Collector. In
other parts of the British Empire in the East he
is given the more appropriate title of Commis-
sioner or Government Agent.
Like the fort, the Garden House has a history
of its own, and it figures in the story of our wars
in South India. It was built by Thomas Pitt,
the grandfather of the great politician. The
dining-room has an arched or bomb-proof roof
with massive supports, which give it the appear-
ance of a cloistered chamber. Of course, the
room has its ghost the spirit of a Frenchman
who was murdered there ; but the apparition has
not manifested itself for many years past, and has
therefore nothing to do with this story.
A fine drawing-room has been erected in
more recent years over the dining-room. The
broad pillared verandahs temper the glare of the
day, and hold the rays of the fierce Indian sun
at a respectful distance. The sea-breeze rustling
DILYS 117
through the trees brings the scent of sweet blossom
upon its cooling wings.
In Marion's opinion it was the pleasantest room
in the house, whether she sat at her work during
the sunny hours of the day or gathered her
father's guests around her in the evening. Owen
had learnt to know the room well. To him it
was the setting of one of the prettiest pictures he
had ever seen. The opinion which he formed at
first sight, as she leaned forward in the victoria to
greet his companion, had not been altered. In
addition he had discovered in her a most enter-
taining companion. The circumstances of her
life obliged her to take a prominent position in
the society of the station, such as her mother
would have filled had she been living ; and this
made her an excellent hostess. Yet with all her
duties she was full of spirits and possessed a keen
sense of humour with a ready tongue. Women
declared her to be excellent company, whilst men
found her as good to look at as to listen to.
It was noon, the hour in India when every
English lady is prepared, if she is a lover of
society, to receive callers. Marion had a ready
welcome for any one who did her the honour
of paying her a visit. Nor did she keep them
waiting, but was there to greet the visitors as
they entered the room.
The large drawing-rooms of India have no
"cosy corners," but, instead, there is usually
ii8 DILYS
a spot where the air blows its coolest, and the
light is shaded to that point which is most accept-
able to the eye. Here the lady of the house,
if she has any love for the drawing-room, makes
a bower for herself. Here are gathered the
choicest ferns and palms from the garden, the
easiest chairs, the softest couch. The floor is
strewn with cashmere rugs, and on the table lie
the latest papers and magazines. The silken
cushions on couch and chairs invite luxurious
reading and idle thought. Such a nook had
Marion made for herself in the drawing-room of
the old Garden House.
She crossed the big room and stood upon the
threshold of one of the wide French windows that
opened with double doors upon the verandah. A
little sigh of relief escaped her lips as she glanced
round and realized that she was once more alone.
Then her eyes rested upon the green foliage of
the trees that fringed the carriage-drive. A
golden oriole and a blue roller bird tumbled in
and out of the shining leaves, whilst hidden
within the depths of the branches, the mynas
chattered with jovial gaiety. She watched for
a sight of the neat little talkers, but their grey
and black plumage was nothing to be proud of ;
so they left the yellow oriole and the blue jay
to parade in the sun, and remained hidden within
the leafy shade.
Marion turned from the window and seated
DILYS 119
herself at her writing-table, which was drawn
within the bounds of her nook. She wrote the
heading and date upon a sheet of notepaper.
Then she paused, and her eyes wandered back to
the green trees, and followed the flight of a black
and red butterfly, which hovered over the blossom
of the neem trees. But her thoughts were not
with the ambitious insect as it rashly penetrated the
domain of the roller bird ; nor did she miss the
patch of black, dotted with scarlet, when it pre-
sently fell a victim to the azure beauty's hunger.
Her ears were alert for the sound of wheels and
the long smooth trot of the country-bred mare
that drew Carwardine's cart. Suddenly she
sprang up.
" What a fool I am ! My thoughts are get-
ting out of hand. I want some exercise.
Ayah," she called from the doorway, "bring me
the skipping-rope."
The ayah, an elderly woman much bejewelled,
came at her bidding, carrying a skipping-rope of
red silk.
" Time for callers, missie," she said, with
strong disapproval.
" Never mind the callers ; give me the rope."
She seized the polished wooden handles, and
drew the rope from the unwilling hands that held
it. Throwing it over her head, she prepared to
use it with the zest of a schoolgirl.
"Not nice, missie," remonstrated the ayah,
izo DILYS
"Collectors' ladies and judges' ladies never jump-
ing like that. It is half-caste schoolgirl's trick
only."
But all the answer she had was a laugh, and
"Get out of the way, old lady! One! two!
three ! four ! "
Whilst the ayah looked on with disapproba-
tion written on every feature, Marion danced
through the circling rope with the graceful move-
ments of a pas-seul performer. "The police-
master very angry to see missie doing jump-
kana business." Her murmurings were of no
avail, and she was obliged to be an unapprecia-
tive spectator of an exhibition which would have
charmed another beholder. The ayah's desire to
see her mistress married was not altogether dis-
interested. The time would come when the col-
lector, who now paid her wages, would retire.
If missie married, she need not trouble about
another situation, as she would naturally pass
into her service. It caused the good woman
real anxiety when she saw her mistress risking
the chance of marriage by these wild vagaries.
There was a sound of wheels, and the ayah
advanced towards Marion.
" Give play-rope, missie ; please give me the
play-rope," she cried, holding out her hand.
" Mr. Carwardine is coming."
But Marion, with heightened colour and eyes
full of mischief, eluded her grasp and backed
DILYS 121
towards the door opening upon the landing at
the top of the stairs. Babajee was ascending to
announce the arrival of Mr. Davenport, who
was following close behind. The ayah and peon
exchanged a solemn glance. Possibly there was
another danger ahead besides the missie's love of
exercise.
" Here you are, ayah," she ried, tossing the
rope to the woman. " Babajee, bring me a glass
of lemonade."
As the two servants departed she turned to
Owen.
"The old lady has been much scandalized
by my sudden desire for exercise. I sat down
tcr write a letter, but no sooner did I take up
my pen than I had a fit of the fidgets. So I
called for my skipping-rope."
"A first-rate institution, and I hope the
fidgets which I believe are a complaint peculiar
to your sex have been reduced to order," said
Owen, as he sank into a chair near her writing-
table. It was a chair which he had appropriated
to himself whenever he paid her a visit, and by
his cool, deliberate appropriation, had made it his
in her eyes. As Marion reseated herself at the
writing-table, he settled himself back amongst the
soft cushions to revel in the luxury of the hour.
" So your moth-catching friends are gone,"
he remarked, letting his gaze rest upon her as
one of the luxuries to be enjoyed.
122 DILYS
" Yes ; it was a pleasant variety having guests
who were absorbed in a pursuit for which the
busy Anglo-Indian has no time. They were the
most enthusiastic collectors I ever met."
"You think that they had no other object
in view except butterflies, moths, beetles, and
stamps ? "
She laughed as she declared her belief in their
good faith. Then she took up her pen.
"I must finish this letter before you make
me idle. It is such a novel sensation to have a
thoroughly idle person of your sex as a companion.
People in this country are usually working with
the traces never relaxed."
" Idle you call me ? I assure you that I hate
all idleness " he was protesting, when she
stopped him.
" Here is a new magazine ; read it diligently
whilst I write, and save yourself from the charge."
She dipped her pen in the ink, and resolutely
turned her eyes from the smiling gaze with
which he regarded her. As she bent over the
paper, he opened his book and dutifully buried
himself in its pages. But though he turned the
leaves, it was very little that he read. Even the
illustrations failed to hold his attention.
Marion had apparently set herself an uncon-
genial task. More than once the pen ceased,
and she sank into deep contemplation. Owen's
sharp ear caught the faint breath of a sigh as she
DILYS 123
resumed her writing. He longed to ask her
what the difficulty was, and why she was troubled.
But he felt that he had no right to penetrate
beyond the bounds of the new friendship. Con-
fidences were not for him ; they belonged to
another person. His eye wandered frequently
over the pages of the magazine to the writing-
table. She was good to look at, he said to
himself. Though he might not be admitted to
her confidence, there was no reason why he should
not fill his eyes with the pleasant vision.
At last the writing came to an end. Owen
summoned Babajee for her, and the missive was
despatched to the post. The magazine was
thrown aside, and they settled down to leisurely
chat. This was by no means their first tte-k-tete;
but to-day it seemed to both that the hour pos-
sessed a new charm. Owen knew that it was
due to the absence of the naturalists. Though
they were not always present in the room when
he called, they were in the house, and might at
any moment enter to claim the attention of their
hostess. To-day he had Marion all to himself,
and he revelled in the knowledge with guilty
delight.
Their conversation as a rule did not contain
a word worth recording, but it had the glamour
of youthful fun, and it was served with the sauce
of light laughter. Rex or any other man might
have joined in it ; but the hard-worked Indian
I2 4 DILYS
official has no time to waste in desultory chat
during daylight, and when his labour is over, he
is too tired to talk much, or to listen. This was
frequently the case with the police-officer, who
sat too willingly silent, whilst his friend entertained
him and the girl of his choice with the efflorescence
of an active and unfatigued brain.
"I have come to show you a letter, Miss
Hensley, and to ask your advice," said Owen,
as Marion turned in the dainty revolving chair
and faced him.
" I shall be delighted to help you in any way
that I can. Who has been writing to you ? "
These two young people were most punctilious
on a certain point. Owen called at the Garden
House at least once a day, frequently twice. He
came alone more often than not, and on each
occasion he thought it necessary to offer an
excuse for his visit, an excuse that Marion found
equally necessary to accept.
" The letter is from Miss Tregethin."
Marion bent forward with eagerness as she
exclaimed in a startled voice
"The heiress?"
" Yes ; she is found has discovered herself,
1 should say."
Where is she?"
" At Bangalore."
There was a pause, during which her thoughts
wandered.
DILYS 125
u I wonder if I shall see her there. I am
going to Bangalore in a day or two."
He looked at her in surprise, but she avoided
his eye.
" You ! Why are you running away ? "
She turned upon him with a suspicion of
defiance in her manner as she exclaimed
" Running away ! What do you mean ? "
Then, as he did not reply, she continued, " I have
accepted an invitation of long standing. I thought
it best to seize the opportunity of doing so as
soon as my guests left."
" Does Carwardine know that you are off so
soon ? " he asked, unable to control his curiosity.
If Marion departed, Cuddalore would be dull
beyond endurance.
" I shall tell him this evening when I see him
at the club. I I have only lately decided on
going."
Her eyes dropped before his searching gaze.
" Are you obliged to go ? "
" Yes no that is, I thought it best "
She rose hurriedly to meet Babajee, who
appeared at the door with a sparkling tumbler of
lemonade, in which a block of ice floated.
" Ice only now coming," he said, by way of
explaining the delay in the execution of the
order.
Owen watched her in silence as she moved
back to the vicinity of his chair. She seated
126 DILYS
herself upon the couch, and leaned back upon
the pile of cushions at its head.
"You were going to show me a letter," she
remarked, as she sipped the cool drink.
" So I was. I had forgotten all about it for
the moment."
She gave him her half-emptied glass and took
the letter, read it in silence, and returned it.
" Apparently my task is done since the heiress
is found," observed Owen.
" It is half done," Marion corrected. " You
have still to fulfill your promise of taking her
back to Mrs. Myrtle."
She played with the bead jewels upon her
gold chain, drawing them restlessly through her
fingers, and her eyes studiously avoided his.
" I don't think that I shall have any difficulty
in doing that. I shall represent the very pre-
carious state of her aunt's health, and if she has
any heart at all, she will consent to go to England,
at least for a time.
" You note that she speaks of ties ? "
"Yes, and Rex thinks that she may be
married," he rejoined quickly.
" If so, you will be released from your
promise to Mrs. Myrtle."
He laughed awkwardly as he replied
" That promise was made more in joke than
in earnest."
"Mrs. Myrtle did not accept it in joke.
DILYS 127
She, you told me, took it seriously, and she looks
to you for the fulfilment of it."
He moved restlessly, glancing at her with
questioning eyes, as though he would fathom
her motive for pressing the point.
"When I made that promise I spoke flip-
pantly and I thought lightly. I have come to
the conclusion that marriage is a serious matter ;
it may open the door to an Elysium or it may
send one headlong to Avernus."
"And how long is it since you came to that
conclusion ? " she asked impetuously, without
waiting to consider her words. The reply was
swift and its import full of meaning.
" Since I have known you, Marion."
There was an exchange of glances which com-
pleted a tale that could never now be untold.
Silence fell on them both, and the girl, with head
averted, watched the mynas as they darted out of
their leafy hiding-places for a moment, tempted
by an escaping insect. The man devoured her
with his eyes, not daring to speak again lest he
should only plunge them both deeper in the abyss
that had opened suddenly at their feet. His
self-control returned, and he rose with a quick
decisive movement to his feet.
"I believe I had better be going home to
lunch," he said, a little unsteadily.
But Marion still watched the mynas. It
was not until he had almost reached the door
128 DILYS
that she sprang up, as though roused from a
dream.
" Mr. Davenport ! "
He turned to face her. She was standing
with the palms behind her, a picture of glorious
life and health. One hand rested upon the
writing-table, the other hung by her side, hidden
amongst the white folds of her frock, that he
might not see the clenched fingers.
"You have asked for my advice, but you
have not waited to hear what I have to say."
She spoke with feverish earnestness. "Your
way seems clear to me. Miss Tregethin must
be told of her aunt's danger, of which she is
apparently not aware, and every means must be
taken to persuade her to go to England by
the next mail, if possible with you as an escort."
"What if she is married ? " he asked, regaining
his equanimity.
" She is not married. Had she possessed a
husband, he would have manifested himself as
her protector. No, the ties she speaks of are
those which kept her in the country when her
aunt would have taken her home. You have
pledged yourself to break those ties by some
means marriage as a last resource, if it is ac-
ceptable to her, and you must hold your pledge
to the dying woman sacred."
He retraced his steps across the Persian carpet
that covered the floor in the centre of the room.
DILYS 129
" I will use every argument in my power to
induce her to go to Mrs. Myrtle, but "
He checked himself, knowing that he could
not control his speech as easily as he could control
his actions.
" Yes ! " she said, with unnecessary vehemence.
" You must keep your word ; and if all other
methods fail, you are bound to take her home
as your wife if you can win her ; " and turning
abruptly, she went out on to the balcony, where
trails of morning-glory hid her from his sight.
"God forbid ! " he muttered to himself in a
dreary voice, as he slowly descended the broad
staircase.
As he drove along the straight carriage-drive,
he looked back at the ipomea, with its burden of
blue blossom wreathing the verandah, but the
white-silk drapery was gone. Could his sight
have penetrated the depths of the shaded drawing-
room, he would have seen a girl lying upon the
couch, with her face hidden amongst the silken
cushions, grappling with the first anguish of her
life.
CHAPTER IX
DAISY BULLEN was in the verandah of her father's
house. On the floor sat a dirzee, his back against
the wall, a large sheet spread in front of him, and
laid out with patterns, materials, pins, scissors, and
a six-months' old fashion-book that smelt strongly
of smoke. The tailor was putting his whole soul
into the creation of a ball-dress, and Daisy was
superintending. It was her first ball-dress, and it
was to be a diaphanous dream of white grenadine
and pink roses.
The sergeants and corporals of the camp had
decided to give a dance. When Corporal Barnes
brought the two tickets, he explained that he had
only those at his disposal. He expressed a warm
hope that Mr. and Miss Bullen would accept the
invitation. Mrs. Bullen was quite content to be
omitted. Loyal as she was to her husband's nation,
she would have hesitated to appear at a sergeants'
ball under any circumstances. If the occasion
demanded the adoption of evening dress, her
hesitation would have merged into a firm refusal.
But though she was not going herself, she took
130
DILYS 131
the keenest pride in her daughter's dress. Bullen
had told her that no reasonable expense was to be
spared, as probably Mr. Barnes would have some-
thing to say to Daisy that evening. " Just let the
girl look her very best, Molly mor. When my
sister was married, I remember my mother made
everything in the house, and lor ! you couldn't
have told but what the dress came from the best
shop in Beccles."
Mrs. Bullen had had the standard of the
unknown mother-in-law held before her eyes all
her married life. She never dared to hope that
she could emulate her husband's mother. But
she never ceased from endeavouring to imitate all
the virtues that Bullen declared graced his parent.
She did her best with the patient humility of the
Oriental woman, and was supremely happy when
her husband told her that his own mother could
not have done better. She spent the whole of
one day in the bazaar, bargaining with the native
hawker over the material, and the half of another
in the purchase of the pink roses. Then came
the hiring of the tailor, who wanted to make it
a contract job, carried out at his own house. This
proposal brought forth a voluble outpouring on
the part of Mrs. Bullen concerning the folly of all
such arrangements where cutting-out had to be
done and material might be stolen. In the end,
the tailor was engaged to come by the day and
work under the eye of Miss Bullen.
132 DILYS
Whenever her daughter appeared in the kitchen
or back verandah to offer her customary help in
the house work, Mrs. Bullen sent her back to the
dirzee with
"Now, Daisy girl, you just leave that for the
tanniketch to do. You go and look after that
man. Oh my ! if you don't watch him every
minute of the day, he will be cutting your dress
all wrong and stealing half the stuff."
So Daisy, nothing loth, was living in the front
verandah, now on a chair facing the tailor, now
on her knees helping him to pin crumpled, much-
worn patterns to unmanageable grenadine. The
dirzee, far from being annoyed by the supervision,
was full of happy importance at being the centre
of her attention, and was endeavouring to break
his record in the matter of " barl-dress, only."
" Shall 1 put a yem on the beyind ? or shall
I put farlse peese only ? " he inquired, as he held
up the train of the unfinished skirt for Daisy's
inspection.
As she was concentrating her mind on the
important point, and hesitating between the
mysterious " yem " and " farlse peese," her small
brother Jimmy came into the verandah. The
interest in Daisy's dress was not confined to her-
self and her parents. It spread through the whole
household, extending to the two servants, the
kitchen woman and the scullion, a merry lanky
scamp, whose ambition was to be cook in the
DILYS 133
judge's house. Even the appa woman, who
brought the rice cakes every morning, once
ventured under the wing of the tanniketch to
peep at the dirzee from behind the door with
exclamations of wonder and admiration. The
children paid many visits, having more time at
their disposal than those members of the establish-
ment who were engaged in the various duties
which had to be performed in the cook-room and
its vicinity. Jimmy, under pretence of requiring
assistance in the buckling of his school satchel,
ventured to the very border of the sheet.
"Now, look where you are going, Jimmee
boy ! " exclaimed Daisy, as she glanced apprehen-
sively at his dusty shoes.
" Oh 1 that is pretty ! Daisy, you will look
like a fairy-queen. And mamma says there will be a
beautiful supper. My ! I should like to go ! You
will bring me something in your parket, won't
you ? " he concluded, in a wheedling tone.
" Hark at you, Jimmee boy ! Why do you
say parket like a native ? Say porket ; that's
how Mr. Barnes speaks. Oh my ! there's the
clock striking. You are late for afternoon school,
and the schoolmaster will beat you. Run, Jimmy
boy ! run ! " she cried, as she fastened the strap
and ridded herself of the interruption. Falling on
her knees to obtain closer vision, she once more
centred her thoughts on the " yem" question.
Before she could come to a decision, her mind
I 3 4 DILYS
was once more diverted. This time it was the
distant creaking of boots.
" Oh my ! there is that tiresome Naga ! " she
cried, with puckered brow, as the creaking marked
the passage of the owner of the boots up the
verandah steps. She made no movement to greet
the visitor, but busied herself with the momentous
" yem." " How much have you to turn in,
tailor ? That is not enough for a hem. What
a stupid fellow you are I You don't know how to
make a ball-dress."
The dirzee tossed aside the grenadine with an
impatient gesture, and produced a roll of dirty
notes from an inner pocket.
"Yes, missie, I make plenty barl-dresses for
judge's lady, collector's lady, captain's lady.
Missie see chits. Those ladies never having
yem ; they liking farlse peese. Then only eeskirt
nicely lying on ground."
" Daisy ! Daisy ! " softly called Naga from the
sunny side of the bamboo blind.
" Come in, Naga," cried the distracted Daisy.
" I am very busy, but you may come in if you
like and see what the tailor is doing ; " for she
thought that he could have no other purpose for
his visit except to see her dress. "Yes, tailor,
perhaps you are right ; you may put on a false
piece," she said in a conciliatory tone, remem-
bering that the race of dirzees is apt to take
offence and show displeasure by walking off and
DILYS 135
boycotting the house where an insult has been
offered.
The indignant tailor was mollified, and replac-
ing the grimy roll of " chits," took up his work
again. He put a remnant of the material into
her hand, remarking in milder accents
"Plenty eestuff got."
" Daisy ! Daisy ! " called Naga again.
" Oh my ! how troublesome you are ; " ejacu-
lated Miss Bullen, as she dropped the white
grenadine which she had been holding in her
hands. " Why cannot you push the blind aside
and walk in, Naga ? " she asked, raising her voice. 1
" I cannot ; my hands are full," was the reply.'
She rose to her feet and went to the entrance.'
As she drew aside the blind she disclosed the
young policeman dressed in a smart new uniform
and turban. In one hand he held a large bouquet,
and in the other a cake of the same generous
proportions.
" Oh my ! now, what have you got there ? "
cried the girl, the ball-dress forgotten in the
surprise of the moment.
A broad sheepish smile spread over his face
as he tendered the bouquet. It was built in
native fashion. Circular tiers of Persian roses,
and white gardenias starting from a fringe of green
foliage, converged towards a centre formed by a
gilded orange, into the middle of which was stuck
a sprig of myrtle. It was heavy with string and
136 DILYS
stalk, each blossom being mounted upon a firm
unbending stick. In addition, it was dripping
with the muddy water of the garden tank, where
it had been soaking since early morning.
" Oh my ! now, Naga, what have you been
doing ? " giggled Miss Bullen, as he pushed the
nosegay into her hands.
He did not answer, but with a broadening
smile presented the cake.
In its way it was quite as wonderful a
creation as the bouquet. Resting on the com-
monest of stoneware plates, it was covered with
pink-and-white sugar. Pink-and-white paper
frills, such as adorn hams and cutlets at a restau-
rant, decorated its base. A wreath of silver leaves
formed a kind of eaves to its flat crown, which
had the words, "For dear Daisy," done in pink
sugar on the snowy icing. The centre was orna-
mented by a sugar parrot holding a silver heart in
its beak. For this marvellous confection Naga
had paid a quarter of his month's salary, but he
did not grudge the money. If Englishmen made
love with presents, he could take a lesson out of
their books and demonstrate his affection in the
same way.
" Oh my ! " ejaculated the astonished girl
several times. " What will my pappa say ? "
The tailor, seeing Miss Bullen's attention
diverted from himself, rose from his mat, and
sneaked out to the back of the house, where he
DILYS 137
had hidden a small bag that contained the tin pot
from which he quenched his thirst. The bag
also contained some private work of his own
for which he had a contract. Out came the
needle and cotton Miss Bullen's cotton and
the thread flew rapidly backwards and forwards,
whilst his ear was bent to hear the call to
summon him from " drinking water only " in the
yard.
But Daisy was fully occupied with her cousin.
Like most Eurasian maidens she dearly loved
cake, and her eyes shone with pleasant anticipation
as she examined the gift.
" What a beauty ! Gracious ! Naga, what a
lot of money you must have paid for it ! But
what will my pappa say ? " she concluded, with a
pricking of conscience.
" Has Corporal Barnes ever given you a
cake ? " asked the policeman, jealously.
" Oh my ! no ; " and she laughed again.
" He does not love you as I do," said Naga,
amorously. " Look at the words on the top,
4 For dear Daisy.' And you see this bird ? That
is Naga's heart which he has in his beak. He is
bringing it to dear Daisy."
" Oh, Naga, how you go on ! You must not
talk like that.'*
She carried the cake and the bouquet to the
sitting-room, and placed them on the table. She
examined the pink - and - white trimmings, and
138 DILYS
touched the silver foliage delicately with her
fingers, Naga looking on with exulting affection.
They were alone, Mrs. Bullen having gone to
her room under the pretext of mending the chil-
dren's clothes. In reality she was indulging in a
" black man's holiday," that afternoon nap which
is indispensable to the early-rising native of the
East. Naga grew bolder in the seclusion of the
room, and took a creaking step towards her.
"You like it? You like the bird; the sugar;
the silver leaves ? Those leaves came off wed-
ding-flowers. It is almost a wedding-cake," con-
tinued Naga, his courage growing. Oh, Daisy,
my father says that he is looking for a wife for
me. Why should I not follow your custom and
look for a wife for myself? "
Daisy hung her head demurely over the sugar
parrot as she answered
" You are not like us, Naga. You must do
as your father tells you."
He drew himself up with a newborn in-
dependence.
" I will not obey him. I am a man, and I
will choose for myself. I have made my choice,'
and sent my heart to you, Daisy, the only girl I
have ever loved."
He sighed deeply, and again the boots
creaked as he approached nearer still.
" Daisy," he whispered, " haven't I always
loved you ever since we played trains together ?
DILYS 139
Shall I tell you something ? Last Christmas I
brought you some cocoa-nut sweets. Those
sweets were made by a woman who is clever at
magic. She put a love-potion in them, which
she said would bring me into favour with the
girl who ate them. The spell was to take nearly
a year in working. The time is up, and now I
know that you will love me."
He put his arm round her waist, and kissed
her before she was aware of what was coming.
" Ah ! now ! stop it, Naga ! " she cried, with
a little scream of dismay. " I tell you, stop it !
Oh my 1 What will my pappa and my mamma
say?"
"He'll say that and that," thundered the
voice of Bullen behind them, as he brought his
stick down with two resounding thwacks upon
the ardent lover's back.
" Oh my 1 I did not know that you were
there, pappa," exclaimed Daisy, with real fright,
as she fled towards the back verandah, leaving
Naga to face the storm.
Ben, having expressed himself in that vigorous
manner, demanded an explanation.
" Now then, young man, what are you adoing
of with that girl of mine ? "
The discomposed policeman stood erect and
faced his uncle. He was hurt not so much in
the flesh for Bullen had not used his cane
heavily as in the spirit. He had been beaten
1 40 DILYS
before his lady-love by her own father. His
reply was not without dignity.
" I was going to ask her to be my wife."
" Oh ! you were, were you ? And who are
you to dare to ask a European to be your wife ? "
" I am a police-peon now, as my father was,
but I shall be promoted by-and-by. If Daisy
will marry me, I will give her as good a house
to live in as this, and I will keep her as an
Englishwoman should be kept."
Naga spoke in good faith, and his earnest-
ness softened the anger of the older man ; but
it did not kill the withering scorn that was
manifest in every word as the Englishman
replied
" What are you ? You're a heathen. What's
my daughter ? She's a Christian. What's your
colour ? Black. What's Daisy's ? Almost as
white as my own. And you dare to ask her to
marry you ? "
Naga's face fell under this crude description
of the difference in birth and religion between
himself and his cousin. Still, he was not to be
easily daunted, and he said with some eagerness
" I can come Christian."
" What's the good of that ? You can't change
your colour with your religion.'"
" Colour did not matter to you when you
took my mother's sister," rejoined the policeman,
quickly.
DILYS 141
Ben was posed for the fraction of a minute, but
speech came almost immediately.
" That was different. I was the man and the
native was the woman. In your case the native
is the man. A native dares to lift his eyes to
the daughter of an Englishman ! What infernal
impudence ! " cried Bullen, his anger growing at
the bare contemplation of such a crime.
l If my mother's sister had married among
her own people, my father would have made her
daughter my wife three years ago," said Naga,
with some defiance.
" But since I have married her, your father
won't presume to think that her daughter will be
allowed to mate with his son. The English have
taught him and his kind a lesson since they first
came to the country. It seems to me that we shall
have to teach some of you young fellows that
lesson over again before long, if you don't mind."
Naga's eyes flashed angrily. It was humiliat-
ing enough to have his suit rejected with scorn,
but abuse was altogether unmerited. He replied
with some spirit
"Things were much better for us before the
English showed their white faces in this country
to turn the heads of our women. Those good
old times have gone, and such as I am, are
trampled under foot."
The old pensioner rounded upon him with a
contempt that echoed in every word.
142 D1LYS
" Good old times, do you call them ? What
would you have been in the good old times ? A
slave ! a down-trodden, Roger-ridden " (he meant
Rajah) " slave ! That's what you would have
been. And what are you now ? The English
Government has made a police-peon of you. You
get regular pay, fine clothes, a big turban, and
you wear boots. If the collector or the judge
happen to pass you on the road you salute, and
walk on, because the Government allows that the
road belongs as much to you as it does to them.
But in those good old days, as you call them, if
you saw a Roger a-coming along the road, you had
to get off yes, and crawl on your hands and
knees in the gutter till he had gone by. And if
he had caught a sight of your fine clothes, he
would have had every one of them off your back.
As for your boots, he would have cut off your
hand and foot for daring to wear them, and you
would have thought yourself lucky to have got off
with your life. Nice times they were, to be sure."
This tirade left Ben's aspiring nephew silent.
He turned to go.
" Here, take away that trash," said Bullen,
determined to make what he called a good job
of the business and extinguish the last ray of
hope that might linger in the lover's mind. He
pointed to the circular nosegay and the ridiculous
cake. " My daughter is not for you nor your
likes."
DILYS 143
" I suppose you mean her for Corporal
Barnes," observed Naga, with bitterness, as he
possessed himself of the rejected offerings.
"That's just about it ; and if you don't take
care you will have him after you. If he catches
you at any of them games he'll give you what-
for, or my name ain't Ben Bullen."
Naga departed crestfallen, unhappy, and angry.
He cursed the fate that made him a son of India.
He cursed the white man who, in his opinion
formed on the spot oppressed his race. So
vexed was his soul that he forgot to make his
boots " talk," as he trod heavily back to his home,
carrying the rejected offerings which had cost him
so much. On his way he passed Corporal Barnes,
accompanied by his friend Corporal Spring. They
were bending their steps towards Bullen's house.
As the men went by they treated the unhappy
policeman to a little mild chaff. On ordinary
occasions such chaff was usually received with a
broad, good-humoured smile.
" Hallo, Bobby ! Going to see your best
girl ? Give her a kiss from me," cried Barnes,
his amused eyes upon the cake and flowers.
" Don't forget to ask me to the wedding, old
man," said Spring ; and they passed on without
noticing the angry scowl upon the brow of the
police-peon.
A few paces further on Naga stopped to look
back. It was as he suspected. The Englishmen
144 DILYS
mounted the steps of the verandah and vanished
behind the bamboo curtain. A very different
welcome awaited them from the one accorded to
him, and the flame of his wrath burnt brighter.
o
He hastened on towards his own house, and
calling his sisters from the enclosed courtyard
into which the women's apartments opened, he
said
" Here, little sister, here is a cake for you ;
and here, little one, is a bouquet for you."
He pushed the despised cake and flowers into
their eager hands, and made no answer to the
numerous questions they put as to the reason of
his action.
" Stay, brother, and eat some with us," they
cried.
" I have no time to waste," he answered
gruffly.
They regarded him with gentle surprise.
"You told us at midday that you had holiday
until to-morrow morning," they said.
" Holiday ! What do I want with a holiday ? "
he returned bitterly. " What I want is promo-
tion, and for that one must work or "
He left the children and walked moodily out
of the house. Yes, there are two roads to pro-
motion. By hard work that is the tedious road.
The quicker way is to set one's foot on the neck
of one's enemy. That is also the sweeter.
CHAPTER X
WHEN Bullen, in accordance with the wishes of
* i
his wife, settled at Cuddalore, he did so on con-
dition that there should be no familiar intercourse
between the heads of the families of the two
sisters. The children had met in the street and
in the verandah of his house, and he had silently
permitted this in his easy good nature, perhaps
against his better judgment. The result of this'
leniency was shown in Naga's action. It was too
late to undo the past ; but the affair was not
without its remedy. Bullen was anxious that no
friction should occur between the police-peon and
the corporal. It was possible that Barnes might
feel the indignity of having a rival who was a
native. If he suspected for a moment that Daisy
had given Naga any encouragement, the smart
English corporal would retire from the field in
high dudgeon. Bullen intended to reveal the
relationship just before the marriage, and to point
out at the same time that when Daisy entered the
regiment she would break the links that bound
her to her mother's people, and would become a
145 L
146 DILYS
European to all intents and purposes on the
strength of the regiment.
Bullen, much perplexed, sought counsel with
Brand, who was ready as usual with sage
advice. The story of Naga's delinquency was
told.
"I'm sorry for the young fellow, and that's
the real truth," concluded Ben, with puckered
brow. " But how he dared to think of marrying
a European beats me ; that fare so bumptious."
"They are a bumptious, impudent lot nowa-
days. It would teach them a lesson if we were to
farm them out to Roossia for ten years. I bet
they would be glad enough to eat humble pie at
the end of the time, and would come back to us
and our rule with thankful hearts."
" You're right, bor ; you're quite right. And
now what do you think I had better do about this
young chap ? "
" You must speak to his father, and ask him
to push on his marriage with some native girl,
according to their custom. When once he has a
wife, the lad will give no further trouble."
" I don't know whether Soobarow can afford
it just yet," replied Bullen, doubtfully.
" Offer to lend him something towards it ;
then you will have a hold on him. He will take
the money as readily as a cat will take cream.
Have you got it ? "
" Yes, I've got it all right." He added, after
DILYS 147
a slight pause, " There's a bit of money put by
for the missus ; more than enough for that."
