BY THE SAME AUTHOR 
 
 THE AMAZING DUCHESS 
 
 The Romantic History of Elizabeth Chudleigh, 
 
 Maid of Honour Duchess of Kingston Countess 
 
 of Bristol. 
 
 In two volumes, demy Svo, cloth gilt, with numerous 
 illustrations, 24*. net. Third Edition. 
 
 Times: "Provides a rich feast for all who enjoy the racy 
 
 memoirs of a gay court." 
 Daily Telegraph: "A memoir that will be found full of 
 
 interest by all readers who like to follow the doings 
 
 of real people rather than of imaginary ones. Such a 
 
 work as this, full of incident and character, may well 
 
 prove more attractive than a novel." 
 Dally Chronicle: "It is too alive, too closely packed with 
 
 interesting and amusing matter to be set down with a 
 
 page left unread." 
 
 THE BELOVED PRINCESS 
 
 Princess Charlotte of Wales, the lonely daughter of 
 a lonely Queen. 
 
 Demy 8vo, cloth gilt, fully illustrated, 16*. net. 
 
 Daily Telegraph : " Mr. Pearce has produced an exceptionally 
 interesting memoir . . . a thoroughly readable book." 
 
 Globe :-" Mr. Pearce makes his story interesting by his 
 vivacious style, and a clever use of the materials at 
 his command. He gives a picture of Regency times 
 which has seldom been excelled. It may be added that 
 the book is well illustrated." 
 
 LONDON : STANLBYPAUL & CO., 81 ESSEX ST., STRAND, W.C.
 
 BY THE SAME AUTHOR 
 
 LOVE BESIEGED 
 
 In crown 8vo, cloth gilt, with pictorial wrapper, 
 2s. net. Also in paper covers, 6rf. 
 
 The Times : "A well-written romance." 
 
 Truth : " A stirring story of the Indian Mutiny. ' Love 
 
 Besieged ' is as exciting as its terrible theme could 
 
 suggest." 
 Pall Mall Gazette: "Mr. Pearce writes with fire and vigour 
 
 and with a most engaging, whole-hearted joy in gallant 
 
 deeds." 
 
 THE BUNGALOW UNDER 
 THE LAKE 
 
 In crown 8vo, cloth gilt, Qs. 
 
 Qlobe : " As a maker of thrilling plots and exciting situations, 
 Mr. Pearce is hard to beat. In his latest story, this 
 author fully maintains his customary high level of writing, 
 while not neglecting to give the reader a liberal allow- 
 ance of his artistically introduced ' thrills.' " 
 
 Sunday Times : " An excellent tale of incident, mystery, 
 and intrigue." 
 
 Dublin Daily Express : " A well-written and interesting 
 romance." 
 
 RED REVENGE 
 
 In crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 60. 
 
 Morning Post: "Mr. Pearce gives a vividness and reality 
 to the whole story that makes it of breathless interest." 
 
 Scotsman : " Mr. Pearce gives a vivid description of some 
 of the terrible episodes of the Indian Mutiny, and more 
 particularly of th e tragedy of Cawnpore. It is clear that 
 he lias studied the period with more than ordinary in- 
 dustry. His hero and heroine are lifelike characters, 
 and there Is no lack of exciting incident." 
 
 LONDON: STANLEY PAUL & CO., 31 ESSEX ST.. STRAND, w.o.
 
 A ROMANCE OF DELHI 
 
 BY 
 
 CHARLES E. PEARCE 
 
 AUTHOR OF "THE AMAZING DUCHESS," "THE BELOVED PRINCESS, 
 
 <e LOVE BESIEGED," " RED REVENGE," " THE BUNGALOW 
 
 UNDER THE LAKE," ETC. 
 
 ' East is East and West is West, and never the 
 twain shall meet." Rudyard Kipling. 
 
 LONDON 
 
 STANLEY PAUL & GO 
 
 31 ESSEX STREET, STRAND, W.C.
 
 PRINTED BY 
 
 HAZELL, WATSON AND V1KET, LD.. 
 U)NDON AND AYLBSBUBT
 
 STACK 
 ANNEX 
 
 fj 
 
 Co 
 
 MY FRIEND 
 
 LOUIS H. FALCK
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGB - 
 
 I. THE RAJAH'S DINNER-PARTY . . 9 
 II. JACK FOLLIOTT'S LITTLE GIRL . . 20 
 
 III. THE WORLD FORGETTING, BY THE WORLD 
 
 FORGOT 33 
 
 IV. THE LITTLE RIFT . . . .46 
 V. GONE! 58 
 
 VI. THE ETERNAL QUESTION ... 72 
 VII. IN THE HEART OP DELHI ... 83 
 
 VIII. SUNDRA BAI, THE "BEGUM" . . 101 
 
 IX. "I WANT You" .... 115 
 
 X. THE DIE is CAST . . . .129 
 
 XI. AN UNWELCOME RESPONSIBILITY . .146 
 
 XII. NARA'S REBELLION . . . .164 
 
 7
 
 8 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER TLQt 
 
 XIII. ANDREW MELDEUM'S LETTER . 181 
 
 XIV. FAREWELL TO THE WEST . . .196 
 
 XV. MISTRESS AND MAID . . . .205 
 
 XVI. IN THE BALCONY .... 217 
 
 XVII. HUSBAND AND WIFE . . . 232 
 
 XVni. NARA'S WARNING . . . .245 
 
 XIX. THE HEART OF A WOMAN . . 259 
 
 XX. THE BEGINNING OF THE END . . 278 
 
 XXI. THE ELEVENTH OF MAY . . .293 
 
 XXII. KISMET ! . 306
 
 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 A ROMANCE OF DELHI 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE RAJAH'S DINNER-PARTY 
 
 IT is the spring of 1851. In the Delhi plains the 
 mornings are close and muggy, a yellow, jaundice- 
 like haze hangs over the levels, the winds are hot 
 and dry, a foretaste of the scorching months of 
 May and June. The animal and vegetable worlds 
 show signs of the approaching season. Sheep 
 find little to tempt them in the dry grass, and 
 bleat mournfully ; crows and minahs open their 
 beaks and gasp. Myriads of curled bundles of 
 vegetation are transformed in twenty-four hours 
 into fully expanded leaves, flowers bloom rapidly 
 and die as rapidly. Society ladies begin to look 
 pale and languid, and are too indifferent to all 
 things earthly to find any enjoyment in flirtation. 
 The one thought of every Anglo-Indian Delhi 
 resident is to get away to the Simla hills as soon 
 as possible. 
 
 The air in the banqueting-chamber of Dakhur 
 Palace, some five miles out of Simla, is warm,
 
 10 A STAB OF THE EAST 
 
 close, and heavy with perfumes, pungent and 
 sweet, mingled with the scent of cheroots. The 
 punkahs disturb the atmosphere, but the heat 
 remains. The lamps throw a subdued, rosy light 
 on the richly decorated walls, the gorgeously 
 coloured rugs, the silken hangings, and on a dais 
 at one end of the spacious apartment sits the 
 sleepy-eyed, olive-tinted, fat-faced Rajah, corpu- 
 lent, easy-going, good-natured, popular among 
 the English residents and visitors of Simla and 
 an especial favourite of the English officers, who 
 are always sure of good, if risky sport, when it is 
 known that the Rajah is about to set out on a 
 hunting expedition. 
 
 On the day when the Rajah was entertaining his 
 friends, the Simla season had only just commenced, 
 and his highness had not been called upon to exer- 
 cise his hospitality on so large a scale as he might 
 find necessary later on. But the limited number 
 of the company had its advantage. There was 
 more room for the dancing-girls to sway and curve 
 their bodies, to move their small feet in circling 
 motion, to wave their graceful arms, and to 
 jingle their golden ornaments on their wrists 
 and ankles. 
 
 The Rajah had provided dancing-girls for the 
 amusement of his guests as a matter of course. 
 For centuries a dancing-girl had been indispensable 
 at any Indian function. She was everywhere. 
 It was she, to use the words of a native writer, 
 " who crowned the merriment at all times. If 
 it were marriage, she gave the finishing stroke 
 to the gaieties of the occasion. If one began to 
 occupy a house newly built, the ceremony of the
 
 THE RAJAH'S DINNER-PARTY 11 
 
 day was only brought to a conclusion when the 
 house rang to the noise of her anklets." Native 
 princes had nautches at their palaces almost every 
 evening ; the Hindus rivalled the Mahommedans 
 in their devotion to the dance and the dancing- 
 girl. 
 
 The military friends of the Rajah of Dakhur, 
 ranged to the right and left of their host, were of 
 every rank, from the newly-fledged, smooth-faced 
 sub to the fussy, self-important adjutant and the 
 choleric colonel. In the old John Company days 
 officers remained on the active list long past the 
 time at which they are now compelled to retire, 
 and in the semi-circle, in the centre of which the 
 dancing-girls undulated their bodies, and cast 
 languishing glances from velvety eyes, and crooned 
 a wild love-song to the monotonous scraping, the 
 twanging and the tum-tumming of the squatting 
 musicians, was more than one white-headed sep- 
 tuagenarian. It would not be far from the truth 
 to say that to these old gentlemen most of whom 
 had dipped deeply into the Rajah's excellent wine 
 the dancing of the Nautch girls was more attrac- 
 tive than it was to the young ones. Not a few of 
 the latter looked a little bored. 
 
 " I say, Horsford," whispered a youth, whose 
 cheeks had not quite lost the ruddiness he had 
 brought with him from England, " would it be 
 bad form if I slipped away ? I'm getting jolly 
 well sick of this fun. We've had two hours of 
 lackadaisical turning and twisting. I'm beginning 
 to know what it feels like to be a teetotum. That 
 stuff they call music nothing but the same 
 twang-twang, scrape-scrape, and tom-tom over
 
 12 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 and over again makes the business ten times 
 worse. If this is the Nautch dancing I've heard 
 so much about, I call it a beastly fraud." 
 
 " Most things in India are either beastly or 
 frauds. At least, that's the conclusion our fellows 
 soon come to. If you've had enough of Nautch 
 dancing, cut it, by all means. It'll go on to past 
 midnight, and you're not likely to have anything 
 different." 
 
 Cornet Anson's eyes wandered once more to the 
 Nautch girls. If they would only do something 
 with their arms other than what seemed to him 
 like an attempt to swim ! From his boyish point 
 of view there was nothing that was fascinating 
 in the women who smiled mechanically, and whose 
 betel-stained teeth almost made him shudder. 
 Moreover, the dancers were no longer girls. One 
 was thirty at least. Nor were they handsome. 
 As for their figures, he could not see them. Their 
 dresses were rich in colour and material, but they 
 were so numerous the lines of the body were lost. 
 All that could be seen were brown arms bare to 
 the shoulder, and bare feet and ankles, a shade 
 browner than the arms. The movements were 
 harmonious enough, but they soothed rather than 
 excited. Cornet Anson found himself yawning, 
 and an interval occurring when sweetmeats were 
 handed round, he disappeared to find solace in 
 the club billiard-room at Simla. 
 
 Guy Horsford was half inclined to follow young 
 Anson's example. He was thinking of Clare 
 Stanhope, to whom he had given a half promise 
 that some time during the evening he would call 
 upon her. She had said she would be in the ver-
 
 THE RAJAH'S DINNER-PARTY 13 
 
 andah of her uncle's bungalow as the clock struck 
 ten, looking out for him. He told her that the 
 only man she was likely to see was the man in the 
 moon. Both spoke lightly, but there was uncon- 
 scious meaning beneath their gaiety. 
 
 Guy Horsford looked at his watch. It was a 
 quarter past nine. His buggy would take him 
 easily to Dr. Stanhope's bungalow on the road 
 to Jakoo Hill by ten. He was undecided. He 
 had always regarded his flirtation with Clare 
 Stanhope as mere sport to pass away an idle hour, 
 and he was pretty sure Clare looked at the matter 
 in the same light. This was Clare's first season 
 in the Hills, but she had shown herself skilful in 
 the chief occupation of Simla society the art of 
 make-believe love-making. 
 
 ' You're not going, Horsford, are you ? ' Jl said 
 fat, pursy, red-faced Major Ormerod at his elbow. 
 
 " Why not ? Where's the temptation to 
 stay ? " 
 
 " Not very much up to the present, I admit. 
 These hussies aren't first chop, are they ? Those 
 I've seen in the southern provinces beat 'em to 
 fits. I've been chaffing the old Rajah and telling 
 him he ought to import some of the Paris grisettes 
 to put a little life into his Cashmeer girls. What 
 do you think he said ? '' 
 
 " How the deuce should I know ? " 
 ' Why, that a little girl's going to dance to- 
 night who has all the Parisian vivacity. He 
 hinted that she has our blood in her veins." 
 
 " English ? By Jove, what an insult to us ! 
 Ormerod, it mustn't be permitted," exclaimed 
 Horsford angrily.
 
 14 A STAE OF THE EAST 
 
 " Don't be a fool. Lots of our fellows have 
 fancied native women, and some have made them 
 their wives." 
 
 '' That isn't the point. You know as well as I 
 do what most of the dancing girls really are. 
 Their dancing's one thing, their lives another. 
 Call them daughters of the horseleech, and you 
 have their character at once." 
 
 ' What of it ? India must be taken as it is, and 
 not looked at with English eyes. Anyhow, if the 
 Rajah likes to pay this Eurasian girl to dance, 
 why shouldn't he ? What's it got to do with us ? 
 You don't mean to abuse his hospitality by kicking 
 up a row, do you ? As for Eurasians, you know 
 as well as I do that in John Company's early days 
 we did nothing but snub them, and the snubbing 
 hasn't died out. I can't see why you should 
 make a fuss about a girl that no English lady in 
 Simla, or anywhere else in India for the matter of 
 that, would give house room to." 
 
 Horsford bit his lip. He knew how much truth 
 there was in Ormerod's words. Suddenly the 
 current of his thoughts was diverted by the Rajah 
 clapping his hands. A curtain concealing a door 
 was flung back with a clang of its rings, and a 
 young girl, charmingly perfect in the harmony of 
 every limb, entered, with a low salaam to the fat 
 Rajah and his friends. She could hardly have 
 been more than eleven, and her large innocent 
 eyes^wtrre lowered timidly beneath the bold stare 
 of the men. 
 
 Her childish beauty was strangely fascinating. 
 She had not the set smile of the professional 
 dancer ; indeed, the expression of her face was
 
 THE RAJAH'S DINNER-PARTY 15 
 
 inclined to melancholy. Her skin was lovely a 
 pale olive which crimsoned charmingly under 
 excitement. Nature sometimes played strange 
 freaks with the Eurasian. Their complexions 
 varied from a dusky hue, which could not be dis- 
 tinguished from that of the Asiatic, to that of one 
 born of English parents. But it was rare that the 
 eyes failed to show their Eastern origin. " East 
 is East, and West is West, and never the twain 
 shall meet/' sings the poet, and maybe Nature 
 has ordained that no product of the two shall 
 ever be so distinct that one or the other shall not- 
 be evident. 
 
 If such a thing were possible, the beautiful child, 
 at the sight of whom the lobster eyes of plethoric 
 Colonel Chowden lost their vacuous gaze and the 
 sleek, impassive face of the Rajah lightened into 
 something like vitality, was the exception. Yet 
 no one who saw her quiet, graceful movements 
 the movements of some beautiful feline animal 
 in which every muscle and nerve played their 
 part, her slim, round arms, the symmetrically 
 moulded shoulders, her small, shapely head, and 
 the cast of her features, could doubt that the 
 strain of the East lurked within her. 
 
 The eyes were unmistakably of the West an 
 exception to the general rule. In some lights they 
 were blue ; in others they were grey. They were 
 fringed with long, dark, silky lashes, and one could 
 fancy they might at times flash with the fire of the 
 East. But that fire would come with womanhood. 
 
 Her dress was admirably chosen to show the 
 gracefulness of her lithe body. Her form was not 
 hidden by coloured petticoats and trousers, or by
 
 16 A STAE OF THE EAST 
 
 the wrapping of shawls. She wore a sari the 
 robe which the Hindu woman disposes so deftly 
 and with so much art of pale, rose-coloured silk, 
 bordered with gold. Its multitudinous folds passed 
 over her head, the warm colour enhancing the 
 beauty of the dark glossy hair, and accentuating 
 the fairness and purity of her skin. An end of 
 the sari hung over one round shoulder, and the 
 robe itself came down just below the knee. The 
 delicately formed feet and ankles and the curves 
 above were perfect. 
 
 As to her ornaments and trinkets, they seemed 
 to be endless. Gold armlets, gold anklets, jingled 
 with every movement ; flowers and jewels were 
 mingled within her hair, a perfume, sweet, pungent, 
 mysterious, so faint as to be little more than a 
 suggestion, hovered about her. She must have 
 been instructed, and dressed, and watched over, 
 by a mistress of the art of fascination and allure- 
 ment. Evidently she was a dancer of no common 
 order, for she was attended by her own musicians, 
 three handsome young women, one with hair that 
 was beginning to go grey, though she probably 
 had not reached her thirtieth year. This woman 
 played the saringhee or native violin, and played 
 it exceedingly well. She was clearly a born 
 musician, and with wonderful skill could vary the 
 strain from passionate fervour to plaintive melan- 
 choly, though the melody itself changed but little. 
 
 ' By Jove, Horsford, the Rajah's picked up a 
 little treasure," whispered Ormerod. " I wonder 
 where she hails from, and who was her father ? 
 Good blood, I'll swear. She has all the dignity of 
 a little English aristocrat, eh ? "
 
 THE RAJAH'S DINNER-PARTY 17 
 
 Horsford made no reply. It was doubtful if he 
 heard what Ormerod was saying. His gaze and 
 his thoughts were fixed on the girl. Ormerod 
 shrugged his shoulders. He attributed Horsford's 
 absorbed looks to a fascination of the senses. He 
 turned to Captain Martin, his neighbour on his 
 other side, and made some chaffing remark. 
 
 " Gad, one would think Horsford was a green 
 griffin at his first Nautch," returned Martin. 
 " He's no eyes or ears for anything but the pretty 
 little wench. How long has he been out here ? " 
 
 " Eleven years at least. He started deuced 
 early. Wasn't eighteen when he carried the 
 colours. He was with Napier all through the 
 Scinde business. He got an ugly cut at Moodkee 
 from a tegha, that brutal, short, crooked sword the 
 Sikhs know how to handle so confoundedly cleverly, 
 ard was invalided and sent to Delhi, where there 
 wasn't any fighting, and not likely to be any. 
 That was in 1845 six years ago. Delhi's not the 
 best place for a man with too much energy and 
 nothing to use it upon, eh ? Satan finds some 
 evil work for idle hands to do what do you say, 
 Martin ? " 
 
 ' You can answer that question for yourself, 
 Ormerod," rejoined Captain Martin. " You've 
 had as much acquaintance with the old gentleman 
 as most of us." 
 
 Major Ormerod chuckled at the implied compli- 
 ment, and settled himself to enjoy the dancing, 
 for by this time he had come to the conclusion 
 that he was going to see somebody different from 
 the ordinary sleepy, mechanical tuwaif. 
 
 The girl began her dance with a gliding move- 
 2
 
 18 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 ment, so slow as to be almost imperceptible. The 
 hands, stretched out, kept time with the feet. 
 The intention was allurement, temptation. There 
 was a mesmeric influence in every gesture. The 
 spectator's eye was fascinated almost to the 
 point of stupefaction. One saw nothing but 
 the swaying body, the waving, beckoning hands, 
 sometimes bent back until they almost touched 
 the curved arms a proof not only of flexibility, but 
 of the accomplishments of the little dancer. 
 
 She sang in a sweet, timorous voice, the saringhee 
 supplying the passion the song needed for its full 
 expression. Now and again at certain passages, 
 when the wild music swelled and wailed despair- 
 ingly, the dancer varied the swimming, circling 
 motion with spasmodic starts which, by contrast 
 with the gliding movements, had a singularly weird 
 effect. Then, as the melody became ecstatic, the 
 whirlings increased in speed ; the drapery assumed 
 fantastic forms, the jewels and the gold embroidery 
 glittered, the bangles tinkled, all was barbaric, 
 seductive. The imagination was inflamed, and 
 one was no longer in the prosaic nineteenth cen- 
 tury, in the year of universal peace, of the vain- 
 glorious great Palace of Glass in Hyde Park 
 built to symbolize the triumph of commerce, 
 industry, and the arts over warfare and rapine 
 but back in the remote days of Tamerlane, of 
 Genghis Khan, of the slave kings of Delhi, of 
 Alexander the Conqueror. Salome might have 
 captured the heart of Herod with such another 
 dance. 
 
 The dancer herself was transformed by the 
 spirit and poetry of rhythmic movement into a
 
 THE RAJAH'S DINNER-PARTY 19 
 
 sprite of almost unearthly beauty. The warm 
 blood showing beneath the glossy and transparent 
 skin gave a richer warmth to her complexion ; the 
 eyes did not shine with the lustre of languorous 
 suggestiveness as did those of the ordinary Nautch 
 girl, but with intelligence, with pure and innocent 
 delight. The girl had no thought save enjoyment 
 in her wild abandonment of self. The grey orbs 
 expanded under the excitement, the small, full, red 
 lips were parted slightly, showing her white, even 
 teeth unstained by betel ; the delicate nostrils 
 quivered ; she had danced herself into a condition 
 bordering upon hysteria, and was oblivious to 
 everything but the mystery of music and the 
 dance. As she whirled faster and faster she was 
 unable to continue her song ; she panted for 
 breath, her eyes became glassy in their brightness. 
 Then the vivid scarlet of her cheeks suddenly 
 died out. 
 
 " My God she's fainting. Out of the way, you 
 black devil ! " was heard above the scraping of 
 the saringhee, the thrum-thrum of the sitar, and 
 the tapping of the tom-tom. 
 
 A white-robed servant was suddenly flung a 
 couple of yards ; Guy Horsford dashed into the 
 arena, and caught the slender waist of the girl who, 
 white as a sheet, had dropped seemingly lifeless 
 into his arms.
 
 CHAPTEE II 
 
 JACK FOLLIOTT'S LITTLE GIRL 
 
 INSTANTLY there was confusion and uproar. The 
 curtains parted, and the manager of the dancing 
 troupe, a repulsive-looking old man, slightly de- 
 formed, rushed to Horsford, shrieking and gesticu- 
 lating. If anything happened to Nara, the light of 
 his eyes, the pearl of his possessions, he would be 
 ruined ! By the beard of the prophet, the maiden 
 was worth Heaven alone knew how many thou- 
 sand rupees ! She was incomparable, she could 
 never be replaced ! What had he, Hoosein Khan, 
 honest and always most respectable, done that 
 Allah had permitted so terrible a misfortune to 
 descend upon him ? Hoosein Khan thought the 
 dancing-girl was dead, and from her looks he was 
 justified in thinking so. 
 
 " Keep back, you mercenary old scoundrel," 
 growled Horsford. " If you want to be of any use 
 fetch water. Bring it to the verandah. Quick ! " 
 
 He carried the girl in his strong arms she was 
 no heavier than a lotus flower out of the warm, 
 sickly-scented air. Ormerod and others followed. 
 The servants stood awaiting the Rajah's orders. 
 The Rajah sat immovable ; quite content that 
 the Sahib-logue should do everything. Dancing- 
 
 20
 
 JACK FOLLIOTT'S LITTLE GIRL 21 
 
 girls belonged to a low caste. Why should he 
 trouble ? 
 
 Horsford laid the girl gently on a mat. She 
 looked, in the silver moonrays, like a beautiful 
 figure of alabaster. The gold and jewels about her 
 glittered with a pale light, the crushed flowers in 
 her hair sent forth a perfume, sweet enough in the 
 cool air. Her sari had become disarranged, her 
 throat and the upper part of her chest were bare, 
 and disclosed a thin chain of gold round the base 
 of the neck with a locket attached. The locket 
 fell on her shoulder, face upwards, as Horsford 
 drew the sari round her. Almost as quickly as he 
 caught sight of the locket he had it in his hands. 
 
 For an instant he forgot the girl. The portrait 
 had taken him back to the fierce fight at Moodkee, 
 where the Sikh's teglia had dealt him what would 
 have been his death-blow but for the sabre of 
 his comrade, Jack Folliott, who the next minute 
 was shot through the heart. 
 
 The face in the locket reminded Horsford, too, 
 of something earlier than the battle of Moodkee 
 of a beautiful Mahommedan girl of a picture of 
 happiness of her devotion to her lord the Sahib- 
 logue, the father of her child of her passionate 
 grief when he took leave of her to join the expedi- 
 tion against the Sikhs. 
 
 Jack Folliott had had strange forebodings. He 
 could not rid himself of the idea that he was about 
 to fight his last fight, and if it should be so, he 
 begged his friend to take charge of his little child, 
 his Nara. Horsford gave his word, but he had 
 never been able to keep it. After he was brought 
 back to Delhi his wound stretched him on his back
 
 22 A STAK OF THE EAST 
 
 for two months, and when he was able to move 
 about and make inquiries he found that the 
 heart-broken young mother, on hearing of the 
 Sahib's death, had flung herself into the Jumna, 
 and the child had disappeared, no one knew 
 whither. 
 
 These thoughts were mingled in a series of vivid 
 pictures, revived by the sight of Jack Folliott's 
 handsome face enshrined in the locket ! There 
 could be no doubt about it ; the dancing-girl was 
 Jack's daughter. As Guy Horsford gazed at the 
 miniature it seemed to him that dear old Jack, 
 the best of comrades, the most faithful of friends, 
 was reminding him of his solemn oath. 
 
 He was spirited back to actualities by the sound 
 of Hoosein Khan's squeaking tones. The old man 
 had brought a lotah filled with water, and was 
 holding it out with trembling, skinny hands. Guy 
 snatched the copper vessel and dashed its contents 
 in the girl's face. The long, dark eyelashes quivered, 
 the delicate nostrils twitched, a sigh escaped the 
 white lips. Then the tremulous eyelids were 
 slowly raised, and a vague, wistful, troubled, 
 timorous gaze stole from beneath. A pair of 
 steady, fearless blue eyes were looking into hers. 
 They were eyes a woman might trust eyes that 
 showed the strong, unflinching nature within eyes 
 that told as plainly as eyes could speak that Guy 
 Horsford's word was his bond. 
 
 " Nara is that your name ? Do you under- 
 stand me ? " 
 
 He whispered the words in English as a test. 
 He called her Nara at a venture because that was 
 the name of Jack Folliott's little girl. A faint
 
 smile curved the beautiful mouth at the sound of 
 his voice. 
 
 ' Yes, Sahib." 
 
 Every doubt was removed. She had answered 
 in English, her pronunciation softening the hissing 
 sound of the monosyllable after the fashion of the 
 natives of India. 
 
 Before Horsford could say more the old Mahom- 
 medan's shrill voice broke in with angry threats. 
 The child trembled and made an effort to rise. 
 Down came Horsford's hand heavily on Hoosein 
 Khan's arm ; and he spun the man round so that 
 they came face to face. 
 
 " See here, you dog. Fve something to say 
 about this girl. I'm not going to talk out here, 
 but where you and I won't be interrupted. Mean- 
 while she's not going back into your care. Do 
 you understand that ? " 
 
 " My lord my lord she is my own flesh and 
 blood. She is my own grand-daughter. She " 
 
 " Hold your tongue. I believe you're lying. 
 Let us go to the Rajah." 
 
 The guests had crowded into the verandah and 
 looked on, puzzled and wondering. Hoosein Khan 
 gesticulated, jabbered, and squeaked ; Horsford, 
 his shoulders set and square, had drawn the 
 frightened girl closer to him and was looking down 
 contemptuously at the black object grovelling at 
 his feet. 
 
