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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