" You have been more careful than I have,"
replied his companion. " I have nothing but my
pension and what I earn over "
He glanced at Ben with a twinkle in his eye,
and left the sentence unfinished.
" What you earn over the fishing," said
Bullen. At which they both laughed heartily,
and Brand continued
" I have no children like you, so what is the
good of my saving ? And, after all, it may yet be
paid back. But, mind you, Ben, between our-
selves, I don't look for its repayment ; I don't
want it. I gave it willingly in as good a cause as
ever man had to spend his money ; and I would
do it again ten times over without any regret. I
shall feel very bad the day that money comes back
to me."
Ben cast a look of pride upon his old friend
as he said
"You always were such a gentleman, you
were."
There was silence for a while. Brand's eyes
softened as his thoughts wandered from the sub-
ject under discussion. He was unconscious of
his friend's gaze, and started slightly as Bullen
said gently
" You will never marry now."
"Never," replied Brand, with sudden emphasis,
148 DILYS
" I am not like you, Ben. If I had ever met the
kind of woman I might have fancied, I would
never have dared to ask her ; and those I would
have dared to ask, I wouldn't have."
" And you have never met her the one you
dared not ask ? " ventured Ben, instinctively aware
that he was treading on delicate ground.
" I wouldn't say one way or the other. The
mere mention of it seems like an offence."
There was that in his tone which intimated
that the topic must be dropped, and Bullen took
the hint. He dismissed the subject by saying
" You're too old for marriage now, bor. That
sort of thing must be left to the young people, so
we will go back to Naga. Shall I offer to lend
the money ? "
" Send your wife to talk to her sister, and let
her make the offer of the loan in your name on
condition that they fix up the wedding in a few
weeks. Most likely they have had their eye
upon a girl for some time past and are at logger-
heads over the money to be put down in jewels.
Or perhaps they are waiting for Naga's
promotion."
After further discussion it was decided that
Mrs. Bullen should be deputed to approach her
sister on the matter. That good lady's bosom
swelled with pride as her husband unfolded his
scheme. Long as he had been in the country he
was scarcely aware of the importance attached to
DILYS 149
money-lending by the natives and the prestige
which the transaction conferred upon the lender.
Mrs. Bullen had been in the habit of paying
occasional visits to her sister, but they were more
or less surreptitious. After dark, when she had
ostensibly gone to see to the cooking of the
supper, she slipped out by the little door in the
back yard and stole a blissful half-hour of betel-
chewing and gossip in the house of the head-
constable. But of this Bullen knew nothing. If
by chance he became aware of her absence, the
reason for it was given by the kitchen-woman
with glib tongue. The missus had stepped out
to buy fresh coffee or some forgotten necessary
for the house.
But now things were changed, and Mrs.
Bullen was to call on her sister in broad daylight
by her husband's request. She quite understood
the explanation made by Ben after the children
were in bed. The disposal of the obstructive
Naga must be at once, and a loan of money
at a moderate rate of interest was a plan which
commended itself to Mrs. Bullen in every way.
The next morning a message was sent by one
of the young Bullens to say that the wife of the
pensioner would call upon the wife of the head-
constable at four o'clock in the afternoon. The
message stirred the household to its last member,
and there was much speculation from Soobarow
downwards as to the reason of the visit.
150 DILYS
The house of the head-constable stood in the
same street as that of the pensioner, the distance
between the two being less than a quarter of a
mile. When Mrs. Bullen crept down the length
of it to see her sister under cover of darkness, it
took her just four minutes to go from door to
door. But on this occasion Daisy declared that it
would be quite impossible for her mother to walk,
and that she must have a carriage.
" But Daisy, child, think what my sister will
say."
" And what will she say, mamma ? "
" Oh my ! She will say that I am making
myself too glorious."
" What an idea ! She will never dare to talk
in that way. But wait a minute." Daisy went
into the verandah where her father sat with his
pipe. "Pappa, don't you think that mamma
ought to go to the head-constable's house to-day
in a carriage ? "
"What 1 A one-hoss coach ? " asked Bullen,
who clung to the old term in preference to
the more modern word. His daughter's pro-
posal took his breath away, and he regarded
her in blank astonishment. "Why can't she
walk?"
" Mamma can walk all right ; but when a lady
goes out calling she ought to have a carriage.
What did my grandmamma do when she paid
visits ? "
DILYS 151
" She never paid any visits except to her sister
who lived in Lowestoft."
"And did she walk to Lowestoft ?"
" Why no, child. That's twelve miles from
Beccles to Lowestoft if it's an inch. She used to
go by carrier. He had a van and a rare good
horse, and being friendly with him mother used
to say that it was just like having a coach of her
own."
Bullen resumed his pipe as his thoughts went
back to the past.
"We have no carrier here, so my mamma
must have a carriage," said Daisy, decisively.
Bullen, who was a careful man, brought his
mind to bear on the subject. He was quite will-
ing to indulge his wife and daughter in any
reasonable fancy, and consented to the hiring of
a conveyance. But he stipulated that it should
take the form of a pony-jutka, a country vehicle
resembling a small wooden box mounted on two
large wheels, the hiring of which cost considerably
less than a hack carriage.
At half-past three Mrs. Bullen, arrayed in a
marvellous robe de vtsite, stood at the top of the
verandah steps and surveyed the jutka which had
been hired at four annas for any distance within
the mile. Her dress was a purple merino skirt
and jacket. Over this was draped a white muslin
saree bordered with gold. On her feet were
white cotton stockings and brown shoes. Her
152 DILYS
ample figure gleamed with gold jewels, and her
soft, fat fingers bore many rings.
Attended closely by Daisy, who had been
assisting at her mother's toilette, she slowly
descended the steps, and devoted a whole minute
to instructing the urchin, who fulfilled the duty
of coachman, as to the route. As Daisy and her
mother both spoke at once, and the younger
children added their counsels all at the top of
their voices, it was a marvel that the shaven-
headed youth understood a single word of their
commands. The door of the vehicle opened at
the back. Mrs. Bullen, with Daisy's assistance,
pushed her way into it, whilst Jehu leaned for-
ward and threw his weight upon the shafts to
relieve the strain upon the harness.
By this time a little crowd of spectators had
assembled in the street, and their presence added
to the general satisfaction of the Bullen family.
The signal was given, and the whip cracked
round the knock-kneed legs of the pony, whilst
Daisy continued to give her mother reminders
of all that she had to do. The dusty pony, after
backing into the crowd and dispersing it quicker
than it had gathered, threw itself into its collar
with a jerk that snapped one of the many straps
of its trappings. It started off at a gallop down
the street in the opposite direction to the house
of the head-constable. At sight of the loosened
strap, Daisy, fearing for the safety of her mother,
DILYS 153
screamed after the swaying jutka ; but the imp
at the end of the reins took no notice of her
commands to stop. He knew his steed too well
to trifle with its temper and court a fit of jibbing
before his fare was well on her way. He pre-
ferred to take the risk of an accident and let the
strap swing, especially as the buckle performed
the part of a whip and kept the pony going.
They rattled in a cloud of dust to the bazaar,
where Mrs. Bullen stopped at the grain mer-
chant's stall to complain of the quality of the last
bushel of rice, and to order some more. She
remained inside the jutka, and waved a jewelled
hand through the open window to emphasize
her words. The grain merchant, seated on the
raised platform of his stall amongst his grain
bags, listened in silence, and continued to chew
betel-nut, unmoved by the relation of Mrs.
Bullen's remarks on the shocking inferiority of
the rice. As is the custom in the East, every
passer-by stopped to hear what the lady had to
say, and to put in a word of criticism or approval
as fancy dictated. When she at length gave the
man an opportunity of speaking, he assured her,
after the manner of his kind all over the world,
that he regretted her anger ; he was glad to say
that he had just got in some fresh grain of superior
quality, which he was sure her husband would
like. Relations gradually became less strained,
and Mrs. Bullen and her tradesman parted on
i 5 4 DILYS
the best of terms in the midst of a circle of
spectators.
Having traversed the chief streets of Cud-
dalore on various pretexts, the jutka came round
towards the point of departure, and pulled up
at the house of the head-constable. Mrs. Bullen
did not attempt to descend from her chariot
until the whole household had assembled. Her
exit was made backwards, a tanned leather shoe
appearing first, then purple drapery and gleaming
gold, whilst the ringed fingers clung to the sides
of the carriage. As she lowered herself to the
ground, the ill-constructed jutka inclined at a
sharp angle, that sent the shafts above the back
of the pony, and caused the driver to glance
round apprehensively ; but as she detached her-
self from the vehicle, it regained its equilibrium
with a severe jerk, without any further damage
to the dilapidated harness.
Mrs. Bullen paid the fare to the urchin, and,
in addition, presented him with a quarter of an
anna the value of a farthing as a present.
He received it with an obsequious "Salaam, lady,"
a mode of address used towards an English-
woman, and, reining in his hard-mouthed pony,
he waited to witness the greeting before starting
in quest of a fresh fare.
Mrs. Soobarow, mindful of her dignity, did
not cross the threshold to receive her sister, but
remained standing in the passage. Her family,
DILYS 155
having no dignity to preserve, were able to in-
dulge their curiosity to its fullest extent. They
grouped themselves on the verandah steps, and
Mrs. Bullen, conscious that she was the centre
of observation, shook hands with each in turn,
saying " Good marning " in English, and adding
a few words of greeting in her own tongue.
When at length she reached her sister, and their
hands met in the unusual hand-clasp, Mrs. Bullen
said " How-do-you-do-good-marning-sister " in
her best European manner, and her heart glowed
with pride as she noted the impression which her
foreign style had made upon the assembly.
Having inquired after the health of the
family, she was conducted to the women's quarters
near the kitchen, whence proceeded a penetrating
smell of onions. A chair was brought, and Mrs.
Bullen seated herself like a European, whilst her
sister was content to stand by her side for the
present. The rest of the household, including
the kitchen-woman and her daughter, gathered
round in an admiring circle to listen, whilst Mrs.
Bullen replied to a series of questions concerning
the health of her own family. Twenty minutes
were passed in this gratifying manner, when Mrs.
Soobarow asked her sister if she would not like
to look at a new gold bangle, which her husband
had lately purchased for his daughter's wedding.
As the two sisters entered the private room of
Mrs. Soobarow, the signal was given for the
156 DILYS
dispersion of the rest of the company. Her two
daughters endeavoured to follow their mother,
but they were sent off to draw water, with
peremptory orders to set about their task at once.
The room was lighted by one small window,
too high in the wall to be reached by curious
eyes. The furniture consisted of two or three
grass mats, a string cot covered with striped
cotton rugs, a jar of drinking water, a cheap
paraffin lamp, and a few odd pillows encased in
turkey-red, some on the cot and some lying on
the mats. In a corner was a cotton quilt rolled
up to be out of the way in the day, this being
the usual method of " making the beds " in the
morning with the natives. As the privacy of the
bedroom enveloped the wife of the Englishman,
so did the English manner fall away from her
like a garment.
Mrs. Bullen's first act was to remove the
smart brown leather shoes and white stockings.
Then she seated herself upon the cot, and in-
stinctively drew up her feet tailor-fashion, after
the custom of her maternal forebears. Mrs.
Soobarow followed her example, and, having
comfortably settled herself, opened her betel-bag.
With tender solicitude she prepared the dainty
morsel for her sister, wrapping the dried slices
of areca-nut, the pinch of lime, and a touch of
aromatic spice in the fresh green betel-leaf. As
she placed the neat roll in her guest's mouth, she
DILYS 157
cracked all her finger-joints to keep off the evil
spirits.
" Do you eat betel at home, sister ? " she
asked.
" When the toddy-cat mates with the house-
cat, she must be content to drink cow's milk all
her days. Yet there are many things which may
be done under the eye of an Englishman, and he
sees nothing."
They were speaking in their own tongue, and
Mrs. Bullen slipped back into the figurative speech
of the country.
" They are simple creatures foolish elephants
of men that know not their strength," remarked
the wife of the head-constable. " As the thunny-
fish knows the depths of the sea, so do we women
of this country know the strength of our hus-
bands' arms. Yours has never beaten you, you
have often told me."
She glanced sharply, and not without envy, at
the buxom Mrs. Bullen, who laughed comfortably,
and in a manner that ratified the words of her
reply.
" No ; he has never raised his hand upon me.
Nevertheless, Mr. Bullen must be obeyed in all
great matters, and it is by his orders that I am
here."
" You have something to tell, sister. Does
it concern Pondicherry and the trade ? Several
times has my husband caught the Lumbadees,
158 DILYS
and made them pay fines. It was with that money,
and some given him by Mr. Berrand, that he
bought the gold bangle which I will presently
show you. The Polliss Master is very anxious
to catch the Lumbadees, and put them in prison.
But he will not do it. My husband says that it
will bring too much trouble. The Lumbadees
do not mind paying a fine, but they do not
like to go to prison. It interferes with their
trade. When my husband tried to explain to
the Polliss Master that fining without going to
court was best, he became angry, and would not
comprehend. He said that it was law-breaking
to fine without the consent of the court, which
is a thing that neither the polliss nor the people
understand."
" Knowledge, like the young wife, is best kept
at home. Moreover, why should you open the
shutters and let the storm blow through your
house to your own hurt ? " replied Mrs. Bullen,
sympathetically.
The other wagged her head in assent as she
remarked
"And therefore my husband is unable to
satisfy the Polliss Master as he would wish. If
he spoke of the fines, and it became known, the
storm would indeed destroy us. It is not of the
liquor trade that you would speak, sister ? "
" Not to-day ; it is of Naga's marriage that
I came to talk. Is it arranged ? " The question
DILYS 159
was asked with a certain show of indifference,
which, however, did not deceive.
" Why do you want to know ? "
" Mr. Bullen is interested in the boy, and
wishes to be present as a guest. You told me,
sister, that the wedding was to take place soon
after the new year. The time is approaching, but
you have said nothing more."
Mrs. Soobarow's eyes sought the single beam
of light that penetrated her dim bower, and she
hesitated before replying
" We have decided to put it off for the
present."
" Is the girl not satisfactory ? "
" It is her father who makes the trouble.
People who climb the rock for eagles' eggs are
apt to fall. After the fall they will content them-
selves with the eggs of the village fowl ; therefore
we wait."
"They ask too big a sum ?" conjectured Mrs.
Bullen.
" It is so, and we have withdrawn. My
husband is contracting for the marriage of our
daughter. The man is not young, but he is well-
to-do, and has no children. He asks for little
else but a strong, healthy girl such as ours is."
"But it is time Naga married, sister," pro-
tested the wife of the pensioner. " He will give
you trouble and choose for himself if you do not
act. The young bull is hard to lead beneath the
160 DILYS
yoke if he is left too long in the field. The early
yoke and the still earlier nose-rope make the
gentlest and best of beasts."
Mrs. Soobarow fingered the gold bangles
which clasped the plump arms of Mrs. Bullen.
" Your husband is rich ; these are worth a large
sum of money. How can we, who are so poor,
find jewels like these for our son ? Yet these
ay, and more than these, are what the father of
the girl asks."
" You do not give the cow all she bellows for,
no matter how good a milker she may be. Over-
fed beasts are apt to turn on you and toss. Let
him ask all he pleases, but give only what is cus-
tomary."
Mrs. Soobarow made no reply to this sage
advice, but called to the kitchen-woman to bring
coffee. The aromatic odour so dear to the
nostrils of the Oriental heralded its advent. Mrs.
Bullen felt her heart warm towards her sister as
she handed her a steaming cup. A plate of sweets
was placed on the cot between the two ladies.
" My son says there is no hurry about his
marriage ; he is content to wait."
" Meanwhile you have no grandson, sister ;
and no daughter-in-law to help you. It is not
the rule of your husband's people to take counsel
with the children as it is with the people of my
husband. Your children are natives, and must be
treated as such. You will have to turn a deaf ear
DILYS 161
to the boy's words, and marry him to the woman
you choose. How much money have you ? "
" Not enough to do more than pay for the
wedding of our daughter. Now, if your husband
had been a man of this country, sister, should we
not long ago have arranged a marriage between
your daughter and my son ? " asked the wife of
the head-constable.
" My daughter is to marry one of the soldiers
of the camp. Her father has decreed it," replied
Mrs. Bullen, shortly and decisively.
The other lifted the tray of sweets, and offered
them to her visitor.
" They are of the very best. I bought them
this morning. When the Brahminy bull comes to
one's house, beans of gold are not too good for
him. Ah ! I wish that my husband were as rich
as yours. Then the marriage of Naga might be
made without any delay," said Mrs. Soobarow,
with an appropriate sigh of envy which was not
lost upon her hearer.
Mrs. Bullen did not deny the imputation of
wealth, but smiled with encouragement, keeping
silence in the hope that her sister would ask the
favour of a loan. There was a distinct advantage
in pushing Mrs. Soobarow into the position of
the suppliant, while she played the gracious lady-
benevolent and dictated her own terms. But the
wife of the head-constable was the elder of the two,
and she had no desire to put herself into such a
M
1 62 DILYS
position. She broke away from the subject which
lay so near the hearts of both, and remarked on
the dearness of bazaar prices. Mrs. Bullen pursued
the new topic with alacrity, and dilated at length
on the mode of serving meals in the pensioner's
house, dwelling on the fact that she ate her food
at a table with her husband, and was not obliged
to wait until he had finished. It was a tale which
had been repeated more than once, but it never
failed to hold the attention of Mrs. Soobarow,
who, following the custom of her nation, did not
take any meal until her husband and sons had
been served.
A whole hour went by, and the two sisters con-
tinued to skirmish around without coming much
nearer to the point. Mrs. Soobarow arrived at
the knowledge that the Bullens desired to see
Naga married. She had not been told of his
escapade, but she could divine the reason. Mrs.
Bullen was equally aware that her sister was long-
ing to ask for the loan which would make Naga's
wedding possible, but shrank, as elder sister, from
humbling herself to solicit a favour.
Mrs. Bullen descended from her perch upon
the cot, and began to put on her stockings and
shoes, with protestations that it was late, and she
must be going. This had the effect of driving
the other to desperation. The opportunity which
had come seemed slipping from her grasp. She
rushed headlong back to the momentous question.
DILYS 163
" If we married Naga soon after the new year,
would you come to the wedding ? " she asked.
"Certainly, without doubt," replied Mrs.
Bullen.
" But we are too poor," cried her sister, with
well-simulated despair. " If only we had a little
of your wealth. But English people do not lend
to natives, though they often borrow from them."
" And pay high interest," rejoined Mrs.
Bullen, quickly.
" That is true, for the sowcar is more grasping
than the Englishman. When your husband lends
money, he doubtless charges but a small interest."
Mrs. Bullen appeared to be absorbed in the
contemplation of her shoes.
" These shoes were bought of a Madras
hawker. They are not country-made, but
English ; and they cost twelve rupees," she said.
" They become you well, sister. You have
all the look of an Englishwoman. Hide but
the tail of a goat, and the world takes him for
a sheep. It is only your complexion that
betrays you. In every other respect you have
the appearance of a European."
The flattery was not lost upon Mrs. Bullen,
who rose to her feet preparatory to taking leave.
" I have lived so many years with an English-
man that it is not to be wondered at that I am
like him, though not of his nation. Even the
string that binds the roses smells sweet. If
1 64 DILYS
there is any service that my husband can render
yours, do not hesitate to speak. Mr. Bullen was
always of a kind heart and condescending nature."
The mention of her husband by name, a thing
that the wife of the native would not dare to do,
reminded Mrs. Soobarow of her sister's superiority.
Casting all her pride to the winds, she cried
" Sister, sister ! " as Mrs. Bullen walked
towards the door, with a gesture intimating that
the conversation and the visit were at an end.
"Sister, I have a favour to ask, but fear to name it."
The other turned, her face beaming with
benevolent satisfaction.
" A favour ! " she exclaimed, with well-simulated
surprise. " Why, what favour can the English-
man possibly grant to the head-constable ? "
" It concerns our son's marriage. If your
husband could lend the money, it might be possible
to accomplish the wedding."
" How soon would you require it ? "
Mrs. Soobarow understood what was beneath
the question, and her reply was to the point.
" We ought to have it soon, if the marriage is
to take place immediately after the new year. But
without the money, the wedding is impossible."
The wife of the pensioner shook her head
dubiously. She was enjoying the situation far too
well to allow the matter to proceed hastily.
"We have very little to spare, for there are
many expenses in the house of an Englishman
DILYS 165
which a native has not got. Then there is
Daisy's wedding. I fear it cannot be managed."
Mrs. Bullen pondered in deep thought with
puckered brow, as though it grieved her to the
heart to have to refuse. But her sister was not
to be deceived. Now that the plunge had been
taken, her tongue was loosened, and she pleaded
volubly, and with increasing hope, as Mrs. Bullen
raised more objections on the principle that it is a
mistake to grant favours too hastily.
The two ladies seated themselves on a mat,"
and Mrs. Soobarow prepared a fresh offering of
betel. After beating about the bush for another
thirty minutes, it was settled that fifty rupees
should be lent at a moderate rate of interest far
less than any native would charge and the date
was fixed for the new year.
Mrs. Bullen presently departed, having once
more assumed her best English manner. On the
threshold she shook hands with all the members
of the family and bade them good night.
" Mr. Bullen will never consent to the loan,"
she vehemently asserted. " I shall have trouble
to soothe the anger he will feel at the request having
been made. But I will do my best to serve you."
Her words indicated the importance of the
favour to be granted, but did not for a moment
deceive Mrs. Soobarow, who once more cracked
her fingers above her sister's head to keep off the
evil spirits.
CHAPTER XI
Miss HENSLEY'S proposal to pay a visit to Banga-
lore met with the full approval of her JiancL
Not only was he much engrossed by his work,
but he was also anxious to go into the district
where his presence was needed in more than one
spot.
She accordingly left Cuddalore three days after
her interview with Davenport. They saw each
other during those three days, as it was impossible
to avoid meeting ; but by mutual consent it was
always in public, when the presence of others was
a safeguard against dropping into dangerous
subjects. Certainly, by the time Marion left, all
her friends agreed that a change was necessary,
and that the cooler climate of Bangalore would
restore her health and her spirits, which had
flagged of late.
Mr. Hensley, seizing the opportunity of his
daughter's absence, started on a camping tour,
bent on doing that mysterious business known as
"jamabundee," when the tax is assessed on the
appearance of the crops. The police-officer and
1 66
DILYS 167
his guest missed their hospitable host, and dined
more frequently at home.
" How are you progressing towards making
the acquaintance of your heiress ? " asked Rex, one
evening after dinner.
He had no desire to seem inhospitable, but it
was becoming necessary to explain to his friend,
that the district claimed him for a while, as it had
claimed the collector, and that he must soon go
under canvas. It meant taking away the cook and
the butler, and leaving the bungalow in charge of
the kitchen-woman and the watchman. It would be
inconvenient to have a second European in camp,
for the simple reason that he had only enough
camp kit for himself. If Davenport could be
persuaded to go sight-seeing to Madras, or to
Ootacamund, or Bangalore for a few weeks, he
would be glad to see him again on his return,
and they might spend Christmas together. His
inquiry concerning Owen's progress with his
heiress-hunt was not made in idle curiosity.
" I think I told you that she asked for money,
which I sent, according to her directions, to Ban-
galore. The young woman takes her time about
replying. Her last letter requests me to go to
Bangalore, as she wishes to see me, and hear more
about her aunt."
" Does she name a time ? "
"Next week will suit her Majesty."
" And that will also suit me exactly," replied
1 68 DILYS
Rex, with hearty approval of the plan. " I must
go out into camp before long. I shall be away a
fortnight or three weeks. You will have time to
look about you and make an expedition to our
best show place in the south, Seringapatam.
Marion will be at Bangalore, and through her
you will have any number of introductions."
Rex ran on with his proposals for the em-
ployment of himself and of Owen, as well as Miss
Hensley during the next few weeks. In his
eagerness he failed to notice the silence which had
fallen upon his friend.
The temptation to grasp at any excuse, how-
ever feeble, of gravitating towards Marion had
already assailed Davenport, but hitherto he had
resisted it. In answer to the request of Miss
Tregethin, he had despatched a letter regretting
his inability to go to Bangalore, to which she had
replied by repeating her request, giving as a
reason her inability to meet him elsewhere. Her
decision troubled him. If he was to fulfil his
promise to Mrs. Myrtle, he was bound to have
an interview. Circumstances were driving him
down a road that was not of his own choosing,
and his inner consciousness warned him of danger
ahead.
When Rex finished the elaboration of their
plans for the immediate future, and found that
there was no response, he asked, with sudden
apprehension
DILYS 169
" Do you intend to refuse to meet Miss
Tregethin ? I understand that this was the very-
thing that brought you out to India."
" So it was, old fellow. To be honest "
He laughed awkwardly, and hesitated.
" Yes ? Don't be afraid to say what you wish.
I shall not be shocked."
" Well, to be honest, now that the time has
come to see the lady I am in search of, I am the
victim of a sudden fit of shyness. What am I to
say to her ? "
"Ask her to go home with you, of course,"
replied Rex, in some surprise. "Wasn't that
your object from the very beginning ? "
" But suppose she won't go ; what then ? "
" Then you pledged yourself to ask her to be
your wife. And if you set yourself to win a
woman's heart I will back you to succeed."
" Supposing she is ugly, disagreeable, wild-
cattish "
" Say, rather, that supposing she is beautiful,
fascinating, kittenish, which seems far more likely,
considering her romantic past," said Rex, watch-
ing his friend with puzzled eyes, and quite at a
loss to understand this new phase. "Of course
if you really object to going, perhaps I could
arrange for you to come with me. I could
borrow the necessary kit. But you won't like
roughing it. Life in camp isn't like this, and
you must be in the saddle or, worse still, in the
i yo DILYS
cart, jolting over country roads for some hours
every morning."
" No, no," burst hastily from Owen's lips, as
he brought his thoughts from the clouds. " No,
certainly not. I utterly refuse to go into camp
with you. I am not a sportsman, and I hate
roughing it." There was a slight pause, and he
added, " Since Fate seems to decree it, I must go
to Bangalore and interview the heiress."
" I shall tell Marion when I next write, that
you are coming, and she will see that you are not
lonely," Rex said heartily.
"Please don't trouble Miss Hensley " an-
swered the other, with a suspicion of impatience
in his voice, which reduced his friend to silence.
The police-officer rose from his seat and
glanced at his guest, whose thoughts had again
wandered far afield. Not wishing to break in
upon the reverie, he refrained from giving the
invitation which was upon his lips, and sauntered
out into the moonlit garden by himself.
Carwardine was one of those men who are
curiously susceptible to the influences of nature.
During the hours of the day he was the hard-
headed, practical, unemotional police-officer, rely-
ing more upon his reason and experience, than an
intuitive shrewdness, to unravel the meshes of
crime with which his profession brought him in
contact. At night, something awoke within him
which dominated reason and set experience at
DILYS 171
naught. When, after a languid day of heat,
the breeze swept inland from the sea, and the
tropical night flowers shed forth their heavy
scents to lure the great hawk moths ; when the
stars, unsullied by a breath of fog, shone from
a velvet sky, and the moon floated in a soft haze
over the ocean ; then it was that Rex felt his
pulses quicken and his brain grow clear ; his per-
ception became more acute, and his soul seemed
to open out like the night flowers. Cases over
which he puzzled by day in vain, unlocked their
secrets under the spell of the quiet hours of the
night, and the solution of the mysteries he was
professionally called upon to solve came as if by
magic.
It was the witchery of a certain night that had
made him the fiand of Miss Hensley. By the
broad light of day he was mildly astonished at
his own temerity. Miss Hensley herself had
doubted his sincerity for a brief moment, when
the impassioned lover of the evening before had
proved prosaic almost to dulness at the lunch-
table. Could it be possible that the words, which
had prevailed only a few hours ago, were uttered
by the man who was now talking shop with her
father ? A lover's tete-h-tete amongst the ferns
after dinner reassured her that she had made no
mistake as far as Rex was concerned.
With his mind alert, and his heart in sym-
pathy with the allurements of the soft Indian
172 DILYS
night, Rex wandered amongst the flower-beds
of his garden. He was thinking of the gipsies
among other matters. Only that morning the
lame mother had pleaded again for her son, and,
on his refusal to withdraw the charge, she departed
with many grumblings mingled with vague threats.
Every evening as he returned to his bungalow
for dinner, the lame woman's daughter waylaid
him on the road sometimes near the club, some-
times near the entrance of the fort, and each time
he passed she placed her hands together in sup-
pliant fashion and raised pleading eyes to his
a vision of mute entreaty in the strong light of
his lamps, or in the bright rays of the moon.
The sight of her distress he could not help
thinking that tears shone in those appealing eyes
was disturbing, though it did not shake his
determination. By her side stood the big grey
dog which he had seen when they first met.
The creature looked up at his mistress with a
puzzled expression. Something was wrong with
her, but it passed his canine intelligence to fathom
the cause of her trouble. He growled uneasily
and sniffed at the dog-cart, until the touch of her
hand upon his head pacified the dull anger and
stopped the growls.
The late moon had risen out of the sea, and
was sending her rays upon the waiting moon-
flowers. The beat of the surf upon the shore
broke the loneliness of the old ruined fort ; and
DILYS 173
the plaintive cry of the sea-bird, wakeful in the
tropical moonlight, was in harmony with the deep
tones of the ocean.
Rex left the garden and bent his steps towards
the fortifications, keeping on the goat-track that
ran under the wall of the glacis. He reached
the main-guard entrance, which opened on the
road to the cantonment, when he heard voices
behind him within the fort. The tones and the
words were undoubtedly English, and there was
a low but hearty laugh, in which a woman joined.
He retraced his steps hurriedly, whilst a dozen
suspicions flashed through his mind connected
with the men in camp.
An old native, bearing a basket upon his head
and another one, which was empty, in his hand,
glided out of the shadow of the glacis wall, and
passed him with a rapid noiseless footfall.
" Stop ! What have you got there ? " he
cried after the swiftly retreating figure, which
vanished into the deep shade with the same
abruptness as it had appeared. The police-officer
was about to turn and pursue the man, when
he was confronted by an Englishman in white
trousers and shirt.
"Good evening, Mr. Carwardine," said the
cheerful voice of Brand.
"Oh, it's you!" ejaculated Rex, in some
astonishment.
" Yes, sir ; I am just returning from one of
174 DILYS
my fishing expeditions. Didn't you meet my
man carrying the catch home ? I sent him on
ahead to get supper ready."
"I called after him to stop, but he took no
notice. I suppose he did not recognize me."
" Did you want him, sir ? Hi ! Rammer-
sammy. Hi 1 Come back, you old blackguard."
"Coming, sar," came from the dim distance
of the shadowed wall.
"These natives, they have no manners now-
adays. Lor ! if I were a young man I would
give them what-for. Here, Rammersammy !
where are you ? "
" Yes, sar ; coming, sar ! "
" Come on, then, you scoundrel," cried Brand,
with a show of impatience. " Didn't you hear
the gentleman call ? Why, where's your basket ? "
he exclaimed as the old major-domo appeared
again out of the shadow.
" I setting down to run back when master call.
Master want basket? "
" What might you have wanted the man for,
sir ? " asked Brand of the police-officer.
Rex was slightly taken aback. " I did not
recognize him, and thought that he might be one
of the Lumbadees carrying contraband liquor."
" He don't look like a coolie, sir," protested
Brand, with due respect. " 1 always insist on
his dressing himself like a gentleman's servant,
even if he has to do a little coolie work now and
DILYS 175
then. He carries my fish. Go and fetch your
basket, boy."
" Yes, sar," replied the old man, pausing for
a moment as he glanced with questioning eyes
from his master to the police-officer.
" Never mind, Brand. Of course I will take
your word that the man was carrying your fish."
"No, you won't, sir, begging your pardon.
I shall be proud to show you my catch. Rammer-
sammy, you black scoundrel ! why don't you go
and do what the gentleman wishes ? I shall have
to strap you when we get home ; you know I
shall."
"Yes, sar," cheerfully admitted Ramaswamy,
as he trotted off to do his bidding.
" You are late, Brand," remarked Rex.
" Not so late as I am some nights when the
tide is awkward. The fish come in on the tide
at the river mouth, and 'tis then that they are
easiest to catch. I have had a long tramp on
the river bank to-day and not much luck."
"Did I hear you talking with a woman just
now, Brand ? "
There was ever so slight a pause as Brand
peered down the footpath in search of his servant.
" He's a long time coming," he said aloud to
himself. Then, turning to the police-officer, he
went on in his hearty tone. " Ah ! that you did,
sir 1 It was a gipsy girl. I often see her about
these parts."
176 DILYS
" Was she fishing ? "
"No, sir; but she was doing the next best
thing to it buying fish of me. I let her have
them cheap because of her poor lame old mother.
She is very sharp with her eyes, and I never get
home without her catching me and wheedling
something out of my basket. I'm such a soft-
hearted chap over the women. Oh ! here you are,
boy. Now, just show the gentleman our fish."
The basket was lowered, and Rex glanced
into it. A few fish lay at the bottom on a bed
of fresh seaweed ; Brand put in his hand and
lifted out a sole.
"There's a nice clean-looking fish, only killed
half an hour ago. Will you take it for your
supper, sir ? Rammersammy will run round with
it to the bungalow if you will have it."
" No, thank you, Brand ; I have dined already.