 ' What mad fool's game are you up to ? ' : 
 growled Ormerod uneasily. " What's the good of 
 kicking up a row ? If you've taken a fancy to the 
 girl I daresay the old rascal's open to an offer. 
 It'll cost you a pretty penny, though. I know
 
 24 A STAK OF THE EAST 
 
 something about Cashmeer girls, and that one'll 
 fetch a tip-top price/' 
 
 Horsford turned from Ormerod with a gesture 
 of inpatience. Or xierod took things as he found 
 the 01, and his coarse nature saw nothing repulsive 
 in slavery, for such, practically, was the condition 
 of dancing-girls. 
 
 ' What's your name ? '' said Horsford to the 
 Mahommedan. 
 
 " Hoosein Khan, my lord I am your lordship's 
 humble servant I am but dust beneath your 
 lordship's feet." 
 
 " Of course. That's understood. Come with me 
 to the Rajah. Don't be frightened, Nara. I'm 
 going to look after you now," Horsford whispered 
 to the girl. 
 
 Taking her hand, he led her into the hall, Hoosein 
 Khan following close behind, scowling and mutter- 
 ing. The door at the side of the hall was ajar, 
 and in the opening could be seen a group of the 
 other dancing-girls, curiosity written in their eyes. 
 Among them was the tall, handsome woman who 
 played the saringhee with such expression. She 
 was trembling, and her face was troubled. The 
 curtains over a gallery at the end were drawn 
 slightly, and here and there could be seen a veiled 
 head. In this gallery were the ladies of the Rajah's 
 zenana. Unseen by the company below, they had 
 been witnesses of the performance, and doubtless 
 saw the child faint. 
 
 Horsford approached the stolid Rajah and 
 solicited the favour of an audience of his highness 
 in a private chamber. His request was acceded 
 to, and the great man, with much ceremony, and
 
 accompanied by a train of officials, proceeded to 
 an inner room, where he seated himself on a divan, 
 and Hoosein Khan and the girl having prostrated 
 themselves before him, he listened to the case with 
 the utmost gravity. 
 
 Guy Horsford went straight to the point. The 
 dancing-girl, he asserted, was the daughter of his 
 old friend and comrade ; he had bound himself in 
 honour to protect her, and he asked to be allowed 
 to take her from the life she was leading, which 
 could but end in one way. 
 
 " There's no need to remind your highness what 
 that way is/' said Horsford. " I don't say there 
 are not dancing-girls who are not what is called 
 respectable, but they're difficult to find. At the 
 best they're exposed to horrible temptations. I 
 must save Nara from these. It's part of my oath. 
 English blood is in her veins. I stand by my 
 country-woman." 
 
 ' What have you to say to this, Hoosein Khan ? " 
 asked the Rajah, without any comment on Hors- 
 ford's speech. 
 
 " It does not become a worm like myself to say 
 aught against the Sahib. What is my word com- 
 pared to his ? But my lord forgets that the girl 
 blessed be Allah ! is of the blood of the faithful. 
 Her mother was a true daughter of Allah. Who 
 gives most to the offspring the mother or the 
 father ? It is the mother, highness, is it not 
 so?" 
 
 The Rajah stroked his beard and nodded gravely. 
 
 " Mashallah. And moreover I am the child's 
 grandfather. Am I to lose my rights the rights 
 of blood and relationship ? ''
 
 26 A STAB OF THE EAST 
 
 S( Don't tell lies," burst out Horsford angrily, 
 for he saw the Rajah was inclined to favour his 
 co-religionist. " Are you, with a hang-dog face, 
 with greed and vice written in every crease, of 
 royal lineage ? Come answer me." 
 
 Hoosein Khan looked terribly embarrassed. If 
 he made a claim to be descended from a line of 
 kings, and it was proved to be false, it would lay 
 him open to severe punishment. If dancing-girls 
 were looked down upon, the infamous men and 
 women who trafficked in them and grew rich out 
 of the hire and sale of the poor creatures were 
 despised. They were useful to voluptuaries, but 
 they were scorned all the same. 
 
 ' Why do you not reply to the Sahib ? " asked 
 the Rajah, frowning. ' What is your family ? " 
 
 ' Your servant does not understand the lord 
 Sahib," he faltered. ' Your servant's family is 
 most respectable. I can bring references. My 
 patrons speak well of me, and you yourself, High- 
 ness, have done so." 
 
 The Rajah cast a puzzled look at Horsford. 
 He did not understand the purport of the English- 
 man's reference to royal lineage. Horsford soon 
 enlightened him. Jack Folliott once told him 
 that Nara's mother was descended from Shah 
 Jahan, the great Moghul King, whose name is 
 indissolubly associated with Delhi. There were 
 papers and old jewels in existence to prove it, but 
 Horsford had no evidence of this beyond Folliott 'a 
 word. 
 
 Jack Folliott, however, swore he had seen these 
 things, and once, when walking with Horsford 
 southward from Delhi, he took his friend into a
 
 JACK FOLLIOTT'S LITTLE GIRL 27 
 
 little cemetery, long ago a village known as Arb- 
 Ke-Sarai, and showed him the grave of Princess 
 Jahanara, " the poor in spirit," the beloved 
 daughter of Shah Jahan. The dancing-girl's 
 mother had given her child the name of this far- 
 famed lady, from one of whose brothers the mother 
 herself claimed to be descended. The Princess 
 Jahanara's mother was the celebrated Arjmand 
 Banu Begam, over whose grave the bereaved hus- 
 band built the most magnificent monument in the 
 world, the far-famed Taj Mahal at Agra. 
 
 Horsford did not go into the details concerning 
 Jahanara's tomb. He confined himself to all 
 that related to his assertion that the girl Nara was 
 descended from the family of the good and virtuous 
 Princess. 
 
 " Does not your highness see," he cried indig- 
 nantly, " the shame of allowing a descendant of 
 the illustrious Shah Jahan to become a common 
 tuwaif, of permitting her to associate with harlots 
 if not becoming one herself, of compelling her to 
 sell her beauty to the highest bidder ? Is it not 
 disgraceful humiliating ? " 
 
 ' You speak with much reason, Sahib," the 
 Rajah was pleased to say. " But is it true ? Is 
 the girl of the line of the great kings of Delhi ? >: 
 
 " No no," burst in Hoosein Khan. " Her 
 mother was a tuwaif like herself. I can bring a 
 hundred witnesses to prove it." 
 
 " Liar ! " thundered Horsford. " I knew Nara's 
 mother. She was not a tuwaif, but the daughter 
 of a Delhi merchant, who was ruined by grasping 
 Mahajans (money-lenders). Since you know so 
 much, rascal, who was Nara's father ? "
 
 28 A STAE OF THE EAST 
 
 " How can I tell, Sahib ? My daughter, Nara's 
 mother, had many lovers." 
 
 The words had no sooner left his lips than 
 Horsford's fist shot out and swiftly followed a 
 sullen thud and a howl. Hoosein Khan was 
 writhing on the floor, felled by as straight a blow 
 as a boxer 's fist ever delivered. 
 
 " I apologise to your highness for losing my 
 temper, but the scoundrel deserved all he got. 
 Let him defame his own womenkind if he likes, 
 but not that of this poor child," cried Horsford 
 hotly. 
 
 " It is of no consequence," said the Rajah 
 suavely. " I regret the Sahib has given himself 
 the trouble of thrashing the wretch. Hassan" 
 he turned to one of his attendants " remove 
 that man. See that he does not escape. I will 
 consider his punishment." 
 
 At these words Hoosein Khan, who was still 
 grovelling, sprang to his feet and begged by all that 
 was holy not to be separated from his grand-child. 
 The Rajah took no notice of his appeals, and 
 Hassan and two others were advancing towards 
 the old man when the latter sprang forward, and 
 coming within a couple of paces of the Rajah, 
 began talking rapidly in a low voice. Horsford 
 could not hear what was said, but he saw the 
 Rajah's flabby face change. Then Hoosein sud- 
 denly stopped and watched the effect of his words. 
 
 " This man has given me good reasons to show 
 that he did not intend to insult the Sahib," said 
 the Rajah after a pause to Horsford. " He desires 
 to apologise to the Sahib." 
 
 " The Sahib doesn't care a hang about his
 
 JACK FOLLIOTT'S LITTLE GIEL 29 
 
 intentions/' rejoined Horsford shortly. " His 
 reasons are different. May I ask your Highness 
 what they were ? '' 
 
 " Very trifling," said the Rajah hastily. " They 
 are not worthy the Sahib's benign consideration." 
 
 " For all that the Sahib would like to hear them," 
 muttered Horsford to himself. '' There's some- 
 thing here I don't like, but it's no good rowing the 
 Rajah. He's not a bad sort, but I reckon he'll 
 stick to his race. I shall get nothing out of him, 
 but that doesn't matter so long as I save Jack 
 Folliott's little girl." 
 
 " I hope," said he aloud, " that your highness 
 has decided that I may take possession of my 
 countryman's daughter." 
 
 " I cannot give you my decision now. I must 
 think. It is a matter of grave importance. I must 
 consult others. But be not disturbed. The child 
 will be quite safe. She shall not go back to 
 Hoosein Khan, but shall be kept within the Palace 
 under keeping of my own guards." 
 
 " And when will your highness deign to pro- 
 nounce your decision ? To-morrow ? " said Hors- 
 ford, in a tone of disgust which he did not attempt 
 to disguise. 
 
 " Too soon, Sahib. There is no need for hurry. 
 The girl is safe quite safe." 
 
 And for the moment Guy Horsford had to be 
 satisfied. But when his glance fell on the girl and 
 saw her piteous, helpless expression and her big 
 eyes fixed on him, had prudence not restrained 
 him he would have caught her up in his arms and 
 borne her away, despite the Rajah and his guards. 
 
 But such an act might have had far-reaching
 
 30 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 consequences although India was at that time in 
 tranquillity as Indian tranquillity went. There 
 had been no war since the Sikhs surrendered in 
 1849, no uneasiness from the time when Sir Charles 
 Napier disbanded the 66th Native Infantry the 
 year after for mutinous conduct in refusing to 
 take part in the Burmese war then impending; 
 all the nations of the world were preaching peace, 
 and envoys from the four quarters of the globe 
 were journeying to Hyde Park to demonstrate by 
 their presence in the glass building of industry 
 that cutting throats and pistollings were out of 
 fashion and that martial glory was a thing of the 
 past. 
 
 " Craft must be met by craft," thought Horsford. 
 " Til keep my promise to Jack, come what may. 
 Goodbye, little one for the present," said he in 
 a low voice. 
 
 The girl meanwhile had been standing motion- 
 less as a statue, her arms hanging limply by her 
 sides, her eyes alternately watching Guy Horsford 
 and the Rajah. Her remembrance of her father's 
 tongue was probably very hazy, and it was hardly 
 likely that she understood all that was going on, 
 but that she realised its purport was certain, for 
 when Horsford bade her good-bye her face became 
 inexpressibly sad, and she raised her arms im- 
 pulsively as though she would have embraced him, 
 ' You will not leave me," she whispered plain- 
 tively in Hindustani. 
 
 " I swear I won't. I shall come for you wherever 
 you may be. Keep a brave heart. You are not 
 going with Hoosein Khan." 
 
 " But when shall I see the Sahib ? Nara will
 
 JACK FOLLIOTT'S LITTLE GIRL 31 
 
 be wretched while he is away. He is the light of 
 her eyes/' she whispered anxiously. 
 
 " Look for me to-morrow or the next day at 
 farthest." 
 
 They could talk no longer. Hassan had called 
 to one of the female servants of the zenana, 
 a tall, strapping, Rajput woman, who evidently 
 understood why she had been summoned. She 
 was to act as guardian, or perhaps gaoler, of the 
 dancing-girl, whom she looked upon with the 
 greatest contempt, because of Nara's profession. 
 
 "Go, thou daughter of wickedness through 
 yonder door," said she harshly, pointing with com- 
 manding gesture to the end of the room. 
 
 Nara obeyed with a meekness and resignation 
 which seemed to tell Guy Horsford that the childish 
 spirit within her was crushed. He ground his 
 teeth to think that Jack Folliott's daughter should 
 be subjected to such humiliation, treated like a 
 slave and held in contempt even by menials. But 
 for the moment he could do nothing. 
 
 Unless Horsford was prepared to act, to show 
 resentment would do more harm than good. He 
 must bow to Indian customs and etiquette, and 
 with elaborate compliments to the Rajah, and 
 expressing his entire faith in the wisdom and in 
 the supreme sense of justice of his highness, he 
 strode from the room. 
 
 One of the Rajah's numerous retinue conducted 
 Horsford from the audience chamber, and led him 
 through a network of passages into a wide entrance 
 hall, where a host of servants were in attendance. 
 Whether there was any motive in this Horsford 
 did not trouble ; he was too glad not to encounter
 
 32 A STAB OF THE EAST 
 
 his friends and be pestered with questions. His 
 syce was among the servants in the hall, and he 
 sent the man for his buggy. 
 
 Within the next ten minutes he was speeding 
 down the steep road skirting the Elysium Hill and 
 leading to Simla, high walls of black on either side 
 looking solid as rock at night but in the daytime 
 resolving themselves into forests of deodar. The 
 metallic sound of his horse's hoofs set up in his 
 brain cells a jingle of monotonous strains a sort 
 of drone base to the weird, plaintive melody of the 
 saringhee which still lingered in his memory. The 
 picture of the child whirling to the music, the 
 glittering gold, the sparkling jewels, the undula- 
 tions of her supple body, her appealing eyes ; the 
 story of her descent from the far-off Shah Jahan 
 it was all fantastic, unreal, mystic ; romance 
 instinct with the wild traditions of ancient India. 
 The past confronted the present. The East and 
 the West had united for a brief space. In love or 
 in hate ? Who could say ?
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 THE WORLD FORGETTING, BY THE WORLD FORGOT 
 
 THE buggy entered the Mall, the principal thor- 
 oughfare in Simla. It was a quarter past ten. 
 Brilliant pencils of light shot from the slits of the 
 shutters and tatties of the bungalows ; a polka, 
 thumped on a piano very much out of tune, 
 mingled with women's laughter and the deeper 
 tones of men. Buggies and dhoolies, with here and 
 there a clumsy country cart from the hills drawn 
 by oxen, and an occasional horseman, made up 
 the traffic in the centre of the road. Groups of 
 natives were staring vaguely, or grunting and 
 gesticulating according to their mood. Simla was 
 in full wakefulness after slumbering through the 
 heat of the day. 
 
 The buggy slackened its pace due more to the 
 inclination of the horse than to any intention on 
 the part of its master on approaching a bungalow 
 standing some distance from the road and half 
 hidden by great clumps of rhododendron. 
 
 " I guess Clare will be expecting me," thought 
 Horsford. " Shall I call ? My only other place of 
 refuge is the club. I'm not in the mood to be 
 bored by Deputy Commissioner Dobson's prosy 
 tales, or that young fool Blackley's inane chatter 
 
 3 33
 
 34 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 they generally take possession of the smoking-room 
 at this time." 
 
 There was whist and vingt-et-un, of course, but 
 he was not inclined for those either. A chat with 
 Clare, if she were alone, would be pleasant. He 
 would like to tell her of his adventure of that 
 night. If he succeeded in rescuing Nara from her 
 vile associations he would need a woman's help 
 and counsel as to the future of the girl. He 
 wondered if he could talk freely to Clare on 
 the subject. Dr. Stanhope, Clare's uncle, was 
 broad-minded enough, but a young lady who had 
 been in India scarcely six months might have 
 narrow ideas on the subject of Eurasians and 
 Nautch girls. 
 
 But the point was, should he call ? The horse 
 settled the matter. Horsford was driving with a 
 loose rein and the animal stopped of its own accord, 
 a sign that it had taken the buggy to Dr. Stan- 
 hope's bungalow pretty regularly. Horsford threw 
 the reins to the syce, jumped out, and entered the 
 compound. As he threaded his way round the 
 thickets voices struck upon his ear. 
 
 " I'm not a man to take ' no ' for an answer, Miss 
 Stanhope," some one was saying. The* voice, hard, 
 almost rasping, was that of Andrew Meldrum, one 
 of the richest merchants in India. He dealt in 
 everything indigo, cotton, rice, shawls, muslins, 
 and half a hundred other commodities. He had 
 branches in Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, and Delhi. 
 
 Then followed a musical little laugh. Horsford 
 knew this also. The laugh was not so mellow and 
 spontaneous as it usually was. 
 
 A tall, square-shouldered man was in the act of
 
 THE WORLD FORGETTING 35 
 
 raising his straw hat to a girl in white muslin 
 standing within the verandah. 
 
 " Au revoir," said he, and the harsh voice 
 softened. 
 
 " Good-night, Mr. Meldrum," called out the girl 
 gaily. " Beware of the goojurs (robbers). I'm 
 told they've been seen on the Meerut road/' 
 
 " Oh, I'm always prepared for gentry of that 
 kind, whether goojurs or Delhi budmash (roughs)." 
 
 As he turned Horsford's step was heard on the 
 hard sand. 
 
 " Good evening, Captain Horsford," said he a 
 little stiffly. 
 
 " Oh, good evening. How are you ? " 
 
 Not another word was said. Meldrum with his 
 grim, hatchet face, and yellow, dried complexion, 
 which made his five and fifty years appear almost 
 three score and ten, went on towards the road. 
 He looked back before he passed the thicket, and 
 paused for an instant, his cold, flinty eyes gleaming 
 beneath his straight, grey brows. Until that 
 moment he could not say he had been jealous of 
 Guy Horsford, but much had happened during the 
 last two hours. Andrew Meldrum, who had been 
 proof against the blandishments and simperings 
 of maidens and widows, had proposed marriage to 
 Clare Stanhope ! She had not accepted him, but 
 she had not said no. This uncertainty did not 
 surprise the merchant. He expected something 
 of the kind, and it made no difference in his re- 
 solve. He was not one to be easily turned from 
 anything upon which he had set his mind. 
 
 '' The doctor is out, Captain Horsford," he heard 
 Clare say in her clear, penetrating tones.
 
 36 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 The words relieved Meldrum's fears. Guy Hors- 
 ford had not called to see Clare that was some- 
 thing. Nor did Clare appear eager to ask the 
 officer in. She remained standing near a slender 
 support of the bungalow, a graceful, dainty little 
 figure, and Horsford had stopped quite a couple of 
 yards from her. 
 
 Crushing the doubts that had leaped up-and set 
 his nerves quivering for an instant, Andrew Mel- 
 drum strode on, with his somewhat ungainly, 
 bow-legged step. Until the last five years he had 
 for nearly a quarter of a century passed sixteen 
 hours every day, during the indigo season, in the 
 saddle, riding about his fields, looking after the 
 crops, and seeing that the ryots and the overseers 
 stuck to their work. His industry had had its 
 reward in the vast fortune he had amassed, but 
 this was all that could be said about it. 
 
 " The doctor is out," repeated Horsford. " And 
 what of that ? I didn't promise to call on him." 
 ' You didn't promise to call on any one. Or, 
 if you did, you're very unpunctual. Do you know 
 it's half past ten ? " 
 
 " Certainly. Aren't you glad to see me ? " 
 
 They were like two masters of fence making 
 the salute before engaging. It was all done 
 laughingly, and with ease and grace, according 
 to the rules. 
 
 " Glad ? I don't know. That all depends upon 
 yourself." 
 
 The girl threw up her chin with an air of sauci- 
 ness quite in keeping with her piquant beauty. 
 The perfect contour of the small, scarlet, upper lip 
 was presented defiantly, as if daring him to kiss
 
 THE WOKLD FOKGETTING 37 
 
 it. He was not to be provoked. Perhaps he 
 meant to provoke Tier. 
 
 " I warn you I'm not in a mood to be what you 
 call nice," said he. 
 
 " No ? I'd like to see you out of temper, 
 Captain Horsford just once. I wonder if I could 
 really send you into a passion." 
 
 " I'll quote your own words I don't know ; it 
 all depends upon yourself." 
 
 Horsford did not attempt to approach her. 
 He stood straight and erect, waiting for the invita- 
 tion to enter. He knew it would come. 
 
 ' Why do you stand there ? " she asked with 
 sudden petulance. ' Why don't you come in ? 
 You're not afraid, are you ? '' 
 
 " Afraid ? Of you, Clare ? Again I don't 
 know." 
 
 He came close to her. She raised her head, not 
 saucily as before, but with a suggestion of entreaty 
 as a naughty child fears punishment. Horsford 
 was tall, just under six feet ; Clare was five feet 
 three ; he had to bend to meet her eyes. The 
 soft, rippling hair, chestnut, with a shade of gold 
 in certain lights, was arranged with the neatness 
 which is one of the weapons a little woman skilfully 
 wields to subjugate man. Big women, somehow, 
 are either not so dependent on neatness, or do not 
 see its importance. 
 
 Clare might have been a Dresden china shepher- 
 dess in her daintiness ; in the harmonious lines of 
 her shoulders, in her round, full not too full 
 throat, in the delicately shaped bust. The sweep 
 of the chin to the ear was exquisite, and so also 
 were the curves of the chin itself, and the dimple
 
 38 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 which sprang into life on the right cheek whenever 
 she smiled. Her complexion was pure white and 
 pink ; how long it would remain so in the dry air 
 and scorching heat of India was doubtful. But 
 just now she was at her best and freshest. 
 
 So they remained for a brief space looking eye 
 into eye. Horsford had never seen Clare in what 
 might be called a serious mood. She was all 
 surface, so he had often thought, and he had never 
 attempted to fathom the depth of her nature. 
 She was always gay and sparkling, but there was 
 meaning, and often wit, mingled with her frivolity, 
 and her great charm was that she never varied. 
 She had always a bright smile, always seemed to 
 be in high spirits, and men were made to feel in 
 some subtle way that she desired to please them. 
 But she always kept a level head. Scores of her 
 admirers would have given anything if she had 
 permitted them to lay their hearts at her feet. 
 Flirtation somehow protected her. Directly any 
 would-be Don Juan began to sentimentalise she 
 laughed, and before her -raillery the lady-killer 
 was powerless. Perhaps this was why she and 
 Horsford were such good friends. Guy Horsford 
 scorned or pretended to scorn love and senti- 
 ment as much as she did. 
 
 It might have been the effect of the mellow 
 moonlight, mingled with the ruddy glare of a 
 crimson shaded lamp in the prettily furnished 
 drawing-room, the long, French windows of which 
 were open, but to Horsford's fancy the hazel eyes 
 seemed shot with orange tinted gleams which 
 made them strangely fascinating, strangely 
 mystical. He hardly knew if he liked or disliked
 
 THE WORLD FORGETTING 39 
 
 her eyes under this new aspect, but he was not in 
 tune just then for a deliberate analysis of a woman's 
 nature by the light of its outward manifestations, 
 and least of all of Clare's nature. Nor was he in 
 the mind for anything deliberate. His impulses, 
 set going by the romantic episode in the Rajah's 
 palace, were in rebellion, and their tumult had 
 been increased by the rencontre with Andrew 
 Meldrum. It was puzzling that the unimportant 
 fact of the merchant's visit to Clare Stanhope 
 should make any difference in his feelings towards 
 her, but so it was. 
 
 " I'm going to accept your invitation, Clare," 
 said he, abruptly, breaking a silence which had 
 become embarrassing to both. " Just to show 
 I'm not afraid, you know." 
 
 The words were intended to be uttered jestingly, 
 but the tone was soft and tender, much more so 
 than Horsford suspected. Clare made no reply, 
 but wheeled round swiftly and crossed the veran- 
 dah, Horsford following close behind. They en- 
 tered together through the open French window, 
 and Clare, turning, closed the inside shutters. 
 
 " Look at the lamp," she cried. * Why are 
 those silly winged things so anxious to commit 
 suicide ? '' 
 
 " I expect they find it pleasant to die for love 
 of the object that lures them to their destruction," 
 rejoined Horsford, shrugging his shoulders. 
 " Many a man has done the same thing." 
 
 A little high-pitched, almost hysterical, laugh 
 was Clare's reply. A note in the laugh reminded 
 Horsford of past experience. Such a laugh he had 
 once called " wicked."
 
 40 
 
 The duel continued. The etiquette of the 
 salute had been complied with, but neither com- 
 batant was eager to come to close quarters. Hors- 
 ford walked about the room restlessly. Clare 
 fidgeted with the flowers in the vases, moved the 
 music on the piano, arranged the tiresome anti- 
 macassars, without which, at that date, no room 
 was considered furnished. The exalted strain felt 
 by both when they were looking into each other's 
 eyes had relaxed. It needed fresh stimulus to 
 bring it back to its former high pitch. 
 
 !< I'm so sorry I was late/' said Horsford, apropos 
 of nothing. :< The fact is I had an adventure at 
 
 the Rajah's and But perhaps I should have 
 
 been in the way had I come earlier." 
 
 ' Why ? I don't understand you." 
 
 " I might have interrupted your tete-a-tete with 
 Meldrum." 
 
 Their swords had crossed at last. Horsford's 
 thrust was swiftly parried. 
 
 " I wish you had. I gave you every chance. I 
 knew he would be here at half past nine. He sent 
 me a note to that effect this morning. That was 
 why I asked you to come." 
 
 Clare's colour heightened. The scarlet of her 
 cheeks was dazzling. The sudden sharpening of 
 her voice and the way she flung her words at 
 Horsford betrayed the strain on her nerves. 
 
 ' I see," rejoined Horsford, savagely reckless. 
 ' Why didn't you tell me how useful I might have 
 made myself, and I woiild have made it a point 
 to be punctual." 
 
 " It doesn't matter. Why should it ? As for 
 telling you beforehand that I expected Mr.
 
 THE WORLD FORGETTING 41 
 
 Meldrum, and that I wanted you to to Oh, 
 
 how stupid men are ! " 
 
 " Possibly because they can't see into a woman's 
 mind, and guess her motive before she knows it 
 herself. It seems to me that everything a woman 
 does, she does without thinking, and she finds 
 out her reasons afterwards." 
 
 " Guy, sometimes I positively hate you." 
 
 There was a little catch in her voice that went 
 straight to his heart. Guy Horsford could on 
 occasion be as foolish as any man where a woman 
 was concerned. The next moment he had capitu- 
 lated ; he was by her side, his arm round her 
 waist, anxious to be friends again. Yet it could 
 hardly be said that they had quarrelled. 
 
 " I'm awfully sorry if I've said anything to hurt 
 you," he pleaded penitently. " Do forgive me." 
 
 ' What is there to forgive ? You've a perfect 
 right to your opinion. I'm nothing to you." 
 
 " Nothing ? How do you know that ? " Hors- 
 ford cried quickly. 
 
 Her head was averted. At his words she in- 
 voluntarily turned her face towards him. Her 
 eyes no longer sparkled, but shone with a soft, 
 subdued light, and then the lids drooped as if she 
 feared her gaze had betrayed some secret. He was 
 dimly conscious that she was closer, whether 
 from any action on his part or hers it was hard 
 to say. But it did not matter. The purple 
 mist of passion enveloped both without a moment's 
 warning. Some strange power within them had 
 annihilated space, time, and everything but their 
 two selves. They were the sole inhabitants of 
 their self-created world.
 
 42 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 " Don't don't ! You frighten me," panted 
 the girl. He had kissed her with sudden 
 fierceness. 
 
 She seemed but a doll in his arms. He felt 
 that it would be a positive pleasure to crush the 
 symmetrical little form. He lifted her from her 
 feet and held her half a dozen inches from the 
 ground while he kissed her again and again. She 
 struggled, but she was helpless. 
 