Besides, as I told you before, I don't like these
river fish, I am much obliged to you all the same ;
they are muddy. Is that all you have caught ? "
" I let the gipsy girl have the best. There's
enough here for me and my friend Bullen. All
right, Rammersammy, put your basket on your
head and be off home."
Rex looked after the old man as he trotted
away into the shadow.
"Do you expect to fill that large receptacle
with fish every time you go fishing, Brand ? " he
asked.
DILYS 177
" No, sir ; yet sometimes the basket is so
heavy that the boy can scarcely get it home ; but
that's because he will half fill it with seaweed,
which he makes into cushions and sells in the
bazaar."
Rex walked by the side of the pensioner
towards the entrance of the fort.
" You were talking English to the gipsy girl ;
does she understand the language ? "
" I am not sure that she does. But I always
speak English to these black people. Haven't
we conquered them ? and ain't it their business
to understand when we speak to them ? I talk
English to them on principle, and they know
more of what I say than they choose to admit.
They are such cunning devils, they are, sir."
"I overheard you telling the girl that she
must be of good heart," continued Rex, glancing
sharply at his companion.
" Yes, sir ; those were my very words,"
replied the pensioner, without the slightest sign
of embarrassment.
"They referred to the trouble about her
brother, of course ? "
"They did, and she was begging me to
intercede, as far as I could make out by her
jabber. But I am not going to meddle in what
doesn't concern me. If I had my way, I'd govern
these black fellows with the rope's end, instead
of indulging them with a trial that is due to
178 DILYS
Europeans and Eurasians. What they want is
a proper hiding at the proper time, just as you
would hide a dog. They would understand it
like the dog, and the lesson would get home.
Instead of that, you give them a trial with plenty
of time to prepare their lies ; and the chances
are that the criminal gets off altogether, and like
as not, you punish the wrong man into the
bargain."
" I have got the right man this time," re-
marked Rex, with some satisfaction.
"And why didn't you lick him on the spot,
sir, and then let him go ? He and his com-
panions would have been quite satisfied with that
much of the arm of the law. But now, what with
the whining of the old mother, the crying of the
girl, and the grumblings of the tribe at losing one
of their able-bodied men, there's such a piece of
work made about it, as may brew mischief. Beg-
ging your pardon, sir, you gentlemen nowadays
don't know how to manage the natives. Lor ! bless
me, things were very different in the old times."
Rex laughed as he replied : " The old days
did for the old people who remembered the rule
of Tippoo the Tiger. The young ones have
forgotten their native rulers, and if I took the
law into my own hands, even with a small dog-
boy, I should find myself in the magistrate's
court for assault." They reached the entrance
of the fort and the police-officer stopped. " I will
DILYS 179
say good night, Brand. By-the-by, don't en-
courage that Lumbadee girl with any hope that
her brother will be let off. He is certain to get
three months, and it will be one less to smuggle
liquor into the camp for that time."
"Are you so sure that the Lumbadees are
the offenders, sir ? " asked Brand.
" Why, who else could it be ? "
"There have been other strangers in the
place lately besides the gipsies ; but I know
nothing about them except that they were often
out at night. They said that they were catching
moths, and may be that it was so. It ain't easy
to saddle the right horse always, is it, sir ? Well,
I must be off. Good night, sir."
He was gone before Rex could reply. The
police-officer turned back into the fort and fol-
lowed the footpath that led to the feeding-ground
of the goats. He was just a little bit ashamed
of his suspicions concerning the basket carried by
Ramaswamy ; yet it was a satisfaction to have
seen with his own eyes that it contained nothing
but fish. The allusion to the entomologists
startled him, but presently he laughed and put
Brand's suggestion aside as ridiculous.
"He is a simple-minded old fellow with
primitive ideas on government, and still cruder
notions on police work. That smart valet of
the Germans satisfied me that his masters were
above suspicion."
i8o DILYS
Rex was near the spot where he had first
encountered the gipsy girl. He moved more
slowly, and glanced to right and left, half expect-
ing to see her emerge from the shadow of the
earthworks. The cactus stretched its stiff bulbous
foliage into the strong light of the moon, and
extended ghostly arms to warn passers-by not to
approach too near the needle-pointed spines that
clustered on the fleshy leaves. There was no
sign of drapery, nor sound of feminine voice.
He walked on till he came to a point not far
from the bungalow, where the path forked, one
branch going to the back of the house, and the
other leading over the shoulder of the bastion
upon which the bungalow stood.
The earthworks were overgrown with thorn-
bushes, cactus, and tussocks of tall coarse grass,
amongst which the path threaded a tortuous track.
Where the glacis approached the water, the soil
became marshy. Like the rest of the land upon
which the fort was built, it was waste ground,
open to the goat-herd and fisherman. The small
inlet from the river curved through muddy banks
towards a part of the bastion which still retained
its facing of brick.
Except for the goats, it was desolate and
deserted even by daylight, when the shy waders
and watchful sandpipers held undisturbed revels
in the ooze of the old moat, feasting on crabs and
other delicacies that haunt brackish pools. It was
DILYS 181
not an inviting spot, and the garden offered more
pleasant attractions. A sudden curiosity over-
came the police-officer, and he strode swiftly along
the path towards the moat. There was a move-
ment behind one of the bushes that bordered the
track, and he heard a low growl. It was followed
by a whistle which silenced the beast. Rex con-
tinued his walk, beating the ground with his stick
to scare away snakes. Now and then he stopped,
seeking with more eagerness than he was aware of
to catch a glimpse of the gipsy girl.
Halfway down the slope of the glacis the jungle
ceased and the view opened out far and near.
Across the sand dunes he saw the Indian ocean,
a pale, luminous sheet under the moon. Imme-
diately below was the inlet, ruffled into tiny
waves by the night breeze. A coracle of country
make, such as was used by the fishermen rocked
upon the water a black spot upon the silvery
ripples.
Rex would have pursued his way to the edge
of the moat, but his steps were barred by a large,
grey dog, which leaped into the path in front of
him, and stood snarling at his feet. It seemed as
though it was only waiting for a word of command
to fly viciously at his throat. He moved to the
right to pass the animal, but it moved also, snarl-
ing and showing its teeth. A manoeuvre to the
left was attended with no better result.
" Get out, you beast ! " cried Rex, shaking
1 82 DILYS
his stick at it. The only reply was a growl which
was echoed in the long grass. A second dog
joined the first, and the two angry creatures eyed
the police-officer with an ugly expression.
"Hi ! You Lumbadee woman ! " he called,
with some irritation, in Tamil. " Call off your
dogs ! I know that you are somewhere within
hearing. I won't have you prowling so near my
bungalow at this time of night. Call off your
dogs, and get out of the fort."
There was no answer, and the police-officer
stood motionless, watching the green eyes of the
beasts and the occasional gleam of a white tooth.
A minute may have elapsed, when his ear
caught the sound of a soft laugh beyond the dogs.
His eyes had been fixed apprehensively upon their
snarling jowls. He looked up quickly, and dis-
tinguished the form of the gipsy girl in the moon-
light. She advanced towards the animals, and
laid a hand on each. He took a step forward,
and the dogs again growled fiercely. She called
to him hastily to stop.
" You cannot pass," she said, in Tamil, and
there was a touch of haughtiness in her tone,
which did not escape his ear.
" You have no right to bar my way," he
replied angrily.
" You cannot turn the Lumbadee out of the
fort, whether the might be on your side or mine,
for we have as much right to be here as you have."
i8 3
" You Lumbadees want a lesson " he
began hotly.
"And you will give it us?" she asked, leaning
over the animals, which shivered with fury. Her
lips were parted in a smile that was a challenge,
and her eyes shone with merriment. In spite of
his annoyance, he could not help the answering
smile which broke upon his own face, and robbed
it of its sternness.
" You foolish child ! " he replied more
gently. " Let me pass ; I want to go down to
the water's edge."
" Not to-night, sir. You can come and look
at the water to-morrow, when you shall have
full possession of ground and river. To-night,
it belongs to the Lumbadee."
For answer he made a forward movement,
which once more excited the guardians of the girl.
"Be careful. Oh, be careful, brother," she
cried in real or pretended alarm. Then, as she
reduced the dogs to quiescence with the touch
of her hand, she continued, " They will eat you
if you are rash, and then I shall weep and die."
There was no smile upon the full curved lips
now, though a light seemed to sparkle in the
eyes which sought his tender solicitude. " It
is true, brother." She was addressing him as
an equal. "Though the Englishman is hard-
hearted and cruel, he has won the love of the
Lumbadee girl, and she would weep and die, if
1 84 DILYS
harm happened to him. Salaam, brother ; may
my eyes soon rejoice again in the sight of you."
She slipped back into the shadow of the
bushes after this amazing speech, leaving him
dumb. He stood for a few seconds, still "held
up " by the dogs, his blood tingling in his veins
with emotions that were strangely mixed. Then
he turned and walked back to the bungalow,
whilst the dogs sniffed after his retreating figure,
until they were summoned by a soft, low whistle.
As Rex entered the sitting-room, Owen rose
from the writing-table, with a freshly written
letter in his hand.
" I have told Miss Tregethin that I will meet
her in Bangalore three days hence."
" Good ; I am sure that Marion will say that
you have done the right thing."
But though he spoke of his fiancee, it was not
she who, at that moment, occupied the mind of
the police-officer.
CHAPTER XII
THE place appointed by Miss Tregethin for the
meeting with Davenport was a house on St. John's
Hill, Bangalore. The road in which the bungalow
stood showed little sign of traffic. It ended
abruptly on the edge of a vast plain of plateau
land. Part of the plain was strewn with boulders,
among which grew cactus and tangled shrubs.
Where there was any depth of soil, the land was
cultivated. Here and there gleamed broad ex-
panses of irrigating pools, which the November
showers had filled to the brim. Rugged hills
with sharply defined outline rose in pearly blue
upon the horizon.
On either side of the road small bungalows
nestled amongst the luxuriant foliage of trees and
shrubs. Each building stood in its own garden
which was enclosed in a thick milk hedge. St.
John's Hill remote from the barracks and parade
ground of the English garrison is chiefly com-
posed of such houses, which are occupied by
European pensioners and retired Eurasian clerks
with their families, men who have married
185
1 86 DILYS
European or Eurasian wives, and whose homes
are as thoroughly English in domestic detail as
they can be made in a sub-tropical climate like
that of Bangalore.
Davenport looked with some curiosity at the
chimneyless roofs as the coachman drove down
the length of the road. At the point where the
metalled way suddenly merged into a sandy
cart-track, the driver pulled up and pointed to a
bungalow with his whip. The grounds of the
bungalow, like the road, touched the very edge
of the plateau.
Owen descended from the carriage, and took
the path leading towards the house. Pomegranate
and guava bushes grew thickly on both sides.
The brilliant mandarine scarlet of the pomegranate
blossom, outshone the deeper red of the hybiscus
clustering round the bungalow. The dense foliage
of the mango trees brushed the tiled roof as the
cool north-east breeze swept in from the plain.
Oleanders, roses, and lilies of various kinds bloomed
in the garden beds in wild profusion. Under the
trellissed verandah there were pots of maiden-hair
ferns and Neapolitan violets.
Owen stopped at the portico and glanced round
for a servant to announce his arrival, but there
was no sign of one ; neither was there a gardener
visible amongst the flowers. The doors stood
open, and he could see into the tiny drawing-room,
where muslin curtains swayed in the breeze, and
DILYS 187
beaded bamboo blinds rustled with a gentle
swish.
With some diffidence he mounted the few
steps that led into the verandah. Still no one
seemed to notice his footfall or pay any heed to
the presence of the expected stranger. Had he
been an Anglo-Indian of experience, he would have
shouted " Boy " in a voice sufficiently loud to have
reached the back verandah or even the kitchen
beyond. But being a new arrival in the country
he cast his eye round for a bell or knocker. Not
finding such a thing, he entered the drawing-room,
and sank into a chair near the door to await the
next turn of events.
Five minutes elapsed, during which Owen,
pictured Miss Tregethin as an awkward, shy,
country-bred girl, who had not the courage to
face the visitor she had summoned. He smiled
at the extravagant picture which his fancy drew.
" Pleasant thoughts are the best of all com-
panions, Mr. Davenport, are they not ? " said the
voice of a girl behind him. She spoke with a
slightly foreign accent.
He rose quickly from his chair, and found
himself face to face with a small figure robed in
soft draperies. Her dark hair was arranged in
the latest fashion, and the laces and little bits of
jewellery about her neck were suggestive, like her
speech, of a Frenchwoman.
" I have called to see Miss Tregethin," he said.
188 DILYS
" Was she the subject of your thoughts just
now ? " she asked, lifting a pair of brown-black
eyes to his with a steady gaze of inquiry. In
their depths might lurk merriment and mischief,
or the passion of a southern nature ; but he could
detect no trace of shyness nor sign of awkwardness.
" Certainly, my thoughts were of her," he
replied courteously. " Are you Miss Tregethin ? "
She answered his question by putting another.
" Tell me quickly ; how is my aunt ? "
" The last accounts were not good."
The dark eyes softened, and the delicate face
was momentarily overshadowed with sadness.
" I believe that she loved me in her way. Andx
yet "
" Of course she loved you," replied Owen.
" You will forgive me if I suggest that you did
not treat her very kindly, when you forsook her
at the last moment just as she was going home."
" Home ! " she cried, with a sudden passion
that startled him. " It was no home to me. This
is my home, the land of my birth, the only home
I have ever known. Why should I forsake warm
sunny India, which I love with my whole heart,
for your cold misty island, where the sun does not
shine half the year ? Look out there ! " She threw
up her arms to the blue hills and wild plateau
land quivering under the rays of brooding heat.
He turned, obedient to her command, but
though his eye swept the horizon that loomed
DILYS 189
above the garden hedge, his interest was centred
upon his companion. He brought his gaze from
the hills to the slender fingers of the extended
hands. Two or three rings of quaint native
pattern sparkled as she dropped her arms to her
side. He observed that the wedding-ring did not
appear among them. His comprehensive glance
was not lost upon her, and she laughed with a
sudden transition from passion to merriment that
bewildered him.
" It was not a husband, inquisitive man, who
kept me here."
Dilys offered him a chair and bade him sit
down in comfort, as she demanded at least half an
hour of his society on business. Her actions were
imperious, and not unlike those of a spoilt Anglo-
Indian child. Yet the words which accompanied
them were so full of sweetness and grace that her
imperiousness only added to the charm of manner,
which was rapidly fascinating her visitor. She
sank into a low seat close to his side.
" Now, tell me all about my aunt," she said,
in a soft cooing voice, as though she would atone
for the ebulition of a minute ago.
He gave her an account of all that had passed,
describing her aunt's anxiety and illness.
" And when I left England they feared that
she was a dying woman. As such she received a
promise -from me that I would bring you home
to be honest at any cost."
190 DILYS
She listened, now resting upon the low seat
near him, now moving noiselessly about the
room. It was difficult to divine how she was
affected by his story. When the tale was ended,
she glided down the steps of the verandah with-
out uttering a word of comment. Leaning over
the pots of violets for the purpose, he imagined,
of composing her feelings which had been roused
by the story, her ringers busied themselves
among the leaves, gathering the blossoms. She
tied the flowers together with a blade of grass,
after the manner of the native gardeners, and
presented them to Owen.
" There, mon cher ; take them with my love.
Violets like those do not grow in Cuddalore."
The colour deepened in his cheek ; her mode
of address was so strange. He looked for self-
consciousness ; but there was none.
" Where did you learn French ? " he asked.
"At Pondicherry, of course. Didn't my
aunt tell you that she sent me to school there
for several years. Dear, sweet old nuns ! They
were old-world ladies of France, and they did
their best to Europeanize me. But it was
impossible to complete their task. They have
a saying, these Roman Catholics ( Give me the
child for the first seven years. You may do
what you like with it afterwards ; it is mine for
life.' Yet, knowing how my first seven years
were spent, they tried to make a Frenchwoman
DILYS 191
of me, the dear foolish people ! Me ! When
the gipsies had nourished me for nearly eight
years in the heart of their tribe ! "
" Have you seen the French ladies since you
left school ? " he asked, wondering if by any
chance they had been the attraction that drew her
from Mrs. Myrtle.
"No, no," she cried quickly. "I was not
of their religion, and I resisted all their efforts
to bring me into the fold. Their religion was
too full of restrictions for a child of the open air
like me.'*
She was gone again, and he caught sight of
her white draperies amongst the roses. A child
of the open air she indeed seemed to be to the
tip of her fingers. She whistled and called, and
in answer there was a fluttering of wings in the
mango leaves. A small flock of green parrots,
chattering and screaming with excitement, circled
round her, and fought greedily for the morsels
of rich cake that she cast towards them.
" Where are you staying ? " she asked, return-
ing once more to his side.
"At the West End Hotel."
" I shall come and see you there. I think
that you are going to be very kind and good to
me, but" she flashed a challenge at him from
her dark eyes " I am not going to be good
myself. I mean to do as I like yes, just as I
like, mon cher"
1 92 DILYS
He fell into her mood, and replied, with a
laugh
" Take care, cherie ; I am stronger than you,
and you will have to do as I wish."
Cherie^ cherie ! " she murmured to herself.
" It is many years since any one has called me
that. Ah ! If I could only hear it from some one
1 know ! " She sighed and was silent.
" So there is a some one ? " he asked, after
a pause, during which he studied the changing
expressions of her features. " A some one who
was more attractive than Mrs. Myrtle ? "
For answer she turned to a writing-table and
took up a bundle of papers, her manner again
undergoing a transformation.
"Now, Mr. Davenport, please explain to me
all about this money. It is time that I was put
into possession of my own. I have been of age
for some months past."
Owen fitted in with her humour, as he would
have done with that of a wilful child, and there
ensued fully twenty minutes of the most busi-
ness-like conversation. He found that she under-
stood her position, and was aware of many facts
in connection with the possession of property,
which could only have been gained from some
one with a knowledge of the law of inheritance.
At the end of their talk, she said
"Any papers that need my signature must
be sent out here. I shall open an account with
DILYS 193
the bank of Madras, which has a branch in
Bangalore, and papers addressed to the bank will
be quite safe."
"But, Miss Tregethin, you will not need to
open an account here. You are coming to England
with me, are you not, to see your aunt ? "
" del! No ! " she cried, emphasizing the words
by bringing her small hand down upon the papers
with force. " Do not deceive yourself. I refuse
point-blank to leave India."
Owen stared at her with concern and astonish-
ment.
" What am I to say to your aunt ? I promised
faithfully that I would bring you back with me.
Why can't you come ? If it is true that you are
not married, surely there are no other ties so
strong that they cannot be broken ? "
" The ties that bound me to India when my
aunt left bind me still. I might break them if
I wished to do so. But I will not break them,
and it is useless to plead with me. No ; you'
shall not speak. Go away, Mr. Davenport, before
I get angry with you and scratch out your eyes.
You are mon cher no longer. Go back to the hotel."
He was dumb before the storm, and in another
moment she was gone. He waited patiently for
some time, and called her more than once. He
even ventured to penetrate into the room beyond
the drawing-room in search of her. It was fitted
as a dining-room, small, but complete in every
o
194 DILYS
detail. He dared to explore the back verandah,
hoping to find a servant to carry a message of
conciliation to the petulant mistress of the house.
But the place was once more enveloped in
silence. The parrakeets screamed in the mango
trees, and the crows cawed on the roof of the
kitchen. Sparrows hopped fearlessly over the
matting of the verandah, and a striped grey
squirrel shrieked, with bushy tail erect, from the
balustrade. There was nothing to be done but
to retire as he came. Halfway down the path
he stopped and looked back at the bungalow,
hoping to catch a glimpse of her skirts. He
saw nothing, through the vista of pomegranate
blossom and glossy foliage, but the deserted
house, embowered in trees, brooding in dainty
seclusion under the brilliant Indian sun, a strange
spot of luxurious civilization on the edge of the
wild landscape of the Mysore plateau.
As he mounted the broad verandah steps of
the West End Hotel, a lady rose from a low cane
chair, and advanced to meet him with hand out-
stretched. It was Marion Hensley. He gazed
at her in blank astonishment. Already the cool
air had restored her colour. Just now there were
other reasons besides the invigorating breezes of
Bangalore for its appearance in her cheek. Her
eyes shone with a glad welcome which she strove
in vain to hide. Her lips, more easily con-
trolled, spoke with discretion.
DILYS 195
"You are surprised to see me, Mr. Daven-
port ? Yet you knew that I was in Bangalore."
" I understood that you were the guest of
Colonel and Mrs. Stratton."
" So I am ; they have taken rooms here, as his
appointment is only for six months."
By this time Owen had recovered his equi-
librium, and though the blood raced impetuously
through his veins, as he realized that Fate had
thrown them together again this time under one
roof he was master of himself once more.
" Did you know that I was coming to Ban-
galore ? " he asked.
" Rex told me so in his last letter ; he said
that you were going to the Cubbon Hotel." She
looked at him with a query in her eyes.
" They had no room for me there," he an-
swered quickly. " The place is chock-a-block with
people who are here on business or pleasure. I
am not surprised, for it is an ideal climate, violets
and roses everywhere." His gaze was upon the
roses in her cheeks, and not upon those of the
garden.
"You have come at the bidding of Miss
Tregethin, I understand from Rex," said Marion,
as they seated themselves in a shaded nook in the
verandah.
"Yes, or I should not have ventured to
follow " He broke off and resolutely
avoided her eye, examining a bed of flaming
196 DILYS
Brazilian lilies, that seemed to be rejoicing in
a sun-bath in the garden.
" Do tell me about her," said Miss Hensley,
hastily. " Have you seen the mysterious lady ? "
He took up the topic of the heiress with
eagerness. There was comparative safety in any
subject that was not personal.
"Yes, I have just returned from paying my
first call."
Then followed the feminine query, " What is
she like ? Is she pretty ? "
His critical glance swept over the form and
features of his companion.
" Most men would call her so a pretty
brunette, with deep brown eyes and a foreign
manner. She is a strange little creature "
He stopped abruptly and smiled as he recalled
the manner in which Miss Tregethin had addressed
him, and he involuntarily looked down at the
violets in his button-hole.
" In what way ? " asked Marion, regarding
him curiously.
" She is so irresponsible and unconventional,
speaking out her mind in a way that is embarrass-
ing and yet charming."
" Was she at all shy."
" Not in the least. There is a certain shrewd-
ness about her where business matters are con-
cerned that contrasts strongly with her unrestrained
manner. She was educated in Pondicherry, and
DILYS 197
the wild uprearing among the gipsies is oddly
veneered with French polish."
The colour came and went as Marion listened
to his description. He was telling her more
about the heiress than he knew himself.
"Did Miss Tregethin explain the mystery
about the letters, and say how she had managed
to receive them ? One, we know, is still lying at
the head-constable's house, where you addressed
it, and yet you have had a reply to it."
His eyes met hers in amused self-reproach.
" How stupid of me ! I forgot to ask," he
replied.
"Tell me about the house where you found
her. Whose was it ? Hers ? "
" I don't know," he answered ; and he pro-
ceeded to give an account of his visit, and the
surroundings of the heiress.
" What means of subsistence has she ? It is
evident that she has some. A house such as you
describe, though inexpensive, will not keep itself ;
nor are her clothes, however simple, to be had for
nothing."
" She has no means of subsistence that I am
aware of. But she seems anxious to have a bank-
ing account of her own, as soon as it can be
managed."
"You had not the curiosity to ask how she
had supported herself since she withdrew from
her aunt's protection ? Or whether it was her
198 DILYS
own house ? Or if she had any friends ? " She
scanned his features with feminine curiosity.
What had there been about this unknown girl to
cause such oblivion of purpose ? She caught her
breath in a little sigh as she waited for his reply.
It was halting and embarrassed, and she mis-
understood the reason of his embarrassment.
" The fact of the matter is that she would not
answer a single question, except one, and that 1
did not actually ask. She volunteered the infor-
mation that she was not married when she saw me
look at her fingers."
Marion watched a busy little honey-sucker
that dipped its slender bill into the flowers of the
stately tuberose lily. Then she turned and looked
at her companion.
" The catechizing has been apparently on her
side. I gather that Miss Tregethin is charming,
mysterious, attractive, in addition to being rich.''
Owen sat up in the easy-chair and leaned
towards Marion.
" Miss Hensley, how do you guess all that ? "
he asked, with wonder at her intuition.
She broke into a laugh that was slightly forced.
" It is plain that Miss Tregethin is one too many
for Mr. Davenport. I think that you had better
enlist me in your service. Let me see her, and I
will undertake to find out more in half an hour
than you can discover in a week."
" Will you help me ? " he rejoined eagerly.
DILYS 199
" She is coming here to call upon me, she says ;
so you will soon have an opportunity of fulfilling
your promise."
"Did you explain your mission to her, and
ask if she was willing to go home to her aunt ?
Or did her charms drive that out of your head as
well as the rest of your questions ? "
" No ; I remembered that, and made my re-
quest. But she refused ; and to strengthen her
refusal she brought her pretty little hand down
upon the table with such a bang as made me
jump."
Marion regarded him in silence from her
cushions. The luncheon-bell rang, and she
rose.
" I see one thing clearly," she said with
deliberation.
"What is that?" he asked, looking up into
her face.
"You will have to fulfil your promise to
Mrs. Myrtle in its entirety ; yes, in its entirety."
She passed into the large drawing-room
through one of the French windows that opened
upon the verandah. Davenport stood looking
after her until she had disappeared behind the
curtains.
" I wonder if she is right," he muttered, as he
strode off to his own room.
CHAPTER XIII
AN hour before sunset, Owen, stick in hand,
started out for a walk, tempted by the cool air
and the sight of the fresh green grass. He found
his way into the Cubbon Park and wandered
amongst the weeping pepper trees. The band
was playing on the terrace in front of the Secre-
tariat, and a mixed crowd of Europeans, Eura-
sians, and natives gathered to listen to its strains.
He knew no one there Marion had gone to a
garden-party and he did not trouble himself to
examine the crowd of strange faces. As he fol-
lowed one of the well-kept carriage-drives the
rapid trot of a pony approached from behind. A
lady, driving a white pegu in a smart litttle two-
wheeled cart, drew up by his side.
lt Get into my cart and I will take you for a
drive, Mr. Davenport," said the voice of Dilys
Tregethin. She flung aside the carriage-rug
whilst the small groom ran to the pony's head.
Owen hesitated, and she tapped the blue-cloth
cushion of the empty seat impatiently. "Come
along. Why do you hesitate ? You know no
200
DILYS 201
one here except, perhaps, Miss Hensley. You
will enjoy a drive; ; it is such a lovely evening."
There was the same irresistible fascination
about her imperious speech which he had felt in
the morning. Unable to do anything but smile
and indulge her fancy, he stepped into the cart,
and seated himself by her side.
" It is very kind of you," he said conven-
tionally.
She laughed in his face. " That is what you
say in England, I suppose. I asked you to come
for a drive because I wished to talk to you. You
frightened me away this morning sooner than I
intended. This evening, if you say anything
disagreeable, I will upset you."
" Oh, please be careful," he cried, in pre-
tended fear, which amused but did not deceive
his companion.
Away the pony flew, the rubber-tyred wheels
rolling noiselessly along the smooth roads. They
passed beneath avenues of trees, by tanks and
wayside temples, houses of Europeans, market-
gardens, and finally through the gates of the Lai
Bagh, the beautiful botanical gardens of the Rajah
of Mysore.
And now the panting little pegu pony was
content to walk, whilst Owen gazed right and
left at the cultivated tropical vegetation, that
needed no glass and no artificial heat to bring its
rare beauties of foliage and petal to perfection.
202 DILYS
Huge velvet-green anthuriums were grouped
with red, green, and gold crotons beneath strange
Australian pines. Ferns and palms clustered at
the feet of African giants. The rattan and vanilla
bean festooned the long arms of Indian forest
trees. Whichever way the eye turned there was
luxuriant growth, cultivation without rankness,
nature in a wealth of profusion, yet restrained
and kept within bounds. Here and there were
open spaces of grass, where the sambur and
spotted deer lived as happily as if they were
within their own wild forests. Whilst Owen
gazed about him, his companion talked, fluttering
with butterfly flight from one topic to another.
She told him the names of the trees and plants,
and related the history of the wild animals caged
in the gardens.
" You mentioned the name of Miss Hensley
just now," he said presently. " Do you know
her?"
" Does she know me ? " she asked, replying
to his question with another. He was beginning
to recognize it as one of her many characteristics.
" She knows you by name. Where have you
seen her ? "
She ignored the query, and lifted her finger to
arrest his attention.
" Hark ! Do you hear that cry ? It is one
of the hawk-owls that are kept in the aviary.
You observe that there is no reply. You may
DILYS 203
hear the bird cry in that despairing manner any
evening you like to come to the Lai Bagh.
There never can be any answer ; for the poor
thing is a stranger and a foreigner here. It
belongs to Burmah. That is how I should cry
in England if you caged me there."
She looked at him with solemn awestruck
eyes, after the fashion of a child that speaks of
the bogie-man. It was impossible to hold her
to one subject, or, with all her light chatter, to
extract a single piece of information that she did
not choose to give. He did not pursue the topic
of her acquaintance with Miss Hensley.
Suddenly Dilys pulled the rein, and brought
the pony up sharply.
" You must come and see the flowers," she
said, as she stepped out of the cart.
Owen followed her to the terraces of garden
beds where English plants of delicate tint grew
side by side with gorgeous flowers of the tropics.
They lingered amongst the blossoms ; bold swift-
winged hawk-moths were already darting from
one sweet to another ; then she led the way down
paths that tunnelled beneath dense archways of
creepers, or wound through grassy glades of cul-
tivated jungle. Here and there a seat invited
the wanderers to rest a few minutes, whilst the
bulbuls and black robins sang their evensong in
the branches above.
The shadows grew long and the sun sank
204 DILYS
behind the trees. By this time Owen had lost
his bearings, and would have been puzzled to
find his way out of the grounds. His companion
was apparently quite at home in the place, and
she led him safely back to the road where they
had left the pony.
At sight of his mistress the syce produced a
box of matches and lighted the lamps. The brief
Indian twilight was disappearing fast upon the
heels of the sun, and night was not far off. Yet
Dilys was in no hurry to return. She walked
the pony slowly along the carriage-drive towards
the entrance gates. Strange noises came from
the houses of the wild animals as they awoke
with the dusk from the lethargy and torpor of
the sunlit hours. They had been fed, and were
gorged with the flesh of goats. Their strong
nervous limbs twitched and ached for a mad
race over the rocky plain, or for a wild game of
hide-and-seek through the jungle.
" Don't be alarmed ; they are all safely locked
behind iron bars. Do you hear the hyaena ?
They call it a laugh, but it sounds to me more
like a sob. That is the wolf. Poor thing 1
Half the night it paces up and down its cage,
ever seeking a hole by which it may escape. It
will continue its miserable, hopeless search, till it
dies of a surfeit of meat That was the panther's
voice. Can't you hear how it prays passionately
to be let loose, so that it may creep like a cat
DILYS 205
over the rocks, and climb the big limbs of the
jungle trees. Ah ! those are the monkeys. They
are weeping, yes, weeping like children, because
their human captors say that it is bedtime. The
poor monkeys are ripe for a game of mischief
and play. But no one heeds the misery of these
caged creatures. It is enough that they are housed
and fed."
She shook the reins in a fit of impatience against
a fate that so cruelly treated these poor creatures.
" You surely would not let them loose ? "
asked Owen. " To do so would bring misfortune
and disaster upon the large gang of gardeners
that it must be necessary to employ to keep the
grounds in such good order."
"Who thinks of consequences in this country ?
If they are considered at all, it is after they have
occurred, and not before. Did the coolie gardener
think of consequences ? "
"What did he do?"
" He stole the iron bolt from the den of the
big bear, and sold it for two annas in the bazaar.
The bear got out and rambled through the gar-
dens. The coolie's wife was a grass-cutter who
was employed to cut grass for the deer. She
was resting under a tree when the bear came up
behind and stroked her down the back with his
long claws. The two annas went but a little
way towards her funeral expenses, and her hus-
band wailed loudly over his misfortune. But
206 DILYS
even while he mourned for her, he did not realize
that he himself had been the cause of her death.
He put it all down to the work of an evil spirit
that lived in the tree under which she sat The
devil was angry because its worship had been
neglected."
"Couldn't the man be made to understand
that he had committed a grave crime ? "
"There was no great crime in stealing an
iron bolt. It was the circumstances which oc-
curred afterwards which made it so serious. If
I let all these poor captives loose, and they
escaped in safety to their jungles without doing
harm to others, my wrong-doing would be trivial.
But if they each attacked and killed a grass-
cutter, you would say that it was murder on
my part to have thrown open the doors of their
cages."
They passed through the big gates, and Dilys
gave the pony rein. They rolled swiftly by the
fruit and flower gardens of the native market-
gardeners. Fire-flies danced in the deep shadows
of the palm fronds that hung over the hedges of
thorn. Overhead the stars shone with a brilliance
that illumined the night, and a deep red glow,
like the glow of a London fire, lay low upon the
western horizon. The air was cool and dewy,
and the heavy scent of flowering trees hung in
the air.
Owen wrapped the carriage-rug more closely
DILYS 207
about his knees, and was conscious of a keen
enjoyment of the scene and of the society of the
girl. For some distance he was content to sit
in silence and give himself up to the pleasure of
the moment. But as they neared the hotel, he
roused himself, remembering Miss Hensley's
searching questions, and made another attempt
to penetrate his companion's reserve.