 " It isn't fair," she cried. ' You're cruel 
 horribly cruel. Put me down. I insist upon it." 
 
 He obeyed slowly and reluctantly. She sank 
 gasping on a settee ; he dropped into the vacant 
 space by her side. The days of flirtation were 
 over both felt that. They had sounded a new 
 note in the never dying gamut of love. What 
 would be the end of it ? 
 
 The glamour, the delirium of passion passed. The 
 world of reality asserted its domination relentlessly. 
 The faint, sickly scent of the flowers, the hot, close 
 air, the buzz of self-immolating winged life, the 
 monotonous tick of the French clock all was 
 accentuated. 
 
 Horsford flung open the window. He stood for 
 some few minutes inhaling the cool, fresh air from 
 the mountains. It was hard to say what definite 
 thought, if he had any thought at all, was in his 
 mind. Perhaps, could his feelings have been 
 analysed, those of the gambler who unexpectedly 
 had been tempted to stake his all approached the 
 nearest. Had he won or lost ? That was the 
 problem he could not solve. He started. The 
 pressure of soft fingers on his arms set his nerves 
 thrilling once more.
 
 THE WORLD FORGETTING 43 
 
 ' What are you thinking about ? " Clare whis- 
 pered. 
 
 She had stolen to him so gently and he was so 
 absorbed he had not heard the rustle of her 
 flounced muslin. She insinuated her left hand 
 under his arm and with the right hand above 
 intertwined her fingers as though to signify that 
 she had captured him and henceforth he was 
 her prisoner. The conviction that the woman 
 after all was the conqueror caused a sudden revul- 
 sion of feeling. 
 
 " Did Meldrum ask you to-night to be his wife ? >: 
 he broke out abruptly. 
 
 " Why do you talk of Mr. Meldrum now ? '' 
 she asked with piquant petulance. ;( Tell me 
 about yourself, Guy, and what you and the rest 
 did at the Rajah's dinner ? You spoke about an 
 adventure. What was it ? >: 
 
 ' You shall know presently. First give me an 
 answer to my question about Meldrum." 
 
 " How tiresome you are/' she cried, with a 
 little moue. " Can't you see that there's only 
 one man in the world who interests me, and that's 
 Guy Horsf ord ? " 
 
 Her power over him was evident. His manner 
 softened. He kissed her eyelids and said laughingly : 
 
 " Of course. That goes without saying. But 
 I don't want to be in the dark about Meldrum. I'd 
 like to know how to meet him." 
 
 ' Well then he did put the question to me. 
 But what of it ? ' ; she rejoined, her clasped 
 fingers tightening their pressure on his arm. 
 " Do you suppose, you silly boy, I haven't had 
 offers of marriage ? ''
 
 44 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 " I don't doubt it, but your answer to this 
 particular one ? ' J 
 
 " I believe you're going to be cross/' she cried, 
 dropping her head on his shoulder coaxingly. 
 ' You mustn't. Nobody's ever cross with me." 
 
 " Why should they be ? But I've a right to 
 know about Meldrum. Come, tell me." 
 
 A note of masterfulness crept into his voice. 
 Clare gave a little shiver. She did not like Hors- 
 ford's persistency. It annoyed her, but she did 
 not intend to show her annoyance. She was 
 very desirous of pleasing the man whose kisses 
 were fresh on her lips more desirous than ever 
 but her way of pleasing was by avoiding all sub- 
 jects that were unpleasant, and just now the name 
 of Andrew Meldrum was particularly objection- 
 able. She would have wriggled out of answering 
 Guy's question, but she felt there was no way. 
 
 " I didn't say either yes or no." 
 
 Horsford's brows contracted slightly. 
 
 :< That's a pity. Meldrum will be sure to assume 
 you meant yes." 
 
 " Nonsense. I didn't encourage him even to 
 think it." 
 
 ' You're talking nonsense now. I know that if 
 a woman gave me such an answer I should under- 
 stand what she meant. And so, I bet, will Mel- 
 drum. I hate the man, but I can't deny that he 
 has the quality of not knowing when he's beaten. 
 You must write and say with firmness and de- 
 cision " 
 
 " My dear boy, I don't know what firmness and 
 decision mean. And I do so hate writing unpleasant 
 letters. I'm sure to be most aggravating."
 
 THE WORLD FORGETTING 45 
 
 " I dare say. That can't be helped. It's very 
 evident that if you don't write and settle the 
 matter he'll be continually pestering you, and I 
 won't have it you're mine, Clare yes," he re- 
 peated, something of his old fierceness creeping 
 into his voice, " you're mine mine ! ' J 
 
 "As if I should ever forget that ! " she cried, 
 her eyes suddenly blazing. She was silent for a 
 few seconds and then gave a little sigh. " I 
 believe you're going to be a dreadful tyrant, like 
 some of those terrible old Moghul Delhi kings. I 
 suppose you must be obeyed. Yes, I'll write to 
 Mr. Meldrum. And now please be nice, and tell 
 me about your adventure." 
 
 The French clock struck the hour of midnight. 
 Its sharp, imperative clang jarred upon both. 
 
 " The doctor said he would return soon after 
 twelve," she whispered. " No, don't shut the 
 window. The room's fearfully hot. Let us sit 
 down comfortably. Stay you'll have a ' peg,' 
 won't you ? How dreadfully inhospitable of me 
 not to think of it before. You poor fellow ! " 
 
 Clare flitted to a sideboard and returned with a 
 liqueur glass of brandy. They resumed their 
 seats on the settee and Horsford slowly sipped 
 the spirit.
 
 THE LITTLE RIFT 
 
 GUY HORSFORD told Clare everything. The story 
 of Jack Folliott, his bravery, his devotion to his 
 comrade and friend, his death, was new to her. 
 Her talks hitherto with Horsford had never risen 
 above the frothy frivolity of flirtation. The 
 earnestness, the depth of feeling he now showed 
 when reviving tragic memories were revelations 
 of character which came upon her with a sense of 
 novelty. Her own life had been passed amid easy 
 and pleasant surroundings. She had never had 
 a care. She had always been petted by her 
 relatives ; at first because she had been left mother- 
 less when very young, and afterwards because she 
 soon discovered that demonstrations of affection, 
 tempered by discretion, and an avoidance of 
 treading on people's sensitive corns, resulted in 
 advantages for herself. After she left school she 
 passed her time in staying first with one rich 
 relation and then with another, making herself 
 agreeable, and acquiring, unconsciously perhaps, 
 a considerable knowledge of the weaknesses of 
 human nature. 
 
 The first part of Horsford 's narrative thrilled 
 her. It lifted her into a higher world a world 
 
 46
 
 THE LITTLE RIFT 47 
 
 of which previously she had had no knowledge 
 except in the cold pages of historic books at 
 school secretly voted "frightfully dry." To hear 
 an account of a battle, of heroism, of death, from 
 the lips of a soldier was a different matter. 
 
 " Oh, how brave you are," she cried with glist- 
 ening eyes. " Fancy my knowing you all this 
 time and never suspecting what my poor dear boy 
 had gone through. But the adventure in the 
 Rajah's Palace . . . ? }: 
 
 " I'm coming to that now. I had to tell you 
 first about Jack Folliott. It forms a sort of pro- 
 logue, as you'll see." 
 
 He plunged into the recital. As he went on he 
 almost forgot the pretty, dainty plaything by his 
 side ; he did not even notice she had withdrawn 
 a few inches from him. He thought only of his 
 oath to his dying friend, of the pathetic picture 
 of the child, of her helplessness, of her terrible 
 future if she were not rescued. 
 
 :< That's the story so far as it's gone," said he 
 in conclusion. " It's to be continued in our next 
 but in what way nobody knows. In any case 
 I'm not going to let the matter rest. I must keep 
 my promise. I should never forgive myself if I 
 did not. Don't you think, Clare, I'm right ? '' 
 
 " Oh, quite right," she echoed. ' What sort of 
 looking girl is this interesting protegee of yours ? 
 Sallow and listless like all half castes ? '' 
 
 " Not in the least. If she were dressed in muslin 
 and flounces and her hair done up like yours, I 
 believe you'd hardly think she wasn't entirely 
 English. As for her looks, I never saw a more 
 lovely child."
 
 48 
 
 " Most romantic 1 You call her a child how 
 old is she ? " 
 
 " About eleven, I should think." 
 
 " Eleven ! Why, Indian girls become wives at 
 that age." 
 
 Horsford was not unconscious of the slightly 
 sarcastic note in Clare's voice. It was not en- 
 couraging for any hope of assistance from her, but 
 he went on nevertheless. 
 
 " I'm quite aware of that," he retorted. " But 
 I don't see what it has to do with the infamy of 
 the thing. Look here, dearest, I'm going to 
 appeal to you as an Englishwoman." 
 
 ' I'd rather you didn't," Clare interrupted 
 quickly. " I hate appeals. They always mean 
 you're asked to do something you don't care a 
 bit about." 
 
 ' Wait a moment. You're not asked for any- 
 thing more than shelter for this poor waif and 
 stray until I can decide what's the best to be done. 
 If the Rajah refuses to give her up, I shall take 
 her by stratagem or force. She may have to be 
 concealed. I strongly suspect there's a plot going 
 on between the Rajah and Hoosein Khan, but if 
 there's a thousand plots I'll defeat them. You'll 
 help me, won't you ? " 
 
 ' Was your friend Captain Folhott married to 
 the girl's mother ? " asked Clare after a pause. 
 
 " I don't know and I don't care. What does it 
 matter ? ' j 
 
 " It matters a good deal. The Rajah's a great 
 friend of uncle's, and one of his best patients. I'm 
 quite sure the doctor wouldn't care to quarrel with 
 the Rajah on account of a worthless dancing-girl."
 
 THE LITTLE RIFT 49 
 
 "Worthless? How?" 
 
 " Haven't you said just now that you don't 
 know whether her mother and father were married. 
 From what I've heard of the old days most likely 
 they weren't." 
 
 " And that's your objection ? '' 
 
 1 Well, isn't it a proper one ? I'm certain all 
 the English ladies in Simla and Delhi Delhi 
 especially would say I was right." 
 
 " No doubt no doubt," returned Horsford, with 
 a hard laugh. 
 
 He rose from the settee and paced the room, 
 his eyes averted from the girl who but a short 
 half hour ago seemed all in all to him. He was 
 bitterly disappointed, not so much at Clare's 
 refusal, perhaps, as at her line of argument. He 
 thought she had more generosity, that she was not 
 governed by narrow English prejudices. It never 
 occurred to him that she could be jealous of a 
 mere child ! 
 
 Horsford thought he understood Clare's char- 
 acter. He was never within the fringe of it. He 
 little suspected that the little Dresden china figure, 
 looking so fair and fragile, was anything but weak- 
 minded, anything but vacillating, and could be as 
 stubborn as a mule when it suited her. Clare 
 Stanhope always knew exactly what she wanted, 
 and generally managed to get it. Her passion for 
 Horsford, one might say, was an act of folly, for 
 Clare was bent upon marrying a rich man, and 
 Horsford was over head and ears in debt. The 
 contradiction is hard to explain, save that the 
 clearest-headed and most determined may have 
 lapses. Who could say what a woman of this type
 
 50 A STAB OF THE EAST 
 
 might not do ? If she were so minded she would 
 go to extremes either in prudence or folly. 
 
 Horsford ceased his pacing. He stopped in 
 front of her. Clare was sitting quite composedly, 
 her clasped hands resting lightly on her crossed 
 knees. She looked remarkably cool and indifferent 
 an effect due perhaps to the absence of her 
 usually brilliant colour. She had gone somewhat 
 pale, and the swinging of the little foot was an 
 indication of disturbed nerves. 
 
 " I won't worry you any more, Clare," said 
 Horsford slowly. " I'm sorry I mentioned the 
 business. I ought to have known you could hardly 
 mix yourself up in such a matter." 
 
 " And what do you intend to do ? '' 
 
 " Go on with it, of course to the bitter end." 
 
 Clare sprang to her feet, trembling violently. 
 She came close to Horsford and raised her hands 
 swiftly to his shoulders. 
 
 " Have you thought of the consequences ? " she 
 whispered in a low, tremulous voice. 
 
 " No. I'm not sure what they'll be. I shall 
 risk them in any case." 
 
 " So in spite of ... of everything, you intend 
 to give me up." 
 
 Horsford opened his eyes in amazement. 
 
 " Good Heavens, no. Why should I ? Do you 
 take me for a cad a coward ? '' 
 
 " No, but I think you must imagine I'm a fool. 
 What will people say about you ? That you are 
 the associate of dancing-girls. Among men such 
 a reputation doesn't matter, but among women 
 English women " 
 
 " Well, whatever is said," interrupted Horsford
 
 THE LITTLE ETFT 51 
 
 hotly, " you, who know the truth, can defend 
 me." 
 
 "As if I could do that ! As if I could own I 
 was in your confidence over so disgraceful an 
 affair ! It's an insult to me," she exclaimed, 
 withdrawing her hands from his shoulders, and 
 standing back a pace or two from him. " It comes 
 to this, Guy," she went on, speaking slowly and 
 deliberately, " you must choose between me and 
 your dancing-girl." 
 
 " You're talking foolishly. There's no question 
 of rivalry between you and this child ! It's too 
 ridiculous. You're missing the point entirely. 
 My choice lies between my love for you and my 
 oath to my dead friend my friend to whom I owe 
 my life." 
 
 " Put it that way if you like I don't care." 
 
 " I stand by my oath," said he doggedly. 
 
 Clare started as though he had struck her. Her 
 eyes blazed, and she shook with passion. 
 
 " And you say that coolly after I have given 
 you my whole love. All I have is yours, Guy. 
 You know it is whatever happens," said she 
 huskily. 
 
 " It's not my fault. You've forced the position 
 on me." 
 
 " But think what you're about to do. Oh, it 
 will be your ruin ! Do be persuaded. Don't act 
 like a madman ! You told me to-night you loved 
 me. Am I to believe that you're a hypocrite ? 
 that that ' ' 
 
 She covered her face with her hands. Her 
 passion had spent itself. She was on the verge 
 of hysterics.
 
 52 A STAK OF THE EAST 
 
 At that moment the silence was broken by the 
 noise of buggy wheels and the voice of a native 
 coachman flinging opprobrious epithets at the 
 horse's female relatives. Dr. Stanhope had re- 
 turned. 
 
 Horsford felt horribly embarrassed. Clare's 
 emotion was certain to attract the attention of 
 the keen-eyed doctor, and what explanation could 
 be given ? But he need not have troubled him- 
 self. Clare, in a marvellous manner, pulled herself 
 together. She went smilingly towards the window 
 to meet her uncle. As she passed Horsford she 
 whispered : 
 
 " There's your hat on the chair. You were just 
 taking your leave. Do you understand ? ' ; 
 
 Horsford did so only partially. It could not be 
 said he understood Clare. She was certainly acting 
 now, and a disturbing thought crossed his mind 
 had she been acting all along ? 
 
 The doctor's voice was heard outside. Horsford, 
 hat in hand, followed Clare to the window. Dr. 
 Stanhope caught sight of him over Clare's shoulder. 
 
 " Ah, Horsford," said the doctor, in the soothing, 
 pleasant, even voice of the medical man, the 
 majority of whose patients are ladies, " so you were 
 able to tear yourself away from the Rajah's 
 hospitality. It generally becomes very pronounced 
 after midnight. His Highness has some wonder- 
 ful wines, not a drop of which he ever tastes. 
 He's above temptation in that way. I was 
 very sorry I could not put in an appearance. I 
 hoped to do so, but the eternal feminine inter- 
 vened, as usual." 
 
 " How is Mrs. Foord ? " asked Clare.
 
 THE LITTLE RIFT 53 
 
 " Going on splendidly, and the baby too a 
 remarkably fine boy. His father and I christened 
 him over a bottle of champagne." 
 
 Dr. Stanhope was in good humour, partly be- 
 cause of the champagne, partly because the pro- 
 fessional business which had prevented him from 
 being at the Rajah's Palace had given him no 
 anxiety. He did not notice Horsford's embarrass- 
 ment. The two men chatted for a few minutes, 
 chiefly about the Rajah's dinner-party, but Hors- 
 ford said nothing of the episode of the dancing- 
 girl. He could hardly do so in Clare's presence ; 
 indeed, he was not inclined to go into the story 
 again with any one, and after bidding the doctor 
 good-night he looked round for Clare, but she 
 was gone. He was not sorry he was spared the 
 embarrassment of bidding her farewell after their 
 tiff, but for all that he left the bungalow moody 
 and unhinged. 
 
 It was inevitable, due to the crisis of that night, 
 that his thoughts should be fixed on himself. His 
 life, like that of most of his comrades, had drifted 
 along aimlessly. He had gambled, hunted, ridden 
 his horses on the Delhi race-course, danced, flirted, 
 and occasionally " gone the pace," coming back to 
 reason and repentance when the Delhi bank 
 intimated politely that his account was overdrawn. 
 He could have married over and over again, but 
 married life in India did not attract him. The 
 number of happy marriages, the marriages, at 
 least, of military officers, could be counted on one's 
 fingers. Nor had he been entangled in a serious, 
 all-absorbing love affair. Flirtations had come 
 and gone and left him heart-whole.
 
 54 
 
 But could he make that boast now ? He hated 
 to think of his folly, because bound up with it 
 was the feeling that he had been disillusioned. 
 He had imagined that beneath Clare's frivolity and 
 love of admiration and pleasure there was the real 
 heart of a woman. Until he had taken her into 
 confidence over the dancing-girl he did not doubt 
 her sincerity, but what was that sincerity worth ? 
 It had failed at the first test. Her prudishness 
 struck him as a contradiction. She had been 
 quick to return his ardent kisses she had been as 
 quick to treat him with icy coldness over what 
 Simla society would think. 
 
 " Perhaps it's as well our folly's ended. Had 
 we married I suppose we should have passed our 
 time in bickering. Clare would have spent half 
 the year at Simla and I should have stuck at 
 Delhi and what would happen then ? ' : 
 
 He resolved to think no more about Clare. 
 She had taken her course, let her continue in it if 
 she chose. 
 
 He had about half a mile to walk to his bungalow. 
 The road ascended all the way and the cool breeze 
 and the exertion steadied his nerves. As he 
 approached the gate of the compound a figure 
 rose from the deep shadow of the trees to his 
 right and confronted him. His first thought was 
 that he was about to be attacked by one of the 
 goojurs of whom Clare had jestingly spoken, but 
 before he had time for a second he saw there was 
 no cause for alarm. The stranger was a woman and 
 unveiled, showing that she was not of high rank. 
 
 " Sahib Sahib/' she whispered excitedly, " you 
 must come with me at once."
 
 55 
 
 ' Who are you ? What do you want ? >: 
 
 " I am Azeena. Does not your lordship remem- 
 ber Nara's ayah ? I knew the Sahib the instant 
 my eyes lighted upon him at the Rajah's Palace. 
 If you would save the girl do not delay one instant. 
 Ah, she is in great peril ! My poor poor Nara. 
 Sahib, you must bring your pistol and sword. 
 There may be fighting, but Hoosein Khan is a 
 coward they are all cowards aye, even the 
 Rajah. He is in the plot, too ! " 
 
 Horsford recollected the woman. It was she 
 who played the saringhee, and who afterwards was 
 standing in the curtained doorway with a group 
 of dancing-girls when he led Nara back to the hall 
 after she had recovered from her fainting fit. 
 Azeena was trembling from head to foot with ex- 
 citement. Her words tumbled from her quivering 
 lips so rapidly that Horsford at first did not grasp 
 their full meaning. But it was sufficient for him 
 to know that the girl was in great danger. 
 
 " Quiet yourself. Tell me everything slowly 
 slowly. Do you understand ? " said he, clasping her 
 wrists firmly. 
 
 The touch of Horsford 's muscular hands restored 
 her to something like calmness, and she explained 
 that Hoosein Khan was under a bond to deliver 
 the girl to Zeenut Mehal, the intriguing Queen of 
 Delhi. He was to have a large sum of money 
 when Nara was safely within the Palace. For 
 the last two years . he had been bargaining with 
 the Queen, who had heard reports of the dancing- 
 girl's beauty and accomplishments, and also knew 
 her origin, and at last the sum was fixed. Hoosein 
 Khan was on his way to Delhi, and the Rajah,
 
 56 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 hearing that the troupe were passing through Simla, 
 had engaged them to entertain his guests. 
 
 :c The bond Hoosein Khan signed with Zeenut 
 Hehal's agent forbade him letting Nara dance 
 before any one lest some rich man should become 
 drunk with her grace and loveliness and detain 
 her," whispered Azeena. " Zeenut Mehal has 
 promised her pampered boy, Jewan Bukht, a 
 beautiful plaything, and he and his wicked mother 
 would make sport with the girl ! " 
 
 " My God, it's infamous ! " burst out Horsford. 
 
 He stamped the ground in his fury. Jewan 
 Bukht was a sickly boy of twelve or thirteen and 
 a man in wickedness. Zeenut Mehal pandered 
 to his vices and there was no pleasure he fancied 
 she did not gratify. Could she have had her way 
 she would, at the death of old Bahadur Shah, have 
 seated him on the throne in the place of the rightful 
 heir, Mirza Moghul, the king's eldest son. 
 
 " Hoosein Khan would sell every drop of blood 
 in his withered body for gold," cried the woman ; 
 " the Rajah tempted him and he broke the bond. 
 If it reached the ears of Zeenut Mehal he would 
 know what the whip was like, and not a single 
 rupee would she part with. -The Rajah wanted 
 the girl to dance to him alone, but Hoosein 
 Khan was afraid of the Queen's vengeance. He 
 would only consent if Englishmen were present. 
 He thought if the story reached the Palace that 
 Zeenut Mehal's anger would be softened when she 
 knew English officers were of the company. The 
 English sahibs are not shameless like our princes." 
 
 " That's enough," interrupted Horsford hastily. 
 " Nara must be rescued. When the truth is known
 
 THE LITTLE RIFT 57 
 
 I'll swear the Resident will support me. Do you 
 know where the Rajah's placed the girl ? " 
 
 " In an upper room in the Palace. My own 
 cousin perfumes the hair of the ladies of the zenana 
 she has promised to help' me. But we must 
 go at once. Hoosein Khan will not rest until he 
 has the girl safely inside the King's Palace. He is 
 thinking of his skin and of his rupees. Do you 
 not see, Sahib, that it is to his interest to deliver 
 the girl to Zeenut Mehal before the gossip finds its 
 way to her ears ? But he may not be able to get 
 away as soon as he hopes. The Rajah may delay 
 him. The Rajah fears Zeenut Mehal, but, Sahib, 
 he may be tempted who knows ? Yet all is in 
 the hands of Allah. I pray He may protect my 
 poor Nara." 
 
 ' Wait here, Azeena. I'll get the buggy and " 
 
 " No, no, Sahib," she interrupted. " It is of no 
 use going as if you were on a visit of ceremony to 
 the Rajah. You will be put off with lies. You 
 must go on foot and creep into the Palace like a 
 dacoit. It is nearly three coss by road from here 
 to the Palace, but I know a short cut over the hills. 
 It will save quite one coss and you will get there 
 as soon as you would in the buggy." 
 
 :( That means a walk of two coss four miles. 
 Very well, then, let us start."
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 GONE ! 
 
 SOON they were beneath the deodars, tramping 
 through an undergrowth which to unaccustomed 
 eyes would have seemed impenetrable. Azeena, 
 however, forced her way through with perfect 
 confidence, guided by certain indications which she 
 knew. The path led to the summit of a hill, 
 at the foot of which was the winding road by which 
 they would have travelled had they taken the buggy. 
 By the time they had reached the top and were 
 proceeding along the ridge there were signs of 
 breaking day and the wind felt cold and raw. In- 
 deed in exposed spots the grass was crisp with 
 frost, and as dawn advanced clouds of mist settled 
 below, obscuring the road and the few bungalows 
 which at that time dotted the landscape. 
 
 An hour later they were descending the ridge, 
 and the pale yellow tinge in the eastern sky was 
 heralding the sun. The scenery was wild and 
 romantic. To the south were forests of deodar, 
 interspersed with deep, verdure-lined gorges, broad 
 valleys on the slopes of which the rhododendrons 
 flourished and bloomed in every variety of colour. 
 To the north were more forests, gradually ascending 
 until they gave place to the dim outline of hill upon 
 
 58
 
 GONE ! 59 
 
 hill, stretching away higher and higher, their 
 summits melting in the distance in low clouds. 
 Beyond these clouds were the Himalayas and the 
 line of perpetual snow. 
 
 The dawn told them they were near their destina- 
 tion. Through the blue mist Horsford could 
 discern the cupola surmounting the hall of the 
 Rajah's Palace. 
 
 " Let us hasten," whispered Azeena. " Some 
 of the servants may be about. It is a pity daylight 
 is coming on, but Zora is on the watch ; she will 
 guide us by a secret way into the Palace. The 
 mists are our friends." 
 
 Five minutes more, and Horsford heard a low, 
 mournful note, as of a bird calling to its mate. 
 The answer came soft and prolonged, ceased for 
 a couple of seconds, and was resumed for a brief 
 space. Azeena suddenly turned and faced Hors- 
 ford. 
 
 " Zora has answered my signal. We must be 
 careful. That is the meaning of two whistles 
 one long and one short." 
 
 The note which Horsford thought was that of a 
 bird came from the lips of the women. 
 
 '* Wait till I call to you, Sahib," she suddenly 
 whispered. 
 
 Azeena struck off to the right, and Horsford 
 lost sight of her in the mist. For a moment he 
 suspected treachery. 
 
 " I am here, Sahib," Azeena 's voice came from 
 below. Horsford slid down the bank and found 
 the woman awaiting him in the dry bed of a nullah, 
 through which a torrent swirled and eddied during 
 the monsoon.
 
 60 A STAE OF THE EAST 
 
 They went on for some fifty yards and the great 
 stone wall of the well supplying the Palace came into 
 sight. The well was a piece of solid masonry with 
 a circular platform, of whiter stone than the rest, 
 for the drawers of water to sit on while they let 
 down their pitchers by the rope attached to the 
 side of the well. The outline of a woman dressed 
 in a dark robe was silhouetted on the white stone. 
 An earthen pitcher was by her side. She rose 
 when Azeena and Horsford emerged from the 
 wreaths of mist, and came hastily towards them. 
 She was unveiled and her face was troubled. 
 
 ' Why did you not come before ? " she cried. 
 " I have been sitting here an hour shaking with 
 cold and fearing discovery. I brought a pitcher 
 to show that I had come to the well for water, 
 lest I might not be believed. You are too late, 
 Sahib. Hoosein Khan and his party are gone 
 and they have taken Nara with them. Had 
 Azeena come back at once as she promised " 
 
 "I could not. I had to wait for the Sahib/' 
 interrupted Azeena. " I thought to reach his 
 bungalow before him, but the Sahib did not come. 
 It was not his fault. How could he tell I was 
 expecting him ? He had important business, 
 doubtless, that delayed him." 
 
 Important business ? Folly folly folly ! 
 Horsford ground his teeth when he thought of it. 
 Clare Stanhope had indeed come between him and 
 his oath to poor Jack Folliott ! 
 
 " That will do," Horsford broke out impatiently. 
 " What's the good of wasting time in useless ex- 
 planations ? Hoosein Khan's taken the child to 
 Delhi, I suppose. Well, I have but to follow him."
 
 GONE ! 61 
 
 ' The Sahib must not go alone/' cried Zora 
 wildly. " The Rajah has sent a dozen of his 
 fighting men to guard Hoosein Khan and his 
 dancing-girls on the road. They are to travel 
 with all speed. Let the girl go, Sahib. What has 
 she to do with you ? " 
 
 Horsford paid no attention to Zora's pleadings. 
 He was thinking out his own plans. 
 