"What a wonderful pony you have. Is it
your own ? "
" It is mine when I am in want of it."
The reply was accompanied by an unrestrained
laugh, which he instinctively felt was levelled at
himself, and defied all effort to fathom the mystery
which surrounded her. However, he persevered
and asked
"Is the bungalow, where I saw you this
morning, yours also ? "
"We are not far from the hotel, and in less
than five minutes I shall put you down at the
door. Are there any other questions that you
would like to ask before we stop ? " she inquired
mockingly.
" Yes, Miss Tregethin ; one that I shall
repeat as often as I see you. Will you let me
take you home to your aunt ? "
" * No, dear Beast.' I reply in the words of
Beauty in the fairy-tale."
" Beauty gave that answer to a very different
question. The Beast had asked her to marry him."
208 DILYS
"It is a request that any other Beast may
make if he is so inclined," she replied, with
another laugh, and a glance of her flashing eyes
that puzzled him. Was it nothing but uncon-
ventional simple fun, or was it a touch of French
coquetry ? Surely she could not have learnt it of
the nuns. " Here is the hotel," she cried, as she
swung into the gates of the compound. " I will
come and see you to-morrow morning after
breakfast. There is something in your brother's
letter which I want you to explain. I forgot to
ask you to-day."
She pulled up the pony at the verandah steps,
and Owen descended from the cart.
" Good-bye, Beauty ; and thank you very
much for the drive," he said as he took her hand.
" Good night, dear Beast," was the reply. It
was not loud, but it was clear and distinct enough
to reach the ears of Miss Hensley who was lying
back unseen upon the cushions of a big couch in
the verandah. As the pony started forward to
continue its journey to St. John's, Davenport
disappeared in the direction of his own room, too
much absorbed in thought to observe that the
verandah was not empty.
CHAPTER XIV
OWEN DAVENPORT possessed the British dislike
to taking any kind of meal in his bedroom. He
therefore directed the servant to prepare his early
morning tea in the verandah of the dining-room.
With the first movement in the hotel he awoke,
and by the time the tea, buttered toast, and fruit
were ready, he was seated at the table. Other
men who were staying in the hotel also appeared,
bent on the same errand. Much as the early tea
was appreciated, no time was lost over its con-
sumption. The cool hours of the morning
were too precious to waste in the house. Saddle-
horse and dog-cart waited outside to carry each
man to his destination, whether for business or for
pleasure.
Davenport alone had no mount nor convey-
ance. His short experience of the hired carriage
inclined him to dispense with wheels where it was
possible, and trust to his own feet. In such
a climate a walk was preferable if no appointment
had to be kept. Some one else was apparently of
the same opinion, for Miss Hensley met him
209 p
210 DILYS
on the top of the verandah steps equipped for
a morning stroll.
" Are you going out on business ? " she
asked, after the usual greeting.
"No, I am only going in search of that
essential to our well-being, exercise."
" I am bent on the same errand ; so, with
your permission, I will come with you."
Since they were obliged to meet at every meal
and might encounter each other a dozen times a
day, Marion had determined to school herself
back into the old friendly relations which existed
at Cuddalore. She was so successful that the
one episode which had threatened their good-
comradeship was banished from her mind like
a bad dream. Owen, himself, felt more at his
ease, and resolutely closed his eyes to any danger
that might attend the renewal of their friendship.
" I suppose you know that the entomologists
who stayed with us at Cuddalore are at this
hotel ? "
"No, I was not aware that they were here.
They were not at dinner last night."
" They have been put into one of the detached
bungalows belonging to the hotel, where they
have a private suite of rooms and plenty of space
for their numerous cases."
" Are they pursuing moths and butterflies as
ardently as ever ? "
" I believe so ; and the wonderful Henri
DILYS 211
continues to act as their guardian angel, playing
the part of courier, as well as valet, packer,
general provider, and entomologist's assistant.
I am sure that he alone knows what all those
packing-cases contain. A natural-history museum,
I should call it. I was always so thankful that
the weird insects they collected were dead and
pickled in spirits, and that there was no fear of
finding them crawling about the rooms."
Tempted by overshadowing trees, they turned
their backs upon the cantonment, and followed a
road that led towards the open country. After
passing the last house they had the way to
themselves. The eccentricities of the Germans
afforded them amusement for some time.
"By-the-by, I did not tell you that I met
Miss Tregethin whilst I was walking yesterday
in the Cubbon Park. She was driving a smart
little turn-out, and she offered me a lift, which
I accepted. We went to the Lai Bagh," said
Owen, after a pause.
" The Lai Bagh ! " cried Marion, with
surprise.
" Yes ; it is a lovely place, a tropical fairy-
land of trees and flowers."
" So it is ; but I am told that it has its
dangers," replied Miss Hensley.
"Dilys assured me that the wild beasts were
all safely caged," he said.
" The danger does not lie with the Beasts,
212 DILYS
but rather with the Beauties of the place. It is said
that the Lai Bagh is a garden of love, and that it is
responsible for all the love-affairs of the station."
"Now I come to think of it, it is an ideal
spot for that sort of thing," he replied, as he
recalled the paths and shrubberies, the fern and
palm houses, the creeper-covered walks and shaded
nooks.
"A place to enjoy with a chosen companion.
You found your company pleasant enough, no
doubt," she remarked, looking at him as though
she would read his inmost thoughts.
" Very pleasant," he replied, with simple
enthusiasm. " Miss Tregethin is a delightful
surprise. Besides her dainty personality, the
mystery which still surrounds her is attractive."
" Did you discover anything more last
evening ? "
He laughed as he admitted his failure. Some
one approached with rapid steps from behind, and
Owen was hailed by the subject of his remarks.
"You are Miss Hensley, I am sure," cried
the girl, holding out her gloved hand to Marion.
"We know each other by name, and need no
introduction."
Marion responded, whilst her observant eye
took in the details of dress. It was not an
expensive frock that Dilys wore, but it showed
considerable taste and a knowledge of what was
becoming, as well as fashionable. A sun-hat
DILYS 213
shaded her face, and she carried a light walking-
cane in her hand.
"I have just called at the hotel, where the
servants told me that you were in this direction.
I am so glad to find you together, as I wanted to
see you both."
As she talked she moved along the road
between them, glancing from one to the other
with little smiles and flashes of her dark eyes.
She chattered volubly, and her companions could
only reply in monosyllables. In vain Marion
tried to put a question or two. Dilys did not
seem to hear anything but the sound of her
own voice. From light chatter she plunged into
business connected with her property, describing
the technical point in the lawyer's letter which
puzzled her. It was a trifling matter, but Owen
took some pains to give a full explanation. When
he had finished there ensued a slight pause, an
opportunity which Marion hastened to seize.
" Mr. Davenport tells me that you have a
charming little bungalow."
" Yes," replied Dilys, turning an observant
gaze on the questioner, not unlike that of an
animal doubtful of the character of another that
suddenly approaches.
" And a delightful pony and cart."
There was a still fainter yes ; and Owen
thought that he detected a sparkle of amusement
nearly allied to mischief in Miss Tregethin's eye.
2i 4 DILYS
"You must have had a very happy time in such
an ideal home } and you will be very sorry to leave it."
It was Owen's turn to smile as he listened to
Marion's gentle attempt at catechising.
" Have you had good health ever since your
aunt left?"
Dilys threw up her hands in affected horror,
as she cried
" Oh, Miss Hensley, do I look ill ? Oh !
don't say that I look ill. I hate the very thought
of being sick. If I were ill, I think that I should
creep into a hole and die as quickly as I could,
to get it over. Mr. Davenport, you will tell me
the truth, I know, for you are my friend. Do
1 look ill ? "
He hastened to assure her that she was the
picture of health, and no sooner had he finished
than she was scudding like a bird along the line
of thought opened by Miss Hensley's question.
" Oh, aren't you sorry for animals when they
are ill ? They can't tell you what they feel.
The poor things just lift their suffering eyes and
say, * Please pity me.' '
Marion felt herself whirled away from her
purpose as Dilys described how various creatures
behaved when in pain, especially monkeys, that
were almost human in their expression of emotions
of all kind. Her words indicated how intimate her
relations with nature had been, and how passion-
ately she loved all animals, whether wild or tame.
DILYS 215
The road rose in gradual ascent to the brow
of the high ground. From this point there was
a fine view of the table-land and distant hills.
But it was not the blue mountains on the horizon
to which their attention was drawn at that
moment, nor the plain with its varied wild growth
and cultivation.
Fifty yards further on, the road ceased to be
metalled, and was nothing but a deeply rutted
sandy track. At its juncture there was a sharp rise
from the track to the road, and at this point a
country cart, drawn by a handsome little bull, had
stuck. The driver had dismounted, and was ill-
treating the animal with some of those fiendish
devices, the mere mention of which makes the
blood of the European run cold. He was beside
himself with impotent anger, and did not notice
their approach. The tortured beast was mad with
pain and terror. As the party caught sight of
him, Owen shouted to him in English to desist.
Marion turned very pale, and uttered an exclama-
tion. Dilys said nothing, but darted forward, and
seizing the coolie by the arm, forced him away
from his victim, whilst a torrent of words poured
from her lips. The bull, by a twist of its neck,
released itself from the yoke, and fell panting by
the side of the cart. Tears streamed down the
cheeks of the man as Dilys shook the arm she
held, and loaded him with reproaches in his
mother tongue. His ungovernable rage melted
216 DILYS
like snow before the fire of her indignation, and
he was filled with self-pity and helpless despair.
" How dare you hurt that creature ? See !
You have killed it, and it is of Brahma's breed.
The curses of the gods will rest upon you and
your family to the tenth generation."
" Ayoh ! It was in an evil hour that I started
this morning. No sooner did I leave, than a
widow crossed my path, Ayoh ! Ayoh 1 " and
his shoulders shook with real sobs.
" Why do you try to force the bull to do what
is impossible ? Shall I chain you to yonder
droog and torture you till you draw it away from
its foundations ? "
" What could I do ? The master said, 'Take
the bull, and deliver the sacks in the market by
seven o'clock. If you fail I will fine you." The
bull would not draw the cart ; and what could
I do ? It is nearly seven now, and my master
will surely fine me, though I am only a poor
man."
Marion and Owen looked on in some
surprise, not comprehending what was passing
between Dilys and the driver. Tears of pity
stood in Miss Hensley's eyes as they fell on the
prostrate animal.
"Oh, cruel, brutal man ! Can't we find a
policeman ? Mr. Davenport, we ought to give
him in charge of the police."
" Yes, 1 really think that the man ought to be
DILYS 217
punished. Miss Tregethin, shall I go buck to
the cantonment and fetch a policeman ? "
The coolie did not understand English, but
the word police arrested his attention. He wiped
his tear-besmirched face with a corner of his loin-
cloth, and fixed his eyes anxiously upon Dilys.
She read what was in them.
" No, don't do that ; just wait till I have
talked to the man again. He certainly ought to
be punished ; but I should be sorry to bring mis-
fortune upon the family which is depending upon
him. These people live from hand to mouth,
and one must not make the burden too heavy for
them any more than for the bullocks."
Again she talked to the coolie, and the word
" polliss " occurred. The man showed signs of
fear as he listened. Putting his hands together,
he touched his forehead, the picture of abject
misery, and seemed to be making a request. The
face of Miss Tregethin softened, as it might in
speaking to a naughty child. Then, to the
astonishment of her companions, she pointed to
her walking-cane which she had thrown upon
the ground. The man picked it up and presented
it to her. She asked him a question, to which he
replied by an affirmative wag of the head. Kneel-
ing in front of her as she raised the cane, he
received a shower of blows across his bare
shoulders without a murmur, flinching a little,
as the young arm was not too light.
2i 8 DILYS
"There!" she cried. "He has been pun-
ished, and there is no need to send for the police.
Now we must give him some assistance. He
has been sent out with a load that might have
been right for a level road, but it was too heavy
for a hill. The bull is young and difficult to
manage, and he is helpless single-handed."
She examined the cart, which was tilted down-
wards, with its shafts resting on the ground.
" It is shamefully loaded and equally ill-
balanced. Some of the sacks must be taken out,"
she said.
Assisted by Owen, the coolie lifted the sacks
on to his head and carried them to the brow of
the hill. Then Dilys turned her attention to the
animal, which was recovering itself. She gave
her gloves and stick to Marion, who stood aside
an interested spectator. With gentle pressure she
passed her hand over the creature's head and
neck, and stroked its ears. Its ribs, though badly
bruised, were not broken. The bull appeared to
recognize a soothing touch ; the wildness faded
from its eyes, and its confidence returned. She
loosened the ropes that linked it to the yoke, and
lifting its head, persuaded it to rise. The trem-
bling creature made no attempt to get away, but
stood before her with its head bent, whilst she
continued to talk to it and stroke its ears. Marion
was convinced that it not only understood the
sympathy offered, but was soothed and consoled.
DILYS 219
It drew deep sighs of enjoyment as the lithe
fingers massaged and stroked. By this time the
cart had been relieved of part of its load. Dilys
led the bull to the yoke, whilst Owen and the
driver lifted the shafts.
" Now put your shoulder to one wheel, Mr.
Davenport. The coolie will go to the other," she
said, as the yoke was gently lowered on to the neck.
She held the nose rope, and with strange, wild
shouts, learnt of the gipsies long ago, she urged
the animal into motion. The cart was drawn as
if by magic out of the ruts and over the obstruct-
ing rise in the road. With the assistance of
Owen and the man, it rolled easily on towards the
crest of the hill. From there the road descended
in a gentle incline all the way to the market, and
there was no fear of further trouble between man
and beast. The sacks carried up were readjusted
on the cart, so that the yoke neither weighted the
bull nor half strangled it by the confining rope.
The coolie looked anxiously at Owen and Marion.
"Will the English master and mistress tell
the polliss ? " he asked.
"No, brother, do not fear. Have I not
punished you myself at your desire that they
may be satisfied ? Go on your way ; you will
be in the market only a few minutes behind your
time."
" Ah 1 Ranee of the gipsies ! you are always
good to the poor."
220 DILYS
"And I am good to the bulls of Brahma."
She lifted her hand with warning. " Never treat a
bull again as you treated this. If you do, you shall
walk beneath dhoby bundles as a dhoby donkey in
your next life. I say it because I know it."
She spoke like a prophetess with faith in her
own words, which faith she communicated to the
man, and he shuddered. Without a sound he
fell at her feet and touched them with his fore-
head a not unusual act of worship performed
by an inferior to a superior. She placed her
hand upon his head, and said gently
" Rise, brother, and go on your way ; the
market man waits."
He obeyed, and, salaaming to Owen and
Marion, seated himself on the shaft. The bull,
in whose nature lay a strain of bovine obstinacy,
was not inclined to start. Dilys passed her
fingers along its spine with a secret pressure in
the tips, exhorting the animal in the wild tongue
she had used to make it rise. The bull snorted,
shook its head, and dashed away at a pace which
threatened to overturn the creaking, swaying cart.
It was a curious scene, and neither Owen nor
Marion spoke. Participation in an act of mercy
will draw human beings unconsciously together,
and this ministration to man and beast forged
the first link of friendship between Dilys and
Miss Hensley. The latter had not actively
assisted, but she had given her whole sympathy.
DILYS 221
It was to Marion that Dilys addressed herself
now, as her reserved nature suddenly expanded
under the warmth of that sympathy.
" I love animals of all kinds, but the dear
little bull is the one I love best. You know the
gipsies have herds of them. They are used for
transport. My earliest days were spent riding upon
the bulls, or running amongst the herd. The
gipsies talked to the bullocks in a curious language,
which they said was mardoo-tongue. Before
starting on a long and troublesome journey, they
told their cattle that the way was long, and
asked pardon beforehand for the use of the goad.
It was necessary to use it, or we should never
have passed over the steep ghats. But, to make
up for it, they promised the animals plenty of
corn and grass, if they did their work well and
travelled quickly. They listened and drew deep
sighs, which showed that they comprehended all
that was said. When the weaker beasts lagged
behind, the Lumbadees took me back with them.
The tired creatures followed my little white bull
without the need of goad or stick. The men
taught me to shout as you heard just now. It
is the call they give when they reach the camping-
ground, and the bulls know that it means food,
water, and rest. When they hear it on the road,
they understand that the camp is not far off.
Sometimes, when it was only a short distance, I
used to go by myself and bring them in unassisted.
222 DILYS
I had only to call, and they followed me like
sheep. I had a tiny white bullock for my own.
It was too small to carry a heavy load, so the
big father of the tribe gave it to me, and I rode
upon its back whenever the tribe travelled."
"Did the gipsies set their bullocks to do
tasks which were too great?" asked Owen, deeply
interested in her strange reminiscences.
" Never ! " she cried, with a fleeting spark
of anger. " That is only what stupid men like
that coolie's employer do. When the loads were
heavy and the bulls flagged, they eased them of
their burdens, and we all rested under the shade
of some big rock or forest tree. Then we loaded
up again and went on. Ah ! those were happy
days when my little white bull carried me over
the hills, where the flowers were even more
beautiful than they are in the Lai Bagh. We
marched through forests carpeted with ferns.
The orchids trailed their blossom^ above our
heads, and the moss hung in a fringe from the
thick branches of the trees. Sometimes we
climbed down the steep paths of the mountains,
and waded through streams that tumbled over
the rocks and roared like wild beasts. Those
were the times when I used to catch a glimpse
of the sea. At first it seemed like a streak of
blue on the sky. I never could understand why
it came out of the sky as we climbed down the
mountain. It seemed to my childish fancy that
DILYS 223
it wanted to meet us, but lost its way behind
the trees of the plain as soon as it had come out
of the sky. I had curious fancies in those days
about everything. Sometimes the forest trees
were full of monkeys. I watched them with
amusement, mingled with awe. I believed that
they were envious of me, and coveted my white
bull. I used to lean forward and promise in his
long white ear that I would never, never let the
wicked wanderoo monkeys have him, for I loved
him better than all else in the world, except one
person. I wonder if he understood what I said?"
Her face softened, and the dark eyes shone
as she recalled the scenes of her childhood.
Owen watched her as a man gazes at a fascinat-
ing picture, content to enjoy what the picture
showed without probing further. Had Marion
maintained her sympathetic attitude, the spell
of the moment might have brought forth more
treasures. But Miss Hensley's curiosity increased
as she listened, until she was dominated by the
desire to know, at all costs, more of the history
of this strange girl who held Owen entranced.
" Have you been living with the gipsies since
Mrs. Myrtle went home ? " she asked.
The query brought a sudden silence, as the
sound of a gun will silence a song-bird. Whilst
Dilys had talked, they had followed a bend of
the road that led them back to the other side of
the hotel. Now she halted abruptly.
224 DILYS
" 1 must be going home. Good-bye, Miss
Hensley. Mr. Davenport, you will come and
see me again before long, I hope ? "
u With pleasure, and if you will allow me I
will walk part of the way home with you now.
Miss Hensley will not mind going to the hotel
by herself, as we are so near, I am sure." He
looked at Marion, who hastened to say, in a
somewhat conventional manner, that she would
finish the walk alone.
" This is kind of you. I shall be delighted to
have company on the road, as my house is some
distance from here."
She glanced into his eyes, and there was an
inflection in her voice which did not escape
Marion's ear. The phantom of a chill went through
her soul, as, a few minutes later, she turned and
watched their retreating figures. It was not diffi-
cult to divine from his attitude that he was once
more under the spell of his companion's tongue.
At the same moment Dilys gave a swift and almost
imperceptible glance over her shoulder. A smile
curved her lips as she caught sight of Miss Hensley
standing motionless beneath the shadow of a tree ;
it was a smile of mischievous fun. A little later
she dismissed Davenport. When he retraced his
steps there was no sign of Miss Hensley, nor did
he see her again until they met at the table d'hote
in the evening.
CHAPTER XV
A FORTNIGHT passed pleasantly enough, and the
time approached for Marion to return to her
father. Owen had been living in the present with-
out much thought of the future. Not a day went
by that he did not meet Dilys. As for Miss
Hensley he encountered her constantly in the
hotel. Sometimes he found his way to the little
retreat embowered among the trees on the edge
of the plateau ; at other moments he was seated
by Miss Tregethin's side behind the swift pegu
pony. At sunrise Miss Hensley usually met
him on the verandah without making any actual
appointment, and they explored the Cubbon Park,
the golf ground and the busy cantonment so full
of military life. Their conversation was entirely
upon impersonal subjects, and their attitude
strictly of a friendly nature.
But though they seemed to be at ease, one of
the two was dimly conscious that the path pursued
was running along the verge of a precipice. In
her innermost heart Marion was aware that the
renewed intimacy was unwise as far as her own
225 Q
226 DILYS
peace of mind was concerned. Whether it affected
her companion or not she was unable to decide.
His attention was divided between herself and the
heiress in a manner that perplexed her not a little.
jYet she was inwardly convinced that the transfer-
ence of his affections from herself to Dilys would
be the best solution of the difficulty. Her heart
ached with complex feelings, and she felt that the
present state of affairs must be brought to an end.
In view of forwarding matters, she plucked up
sufficient courage to touch upon the one topic
which they tacitly avoided, her own future and
Owen's plans. Nervous and ill at ease, she made
a sudden plunge one evening after dinner when
they chanced to find themselves together in the
drawing-room verandah.
"You are not playing billiards, this evening,
Mr. Davenport."
" No, the room is crowded. There is an influx
of the planter element from Mysore. It is delight-
ful to see the zest with which they take up their
cues as if they had not seen a table for years. I
haven't the heart to stand in their way."
" It is a beautiful night, though the air is cool.
Come out into the garden for a stroll."
Without waiting for a reply she moved down
the steps, and he followed silently. As a rule she
never courted a tete-d-tete after dinner, but re-
mained with Mrs. Stratton. They kept to the
carriage-drive, which took a wide sweep round a
DILYS 227
group of garden beds. He was content to walk
in silence by her side, enjoying the mere conscious-
ness of her presence.
" How are you getting on with Miss Tre-
gethin ? " she asked with abruptness. " I have
seen you out driving together more than once."
" Every evening, you might say, without being
far wrong," he replied. There was no sign of
embarrassment or self-consciousness in his tone,
and he continued easily, " She has shown me the
old fort and native town. We have seen the
dungeon where Sir David Baird was imprisoned
until he escaped in the water-skin of a friendly
water-carrier. We have peeped into the Rajah's
warehouses filled with sandal-wood, and have
wandered over Tippoo Saib's palace. Dilys did
not forget to point out the shelf dai's upon which
the tyrant sat as his prisoners received their fear-
ful punishment of death beneath the feet of his
elephants. He looked on, it is said, and gloated
over their agonies. Well, indeed, was he called
the Tiger 1 "
" Have you been to the Lai Bagh again ? "
she asked, glancing at him sharply in the starlight.
"Yes, more than once."
" And is the tradition being fulfilled ? Is the
garden weaving its spells over you both ? or is
Miss Tregethin listening more amiably to your
proposals to take her home unattached ? "
" She steadily refuses to go."
228 DILYS
" Have you pressed the matter ? "
" I have pleaded until the child lost her temper
completely, and said the rudest things imaginable.
Afterwards she was so penitent, the little witch !
I was quite unable to preserve my offended
dignity, and I had to forgive her impertinences
absolutely.
" Is it any use to try again ? "
" Not a bit. She threatened to box my ears
if I mentioned the subject again. And, by George !
I believe the young minx will carry out her threat
if I say another word."
Miss Hensley laughed ; but it was as well that
the night hid the trouble that lay in her eyes.
" You are here to draw her to her aunt, and
you must set about your task without further
delay," she said, with decision. Owen did not
reply, and she continued, " Have you tried the
other alternative ? " He understood what she
meant, but made no reply. She read his silence
aright, and continued, " Have you heard lately
how Mrs. Myrtle is ? "
" My brother says that she remains much the
same. He tells me to put pressure upon Dilys
but it is useless."
" Is Mrs. Myrtle much attached to her
niece ? " asked Marion.
" I don't think that it can be compared with a
mother's love. She was undoubtedly piqued by
the strange behaviour of Dilys, and now that she
DILYS 229
is ill, she has the craving of an invalid for the
fulfilment of her desire."
" Which fulfilment you undertook volun-
tarily ; and you are bound to carry out what
you promised, however unreasonable both the
ladies may seem."
Miss Hensley spoke with rapid eagerness.
Davenport stopped short in his walk.
" What do you want me to do ? " he demanded,
in a low voice.
" You must ask her to be your wife."
Marion ! "
The word as well as the tone sent a sudden
thrill through her heart. In vain she tried to
control its throbbing, and to drill herself into the
even placidity which should mark mere friendship.
" It would be best for us both," she replied,
in a voice that trembled slightly.
He laughed derisively. 4? Do you remember
that scene in the road, when our little friend
thrashed that big cartman ? That is exactly how
she would treat me, if I dared to ask her to marry
me."
"You are surely not in bodily fear of Miss
Tregethin ? "
" One doesn't like to be scratched by a kitten,
however harmless it may be."
They resumed their stroll along the carriage-
drive, and Marion was silent for a while. She
seemed to have arrived at a dead-lock, as far as
230 DILYS
Dilys and her affairs were concerned. There yet
remained the subject of herself to speak about,
and presently she said
" Would you like to hear what I have done ? "
His mind was still upon the wilful heiress.
He turned and looked at his companion with
apprehension, as he replied
" You haven't broached the matter to Dilys,
have you ? "
" No ; it concerns myself. I have written to
Rex, proposing that we should be married at
Christmas, and go home on leave when father
retires in March."
" Has Rex replied ? "
" Not yet ; I only wrote this morning."
Owen made no comment, and they moved on
in silence towards the house. From the native
infantry lines came the sound of the last bugle,
and it was faintly echoed in the European barracks
further off.
" That was what I wanted to tell you about
myself," said Marion, as she stopped beneath the
portico. Davenport would not trust himself to
speak. The advice she had given, followed by
the news of her own approaching wedding, was a
hint that the fool's paradise in which he had been
living must come to an end. She moved towards
the steps, and he made no effort to detain her.
Halfway up she turned. " By-the-by, I shall be
leaving Bangalore in a day or two. I have not
DILYS 231
heard from father for the last few days. He is
still in camp ; but as soon as he returns, I must
go back to him."
Without waiting for his reply, she resumed
her way to the drawing-room, where Mrs. Stratton
was sitting. Davenport watched her for a few
moments, and then sought the smoking-room,
where he remained until it was time to retire.
At ten o'clock the next morning, Owen pre-
sented himself at the little bungalow in the St.
John's district. Dilys was fluttering about the
house and the verandahs like a restless bird on
the wing. She caught sight of the carriage that
brought him as far as the entrance of the com-
pound. There might have been room on the
narrow drive for a vehicle, and it was possible,
also, that a carriage might have drawn up beneath
the miniature portico that sheltered the steps of
the verandah. But callers at these small bunga-
lows preferred not to make the attempt, whilst
their Jehus refused outright to negotiate such
narrow ways. Before he reached the bungalow,
she met him with the gladness of a child who
greets a playfellow.
" I have just finished feeding all my pets, tame
and wild. I have not forgotten the squirrels, nor
even the greedy cows."
" Nor the parrots ? " asked Owen, smiling,
although he gave the subject but half his attention.
"They have had a feast of custard-apples.
232 DILYS
They fought and quarrelled shamefully ; but how
they enjoyed it ! the squabbling, I mean, as well
as the fruit. The natives of India are very like
the parrots. They don't go to the seaside as you
English do. They have a grand village quarrel
instead. The women begin, and for some days
they keep to scolding and abuse. Then comes
the scratching and screaming and tearing of hair.
After that, the men are drawn into it, and sticks
are used, ,but no bones are broken. There are
only a good many sore backs. And when it is
all over, they feel refreshed, and settle down to the
dull round of village life contentedly for another
period."
While she chattered thus her quick eyes sur-
veyed him from under their dark lashes. With
one of the strange instincts imbibed from the
gipsies in her childhood, she divined that his
mind was occupied, and she made a shrewd guess
that it was something connected with herself.
W T as it that oft-repeated request to go to Eng-
land to see the aunt who had caused her foster-
mother to desert her, and who had sent her to
school when her whole soul was longing for the
free open-air life of the Lumbadee's calling ? The
colour mounted to her cheek, and a dangerous
sparkle shone in her eye, as she pictured the cold,
sunless country of her parents with the exag-
geration of hearsay and tradition. If her aunt
wished to see her, let her get well and come out
DILYS 233
to India. Go to England in the dreary winter
she would not ! The little foot came down
upon the ground with a stamp that startled her
companion and brought him out of his abstraction.
" Hallo ! little one. Somebody has been
rubbing it up the wrong way ! What has gone
wrong ?"
" Nothing has gone wrong yet," she contra-
dicted with a pout. " I am only saying no ! no !
no ! no 1 to what you are going to ask me.
I won't ! I won't ! I won't ! " and down came
the foot again with each negation.
" How do you know that I am going to ask
you a question ? " he replied in some surprise.
" I can see a question hanging on your lips, and
the answer is * No,' " she cried with vehemence.
"You don't know what I am going to ask,
you little witch ! "
He was watching her now with his undivided
attention. She was in one of her most fascinating
moods, though she was not aware of it.
" Yes, I do ; I know just as well as if you had
spoken it. It is all over your face. Though
you ask me fifty times fifty, the answer is *No' ! "
Was she sharp enough to guess all that was
in his mind ? It was quite possible, and his
proposal would evoke as flat a refusal as she had
given to his other request. He smiled again
as he said
" Hadn't you better wait until I put the
234 DILYS
question before giving a reply ? Ladies don't
generally * go over the bridge before they get
there' in these matters. They usually wait till
the gentleman speaks."
She glanced at him with swift inquiry. His
words puzzled her slightly. One of the sudden
changes which were characteristic came over her.
The eyes were lowered, the hands folded, and
Dilys stood before him the personification of
gentleness and humility.
"I am waiting," she said meekly.
Was she making fun of him ? or was this
another of her transient moods never before
exhibited ? He gazed at her in doubt.
" Yes ? What do you wish to ask me, Mr.
Davenport ? Please, I am quite ready, waiting at
the foot of the bridge. Will you not cross it ? "
"Dilys, do be serious a moment," he cried.
"You make it so difficult for me to say what
I want you to hear."
" Do I ? " she said penitently. " I am so
sorry. Indeed, I am all seriousness. Tell me,
and I will listen."
He rose from the seat and took a few steps up
and down the small drawing-room, whilst the girl
watched him from beneath her lashes, standing
like a child on its best behaviour in front of the
chair which he had just vacated.
" I want to to confess something and then
ask you a very serious question."
DILYS 235
She made no sign of surprise nor even of
curiosity. He ceased moving about the room
and came to her side. Her head drooped a little
lower over the folded hands as he began his tale.
"When I left England, we all thought that
Mrs. Myrtle was on her death-bed. Her desire
to see you was intense, and it seemed to be the
craving of a dying woman. In my pity for her
distress, I rashly promised to bring you back
at all cost. If every other means failed, I
promised "
He paused ; the tale seemed so foolish in the
telling. She afforded him no help, and the head
was so low that he could not see her features.
"To be honest, I promised Mrs. Myrtle
that I would ask you to be my wife, and as such
J would bring you to her."
There was a faint little " Yes " as he concluded,
which indicated that she had heard what he was
saying ; but beyond this he received neither
encouragement nor reproof.
" Dilys, will you marry me ? "
His eyes rested upon her with grave anxiety
during the silence that ensued. Slowly she raised
hers to his and met their earnest gaze with some-
thing of his own gravity. The fun and mischief,
the petulance and breezy anger had entirely
disappeared, and the child was merged into the
woman. He had become accustomed to her way
of answering one question with another, a trick
236 DILYS
learned of the tribe that fostered her ; but he was
taken by surprise when she said
"Does Miss Hensley know that you have
come here this morning to ask me to be your
wife?"
" Yes that is, I believe she does, though
I did not see her before I started."
" Did she send you ? " Her eyes were still
fixed upon his as though she sought the truth
in their depths.
He was embarrassed by her catechising, and
replied, with some hesitation
" I to be honest, perhaps she did."
Her glance was lowered ; she had learnt all
that she wanted to know. A faint flicker of
a smile hovered round the corners of her mouth
as she again bent in silence over her hands. He
could not see the shadowy fleeting smile that came
again as she listened.
"Well," he cried expectantly, " it is time now
to cross your bridge. The question has been
asked, and you are at liberty to say c No.' Fifty
times fifty, no ! "
But the refusal did not come, and he watched
in vain for the flush of swift annoyance, the flash-
ing eye, and the "No ! no ! no ! " often minutes
ago. His heart beat violently as he waited to
learn if he stood released or bound.
" What is your answer, Dilys ? Will you
marry me ? " he asked, trying to suppress the
DILYS 237
impatience which echoed in every word that
he uttered.
Suddenly she lifted her head. Her eyes
shone with a strange light as they met his.
" Yes, dear Beast, yes," she said, with un-
faltering decision.
Her words held him speechless and still, as
their true import was borne in upon his mind.
For the moment he seemed paralyzed by the
turn of events. Dilys, on the contrary, was self-
contained and in no way disturbed by the new
situation. She took his hand and pressed the
back of it to her forehead ; yet another of the
quaint tricks acquired from her foster-mother's
people.
" Thus do gipsy brides greet their bride-
grooms, dear Beast," she cried.
In another moment she was gone, and he was
alone. The hot blood coursed in his veins as he
stood there, the affianced husband of the strange,
wild girl who attracted him, charmed him, wove
spells about him, but failed to touch his heart.
" Shall I ever learn to love her ? " he asked
himself, as he passed down the familiar path
towards the carriage that awaited him in the road.
" If I ever do, it will be with no ordinary love,
for she is no ordinary girl," was the answer he
made to his own query as he stepped into the
brougham and was driven back to the hotel.
CHAPTER XVI
As Marion entered the dining-room of the hotel
for lunch, she glanced round in search of Owen.
He was not there, nor did he appear at the
informal afternoon tea served in the verandah at
four o'clock. The visitors at the hotel grouped
themselves into parties as they pleased, and the
tea was arranged on small bamboo tables accord-
ingly. It had been Owen's custom to join Mrs.
Stratton's table, but she never waited for him.
As soon as tea was over, she and Miss Hensley
departed for the usual drive.
Davenport had had lunch in his own room,
and all the afternoon he had been busy with his
English mail letters, which had to be posted that
evening. As soon as these were finished he
walked to the post-office and despatched a wire
to his brother. By the time he had returned to the
hotel, the informal gathering in the verandah had
dispersed, and he drank his cup of tea by himself.
Taking his stick, he set out for the usual stroll
in the Cubbon Park, and hung about the spot
where Dilys was wont to pick him up. This
238
DILYS 239
evening there was no sign of the fast littls Pegu
pony. He lingered near the band-stand, and
wandered about the park until the sun dipped
behind the trees and the rapidly approaching
Indian twilight enveloped the landscape. In the
east a bank of heavy cloud lay on the horizon.
Threads of pale trembling lightning intersected
the masses of vapour and played about their
rounded heads, which were crowned with rosy
light from the setting sun.
The verandah where the ladies sat after dinner
was forsaken that evening. A cold wet wind,
carrying splashes of rain on its wings, drove the
gay crowd into the drawing-room. It was a
cheerful room, large and airy, and bright with
many lamps.
Owen caught sight of Marion seated upon a
couch. She was not engaged in conversation at
the moment, and the seat beside her was vacant.
Crossing the room, he dropped into the opposite
corner of the lounge. Since she had come to
Bangalore she seemed to have undergone a
change. That buoyancy of spirits which had
enabled her to meet the little worries of life with
a laugh and a joke had given place to an unusual
gentleness that bordered on sadness. Owen re-
cognized the change, and his heart beat as he
thought of its possible cause. But he put the
subject aside resolutely. Subtle treachery to-
wards his friend was carried in its train. He
DILYS
shut his eyes to the danger that beset them both,
and comforted himself with the thought that he
was doing his best to protect himself and Marion
from the consequences of the unguarded friend-
ship into which they had unconsciously drifted.
" This is the first time we have met to-day,"
he remarked, unable to repress the contentment
he felt.
" I was too busy this morning to come out for
a walk. You were not at lunch nor at tea, and
I wondered if you had gone out to Hebbal to see
the firing." She raised her eyebrows slightly, as
though she asked for a reason for his absence.
" I am going to Hebbal to-morrow. Captain
Beaumont has offered me a seat in his brake.
To-day, I have been busy with my English
letters. I wrote a long one to my brother, and
sent him a wire in addition," he explained.
"A wire?" repeated Miss Hensley in some
surprise.
"Yes, about Dilys and her return home to
Mrs. Myrtle." He glanced at Marion, who
played with the closed fan for which she had no
use on such an evening. She bent her head in
silence, and waited to hear what further he had
to say. He continued awkwardly, " She has
consented to to go to England."
" She has ? I am so glad," cried Marion,
" How did you manage to effect it ? "
Owen lifted a bewildered insect that had
DILYS 241
sought shelter from the storm, and placed it
behind the sofa out of harm's way. With his
eyes on the fluttering thing, he replied
" I did as you suggested I might say, ordered.
I asked her to be my wife."
" And she accepted you ? " Her voice was
low and almost breathless in her anxiety to learn
the best and worst.
" After a few moments' consideration, and a
question or two on her part, she said yes, with
a heartiness which should have sent me into a
seventh heaven of happiness." But he spoke
drearily, and without a spark of lover's ecstasy.
Again there was silence, which Davenport broke
with an effort. " I felt so sure that she was
going to refuse my offer, that her acceptance
startled me." A sigh escaped his lips, and she
moved restlessly, as a woman might whose ear
had caught the cry of a creature that was hurt.
Under pretence of succouring other straying in-
sects he avoided her eye, and went on. " Well !
the deed right or wrong is done, and she is
to be my wife. I feel now that the sooner we
get it over the better. I am going to press for
an early marriage."
She was still once more, and there was no
indication on the immovable features of the fiery
pain that burnt within her heart.
"Did she confess that she loved you ?" she
asked.
242 DILYS
" By Jingo ! I forgot to inquire ! I believe
she does, in her way. She is such an odd mixture
of child and woman, wild thing and tame, that
it will take me a lifetime to discover her real
character. Her change of mood is one of the
puzzles of her nature. Yet there is something
fascinating, even though it irritates, never to know
whether one may expect a kiss or a buffet. I
shall have to prepare myself for smiles or tears,
sunshine or storm, at a moment's notice, according
as the spirit moves her. Perhaps it will make
life more interesting to live with a wife who is
an enigma and needs constantly studying."
With a man's egotism his mind dwelt more
upon himself than upon the woman by his side.
Having rescued every creeping thing within reach,
he lifted his eyes to hers, and became aware that
there were lines of pain about her mouth. Yet,
as he saw the signs of suffering, he did not dream
that his careless speculations concerning his own
future were wringing her heart with odd pangs of
jealousy. Recognizing the expression of sudden
concern upon his face, she said
"You will be sorry to hear that my father
has been ill I fear, worse than he will admit.
He was overtaken by a heavy storm in camp.
His tent was blown down, and he was drenched
to the skin. Fever, of course, set in, a short,
sharp attack, and more severe than any he has
hitherto experienced. The doctors would not
DILYS 243
allow me to be told until he was better, and had
been brought into Cuddalore. It was just as
well, for I could not have gone to him in camp,
and I am wanted here. They are sending him
up to Bangalore by to-night's train. One of the
doctors is coming with him, which shows how
weak he must be."
Owen expressed his sympathy, and asked if
Rex knew of it.
" He is in another part of the district, and
will not hear of it till he receives my letter.
Father will arrive at six o'clock to-morrow
morning."
The thunder roared above the roof as the
storm spent itself, and the white lightning
illumined the dripping landscape. The room
was well filled with people staying in the hotel,
and there was a buzz of voices which, without
the aid of the storm, would have been sufficient
cover for conversation.
"What a storm we are having," remarked
Marion.
" It will do good, and lay the dust. It
was almost unpleasant walking in the park this
afternoon."
"Then you did not have your usual drive
with Miss Tregethin ? "
" No, I saw nothing of her. After our
interview this morning I hoped that she would
give me the opportunity of talking over the
244 DILYS
future. She is as difficult to catch as one of
those beautiful wild birds in the Lai Bagh. They
are neither shy nor frightened, having never been
shot at, but they are, in the best sense of the
word, wild."
" What may be expected of an English girl
is not what you will find in Dilys," remarked
Marion.
Owen looked at his companion as though he
would ask a question, yet hesitated. He found
courage to return to the subject of himself as he
met her friendly gaze.
" You have seen her two or three times, Miss
Hensley, and have had some conversation with
her. 1 wish you would give me an opinion."
" With pleasure," replied Marion, who had
regained her composure.
" Do you think that Dilys is in love ? "
He waited eagerly for her reply, which was
slow in coming. The memory of certain remarks
made by Dilys when Marion mentioned by chance
her engagement to Rex, lingered in her mind.
" Yes," she answered, with deliberation. " I
came to the conclusion that she was not heart-
whole. But it was difficult to know when she
was speaking in fun or scoffingly or in earnest."
" Am I the object of her affections ? " he
asked.
" Who else can there be but you ? Since
she has accepted your offer without hesitation,
DILYS 245
you are justified in thinking that her heart has
been given to you, and that she loves you in her
own wild way."
Mrs. Stratton was approaching, and the tete-
h-tete drew to a close. Owen had just time to
reply in a low voice
" I suppose I must do my best to deserve it,
and to be honest I ought to make a super-
human effort to return her devotion. You have
set me a task, and for your sake, Marion, I will
do my best to carry it through."
The rain continued the greater part of the
night, but at dawn the broken clouds fled west-
wards, and a clear sky awaited the coming of the
sun. As Marion drove towards the cantonment
station in the dawn, she thought that she had
never seen a more beautiful morning.
Mr. Hensley stepped out of the train without
the assistance of his friend, declaring himself to
be much better already. But he did not deceive
his daughter. He had the fever-stricken look
which is unmistakable, and he was glad of help
in mounting the steps of the carriage. The
doctor, who had travelled with his patient, left
him at the station to go to a friend with whom
he was to stay the night. He promised to call at
the hotel after breakfast, and asked Miss Hensley
if she would be in, as he wished to have a few
words with her. He detected a sudden anxiety
on her face, and added that there was nothing to
246 D1LYS
be alarmed at. The collector would recover if
he would consent to be guided by his medical
advisers.
It was three o'clock in the afternoon. Mr.
Hensley was asleep in his room, and Marion,
relieved for a time of her duties, went into the
verandah upon which her bedroom opened. She
established herself in a comfortable cane lounge,
with cushions and rug. At that hour, the whole
house was quiet and slumberous. Possibly, if her
mind had not been in a tumult with conflicting
thoughts, she, too, might have dropped off to
sleep, lulled by the gentle song of the black robin,
as it perched upon the scarlet poinsettia leaves.
But she sat there wide-eyed, and wakeful, un-
mindful of the jubilant bird and insect life that
revelled in the storm-washed garden.
An open letter rested on her lap, and her
hand still grasped the closely written pages. It
was from Rex, and in it he had practically refused
her request. He begged that he might be allowed
to follow her home in the summer, and post-
pone the marriage till then. " After the Garden
House, with all its luxury, you could never settle
down in comfort at the little bungalow in the fort.
I should be obliged to go out occasionally into
camp, and you would be left quite alone, except
for the servants. If you were not nervous, I
should be. It will be far better to adhere to our
original plan, in which you promised to stay with
DILYS 247
your father until he retired. Go to England with
him in March, and I will get three months'
privilege leave in June. We will be married in
the summer, and on my return to India I have
every hope of being transferred to a better
station." Then followed regrets and apologies,
with assurances that he was acting in her interests
in refusing to hurry on the marriage.
" Perhaps, after what the doctor has been
saying this morning, it is j ust as well that he has
refused, for father certainly has need of me now,"
she said to herself, as she read his letter once
more.
There was a step in the verandah, the light
tread of an English shoe, and not the bare foot-
fall of a native servant. Marion turned her head
quickly.
" Oh ! Dilys, is that you ? Come here ; don't
be afraid ; I am pleased to see you."
With a curious mixture of shyness and con-
fidence, Dilys approached, and at Marion's in-
vitation seated herself on a low chair close to the
lounge.
" What is the matter, Miss Hensley ? Some-
thing has happened which is troubling you," said
the girl, whose quick eyes read a story in the face
of her companion.
"My father arrived this morning. He has
been very ill with fever."
" I am so sorry for you," cried Dilys, with a
248 DILYS
flood of warm sympathy, which her education had
not taught her to restrain. "Here have I been
thinking of nothing but my own affairs, whilst you
have been full of anxiety. How selfish I am
but it is the way of this country. We are all for
ourselves until we love some one better than
ourselves."
" And you have found that somebody ? " asked
Marion, watching her with searching eyes.
" I am no different from you if I have," cried
Dilys, with quick retort. She let jher eyes rest
upon the letter lying in Marion's hand, and reso-
lutely avoided the gaze of inquiry that would fain
have read her inmost soul.
4{ I hope that you will love Mr. Davenport.
He has told me that you have accepted him.
You must do your best to make him happy."
"I will try, Miss Hensley," was the gentle
reply. At the same time a sunny smile spread
over the childlike features, vanishing as swiftly as
it appeared.
"You will soon be leaving for home, Mr.
Davenport tells me," said Marion.
" Home ! This is my home ! " burst from
the lips of the other, impetuously ; and Miss
Hensley thought of the description Owen had
given of his future wife. She said gently, but
firmly
"You know what I mean, Dilys. You will
soon be on your way to see your aunt."
DILYS 249
{< I have not promised to go to England,"
protested Dilys, with signs of storm gathering in
her face.
"You virtually gave the promise when you
accepted the offer of Mr. Davenport. Have you
seen him since ? "
" No ; he called this morning, but I was out.
I shall take him for a drive this evening, and then,
perhaps, he will talk of it. But "
" Well ? " said Marion, with encouragement.
"Whenever we speak of my aunt, I some-
how lose my temper, and then I say all sorts of
rude things to the dear Beast, as I call him. He
is so gentle and kind to me, and never scolds.
And afterwards, I am so sorry. Do you know
how good he is, Miss Hensley ? " She raised her
eyes with a swift glance, and then lowered them.
" Yes, I know that he is good, and that you
are fortunate," replied Marion, in a constrained
voice.
"Do you know that it was pure kindness of
heart that made him seek me. At first, I was
irritated by what I thought was his interference ;
then I was amused ; but now I am touched. He
deserves to be happy, and I will do my best to
make him so."
"Shall we talk the matter over now, you
and I, and settle plans for the future ? " asked
Marion, her heart warming towards this emotional
child of nature.
250 DILYS
"That will be delightful. If I am rude and
angry, you must let me run away at once and
forget all my naughty temper." She bent over
Marion's hand, and, taking it, with the letter, in
her own, kissed it fervently.
" Dilys ! You must not do that. You are
actually showering your kisses upon the paper,
as well as my hand."
"What is the paper?" asked Dilys, as the
colour mounted to her cheek.
" It is a letter from Mr. Carwardine." There
was silence for a few moments.
"Tell me about your father, Miss Hensley.
Has he been very ill ? "
" So ill that the doctors say that he must go
to England as soon as we can conveniently start."
"When will that be?"
" In a fortnight's time. After breakfast we
telegraphed for berths on the Golcondah, sailing
from Madras a fortnight hence."
Dilys bounded to her feet with an exclamation
" Ah ! Mr. Davenport and I will come home
with you. We will all travel together you
and I, your father and Mr. Davenport and
and " She paused, and Marion smiled and
made answer to the unspoken question
" No, not Mr. Carwardine. He cannot get
away just now, but must follow later."
Dilys remained buried in thought, the light
in her eye betraying the working of her mind.
DILYS 251
" I see it all ; it is a lovely plan ; we will go
together. Why don't you say yes ! yes ? What
are you dreaming of, Miss Hensley. There is
something more in your mind."
It was true, and Marion was hesitating, un-
decided whether to speak what was on her lips
or be silent. She was anxious not to do anything
which might change the determination to return
to Mrs. Myrtle, now that it was once formed.
But, at ' the invitation given, she unburdened
herself of what was in her mind.
"Don't you think that it would be better
if you and Mr. Davenport went sooner. Every
day is of consequence to your aunt in her uncer-
tain state of health. It would be a wiser plan
if you left Bombay by next week's boat, and
travelled with the mail. We are going all the
way round by sea on the Gokondah, as the doctor
says that father will be so much better for a long
sea voyage."
Dilys listened without any outburst of nega-
tion, and Marion, growing bolder, described the
shorter route, strongly urging its adoption. When
she had finished, her companion lifted her eyes
and said
" Are you sorry that Mr. Carwardine will not
be going with you ? "
" Of course I am sorry," replied Marion, a
little embarrassed by the sudden turn to personality
in the conversation.
252 DILYS
" I should not like to leave him if I were you.
I would not leave him," she continued, with one
of her flashes of emotion. "A hundred fathers
and a hundred and fifty aunts could not draw me
from the man I loved."
Miss Hensley gazed into her shining eyes
with curiosity.
"As long as one is unmarried, a father has
a stronger claim than a lover," said Marion.
"Oh! I don't think so. If you really,
really love a man, he shines in your heart like
the sun, which puts out all other lights. Even
the moon and the stars grow pale, and are ex-
tinguished before his burning brightness. And
when the sun is not with you, you are in
darkness."
" Is that how you love, Dilys ? " asked
Marion, softly, her voice indicating a stirring
of the depths of emotion within her own breast.
" Yes," was the almost inaudible reply. And
Marion felt her hands seized in a nervous trem-
bling clasp, whilst a hot cheek was laid upon
them.
She recognized that this was love, the un-
restrained passion of one who had not been
taught to hide her emotions under a mask of
indifference, which she was far from feeling. Did
Miss Hensley experience something of the same
sort of burning emotion within her, an emotion
which she dared not show or even acknowledge
DILYS 253
herself ? Conscience replied that if such feelings
found place in her heart, it was not Rex who
called them forth. A spasm of pain wrung her
soul. Repentance for her disloyalty, and despair
over the sunless future, made life seem almost
intolerable. At that moment she was grateful
to Rex for having refused her request, and given
her a respite. It was a relief when Dilys, lifting
her head, said " I must be off." A quick, warm
embrace, a few words of comfort uttered at
random, but strangely pertinent, and her visitor
had fluttered away.
That evening, after dinner, Marion inquired
of Owen if he had met Dilys.
"She drove me to the Lai Bagh. I have
never seen her in such high spirits. She was
full of fun, and as tractable as one could desire.
At the same time she again showed herself a
woman of business."
"In what way ? "
" She had apparently been thinking out her
arrangements for the future, and they were
thoroughly practical. As soon as we met, she
insisted on driving me to the post-office, where,
at her direction, I wired to the shipping agents
to secure passages for her and myself."
" By the mail boat from Bombay next week ? "
" No ; she would not hear of the mail, though
I explained that we should get home in half the
time if we went across the continent. I was
254 DILYS
afraid of a volcanic eruption," he continued, with
a rueful laugh, " and allowed her to choose her
own way, so long as it was in a homeward direc-
tion. Nothing would do but the Golcondah, sailing
from Madras a fortnight hence. It would give
her time to prepare for the voyage, and say good-
bye to her friends, she said."
"Those mysterious people who have befriended
her since Mrs. Myrtle's departure, I suppose,"
remarked Marion.
"She would not tell me. I telegraphed also
to the bankers at Madras, requesting them to pay
over the passage-money to the agents, so as to
make sure of the berths. She insisted on doing
this, and gave me no peace until I had completed
the business. I am not sorry, except that it takes
me away from my Indian friends sooner than I
anticipated."
" Did she tell you that she had seen me this
afternoon ? "
" No ; she never mentioned your name."
After a slight pause Marion said, " I have not
had an opportunity of talking to you about my
father."
" He is none the worse for his journey last
night, I hope ? "
" None whatever ; the change is already doing
him good. The doctor came this morning after
breakfast. He has forbidden father to do any
more work, and has ordered him home at once.
DILYS 255
There will be no difficulty about his leave. The
doctor says that it may cost father his life if he
attempts to work on to March."
" Then you, too, will soon be going to Eng-
land ? "
"We telegraphed this morning, directly the
doctor left, to take our passages on the Gokondah^
wiring directions to our banker, as you have done,
to pay the deposit."
"The Golcondah ! Then that accounts for
" Yes ; she knew what we had done, and
formed a sudden resolve to travel with us."
"Once again it seems that we are the victims
of fate. Yet, after all, why should we not travel
together ? " His eyes seemed to search hers to
their very depths.
She turned upon him with nervous celerity.
" You forget the ties that bind us both," she said,
as she rose abruptly and moved away.
The next morning Owen hurried to the little
bungalow on St. John's Hill. He was met by the
gardener who had but one English sentence upon
his lips, though he explained volubly in his own
tongue, which Owen did not understand. The
sentence so often repeated was " Missie done gone
away."
CHAPTER XVII
WHEN Owen departed for Bangalore he elected
to travel by the day train, arriving in the evening.
Europeans usually preferred the night mail, leaving
after late dinner. Davenport, with the enthusiasm
of a visitor, desired to see something of the coun-
try through which the line passed. Rex was glad
to have the whole day for making his preparations
for camp.
The police-officer dined at the club, driving
himself in the country bamboo cart to save time.
The syce had gone on ahead, and he was alone.
As he passed out of the fort the familiar figure of
the gipsy girl darted forward from the deep shadow
of the old fortifications, and signalled to him to
stop. This was a new departure from her custom-
ary greeting, which was merely to place her hands
together with a gesture of supplication. He pulled
up sharply to avoid an accident.
" Hallo ! What do you want ? It is of no use
to beg for that budmash of a brother." Though
his words were not encouraging the tone of them
was anything but severe. She made no reply
256
DILYS 257
except to smile like a wilful child that knows no
rebuke. She approached close to the cart, and
leaning forward in front of the wheel laid her
hands upon his feet after the manner of the sup-
pliant native. With her in that perilous position
he could only rein in his mare, and wait until she
released him. He feigned an anger which he
was far from feeling, and was dimly conscious that
a very different emotion stirred within his heart.
"Get away," he cried in Tamil. "If the horse
starts on, the wheel will go over you."
" I do not care if it is the wheel of the cart
that carries you," she returned, with a laugh that
robbed her wild words of half their seriousness.
" Come now, no nonsense ! I shall have to call
the syce to drag you out of danger."
" The forest tree laughs at the woodman who
has no axe. The syce passed on his way to the
club ten minutes ago."
" What do you want ? Tell me quickly and
be gone."
" Give me your hand for one little minute,
and I will be off like the sea-gull."
There was no reason why he should not
humour her. He passed the reins into his left
hand, and gave her the right.
" Good-bye ! Pearl of my heart ! "she cried,
pressing his hand to her forehead. But this was
not all. After the touch of the cool forehead he
was sure that he felt her soft lips sweep across the
258 DILYS
back of his hand. In another moment it was
tossed back, and she fled, with the laugh he knew
so well, into the shadow of the earthworks.
He waited a few seconds, his heart beating
tumultuously. Again he assured himself with
vehemence that this was only another method of
pleading for her brother. He reminded himself
as he drove on that natives were given to an ex-
travagant display of emotion, and made no attempt
to hide their feeling. He was glad, however, that
the syce had gone on ahead, and that there had
been no witnesses to the little scene. He must
see her again, he told himself, and point out that
such behaviour on her part was unseemly, and
must not be repeated.
As he was making an early start the next
morning, he did not stay long at the club after
dinner, but as soon as he had finished his cigar
and a cup of coffee, he set out to walk back to the
fort. It was a clear evening, and the moon, now
on the wane, was not up. The murmur of the
sea came across the sand dunes, and the breeze
echoed the murmur as it swept through the soft
larch-like foliage of the casuarina trees. In the
distance the jackals howled and yelped as they
foraged for their evening meal along the shore of
the river. Noisy little brown owls screamed at
each other amongst the broken masonry of the
old fort, and from the beach came the plaintive
cry of restless sea-gulls.
DILYS 259
Rex stopped at the entrance of the fort and
looked round. He wondered if he was being
watched by a bright pair of laughing eyes, or by
the less pleasant gleaming orbs of the big Lum-
badee dogs. As he stood in the wide breach of
the old earth walls, where once armoured men
had tramped on guard, he heard the footfall of a
naked foot upon the road that led from the sea-
shore.
" Who goes there ? " he cried in Tamil, as,
nearly two centuries ago, the sentry had called in
English.
"Naga, the police-peon, sir," was the reply,
spoken in a subdued voice.
" What are you doing down here, Naga, at
this time of night ? It is not your beat."
" No, sir ; I am off duty to-night. I have
been in that direction on a little business of my
own. Master promised promotion to any one
who could find out how the English soldiers got
their liquor." Naga moved towards the fort for
greater privacy.
" That is true," replied Rex. " Do you know
anything about the matter ? "
"This evening I saw Corporal Barnes leave
the camp. He went towards the pools where the
poochee catchers hunted for poochees. I followed
to watch. He had a native with him who carried
a basket. I think he was going to fetch brandy
from some hiding-place, and I was now coming to
260 DILYS
tell master. If we go at once, we shall catch the
English corporal as he returns to camp."
Naga's black eyes rolled eagerly in the direc-
tion he had indicated, and he trembled with
excitement.
" Run quickly to the bungalow and fetch my
dark lantern. It is in my sitting-room. You
need not disturb the servants."
Naga returned with the lantern, which Rex
lighted, shutting off the light. They started for
the pools, following a path that ran parallel with
a small stream. They arrived at a point where
they were midway between the sea and the camp.
A stretch of wild marshy land lay on the left. To
the right there was a plantation of casuarina trees,
which stood between them and the sea. A short
distance further on, the stream widened out into
pools of fresh water, indicating the presence of
springs.
Naga, who was leading, diverged from the
path and picked his way amongst tussocks of
grass and scrubby vegetation, which formed a
cover for their approach. Rex moved cautiously,
stopping now and then to listen. He could
distinguish the sound of subdued voices in the
distance ; also the occasional flash of a dark
lantern like his own. The party apparently con-
sisted of three or four men, who were totally
unaware that they were being watched. There
was a splashing of water, as though some one had
DILYS 261
entered the pool and a heavy article was drawn
out on to the dry grass. The police-officer him-
self could not repress the excitement that thrilled
through his frame. As for Naga, he trembled as
a dog under the controlling leash trembles at the
sight of the quarry.
They crept close up to the group, and when
within a few yards of the busy men, the police-
officer turned on the full light of his lantern.
The flash startled two Englishmen and two
natives, who were all four bending over a wooden
box. One of the Englishmen wore uniform.
" Hallo, corporal ! What are you doing
here at this time of night ? " cried Rex, as he
moved rapidly forward, Naga following close at
his heels.
At the sound of his voice they raised their
heads with a look of blank astonishment. At first
no one took upon himself to answer. Then as
the eye of the police-officer seemed to fix upon
Barnes, whom he had addressed, that individual
found his tongue.
" I am helping Mr. Brand, sir."
The corporal glanced at the pensioner, as
though the explanation of their nocturnal business
should come more properly from the older man.
At the mention of his name Rex turned in some
surprise to Brand.
" Is that you, Brand ? "
" Yes, sir ; you may take your oath that it is
262 DILYS
the old man right enough," was the reply, given
with that peculiar mixture of heartiness and good-
humoured courtesy which Brand considered was
the essence of gentlemanly speech towards his
own sex.
" What brings you here so late ? It must be
ten o'clock."
" Well, sir, Corporal Barnes and I have been
fishing all the afternoon, and as I was going home
with Rammersammy Here, boy, bring that
basket and show the gentleman my catch. I had
better luck to-day than I have had for some time
past. Turn your lantern on to it. There's a
pretty picture ! " he cried enthusiastically, as the
gleam of silver scales caught their eye. " As I
was telling you, when we were going home, we
met the head-constable " here, to the further
astonishment of Rex, Soobarow stepped into the
light ; an involuntary exclamation escaped the
lips of his son, and Soobarow's eyes blinked
ominously "and he asked if we could lend him
a hand with a little private job, which he wanted
to carry out by himself without the assistance of
his mates. Here, you tell the master what you
have found, Soobarow," concluded Brand, passing
on the narration of the story to the head-constable.
Soobarow raised his hand in the usual military
salute, and took up the tale in Tamil.
" I thought it best, sir, to conduct my inquiry
without letting any of the force know, seeing that
DILYS 263
there was the reward of promotion attached to
any discovery that might be made. A turban can
be worn by only one head, and promotion cannot
be shared. So I kept the matter to myself, asking
the aid only of men to whom promotion in the
police force was nothing."
" And what is your discovery ? This case of
liquor?"
"Yes, sir. You will remember that I men-
tioned to your honour that the poochee catchers
were often seen at night near these pools. I
examined the pools, and when I discovered that
there was a box at the bottom of one of them, I
thought that I had come upon the secret of the
spirit-smuggling. I tried to raise the box myself,
but it was sunk too deep. Meeting Mr. Brand
and the corporal, on their return from fishing,
with their servant, I asked for their assistance."
"Which, of course, they willingly gave."
" Yes, sir. Mr. Brand sent his servant into
the water, and together we pulled out that case."
He pointed to it, and bade Ramaswamy lend a
hand in hauling it higher up on the bank. The
corporal assisted, and the box was placed on level
ground.
" It is a three-dozen spirit-case, I feel sure ;
and probably full of brandy. We seem to have
got on to something this time, eh, Brand ? "
exclaimed the police-officer in English, unable to
repress the note of satisfaction that rang in his tone.
264 DILYS
"That's just about it, sir. But let's look in
the box, to be sure that we have made no mis-
take," as he shot a swift glance at Barnes, who
was standing stolidly at attention, after the manner
of his kind.
" Have you any means of opening it ? " asked
Rex.
They looked at each other as though passing
the question on, and Soobarow replied in the
negative. His eyes were bent upon his son, who,
to use his own expression, felt as if his liver
turned to water beneath the paternal gaze. Once
more his limbs shook, but this time from a very
different cause. Retribution rather than promo-
tion stared him in the face. He called to mind
the terrible family conclave that was usually as-
sembled when erring members, who had grown
beyond the strength of the father's arm, needed
correction. Uncles and cousins gathered together
in the depth of the night, and the sins were
judged over the bound and prostrate body of the
criminal. Sentence was pronounced and punish-
ment was administered on the spot, with the
consent of the father and the aid of the relations.
Thus do the natives of India wash their linen at
home and steer clear of the terrors of publicity.
" Shall I fetch yammer and screwdriver from
the bungalow, sir ? " asked the unhappy young
man with eagerness.
" Yes, and be quick about it."
DILYS 265
Naga sped back to the fort, and ten minutes
later the syce brought the required tools.
" Where is the police-peon ? " asked Brand, in
a whisper.
" Done gone home," replied the groom.
" That won't save his skin, the cunning devil,"
muttered the pensioner to himself.
Barnes was deputed to open the case, whilst
the light from the two lanterns was turned upon
it. Under the corporal's strong wrists the nails
were loosened and the lid lifted.
" Bottles ! Just as I suspected," cried Rex.
Barnes took one from the end of the top
layer and pulled off the sodden straw hood. He
held it up to the light. Spirit it undoubtedly
contained ; but there was something in the bottle
besides spirit. As he turned it upside down two
or three large, fat caterpillars floated slowly to-
wards the inverted neck.
"That isn't the stuff that the Tommies get
drunk on, sir," remarked Brand, with a laugh.
" How disgusting ! " ejaculated Rex, as the
corporal reversed the bottle again, and exhibited
the loathsome creatures entombed within it.
" They ain't exactly what you might call
ornamental, though they do put them up in the
museums for show," ventured Barnes, with
solemn humour.
" I'm afraid it is a false scent after all," said
Rex, in a voice which indicated his disappointment.
266 DILYS
" Certainly no one but those crazy German
gentlemen could want such things as these."
Brand spoke with sympathy, as though he was
sorry for the disappointment of the police-officer.
" There is no doubt but that the case of spirit
was imported by those German naturalists for the
preservation of their specimens, and it can have
nothing to do with smuggling ; for I know that
they paid duty on all the spirits of wine that
they used."
" Anyhow, it isn't the stuff that the men want
in camp," remarked Brand. " I wonder how it
came to be left here."
" I think I can tell you," said Barnes. " The
gentlemen must have filled the case with what
they considered were bad specimens not worth
carrying home, and their servant, Henree, as he
called himself that funny French Eurasian fellow
that used to be so pleasant with everybody had
it carried down here to be thrown away ; as, no
doubt, that stuff what's pickled them caterpillars
is poisonous."
"And the natives are such dirty warmints,
they would drink it, sir, as soon as look at you.
They are all alike, every one of them, only some
are tall and some are short, some are fat and some
are lean," said Brand, looking severely at Rama-
swamy, as though the old man was responsible for
this sad state of affairs.
Ramaswamy dutifully wagged his head in
DILYS 267
cordial assent to the words of wisdom that flowed
from his beloved master's mouth, and murmured,
Yes, sar."
" Let me look at another bottle," said Rex, the
breath of a suspicion passing through his mind, as
he remembered that the Englishmen present, as
well as the natives including his own head-
constable, who had proved incorruptible in the
matter of serious crime were all of one opinion
regarding the innocence of a little smuggling.
Soobarow picked up a bottle from the other
end of the box, and held it up with the lantern
behind it. The white spirit of wine was clear
enough, but floating in the liquid were three
more horrible entymological specimens.
" That will do ; put the bottles back. They
are no good to any one. Where is Naga ? "
Rex glanced round in search of his guide,
who was nowhere visible. The rest of the
company, including the syce, held their tongues.
"Did the police-peon bring you here, sir ? "
asked Brand.
" He was under the impression that he too
had made a discovery "
" Of the wine-case ? "
"No, not exactly that," replied Rex, whose
eyes rested on the corporal. Having replaced
the bottles, Barnes was busy fitting on the sodden
lid. " Naga was under a wrong impression, in
which he has not been singular. He meant well,
268 DiLYS
as did his father. Why didn't you take your son
into your confidence, Soobarow ? "
" Young tongues wag, and, moreover, there was
only room on the path to promotion for one, sir."
" You have both been running on the wrong
track apparently, and we are no nearer the solution
of the mystery than we were."
Barnes looked up from his work. He was
still turning the lid in his endeavours to find the
corresponding nail holes.
" What shall I do with this case, sir ? Better
not leave it about, for fear of accidents."
" Throw it back into the pool after you have
knocked the lid on. Do you want any help ? "
" No, sir, except Mr. Brand's old man. He
might stop and lend a hand."
" Then you and I will walk together as far as
the fort, Brand," said Rex, as he motioned to the
syce to go in front with the lantern.