 " Azeena," said he suddenly, " do you love 
 Nara ? " t 
 
 " As the apple of my eye, Sahib," cried the 
 woman, clasping her hands. 
 
 " Then we'll do our best to save her. How 
 does the party travel, Zora ? ' : 
 
 " By bahlee, Sahib. They have gone by the 
 Meerut road." 
 
 " By far the longest way. That's to throw me 
 off the scent. Good ! And the soldiers are 
 they mounted ? '' 
 
 " No. His Highness the Rajah would not let 
 his horses be used." 
 
 " Humph ! much obliged to his highness. Bahlees 
 drawn by oxen and men on the tramp not much 
 more than two miles an hour taking the day 
 throughout. Azeena, we must get back to Simla 
 sharp that's the first thing to do." 
 
 ' Yes, Sahib." 
 
 The woman fixed her large, patient eyes, as 
 faithful and as watchful as those of a dog, on the 
 Sahib-logue the man of the master race. Azeena 
 did not trouble to think what the Sahib proposed 
 to do but resigned herself to his orders. 
 
 Zora crept away, rejoicing at the liberal back- 
 sheesh the Sahib had given her, and well pleased
 
 62 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 to be free of a matter which might land her in 
 disgrace, and Azeena and Horsford set out on 
 their way back to Simla. It was between three 
 and four when they reached his bungalow. The 
 day had begun, and the servants were about their 
 various duties. They salaamed to their master 
 and showed no surprise at the sight of his com- 
 panion. If they had any opinion at all it was that 
 Azeena was neither so young nor so handsome a 
 woman as the Sahib might have selected. 
 
 The ayah was exhausted ; Horsford ordered a 
 meal to be prepared for her, and went out to make 
 arrangements for proceeding by dak to Delhi. 
 He reckoned that at the slow pace at which Hoosein 
 Khan would be compelled to travel his journey 
 via Meerut would occupy at least eight days, 
 whereas by dak via Ambala and Karnal it ought 
 not to take more than half that time to do the 
 one hundred and seventy miles to Delhi. 
 
 Luck that morning was on his side. He heard 
 that Mrs. Mowatt, the mother of an official con- 
 nected with the Delhi bank, was also travelling 
 by dak and was starting at six o'clock. He knew 
 the lady very well, and he begged her to allow 
 Azeena to join her staff of servants. Again luck 
 befriended him. Mrs. Mowatt 's own ayah had 
 taken herself off unexpectedly that very morning, 
 after the irresponsible, erratic fashion of Indian 
 servants, and the services of Azeena came in 
 very handy. Horsford invented some plausible 
 excuse why he was interested in the woman and 
 was anxious to assist her in getting to Delhi, and 
 Mrs. Mowatt, who was only too glad to be relieved 
 from a difficulty, asked no inconvenient questions.
 
 GONE ! 63 
 
 This matter settled, and his own palanquin and 
 runners hired, Horsford raced back to his bungalow, 
 gave Azeena her directions, snatched an hour's 
 sleep, had his bath, dismissed his servants with 
 liberal backsheesh after his modicum of luggage 
 was packed, and walked leisurely down to the 
 starting-point. He met Major Ormerod, mounted 
 on a trotting horse, to " shake up " his liver after 
 the Rajah's banquet of the night before. 
 
 " Hallo, Horsford/' shouted the Major. ' What 
 became of you last night ? You slipped away 
 mysteriously. We thought you'd eloped with the 
 little dancer, until the Rajah assured us that the 
 difficulty between you and that evil-looking Mussul- 
 man scoundrel had been settled amicably, the girl 
 being taken from the fellow's custody and lodged 
 in the zenana. Is our fat friend going to add one 
 more to his long list of wives ? ' ; 
 
 " How do I know ? " rejoined Horsford shortly. 
 
 " Anyhow, it would be the best way out of 
 the difficulty. I suppose the old rascal of a 
 Mahommedan satisfied you the girl was his grand- 
 daughter. But why didn't you join us again ? 
 We were all on the qui vive to know what had 
 happened." 
 
 " Oh, I'd had enough of the fun. Good-bye, 
 old chap. I'm ofi to Delhi." 
 
 ' What ? " 
 
 " Found a letter waiting me when I got back 
 here last night, calling me away on important 
 business. Can I take any messages for you ? '' 
 
 " I can't think of any for the moment. When 
 do you start ? ' ; 
 
 " At once. Mrs. Mowatt has already gone on."
 
 64 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 " Are you acting as her escort ? " said the Major, 
 with a grin. 
 
 " In a way, yes. Not much danger of my falling 
 in love on the way, I imagine." 
 
 " No, by gad. A most amiable woman but 
 one of the ugliest. Her looks protect her." 
 
 Horsford made no reply, but shook hands with 
 the Major and strode away to his palanquin. 
 Ormerod stayed long enough to see the men raise 
 the conveyance and set off at a smart pace, which 
 it was quite certain they would not long keep up, 
 and slowly trotted away. 
 
 " Close beggar," muttered the Major. " He's 
 not one to let the right hand know what the left 
 hand's doing. I wonder what's the real story of 
 the little dancing-girl. It struck me the Rajah 
 was talking with his tongue in his cheek. I guess 
 he's come to some arrangement with Horsford. 
 Lead us not into temptation ! If there's any 
 prayer useful in India that's the one." 
 
 Then the Major proceeded on the process of 
 " shaking up," and meeting a couple of friends bent 
 on a similar undertaking, forgot Horsford and the 
 dancing-girl. 
 
 The day wore on without any more excitement 
 than a Simla day usually afforded, which was as 
 a rule none at all. At noon all life died away ; 
 the English visitors kept within doors, the natives 
 squatted in the shade of verandahs and drowsily 
 surveyed the world. About six o'clock slumbering 
 Simla awoke. 
 
 A pony carriage drew up in front of Horsford 's 
 bungalow. The smartly dressed girl who had 
 been driving threw the reins to her servant and
 
 GONE ! 65 
 
 hastily stepped out. A chokadar who was in the 
 verandah came forward and salaamed. 
 
 " Is Sahib Horsford at home ? '' 
 
 ' The Sahib has gone." 
 
 " Gone ? What do you mean ? ' : 
 
 The sudden sharpening of the pitch of the voice 
 told that the girl had a temper that was easily 
 roused. The chokadar proclaimed himself the 
 most miserable of men. He was but a worm in 
 the sight of the mem-sahib. It was not his fault 
 that the lord sahib had departed that morning for 
 Delhi. 
 
 " For Delhi ? You are uttering lies," burst out 
 the girl passionately. 
 
 The chokadar prostrated himself morally and 
 physically. He called upon several Hindu deities 
 to witness that he spoke the truth. 
 
 " Did Sahib Horsford tell you this cock-and-bull 
 story ? " cried the visitor, all the brilliancy of 
 her complexion disappearing under her rage, save 
 one scarlet spot on each cheek bone. 
 
 The phrase " cock and bull " was evidently 
 unknown to the chokadar. He stared vacantly, 
 and then, conscious he was expected to return an 
 answer of some kind, stammered out that he had 
 seen the Sahib depart that morning, and that if 
 the mem-sahib did not believe him she might ask 
 the dak agent, who would confirm his statement. 
 
 The mem-sahib possibly decided to adopt this 
 suggestion, for without another word she wheeled 
 round abruptly and returned to the pony carriage. 
 
 " Guy hasn't gone to Delhi," she muttered. 
 " He said that to throw dust in the eyes of the 
 servants. He is at the Dakhur Palace. He told
 
 66 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 me he meant to visit the Rajah to-day and demand 
 the child." 
 
 It was not etiquette to call on the Rajah. He 
 never received English lady visitors, nor did he 
 ever enter the houses of his English men friends. 
 But for that Clare Stanhope would have gone 
 direct to his Highness and have questioned him 
 concerning Guy Horsford and the girl. In a white 
 heat of fury she flung herself in the low seat, 
 snatched the reins from the servant's hands, and 
 seized the whip. A slash across the ponies' 
 flanks sent the animals rearing, another savage 
 cut brought them to their feet and they darted 
 away at a break-neck pace. There was no danger 
 save running against some lumbering, oxen-drawn, 
 village cart, for the road was wide and a steep 
 ascent lay in front. Before the ponies had tackled 
 fifty yards of the hill they dropped into a walk, 
 blown, and the sweat pouring down their sides. 
 
 On the level road Clare resumed her furious driv- 
 ing and narrowly escaped collision with a bahlee, 
 under the tilt of which sat a fat Hindu merchant 
 who, when he saw the ponies charging at him, 
 doubted the virtue of the auspicious omens which 
 had decided him to undertake his journey that 
 day. The danger Clare had escaped acted as a 
 wholesome counter irritant. She decided to follow 
 the chokadar's advice, and turning the carriage 
 round she drove slowly back to the office of the 
 dak agent. The clerk, a smooth-speaking, obse- 
 quious Eurasian, assured her that Captain Horsford 
 had indeed started that morning for Delhi. 
 
 " Why has he gone there ? I must know. I 
 will know/' she murmured fiercely.
 
 GONE ! 67 
 
 Who was most likely to be in Guy's confidence ? 
 She could think of no one but Major Ormerod, and 
 she sent the ponies at a walking pace past the club, 
 only a primitive affair in the fifties, and very 
 different (as indeed is everything else in Simla) 
 from its successor of the present day. 
 
 Half a dozen men were lounging in the verandah, 
 sipping brandy pawnee as an appetiser. They 
 doffed their hats when Clare approached, and she 
 smiled sweetly upon them. Her appearance was 
 a pleasant oasis in the monotony of waiting for 
 dinner, and directly she stopped Ormerod and 
 young Anson came towards her. 
 
 A few commonplaces, and Clare led the talk to 
 the subject uppermost in her mind. But she did 
 it in an indirect way. 
 
 " I hope you had a merry time last night at the 
 Rajah's," said she, as she deftly flicked a fly from 
 the ear of one of her little steeds. 
 
 ' Well, it was exciting rather than merry," said 
 Ormerod, hesitatingly. 
 
 " I didn't find it either the one or the other, 
 Miss Stanhope," struck in the Cornet, his honest 
 eyes fixed with undisguised admiration on Clare's 
 loveliness. " Give me a hop at the Argyll Booms 
 or Cremorne before all your Indian Nautch girls." 
 
 " I'm afraid you're a very bad boy," said Clare, 
 shaking her head. 
 
 " No, really I'm not," protested the lad, taking 
 her quite seriously. " I found the Indian dancing- 
 girls awfully slow, and I left very early, didn't I, 
 Major Ormerod ? ' J 
 
 Clare could see quite well that Cornet Anson 
 knew nothing about the episode of Horsford and
 
 68 
 
 the fainting dancing-girl. But it was otherwise 
 with Omerod. 
 
 " I beg your pardon, Mr. Anson. I begin now 
 to think you're good. But you might be better 
 if for instance you could get me a cup of tea. 
 Perhaps, though, I'm taxing the resources of the 
 club too much," said Clare sweetly. 
 
 "Nonsense. I'll see that you have it, and 
 precious sharp, too." 
 
 The ingenuous youth darted away, and Clare, 
 turning to Ormerod, said rapidly : 
 
 ' You and your friends had adventures last 
 night, I'm told, Major. Young Anson, I presume, 
 knows nothing of the later entertainment, or he 
 would not have run down the dancing-girls of 
 India. The Rajah provided an unexpected enter- 
 tainment, didn't he ? '' 
 
 Clare's voice was as dulcet as ever ; her eyes 
 alone betrayed anxiety. Ormerod was shrewd 
 enough to detect her disquietude. He knew that 
 of late she and Horsford had been a good deal 
 together, and he was far too loyal to give a com- 
 rade away. 
 
 " A case of pumping, is it," he thought. " I 
 wonder how she's got hold of the story ? All right, 
 my dear, you won't squeeze much out of me." 
 
 " Oh, it was interesting in a way," said he. 
 ' What happened, I fancy, was as unexpected by 
 the Rajah as by anybody else. One of the dancing- 
 girls fainted, but it was nothing serious. Of course 
 she didn't dance any more." 
 
 " Was that all ? You don't seem to have seen 
 much," retorted Clare. ' Wasn't there some 
 disturbance some squabble ? Didn't Captain
 
 GONE ! 69 
 
 Horsford raise a protest ? I don't know what 
 about." 
 
 " I believe there was a word or two said," re- 
 turned Ormerod guardedly. " The girl, it appears, 
 had an English father, and Horsford has advanced 
 views on the question of Eurasians. Nothing 
 came of it. The Eajah has the girl in safe custody. 
 She's in his zenana at present." 
 
 Sweet and bitter. It was comforting for Clare 
 to know that the girl was practically out of Hors- 
 ford's reach. But what had taken Guy to Delhi ? 
 His only object, so far as Clare could see, was that 
 he might separate himself from her. 
 
 ' What's the girl like ? " she asked abruptly. 
 
 Ormerod was too much of a man of the world 
 to commit the mistake of praising one woman to 
 another. The fact that in this case the dancing- 
 girl was a child in years made no difference. More- 
 over, there was mystery in Clare Stanhope's 
 curiosity, and contrary to the accepted opinion, 
 Ormerod held that with a woman curiosity was 
 never idle. There was always a personal motive 
 mixed with it, and its exercise generally meant 
 some revelation of character. So instead of de- 
 scribing Nara as the most fascinating and graceful 
 little creature he had ever seen, which would have 
 been the truth, Ormerod merely shrugged his 
 shoulders, and said that there was nothing re- 
 markable about her, excepting that the cast of 
 her features belonged more to the West than the 
 East. 
 
 " I thought you were a judge of beauty, Major 
 Ormerod," rejoined Clare irritably. 
 
 " I know when loveliness is presented to me,"
 
 70 
 
 said the Major, dropping his voice and fixing his 
 eyes on the dainty figure in the carriage. 
 
 The compliment was, of course, unmistakable, 
 and under other circumstances Clare would have 
 replied with some bright sally, but now the slight 
 wrinkling of her brows and the momentary tighten- 
 ing of her lips showed that she was not in the 
 mood for exchanges of banter. A diversion was 
 caused at this moment by Anson issuing from the 
 bungalow, followed by a khidmutgar bearing a tray 
 on which was the promised tea. If she meant to 
 question Ormerod further without interruption 
 she would have to lose no time. 
 
 " Did you know Captain Horsford had gone to 
 Delhi ? " said she. 
 
 ' Yes. I met him this morning by chance just 
 as he was about to start. He told me he had a 
 letter last night calling him away on important 
 business/' 
 
 " Private, or anything to do with his duties ? >: 
 
 " My dear young lady, I didn't ask. I'm not 
 a woman, you know/' 
 
 Ormerod could not resist the retort. Much as 
 he admired Clare Stanhope, he did riot like her. 
 He put her down as vain, shallow, and insincere, 
 but he may have been influenced by what his wife 
 said. Fierce is the light in Anglo-Indian Society 
 that beats on good-looking spinsters, widows, grass 
 and otherwise, and what used to be known as 
 " frisky matrons/' Mrs. Ormerod, who prided 
 herself on keeping up what she called a " high 
 tone," was inclined to be a severe critic of manners 
 and morals, and certain points in Clare Stanhope 
 did not meet with her approval.
 
 GONE ! 71 
 
 Clare could have delivered a crushing reply to 
 Ormerod, for it was well known that the Major 
 was thoroughly hen-pecked, but she did not trouble 
 herself. She had thought for no one but Guy, 
 and the confirmation by Ornierod of what the 
 choJcadar had told her did not tend to allay her 
 agitation. She took the tea without a word of 
 thanks to young Anson, greatly to the disappoint- 
 ment of the lad, who had expended his stock 
 of abusive Hindustani in hurrying the native chef. 
 
 After leaving half the vapid concoction Clare 
 gathered up the reins and with a nod and a smile 
 not one of her best she started the ponies into a 
 trot and left the Major and the Cornet, their hats 
 in their hands, watching her and admiring the 
 way she " handled the ribbons."
 
 CHAPTEK VI 
 
 THE ETERNAL QUESTION 
 
 FOR the next five minutes the one topic of con- 
 versation was Clare Stanhope. The presence of 
 the attractive belle of Simla had brought every 
 member of the club to the verandah, and tongues 
 wagged at considerable length concerning her 
 charms and her prospects. 
 
 " Gad, I'll bet the doctor'll find her a handful 
 before long," chuckled red-faced Colonel Chowden. 
 " I'm told her relatives packed her off to India 
 because she was too much for them. The sooner 
 she's married the better." 
 
 " For the doctor yes. But what about her 
 husband ? " said Ormerod. 
 
 Then they fell to discussing two questions of 
 absorbing interest, one which makes the whole 
 world akin the mystery of woman in general 
 and the other appealing to Europeans in India 
 only the native woman. It was hard to say 
 which at the moment was the more important. 
 The competition of the West with the East had of 
 late years been gradually increasing. India had 
 become the marriage market for the dowerless girl 
 of Britain with rich and influential relatives and 
 connections in the East India Company. The 
 
 72
 
 THE ETERNAL QUESTION 73 
 
 white woman was beginning to assert herself, and 
 the olive-skinned maidens were retiring before 
 the advance of their aggressive rivals. 
 
 Old associations and habits die hard. Some of 
 the grey-headed members of the Simla Club had 
 as youngsters fought in the Pindaree War and 
 against Holkar, and the memories of two septua- 
 genarians went back as far as Assay e. Their 
 opinions on the eternal feminine were those ex- 
 pressed by an old Calcutta journalist, whose 
 illuminating words may appropriately be quoted. 
 
 " Nearly all the unmarried Europeans and few 
 were married in those days lived/' he writes, " in 
 acknowledged concubinage with native women." 
 
 In 1810 a work called The East Indian Vade 
 Mecum was published by Captain T. Williamson. 
 The object was to provide a compendium of in- 
 formation valuable to persons about to settle in 
 India, and was dedicated to the Honourable Court 
 of Directors of the East India Company, as de- 
 signed particularly to be a guide to young gentle- 
 men in their service. In this work concubinage is 
 regarded as a matter of ordinary necessity, and 
 advice is given as to the female establishment a 
 young man should set up, its proper cost, etc. 
 
 The impossibility of marriage with English 
 women is shown by the declaration that an English 
 lady could not be landed in India " under respect- 
 able circumstances throughout for less than 500," 
 and the connections recommended are justified by 
 the statement that " the number of European 
 women to be found in Bengal and its dependencies 
 cannot amount to two hundred and fifty ; while 
 the European male inhabitants of respectability,
 
 74 
 
 including military officers, may be taken at about 
 four thousand." 
 
 " What's the good of a youngster making up to 
 an English girl ? " growled old Colonel Chowden. 
 " Of course she's sent out to be married, and in 
 that respect dashed if I see much difference between 
 her and the Hindu. Everybody knows that the 
 native girls have no choice or voice in their mar- 
 riage. The parents fix up matters, and brides 
 and bridegrooms don't set eyes on each other 
 till the wedding day. The marvel is that these 
 leaps in the dark rarely turn out badly. It's the 
 other way about. By Jove, the Hindu wench is 
 the most faithful and obedient of wives. That's 
 more than you can say of some of the flaunters 
 who come out here and sell themselves to the 
 highest bidder." 
 
 " And why shouldn't they ? It's perfectly well 
 understood what brings them. The more the 
 merrier, I say. We get some decent society, and 
 if there's a scandal now and again, what does it 
 matter ? It makes conversation, anyhow," said 
 Lawton, a simpering sub, who rather fancied 
 himself as a lady-killer. 
 
 " Conversation ! " snorted Ormerod. " Is that 
 the end of the business ? ' ; 
 
 A silence fell on the group. Ormerod's words 
 had given them something to think about. Social 
 questions did not attract much attention in India 
 in the fifties but they existed all the same, and 
 now and again the sex problem forced its way 
 to the front, was discussed in whispers, and put 
 out of sight as quickly as possible. 
 
 " Scandals can't be avoided," said an elderly
 
 THE ETERNAL QUESTION 75 
 
 magistrate. " The rich men the English girls 
 hope to capture are not very numerous. The girl 
 has to put up with what she can get. Perhaps 
 no one suitable comes along, and while she's waiting 
 she forgets what she was sent to India for and 
 falls in love with the wrong man. Sometimes she 
 makes the still greater blunder of falling in love 
 with the wrong man after she's married. All this 
 is very interesting, but it's only part of the question 
 we started with. The point is what are the poor 
 devils with empty pockets to do ? The English 
 girls, of course, are out of their reach. What 
 then ? I should say the man of the old days was 
 better off with his left-handed arrangement which 
 was then accepted by everybody. What has he 
 to do now ? ' 
 
 " Won't you tell us, Mr. Roberts ? " said the 
 ingenuous Anson, when the magistrate paused. 
 
 Every one listened intently for the reply. 
 
 ' Humph ! You want to know, do you ? Very 
 good, then I'll tell you, but don't forget that I'm 
 not sitting as a magistrate bound to utter moral 
 platitudes, and leaving the bedrock of things alone. 
 The young man of to-day must either live econo- 
 mically and comfortably with the woman who 
 will be faithful to him and worship him as if he 
 were her god, or he must waste his substance on a 
 dancing-girl. In the one case he ruins his char- 
 acter in the opinion of Mrs. Grundy, do you 
 understand ? in the other he ruins himself, body, 
 purse, and prospects. Now 
 
 But the dinner-gong sounded, and perhaps it 
 was just as well. 
 
 While the members of the Simla Club were
 
 76 
 
 discussing sociology in its most engrossing aspect 
 Clare Stanhope, from whom the question sprang, 
 was racing up the hilly road to her uncle's bungalow, 
 her nerves by no means soothed by her interview 
 with Ormerod. Guy Horsford's disappearance 
 still puzzled and worried her. She had derived 
 no comfort from the information that the dancing- 
 girl was in the Rajah's zenana. 
 
 ' What do I care about the girl ? " she asked 
 herself furiously. " Guy angered me by treating 
 the affair with so much importance and putting me 
 in the background. Of course I was silly to fly out 
 at him, but it was his fault. He showed dread- 
 fully bad taste in talking of the girl at all to me. 
 Up to that point we were the best of friends 
 and " 
 
 She paused. A dreamy look stole into her eyes. 
 Friendship hardly expressed the situation. If 
 love ever had possession of her it was during those 
 stolen moments which she would never think of 
 without a thrill. Everything was so new. The 
 Clare Stanhope who smiled and enticed number- 
 less admirers, while at the same time she kept 
 them at bay, was not the Clare Stanhope who 
 returned Guy Horsford's passionate kisses. Then 
 a fresh mood seized her she was filled with 
 remorse. She reproached Guy, she reproached 
 herself. 
 
 " Why couldn't he see I didn't mean what I 
 said ? I was right to be angry, but I felt sure 
 he would call this morning to make it up. Oh, 
 he's heartless cold and heartless ! " were the 
 words that hammered themselves on her brain. 
 
 It was a bitter lesson for Clare, who had always
 
 THE ETERNAL QUESTION 77 
 
 boasted that she could bring men to their knees by 
 a frown or a pout, when Guy Horsford did not 
 present himself for forgiveness the next morning 
 as she confidently expected. She had not hitherto 
 realised that there was a gulf between idle flirta- 
 tion and serious passion, although the confines of 
 that gulf are sometimes extremely narrow. On 
 ne badine pas avec I 'amour was a truth of which 
 she had not been conscious until now. 
 
 " I ought not to have let him go without saying 
 good-night," she murmured. 
 
 Despondency succeeded to rage by the time 
 she had reached home. She flung the reins 
 languidly to the syce, and entered the bungalow 
 with dragging feet. Then a gleam of hope seized 
 her. Perhaps Guy had written. She sent her 
 ayah to inquire. The woman came back with 
 a letter. Clare seized it with feverish haste, and 
 the next instant dashed it on the table. She 
 recognised the writing. It was not Guy Horsford's 
 but Andrew Meldrum/s. 
 
 " That man ! I hate him/' 
 
 She sank into a chair, feeling that she was near- 
 ing a crisis in her life which she had not the courage 
 to meet. Yet it must be met. Guy Horsford, 
 the man she loved, was gone sent away by her- 
 self. That was the galling part of the business. 
 Could she humble herself sufficiently to write 
 and beg him to come back ? Scarcely in her pre- 
 sent mood. Besides, had she not suffered severely 
 enough from being too precipitate ? She would 
 not make a second mistake of that kind. 
 
 " He shall have time. It will take him a few 
 days to reach Delhi. He may not write at once,
 
 78 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 and the mail will have to bring his letter. I'll 
 give him a fortnight/' she thought. 
 
 A fortnight ? It seemed an eternity. How 
 "could she endure it ? She sat for five or six 
 minutes staring blankly at Meldrum's letter on the 
 table. Then with an impatient gesture she seized 
 it and tore open the envelope. She read the 
 contents without showing the least sign of emotion. 
 Yet it was a letter which should have stirred her 
 pulses, fond as she was of money and of what 
 money could buy. She had only to write the 
 word " yes " and she would become the wife of 
 the richest man in India. 
 
 There was no hesitation in Andrew Meldrum's 
 offer of marriage. He was as business-like in this 
 as in everything else. He even named the sum 
 he proposed to settle upon her, and the amount 
 did not err on the side of niggardliness. He wound 
 up by saying that he proposed to call that night 
 for her reply, and this was the only part of the 
 letter which quickened her heart-beats. 
 
 " I can't see him I won't see him. I I would 
 say no, but but I dare not. I must give Guy a 
 chance. Yes, I must," she cried hurriedly. 
 
 It was easy to feign illness, and indeed in this 
 excuse there was as much reality as pretence. 
 She hurriedly scribbled a note, thanking Meldrum 
 for his letter. She promised to give him an 
 answer very speedily, but that at present she was 
 suffering from a distracting headache which had 
 quite prostrated her. She read over what she 
 had written and it seemed to her that to a man like 
 Meldrum it looked more of an encouragement than 
 the reverse. But short of a decided negative it
 
 THE ETERNAL QUESTION 79 
 
 must serve. There was no time for deliberation. 
 Meldrum might call before the next hour was 
 spent. So she folded up and sealed her letter 
 and sent it by a messenger whom she could 
 trust. 
 
 Three days went by, Meldrum pertinaciously 
 calling every morning and Clare maintaining the 
 fiction of indisposition. But the pretence could 
 not be kept up for long, especially as her uncle 
 knew there was nothing the matter with her. 
 
 " What's the idea, Clare ? f> said he. " How 
 long are you going to keep poor Meldrum kicking 
 his heels waiting your pleasure ? He's bent on 
 making you his wife. Why don't you say yes and 
 have done with it ? You'll send every girl and 
 widow mad with envy when your engagement is 
 announced." 
 
 " So you've settled that I am to be engaged. I 
 suppose I'm not allowed to decide for myself ? " 
 returned Clare sharply. 
 
 " Of course you are the trouble is that you 
 won't decide. The man is continually tackling 
 me to know what is the matter. I've exhausted 
 the usual excuse a slight cold and I've fallen 
 back on nerves, and now I look at you, little 
 girl, I begin to think that I've hit upon your 
 complaint. What's upset you ? *' 
 
 Clare's face certainly looked a little drawn, 
 and the pretty nose was slightly sharper than it 
 was wont to be. 
 
 " Oh, I'm worried. I don't know what to say 
 to Mr. Meldrum." 
 
 " H'm ! You might do worse than accept him. 
 Meldrum's a man who'll go mad over any woman
 
 80 A STAR OF THE. EAST 
 
 he fancies. You'll be able to do exactly what 
 you like, excepting one thing." 
 
 " And what's that ? " she asked, with sudden 
 curiosity. 
 
 " Flirt. I can't fancy him as a complaisant 
 husband. He's passed his life hitherto with his 
 mind fixed on making money, and he'll spend the 
 rest of his days in worshipping his wife. Both 
 occupations want a little imagination and self-de- 
 ception to make them pleasant, and I fancy the 
 first is easier than the second," said the doctor, 
 shrugging his shoulders and running his fingers 
 through his iron-grey hair. 
 
 " Oh, uncle, what a thing to say ! That's the 
 worst of being a doctor ; it's so difficult to keep 
 secrets from you. Aren't the secrets of men and 
 women often the stories of their lives ? ' ; 
 
 ' That's confoundedly true, though I shouldn't 
 have expected such wisdom from your pretty lips. 
 But we're wandering from the point." 
 
 " I'm afraid I interrupted your interesting 
 analysis or is diagnosis the proper word ? of Mr. 
 Meldrum's character. Please go on," said Clare 
 languidly. ' You were saying he was seeking 
 marriage as a rival to his god Mammon." 
 
 ' That isn't quite the way to put it. The 
 rival he seeks is love. Leve and marriage are 
 not always synonymous." 
 
 " So I've heard," returned Clare, yawning 
 slightly. 
 
 " At the same time I'm inclined to think most 
 men are satisfied if their wives are clever enough 
 to make them fancy they are the same thing." 
 
 Clare made no reply. She had been fanning
 
 THE ETERNAL QUESTION 81 
 
 herself slowly, and she now half closed the fan 
 and appeared to be interested in its elaborate 
 ornamentation. 
 
 " The odd thing is that some of the happiest 
 marriages are those which don't begin in violent 
 love. Andrew Meldrum will want understanding. 
 He's not a demonstrative man, but don't imagine 
 because he says so little he doesn't feel deeply. 
 If he's once deceived where he's placed his faith 
 he'll never forgive. But so long as his suspicions 
 are not excited he'll be as blind as a bat. He's 
 given me a hint as to his intentions but perhaps 
 he's already told you ? ' ; 
 
 " About retiring from business and returning 
 to England ? Yes." 
 
 " Well, that's an inducement for you to marry 
 him, isn't it ? ' ; 
 
 Again Clare was silent, and again her fan ab- 
 sorbed her attention. 
 
 " No, I don't think it is," at last she said slowly. 
 " I like India. I like the romance the natural 
 life where everything's made pleasant for one 
 even the climate. Here at Simla it's lovely. No, 
 I'm not anxious to go back to England. I said 
 good-bye to all my friends when I left, and I 
 expect if I went back they'd all be different. I 
 don't believe in trying to restore old friendships." 
 
 " Humph ! " grunted the doctor. " I wish I 
 knew what you did believe in, Clare apart from 
 flirtation. Anyhow, what am I to say when 
 Meldrum next questions me ? I'm almost certain 
 to see him to-morrow at the club." 
 
 " Oh, that I'm still suffering from nerves." 
 
 " Now you know that's not the answer I want 
 
 6
 
 82 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 to my question. Meldrum was at me about the 
 marriage settlement the last time I saw him, and 
 he's certain to return to the subject. Shall I say 
 you'll write to him definitely, say before the week's 
 out ? " 
 
 " No please don't. Give me a fortnight to 
 think it over." 
 
 ' You've had three days already. Time enough 
 one would think, unless " 
 
 k Well, unless ? " 
 
 ' l( Unless there's some one else in the field and 
 you can't decide between the two. I've heard of 
 such things." 
 
 " And so have I. But really I'm not so hesita- 
 ting as you seem to suppose. Tell Mr. Meldrum 
 that in a fortnight I will let him know. In the 
 meantime, uncle dear, don't give me away. I I 
 really couldn't stand the strain of an interview 
 just yet." 
 
 " Very well ; then you'll have to be my patient 
 in reality. You must have a tonic. A good dinner 
 wouldn't hurt you. Pluck up your courage and 
 come down." 
 
 But Clare shook her head, and Dr. Stanhope, 
 reading her mood, ceased to persuade her. 
 
 " Who's the other man, I wonder ? " he mut- 
 tered, as he sauntered into the dining-room.
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 IN THE HEART OF DELHI 
 
 IT was the early morning when the palanquins 
 came within sight of the cantonments on the 
 Ridge overlooking Delhi. The dusty levels and 
 the endless fields of the industrious ryot gave place 
 to large, well-laid out gardens and woodland 
 slopes. Delhi lay a mile or so to the south, bathed 
 in the glory of the rising sun, a city of crimson 
 and white. The three marble domes of the Jama 
 Masjid or " great mosque " stood out in cold 
 stateliness against the morning sky in their 
 massiveness a striking contrast to the graceful 
 minarets of striped white and pink at the corners. 
 The grim, solid fort of Salim-garh to the east of 
 the city suggested all that was sinister and merci- 
 less. The red sandstone walls, the towers, sur- 
 mounted by kiosks, of the wondrous palace of 
 Shah Jahan, symbolized an ancient dynasty and 
 the greatness and magnificence of a past age, 
 which were now but shadows, albeit in Bahadur 
 Shah there still reigned a descendant of the old 
 Moghul kings. 
 
 Lazily lapping the base of Fort and Palace the 
 blue waters of the Jumna flowed, placid, clear, and 
 sparkling. For centuries the river had served 
 
 83
 
 84 . A STAE OF THE EAST 
 
 as the repository of countless tragic secrets. It 
 was the last resting place of thousands of Mussul- 
 men and Hindus massacred in the narrow streets 
 of the city, or slain in fierce fights outside its walls. 
 Sorrowing widows, in accordance with their mar- 
 riage vows, had sought solace beneath its smiling 
 surface. Faithless wives, dancing-girls, deluded 
 maidens, had been hurled from the convenient 
 walls and windows of the Palace. The Jumna's 
 sinister reputation was such that though the 
 natives bathed in its limpid waters they never, 
 knowingly, allowed a drop to pass their lips. 
 
 To the left, between the Ridge and the city, 
 was a mansion of considerable size standing within 
 its own grounds. This house belonged to Hindu 
 Rao, a rich Mahratta Chief, and was destined to 
 figure largely in the memorable siege of 1857. In 
 1851 Hindu Rao was alive and very popular. 
 Had not Horsford been anxious to get to Delhi 
 without any one knowing of his arrival he would 
 have called on the old gentleman, whom he knew 
 exceedingly well, and he would have been certain of 
 a warm welcome. Hindu Rao died in 1854, and 
 for weeks after his death nothing was talked of 
 in Delhi but his gorgeous funeral. Amid much 
 solemnity his corpse, attired in his most magnificent 
 costume, the arms encircled with jewelled bracelets, 
 and costly necklaces of pearls and diamonds 
 descending to the waist, was carried through the 
 streets of Delhi sitting bolt upright in a chair of 
 state, just as he was accustomed to appear in life, 
 to the banks of the Jumna, when the body was 
 burnt and the ashes thrown into the river. 
 
 The bearers of Horsford 's palanquin took the
 
 IN THE HEART OF DELHI 85 
 
 eastern road from the Ridge leading to the Cash- 
 meer Gate. To the left was the mansion known 
 as Metcalfe House and to the right the Flagstaff 
 Tower, of no particular significance in 1851, but 
 ordained by fate to be memorable, six years later, 
 as the place of refuge for the few who escaped 
 from the city of massacre. Horsford knew Met- 
 calfe House well enough. He had been to many 
 of the magnificent receptions given by the Resident 
 in the great house, built on the site of gloomy 
 memory, for tradition has it that the building 
 covers the grave and tomb of the foster father of 
 the Emperor Akbar, stabbed while at prayers by 
 his rival Adam Khan. 
 
 Soon the Cashmeer Gate with its double arches 
 was in sight, but before this was reached Horsford 
 had taken leave of Mrs. Mowatt. The residence 
 of her son, the Delhi Bank official, was outside the 
 city, in the neighbourhood of the beautiful Kudsia 
 Gardens on the banks of the river, and not far 
 from Ludlow Castle, where lived Mr. Commissioner 
 Fraser, who afterwards was one of the first victims 
 of the Delhi upheaval in '57. 
 
 During the journey Horsford had become great 
 friends with Mrs. Mowatt, who, he found, was a 
 plain-spoken woman of energy and resource. She 
 had come to India on a visit to her son with the 
 idea of staying permanently if she thought she 
 could settle down. But she found the climate 
 very trying, besides being, as she declared, too old 
 to change the ways of the West for those of the 
 East. The multiplicity of servants bewildered 
 her, and she was not used to being waited on 
 hand and foot. She told Horsford that she was
 
 86 
 
 returning to England via Bombay, and her words 
 started a train of thought in his mind. He had 
 decided that Jack Folliott's daughter must not 
 remain in India. He was sure Mrs. Mowatt was 
 a woman to be trusted, and this conviction sug- 
 gested a way out of the difficulty. He told her 
 everything. She was immensely interested and 
 promised to help him. 
 
 " But I'm starting for Bombay within a week of 
 reaching Delhi and I can't wait. My son has 
 made all the arrangements for the journey, and 
 the Bank's agent in Bombay has instructions to 
 book my passage to England. If you can only 
 succeed in placing the child in my hands all right- 
 Ill take care of her but it must be done at once." 
 
 ' You're a true friend," said Horsford. " But 
 please don't imagine it's an easy matter you're 
 undertaking. It may involve you in some em- 
 barrassment, so I want to make it perfectly clear 
 what the thing means, and though you've promised 
 to help me I oughtn't to consider the promise 
 binding. You must first hear everything, and 
 then decide." 
 
 Jack Folliott had well-to-do sisters in England, 
 one the wife of a retired general once in the com- 
 pany's service, and the other the wife of an Indian 
 Commissioner, also retired. Horsford had been 
 introduced to both ladies on his arrival in India, 
 fresh from Addiscombe, and while not caring very 
 much for Mrs. General Brampton, who was inclined 
 to be pompous and patronising, he liked the 
 Commissioner's wife, Mrs. Spicer. She was very 
 kind and sympathetic and made young Guy 
 Horsford, then a lad of eighteen, exceedingly
 
 87 
 
 welcome, because of his being the chum of their 
 favourite brother. Both the General and the 
 Commissioner retired on their liberal pensions soon 
 after Guy Horsford obtained his lieutenancy, and 
 neither they nor their wives knew anything of 
 Captain Folliott's attachment to a native girl. 
 Horsford 's plan was to despatch Nara to the keep- 
 ing of Mrs. Spicer he had more faith in her than 
 in her sister and trust to fate for the rest. 
 
 " Part of my duty, then, is to hand the child 
 over to her aunts," said Mrs. Mowatt. " So far 
 I see no embarrassment. You'll write to them 
 beforehand, of course ? JJ 
 
 ' Yes, the mail goes out to-morrow. My letter 
 will reach Mrs. Spicer about a fortnight before 
 you that is if you start from Bombay directly 
 you arrive there. As you say, no embarrassment 
 is likely to arise, it's the preliminaries about the 
 deportment of Eurasians that may be a little 
 troublesome. I don't know whether the old 
 regulations are in force. I shall have to inquire. 
 Anyway, it's only a matter of money." 
 
 Horsford was thinking of the objection the East 
 India Company had in the old days to the trans- 
 mission of native orphans to England. The direc- 
 tors had very decided notions on the sex question, 
 and rather than encourage marriage with native 
 women they were prepared to wink at what in 
 England would be called " questionable relations." 
 The Company appeared to regard itself as called 
 upon, under certain circumstances, to act in loco 
 parentis, and no native of India was allowed to 
 be taken as a passenger on board any vessel pro- 
 ceeding to England without a deposit of 500 rupees,
 
 88 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 or security to that amount, " lest the party should 
 become a burden to the Company." Captains of 
 Indiamen did not care to take children, whether 
 native or English, as passengers, and few were 
 willing to do so for less than 800 rupees, and even 
 then some attendant must be provided, whose 
 passage would probably amount to as much more. 
 Horsford therefore was quite aware he was in- 
 curring a considerable pecuniary liability in what 
 he was doing. He explained all this to Mrs. 
 Mowatt. 
 
 :< The question of the ayah," he continued, 
 " presents no difficulty. Azeena would give her 
 life for the girl, and though I expect a little oppo- 
 sition when she learns that she'll have to cross the 
 * black water, ' " most native women are horribly 
 afraid of the sea " I'm sure her love for Nara will 
 carry everything before it. You know what Azeena 
 is by this time and you tell me you don't dislike 
 her." 
 
 " Oh, well," said blunt Mrs. Mowatt, " I think 
 she's about the best of all the native servants I've 
 had to do with. In England, you know, I wouldn't 
 put up with one of them for a minute. What I 
 don't like is they can be frightfully rude without 
 saying a word. Azeena seems a faithful, docile 
 creature and better than the rest better, anyway, 
 than those Portuguese ayahs. I've come across 
 one or two specimens, horrid, stuck-up creatures 
 I wouldn't give house-room to. I'm told the 
 Portuguese ayahs are becoming fewer and fewer, 
 and a good thing too, I should say. But what 
 about Azeena in the meantime ? Is she to come 
 with me ? "
 
 IN THE HEAKT OF DELHI 89 
 
 " I think she'd better go to her people. Her 
 father's a very old man a dealer in grain or some- 
 thing of that kind. Keeps a store in a dirty lane 
 just of! the Chandi Chauk. I may want her assis- 
 tance at any moment and she ought to be handy. 
 Besides, things may happen I can't say what 
 and I don't want to compromise you in any way." 
 ' You talk, Captain Horsford, as if there was 
 danger. Hadn't you better think twice before 
 you go further in the matter ? It's too romantic 
 to be safe. One never knows where romance 
 ends. It's not like business ; you can stop a specu- 
 lation when things are going wrong, and you can 
 generally see a bit ahead. But with romance or 
 love no." 
 
 Horsford was not disposed to dispute the truth 
 of this. It had been so in Jack Folliott's case, 
 it was likely to be so in the enterprise in which 
 he had been so suddenly plunged. But if one 
 could see the end of a romance, romance would 
 cease to exist. The unknown was its charm. 
 
 ' There's no going back," said he. " I've already 
 sacrificed something, and to stop because there 
 might be danger would be cowardly." 
 
 " Oh, that's nonsense," retorted Mrs. Mowatt. 
 " I always say there are two sorts of fools those 
 who are never anything else but foolish, and those 
 who are fools by accident and continue to be so 
 through obstinacy." 
 
 " And the second are more troublesome and 
 dangerous than the first, I guess. My dear lady, 
 there's something more than foolishness in what 
 I'm doing. I should never forgive myself if I 
 failed in my oath, now that I've the chance of
 
 90 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 carrying it out. If there's danger all the more 
 reason why I should face it." 
 
 Mrs. Mowatt twisted her wedding ring and a 
 tender, thoughtful look crept into her eyes. Her 
 memory had gone back five-and-twenty years to 
 the wreck of the East Indiaman Cornwallis, of which 
 Captain Henry Mowatt was the master. She had 
 kepi the newspaper records of the time eulogising 
 the heroism of her husband, who had gone down 
 with his ship rather than jump into the boat 
 already weighted down to the water's edge and 
 so imperil the lives of others. Was there business 
 in this bravery ? Did it not belong to romance ? 
 Some might even say that it was foolish. 
 
 ' You're right, Captain Horsford, and I'm 
 wrong," said she in a soft, almost humble tone. 
 " Don't say any more but reckon upon me to help 
 you all I can." 
 
 Ske put out her hand between the curtains of 
 the palanquin the talk had taken place while the 
 men were resting Horsford grasped it warmly. 
 He felt that if Nara were with this kindly woman 
 she would be safe. 
 
 They parted, and Horsford, telling Azeena 
 he would call at her father's shop after nightfall 
 and give her further instructions, proceeded to- 
 wards the Cashmeer Gate. 
 
 At the Cashmeer Gate Horsford discharged the 
 palanquin runners and entered the city on foot, 
 passing through the lofty archway of the Gate, 
 leaving St. James' Church to the right, its common- 
 place architecture contrasting, to its detriment, 
 with that of the majestic Jama Masjid, dazzling 
 in the sun now fully risen. The founder of the
 
 IN THE HEART OF DELHI 91 
 
 English Church was Colonel Skinner, in whose 
 veins, as well as in those of his wife, ran Indian 
 blood. East and West must have warred at times 
 within the old soldier's heart, and maybe he was 
 trying to reconcile the two forces when, not con- 
 tented with paying tribute to the Christian half 
 of his nature, he built a mosque out of regard for 
 the other half. 
 
 After crossing the Delhi canal Horsford entered 
 the Chandi Chauk, or Street of Silver, the main 
 artery of the city, running from the King's Palace 
 on the east to the Lahore Gate on the west. The 
 day's business had just begun, and he had some 
 difficulty in pushing his way through the motley 
 and, in many respects, repulsive crowd. The 
 street, bordered by private houses, intermingled 
 with shops in all the picturesqueness and variety 
 of the East, was crammed with merchandise and 
 buyers and sellers. Here and there it was blocked 
 up by bags of grain, bales of cotton stuff, native 
 and foreign, the obstructions further added to by 
 carts loaded and empty, tethered oxen, and country 
 produce of various kinds piled in front of the shops 
 while itinerant merchants, mingled with lepers 
 and beggars, strove to out-yell each other. 
 
 The equipages were confusing in their incongru- 
 ity. Carriages of English origin, but altered to 
 suit the requirements of the East, rolled by ; 
 elephants and camels lumbered along ; palanquins 
 and bullock carts and strange shaped conveyances 
 from remote country districts jostled each other 
 in the never ending line of traffic. Chetahs and 
 hunting leopards were being led for exercise or 
 for sale, and tall, athletic men from Cashmeer
 
 92 
 
 slowly sauntered by, on the lookout for purchasers 
 of the Persian cats under their arms and the Persian 
 greyhounds following at their heels. 
 
 The houses were wonderfully varied and the 
 architecture decidedly mixed. Grecian piazzas, 
 porticoes, and pediments were joined to houses 
 originally of Moslem or Hindu construction ; 
 signs were hanging from some of the shops, and 
 the striped pundahs or curtains, which supplied 
 the place of doors in many cases, and the variegated, 
 highly coloured screens shading the shop windows, 
 added to the life and animation of this wonderful 
 street. For the most part the houses were white- 
 washed, and the carpets and shawls, the strips of 
 cloth of every hue, the scarves and coloured veils, 
 the saris and other drapery hung out over the 
 verandahs or on the tops of the houses to purify 
 in the sun, imparted a colour and an aspect of 
 gaiety altogether unknown in any European capital. 
 
 But whatever pleasure there was to the eye 
 was counterbalanced by the drawbacks peculiar 
 to the city, more pronounced sixty years ago than 
 they are to-day. Now and again came whiffs 
 of noisome smells suggesting a visitation of the 
 much dreaded " Delhi boil " ; the air was full of 
 clouds of irritating, stinging flies ; the scorching 
 sun blistered the face, and the swarms of filthy 
 mendicants, fakirs, and nondescripts in rags and 
 dirt made one shudder. 
 
 Horsford paid little attention to the tears and 
 anguish of the beggars who beset him, and their 
 appeals on behalf of their starving families, and 
 elbowed his way to the Delhi bank. He had two 
 objects in calling at the bank one was to report
 
 93 
 
 to Mr. Mowatt the arrival of his mother, and the 
 second to make known to him what Mrs. Mowatt 
 had promised to do, and to make arrangements 
 for securing sufficient funds to defray the neces- 
 sary expenses. 
 
 He did not tell Mowatt more than he had told 
 the lady, if indeed as much, and the risk and 
 danger he was about to incur he kept to himself. 
 The financial arrangement with the bank con- 
 cluded satisfactorily, the next step was to write a 
 letter to Mrs. Spicer a somewhat difficult and 
 delicate business. He discovered that the mail 
 was going out that afternoon, and as the letter 
 would want some thinking over Mowatt offered 
 him the use of his private office, an offer which 
 Horsford was glad to accept. He did not for the 
 present care to go to his bungalow near the canton- 
 ments, north of the city, as, until he had accom- 
 plished the object on which he had set his heart, 
 he preferred not meeting any of his brother officers. 
 
 Before he was half through the letter he decided 
 to address it to Mrs. Brampton. The General's 
 wife was Jack Folliott's eldest sister. She liked 
 to rule, and it occurred to him that she would 
 consider herself slighted if she were not the first 
 to be consulted. 
 
 " I expect she won't like the girl being suddenly 
 planted upon her, but what's to be done ? After 
 all, both the women were devoted to poor Jack, and 
 for his sake they'll be drawn to the child. But 
 that confounded marriage tie ! There's the stum- 
 bling-block. Poor Nara's royal blood won't go for 
 much in the absence of the parson's formula. I 
 mustn't let out the truth. The women must think
 
 94 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 what they like. Think what they like indeed, 
 by Jove ! they'd think a lot if they knew she'd been 
 a dancing-girl." 
 
 Guy threw down his pen in despair. Suppose 
 his contemplated escapade got wind ? Suppose it 
 ended in disastrous failure ? Suppose the sharp 
 swords of the Rajah's warriors put an end to the 
 whole business, himself included ? Suppose 
 
 " Bah ! you idiot," he muttered fiercely, " don't 
 meet troubles half-way. You've got to do the 
 thing, and you'd better take your tip from the 
 hunting field. When you've got an ugly jump 
 throw your heart over first, and your horse will 
 follow, old Squire Merry used to tell me when 
 I was a youngster. I'll fancy I'm a Hindu, that 
 I've consulted the astrologer, and that the omens 
 are favourable." 
 
 At last the letter was finished, sealed, and des- 
 patched, and once more Horsford was in the noise 
 and turmoil of the Chandi Chauk. He went in 
 the direction of the Lahore Gate, turned into a 
 narrow, ill-smelling lane, and ploughed his way 
 through the black mud and refuse. Never did 
 Delhi seem to him more a city of violent contrasts 
 than at that moment ; he had but to lift his eyes 
 from the offal of the roadway, the ragged, evil- 
 looking swarms of budmash and the squalid 
 shops, to see towering in front of him the majestic 
 Jama Mas j id, rosy red and dazzling white in the 
 blazing sun. 
 
 Suspicious eyes glanced at the stalwart English- 
 man as he strode along. The sight was an unusual 
 one in that low quarter of the town, but no one 
 attempted to molest him. He stopped at a low-
 
 IN THE HEART OF DELHI 95 
 
 pitched shop, its entire breadth and height open 
 to the street. Bags of grain loaded the floor, and 
 in the narrow passage way between two stacks was 
 Kulloo Bux, Azeena's father, chaffering with a 
 customer. Kulloo Bux was a man over sixty, 
 grey-headed, grey-bearded, and wearing enormous 
 goggles. He and his customer were shouting at 
 the top of their voices, and by their gesticulations 
 one would think they were about to fly at each 
 other's throats. In reality they were the best of 
 friends. The apparent quarrel was only the usual 
 Eastern preliminary to a bargain. 
 
 Azeena had warned her father that the Sahib 
 was coming. Kulloo Bux salaamed low, and 
 apologising profusely for his humble dwelling, 
 begged his lordship to condescend to honour him 
 by entering, at the same time raising a curtain 
 which divided the front of the shop from the back. 
 Horsford obeyed and heard the swish of drapery 
 as he stepped into the dark interior. He knew 
 what the flutter meant. The womenfolk of the 
 household had hurried out of sight. They rarely 
 show themselves to Europeans in their own dwell- 
 ings. 
 
 The place smelt horribly close and the air was not 
 improved by being flavoured with garlic from some 
 mess in a cooking-pot on a charcoal stove. The 
 visitor was not sorry when the voices outside the 
 curtain suddenly dropped, and the clinking of 
 money indicated that the deal was completed. 
 Soon after Kulloo Bux appeared, more apologetic 
 than ever. 
 
 Horsford knew all about Kulloo Bux. The 
 grain dealer, some ten years previous, had been a
 
 96 A STAE OF THE EAST 
 
 chokadar in the service of the colonel of the regi- 
 ment to which both Jack Folliott and Guy Hors- 
 ford belonged, and bore an excellent character. 
 
 " Azeena has told you what has brought her 
 home ? " asked Horsford. 
 
 " Yes, yes, my lord. The coming of my daughter 
 has been to mine eyes as the rain after a drought. 
 Seven years have gone since she left my roof. I 
 thought her dead and the child too. The omens 
 were bad they have never been otherwise. The 
 astrologer who cast the mother's nativity foretold 
 woe. He was right. The Sahib Folliott was 
 killed, and she took her own life. And the child 
 ah, the child ! " 
 
 ' Well, did he prophesy the truth about her ? " 
 asked Horsford ironically. "If he did he must 
 have been an uncommonly clever old boy, con- 
 sidering she wasn't born at the time he cast the 
 mother's horoscope." 
 
 " The Sahib does not know the wisdom Allah 
 has conferred on the astrologer," cried the old 
 man excitedly. 
 
 " Perhaps not. It doesn't matter. I've come 
 to talk about other things. We'll let the astrologer 
 alone for the present." 
 
 The two fell into an earnest conversation. 
 Horsford had formulated his plans, which he laid 
 before Kulloo Bux. They frightened the old man. 
 If they failed it meant that he would lose his life, 
 though the Sahib might escape. 
 
 " I swear to you, Kulloo Bux, by your own Allah, 
 that you shall run no risk that I don't share. I 
 don't ask you to do anything but take me, a 
 respectable Mahajan (money-lender), as your
 
 IN THE HEART OF DELHI 97 
 
 passenger in your cart. Azeena will travel with 
 you, and if it chances that a fourth passenger in 
 the way of a child joins us, why, where 's the 
 harm ? " 
 
 In the way Guy Horsford put the case it sounded 
 innocent enough, but the old grain dealer was 
 not satisfied. He wanted to know where the 
 child was coming from, and how she was to be 
 obtained. The people who had her might be 
 more powerful than the Sahib. If the Sahib were 
 overcome, what would happen to poor Kulloo 
 Bux ? He represented that Zeenut Mehal showed 
 no mercy when she was enraged, and there were 
 ways of punishing offending persons not dreamed 
 of by the Sahib. The walls of the King's Palace 
 were thick, and it was full of secret passages, 
 secret chambers, and what not, where deeds of 
 vengeance could be enacted and no one outside 
 be the wiser. 
 
 " I know what you mean the slicing of eyes as 
 though they were lemons thrusting a bag of hot 
 ashes over one's head and patting the back to 
 make the victim take a good sniff etc., etc. 
 I've heard of these diabolical ingenuities. Don't 
 you be afraid, Kulloo Bux. I'll see that our 
 people look after you. As for the Sahib being 
 overcome, that's all moonshine. It's not the 
 Sahib's way. And see you'll put money in your 
 pocket. You'll not need to sell a single bag of 
 grain for a whole year." 
 
 The last argument was all powerful. Half an 
 hour afterwards Kulloo Bux left his shop and 
 strolled leisurely down the lane towards the Chandi 
 Chauk, gossiping to his neighbours as he went, 
 
 7
 
 98 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 and giving out he was going to call upon his nephew, 
 who was a khidmutgar in the service of a Sahib - 
 logue at the cantonments. But when Kulloo 
 Bux reached the Chandi Chauk he turned to the 
 east and passed through the gate leading to the 
 network of lanes round the Palace. This was 
 certainly not the way to the cantonments. 
 
 The day wore on. The sweltering heat passed, 
 and with the approach of darkness came the cold- 
 ness of the Indian night. 
 