Its light was scarcely necessary, for the moon
was just lifting her head out of the sea, and
there was no difficulty in distinguishing the path.
Brand, with his creel slung over his shoulder ahd
a bundle of fishing-rods under his arm, followed
the police-officer after bidding Barnes good night.
Soobarow was not far behind, his presence at the
pool being no longer required.
" Are you sure that you're not after a mare's
nest over this smuggling, sir ? " asked Brand, as
he trudged close at his companion's heels.
DILYS 269
" Quite sure," replied Carwardine, positively.
" What proof have you, if I may be so bold
as to ask ? "
"The intoxication of the men. You must
know that it is pretty bad in the camp. The
odd part of it is that the regiment has hitherto
had a reputation for sobriety, and it is only since
they have come to Cuddalore that they have
become unsteady."
" Perhaps you are right, sir. But comparing
present times with the old Company's days, it
doesn't seem to be very bad. The major takes
it to heart, being a strong teetotaller himself.
We didn't have teetotalling in those old days.
There was Havelock's lot, to be sure. The turn
they took was religion more than teetotalling.
But, Lor' ! that didn't make any difference in the
soldiers, and Havelock's lot could fight with the
best of us. I shall never forget when we went
into Cawnpore, just after the massacres, how
Havelock stood up and spoke to us. There
wasn't a man who was more eager to bring those
devils to justice than he was."
"I suppose that those times set you against
the natives."
" Only against a certain class, sir. We had
our boys with us, and our water-carriers. They
never failed us. No matter how early we started
to march, those boys would have a drink of coffee
ready, and the water-carriers wouldn't be far off
DILYS
with their mussacks when we got into our next
camping-place, parched with sun-thirst. No ;
they weren't the people we were hunting."
" A man did not live long if he drank hard
in those days, I take it," said Rex.
" That's true ; but as long as a man was not
a regular drinker, we never used to think that liquor
did him any harm. Some of the best soldiers I've
known took their liquor occasionally."
"We haven't quite the same opinion about
drink that was held a generation ago. I am sorry
that this outbreak on the part of the men should
have occurred."
"Don't you worry yourself, sir. It will all
come to an end as soon as the men go back to
quarters."
" I hope it may ; but if they don't drink in
cantonments, why should they do so in camp ? "
" Lor' ! sir ; it's simple enough. The men
feel as if they were out on the spree when they're
in camp like this, with nothing to do."
" All the same, I wish I could help the major
to stop it."
Rex spoke more to himself than to his
companion.
"I know what I should do if I were the
commanding officer," remarked Brand.
" What's that ? " asked Rex, who was always
interested and often amused to hear the quaint
opinions of the old Company's soldier.
DILYS 271
" I would give the fellows a heap of work
road-making, levelling, cleaning up the camp and
the cantonment so that they had no opportunity
to get into mischief. And if they grumbled at
having no time to themselves, I'd tell off a few
every now and then for three days' leave. That's
how we were treated when I was a youngster in
the ranks. We each had our turn, if we liked to
take it. One day in the canteen I don't mean
fooling at it, but just as much liquor as we could
swallow ; one day to sleep it off; and one day to
shave and clean ourselves up and get ready for
duty the next."
" What did the commanding officer think of
such proceedings ? "
" He was very strict ; but whilst we were on
short leave like that, he was very blind so long
as we were not violent. But, Lor' ! if he caught
us when we weren't on leave, he'd just let us have
it 1 Not punishment so much as real hard work,
which somehow or other he would make for us."
" What about the thorough bad ones ? You
must have had a few."
" Yes, there were half a dozen or so. They
were no use to us nor to themselves. If the
sun and the fever didn't clear them off, the
commanding officer found means to give 'em
the cat one way or another, and never rested till
he had shifted them into another regiment. He
was very strict, and wouldn't have any drunkenness
272 DILYS
not what you might really call drunkenness
in his corps."
Rex smiled at the nice distinction. " Winking
at occasional outbreaks wouldn't be tolerated now-
a-days," he remarked.
" No, sir ; I am aware of that. And as far
as the army is concerned, perhaps it is a good
thing. But with old dogs, it's hard to teach them
new tricks."
They arrived at the entrance of the fort, where
their ways parted. Rex, after bidding the old pen-
sioner good night, strolled round the glacis. He
walked warily, remembering the Lumbadee dogs
that had barred his way. But there was no sign
of them to-night ; nor of their mistress. He
looked down upon the old moat. The water was
dark and still, the boat was gone, and he had the
place to himself. He turned into his bungalow
with a strange feeling of disappointment at his
heart, which he put down to his want of success
in elucidating the mystery of the smuggling.
The next morning, before daybreak, he was
driving out towards his first camping-ground,
sixteen miles from Cuddalore.
CHAPTER XVIII
THE time passed quickly for Rex Carwardine in
camp. He succeeded in unravelling the mystery
of the disappearance case. It was not a murder,
but a conspiracy to bring an unpopular member
of a village community into trouble.
In another part of the district he was engaged
in discovering the thief who had robbed a temple
of one of its most valuable jewels. Here he was
hampered by caste rules, which excluded him and
his most trusted subordinates from making a per-
sonal examination of the room where the jewels
were kept. So absorbed was he, that there was very
little time for writing to Marion. When her letter
came, suggesting a speedy marriage, he was startled
and disturbed. He wrote decisively on the subject,
giving reasons which he honestly believed were
paramount for his refusal to her request.
But while his letter rested on Miss Hensley's
lap, as she lay in the verandah of the West End
Hotel at Bangalore, news was brought which drove
all thought of Marion from his mind. The Lum-
badee had escaped from custody, and was nowhere
273 T
274 DILYS
to be found. The old mother had been per-
mitted to see her son. She had wept and wailed
over him, and half an hour later had hobbled
away with her cloth drawn over her head, and her
whole frame shaken by sobs. When the evening
meal of rice and pepper-water was brought in to
the prisoner, it was discovered that he was gone.
" History repeating itself, I suppose," said
Rex to himself, as he read the report. " If I
inquire into the matter and can get at the truth,
I shall find that two weeping old women left the
cell. But the warders will never admit that they
allowed two to pass out. I am sorry now that I
did not thrash the fellow when he hit out at me
and gave me an excuse. Brand is not so very far
wrong when he says that they ought to get their
punishment at the time, and not have to wait for it."
Although he had little hope of retaking the
man, Rex determined to return to Cuddalore with-
out delay. His mind went to the Lumbadee girl,
whom he suspected of having planned and assisted
the escape. Her attitude towards him was not
that which was usual with the natives, and the
memory of her provoking little laugh of mockery
came back, and sent the blood racing through his
veins. He felt convinced that she was shelter-
ing the criminal, yet he could not find it in his
heart to be angry with her.
It would take three days to get back to Cud-
dalore, marching with the camp ; but by riding to
DILYS 275
the nearest railway station, the journey could be
done in a day. He decided upon this latter course.
There was no business that was of any consequence
on the route of march. The storms, which had
driven in Mr. Hensley and laid him on a bed of
sickness, made camping unpleasant, and this gave
Rex an additional excuse for cutting his tour of
inspection short.
The following evening he arrived at the railway
station at Cuddalore. Knowing that he was not
expected home just yet, and that no food would
be prepared in the bungalow, he dined at the rail-
way refreshment-room with the rest of the pas-
sengers, who were mostly going on by the same
train that had brought them in. The meal was a
hasty one, only twenty minutes being allowed.
Then the bell rang, and all was bustle and con-
fusion, until the engine steamed out into the
darkness, leaving the platform silent and almost
deserted.
The police-officer took a carriage and bade the
driver go towards the fort. He passed the maidan
where the camp was pitched, and inquired of his
Jehu the reason for the unusual illumination of
the tents. He learned that it was the evening of
the non-commissioned officers' dance. When he
was within a hundred yards or so of the fort he
stopped the carriage, paid the man, and dismissed
him. He had a wish to enter the fort as quietly
as possible, having a faint hope that he might
276 DILYS
discover something, or even take the Lumbadees
unawares, if by chance they had sought refuge in
one of the casemates. He waited until the sound
of the wheels had died away in the distance,
then walked through the mainguard entrance.
Avoiding the garden, he bent his steps towards
the spot where he had most frequently encoun-
tered the gipsy girl. At the bungalow no one
knew of his coming, and, except for the dim light
of the watchman's lantern, the building was
wrapped in darkness. If the gipsy girl chanced
to be lurking about the bastion or glacis, he
might discover her hiding-place in the fort. That
she had some such secret retreat he was sure.
With these intentions in his mind, he strolled
round by the earthworks where the girl had first
appeared, a point that was no great distance from
the bungalow. He caught sight of the faint
glimmer of the watchman's lamp in the back
verandah, and smiled as he pictured to himself
the guardian of his house sound asleep by the
side of his light. It was an odd custom, he
thought, for the thief to respect the watchman,
whether he watched or slept, merely because the
man belonged to the thief caste.
Now and then Rex stood perfectly motionless
to listen for any betraying sound of human voices.
The familiar murmur of the sea came in on the
cool night wind, and the " rain-poochees," those
shrill cicalas of the tropics, kept up a continuous
DILYS 277
whirring on all sides till they well-nigh drowned
the sound of the ocean. They were calling for
rain, the natives would have said ; and the heavy
clouds that hung low down on the horizon over
the sea seemed to be listening to their cry.
There was no sign in the fort of any moving
creatures, animal or human. The goats were
penned close to the herdsmen's huts, and their
small shepherds were already sound asleep. Not
even a stray jackal was moving, nor did Rex catch
a passing glimpse of a Lumbadee dog. He
followed the path that led to the bastion where
the animals, belonging to the gipsy girl, had
barred his way. The path was free to him now.
Pushing the bushes aside he endeavoured to look
down over the wall of the bastion into the moat.
Was that the boat lying on the black water
beneath him ? He could not tell. A water-rat,
disturbed by the presence of a human being,
scudded down the broken masonry and plunged
with a splash into the moat. It reminded him
that where there were rats there were also snakes.
He turned back, retracing his steps for a short
distance. Avoiding the bungalow, he took the
path that would lead past the old casemates to the
main entrance.
He walked with eyes alert, as indeed it was
necessary with only the starlight to guide him.
Suddenly he caught sight of the faint glimmer of
a light. It came from one of the casemates which
278 DILYS
was occasionally used by the goatherds. There
was a thick growth of scrub, which almost hid
the opening, and it was impossible to approach
from the immediate front. He retraced his steps
until he came to the point where the vegetation
ended. Here he could reach the wall. At the
risk of snakes and scorpions he crept close to the
masonry, with his shoulder in touch with the wall ;
he made his way along behind the foliage, and
noiselessly approached the spot where the light
shone. It was slow and difficult work to bring
each foot down without setting some loose piece
of brickwork in motion.
He arrived at the casemates and listened.
There was a murmur of voices within the gallery,
and once the light was obscured, as though some
one stood for a few seconds between it and the
opening.
The police-officer was no coward ; in addi-
tion he possessed his full measure of conscious
superiority which comes to all Britons who help
to rule India. Although he was unarmed he did
not hesitate a moment to enter the low-roofed
passage, which might more justly be described
as a tunnel. Continuing to tread silently and
carefully he advanced towards the light. The
gallery was some ten yards long, and curved
slightly before it widened out into what was once
a powder-chamber. This room was illuminated
by an oil-lamp set in a niche in the wall.
DILYS 279
On the floor squatted a man, native fashion,
whilst an old woman was placing some pots, that
had been used in preparing the evening meal, in a
corner. The police-officer had no difficulty in
recognizing the couple. They were the lame
Lumbadee woman and her son, who had just eaten
their supper. So secure were they in the know-
ledge of the police-officer's absence that they had
taken no precautions against discovery. The
watchman at the bungalow was asleep, and the
ordinary native, including the police-peon, was far
too frightened of seeing devils after sundown
to trust himself among the ruined fortifications.
They therefore chattered on unconcernedly, the
old woman doing most of the talking. She urged
upon her son the necessity of flight to the
Konkanee country, on the other side of the
Western Ghats, until the trouble should be blown
over. Rex heard her say, " Your sister will give
you all the assistance that she can, but she cannot
protect you, my son, after the police-officer re-
turns. That man is a devil, and the enemy of our
race." She cursed him roundly as she handed a
roll of betel leaf to the Lumbadee.
Rex advanced to the entrance, where the light
fell upon his form ; but even so the unconscious
couple would not have detected his presence so
secure did they feel had it not been for the
growl of the Lumbadee dogs, which were fastened
to a staple in the wall by short leather thongs.
280 DILYS
The woman lifted her hand to silence them, then
turned in sudden fear. As her eyes fell on the
form of the police-officer, a hasty cry of warning
escaped her lips.
" Fly, my son ! Fly to the Ranee's room,
and lie hidden in safety until we have silenced our
enemy."
The Lumbadee sprang to his feet, and placed
himself behind the dogs, which strained at their
bonds, their glistening teeth gleaming in the
lamp light, and their half-strangled throats emit-
ting savage growls of rage. It was evident that
they recognized Rex as a common enemy, even
as their keepers had done.
" You may as well give yourself up quietly,"
said Rex, with authority. " If you resist, you
will have to stay months in jail instead of weeks."
The old woman placed herself between her
son and the intruder. A rage, which almost
equalled that of the dogs, shook her, and her
Voice rose to a scream as she again cursed him.
" Not enough to rob me of my son, but you
seek to rob me of my daughter ! What spell
have you cast about her that she is ready at the
mere uplifting of your finger to forsake me and
find joy in you ? "
As she spoke, her son, moving under the
protection of the dogs, crept along the wall.
With a swift leap he reached an archway opposite
to the one where Rex stood, and disappeared into
DILYS 281
another gallery. Rex bounded forward to seize
his prey.
" Stop ; it is useless to attempt to escape
that way ; there is no outlet."
His movement maddened the dogs, and they
made frantic efforts to reach him. But as they
were securely fastened to the wall by their thongs,
he did not trouble himself further about the beasts.
It was useless to follow the man into the dark-
ness, not knowing how the gallery ran. As he
paused, uncertain what to do next, the woman
nobbled to the dogs and loosened their collars.
In a moment they hurled themselves upon Rex
with fierce growls and threw him violently to the
ground. He struck out at their open jaws with
his fists, shouting at them and keeping them at
bay. Had there been but one, he might have
succeeded in beating the animal off; not only
were there two, but the woman, now every whit
as furious as the dogs, urged them on to the
attack with words and gestures, which they com-
prehended. Frequently he struck them on the
nose and eyes, but in his prostrate position he
was at a disadvantage, and one of the savage
brutes fastened its teeth in his left arm. The
limb was partly protected by the rough tweed coat
which he wore, but he felt the sharp wolfish teeth
enter his flesh and lacerate it. At the same time
the arm was pinned down, and he was unable to
use it any longer in self-defence. The other dog
282 DILYS
made for his throat, but he succeeded in pushing
it away. Seizing it by the windpipe, he held it
choking in his grip, with every prospect of its life
being squeezed out of its writhing body.
The old woman, perceiving that the battle was
so far equal, prepared to throw her weight in the
balance on the side of the dogs. Her eyes shone
maliciously as she once more urged the creatures
to persevere in their attack. Arming herself with
the curry-stone which she had so lately used in
preparing the curry and rice for her son, she
approached the recumbent police-officer. The
murderous weapon was not intended for the dogs,
and as Rex caught sight of her, he felt that in
another moment all would be over with him.
There was a rush of some one into the
chamber. The curry-stone was struck from the
grasp of the Lumbadee woman with a sharp cry
of reproach. A hand was laid upon the jaw of
the dog that held him by the arm, and the other
struggling beast was dragged from his grip. A
voice he knew commanded the animals to be
quiet, and the woman to stand back. Its effect
was magical upon the human being as well as the
beasts. The old woman retired, muttering wrath-
fully to herself, and disappeared down the gallery
after her son. The dogs, with watchful eyes,
remained quiescent now that they felt the restrain-
ing grip of the fingers of their mistress upon their
collars ; but they quivered in their eagerness to
DILYS 283
renew the attack, and whined when they were not
giving vent to savage growls.
" Are you much hurt ? Oh, I thought that
they were killing you between them ! Stay quite
still for a moment until I have made the dogs fast.'
She spoke in English ; and Rex, startled and
confused by the abruptness and rapidity with
which the attempt to murder him had been
made and his life so miraculously saved, stood
still at her bidding, where he had risen from the
floor. As soon as she had fastened the collars of
the dogs and once more secured them to the
staple, she turned to him, her face alight with
anger and concern.
" Yes ; see, you are badly bitten in the arm,
and it is bleeding."
" It is painful, but I don't think that there is
much damage done. It was not the dogs I feared
so much as that murderous old woman. You were
only just in time to save my life ! But how is it
that you speak English ? Who are you ? "
He looked at her with wonder ; she dis-
regarded his question, and occupied herself with
his arm, soothing the dogs with gentle words.
At the sight of the enemy near the mistress their
wrath broke out afresh, and they strained at their
collars with renewed fury, panting to attack the
intruder again.
Helping him off with his coat, she examined
his arm. It was an ugly wound, and not a
284 DILYS
pleasant sight. The animal, even with a mouth-
ful of sleeve, had managed to pierce the skin,
and blood was flowing freely. Tearing some
strips from the end of her cloth, she endeavoured
to bind up the wound, but she could not staunch
the bleeding. She glanced into his face, which,
under the influence of the unusual excitement
and loss of blood, had grown very white.
" I will help you to the bungalow ; I think
the wound ought to be bathed."
An impatient movement on his part undid
what little good she had done, and the shirt
sleeve slipped down below his elbow.
" Let me go ! " he cried, shaking himself free
of her touch. " I have something to do before
I can attend to myself. That fellow is in there
with the old woman, and I am determined to
take him. Bring the light ! "
" Never mind the Lumbadee ; let him go.
Your arm is much more important."
Again she made an effort to bind the wound,
but he wrenched his arm from her grasp, ex-
claiming angrily
"You are as bad as the rest of them, whether
you belong to the tribe or not."
He moved towards the archway through which'
the gipsy and his mother had passed. It was
wrapped in utter darkness, and he could not see
if there were steps before him, or if the floor of
the gallery was level.
DILYS 285
<( Bring the light, girl," he repeated, with
increasing anger.
The dogs, recognizing his tone, recommenced
their savage growling. The gipsy girl did not
stir to do his bidding, but laid a soothing hand
on the animals' heads.
Rex, with a strange singing in his ears, and
an increasing sense of confusion and helplessness,
walked towards the light. At the same time he
felt the warm blood running afresh from the
wound and dripping from his finger-ends. The
gipsy stood watching his every movement with
anxiety, speaking now and then to the dogs as
they strained at their collars with each motion of
the enemy.
" I don't know who you are, nor whether
you belong -to the tribe," he began unsteadily.
" But I warn you that I shall have you punished
for aiding and abetting "
The light seemed to grow suddenly misty, and
he was unable to complete the sentence.
When he came to himself he was lying on the
glacis, with the cool night-air blowing in his face.
The girl, on her knees by his side, was pouring
French brandy down his throat.
" Where am I ? What has happened ? " he
asked in bewilderment.
" Oh, Pearl of my heart ! " she returned in
Tamil. " You are hurt ; you fainted. My
mother allowed the dogs to get at you. Lie
286 DILYS
still for the present. You will be better soon and
able to walk to the bungalow."
" Ah ! I remember now. You came in the
nick of time. If that second brute had done the
same to my throat as the first did to my arm,
they would soon have made an end of me, especi-
ally if the old woman had put the finishing touch
with that curry-stone. Yes, you saved my life.
Give me some more brandy."
She put the brass cup which she held to his
lips, and he drank without a thought of where
the brandy came from, or how it reached the hand
that ministered to him.
" How did I get here ? " he asked.
His companion, who was once more busy
with the wounded arm, did not reply. He looked
at her with increasing curiosity.
" You could not have carried me here without
help, little woman. I suppose that Lumbadee
assisted you ? "
He spoke more softly. The anger that raged
within him a short time ago had vanished, together
with the excitement. A sense of weakness hung
over him, and he no longer craved to grapple
with his man. He had time, as his arm occupied
the attention of the girl, to think over the situa-
tion. No one knew better than the police-officer
how easily a runaway thief may become a murderer.
The odd part about it is that the less a man deserves
punishment, the more fiercely will he fight for his
DILYS 287
liberty. The very sense of injustice from which
he is smarting, incites a struggle for what he
considers his right.
His companion did not reply. Rex watched
her as she essayed once more to bind up the
wound. The bleeding had lessened, and the
second attempt at bandaging was more successful
than the first. He was content to lie quiescent
until she had finished.
" Now you may rise, if you like ; but be care-
ful not to give your arm a jar."
Offering her hand, she helped him on to his
feet. He retained the soft fingers in his grasp,
and, suddenly carrying them to his lips, kissed
them.
" Who are you ? " he whispered. " Not that
old woman's daughter, I know."
The fingers he held tightened on his as he
spoke, and, with an emotion which she could not
hide, she said
" Oh, Light of my eyes I It was cruel to
hurt you like this. But you must forgive my
mother. She was beside herself with anger and
fear on behalf of her son. He is a good son and
a kind brother. Forgive, oh, forgive ! If she
falls into the hands of the police it will kill her.
Be merciful 1 Forget their crimes, and forgive
them this wicked injury which has been done. I
shall be grateful to you for ever."
It was hard to resist such pleading. He listened
288 DILYS
in silence, and, looking into her eyes, read some-
thing there which stirred him to the depths of his
soul.
All desire to punish vanished, and every other
emotion gave place to the one which had awakened
his heart and set the blood racing in his veins.
The evil doings of the gipsies were forgotten,
the escaping prisoner, the wound in his arm. He
and his companion were conscious only in that
moment of madness, as they stood on the lonely
glacis, that the world held but themselves. And
the murmur of the sea, with the chanting of the
cicalas, became a song of love.
CHAPTER XIX
ALL was gaiety and merriment in the camp on the
maidan. A big tent was the scene of the festivity.
The non-commissioned officers had spared no
pains with their impromptu ballroom. A tightly
stretched canvas cloth, waxed and French chalked,
made a tolerably good floor. The roof and poles
of the tent were adorned with garlands of foliage
and flowers varied with trophies of small arms
and flags. A long row of seats camp benches
covered with tent carpet ran the whole length
of the tent along the flies. These, according to
the time-honoured custom of sergeants' dances,
were for the ladies. Close by was a second tent,
which was to serve as a bar and supper room. It
was connected with the dancing-room by a covered
way, which was carpeted.
As eight o'clock struck the guests arrived in a
crowd, no one wishing to lose a moment of the
enjoyment of the evening. They came in all kinds
of vehicles, from the neat one-horse brougham of
the D.P.W. overseer, whose lady condescended
to honour the ball with her presence, to the
289 u
290 DJLYS
antiquated bullock-coach hired by Ben Bullen for
himself, his daughter, and his friend Brand. The
volunteers from Trichinopoly and Tanjore, the
European railway drivers and their families, benefit-
ing by the generosity of the railway company in the
matter of free passes, turned up in numbers. Old
pensioners, apothecaries, clerks in the various offices,
all had received invitations, as long as they were
European or Eurasian, and were made welcome.
The volunteers as well as the English soldiers
were in uniform. Those who were unable to
wear H.M.'s livery, relieved the monotony of
evening dress by assuming coloured silk cummer-
bunds. Brand was amongst these last. He was
resplendent in white trousers, a broad crimson
sash in place of a waistcoat, spotless shirt with
gold links and studs, and a neat little coat closely
resembling a mess jacket to match the trousers.
On his feet were a pair of black silk socks em-
broidered in crimson, and patent leather pumps
polished to their highest shining capacity by the
careful Ramaswamy.
The tailor had not failed in respect to his task
of " barl-dress-making only," and Daisy appeared
to be enveloped in a cloud of white grenadine,
which was caught down with pink roses into lines
and folds that followed the latest fashion. Youth
did more for her complexion than powder, and her
smooth young skin under the glow of excitement
and anticipation took the softer tint of her father's
DILYS 291
blood. Her large dark eyes were alight with
eager expectation, and her full lips parted in
tremulous pleasure, not unmixed with a certain
hope concerning Corporal Barnes.
The bullock-coach containing the two pen-
sioners and Daisy was driven up to the tent with
much rattling and jerking of the vehicle, and
snorting on the part of the frightened cattle.
They were not accustomed to such an illumination
of flaring lamps and torches as that which lighted
up the camp.
Corporal Barnes was there to assist Miss
Bullen to descend, and to show her the way to
the little bell tent which served as a lady's cloak-
room. A muslin bedecked dressing-table had been
prepared with brush and comb, hairpins and
powder-puffs, needle and cotton, and had been
put in charge of a smiling and experienced ayah,
who assured every guest in turn, as she relieved
her of her cloak, that she looked very nice, " same
like colonel's missie only." The ayah took
Daisy's wrap, shook out the grenadine skirts, and
offered the powder-puff as Daisy cast a compre-
hensive glance at herself in the glass. Thanks to
the roomy old-fashioned bullock-coach, she had
arrived without being the least crushed, which
was not the case with those whose pride had de-
manded the more expensive conveyance drawn by
a horse. She returned to the entrance of the big
tent, where her father and Mr. Brand were waiting.
292 DILYS
Bullen offered his arm, and led her to the row of
chairs, preceded by Barnes, who introduced the
new arrivals to the wife of the D.P.W. overseer.
She was a large, voluminous lady robed in crimson
satin and cream-coloured lace. She occupied the
coveted position of being the chief lady guest of
the evening. A gracious bow followed the intro-
duction, though she did not include the Bullens
in her narrow circle of friends, and a seat was
found for Daisy lower down between two lesser
lights of the country-born society of Cuddalore,
with whom Miss Bullen was on a more intimate
footing.
Rapidly each carriage discharged its load, which,
in most cases, was not less than four, and the seats
filled up from one end to the other with ladies,
whilst the men grouped themselves on the oppo-
site side of the tent.
The ball opened with a dance called the
D'Albert. A smart young sergeant had been
constituted master of the ceremonies, an office
which still survives in the balls of the barracks.
Stepping up to Mrs. D.P.W. overseer, he asked
her if he might have the honour of dancing the
" Dee Albert " with her. She rose at once with
portly dignity and a broad smile of pleasure.
Pushing a strongly scented handkerchief into his
sleeve, he led her to the top of the tent, where he
took up his position, and waited till the rest of the
company had paired off. Then he pulled out his
DILYS 293
handkerchief, dropped it on the floor as a man
turns down a chair to keep his place, and flitted
about the ballroom, adjusting the sets, and arrang-
ing the couples with warnings against mistakes.
O I O O
When everything was ready he gave the signal to
the cornet and two violins, who supplied the
music, and hurried back to his partner in time to
make an elaborate bow with the opening bars of
the dance.
The master of the ceremonies and his partner
were the centre of observation, and their attitude
was closely imitated by the whole room. There
was only one man who in any way approached the
sergeant in carriage and form. This was Mr.
Brand, who, with Daisy as his partner Corporal
Barnes being compelled as one of the hosts to give
the preference to the married ladies first was
eliciting a murmur of applause with his graceful
evolutions. At every opportunity and the
D'AlbelT affords many if correctly danced he
chassed before his partner, and turned her round
in the smallest of circles until the room span
before her eyes. Not a moment was he still from
the beginning of the dance to the final bow. The
handsome young sergeant turned an envious eye
more than once in his direction, as he felt inwardly
certain that the active old dandy of a previous
generation had accomplished one more gyration
than he had effected with his more portly partner.
Fortunately Brand was slightly antiquated in some
294 DILYS
of his movements. This alone saved the master
of the ceremonies from losing the highly prized
reputation of being the best dancer in the room.
No conversation of any moment was carried
on during the dance. The figures were far too
intricate, and the necessity of dancing them accu-
rately much too great to allow the attention to
wander. Brand had only time to thank his
partner and to drop a few words of praise for
her excellent dancing, before he led her back to
her seat in the row of matrons and maids. The
benches filled up as rapidly at the end of the
dance as they had emptied at the beginning.
The master of the ceremonies, having con-
ducted his partner to her place of honour in the
centre, a seat which was considered her exclusive
property during the rest of the evening, left her
with a bow, and occupied himself with the ar-
rangement of the next dance. Squares prepon-
derated in the programme of the ball, which was
posted up near the musicians and was the only
one in use among the dancers. It was his
business to see that all had partners and that
none stood out who could dance. The round
dances chiefly polkas found him equally en-
gaged, introducing the visitors from Trichinopoly
and Tanjore to the men of the camp. Of pretty
girls and smiling matrons there were plenty.
Many a warm motherly heart beat with sudden
ambition and rash hope as the daughters glided
DILYS 295
round the ballroom with the stalwart arms of
British warriors round their waists.
Five events had been successfully carried
through, and Daisy, supremely happy, once more
took her seat on the bench. The ball her first
was surpassing her anticipations, but up to the
present Corporal Barnes, intent on doing his duty,
had not come forward. Her heart gave a little
leap as he approached.
<c Miss Bullen, may I have the pleasure of the
next dance ? " he said, bowing to her as if she
were the D.P.W. overseer's lady herself.
Daisy rose with a murmur of assent and a
mounting colour in her soft olive cheek. Barnes
tucked her hand within his arm, and as he walked
away pressed it close to his breast. Daisy felt the
warm pressure, and glancing shyly up into his
face, ejaculated under her breath
" Oh my, Mr. Barnes ! " and then giggled.
The corporal was delighted at the recognition
and her manner of accepting his little advance.
" I have been counting on this dance ever
since we sent out the invitations, and now it has
come, I wish that it Could last for ever, with you
as my partner, Daisy, darling."
The music struck up it was a waltz and as
he placed his arm round Daisy's slim waist, he
gave her a little squeeze. She responded with a
still more eloquent glance, as she exclaimed with
emphasis
296 DILI'S
" Oh my, Mr. Barnes ! I shall have to tell my
pappa if you do that, and what will he say ? "
She was whirled into the circling crowd, and
the couple, by mutual consent, gave themselves
up to the enjoyment of the dance. It was indeed
a dream of delight to Daisy as well as her partner.
No one thought of shirking nor of standing out
for more than a few moments to gain breath.
Though the room was always full of gliding,
circling couples, there were no collisions to mar
the rhythmical motion. Every man trod his
measure with grace, skilfully guiding his partner,
reversing, backing, progressing forward with just
sufficient variety to relieve the monotony. Romp-
ing, racing, blundering there were none. The
sailor may perhaps carry the palm for good
dancing in the services, but the soldier is not
far behind him in excellence. From sergeant to
private, if the stalwart members of the rank and
file intend to follow Terpsichore at all, they take
the trouble to learn her art before they venture
on the boards.
When the last bars of the waltz died away,
Corporal Barnes, with a farewell tightening of his
clasp upon the waist of his partner, released her.
A sigh of intense enjoyment escaped his lips.
"I could hold you in my arms for ever,
Daisy, darling 1 Would you be happy there, I
wonder ? "
Her hand was once more upon his arm, and
DILYS 297
he was leading her with reluctant steps towards her
seat. She did not reply, but the blood coursed
more quickly through his veins as he felt the
pressure of her fingers upon his sleeve. It was
sufficient to tell him a tale that he already knew.
" I shall speak to Mr. Bullen to-night," he
whispered.
Daisy resumed her place in the row of ladies
under the fire of several pairs of eyes. It was
not difficult to guess that there was something
more than mere acquaintanceship between the
conscious maiden and the devoted corporal.
" May I bring you some lemonade, or will
you have coffee ? " he asked.
Before she could reply, Brand advanced to-
wards the ladies with the confidence of an old
hand. A servant followed close at his heels,
bearing a tray on which were glasses containing
beverages of different kinds, and plates of cake
and sandwiches. The overseer's lady was the
first to be served. She took sparkling lemonade
and a ham sandwich, and thus set the fashion,
which was adopted by most of the other ladies.
With many bows and graceful compliments,
Brand dispensed the lemonade as if it were
champagne of the finest vintage. The master of
the ceremonies came up with a word of approval.
"That's right, Mr. Brand. You see to the
drink, and I will see to the dancing ; " and he
flitted away to arrange the next event.
298 DILYS
Whilst the ladies were thus regaled in the
ballroom, the men gathered round the bar in the
refreshment tent. Here serated waters, spirits,
and bottled beer were offered, and partaken of
with moderation. The business of the evening
was not forgotten. Good dancing required a
clear head and a steady brain, and this was not
the moment for any indulgence on the part of the
men of the camp.
Bullen, who had not been dancing, was pleased
to have a small glass of brandy and soda pressed
upon him. He was an abstemious man at all
times, and was never assailed by any temptation
to take more than was good for him. Perhaps
for this reason his enjoyment of the excellent
French brandy was the more keen ; the cool
night air had chilled him and awakened the
rheumatism in his joints.
" Get me a bite of something, Barnes," he
whispered, touching the sleeve of the corporal
who had just come up. The young man brought
a plate of sandwiches. " I never drink without
eating, and I advise you to follow the same rule,"
said Bullen.
" Liquor has no fascination for me, Mr.
Bullen. Though I am not a teetotaller, I very
often let days pass without touching a drop."
Here Brand returned from ministering to the
ladies. His eye fell on Bullen, who stood near
the bar, glass in hand.