 A clean-shaven man with stooping shoulders, 
 limping feebly with the assistance of a staff, and 
 looking like a respectable native, issued from 
 the house of Kulloo Bux and, like Kulloo Bux, 
 took the road to the King's Palace. Following 
 him also from the grain dealer's house came a 
 woman. They both made their way to the bridge 
 of boats crossing the Jumna from the Calcutta 
 gate, and until they reached the other side of the 
 river the two did not draw near each other. 
 
 It was a moonless night, but the stars gave 
 sufficient light to show the river flowing smoothly 
 and as noiseless as oil. The fields stretching away 
 to the east, the north, and the south were vast, 
 unbroken, black expanses. To the west the white 
 marble domes of the Jama Masjid were alone 
 visible. 
 
 The respectable man with the limp waited for 
 the woman to join him. 
 
 " All right up till now, Azeena," he whispered. 
 " Do you know the spot where your father promised 
 to meet us ? ' 
 
 ' Yes, Sahib, by the well outside the village. 
 We must walk a mile/'
 
 IN THE HEART OF DELHI 99 
 
 " Good ; that's nothing, so long as we're not 
 disappointed when we get there." 
 
 " My father is an honourable man, Sahib. He 
 keeps his word. Everybody knows that," pro- 
 tested Azeena. 
 
 " I don't doubt it, and I daresay he'll get the 
 cart, but he may have some difficulty in hiring a 
 pony, but we must hope for the best. Let's push 
 on." 
 
 Guy Horsford, the respectable native, did not 
 consider it necessary to be lame now that he was 
 outside Delhi, and he followed Azeena, who, 
 leaving the main road, struck across a sandy 
 patch and entered upon a path leading to corn 
 fields ; beyond was the village, as Horsford could 
 tell by the barking of dogs. In due time they 
 reached the well, but there was no cart, no pony, 
 no Kulloo Bux. 
 
 " What did I say, Azeena ! " exclaimed Horsford, 
 angrily. ' Has that father of yours gone off with 
 the money I gave him ? ' : 
 
 " No, no, Sahib. He would not do such a wicked 
 thing. He has never robbed any one in his life." 
 
 " I hope he hasn't, but, seeing he had at least 
 six hours' start of us, it's strange he's not done 
 what he promised. Anyhow, he ought to be here 
 to tell us why he's failed." 
 
 Azeena could say nothing but repeat her protest 
 that her father was an honourable man. Horsford 
 paid no attention, but paced about impatiently, 
 and strained his eyes into the darkness. Suddenly 
 Azeena ran to him. 
 
 " He is coming," she cried excitedly. " I hear 
 cart wheels."
 
 100 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 The ayah was right. In a minute or so Horsford 
 heard creaking also, and he advanced cautiously 
 to meet the coming vehicle. It proved to be an 
 ordinary covered cart, drawn by a pony, somewhat 
 ungainly, but strong. Walking at the pony's head 
 was Kulloo Bux. The grain dealer was beginning, 
 after his usual manner, to apologise, but Horsford 
 stopped him. 
 
 " It's all right now you're here. What about 
 the pony ? Can he go ? He won't have a fit of 
 kicking or biting, will he ? ' 
 
 " I warrant him, Sahib. Hiring the pony was 
 the delay. A Meld (a fair) begins to-morrow ten 
 miles away on the banks of the river and every- 
 body has gone. Only the old people are left in 
 the village. I could find no horses or ponies, and 
 I had to walk five miles to the house of the zemindar. 
 I had to pay him more than I told you, but the 
 pony is worth the money." 
 
 Horsford shrugged his shoulders. He attributed 
 the excuse to the desire of Kulloo Bux to put a 
 little more coin in his pocket. The news about 
 the fair was not displeasing. It would clear the 
 road of beggars, fakirs, and goojurs, who are always 
 sure of a harvest of some kind at fairs and festivals.
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 SUNDEA BAI, THE " BEGUM " 
 
 SOON they were jolting on their way. Kulloo 
 Bux had not overpraised the pony. It had occa- 
 sional spells of obstinacy, but on the whole it 
 behaved itself fairly well. During the journey 
 Horsford anxiously questioned Azeena about Nara's 
 history. He learned that when the news of Jack 
 Folliott's death reached the girl's mother all the 
 traditions of centuries were roused. The young 
 mother was not a Hindu, but she felt, as Hindu 
 widows do, that, bereft of their husbands, life for 
 them had come to an end. Suttee it was true had 
 been abolished, but the penance custom and religion 
 imposed upon the poor widow was almost worse 
 than death. She begged Azeena to take care of 
 the child, warning her that Nara's Mahommedan 
 relatives were her enemies, because of her mother's 
 love for an infidel, and the next morning the poor 
 woman's body was found floating in the Jumna. 
 
 The warning as to Nara was not unnecessary, 
 for within a month ayah and charge were borne 
 away by armed men, and the ayah threatened 
 with death if she betrayed them to any of Sahib 
 Folliott's friends. Nara's relatives were very 
 wicked, said Azeena, and sold her to an infamous 
 old woman who, in partnership with Hoosein Khan, 
 
 101
 
 102 A STAB OF THE EAST 
 
 owned the troupe of dancing-girls. They would 
 have separated the child from her only friend, but 
 Nara, with a spirit beyond her years, frantically 
 declared that if they did so she would kill herself. 
 
 " And Nara would have kept her word, Sahib," 
 whispered the woman. " She does not know 
 what fear is. If her spirit could have been broken 
 that would have happened long, long ago. The 
 other girls hate her, and many a time has the vile 
 woman Sundra Bai, the ' Begum,' as she likes 
 to be called, savagely beaten her. The ' Begum ' 
 was a famous dancer when she was young, and was 
 a favourite of Shah Alum." 
 
 '* The deuce she was," growled Horsford. ' Then 
 I'll bet she learned something." 
 
 " I have heard tales horribly wicked tales of 
 poisonings, of lingering deaths, of terrible torturings 
 in those days in the Palace. I cannot speak of 
 them to you, Sahib." 
 
 Azeena shuddered and buried her face in her 
 hands. Horsford understood her. He had also 
 heard grim stories of the Palace when Shah Alum 
 was king, stories with which was associated all that 
 was debased and brutal in human nature. 
 
 ' The ' Begum ' has been useful many a time 
 to Zeenut Mehal," went on Azeena in a hushed 
 voice. " She can compound secret poisons. She 
 can mingle death with the scent of the roses. 
 She can make the most delicious sweetmeats that 
 are sweet and refreshing in the mouth and bring 
 on horrible diseases after they are swallowed, 
 diseases that are incurable, diseases that end in 
 raving madness ! " 
 
 Azeena went on to dilate upon Sundra Bai's craft
 
 SUNDRA BAI, THE "BEGUM" 103 
 
 and wickedness until Horsford's blood boiled. Had 
 he any doubt that he was not justified in rescuing 
 Nara from the clutches of the terrible old woman 
 and her infamous associate Hoosein Khan, what he 
 had learned that night would have decided him. 
 
 ' Yes, the ' Begum ' is a wicked woman, but not 
 so wicked as Hoosein Khan may dogs defile his 
 grave ! May he be accursed for ever ! May 
 
 Rage choked the woman's voice. Her sudden 
 burst of anger sent her body quivering. Some 
 terrible recollection had come into her mind at the 
 mention of Hoosein Khan. 
 
 " He is the vilest of wretches. He would have 
 strangled me because I protected poor Nara from 
 his hideous, his loathsome persecution, but for 
 Sundra Bai. But, Sahib, it was not for love or 
 pity that the ' Begum ' stayed his hand. All she 
 loves is money. No one could play the saringhee 
 as I played it. She asked higher prices because of 
 me. The tuwaifs are hers. Hoosein Khan has no 
 power. He only pretends he has. The ' Begum ' 
 takes the money and gives him a small share. 
 She hates Nara, but the girl is too valuable to be 
 let come to harm. Zeenut Mehal knows all about 
 Nara ; that is why she is willing to pay a high price 
 for her. For a common tuwaif she would give 
 but a paltry sum. They can be had by the dozen. 
 But Nara you saw her dance, Sahib. Did you 
 ever see one so graceful, so enchanting ? Ah ! she 
 knows all the arts. The ' Begum ' taught her." 
 . Azeena's words made Horsford the more deter- 
 mined to carry out his designs, whatever might be 
 the consequences. It was clear for what purpose 
 the child had been so carefully trained, and he
 
 104 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 growled out his opinion of the infamy of the thing 
 in good plain Saxon, expressive enough to Azeena 
 so far as sounds went, but otherwise unintelligible. 
 
 Morning broke, and Kulloo Bux made a halt for 
 breakfast at the usual resting place for travellers 
 a well. By this time fifteen miles had been covered. 
 Meanwhile no conveyance coming towards Delhi 
 had been encountered. All were going the other 
 way : to the Mela. Close by their halting place 
 were cross-roads, east and west, and that to the 
 west was thronged with foot passengers, with 
 horsemen, with all kinds of vehicles. The rich were 
 as eager as the poor to take part in the gaiety, and 
 these were mounted on elephants and camels. All 
 the women were dressed in their best and decked 
 with ornaments. Some, even, were unveiled, for 
 at Melds a certain amount of freedom is allowed. 
 
 Horsford would have continued the journey 
 after the meal, but Kulloo Bux urged that the 
 pony needed rest. Horsford did not contest the 
 point. He was quite aware of the importance of 
 not over- working the animal. Resuming his limp 
 and his staff, he strolled along the road, with 
 plenty to occupy his attention in the motley 
 gathering that streamed past him. 
 
 A quarter of a mile or so from where he had 
 left Azeena and her father he came upon a party 
 encamped in the shade of a mango grove. Four 
 bahlees large, heavy, tilted, two-wheeled carts- 
 had their yokes propped up by struts to keep the 
 bodies of the vehicles level, and from behind the 
 drawn curtains of three of the vehicles came 
 the laughter and chatter of women. The fourth 
 bahlee was loaded with luggage, and a dozen oxen
 
 SUNDEA BAI, THE 'BEGUM" 105 
 
 were doing their best to feed on whatever green 
 stuff they could find within the length of their 
 tethers. A score or so of men were squatting 
 round a savoury and substantial meal a large 
 dish of appetising kdbobs lumps of meat stuck 
 on a skewer and roasted. Most of the men were 
 native soldiers in the service of some prince or 
 chief. Their spears and swords and shields were 
 on the ground near one of the bahlees. 
 
 Slackening his pace to a crawl, Horsford limped 
 by on purpose to inspect them closely, and to 
 listen to what they were saying. A rather excited 
 discussion was going on. The majority of the men 
 wanted to visit the Mela, two or three were doubt- 
 ful. There broke in upon the confused talk a 
 shrill, querulous voice from a man whom Horsford 
 had not hitherto seen, hidden as he had been 
 behind the burly forms of a couple of the warriors. 
 The owner of the voice bent forward with vehement 
 gesticulation, and Horsford recognised the yellow, 
 wrinkled face, the ragged, grey beard and gleaming, 
 avaricious eyes of Hoosein Khan. He was vio- 
 lently protesting against the proposed delay. 
 
 " Are you not paid to guard us until the girl is 
 safe in the King's Palace ? " he asked. " If you go 
 to the Mela, you will spend your money and waste 
 your time, and who will suffer for the delay ? Not 
 you, but I, Hoosein Khan. What say you, Nur 
 Singh ? You are responsible for your men. Do 
 you command them or do they command you ? *' 
 
 The leader apparently had not given his opinion. 
 He made it known now. He had taken a fancy 
 to one of the dancing-girls, and had promised her a 
 treat at the fair. Nur Singh having spoken to this
 
 106 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 effect, some of his men followed suit and the truth 
 came out. The girls had set their hearts on taking 
 part in the gaiety of the Mela, and the warriors 
 had pledged themselves to gratify their wishes. 
 Hoosein Khan lifted up his hands and his voice in 
 bitter protest. In vain he cried out that he would 
 be ruined ; that some of the girls might never 
 return that Melas were full of dangers and at- 
 tended by goojurs and all kinds of bad characters 
 and in any case if he failed in his mission to Delhi 
 it might be as much as his life was worth. 
 
 ' What can hurt you by delay ? Who is the 
 enemy you fear ? " asked the leader. 
 
 " I have told you the Sahib who covets the pet 
 lamb of the flock/' screamed Hoosein Khan wildly. 
 
 " One man and he now at Simla/' rejoined the 
 warrior contemptuously. 
 
 " How know you that ? You have not fought the 
 Feringhee. He has not the craft of our race, but he 
 never lets go his hold. His Highness the Rajah may 
 try and deceive the Sahib, but he will not succeed." 
 
 Hoosein Khan's arguments failed to shake the 
 determination of the leader. He thought of 
 Adala's melting eyes, and of her anger if he dis- 
 appointed her. However, he was willing to com- 
 promise the matter. He offered to leave three of 
 the most redoubtable of his warriors behind, and 
 with this Hoosein Khan was forced to be content. 
 But when he saw Nur Singh picked out the three 
 oldest men whose youthful fire had departed, 
 and who had not attracted the admiration of any 
 of the houris within the bahlees his discontent 
 rose afresh. Nur Singh, enraged at the aspersions 
 cast on his soldiers by a man of low origin, who
 
 SUNDRA BAI, THE "BEGUM" 107 
 
 had never in his life faced an enemy, settled the 
 matter by bringing the flat of his sword smartly 
 on Hoosein Khan's back, and the discontented 
 one groaningly submitted. 
 
 The discussion had been so excited, and the 
 men had been so absorbed by thoughts of the Mela, 
 that they paid no attention to the lame man with 
 the staff. Unobserved, Horsford took up a position 
 some little distance within the grove, and watched 
 the preparations for departure. The luggage bah- 
 lee and one other was left behind, and the gay 
 party set out in the remaining carts, leaving 
 Hoosein Khan glum and angry, and the three old 
 soldiers squatting in the shade, gravely smoking. 
 
 Horsford crept away to formulate his plans. 
 Kulloo Bux was asleep, and Azeena, seated in the 
 cart, her head bent and her body swaying, was 
 crooning the wild, plaintive melody Horsford had 
 heard her play on the saringhee. 
 
 " Azeena Azeena, she's found ! " whispered 
 Horsford. ' We needn't go a step further." 
 
 " Is my lord jesting with his servant ? " cried 
 the ayah, trembling. 
 
 " Not he. It's true enough. Most of the 
 soldiers have gone to the Mela with the girls. 
 Nara and Hoosein Khan and three of the men 
 have been left behind." 
 
 " And Sundra Bai ? " asked Azeena anxiously. 
 
 " I know nothing about her. Perhaps she's 
 gone to the Mela too." 
 
 Azeena shook her head. 
 
 " She would not leave Nara. It is she who de- 
 cides everything. Hoosein Khan has to do what 
 he is told. He has to give her every rupee he gets
 
 108 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 for the dancing, and she pays him out of it. Old 
 as she is, Sundra Bai is as strong and fierce as a 
 tiger, but Hoosein Khan no. He is a coward ; 
 he has the heart of a rabbit. You must be wary, 
 Sahib. The ' Begum ' is crafty/' 
 
 " Thanks for the warning, Azeena. When we start 
 operations, I'll make sure of the old cat first." 
 
 " What will you do, Sahib ? Shall I wake my 
 father ? ' : 
 
 "No. Let him sleep on and you do the same. 
 We shall want all our strength, but nothing can 
 be done until night." 
 
 " Ah, Sahib, I shall not sleep now that I know 
 my dearest is near," cried the woman excitedly. 
 '' I long to see her to fold my arms about her." 
 ' You shall do that in good time, but you must 
 be patient." 
 
 " I will try, Sahib, I will try." 
 Azeena twined her long, thin, brown hands to- 
 gether in the effort to control her emotion and 
 broke into her favourite melody, but singing it so 
 softly it was little more than a whisper. 
 
 Horsford himself followed the advice he had 
 given Azeena ; he went to sleep until the after- 
 noon was well advanced. He found Kulloo Bux 
 drawing water from the well. Azeena had told 
 her father everything, so that the two had no- 
 thing to do but to arrange their plans. 
 
 Night drew on apace. At dusk Kulloo Bux, 
 taking advantage of the hideous noise made by a 
 gang of gipsies thumping tom-toms and half 
 jabbering, half yelling, their wild songs, cautiously 
 shifted his cart close to the mango grove, and not 
 a dozen yards from Sundra Bai's bahlee.
 
 SUNDRA BAI, THE "BEGUM" 109 
 
 Half an hour after the gipsies had passed the 
 road was quiet, and the only sound that broke 
 the stillness was an occasional bellow from one 
 of the tethered oxen. Horsford crept forward to 
 reconnoitre, but in the blackness beneath the 
 mangoes hardly anything was visible. However, 
 he made out the bahlee, thanks to its white tilt, 
 and crawling past could just discern the crouching 
 form of Hoosein Khan squatting on the yoke and 
 puffing solemnly at his hookah. The three soldiers 
 could not be seen, and remembering that there 
 was a serai or inn not far from the entrance to the 
 grove, and thinking it was most likely the men had 
 gone there, Horsford went towards the place. 
 
 The serai, instead of being a scene of confusion, 
 as native inns usually were, was comparatively 
 dull. Everybody was gone to the Mela, and two 
 of the women innkeepers, either on account of the 
 dullness of trade, or because they were debarred 
 from tasting the delights of the fair, were quarrel- 
 ling and abusing each other's relatives for several 
 generations back. The three warriors, evidently 
 glad of the break in the monotony, were watching 
 the quarrel with much interest. Horsford saw 
 that they were absorbed, and he hastened back to 
 the bahlee. He cannoned against some one in the 
 darkness. It was Azeena. 
 
 " Sahib Sahib," she whispered excitedly, 
 " Sundra Bai is in the cart. She " 
 
 Azeena stopped abruptly, and her finger went to 
 her lips. Hoosein Khan's rasping voice was heard. 
 
 ' Who's there ? Is it thou, Devendra Doshi ? ' ; 
 
 The old man's eyes, accustomed to the darkness, 
 had apparently discovered the two moving forms.
 
 110 A STAK OF THE EAST 
 
 " Azeena," Horsford said under his breath, 
 *' be ready to do what I told you." 
 
 The ayah nodded. Her eyes were dilating and 
 gleaming like those of a cat. Horsford limped 
 towards Hoosein Khan, who had slipped from his 
 seat on the yoke and was peering into the darkness. 
 
 " Brother, am I on the right road to the Mela ? ' ; 
 said the supposed lame man. 
 
 " I know nothing about the Mela," snarled 
 Hoosein Khan. " I- 
 
 His words were cut short as though by a knife. 
 A pair of long, sinewy hands, holding between them 
 a silk scarf stretched tightly, had descended over the 
 man's head. The hands were Azeena's. Horsford 
 had told her to gag Hoosein Khan. At the same 
 moment Horsford grasped the old man's wrists, and 
 in a twinkling bound them together with the cord he 
 had in readiness. He did not trouble about Azeena's 
 proceedings, he was sure she would do her work 
 effectually. He did not expect Hoosein Khan would 
 yield without a struggle, but beyond a slight con- 
 vulsive writhing there was no movement, save a 
 bending of his body backwards, probably due to 
 the force with which Azeena had drawn the scarf. 
 ' Is the knot secured ? " whispered Horsford. 
 ' Yes, Sahib," came huskily over the old man's 
 shoulder. 
 
 Horsford laid the old man gently on the ground, 
 and was about to raise himself from his stooping 
 position, satisfied that Hoosein Khan, effectually 
 gagged, could not interfere with the next opera- 
 tion, when he saw there was no handkerchief over 
 the mouth. The lips were swollen and parted. 
 The eyes were open.
 
 SUNDEA BAI, THE "BEGUM" 111 
 
 " My God, she's strangled him ! " he muttered. 
 
 Azeena was standing where she had let go the 
 body. The handkerchief was lying at her feet. 
 She was covering her eyes with her hands. Hors- 
 ford was by her side in an instant. 
 
 " What made you do it ? ' he demanded 
 sternly. 
 
 " It had to be done, Sahib, it had to be/' he 
 heard her gasp out. " It was so easy. Hoosein 
 Khan himself taught me. The vile wretch was a 
 Thug when he was a young man. He has strangled 
 many and many a traveller going to Melas on this 
 very road. He boasted of it. He deserved death. 
 Remember what I told you of his wickedness/' 
 
 Horsford did not doubt Azeena 's word. At the 
 same time it was not pleasant to be associated 
 with such a deed. But it was not a moment for 
 scruples. There was other work to be done. 
 
 " Go round to the back of the bahlee and be 
 ready to take the child. You know what to do. 
 Hurry her into the cart and tell your father to 
 drive his hardest to Delhi." 
 
 " And you, Sahib ? ' J 
 
 " If all goes well I may have time to join you. 
 If not well, I can look after myself." 
 
 Azeena, without a word, obeyed, and Horsford 
 mounted the projecting ledge in front of the 
 bahlee. He looked into the interior through the 
 slit of the curtains beneath the tilt. The old 
 woman was lying huddled on soft cushions near 
 the place for the driver. Nara was by her side in 
 the corner. To get the girl to the back of the 
 bahlee she would have to be lifted over the woman. 
 The latter was in a heavy sleep, as was evident by
 
 112 A STAE OF THE EAST 
 
 her discordant snuffles, and there was just the 
 chance she would not wake. Horsford put his 
 head close to the girl's ear. 
 
 " Nara," he whispered. 
 
 She opened her eyes almost immediately. 
 ' You know me, don't you ? Do you remember 
 at the Rajah's Palace ? You fainted, and I 
 carried you to the verandah. I have come to take 
 you from these wicked people. Azeena is waiting 
 for you outside. You're quite safe if you keep 
 quiet and do what I tell you." 
 
 Long before he said these words Nara recognised 
 him. A smile lit her eyes, and she put out her 
 hand to greet him. 
 
 " Get up," he went on, " but mind you don't 
 touch the Begum and wake her." 
 
 The girl raised her slim form, and gathering up 
 the folds of her sari lest it might touch the woman's 
 face, she stepped lightly from the huddled form by 
 her side, Horsford meanwhile keeping himself ready 
 to seize the Begum and stifle any cry she might raise. 
 
 Nara accomplished her task successfully, but at 
 the very moment she was jumping from the back of 
 the bahlee the " Begum " awoke with a start. Before 
 Sundra Bai could hurl herself after the girl muscular 
 fingers gripped her and held her fast. Struggle as 
 much as she liked she could not release herself, but 
 there was nothing to prevent her shrieking, and shriek 
 she did. Horsford brought his disengaged hand 
 down heavily over her mouth, but to no purpose. 
 She snapped at him like a dog ; her teeth met in one 
 of his fingers, and she uttered a volley of screams. 
 
 " You devilish she-cat ! " 
 
 The words wrung from him by the savage bite
 
 SUNDKA BAI, THE "BEGUM" 113 
 
 were involuntarily uttered in English. The savage 
 old hag let so his finger and stared fixedly at him. 
 
 C7 C? v 
 
 Horsford did not wait for the result of her inspec- 
 tion, but started to spring from the narrow ledge 
 in front of the cart on which he had been standing. 
 In turning, however, one of his feet slipped, and 
 he fell backwards. His head and shoulders struck 
 the yoke and he fell violently to the ground, where 
 he lay for a second or two slightly stunned. 
 
 He soon recovered, and as he was about to rise 
 he saw a long, deadly -looking matchlock gun pro- 
 truding from the tilt of the bahlee, and instead of 
 springing to his feet as he intended he crept away 
 on all fours. An Indian matchlock is not the 
 readiest of weapons to handle, and before Sundra 
 Bai could fire he had slipped to the back of the 
 bahlee. Azeena and the girl had disappeared. He 
 started to run when a new danger overtook him. 
 The soldiers, hearing screams, had sped from the 
 serai by a short cut, and their yells proclaimed 
 that they had caught sight of him. 
 
 ' You devils," he muttered, " I'll have to stay and 
 fight. The longer start Kulloo Bux has the better." 
 
 Horsford had not the slightest fear of the sol- 
 diers, excellent swordsmen though they might be. 
 The " she-cat " in the bahlee with her matchlock 
 was a more formidable foe, but he cared as little 
 for the woman with her matchlock as he did for 
 the men with their swords and spears. Matchlocks 
 were as erratic in their behaviour as the Brown 
 Bess of the British Army. 
 
 The yells of the soldiers and the flaring of a 
 torch put the old woman on the qui vive. She 
 jumped from the bahlee and with the matchlock 
 8
 
 114 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 gun trailing after her came running, or rather 
 waddling for she was very fat towards him, 
 shrieking as she ran. Horsford backed a couple of 
 paces so as to keep the trunk of the mango between 
 him and Sundra Bai's weapon and waited until 
 the soldiers were within a dozen yards or so of 
 where he was standing. Then ping ! went his 
 heavy, double-barrelled pistol, pointed at their 
 legs. Two of the men fell to the ground, the 
 third, either amazed at what must have appeared 
 to him like magic, or, more likely imagining that 
 he was attacked by enemies in ambush, turned 
 tail and vanished, in spite of the bitter reproaches 
 hurled at him by the infuriated old woman. 
 
 Horsford now had no fear of pursuit. The 
 torch thrown to the ground was extinguished, and 
 the " Begum " could see no one to aim at. For 
 all that she fired the matchlock and a fearful clatter 
 it made, but none of its contents hit the retreating 
 Horsford. In a couple of minutes he had reached 
 the spot where Kulloo Bux had been waiting with 
 his cart. It was gone. 
 
 " Good," muttered Horsford. " Now for a sprint. 
 I once did a mile in five minutes at Addiscombe. 
 I shan't do that now, but I'll have a try." 
 
 It was not easy running along the soft, sandy 
 road, and there was a risk of attracting attention 
 by going at racing speed, but he chanced this. 
 Dressed as he was in native clothes he might well 
 be taken for a messenger. Luckily he met but 
 very few persons, and after proceeding about three 
 quarters of a mile he overtook the cart. He found 
 Kulloo Bux trembling with fright and urging on 
 his pony as much for his own sake as for Nara's.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 " I WANT YOU " 
 
 HORSFORD did not climb into the cart but kept up 
 a jog trot by its side, and contented himself by 
 assuring Kulloo Bux that he had nothing to worry 
 about. But not until the bridge of boats was 
 reached was the old man satisfied. 
 
 Here the next part of the programme was carried 
 out. Horsford had arranged everything. During 
 the journey Azeena and Nara had changed their 
 dresses for others the ayah had brought with her. 
 Kulloo Bux was to return the cart he had hired, 
 and Horsford, the woman, and the girl, were to cross 
 the bridge and enter the city on foot. 
 
 All went well. It was dark, and nobody paid 
 the slightest attention to them. Azeena and Nara 
 were disguised as poor workers in the fields, and 
 Horsford might well have passed for a beggar 
 with his torn garments covered with dust and 
 dirt. Horsford did not say a word to the child. 
 He was quite contented to see how she clung to 
 Azeena and her evident joy at being once more 
 with her faithful companion. 
 
 It wanted an hour of daybreak when they 
 reached Mr. Mo watt's bungalow. Horsford deter- 
 mined to leave to Azeena the task of explaining 
 things to Mrs. Mowatt. Well as he could act the 
 
 115
 
 116 A STAK OF THE EAST 
 
 part of a native, he might make some slip which 
 would betray him. Azeena, however, was quite 
 mistress of the situation and knew how to talk 
 to the servants. At the entrance to the com- 
 pound Horsford stopped, and the child, shifting 
 the scarf she, like the ayah, was veiled so that 
 she could see him better, looked up into his face. 
 From his height of six feet she seemed quite a dot. 
 
 " Are you not coming with me, Sahib ? " said she 
 timidly, in the soft, liquid tongue of her mother's race. 
 
 " No I must change my clothes. As I look now 
 the chokadars won't believe I'm Sahib. When next 
 you see me I shall be like your father in the picture." 
 
 "Oh, yes yes, with the gold on your shoulders ? " 
 she cried delightedly. 
 
 " Not quite that. You shall see me in my finery 
 some other time. Remember that you're quite 
 safe with Azeena and that you must like the mem- 
 sahib. She will love you if you are good." 
 
 " I promise you. Nara will keep her word," 
 said the girl proudly. 
 
 "I'm sure of that. Good-bye for the present, 
 little one. Don't forget that you're going to be 
 happy now that you're with your father's people." 
 
 Nara's eyes, at first sad and doubtful, brightened 
 at Horsford's words. She slid her little hand into his. 
 ' You will come soon, Sahib, won't you ? I 
 shall be wretched till I see you." 
 
 ' Yes yes. I shan't be long away," rejoined 
 Horsford hastily. He dared not tell her that she 
 was to be sent away across the " black water " to 
 England. It would be time enough for her to know 
 this when kindly old Mrs. Mowatt had gained her 
 confidence, and this he was sure would not take long.
 
 'I WANT YOU" 117 
 
 He watched the two until they entered the 
 verandah, where a white-robed chokadar, hearing 
 their approach, roused himself, and a few words 
 passed between him and Azeena. The woman's 
 explanation was apparently satisfactory, for the 
 man ushered her and Nara into the bungalow. 
 Then Horsford hastened back to the shop of 
 Kulloo Bux in the lane near the Chandi Chauk. 
 Here he had left his European dress. Dawn was 
 breaking when he reached the house, and the 
 muezzin was sounding from the Jama Mas j id. 
 Kulloo Bux had preceded him by a few minutes, 
 and at that moment was on his knees jabbering 
 a long prayer. Horsford did not disturb him, 
 but waited patiently until the recital was ended. 
 
 While the excitement of the flight was on, and 
 while he was jogging by the side of the cart, mile 
 after mile along the dusty road, Horsford had 
 never given a thought to Hoosein Khan. But 
 with the strain taken of! his mind his memory went 
 back to that ghastly, dusky face, the parted, swollen 
 lips, the sightless eyes. He wondered what would 
 be thought when the body was found. Thuggism 
 as a system of wholesale murder and robbery had 
 been suppressed nearly twenty years, but the 
 methods of the thug had not been forgotten, and 
 there must be still living many who had used the 
 roomal, the fatal handkerchief with which the 
 thug strangled his victim. The marks of Azeena's 
 sinewy knuckles on Hoosein Khan's throat could 
 hardly fail to tell their tale should an English 
 doctor be called in. The procedure of the thug was 
 simplicity itself. The hands holding the roomal, 
 with five or six inches' space between the two thumb
 
 118 A STAK OF THE EAST 
 
 joints, swiftly dropped over the head from behind, 
 the handkerchief was pressed tightly against the 
 throat, the thumb joints jerked violently into each 
 side of the windpipe, and the deed was done. 
 
 " Confoundedly awkward/' thought Horsford. 
 " If it's once believed that Thuggism is about 
 again, our officials won't rest till they've probed 
 the business to the bottom. Mrs. Mowatt doesn't 
 know the facts, but she knows enough to put 
 the Delhi magistrate on the scent if she opens her 
 mouth. But will she ? I don't think so. The 
 chances are that nothing will come of the affair. 
 Goojurs by scores and budmash by hundreds always 
 crowd to the Melas. Everybody knows that. I 
 doubt if the thing will reach the magistrate's ears 
 the natives are pretty certain to think it was an 
 affair of the ordinary professional thief. There's 
 the ' Begum ' though what will be her opinion ? 
 Did she see Azeena ? No, she was asleep and snoring 
 too, or she would have had that devilish long shooter 
 of hers out in a jiffy. Whatever may be said of 
 the ugly job it was done in perfect silence/' 
 
 By this time Kulloo Bux had lifted his head 
 from the ground, and Horsford asked him whether 
 everything had gone well. Kulloo Bux gave a sigh 
 of satisfaction. He had returned the cart and pony, 
 he had paid for the hire, and he had nothing to 
 report. No one had interfered with him, and he 
 had entered the city free from the gaze of suspicion. 
 He hoped he had earned the Sahib's praise. 
 
 " You've done first-rate. Did Azeena tell you 
 how the child was secured ? ' 
 
 " Yes, surely, Sahib/' said the old man, with an 
 air of surprise.
 
 "I WANT YOU" 119 
 
 " And about Hoosein Khan ? ' ; 
 
 " She said nought of him, Sahib." 
 
 " Humph ! that's as well/' muttered Horsford. 
 " Look here, Kulloo Bux," he went on aloud, 
 " the best thing you can do is to forget last night's 
 work as soon as possible. It won't trouble you 
 any more. Take that as my farewell gift." 
 
 The eyes of Kulloo Bux glistened. The Sahib 
 had already treated him very liberally, and this 
 farewell gift was wholly unexpected. The old man's 
 brown hands clutched the money, and he invoked 
 Allah to shower blessings on his lordship's head. 
 
 By this time Horsford had done a quick change , 
 and nodding to the grain dealer, he set out to 
 return to Mrs. Mo watt's bungalow. He had 
 several arrangements to make before it could be 
 said he had fulfilled the trust imposed upon him. 
 The girl must have an outfit, .and he determined 
 her dress should be English. She must be taught 
 to forget her old life as soon as possible. Mrs. 
 Mowatt would have to be consulted about this. 
 
 "To be quite satisfied in my mind, I ought to 
 accompany the old lady to Bombay, and see the 
 girl on board. I shall want leave of absence to 
 do this, and I'll have to make out a good case at 
 headquarters to get it. Under the awkward cir- 
 cumstances I can hardly tell them the story. If 
 it hadn't been for Azeena's roomal I'd have 
 found a soft corner in the official heart for poor 
 Jack Folliott. But Hoosein Khan's dead body 
 has sealed my lips for the moment certainly. I 
 can't explain that without rounding on the woman. 
 I must spin a yarn about ' urgent private affairs.' ' 
 
 Fate, however, determined otherwise. Scarcely
 
 120 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 had he passed through the Cashmeer Gate than he 
 met his adjutant. The latter reined in his horse 
 and hailed him. 
 
 ' Where the deuce did you spring from, Hors- 
 ford ? I thought you were dining and wincing, 
 waltzing and flirting at Simla." 
 
 ' Well, that was something of my programme 
 a week ago, but I had to run away on business. 
 In fact," he added, telling a convenient fib, " I'm 
 on my way now to headquarters to get leave to 
 go to Bombay." 
 
 " Bombay," said the adjutant, with a grunt. 
 ' That isn't the road to Burma." 
 
 Burma ? What on earth was Adjutant Sin- 
 clair talking about ? The adjutant must have 
 seen the look of surprise in Horsford's face. He 
 went on to say : 
 
 " I thought by finding you here that, in some 
 wonderful fashion, you'd got to know that your 
 application for service in Burma had been accepted. 
 We've got the instructions the usual pile of red 
 tape papers and there's an official letter for you. 
 It would have been dispatched to Simla by special 
 messenger to-day, but now that you're here we'll 
 be saved the trouble." 
 
 Burma ! Already his pulses quickened at the 
 prospect of active service. But Nara ? Well, 
 he had made her safe. All he need do was to 
 arrange details with Mrs. Mowatt, provide for 
 the necessary expenses, and leave the future of the 
 child in the hands of her English aunts. 
 
 " It's lucky that business brought you to Delhi," 
 went on the adjutant. * Your orders are to start 
 without delay, and by being here you've saved
 
 "I WANT YOU" 121 
 
 time. I shall see you later on in the day perhaps. 
 I'm of? to Metcalfe House." 
 
 The adjutant waved his hand, his horse broke 
 into a trot, and Horsford went on to the canton- 
 ments to report himself. Two hours were spent 
 here in routine matters and in gossiping with his 
 brother officers, most of whom were anxious to 
 know the latest news from Simla, where the wives 
 and daughters of several were staying. But at 
 last he got away, and borrowing a comrade's 
 buggy, he drove to Mowatt 's bungalow. 
 
 " She is a sweet child," said the old lady enthu- 
 siastically, " but so quiet and so sad. Of course 
 she doesn't talk much English, but she's very 
 quick and already she knows a few more words. 
 I'm sure before she gets to England she'll speak 
 just like an English child. But you must tell 
 me all about your adventures last night. I can 
 get nothing out of Azeena. What's the matter 
 with her ? She's not the same woman she was. 
 She sits with her eyes fixed on the ground, and 
 she'll hardly speak even to Nara. The poor child's 
 greatly distressed." 
 
 Thus Mrs. Mowatt, running on without waiting 
 for an answer. However she came back to what 
 was the most important question how had the 
 girl been rescued ? a question which Horsford 
 found some difficulty in answering. He had to 
 do it by suppressing all reference to Hoosein Khan 
 and the fight with the soldiers, and somehow he 
 satisfied Mrs. Mowatt 's natural curiosity without 
 enlightening her. Then followed prosaic details. 
 Mrs. Mowatt was starting in three days' time, and 
 Horsford decided that he would delay his departure
 
 122 A STAE OF THE EAST 
 
 for Burma until the lady and her charge were 
 safely out of Delhi. 
 
 Those three days were days of great anxiety. 
 Hoosein Khan had been murdered. Even an 
 ignorant person could tell this. Was a crime 
 to be perpetrated and no notice taken of it ? What 
 of the wounded soldiers ? Did they intend to 
 remain silent ? Two days went over and no news 
 came. The Delhi Gazette appeared, and Horsford 
 searched its columns but found nothing. What 
 had the " Begum " been doing ? Had she sent 
 tidings of the loss of Nara to Zeenut Mehal ? Had 
 she dreaded the wrath of the Queen and kept 
 silence ? The girls were her property, her income. 
 She was not the one to see her money slipping 
 through her fingers and look on quietly. 
 
 On the third day Horsford rode to the mango 
 grove. The Mela was nearly over ; the road was 
 thronged with returning patrons, the bahlees were 
 gone from the grove. He called at the serai. He 
 knew that the sojourn of the "Begum" and her 
 dancing-girls would be talked about, and that he 
 could make inquiries concerning them without 
 exciting suspicion. Indeed the subject was one 
 in which a sahib-logue would be certain to be 
 interested. He learned that the girls had come 
 back from the Mela and that they had gone on 
 with the " Begum " to Delhi. But not a word 
 did he hear about Hoosein Khan. 
 
 Horsford returned to the city relieved in his mind. 
 He came to the conclusion that the old woman 
 had her reasons for hushing up the business, and 
 that the body of Hoosein Khan had been buried 
 in the sand and nothing said. He regarded the
 
 "I WANT YOU" 123 
 
 incident as closed, and the next morning he went 
 on to Mowatt's bungalow to bid the child and her 
 good-natured protector farewell. He found the 
 dak in readiness and the runners squatting in the 
 shade until they received the order to start. As 
 he traversed the pretty garden Azeena suddenly 
 stole from behind a thicket and confronted him. 
 
 " Sahib Sahib," she whispered agitatedly, " you 
 are in danger. Zeenut Mehal suspects. I have 
 heard news from the Palace. The ' Begum ' 
 arrived there with her girls, and the Queen was 
 furious when she heard about Nara. She has had 
 letters from his Highness the Kajah, and she knows 
 about you and what happened at the banquet. She 
 will never rest until she is revenged, and you may 
 be sure the ' Begum ' will help her." 
 
 " Zeenut Mehal can do what she likes. Every- 
 thing has gone well. In a short time you and 
 Nara will be at Bombay, and by to-morrow I shall 
 be miles on my way to Calcutta/' 
 
 " Allah be praised ! " cried the woman. Then 
 a shiver seemed to pass over her, and Horsford 
 heard her murmur, "If I had not the blood of 
 Hoosein Khan to answer for ! Yet Allah knows 
 I was but an instrument in His hands ! " 
 
 " Of course you were," said he. " The old scoun- 
 drel was not fit to live. In England, where you are 
 going, I might take a different view of matters, but 
 here what you did was but justice. You've nothing 
 to fear. Nobody knows what happened. I rode 
 out yesterday to the serai and could learn nothing. 
 You are quite safe. Forget everything but your 
 love for Nara and for Nara's mother. Watch over 
 her. When you are in England Mrs. Mowatt will
 
 124 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 take leave of you and you will be with Nara's 
 relations, and then your troubles will end." 
 
 Guy Horsford 's conscience pricked him as he 
 said this. The whole thing was pure assumption. 
 He had not the least idea how Nara's aunts would 
 receive her. But he had faith in Mrs. Mowatt, 
 and if the girl's relatives refused to have anything 
 to do with her she would not be without a friend. 
 Mrs. Mowatt would not be at any expense, for he 
 had provided her with ample funds, though he had 
 impoverished himself considerably in doing it. 
 
 Azeena glided away, and Horsford went on to 
 the bungalow. Five minutes later he was escorting 
 the old lady and Nara, now in the orthodox flounces, 
 the ribbons and the straw hat of the little English 
 maiden. She looked pretty nothing could spoil 
 her charm but she was not so picturesque. She 
 had not got used to the shoes with straps, and she 
 walked very cautiously and quite without the old 
 freedom. The girl's eyes were filled with tears. 
 The costume had taken years from her. She 
 looked now the child that she was. 
 
 ' You will not forget me," she whispered, when 
 Horsford bent down to say good-bye. 
 
 " Forget you ? Not likely, little one," he 
 returned. 
 
 ' But will you come and see me ? " 
 ' Yes, of course." 
 
 It was more probable they would never meet 
 again, but how could he tell her this ? 
 
 ' When when ? I shall be wretched until you 
 come." 
 
 " Oh, it will be a long time, but you mustn't be 
 wretched. Kindfriends arewaiting.you in England."
 
 "I WANT YOU" 125 
 
 " I don't want them. I only want you, Sahib," 
 she burst out tremulously. 
 
 ' You must be patient. I shall see you again. 
 Now you must go. Promise me not to grieve." 
 
 " I I will try/' 
 
 The voice was choking, the head bowed so that 
 the Sahib should not see her swimming eyes. He 
 took her hand ; it lay limply in his for a couple 
 of seconds and then suddenly clasped his fingers. 
 
 " Good-bye, my dear," he whispered. 
 
 Her reply was a sob and a convulsive pressure 
 of his hand. He lifted her into the palanquin, 
 then he assisted Mrs. Mowatt to follow. 
 
 ' I would like to have accompanied you to 
 Bombay, but it's impossible. I start for Calcutta 
 to-night to join General Godwin's force." 
 
 " I understand. I wish you every good fortune. 
 You will come back a Colonel." 
 
 " Or stay behind as I am," rejoined Horsford, 
 with a shrug of the shoulders. He was silent for 
 a minute or so, and went on : 
 
 " If there's any difficulty about Nara's aunts 
 don't hesitate to tell me. Write to me at Calcutta. 
 I may be hung up there for some time, as there's 
 nothing definitely settled about Burma. Good- 
 bye, and thank you sincerely for all the trouble 
 you're taking." 
 
 The last good-byes wer,e said ; the dak-men 
 lifted the palanquin and moved away. Horsford 
 stood watching it for some time, saw a little hand 
 waving a bright coloured ribbon from between the 
 curtains as the bearers turned a corner, and the 
 palanquin disappeared. 
 
 He walked slowly back to headquarters. All
 
 126 A STAK OF THE EAST 
 
 his preparations were made, and he had nothing 
 to think about save his adventures of the last few 
 days. But even these were beginning to fade. 
 They seemed strangely remote. Nara's big, 
 childish eyes, full of wonderment, innocence, and 
 affection, were the most vivid things in his memory. 
 He would never forget them, even though he never 
 saw the girl again. He entered the officers' 
 bungalow and sauntered into the mess-room. 
 Some of the officers had just come from morning 
 parade and were breakfasting. 
 
 " A letter for you, Horsford," said one man. 
 ' You'll find it on the notice board." 
 
 Horsford went to the green baize-covered board 
 and took the letter from the crossed tapes under 
 which it had been stuck. The writing was un- 
 mistakably a lady's in the fifties women had 
 not begun to write like men. The postmark was 
 Simla. In a flash Nara's dark eyes vanished from 
 his mental vision. He hesitated to open the letter. 
 It had brought back embarrassing recollections 
 of Clare Stanhope. 
 
 " Impossible ! She would never write. She's 
 far too proud," he muttered. ' Whether it was 
 her fault or mine that we broke away, doesn't 
 matter. It's just as well, perhaps. We were 
 bound to quarrel sooner or later." 
 
 He persuaded himself the letter was not from 
 Clare Stanhope. For all that he was in no hurry to 
 open it. He stared at the spidery loops, the acute 
 angles, the up and down strokes, the one as thin as 
 the other, and fancied he saw in the hand-writing a 
 resemblance to that of another Simla young lady. 
 
 " It's from Millie Daintree," he thought.
 
 "I WANT YOU' 127 
 
 Millie had certainly flung herself at the head of 
 Guy Horsford. She was of the " gushing " type, 
 insipid and artificial, and Horsford had received 
 her blandishments very coolly. She was quite 
 capable of pursuing him with letters. At last he 
 tore open the envelope. His lips twitched as his 
 eyes fell on the contents. 
 
 " Why did you go away ? I want you. Come. 
 
 " CLARE." 
 
 This was all. Had the letter been a long one, 
 full of reproaches, it would not have appealed to 
 him, as he considered he was not the offender. 
 But Horsford saw in those few words the passionate 
 side of Clare Stanhope's nature. They meant that 
 whatever might be his view of the matter, she had 
 not broken with him. 
 
 Nara's farewell wish, uttered in her soft, plain- 
 tive voice, still haunted him. " I only want you, 
 Sahib/' The words were almost identical with 
 Clare's passionate appeal. Was the coincidence a 
 forerunning of rivalry ? He dismissed the question 
 with a shrug. Nara was but a child who for a 
 brief space had come into his life and had vanished 
 almost as quickly as she had appeared. In all 
 likelihood he would never see her again. No, 
 there was not any rivalry. Besides, had not Clare 
 also gone out of his life ? And then he might 
 be destined to find his last resting place in Burma. 
 
 Still he could not straighten out the thing to his 
 satisfaction. The feeling that he was bound to 
 Clare haunted him. If she had not written, or 
 had written in a different strain, he should have 
 set out that night for Calcutta with a clear con-
 
 128 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 science. But his conscience was not clear. He 
 had acted hastily in taking Clare at her word. 
 
 " It didn't seem so at the time," he thought, 
 " but of course my request was an unreasonable 
 one and she was right in refusing. All the same, 
 I shall have to answer her letter." 
 
 Clare's direct appeal had come straight from 
 her heart. He could not doubt it. Until that 
 fateful night when his horse stopped of its own 
 accord at Dr. Stanhope's bungalow, Clare had 
 been to him little more than an amusing com- 
 panion, with the piquancy of sex which makes all 
 the difference between a man and a woman chum. 
 And had he not had the provocation of the dancing 
 incident at the Rajah's, and of the Rajah's wine, 
 the sound of Andrew Meldrum's voice would not 
 have stirred the devil within him. Well, what 
 had happened had happened, and he must take 
 the consequences, but how to reply to Clare was 
 the most embarrassing task he had ever under- 
 taken. There was, it is true, one way of getting 
 over the difficulty : he was about to depart on a 
 campaign from which he might not return ; it 
 would be excusable if he put off writing until he 
 reached Calcutta. 
 
 " That strikes me as cowardly," he decided. "I'd 
 better write and get it over, but what the deuce am 
 I to say ? Shall I take the olive branch Clare is 
 holding out ? If I do will things be as they were 
 before we agreed to differ ? And what then ? '' 
 
 A clock from within the bungalow struck. In 
 half an hour the men would arrive with the palan- 
 quin. He sat down at a table and commenced to 
 write desperately.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 THE DIE IS CAST 
 
 " I CAN'T wait I won't wait until it pleases Guy 
 
 to write, and he may never write unless I Oh, 
 
 it's horrid to think of humbling oneself ! yet 
 what else is there to do ? '' 
 
 Clare Stanhope walked to the mirror on the 
 wall. Flushed cheeks, anxious, strained eyes, lips 
 dry and pallid, met her gaze. 
 
 "It's horrible how worry ages one ! I look ten 
 years older than I did a week ago. I believe I 
 can see crowsfeet already. I wonder if I shall 
 be ugly when I'm old ? ' 
 
 She laughed a hard, mirthless laugh. Old ? 
 What was the use of dwelling on such a prospect 
 at her age, twenty-one on her last birthday ? 
 She had but just begun to live her life. She turned 
 impatiently from the mirror, and her gaze went 
 round the room. Everything in it reminded her 
 of Guy Horsford. She was conscious of an uncon- 
 querable yearning to see him, and of an equally 
 unconquerable loathing for Andrew Meldrum. 
 
 " I promised Mr. Meldrum to let him have my 
 answer in a fortnight. A letter should reach Guy 
 in three or four days. If I address it to head- 
 quarters he's bound to get it as soon as it arrives. 
 
 9 129
 
 130 A STAB OF THE EAST 
 
 He'll reply by return of course he will," she 
 added emphatically, " and I shall have his letter 
 well within the fortnight." 
 
 She ran to the writing-table and dashed into a 
 letter. She covered pages only to tear them up, 
 but it was a relief to let herself go, and she wrote 
 what she would like to say to Guy had she dared. 
 Reading over what she had written, she hardly 
 knew whether to laugh or weep. Then came the 
 final effort, when passionate outpourings, the tor- 
 rent of emotion, had dwindled down to the one cry 
 of her heart, " I want you. Come." 
 
 The letter was despatched. She told herself 
 over and over again it would bring him back. 
 Her feeling of certainty gave her courage and 
 steadied her nerves, and she was able to meet 
 Andrew Meldrum, when next she saw him, without 
 embarrassment. Meanwhile the shrewd and tactful 
 doctor was working quietly. He knew his niece's 
 capricious nature, and he was careful to warn 
 Meldrum that his best course was not to hasten 
 matters but to abide by Clare's promise. 
 
 " That's all very well, but I don't understand 
 why Miss Stanhope hesitates," said Meldrum, in 
 his hard way. " If she's made up her mind to 
 accept me, why doesn't she say so ? ' 
 
 " My dear Meldrum," said the doctor, shrugging 
 his shoulders, " I'm afraid you've a lot to learn 
 about women, and especially about my niece. 
 No matter how deep the veneer of civilisation 
 may be, the primitive woman has a way of assert- 
 ing herself. She likes to be pursued, and she puts 
 off the moment of yielding as long as possible. 
 Don't you understand ? *'
 
 THE DIE IS CAST 131 
 
 Andrew Meldrum stared blankly at Stanhope. 
 He had never bothered himself with such a problem 
 as the nature of woman. 
 
 " Of course there's no rule/' pursued the doctor. 
 ' With many women action depends upon the 
 whim of the moment, and this whim is as often 
 right as wrong. But every woman likes to be on 
 the winning side, and so far as you're concerned, 
 Meldrum, you've delivered yourself bound hand 
 and foot to the conqueror. Clare's sure of you, 
 so why should she hurry to end your uncertainty ? 
 Besides, a woman must tease and tantalise. Now 
 if you wanted to bring things to a crisis you ought 
 to make love to some other girl." 
 
 " Make love ? " returned Meldrum slowly. 
 
 Dr. Stanhope burst into a guffaw. 
 ' What amuses you ? " growled the merchant, 
 a little nettled. 
 
 ' Your look of consternation at the idea. Why 
 shouldn't you make love ? You ought to know 
 something about it since you're so desirous of 
 marrying Clare." 
 
 ' That's true, but but I don't know I've ever 
 made love to Miss Stanhope not in the ordinary 
 sense of the phrase. I'm afraid I should have a 
 difficulty in telling her what my feelings are to- 
 wards her," returned Meldrum, with a constrained 
 air. 
 
 " But you've told her you loved her ? " said 
 the doctor. 
 
 " No. I merely asked her to marry me. I 
 assumed she would take it for granted I should 
 not put such a question unless I loved her." 
 
 " H'm ! that's all very well from a business point
 
 132 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 of view, but it's not the best way of entering upon 
 matrimony. A woman may know that a man 
 loves her, but she likes him to tell her so. But 
 we're drifting into abstract matters, and you, I take 
 it, are not much given to going beyond your own 
 personal concerns. I don't want to intrude my 
 advice, but from what I know of Clare I fancy that 
 a little of the conventional flummery called love- 
 making would not be displeasing to her. You see, 
 she's been used to a good deal of admiration, and 
 to have men fussing round her." 
 
 A look of uneasiness stole into Meldrum's hard 
 face. 
 
 " I know I know and no man admires her 
 more than I do," he returned, a little agitatedly. 
 " Clare's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. 
 She's always amiable, and she has a thousand 
 pretty ways, all of which I've treasured up." 
 
 Dr. Stanhope wrinkled his grey eyebrows. He 
 was beginning to think this cold, impassive man 
 had depths in his nature one would hardly suspect 
 from his cold exterior. 
 
 ' Ton my word, I'm beginning to be doubtful 
 whether I'm doing the right thing in pushing this 
 matter on," mused the doctor. " One point's 
 certain. Whoever Clare loves if she does love 
 any one it isn't Andrew Meldrum. For all that 
 the marriage may turn out right. Clare's level- 
 headed in spite of her apparent flightiness. Her 
 self-interest ought to keep her on the right path, 
 and dress, jewels, fallals, cutting a dash, and that 
 sort of thing will make her think twice before she 
 runs counter to her husband's wishes. All de- 
 pends upon how far Meldrum's willing to let her
 
 THE DTE IS CAST 133 
 
 have her own way. I can't do more than make 
 her understand the kind of man she will marry 
 that is, if she accepts him, and I guess she will." 
 
 It looked as if Meldrum had heeded the doctor's 
 words about letting things take their own course, 
 for during the fortnight for which Clare had begged 
 he ceased to call. They met accidentally, however, 
 at an evening party, and she greeted him in her 
 usual gay, airy fashion. Meldrum, on the other 
 hand, was silent and embarrassed. He expected 
 she would show him some special recognition, 
 though in what way he could hardly determine. 
 So far as he could tell she seemed to pay more 
 attention to other men than she did to him. 
 
 ' Why does she laugh and talk and whisper 
 with that ape Lawton ? " he muttered. " Surely 
 she can't take any interest in his silly gabble." 
 
 Then he thought of Dr. Stanhope's opinion of 
 women, and wondered if Lawton's inane grins and 
 smirks and whisperings were anything like the 
 love-making the doctor talked about. He saw 
 Lawton press her hand as he led her to the piano. 
 He could have knocked the fellow down. He 
 ground his teeth when he saw the dandified lieu- 
 tenant bend across her shoulder to turn over the 
 leaves of her music. The action really meant 
 nothing, but to Meldrum it meant everything. 
 
 Clare was certainly more than usually provoking 
 towards Meldrum. She did not ignore him, but 
 she avoided going near the corner of the room 
 where he sat, glowering and pretending to listen 
 to the small talk of a " grass widow." The 
 truth was Clare had an attack of nerves, and was 
 trying to hide her agitation under the mask of
 
 134 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 gaiety. At last Meldrum could not endure the 
 sight of her frivolity any longer. He rose to go, 
 and his tall, gaunt frame, with its square shoulders 
 and slightly bowed legs, moved across the room 
 towards his hostess. 
 
 " So soon, Mr. Meldrum ? " said the lady re- 
 proachfully. " Oh, you must stay for the acting 
 charade. Clare has arranged it. She's splendid 
 at such things. It's going to be capital fun. Mr. 
 Lawton is in it. He's quite a droll. You'll enjoy 
 the charade, I'm sure." 
 