DILYS 299
" That's right, Bullen. You've got some of
the right stuff there. Brandy, isn't it ? And
some of the very best that can be found in "
" It's good enough for me," interposed Bullen
hastily, fearing that his friend was telling too many
secrets. But Brand was not to be put off from
having his joke, and from the amused expression
upon the faces of his hearers, they apparently
knew quite enough to be able to appreciate it.
"The police-officer didn't like the look of it.
It had too much body in it for him." A roar of
laughter followed this sally. " But he is a good
fellow in his way, though he does want to know
too much now and then."
"You will be caught one day, bor, and then
you will find yourself in a tight place," said
Bullen, who was not quite satisfied that the
smuggling should be spoken of so openly in an
assembly that included several strangers.
"There's no danger if we don't have traitors
in the place," remarked Corporal Barnes.
" And they're disposed of for the present,"
continued Brand.
"What happened to that limb of a police-
peon ? " asked Corporal Spring.
"A sore back was the immediate consequence,
and it is to be followed shortly by a wedding,"
replied Brand, with a laugh. " After all, there
isn't much difference between the white man and
the black when it comes to that. A stick for
300 DILYS
punishment and a wife to steady us, is what we
all of us come to need at some time or other.
Here's to your health, gentlemen, married and
single." He lifted his glass of cognac and bowed
to his hosts, and then to the guests. " And
here's to that gay dog, Henree."
There was a buzz of applause as the toasts
were drunk. A scrape of the fiddle warned the
dancers that it was time to seek their partners.
The master of the ceremonies laid a hand upon
the shoulder of Corporal Barnes.
" Got a partner, corporal ? " he asked.
" Not dancing this time. I want to have a
chat with Mr. Bullen."
The moving spirit of the ball departed with
most of the men, and Barnes found himself alone
with Bullen. The plate of sandwiches had grown
less, but the old pensioner's appetite seemed in
no way diminished. There was no time to spare,
as Corporal Barnes would have to take his part
in the next dance. He plunged bravely into
the subject, and asked Bullen for his daughter.
When he had finished, the pensioner said with
the characteristic deliberation of the man from the
Eastern counties
" What about getting her on the strength of
the regiment ?"
" I can manage that when I get back to
Bangalore. I have a little plan in my head,
Mr. Bullen. It's possible that I may be able
DILYS 301
to get into the Commissariat, and if so, I should
remain in the country like you."
" You might do worse you might do worse.
Have you spoken to Daisy ?"
" I told her that I intended to ask your
consent to-night."
" Did she seem satisfied ? "
" Yes ; I am sure that she likes me."
Bullen was quite sure of that fact, but he did
not wish to appear in too great a hurry ; it was
not consistent with the dignity of an Englishman.
"You had better come over to mine to-
morrow, and ask her if she is real fond. And
if she says Yes, we can talk it over. There don't
fare to be any objection but what we can set aside,
if we be minded that way."
After this speech Bullen gave his attention to
the remaining sandwiches.
"What objection might there be, to be set
aside ? " asked Barnes, with a touch of anxiety.
Bullen dropped his voice to a confidential
tone, and replied in his strongest Suffolk accent
" Well, there, bor, to tell you the honest
truth, that's the drink."
" But, as I have just told you, I don't drink,
Mr. Bullen. You know that I am one of the
steadiest men in the regiment," cried Barnes, with
a touch of indignation in his voice.
" It ain't what you put inside ; it's what you
carry outside that bothers me. This here brandy,
302 DILYS
now, that I'm drinking and rare good stuff it is
too Brand told me all about how you got it.
You might easily have been caught and broke
over that. There's no doubt but that Mr.
Carwardine smelt a rat, but Brand was one too
many for him."
" It was all that young police-peon's fault ; he
split on his own father."
" Yes, and his father gave him a good hiding.
I'm told that the boy had to go sick three days,
he was so mortal stiff and sore. But he was
getting too uppish, and something had to be done
before he did any real mischief. He's all right
again now ; I saw him about this very morning
his head up in the air, and his boots creaking finely,
as if the place wouldn't hold him. And all because
he's going to be married next month. There'll be
no more trouble with him, I'll warrant."
a There was no real danger when he brought
Mr. Carwardine on to the top of us that night.
If the police-officer had asked to see more bottles,
we could have managed to make those two do
duty over again somehow."
" Well, bor, if you want to marry my Daisy,
you must give up that sort of thing. There are
other ways of earning an honest penny out in
this country."
" Yes, I know ; the commissariat for instance.
But it isn't only the money that's the attraction ;
there's the sport, the excitement, and the risk.
DILYS 303
It's like poaching," concluded Barnes, making a
shrewd shot to rouse the old Englishman's sym-
pathy. It told, and a slow, humorous smile,
spread over Bullen's face, as he replied
"There's no better sport in the world than
poaching. It's next door as good as war, only
in poaching you're after the game, and in war
you're after human beings. But, in both cases,
you're being hunted by men, and that's where the
excitement comes in."
" It's better than big-game shooting," said
Barnes.
" Why, if the gentlemen only knew what sport
it was, they would poach each other's lands, and
set their gamekeepers on to catch each other at
it, drawing the line, of course, at shooting and
wounding. That's three parts the reason why
my old chum Brand is so mortal fond of the
liquor trade. Howsomever, you must give it up.
Married men have no right to play the fool with
good billets when there are women and children
dependent on them."
"So you know something of poaching, Mr.
Bullen ?" said his companion, well pleased to learn
that his future father-in-law was not guiltless of
the same sort of weakness to which he was now
taking exception. Under the influence of the
cognac, Bullen was ready to admit misdemean-
ours committed half a century ago. His eye
twinkled as he replied
3 o 4 DILYS
" Yes, bor ; I know a good tidy bit about
poaching. And I don't mind telling you, that
it is all along of that there, that I'm out here."
" How was that ? "
" You see, I'd been birds'-nesting in the
squire's woods, and had had good luck such
good luck that I forgot all about the keepers.
And, there, if I didn't take and walk right into
the middle of 'em ! "
" But where was the harm of a young chap
birds'-nesting ? " said Barnes, sympathetically.
" I was trespassing, but it wasn't that. They
caught sight of my pockets which were bulging
with eggs ; and, dang me ! if they didn't begin to
lay about me with their sticks, until I was a mass
of broken eggs. I never was in such a mucky
mess in all my life. That was a rare old master-
piece from beginning to end. There was a talk
of prosecuting me for poaching and trespass, and
so I made off to the nearest town and took the
Queen's shilling."
" I don't see why you need have run away,"
remarked Barnes.
" Well, you see, bor, they were pheasants' eggs."
Bullen having finished his " bite and sup "
and the dance having come to an end, the two
men adjourned to the ballroom.
Daisy's happiness was complete when later
she was once more circling the room with the
arm of her lover round her waist, and he
DILYS 305
whispered in her ear that he had been invited to
call on the following day.
The men in camp were doing the thing hand-
somely. A good substantial supper was provided
in the refreshment-tent for their guests, many of
whom were returning home by a night train
which would not reach its destination till the
early hours of the morning. The ladies were
served first, and when they had finished, the men
occupied their places at the narrow camp-tables.
Daisy, with several other girls, took advantage of
the absence of the gentlemen to leave their seats
and wander about the ballroom. Some were bold
enough to walk out into the open air a few steps
beyond the extended flies. Among these latter
was Daisy. As she stood at the entrance of the
tent, just beyond the light of the lamps, she felt
her skirt plucked gently.
" Jimmee, boy ! " she exclaimed in astonish-
ment. " What are you doing here ? You
naughty boy ! you ought to be in bed ! "
" Have you got me some crackers and sweets,
Daisy ? " he asked, unabashed by her remarks.
"Here you are," she replied, emptying her
handkerchief of the spoils of the supper- table into
his eager hands. " Now run home, Jimmee.
Pappa will be so angry if he finds you here."
He drew her further from the tent. " Mamma
is here ; she wants to see you."
A stout figure shrouded in soft silk approached.
x
3 o6 DILYS
" Oh my, mamma ! I did not know that
you were here. Take that Jimmee boy home
before pappa sees him, or he will be so annoyed."
" Yes, yes ; but tell me, Daisy, child, has
Corporal Barnes spoken to you yet of marriage ?
Oh my ! I could not rest at home after you left.
Three times I have seen him dancing with you,
and my heart is hot lest he should not speak."
"He has spoken to me and to pappa. But
you should not stay out in the night air ; you
will get fever. Now take Jimmee home, and I
will tell you all about it to-morrow. We shall
soon be home, as pappa will not stay long after
supper. Oh I I have had such a happy time."
" My darling child ! And you look so beauti-
ful in your ball-dress, going round the room with
Corporal Barnes. If he is really going to marry
you, I think I shall go mad with joy. Oh ! Daisy,
girl, you are indeed luckee ! "
Mrs. Bullen's fingers strayed lovingly over her
daughter's figure, touching the pink flowers on
her dress, and the ribbons and laces. There was
a buzz of men's voices.
" Oh my, mamma ! " cried Daisy, in sudden
alarm. " The gentlemen are leaving the supper-
table. Run off home with Jimmee before you
are seen."
Mrs. Bullen cracked all her fingers over her
daughter's head and vanished into the night,
Jimmee following close at her heels, his mouth
D1LYS 307
full of sweets. Daisy slipped back into the room,
and took her seat with the rest of the ladies, as
the men advanced to choose their partners. Half
an hour later, Bullen sought out his daughter.
" I've ordered the coach, Daisy."
" It is early yet, pappa," she replied, relinquish-
ing the arm of Corporal Barnes, who was about to
add his voice of protest, and beg for another half-
hour. But a glance from Bullen silenced him.
As Daisy ran off to the tent for her shawl, the
pensioner said
" Will you fetch Mr. Brand for me, please ?
He is sharing our coach, and I must see him safe
home."
Ishe ?"
Bullen nodded in answer to the half-uttered
query.
" His tongue is going, that's all. He is such
a gentleman, he is, that it's nothing but talk."
Barnes understood his mission, which was
not an easy one, and Brand was led, much against
his will, towards the waiting bullock-coach. He
insisted on shaking hands with all the ladies, and
personally thanking them for the honour they
had done the regiment by gracing the sergeants'
ball with their presence. Finally, under pressure
from Barnes, who urged that Miss Bullen had
been kept long enough, the old man was per-
suaded to enter the coach. The door was shut
with a bang, the bullock-bells jangled as the
3 o8 DILYS
animals shied at the torches that lighted up the
carriage drive, and Brand was carried safely to
his own house. His faithful Ramaswamy was
waiting up for him. A word or two from Brand's
old friend and companion-in-arms warned the
" boy " to be careful of his master, and keep him
in safe custody for the present.
After seeing the coach depart, Barnes turned
back into the ballroom to seek a partner for the
next dance. A sudden change had come over
the scene. The ladies had left their seats and
were standing in groups. The musicians, who
were men belonging to the camp, had dropped
their instruments, and had joined an excited
circle of guests and hosts.
" What's up ? " asked Barnes of a comrade.
" Marching orders," was the laconic reply.
Where to ? "
" West coast. Moplahs in arms want bashing
on the head. Train leaves at nine to-morrow
morning."
There was no more dancing. Carriages were
called up, and guests were hurried away. Half
an hour later tents were being struck, and the
men were busy packing. No one seeing them
at work in their shirt-sleeves, would have imagined
that only an hour ago they were absorbed in the
evolution of the polka.
CHAPTER XX
THE morning after the ball found Rex Carwardine
somewhat uneasy in the matter of his wound. A
bite from a dog is always unpleasant, and some-
times dangerous. Rex thought it wise to let
the doctor see his arm. He rode to his house,
and, in answer to the question as to how it hap-
pened, he merely said that he had been attacked
by a stray beast on the old ramparts. The doctor
asked if he thought that the dog was mad, but
Rex assured him that it was not likely, and that
he had angered the creature by his own action.
As Rex rode past the camp he observed that
all was bustle and hurry ; loaded carts were on
their way to the station, and the men had assem-
bled in marching trim, and were ready to start.
What remained of the camp was left in the charge
of a couple of soldiers, who occupied a solitary
remaining tent in the centre of the maidan.
From the doctor's house, Rex went on to
the old town and pulled up at Brand's house.
That individual was still suffering from the effects
of last night's dissipation. Matters had not been
309
310 D1LYS
improved by an attempt on the part of the patient
to cure his complaint with " a hair of the dog
that bit him." The bottle that stood by his side
was witness to the sad fact that John Elton
Brand, Esq., was once more in process of being
"overtook."
Rex dismounted, and, giving the rein to the
syce, ran up the steps of the verandah and knocked
at the closed door.
"Come in," shouted Brand, breaking off in
the refrain of a rollicking song a favourite in the
canteen forty years ago.
The police-officer endeavoured to open the
door, but it was locked. Brand's head appeared
at the window, which, with much fumbling with
the bolts, he had managed to fling open.
" Oh 1 it's you, sir," he cried with sudden
sobriety, as he recognized his visitor. "That
black devil, Rammersammy, has gone to market
and locked me in."
"What an extraordinary proceeding," remarked
Rex, ignorant at present of the condition of the
old pensioner.
"Did you want to enter my humble abode,
sir ? " asked Brand, whose innate politeness never
left him, even in his most obscured moments.
" Yes, if you will allow me. I think you can
give me some help in a small matter, if you will
be so kind."
" You're not after a dozen of French brandy,
DILYS 311
I suppose, sir ? " asked Brand, in a confidential
tone.
Rex glanced at him sharply ; the question
was startling, but he kept his counsel, and replied
indifferently
" No, no, Brand ; that's not at all in my line.
I was only going to ask you a few questions about
those gipsies I meet in the fort sometimes."
" Then you had better come inside, sir. Get
into this window, and we will show that rascal
Rammersammy that though he may be able to
lock me in, he can't lock out my friends. Here's
a chair. No, I can't come outside myself. I
never go abroad unless I am dressed like an
Englishman and a gentleman. It's quite easy
to get in with this chair. There, I told you so.
Now take this seat, and let me give you the least
drop of Henree's best."
As the eye of the police-officer fell on the
bottle, he divined that Brand had been drinking,
but that he had only had enough to make him
garrulous and a little thick in his speech. Perhaps
the moment was not badly chosen after all for
the cross-examination which Rex had in store
for the old man. From the bottle his glance
went to the strange apparel of the pensioner.
Brand still wore the white dress shirt, gold studs,
collar and tie of the evening before. The jacket
had been removed, but the scarlet silk band
round his waist remained. The neat drill trousers
312 DILYS
were gone. They had been taken away, as a pre-
cautionary measure, by Ramaswamy before he
left for the market. In their place Brand wore
a pair of brilliant pink cotton pyjamas, excellent
garments for night wear, but not the sort of
thing in which the old soldier would allow him-
self to be seen abroad.
"You may well look at my old legs, sir.
That confounded dhoby came last night just as I
was having a drop before going to bed, and the
trousers had to go. He wanted two rupees as
well, the black scoundrel." Brand had confused
his servant's demand for the housekeeping money
with the dhoby's request. " Two rupees and the
trousers ! And that fool Rammersammy let him
have them. I would get into my everyday
breeches if I could find them ; but every mortal
thing is locked up, including myself. Did you
ever hear of such impudence ? But I'll strap 'em
both, see if I don't. Lor', how I wish I had
the governing of these natives."
Brand took up the bottle again, and was about
to fill his glass when Rex stopped him.
" Wait a bit, Mr. Brand. I can't drink with
you, and I can't talk to a gentleman who is drink-
ing when I am not."
Rex's appeal was not in vain, especially when
he put it in that way.
" Right you are, sir ! I know my manners
better than to do such a thing as that. If you are
DILYS 313
quite sure that you won't have a drop it's rare
good stuff, and came straight from Pondicherry
I'll put it away so that I can't see it ; then perhaps
I shan't want it."
"That's right, Mr. Brand," replied Rex,
humouring the old man. " I have no doubt but
that it is the very best spirit, but I never take it
so early in the morning. I can't think how such
good stuff gets into Cuddalore. I am quite certain
that you never bought that in the bazaar.
Brand laughed slyly as he answered, " It will
take you all your time to find out how we smuggle
it into the place. But, Lor' ! you gave us a fright
the other night. You very nearly had us that
time."
" You were one too many for me with your
pickled caterpillars eh, Brand ? "
" Lucky for us that you didn't want to ex-
amine the rest of the liquor, for those caterpillars
didn't go further than those two bottles. But I
am not going to tell you how the bag of tricks is
worked. You must go to Henree for that.
You think it's those gipsies ? You might as well
make the horse responsible for what you put in
the cart he draws, as hold the poor chaps respon-
sible for what they bring into Cuddalore."
" And this Henri, he's a cunning dog in his
way. He takes good care not to be seen here now."
" That's true enough. If you want to put
your finger on him, you will have to travel as far
DILYS
as Bangalore, where he's killing two birds with
one stone. He's helping those old gents to
bottle caterpillars, and he's helping the men in
barracks to a little luxury in the shape of French
brandy. But you won't catch him. He can
hoodwink the police, as far as that goes, and bribe
them handsomely when he can't blind them
further."
Rex listened in surprise. He hoped that no
interruption, in the shape of the arrival of the
old servant, would put an end to the revelations.
So absorbed was he in what he learnt that the
direct object of his visit was forgotten. He was
reminded of it by a question put by Brand.
" What have you done to your arm, sir ?" he
asked, looking at the bandages, over which Rex
had been unable to draw the sleeve of his coat.
" A dog bit it ; one of those Lumbadee dogs
that belong to the gipsy girl."
Brand shook his head with great seriousness.
" I've often told her that she must be careful how
she lets them loose. But she's so tender-hearted
over animals, she can't bear to have them tied up
for long. They're a great protection to a lady
situated as she is, mind you, and I wouldn't have
her give them up. But what I say is, c Look
here, my lady, you'll excuse an old servant if he
gives you a word of advice. You must keep
those brutes from harming anybody, or your lady-
ship's secret will be discovered.' But she only
DILYS 315
laughs at the old man's fears. Lor', what spirits
she has ! If she had been born in my station and
in my generation, or I in hers, I would have
married her and none other."
" Now, I should have said that a man of your
taste, Brand, would not have married colour."
" Colour ! " echoed the old pensioner, with a
sudden flash of wrath. " There's no more colour
in her ladyship that's always been my name for
her there's no more colour in her ladyship's
aristocratic veins than there is in yours or mine.
Her father and mother were pure-blooded Cornish
people, and as proud of their name and family as
you might be."
As his companion babbled on, the police-
officer realized that he was on the verge of more
than one discovery. He kept silence, fearing to
disturb the flow of speech, for he was still more
or less mystified. Through the post he had
learnt that Owen had found the heiress in Banga-
lore, and had wooed and won her. In face of
this information it was difficult to identify the
gipsy girl to whom Brand was evidently allud-
ing when he spoke of her ladyship with the
Miss Tregethin of Owen's letters. Presently
Brand continued talking more to himself than his
companion.
" I knew all along that she was far above me.
I found her with her old foster-mother, crying
her heart out at having to live like a gipsy now
3i 6 DILYS
that her aunt was gone, yet vowing all the time
that nothing would induce her to go to England
and leave the poor old woman, lame and helpless
as she was. My heart went straight out to her,
and from that moment I was her devoted servant.
She has had every penny of my pay that I could
spare, and every farthing that I could make fish-
ing for fish or for French brandy. And Bullen
and I managed her letter and her business for her,
through Bullen's brother, who is employed in Mr.
Davenport's office. And now she has come into
the money, there is no need for me to trouble so
much about the fishing. Yet it was fine sport
with the two things combined. You would never
guess why I go fishing with that big basket ? "
" No," said Rex, with all the simple innocence
he could muster.
" Nor why my boy gathers seaweed ? "
"No."
"And I'm not going to tell you," replied the
old man, with the self-satisfied chuckle of a
confused brain. " You wouldn't think how
cunning that boy of mine is, nor how sharp he
can be. He has been a good and faithful servant
to me."
Brand wagged his head solemnly, and prattled
on about the making of Ramaswamy. Rex was
desirous of bringing him back to the subject
of the gipsies. The man might return at any
minute, or Brand's brain might possibly become
DILYS 317
clearer, when there would be an end of his
revelations. The police-officer recognized the
fact that his companion was a long way off being
intoxicated ; he had taken just enough to loosen
his tongue. Seizing the first pause in his chatter,
Rex drew his attention to the wounded arm.
" I told you that I had been bitten by a
dog?"
" One of her ladyship's, you said. How did
she let it get at you ? You weren't following
her into her secret hiding-place, were you ? I'd
have you know that though I am only her
servant, I am also her protector," said Brand,
with sudden severity, and in a combative tone.
"No ; I went into one of the casemates to
look for the Lumbadee and his mother. The
man has escaped from prison, and I am afraid he
will get away."
"And a good job too, poor beggar, if you
will excuse me saying so."
" I found him and his mother with the dogs,
and when I tried to take him, the woman let the
brutes loose and set them at me. I should have
been torn to pieces and killed if if her ladyship,
as you call her, had not come to my rescue. She
saved my life, and now I want to thank her."
" And you don't know where to find her ? "
asked Brand, with growing suspicion.
" She is not in the casemate where I saw her
last night."
3i 8 DILYS
"No ; it's no use looking for her there."
" The dogs and the gipsies are also gone."
Rex waited, hoping that his listener would be
inspired to talk again, but there was no reply.
" It is wonderful how the glacis is tunnelled
with galleries and powder-chambers. I am told
that the soldiers used them as barracks in the old
days," he remarked.
" That's true enough. We laid in the case-
mates at Fort St. George when my regiment was
quartered there."
" Very hot and stuffy they must be, especially
for a lady," ventured the police-officer.
" Not at all, sir ; not at all. The one I
chose for her ladyship is as cool and airy almost
as your own bungalow, which stands nearly atop
of it, only you face the river, and her room faces
the sea. The breeze blows straight in from the
sea, and it is as cool and as pleasant at this time
of the year as you could wish."
" Those casemates are curious front doors
for a lady's house. More suitable for a snake's
dwelling."
Brand sat up in his chair, and eyed his visitor
with a sly expression. His brain was losing a
few of the clouds, but it was not clear enough
yet to put the necessary curb on his tongue.
<c That was my opinion too, and so I arranged
that she should not have such a front door. You
may try every casemate in the fort, blocked or
DILYS 319
open, and you will never find my lady's bower
as I call it. It's no use asking me. I am not
going to let that cat out of the bag. As it is, I
seem to think that I have let out more than
I intended. What I want is a strong cup of
coffee. I wish that scoundrel, Rammersammy,
would come home. I shall have to strap him
for leaving me like this. If I only knew where
to look for my trousers my old fishing trousers
would do, if I couldn't find any others ! Did
you ever hear of such impudence, sir ? Lor', if
I was Governor of Madras, I'd make these black
fellows sit up ! What, must you be going ? You
will have to go by the way you came. It's not
how I like to treat a gentleman who has done me
the honour of paying me a visit. And you won't
have a drop to drink before you go, sir ? "
" No, thank you, Brand, and I advise you to
follow my example. Gentlemen don't usually
take any liquor until their tiffin."
" And you're not angry with me for refusing
to tell you any more. Secrets are secrets, especi-
ally where ladies are concerned, and they must be
kept at all price."
" It's all right, Brand ; don't you worry.
I know all I want to know."
" I am not usually so rude as to refuse a
gentleman any request when he takes the trouble
to call in person. But it is all that dhoby,
confound him ! I feel so helpless and unlike
320 DILYS
myself without my trousers. Two rupees and
the trousers ! I hope you will forgive me, sir."
" Don't mention it, Brand. Good morning,
and I am much obliged to you. I know all I
want to know."
Rex departed the way he came, and mounted
his mare as quickly as possible. He turned her
head up the street, his brain in a whirl. So this,
then, was the secret of the smuggling. He
remembered Henri, the useful valet, who accom-
panied the German entomologists. The man
had been so open about the invoices and custom
receipts that no suspicion of forgery had arisen,
or that they represented more spirit than was
used or paid for by the Germans. And Soobarow,
what of him ? He had proved his integrity in
more serious cases of crime than smuggling.
Rex called to mind the fact that the whole of the
force under him took a different view from that
of Government concerning the offence. As he
passed the house of the head-constable, that
individual was just coming out. The police-
officer pulled up to say something about the
duties of the morning.
" By-the-bye, Soobarow, has any one called for
the letter which came some time ago for Miss
Tregethin ? " Rex asked presently.
" No, sir ; my wife has it still."
" Let me have it ; I will take it now if you
will fetch it."
DILYS 321
As Soobarow handed it to him, Rex asked if
any one had seen it.
"Only Mr. Brand and Mr. Bullen. When
it first came I took it to Mr. Bullen's house to
ask his advice, and Mr. Brand happened to be
there. They both advised me to lock it up, and
so I gave it to my wife."
The head-constable looked supremely innocent,
and the police-officer wore a corresponding ex-
pression of ignorance as they parted. A little way
out of the town Rex opened the envelope, and
drew out a blank sheet of paper. He smiled in
spite of his annoyance.
" If it wasn't for Brand's weakness I would
get him to join the police force, on the same prin-
ciple that a poacher turned outside in makes a
good gamekeeper."
The old pensioner was still standing by the
window through which Rex had made his exit.
The fresh air was helping to blow away the mist
of confusion that fogged his brain. He lifted the
chair from the ground, brought it inside, and set
it down near the window.
" Mustn't let Rammersammy know how I can
get in and out of the window. But how can I go
out in these silly togs ? I shall be taken for a
Mohammedan."
He gazed ruefully at the bright pink garments
which barely reached to the top of his black
silk embroidered socks. " The scoundrel ! He
322 DILYS
deserves the biggest hiding that he ever had." He
turned and looked at the table. " Now, where
did I put that bottle ? "
There was a long pause, during which he made
an effort to pull himself together. Taking a few
steps towards the cupboard where he had hidden
the bottle, he stopped. " Hold on, John Elton
Brand, Esq. Not so fast, or you will be overtook
before you know where you are."
He dropped into a chair, and, placing his
elbows on the table, rested his head on his hands.
" Let me think. That was the police-officer.
Now, what did I tell him besides the two rupees
and the trousers ? I must put my dunder head
into a bucket of water, and try to remember what
I said. * I know all I want to know.' Those
were his words. He knows all he wants to know,
does he ? Then, by gum ! he knows too much."
CHAPTER XXI
THE servants left in charge of the bungalow had
done their best in the absence of the butler to
provide their master with a suitable breakfast.
Fried fish, a highly seasoned curry, toast and
boiled eggs awaited Rex on his return from his
ride. As he ate, he looked at his letters. There
was one from Owen which confirmed his previous
news. " Miss Tregethin herself took our pas-
sages home by the Gokondah. I suppose we
shall be married as soon after our arrival in Eng-
land as is convenient."
The brow of the reader clouded and the
colour touched his cheek. " I don't quite under-
stand how she can be in two places at once,
engaged to Davenport and allowing me " He
checked the thoughts that were running away
with him, and opened Marion's letter. It was of
some length. She acquiesced in his proposal that
their wedding should be put off until the summer.
It was best, she said, in consideration of her
father's health that she should be free to nurse
him in England until he was stronger. They
323
3 2 4 DILYS
would come down to Cuddalore for a couple of
nights to pack up, and then go on to Madras to
meet the steamer. From this subject the writer
went on to speak of Owen Davenport, giving her
own account of the wayward heiress. " I think
that she is in love with him, but she is too wild
a creature to show it in the ordinary way."
The letter was calm, explanatory, and dispas-
sionate. It dropped limply from the reader's
fingers, and he was conscious that the last sen-
tence jarred, though why it should do so he did
not stop to inquire.
Heiresses and gipsy girls could be nothing to
him. The broad light of day as usual established
reason, and dethroned sentiment in the soul of
the police-officer. The memory of the evening
before remained ; reason decreed an explanation
as soon as was possible, and honour demanded
a recognition of the rights of his friend.
He hastily swallowed his coffee, and, putting
on his sun-hat, made his way to the glacis. The
casemates would not guide him to " her ladyship's
bower," the old man had said. Her hiding-place
was in the bastion upon which the bungalow
stood to the east of it, if the north-east breeze
blew in at her window. He recalled the night
when the dogs had barred his way, and she would
not allow him to advance further than a certain
point. Had he followed the path, it would have
led him down to the edge of the moat, just below
D1LYS 325
the place where the wall merged into a steep slope
of the earthworks, which at one time were faced
with masonry.
Turning towards the old bastion, he followed
the goat track leading to the top of it. The herd,
that sometimes fed there, was on the other side
of the bungalow, so that he had the ramparts to
himself. A fringe of thorn bushes grew along
the edge of the parapet where formerly there had
been a coping of stone. The thick growth filled
the gun embrasures, and straggled over the walls
themselves, finding foothold between the masonry.
It was difficult to see where the brickwork ended.
The goat's-foot creeper with its strong arms held
the earth together, and protected it.
It was on this slope that the way had been
barred by the dogs. This morning there was no
obstruction, and though the descent to the water's
edge was neither easy nor pleasant walking, he
succeeded in its accomplishment. Bushes and
tall pampas grass bordered the moat on the fort
side, half hiding the water from sight. Through
the foliage he could see the boat belonging to the
old pensioner lying in the middle of the stream.
It appeared to be anchored by a long rope, which
was attached to some point higher up under the
wall. ^
At any other time he would have taken no
notice of the clumsy country-built craft, in which
he had so often seen Brand pottering about the
326 DILYS
river. But to-day everything wore a different
aspect. The innocent old boat no longer looked
innocent, but presented an admirable capacity for
smuggling. It might possibly be the key to her
ladyship's bower.
Rex searched for means of reaching the boat,
which lay too far out for him to step into it. He
endeavoured to move up along the bank towards
its anchorage, but was arrested by the wall.
There was a sluggish stream in the moat, caused
by the falling of the tide, which is slight on the
coast of India. Returning to the spot where the
path met the water, he examined it more closely,
glancing up and down the moat and across, then
casting his eye back to the slope he had descended.
As he did so he caught sight of some strong cord,
which rested in the fork of the bush under which
he stood. He lifted the coil from its place, and
found that a stone was attached to one end, whilst
the other was securely fastened to a branch.
Suddenly he guessed the use to which it had
been put. Clearing the rope from all obstruction,
he flung the captive stone into the boat. It was
not a difficult task to draw it to the edge of the
bank, and to jump in, throwing out the stone
before pushing off. There were oars and a boat-
hook lying in the bottom, but Rex bethought
him of a simpler plan of progression up the
stream. Going to the bows, he hauled on the
rope and pulled himself up some eight or ten
DILYS 327
yards until he reached the point to which the
boat was fastened. This proved to be the stem
of a tree which grew from a crack in the masonry.
Standing upright, with his hand on a branch,
he peered through the foliage and discovered an
archway just above the mark of the high tide.
There was easy access to the opening by means of
stones which projected from the wall, and to
make the ascent still more easy, a rope hung
down by the side of them to assist the climber.
The pulse of the police-officer beat quickly as
he grasped the cord and stepped out of the boat,
which, thus released, floated slowly back to its
original position down stream. In another minute
he was standing on the threshold of a powder-
chamber, with arched roof and walls of earth
cased with brickwork.
A strange sight met his eyes. The floor was
spread with Cashmere rugs, and two doorways,
leading into inner rooms were curtained with
bright-coloured palampores. Bamboo easy-chairs,
light tables strewn with books, workbasket, and
other feminine odds and ends, proclaimed the fact
that this was none other than my lady's bower.
The room was cool and airy, the breeze blowing
in from the sea, rustling the foliage of the tree
outside with a pleasant sound.
" You are early, Mr. Brand," said the voice
which was familiar to the ears of the police-officer.
It proceeded from the luxurious depths of a
3 28 DILYS
grasshopper couch, which was so placed that the
light from the archway fell on the leaves of a
book held by the occupant, and not upon the
face of the reader.
" I am not Brand, Miss Tregethin."
The girl sprang from her chair like a startled
animal. Various emotions crossed her features
surprise, dismay, and something else as well, that
set the blood tingling in the veins of her visitor.
His own face betrayed some surprise, but it was
mingled with amusement and, perhaps, a suspi-
cion of triumph. It was not the gipsy girl who
stood before him, momentarily dumb with as-
tonishment. From the crown of her head to the
sole of her foot she was English. Her dark hair
was dressed in much the same style as that affected
by Miss Hensley, and her neat tailor-made frock
could only have been built by European fingers.
She flung the book upon the table, and ad-
vanced towards him as he hesitated at the entrance,
undecided as to the attitude which he ought to
adopt. She left him little choice in the matter.
" Why have you ventured to enter my private
room without an invitation ? " she asked with
cold dignity, as soon as she had regained her
self-possession.
" I found my way here accidentally. You
must forgive me if I have trespassed. I am
searching for the prisoner who has escaped.
" He is not here. By this time he and his
DILYS 329
mother are safely out of your reach," she replied,
with a touch of defiance in her tone.
" Then I have only to thank you again, Miss
Tregethin, for having saved my life. If you had
not interfered, the old woman, with the help of
the dogs, would have murdered me."
" That would have been horrible ! " she re-
joined in a low voice.
He was about to retreat, if it were possible,
by the same way in which he had come, when she
said
" Since you are here, stay and tell me how you
found out the secret of my hiding-place."
Her tone was softer and she was less on the
defensive. She pointed to a chair near the grass-
hopper couch.
" Won't you sit down for a few minutes. I
want to know how your arm is. Were you
much hurt last night ? " She sank back amongst
her cushions as he took the chair she had
indicated.
" I lost a good deal of blood, as you know,
but the wound is better since the doctor dressed
it. I am afraid I have not improved it by using
my hand in working your primitive ferry."
" It is Mr. Brand's fishing-boat," she corrected.
He laughed heartily. " It serves many other
purposes, from all I hear and see. I have no
doubt that it helped, with your kind assistance,
that graceless pair to escape last night."
330 D1LYS
She joined in the laugh, but became serious
again as she said -
" She is my foster-mother. You must forgive
me for aiding and abetting them to evade the law."
The murmur of the sea came in on the breeze,
which filtered through the green curtain of foliage
before the door. A water wagtail, that had its
nest in the masonry just above the water, burst
into song like a canary, and a hoopoe uttered its
dove-like note as it sunned itself on the wall.
Rex glanced round him with an appreciative eye.
At the same time it occurred to him that Miss
Tregethin had made a poor exchange, when she
might have gone to England as a prospective heiress.
" So you forsook your aunt for that wretched
old woman who would have murdered me ? " he
remarked.
"She was good to me in my babyhood. It
nearly broke her heart to give me up to my aunt.
But she did it for my good. When I was at
school, at Pondicherry, she was constantly visiting
me, giving me the mother's love which was not
in the heart of my childless relative. Then she
met with the accident that lamed her, and could
no longer travel with the tribe. Unknown to my
aunt, she lived among the estate coolies, and my
pocket-money supported her. You know the
rest?"
" Not quite," answered Rex, unwilling to
betray Brand.
DILYS 331
" I soon found that I had undertaken more
than I had bargained for. It is one thing to play
at being a gipsy in mad moments of frolic "
she paused as their eyes met " but it is quite
another to live permanently as a native, even
though one has been brought up to it as a child.
In my dilemma an Englishman came to my assist-
ance. He provided me with this room, which he
had discovered in his fishing expeditions. My
foster-mother acted as ayah and cook. In the
hot season I had the use of a small bungalow at
Bangalore in which he had invested his savings.
The gipsy whom you have been persecuting yes"
she nodded her head " I mean persecuting
gave his mother sufficient to feed and clothe her, so
that her service to me has been a service of love.
How soon did you guess that I was Dilys Tre-
gethin ? " she asked abruptly.
" Last night, after I got home, I thought over
all the circumstances of our meetings. You spoke
English as no gipsy girl could speak it ; and as I
lay awake, my arm being painful, I came to the
conclusion that you were not what you pretended
to be."
" Perhaps it will be best for us to forget the
incidents of last night," she said.
"You are right. It is absolutely necessary
that they should be forgotten."
He resolutely turned his eyes away, lest he
should forget something else, which must at all
332 DILYS
hazards ever be kept in his memory, his engage-
ment to Miss Hensley. His gaze went out to
the yellow stretch of sand and blue sea beyond,
which were just discernible through the leafy
screen before the archway.
" Has Mr. Davenport written to you ? " asked
Dilys.
" I have heard from him several times. He
tells me that you are going to England with him,
and that you will be married soon after your
arrival there."
" And Miss Hensley is going with us. Are
you sorry not to be coming too?" she asked,
leaning forward and scanning his face.
He did not reply to her question, but said,
" It is impossible for me to get away just yet.
Miss Hensley knows that it is so."
The level tone in which he spoke hid all sign of
emotion. She leaned back in her chair
" Now, tell me how you discovered my hiding-
place. Surely, it was not by mere accident. You
must have had some clue."
"Perhaps I had. You remember how the
dogs barred my way one evening, when I would
have followed the path to the water's edge."
She glanced at him with a laugh, the little
mocking laugh of the gipsy girl, and tossed her
head with a gesture of disbelief. However, she
did not pursue the inquiry since he was unwilling
to explain.
DILYS 333
" This is your first visit ; it must be your
last," she said in decisive tones.
" I quite understand that," he replied with
sudden earnestness, which brought the colour to
her cheek. After a pause, during which she kept
silence, he added, " It will be as well if it is also
our last meeting." She bowed her head in
acquiescence. " I suppose that you are aware
that Owen Davenport is an old friend of mine."
" I hope that he also bears the fact in mind."
He looked up with a puzzled glance, and she
noted that his eyes wore an expression of pain.
A pang shot through her heart, but she closed
her lips resolutely on the words which rose at the
sight of his distress.
" Will you go down to Madras to see Miss
Hensley off by the Golcondah f " she asked
presently.
" Most probably."
"Then I shall meet you once more before I
sail. As I am not to see you again between this
and my departure, I want you to do me a favour."
The words were uttered in that soft, pleading
tone which he had heard upon the lips of the
gipsy girl. It was impossible to be severe, and
he did not attempt to harden his heart.
" If I am able to do it, I will with pleasure."
" Promise me that you will not persecute nor
prosecute any of my old friends. Recollect what
the tribe has done for your country-woman. And,
334 DILYS
believe me," she said, with greater earnestness,
" if you only knew how to manage them, they
would be your devoted friends, whereas now you
make them your enemies."
He smiled as he replied, " I am to wink at
their breaches of the law, you mean."
" There will be no breaches of the law when
the soldiers are gone. As a rule, the Lumbadees
are a peaceful, inoffensive tribe, their greatest fault
being to steal a fowl here and there, or to pick up
a brass pot or garment left in their way. My
foster-mother is too old to be tramping about,
hiding from the police. It will kill her. Her
son must return to the tribe and earn for himself
and for her without fear of further persecution.
Mr. Carwardine, will you not promise me this,
remembering what I did for you last night ? "
" You saved my life, and have a right to ask
for something in return. It shall be as you wish."
He rose to go. With a warm, impulsive
movement she clasped his hand, and her gratitude
poured from her lips
" I know you will keep your word now that
you have given it. I thank you from the bottom
of my heart for your mercy. I am sure that you
will not repent it."
" It is well for me that you are passing out of
my life, or you would lead me into being a law-
breaker myself."
" No, no. I would show you how these
DILYS 335
people about whom you know so little might
be taught to keep your laws instead of breaking
them."
He bent over her hand and kissed it. " Good-
bye, Miss Tregethin ; your friends in future shall
be my friends wherever it is possible, though you
and I must be strangers."
The sound of bubbling water beneath the keel
of a boat fell on their ears. They turned towards
the archway. There was a hasty footstep upon
the stones, and Brand, panting for breath, sprang
into the room.
He wore the same costume in which he had
received Rex, except that he had assumed the
white coat of the evening before. To the waist
he was still the dapper figure that had whirled
the ladies round in the " Dee Albert " to the
admiration of the whole ballroom. Below the
crimson silk cummerbund appeared the garments
of night, the full pink cotton pyjamas, none too
long in the leg, and from which his feet and
ankles protruded, displaying the silk socks and
patent leather pumps.
"My lady, I stand here as a shamed and
shameful creature. I see that I have come too
late." He glanced from Dilys to the police-
officer. " My cursed tongue, loosened by liquor,
let out the secret of your ladyship's bower to that
gentleman."
Miss Tregethin and Carwardine regarded the
336 DILYS
old man in silent wonder. Unconsciously their
eyes rested more upon his marvellous dress than
upon his features. Whatever may have been his
condition an hour ago, he was sober enough now,
and, moreover/ fully alive to the situation in which
he found himself. The direction of their glances
did not escape his attention.
" I came in this ridiculous dress more worthy
of a Mohammedan than an English gentleman I
came to warn you, my lady, of the mischief I had
done. But I see I am too late too late."
By this time Dilys had recovered from her
surprise.
" Don't blame yourself, Mr. Brand. No
harm has been done. I was glad to see Mr.
Carwardine to say a few words on behalf of my
old friends, the Lumbadees."
The old pensioner would listen to no excuse.
" I have been unfaithful and am unworthy of your
trust, my lady. If I had only told him my own
secrets it would not have mattered. But to have
given away yours "
His voice broke, and he was unable to com-
plete the sentence. He stood there the picture of
abject misery and self-condemnation, and refused
to be comforted. The tragic pathos of his words
accorded ill with his ridiculous costume, which
would have admirably suited the singer of nigger
songs upon the sands of an English seaside town.
Miss Tregethin's eyes became a trifle brighter as
DILYS 337
she listened, but she would not allow the ghost of
a smile to touch her lips.
" I assure you, Brand, that you have done
more good than harm. Miss Tregethin has ex-
tracted all sorts of promises from me on behalf of
her Lumbadee friends, and I suppose on your
behalf too, since she claims you also as a friend,"
said Rex.
" The best I have in the world. He has been
like a father to me," she cried with warmth.
But Brand would not be comforted. He
hung his head in self-abasement, and repeated
again and again
" I can never forgive myself never ! "
"You must not be too hard upon yourself,
Brand. I fancy it was the supper last night that
upset you."
"Yes, sir; there's no doubt about it. I've
been overtook. And to think that I should have
appeared before her ladyship without my trousers !
It only adds insult to injury."
Nothing that they in the kindness of their
hearts could say would comfort him ; nor would
he for one moment admit that his conduct was
otherwise than traitorous. He turned at last to
Rex
" Here, take me, sir, and prosecute me all you
like for my smuggling. I want punishing. I
wish you could hang me as they used to do in the
old days for cheating the revenue and stealing.
338 DILYS
Nothing would be too bad for me. Oh, why
did Rammersammy ever leave me when I was
overtook ? "
" Yes, sar ; here, sar. Please, captain, sar, I
come ! " cried the voice of the faithful servant as
he scrambled, like a lean and active lizard, up the
steps into the room. In his hand he bore the
garments which, under the plea of dhoby, had
been so ruthlessly abstracted the night before.
Brand turned at the sound of the voice, and a sob
shook him.
" You you scoundrel ! I shall have to
thrash you, you know I shall ! " cried Brand, cling-
ing to his factotum. " How can you let me be
seen abroad like this ? You call yourself a gentle-
man's servant ! I'm ashamed of you ! "
Ramaswamy put his arms round his master
and gently drew him towards one of the curtained
doorways, replying soothingly
" Yes, sar ; this way, sar. Master, come inside
here. Soon making all right, Captain Brand, sar."
They passed behind the purdah, Brand
threatening punishment, Ramaswamy consoling,
and disappeared from view.
CHAPTER XXII
TEN days later the big passenger ship in the
harbour of Madras was flying the Blue Peter, the
signal that her steam was up and that she was
ready to continue her homeward journey. The
sun was not far from his setting. A glow of
golden light lit up the expanse of sand that
stretched from the harbour arm to St. Thorn 6.
The sea, calm and peaceful after the first burst of
the north-east monsoon, was of a deep sapphire
blue, which contrasted strongly with the greeny-
brown depths of the harbour. Through the tepid
water a turtle swam lazily beneath the ripples,
toying with a stray leaf of cabbage or lettuce
thrown overboard by a ship's cook. Deeper
down the silvery scaleless catfish foraged like
jackals for food along the bottom, nothing coming
amiss to their greedy maws. Cargo boats, pulled
by sinewy boatmen of the muckwa caste, passed
to and from the jetty, the rowers chanting at their
oars. Every half-hour the bells of the different
steamers moored within the harbour rang out the
time of day. The creak of the cranes and noisy
339
340 DILYS
beat of the donkey engines as cargo was lifted in
and out of the hold came from every vessel.
Above the busy sound rose the shouts of the
coolies and lascars, warning those below to beware
of the swinging cases ascending and descending.
The Golcondah was taking a large contingent
of passengers from Madras, and during the after-
noon several parties with their luggage left the
pier head. One of the boats held Miss Tregethin
and Brand, who, with his servant, had come to
see " her ladyship " off.
Brand was unusually quiet and thoughtful.
His eyes frequently dwelt on the gay young face
that smiled back at him reassuringly. Although
Dilys had forgiven him, he found it difficult to
forgive himself. To add to his distress she had
insisted on placing a sum of money to his credit
in the bank. As she did so, she repeated again
and again that no amount of gold and silver could
repay the debt she owed him. " I deserve it,
every bit of it, and worse still," was all he could
say, his bright, cheery manner extinguished in
sorrow.
" Dear friend, I can never repay you," Dilys
was saying as the boat drew near to the big
hull,
" I am sorry to contradict your ladyship. All
I ever hoped to be was a good servant, but I have
failed in everything. I haven't even behaved like
a gentleman."
DILYS 341
" I can't allow you to say such things about
yourself," cried Dilys, trying in vain to comfort
the wounded spirit. " It was just a momentary
weakness, and if Mr. Carwardine had not acci-
dentally paid you a visit, no harm would have
happened."
"It would have been all right even then if
this boy of mine had stayed by me when I was
overtook." Brand looked reproachfully at Rama-
swamy, whose small black eyes blinked in sorrow
for his own shortcomings. " But he has been
trying to make amends ever since. I couldn't
find it in my heart to beat him, though I told
him over and over again that he did ought to be
thrashed within an inch of his life for leaving me
like that."
" He did his best to remedy the mistake by
following you at once."
"He ran, your ladyship, like a hare. The
moment he found that I was gone, he guessed
that something wrong was up. He grabbed the
trousers from the place where he had hidden
them and started off, tracking me down towards
the fort by hearing from the natives in the road
that I had passed that way. As soon as he
reached the fort he knew where I had gone. He
must have been on the bank of the moat only
five minutes behind me."
" Good old friend ! There was nothing to
be ashamed of in your dress, and you were
342 DILYS
quite yourself by the time you reached my
room," responded Dilys as she laid her hand
on his.
They were nearing the gangway, pushing
their way between other craft that were moored to
the ship. Brand leaned forward, retaining the
hand of his companion, and asked in low, earnest
tones
" Is your ladyship quite satisfied with the step
you are about to take ? "
" Set your mind at rest on that point, Mr.
Brand. I have no doubt about it."
The boat was drawn up to the small landing-
stage at the foot of the gangway steps. Coolies
ran up and down with luggage on their heads at
imminent risk of knocking each other over and
dropping their burdens in the sea. Looking up,
Dilys saw Marion leaning on the taffrail. With
the assistance of Brand, the girl was soon on the
landing-stage.
" Bring my chair with you, please. You can
unfasten it and find me a comfortable corner
on deck."
Brand stepped back into the boat and picked
the chair out from beneath the tarpaulin that
covered the luggage. As he followed Miss
Tregethin up the steps he shouted back to his
servant
" You bide your time, Rammersammy. Hang
back a bit till these other boats have cleared
DILYS 343
off, or some of her ladyship's luggage will be
dropped into the sea."
"Yes, sar ; I know sar," came back above
the sound of the yelling coolies.
Owen Davenport as well as Marion and her
father had arrived and were on deck. Rex
Carwardine had joined them, but they were a
silent and somewhat abstracted party when Dilys
appeared in their midst. She was in high spirits
and bubbling over with fun. It was her first
meeting with Owen since she disappeared so
suddenly from Bangalore.
" How do you do, dear Beast ? " she said with
suspicious meekness as she offered her cheek
in childlike fashion to the embarrassed lover.
Under her eyelashes she shot a glance at Rex, who
turned away and took a few steps along the deck.
A ripple of laughter fell from her lips as Owen
awkwardly saluted her. "Ah ! You thought
that I would not come ! That was why you were
so anxious to escort me here. But here I am, and
here is my chair. Where is yours ? "
" Our chairs are over there," replied Marion,
who could not help smiling at Owen's discomfiture.
She pointed to a group of seats in a sheltered
corner of the deck. One of them was occupied
by Mr. Hensley, who was tired with the journey
by rail from Cuddalore.
Brand, at the bidding of " her ladyship," cut
the cord that bound the folding chair and opened
344 DILYS
it out. Dilys drew their attention with much
pride to her name, " Miss Tregethin," painted in
large black letters on the back.
" Doesn't that look like business ? " she cried.
" If I am not always sitting in it, you will be able
to imagine that I am there with my name written
so large."
Brand carried it across to the group and placed
it near Mr. Hensley's. Dilys greeted that gentle-
man with warmth, and he regarded her with
interest, having heard her story from his daughter.
She seated herself in the chair experimentally.
" Yes, it is very comfortable ; it will do
admirably. Tell the captain that he may start
at once, dear Beast ; I am quite ready." With-
out waiting for Owen's reply, she was up again,
her excitement not allowing her to rest a moment.
" I want to look at the ship," she cried, turning
to her fiance.
" You would like to see your cabin first,
wouldn't you ? " Davenport asked. "Your berth
is number 122."
" Yes, yes ; I know the number well enough.
I wrote it on all the labels. I want to look over
the ship. I shall see plenty of my cabin by-and-
by, when the sea is rough."
" Has your luggage come up on deck ? " asked
Owen.
" Please don't trouble about it. Mr. Brand
will have it brought up. This is Mr. Brand. He
DILYS 345
is an old friend of mine. I will tell you all about
him some time or other."
Brand bowed in his best manner, and smiled
with a twinkling eye.
" No use trying to get things up just yet, sir.
There's a dozen boats lying round the gangway.
My servant is looking after the trunks, and I
will go and look after him. Number 122 you
said, my lady. I'll see that it is all properly
stowed away."
As Brand departed to do his errand, Dilys
consented to be shown her cabin. Two ladies
were already within the confined space, which
seemed half choked with cabin portmanteaux.
" Wait a moment for me in the saloon," said
the girl, over her shoulder to her companion as
he stood in the alloway. Five minutes later she
joined him.
" Is everything comfortable ? " he asked.
" It will be when the ship starts," she replied.
" You greeted some one at the cabin door. Do
you know any of your travelling companions ? "
" Yes ; there is a girl from Bangalore I know
slightly. She is a Miss Archibald, a governess
who has been left stranded in India, poor thing,
and is now going back to her people. Oh ! this
is the music-saloon, is it ? Where's the smoking-
room ? And then I want to see the kitchens and
have a peep at the engines."
Chattering and laughing, she bore him along
346 DILYS
on the wings of her wilfulness until she had
explored the ship. When they returned to Marion,
they found her seated by her father. Rex, more
silent and uncomfortable than ever, was dimly
conscious that he was failing miserably in playing
the part that he had formerly filled at Cuddalore.
He was gradually awaking to the fact that there
was also a change in Marion. Her buoyancy of
spirits was gone, and her sense of humour had
vanished. He put it down to anxiety concerning
her father's health, and blamed himself bitterly
for his coldness and want of sympathy. Now
and then he tried to express his regret, but the
words fell flatly on ears that were manifestly
inattentive. It was a relief when Owen brought
his companion back from her wanderings.
Dilys had many comments and amusing
remarks to make. None of them were addressed
to Rex. He sat watching the mobile face, some-
times catching a glimpse of the gipsy girl, and at
other moments seeing new traits, which only added
fetters to the chain she had already hung about
his heart. Marion's abstraction melted away before
the warmth of the sunny babbling, and occasion-
ally she laughed heartily, her father joining in.
Davenport was carried away by the chaff, frequently
directed by Dilys against himself, and laughed with
the others.
The sun sank below the horizon of inland
palms and buildings. The red towers and
DILYS 347
minarets of Madras deepened to rich purple,
whilst the sapphire blue of the sea turned to
indigo. The sandy shore became a warm plain
of red gold on which the muckwas, with their
D *
primitive fishing-boats, looked like black dots.
Half the fishing fleet had returned. The other
half was hurrying under square lug sails, towards
the long low rollers that broke in snowy white
upon the shore. Quickly the purples changed
to black and the gold to brown, as the rosy light
of the afterglow died away and darkness came on.
The ship was to sail at seven o'clock, and the
bell struck the half-hour before. As the sound
was echoed in different parts of the harbour,
Brand approached.
" It is half-past six, and I have come to say
good-bye to your ladyship," he said.
" Is the luggage all right ? " asked Owen.
" Quite right, sir."
Dilys rose with a little exclamation of dismay.
" Oh, dear ! I am afraid this means good-bye.
I can't say good-bye here."
She took his arm, and they moved slowly
towards the gangway. No one followed, as all
felt that the two would prefer to be without any
other company. It was now quite dark upon
the water. The boatmen had lighted their dim
oil lamps, but they only accentuated the darkness.
Brand descended the gangway steps, Dilys still
clinging to his arm, as though unwilling to let
348 DILYS
him go. " Good-bye, good-bye, dear friend,"
they heard her say. There was a splash of oars,
and Brand's boat disappeared in the direction of
the jetty.
Twenty minutes passed, and a bell rang as
a signal for visitors to leave the ship, and for the
small harbour craft to clear away from the side of
the vessel.
So absorbed had the police-officer been in the
relation of the story of how Brand had befriended
Dilys, and how the old man had let the cat out
of the bag after indulging a little too much at
the sergeants' ball Rex omitted the part con-
cerning the gipsy girl that he had not observed
how the time was passing.
" No wonder that she felt the parting with
her old friend," cried Marion, as Rex rose at the
sound of the bell.
He shook hands with Mr. Hensley and Owen.
" I don't see Miss Tregethin. Will you say
good-bye for me, as I fear there isn't time now
to run down to her cabin," he said, as he pressed
Marion's hand.
" One parting is enough for her, poor child,"
replied Miss Hensley.
" Hurry up, sir, or you will be carried on.
We are drawing up the anchor," cried a quarter-
master, as he walked forward.
Running down the gangway the police-officer
jumped into the boat. It was the only one left,
DILYS 349
and by this time had been unmoored, and was
attached to the landing-stage by the strong arm
only of the boatman. The great engines awoke,
and began to pulse with measured beat. The
water swirled and eddied under the blades of the
propeller, whilst the boatmen pulled vigorously
out of the whirlpools.
Marion, leaning once more on the taffrail,
waved her hand towards the retreating boat, but
her action was lost in the darkness of the night.
Slowly the Golcondah moved from her moorings
and passed out of the harbour. The lights of
Madras grew fainter as she swung on her way
towards Europe. The dinner-bell rang.
" Will you come down ? " asked Owen.
Marion glanced at her father. He had fallen
asleep.
" I would rather remain here. Send me up
something by one of the stewards. You will
probably find Dilys there, so you will not be
alone."
He waited till the crowd of passengers had
passed down, feeling no inclination to face the
strange company.
" How strange to think that we have found
the heiress ! The last letter I received from my
brother tells me that Mrs. Myrtle is making a
wonderful recovery. She seems to have taken
a new lease of life in her determination to see her
niece."
350 DILYS
" I congratulate you on the success of your
mission. Even if you found her, I never thought
for a moment that you would persuade her to
come to England still less to marry you."
"To be honest neither did I."
There was a short silence. The last passenger
had disappeared down the companion stairs, in
answer to the call of the dinner-bell. They were
alone, except for the sleeping invalid and a couple
of lascars, who were coiling ropes on the deck.
" Marion," he cried, with a sudden sharp pang,
"how shall we endure the next four weeks, and
how will it all end ? "
But Miss Hensley made no reply.
CHAPTER XXIII
ON arrival at the pier-head Rex paid the boatmen,
hired a gharry, and drove to the club where he
was staying. He had taken five days' casual:
leave, three of which were gone. The other two
slipped by all too fast, and on the evening of
the fifth he travelled up to Cuddalore by the
night train.
The next morning found him absorbed in his
work, which fortunately was always interesting,
so much so, that it was a rare thing for him to
take any leave. As usual with his temperament,
the day passed without any temptation to indulge
in vain regrets. By the broad light of the sun,
aided by reason, he determined to forget the
gipsy girl, and when the summer came he would
go home and marry Marion, who was in every
way suitable for the wife of a Government
official. But at night, when the work of the
office was put aside, his thoughts were not so
easily controlled. He fought bravely against
memory the first evening after his arrival home.
On the second he was less severe with himself.
35*
352 DILYS
He yielded to temptation, and. wandered through
the gateway of his compound. Instinctively he
bent his steps towards the spot where he had
recovered consciousness after the attack by the
dogs.
All was quiet, except for the murmur of the
sea, the chirp of the grasshoppers, and the cry
of the stray sea-bird. He looked towards the
moat, and wondered if the boat was still lying
amid stream. He felt inclined to ferry himself
up to " my lady's bower," but dismissed the
thought as being foolish, considering that he had
no light. To-morrow he would see Brand, and
ask if he would sell him the fittings of the
chamber ; his desire was that the room might be
left intact. Then he wondered idly whether the
girl had taken any active part in the smuggling
which had been going on. He came to the
conclusion that she had had no share in it. Her
crime consisted in screening the criminals. And
therein he was right. Brand's peculiar sense of
honour would have been sufficient guard against
" her ladyship " being involved in any difficulty
of that kind. Though the old man had taken
care that she was never without a flask of the
very best cognac, in case of need, he had never
allowed either her dwelling or her own person to
afford any aid in the contraband traffic.
The identification of the Dilys on board the
Golcondahy the Miss Tregethin of the hidden
DILYS 353
chamber, and the gipsy girl of the glacis, was a
dangerously fascinating occupation for thoughts
that refused to be controlled. In which character
had she been most charming ? There was no
doubt about the answer. It was as the gipsy
that she had shown her softest moods, when she
pleaded in vain for her foster-brother, standing
under the wheels of his dog-cart, and when she
bound his arm with gentle touch and tender pity.
Yet the memory was not without its bitter-
ness. She had so manifestly played with him and
amused herself. Now she had thrown him aside,
and turned with the irresponsibility of a child to
a new toy, in the shape of his friend Owen. The
hot blood flew to his face as the conviction forced
itself upon him, that her treatment of him was
no more than he deserved. It would only have
complicated matters had she showed herself to be
serious in her coquetry. He laughed, as the
thought struck him, that it would have been odd
if he had appropriated the heiress whom Owen
had come out to India to seek and to marry.
His laugh was echoed behind him in light,
mocking tones. He started visibly, bewildered,
incredulous.
" Looking for the gipsy girl, Mr. Car-
wardine ? " asked a well - remembered voice,
ringing with suppressed merriment.
He caught his breath, believing for a moment
that imagination was playing him a trick. But it
2 A
354 DILYS
was no trick. There in the starlight stood the
gipsy girl, her eyes shining with mischief and
delight, in her maddest, merriest, most fascinating
mood. She was robed in the folds of a gipsy
cloth, but her face and hands were unstained.
The English skin showed pearly white in the
starlight, and the colour that lives only in the
cheek of the European mounted to her very
brow.
Neither was it a trick of the fancy that filled
in the next five minutes.
" How did you come here ? " he asked
presently, wonderment betraying itself in his voice.
" Do the girls in England leave the men they
love when there is no need ? No, a thousand
times, no ! If you tell me that they do, I will
not believe you. Does Miss Hensley leave the
man she loves when she sails on the broad ocean ?
No, a thousand times, no ! She takes him with
her. Ah ! Pearl of my heart," she cried,
dropping into the endearments which she had
learnt in her babyhood from her foster-mother.
" Have no fear that the gods are working ill.
You are mine, mine alone, and no one will
dispute my right, least of all the couple sailing
on the Golcondah"
He listened, scarcely daring to believe his ears.
"Tell me, how did you manage to leave the
ship ? Surely I saw you on board, you and
your chair."
DILYS 355
She laughed with the glee of a mischievous
child.
" Quite right ! You saw me and my chair.
I thought that the chair would be a sufficient
blind, if the suspicion should cross their minds
that I might play them the same trick that I
played my aunt. But they were so absorbed in
each other that I need not have troubled. It was
all disappointingly easy with the help of Mr.
Brand and his old servant."
" So he befriended you once again."
"And will do so to the end. But imagine
the scene there must have been when I was first
missed. The dear Beast would think that I had
jumped overboard. Oh ! I do hope they
stopped the ship to look for me ! Then they
would search more closely in the cabin, and
discover that I had given my berth to a poor
governess from Bangalore, who was longing, just
longing, to go back to England, but had not the
means. Mr. Brand had the ticket transferred
that very morning by the agents. Then, some
time after that, they would find my letter, which
I hid under the pillow in berth 122. It is to
Marion, and I have told her the truth, which she
is to remember every time that she looks upon
my empty chair."
" And what is the truth, beloved ? " he
whispered.
" Light of my eyes ! can you not read it
356 DILYS
for yourself ? It is the same story that Mr.
Davenport reads every time he looks in Marion's
eyes."
# * # # #
Three months later, when letters had been
exchanged and explanations offered which need
not be set down here a wedding took place at
St. John's, Bangalore. It was in no respect what
might be termed a society function, and on that
account, perhaps, no record was made of the
number of bridesmaids, nor of the presents, nor
of the dresses worn on the occasion. Yet the
bride was young, beautiful, and wealthy, and the
bridegroom held a responsible position in the
Indian Police Force.
After the ceremony there was a reception in
the garden of the little bungalow standing on the
edge of the plateau. The golden sunlight and
quivering blue haze still glorified the wide ex-
panse of boulders, cactus, and green fields in that
region of perpetual summer.
The wedding-party was not large, but it in-
cluded a strange gathering of guests. Conspicuous
amongst them was Mrs. Myrtle, lately arrived
with her husband from England. She wore a
magnificent toilette, which reflected dignity and
honour upon the bride. She was her nearest
relative, and though aged and enfeebled by a long
illness, she was beaming with happiness. Her
triumph in having found her niece, and her pride
DILYS 357
in the marriage, gave her new life. She v/as con-
soled by the thought that the strange caprice and
wilfulness of her niece all the result of her
brother's folly in trusting his daughter to the care
of a wild tribe of gipsies might have led to
disastrous results.
Another guest, less apparent, but none the
less joyful, was an old, lame gipsy woman, tearful
and smiling, apologetic and affectionate, proud
yet humble, who remained in the back verandah
or hovered round the door of the bride's dressing-
room. Occasionally she was overcome by fits of
intense shyness, when she took refuge behind the
portly person of Mrs. Bullen, whom she addressed
as Ranee, much to that lady's gratification.
Mrs. Bullen, in a new silk cloth and purple
satin skirt, was resplendent with jewels. Not
content with her own, she had borrowed right
and left, until her ample person was a pyramid of
" barbaric pearl and gold." A seat of honour
had been provided for her in the little drawing-
room, from whence at a distance she could watch
the festivities in the garden. When the wedding
cake was cut she was not forgotten, and a cup of
fragrant coffee took the place of champagne. Daisy,
smiling and happy in a white silk dress, far ex-
ceeding in splendour the " barl-dress " of grena-
dine, acted the part of bridesmaid. She played
her part with grace, and many ejaculations of
" Oh ! my 1 now," when she was called upon to
358 DILYS
hold the gloves and bouquet of the bride. Poor
little Daisy had not been without her share of
trouble. The sudden departure of the regiment
prevented Barnes from paying the momentous
visit, which was to have been made the morning
after the ball. Then came rumours of Moplah
obstinacy and fanaticism, with the death of one or
two men in the corps. Sleepless nights were
passed, and many tears were shed, whilst Bullen
in his old age looked on at a new aspect of war
which had never before been presented to his
view. " That fare a harder job to have to sit
here and listen to her sobs than ever that was to
hear the bullets a- whizzing about my head," he
confided to Brand. But the clouds rolled by in
a few weeks. Order was restored amongst the
Moplahs, and the regiment returned to Bangalore.
Bullen, at Brand's suggestion, followed it. The
young Bullens were requiring a better school than
Cuddalore offered, and Daisy's happiness hung on
the renewal of relations with the gallant corporal,
now promoted to be sergeant.
Foremost in the revels was the host, John
Elton Brand, Esq., who also played the part of
" father " to the bride. A black frock coat, a pair
of grey trousers, and a silk hat made him a for-
midable rival in appearance to the bridegroom
himself. When he was first asked to take such
an important part in the ceremony, the old man
was overwhelmed with pride and modesty. Mr.
DILYS 359
Myrtle was the proper person, he said, to fill that
position. But that complacent individual was
more than content to waive all right to the honour ;
and when the bride renewed her request, Brand
was almost moved to tears.
" After being such a traitor ! Your ladyship
is too kind ! "
With glistening eye he at length consented,
and having done so he realized that he was about
to arrive at the proudest moment of his life.
In behaviour and courtliness of manner John
Elton Brand, Esq., surpassed himself, whilst his
faithful factotum, Ramaswamy, in a turban that
looked like an abnormally large turnip, excelled all
past efforts in the serving of champagne and cake.
The company had gathered round the bride
with brimming glasses, waiting for the toast.
Brand stepped forward, glass in hand to give it.
He spoke affectionately, but deferentially of her
ladyship, and expressed his satisfaction in seeing
how her friends had rallied round her. Whilst
he spoke he rested one hand on his hip, pushing
aside the frock coat, so that the grey trousers
might be brought into view in all their splendour.
In the other hand he held his glass of champagne,
which now and then he raised, and gracefully
waved before him to emphasize his words.
" Ladies and gentlemen," he concluded, " I
am going to ask you to drink the health of the
bride and bridegroom in this excellent champagne
360 DILYS
it is not Lumbadee borne, sir, I assure you ; "
this as an aside to the bridegroom. " I must
remind you, ladies and gentlemen, that when we
give our love and friendship to a lady, we give it
also to those whom she may love. There is no
knowing with the fair sex how strange the objects
of their love may be ; but whatever they are, as
men and gentlemen, we are bound to respect their
choice. Her ladyship has chosen the police.
From henceforth we must follow the police, and
work with, and not against, the arm of the law.
I ask you all to drink to the happiness of Mr.
and Mrs. Carwardine."
A chorus of cheers, led by Sergeant Barnes,
followed the words, and under cover of the noise,
Bullen turned to Daisy, who was thinking of a
future similar ceremony which was drawing near,
and said
"Now, wasn't that a rare old masterpiece !
What I always say about Mr. Brand is, that he is
such a gentleman."
THE END
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