 " I dare say," said Meldrum grimly. " Sorry I 
 must go, but I've my Bombay manager coming to 
 see me, and we've a lot of business to talk over." 
 
 The excuse seemed rather a lame one, but Mrs. 
 Parker-Thompson accepted it. Perhaps she was 
 not sorry to do so. Somehow, Andrew Meldrum's 
 presence that evening was oppressive. Meldrum 
 was never much of a conversationalist at the best 
 of times, but he was rarely so silent and uncom- 
 panionable as he was to-night. 
 
 Clare was not unmindful of Meldrum's move- 
 ments. How could she be when he had hardly 
 been out of her thoughts all the evening ? She 
 saw him take leave of Mrs. Parker-Thompson and 
 turn to go. She felt a pang of self-reproach. She 
 was tempted to follow him. She hesitated and 
 then tried to cross the crowded room. It was not 
 so easy; she was intercepted and detained more 
 than once, and when she reached the verandah 
 Meldrum was gone. She looked into the darkness 
 but saw no one. A vague feeling of disquietude 
 seized her. She hardly knew whether to be glad 
 or sorry that she had missed seeing him.
 
 THE DIE IS CAST 135 
 
 ' We were wondering what had become of you, 
 Miss Stanhope. General consternation er 
 
 She started. Lawton was speaking. Mrs. 
 Parker-Thompson, anxious for the charade, had 
 sent him to search for her. 
 
 " The room was so frightfully hot, Mr. Lawton. 
 I came out here for a little fresh air before begin- 
 ning. Are the others ready ? '' 
 
 " Heady and waiting. Aren't you well ? ' : 
 
 " Of course I am. What do you mean ? " she 
 asked, quite snappishly. 
 
 " Beg pardon. I fancied you looked a little 
 pale." 
 
 '* What nonsense ! Let us go back at once." 
 
 Lawton offered her his arm silently. Clare's 
 manner was so abrupt, so imperious, he thought he 
 had offended her. But the charade once started, 
 all trace of ill-humour disappeared. Her vivid 
 colour came back, her eyes sparkled once more, 
 and everybody declared she had excelled herself. 
 The charade was a brilliant success. Never had 
 Clare Stanhope been gayer, more fascinating. She 
 was overwhelmed with compliments. 
 
 " Quite an accomplished actress is lost to the 
 stage, Miss Stanhope." said Major Ormerod gal- 
 lantly. 
 
 " H'm ! what the stage has lost we've gained, 
 anyhow," chuckled Colonel Chowden. " Hang it, 
 why you even inspired Lawton. He was really 
 amusing for once. Thanks to you." 
 
 Clare laughed, accepted graciously all the fine 
 things that were said of her ; danced every dance 
 that followed the charade, flirted outrageously 
 at least this was the opinion of Mrs. Ormerod and
 
 136 A STAB OF THE EAST 
 
 apparently enjoyed herself to the utmost. It was 
 nearly daylight when she and her uncle departed. 
 The gradients of the road from Mrs. Parker- 
 Thompson's bungalow were steep and irregular, 
 and Dr. Stanhope had to drive carefully. For 
 some five minutes the pony occupied his attention. 
 " I thought Meldrum was to be at the party," 
 said he, when the buggy was on level ground. 
 " Mrs. Parker-Thompson told me yesterday she 
 had invited him." 
 
 ' Yes, he was there," returned Clare, from behind 
 the folds of the wrap in which she had enveloped 
 her head, for the morning air was raw, " but he 
 left early." 
 
 The doctor made no answer. He decided that 
 his niece was not in the mood for confidences. 
 Presently, however, he spoke again. 
 
 " A letter came for you just as I was leaving 
 home," said he. " It had the Delhi postmark. I 
 didn't know you had any friends in the city." 
 
 This time it was Clare who was silent. Guy 
 Horsford had replied ! The sudden crowning of 
 her hopes set every nerve quivering and she dared 
 not trust herself to speak. Her uncle took no 
 notice of her silence. He put it down to over- 
 fatigue. In about a quarter of an hour they were 
 inside the bungalow, and Clare had the letter in 
 her hand. She knew Horsford's writing, and the 
 sight of it sent her into a tremor. But not for 
 worlds would she betray herself to the doctor. 
 
 ' I'm too tired to read it now," said she lan- 
 guidly. "I'll take it with me and open it to-morrow 
 morning. Good-night, uncle, dear." 
 Once in her room her languor disappeared. She
 
 THE DIE IS CAST 137 
 
 dismissed her ayah as soon as possible, and her 
 trembling fingers tore the envelope with feverish 
 haste. Her face altered as she read. It gradually 
 became white and rigid. The letter dropped on 
 her lap. She leaned forward, resting her elbows 
 on the arms of the bamboo chair, her hands press- 
 ing her temples. 
 
 " Gone ! Gone ! " she murmured brokenly. 
 She stared blankly at the letter on her lap. For 
 the time being her brain was numbed. All she 
 was conscious of was her loneliness her wasted 
 love. 
 
 Horsford had written kindly, but not passion- 
 ately not like a lover. He was careful to explain 
 that his application to be allowed to join the Bur- 
 mese expedition had been made some time since, 
 and that the answer had come unexpectedly. 
 No doubt, so Clare decided, the summons reached 
 him at Simla and was the business which had 
 caused his hurried departure. This assumption 
 somehow softened her feelings of bitter resentment 
 and wounded pride, but the hard fact remained 
 that she might never see Guy Horsford again. 
 
 The thought crushed her, and after sitting for 
 some time quite motionless she crept to her bed, 
 but not to sleep. If she could have cried it would 
 have been a relief, but Clare was not one to whose 
 eyes tears came readily, and so she tossed and 
 twisted until her ayah came with tea. The doctor 
 was not surprised at her keeping her room. It 
 was natural that the excitement of the previous 
 evening should be followed by depression, and he 
 went tranquilly on his rounds. When he returned 
 to dinner he found Clare much the same as usual,
 
 138 A STAB OF THE EAST 
 
 a little washed out, perhaps, but not more than 
 he expected. He looked at her narrowly and 
 wondered if she had given Andrew Meldrum his 
 answer, and if so what that answer was. The 
 fortnight expired that very day. 
 
 " I guess they met last night and she gave him 
 his quietus," he thought. ' That accounts for 
 his going away so early." 
 
 The truth was Clare was pondering over the 
 letter of refusal she intended to send to Meldrum. 
 With the thought that Horsford had left her for 
 the sake of duty had come a tenderness towards him 
 which overpowered everything. It certainly in- 
 creased her dislike to Meldrum, and the advantages 
 which would follow a marriage with him no longer 
 weighed with her. To-morrow she would write 
 and do her best to let him down gently. 
 
 Before the dinner was over Ormerod called. 
 The Major was more important than usual in his 
 manner, and after a few commonplaces and com- 
 pliments to Clare on her success of the previous 
 evening, he burst out with his news. 
 
 " Called on the Rajah this morning found the 
 old boy awfully upset. A very awkward thing's 
 happened it's a mystery or romance or whatever 
 you like to call it. You remember the night of the 
 little Eurasian dancing-girl, don't you, doctor ? " 
 ' Yes, I know what you mean. Well ? ' ; 
 
 " There was a dispute between Horsford and 
 the scoundrelly old Mahommedan who managed 
 the troupe it turns out he wasn't the proprietor 
 as we all thought at the time and to settle the 
 matter the Rajah took charge of the girl. Now 
 it appears that his Highness sent her to Delhi the
 
 THE DIE IS CAST 139 
 
 morning after the dinner-party secretly so far 
 as I can make out together with the rest of the 
 troupe, and the Kajah fearing an attack from some 
 source he didn't tell me what source gave the 
 party an escort of his soldiers. Sure enough an 
 attack was made, the girl was carried off, the old 
 Mussulman disappeared, and three of the men 
 were wounded. Now the point concerning us is 
 that the Eajah suspects that an Englishman was 
 connected with the abduction, and it looks to 
 me as if there was going to be some trouble I 
 beg your pardon." 
 
 Ormerod stopped and glanced at Clare as though 
 he did not care to go on with the story. She under- 
 stood the glance. She had followed the narrative 
 breathlessly and was eager to hear more. 
 
 ' Yes, Major, and what happened ? " she cried, 
 her eyes glistening. 
 
 '' That's where the mystery comes in. I'm not 
 sure whether I'm doing right in gossiping about 
 it," said Ormerod, in his pompous manner. 
 
 " That means you think I can't keep a secret ? 
 Women have the reputation of not being able to 
 hold their tongues. I don't believe they're half 
 so bad as men." 
 
 " Oh, when the secret concerns themselves, 
 women can be as close as wax, but ' 
 
 " I promise you I won't breathe a word. Uncle 
 knows I can be trusted, don't you ? ' 
 
 The doctor nodded, and at the same time gave 
 a non-committal shrug of the shoulders. 
 
 ' Very well, what I was going to say is this 
 the Rajah suspects that in some way Captain 
 Horsford was mixed up in the abduction. The
 
 140 A STAK OF THE EAST 
 
 Rajah sets out to-morrow night for Delhi to make 
 inquiries into the matter, because it appears that 
 Zeenut Mehal holds him responsible for the 
 safety of the girl." 
 
 " Sounds like a cock-and-bull story/' said the 
 doctor. " Horsford's not the man to compromise 
 himself in a scandal of that kind." 
 
 " I should agree with you, doctor, if the question 
 was one of a passing fancy for a dancing-girl, but 
 it's more than that. It's quite certain Horsford 
 took a strong interest in her. Maybe he had good 
 reasons, and I daresay if the Rajah's suspicions are 
 justified, there may be an adequate explanation, 
 but there's an ugly rumour about the disappear- 
 ance of the old man, Hoosein Khan. It's feared 
 he's been done away with." 
 
 " And does the Rajah accuse Horsford of 
 murder I suppose that's what it comes to, eh ? ' 
 
 " He makes no accusation he's far too cautious, 
 but when the thing's sifted you don't know what 
 may come out. But for Heaven's sake don't 
 breathe a word. I'm not sure it wouldn't be as 
 well to give Horsford a word of warning. It looks 
 odd his going off in such a devil of a hurry. I met 
 him, you know, just as he was starting. I thought 
 at the time he was precious close about the busi- 
 ness that was taking him to Delhi post-haste. 
 I'd better write and tell him of the Rajah's move- 
 ments ; don't you think so ? ' 
 
 :f There 'd be no harm, of course. At the same 
 time I think you'll find that the Rajah's dis- 
 covered a mare's-nest. I'll make a point of 
 calling on him to-morrow before he starts and 
 sounding him on the subject."
 
 THE DIE IS CAST 141 
 
 " Don't do that," broke in Ormerod hastily. 
 ' You see, he told me the story under a bond of 
 secrecy. Of course there was no harm in re- 
 peating what I heard to you because I'll wager 
 you know more secrets than any man in Simla. 
 That was why I hesitated about telling you, Miss 
 Stanhope. You'll forgive me, won't you ? ' J 
 
 " Oh yes, I'll forgive you, and lest you may be 
 entrusting me with more secrets, I'll leave you 
 and uncle together." 
 
 Ormerod's perception was not keen, or he 
 would have noticed the hard note in Clare's voice. 
 She rose as she spoke. She knew the doctor's 
 eyes were fixed upon her, and fearing she might 
 betray herself she went to a cabinet, fetched a 
 box of cheroots, placed it on the table, and turned 
 away. 
 
 Ormerod's words had brought about a revulsion 
 of feeling. She knew, or thought she knew, the 
 key to his story. She hastily decided that Guy 
 Horsford had been telling her falsehoods. It was 
 not true, as he had written, that he had applied 
 some weeks before for leave to join the expedition 
 to Burma. He must have made his application 
 within the last fortnight in order to escape the 
 consequences of his recklessness and folly. She 
 did not think there had been any murder, but that 
 he had bribed Hoosein Khan to convey the girl to 
 some secret hiding-place. For anything she could 
 tell, Horsford 's story of going to Burma might be 
 an invention. Of course its truth or falsity could 
 easily be determined, but for the moment she was 
 so carried away by her jealousy she was ready to 
 believe anything bad against him.
 
 142 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 At that moment a servant brought in a card 
 and gave it to her. 
 
 ' Uncle, Mr. Meldrum has called," said she 
 hurriedly. 
 
 Clare and the doctor exchanged glances. Both 
 knew Meldrum's errand. 
 
 " Shall I see him in the drawing-room ? ' she 
 went on. 
 
 " It would be better," was Dr. Stanhope's 
 laconic answer. 
 
 The two spoke in low tones and their words were 
 inaudible to Ormerod, who, meanwhile, was light- 
 ing a cigar. By the time he had taken half a dozen 
 whiffs Clare had quitted the room. Dr. Stanhope 
 did not trouble to give the gossiping Major any 
 explanation. He preferred to wait events. If 
 Clare accepted Meldrum, Ormerod might as well 
 hear the news it would not be the Major's fault 
 if half Simla did not hear of the engagement 
 within the next twenty-four hours. 
 
 The doctor harked back to the subject of the 
 dancing-girl, both he and Ormerod agreeing that 
 if Horsford were really mixed up with the business 
 and Zeenut Mehal got to know of it, there was no 
 woman in India more subtle and deadly in her 
 schemes of vengeance than the Queen of Delhi. 
 
 Half an hour went by, and they heard a step 
 outside. Andrew Meldrum came in. He was alone. 
 His face was a little flushed, his manner was slightly 
 agitated, and his first words sufficed to tell the 
 doctor what had been the result of the interview. 
 
 " Clare told me I should find you here, doctor, 
 so I've come straight away. How are you ? ' 
 said he, with unusual heartiness.
 
 THE DIE IS CAST 143 
 
 " She has said yes/' thought Dr. Stanhope. 
 " I never expected it." 
 
 " Congratulate me, doctor/' went on Meldrum, 
 in a voice of suppressed excitement. " Every- 
 thing is settled. It only remains now to fix the 
 wedding day." 
 
 Dr. Stanhope grasped Meldrum's outstretched 
 hand. 
 
 "I'm very very glad/' said he. Then to 
 himself he grunted, " I hope it'll turn out for 
 the best. But " 
 
 The doctor completed the sentence with a shrug 
 of his shoulders. 
 
 During the next three weeks Simla worked 
 itself into a state of excitement over one of the 
 most sumptuous weddings which had ever taken 
 place among the English residents. The universal 
 opinion was that Clare Stanhope had secured the 
 biggest matrimonial prize in India. 
 
 Andrew Meldrum, so everybody declared, cer- 
 tainly " did the handsome thing " in every way. 
 He settled a princely sum on his wife ; the honey- 
 moon was to be an extended tour among the 
 principal European cities ; the presents to Clare 
 and her bridesmaids were most costly ; no expense 
 was spared over the wedding festivities, and last, 
 but not least, the Bishop of Bombay was good 
 enough to take a special journey to Simla to read 
 the marriage service, and, assisted by a regimental 
 chaplain, bestow the blessing of the Church on 
 the happy couple. 
 
 Everything was orthodox, and not a hitch oc- 
 curred anywhere. The doctor gave his niece 
 away. She was more self-possessed than the
 
 144 A STAB OF THE EAST 
 
 bridegroom, for she uttered the responses with the 
 utmost calmness, while there was a distinct tremble 
 in his voice. At the wedding breakfast Colonel 
 Chowden proposed the health of the bride and 
 bridegroom in what the Delhi Gazette called a 
 " facetious " speech, and Andrew Meldrum was 
 brief and business-like in his reply. When he 
 uttered the words " my wife" he looked down at 
 the bride with all the pride of possession pictured 
 in his hard face. Clare could not see the look, 
 but she must have been conscious of it. Her lips 
 tightened, and the corners twitched for an instant 
 as though something had jarred upon her nerves. 
 
 When the congratulations were over the newly 
 married pair drove away to a bungalow on Elisium 
 Hill, where they would stay until their departure 
 for Bombay. The merriment continued for some 
 little time, but now that the principal actors were 
 gone it was forced and soon subsided. The 
 guests dropped of!, and the doctor was left with 
 half a dozen of his men friends to lounge in com- 
 fortable chairs in the verandah, drink, smoke, 
 and tell well-worn stories, more or less of the 
 mess-room type. 
 
 " After all, there's something in Eastern cus- 
 toms," grunted Colonel Chowden, when the smoke- 
 room conversation began to pall. " In England 
 we have to do all the work ourselves if we want 
 amusement. The natives here pay somebody 
 else to amuse them in this confoundedly lazy 
 climate a far more sensible plan. If the doctor 
 was a rajah or a zemindar, he'd have engaged a 
 batch of big-eyed dancing-girls. We're all of us 
 just in the mood for an hour or so of that sleepy
 
 THE DIE IS CAST 145 
 
 fun, eh ? By gad, wouldn't Mrs. Grundy have 
 had something to say, doctor, if you'd given us an 
 entertainment of that sort ? " 
 
 " My dear Colonel, there's already been one 
 scandal or the whisper of a scandal concerning 
 a dancing-girl, and we don't want another," said 
 the doctor. 
 
 ' You mean that affair at the Rajah's, when 
 Guy Horsford made himself such an ass over the 
 girl just because she was an Eurasian ? By Jove, 
 our fellows would have enough to do if they fol- 
 lowed Horsford's example. What do you think 
 I heard " 
 
 " The less said about the business the better, 
 Colonel," interposed the doctor quietly. ' We're 
 all Horsford's friends, and we're at liberty to 
 think what we like, but for Heaven's sake don't 
 let us put our thoughts into words. We all know 
 what Zeenut Mehal's party in the Palace is capable 
 of. Their ways are secret, their methods deadly. 
 We don't know the true story of the queer affair, 
 but they may. Horsford's on his way to Rangoon 
 with Godwin's force, and may never return. Better 
 forget the business altogether for the sake of all 
 concerned." 
 
 A silence followed the doctor's words. He had 
 given Guy Horsford's comrades something to 
 ponder over. 
 
 10
 
 AN UNWELCOME RESPONSIBILITY 
 
 ' WE shall have to do something for her, Sophia/' 
 said the wife of the General. 
 
 " I suppose so/' sighed the wife of the Com- 
 missioner. '' The question is, what ? She'll have 
 to live somewhere, of course, but really, Lavinia, 
 I've no room I can spare at present." 
 
 " Nor I," said Mrs. General Brampton sharply. 
 " I'm much worse off than you in that respect. 
 As you know, we've only taken our house for the 
 season while the Exhibition's on, and it's hardly 
 large enough for our wants as it is. When our 
 term is over, we're going to Harrogate. The 
 General intends to take a course of the waters for 
 his gout. To have a child tacked on to us is out 
 of the question. I'm sure the General wouldn't 
 countenance such a preposterous thing for a 
 moment." 
 
 Mrs. Commissioner Spicer pursed up her lips 
 and gave a little sniff. There was too much of 
 her sister's husband, the General, in the conversa- 
 tion to please her, but she dared not express her 
 opinion openly. Mrs. Commissioner Spicer was 
 quite aware that her brother-in-law, " the General," 
 was somebody. People understood perfectly well 
 
 146
 
 AN UNWELCOME RESPONSIBILITY 147 
 
 the rank of a general, but they were not so clear 
 about the rank of a commissioner, and those who 
 knew what a commissioner was in India were very 
 doubtful whether he was anything at all in Eng- 
 land. Certainly in India the wife of Commissioner 
 Spicer occupied a lower social position than that 
 of the wife of General Brampton, and the habit 
 of deferring to her sister Lavinia could not be 
 shaken off by Sophia, though they were no longer 
 bound by the fetters of Anglo-Indian etiquette. 
 
 The two ladies differed as much in their per- 
 sonal appearance as in their social status. Mrs. 
 General Brampton was a massive person with a 
 pendulous double chin which wagged when she 
 was particularly emphatic. Mrs. Commissioner 
 Spicer, on the other hand, was thin, angular, and 
 faded. Notwithstanding these unprepossessing 
 characteristics and her querulous voice she had 
 a better nature than her sister, who was as selfish 
 as she was pompous. Aunt Sophia lived in Bays- 
 water, a quarter of suburban London much 
 favoured at that time by Anglo-Indians. Aunt 
 Lavinia had called on purpose to assist in Nara's 
 reception, and she was sitting in state. 
 
 " Still, something must be done/' went on Mrs. 
 Spicer, in a tone of resignation. " In half an 
 hour the child will be here, and we can't turn her 
 out." 
 
 " Of course not. Who is suggesting such a 
 thing ? You must find a corner for her some- 
 where, Sophia, until we can settle upon some plan. 
 The thing has come so suddenly upon me, I've 
 had no time to consult the General." 
 
 " She'll have to be sent to boarding-school, I
 
 148 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 imagine," hoarded Mrs. Spicer, with a furtive 
 glance to sc-^ ^ow her sister would take this daring 
 proposition. 
 
 ' That's an easy way out of the difficulty, but 
 who's to find the money ? " retorted Mrs. Bramp- 
 ton. " Poor Jack left nothing behind him but 
 his debts. He was always extravagant and reck- 
 less even at Addiscombe. This marriage of his, 
 sprung as a surprise upon us, is a frightful humilia- 
 tion/' 
 
 " I wonder if Jack really married the girl ? " said 
 the Commissioner's wife after a pause. 
 
 " I dare say he did. He was fool enough for 
 anything when a woman was concerned," re- 
 torted the General's lady sharply. " A marriage 
 with a native adds to the disgrace." 
 
 " It also adds to our responsibility," sighed 
 Mrs. Spicer. 
 
 ' That's the worst of it. No one thinks much 
 of the irregular connections young men form in 
 India, but a marriage is a very different matter. 
 If Jack really went through any kind of ceremony, 
 I doubt if it's binding. We should be perfectly 
 within our rights, I think, in declining to have 
 anything to do with the girl. I suppose we must 
 give her house-room, but really, that's all we 
 are bound to do." J 
 
 " Captain Horsford speaks very highly of her 
 mother. He says she was a descendant of royalty. 
 Her ancestors were the Kings of Delhi." 
 
 ' That may be, Sophia, but if you've heard, as I 
 have, the shocking stories of what used to go on 
 in the Palace of Delhi you'd say such a descent 
 was no particular honour. What weighs with me
 
 is that if we don't recognise the girl something 
 may be said that may damage us with the Com- 
 pany. Edgar will shortly be leaving Addiscombe 
 and I don't want anything to mar his prospects. 
 Mrs. Mowatt is certain to write to her son an 
 account of the affair, and we must try to make 
 the best of a bad business." 
 
 Ever since the days of Peter Folliott, who laid 
 the foundation of the fortunes of the Folliott 
 family, the East India Company could always 
 boast of a Folliott high up in office either as a 
 company official or in the army. The Folliott 
 boys were educated to believe fat appointments 
 would drop into their mouths through " influ- 
 ence." The Folliott girls expected rich husbands 
 by the same means, and as soon as they were old 
 enough were carted off to India to secure matri- 
 monial prizes. 
 
 " I quite agree with you on that point. I have 
 Honoria as well to think of, and my own view 
 of this disagreeable matter is that we should keep 
 it as quiet as possible. Nobody need know that 
 Jack married a native woman and had a daughter. 
 If it can be managed I should suggest that the 
 girl be sent to boarding-school and put in the way 
 of earning her own living, and when she's old 
 enough we can wash our hands of her. I've no 
 doubt I can persuade Harry to contribute some- 
 thing yearly towards the expenses." 
 
 Mrs. Brampton frowned, as she always did 
 when any question of parting with money was 
 mentioned. But she quite agreed with her sister's 
 notion of hushing up the matter. 
 
 " It was a very silly thing of Captain Horsford
 
 150 A STAE OF THE EAST 
 
 to meddle with the matter. The girl must have 
 relations on her mother's side. Why couldn't he 
 have left her in their charge ? >: 
 
 " He said something in his letter about them 
 ill-using her." 
 
 " Silly sentiment, depend upon it. His story 
 is very vague. It's all because of his promise to 
 look after Jack's child. According to his own 
 story he lost sight of her for six years and he 
 doesn't explain how he found her. Who's to say 
 he hasn't been imposed upon ? The native girls 
 are very much alike. I was always making 
 mistakes when I was in India." 
 
 Mrs. Spicer could only murmur that she was 
 sure that Captain Horsford had satisfied himself 
 on the question of identity before taking the 
 grave step of sending the girl to England. In 
 writing to Mrs. Brampton, Guy Horsford had been 
 very reticent on many important points. For 
 very good reasons he had not said a word about 
 Nara having been a dancing-girl ; indeed, he had 
 given Mrs. Mowatt strict instructions not only to 
 be silent on the subject but to warn the girl to 
 keep her past in the dark. 
 
 The sound of cab wheels was heard. Aunt 
 Sophia went to the window with a not unnatural 
 curiosity ; Aunt Lavinia, who regarded curiosity 
 and every other weakness of human nature as 
 " unladylike," remained in her easy-chair by the 
 fire, which in the wet and inclement June of 1851 
 was not unacceptable. 
 
 Aunt Sophia's heart fell when she saw through 
 the murky air the pile of luggage on the top of 
 the cab. Responsibility thrust upon her, whether
 
 AN UNWELCOME RESPONSIBILITY 151 
 
 she would or not, seemed to be written in those 
 trunks of various sizes. 
 
 " It's too bad of Lavinia to put everything on 
 me," murmured the angular lady. " She has 
 much more money than I have, and as for her 
 house being small, that's a mere excuse. But 
 Lavinia was always clever in sliding out of any- 
 thing that was disagreeable." 
 
 The cabman had opened the door, a girl dressed 
 in black sprang out lightly, followed by portly 
 Mrs. Mowatt leaning heavily on the cabman's 
 arm. Aunt Sophia turned from the window and 
 approached her sister, who was sitting bolt up- 
 right with a severe, semi-military carriage of the 
 shoulders. 
 
 " Well," said Mrs. Brampton, " and what's the 
 child like ? " 
 
 " Well, she's much fairer than I expected and 
 taller than most Indian girls of her age. But 
 poor Jack was very tall, you know." 
 
 The servant ushered in Mrs. Mowatt and Nara, 
 whose hand was in that of the kindly lady to 
 whom the girl had become much attached, especi- 
 ally after the death of Azeena, who had been 
 seized with cholera during the voyage. Mrs. 
 Mowatt had written from Southampton to Mrs. 
 Brampton, and as the letter contained all that 
 was necessary to explain her errand she had but 
 to introduce Nara to her aunts and the trust 
 would be at an end. 
 
 Mrs. Brampton received her visitors with the 
 cold condescension a general's wife would naturally 
 bestow upon the relative of a bank official. Her 
 sister was a little more cordial. Mrs. Mowatt 's
 
 152 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 shrewd eyes read the characters of the two ladies 
 in an instant, and her heart went out in pity to 
 the girl. She felt that a hard time was in store 
 for the lonely child. 
 
 Many a time Nara had tried to fancy what her 
 aunts would be like. Mrs. Mowatt was the only 
 English woman she had known intimately and 
 she believed all other English women would be 
 as nice and as kind. But Aunt Lavinia's double 
 chin and Aunt Sophia's pale eyes and yellow 
 complexion chilled and repressed her. Her 
 slender fingers instinctively tightened their grasp 
 on Mrs. Mowatt 's hand as Aunt Lavinia surveyed 
 her critically through large, gold-rimmed eye- 
 glasses. Aunt Sophia was the first to speak. 
 
 " How do you do, my dear ? " was her greeting 
 in rather a high-pitched voice. 
 
 " Quite well, thank you aunt." 
 
 Mrs. Mowatt, during the long voyage, had care- 
 fully tutored the girl in English generally and 
 especially in the phrases which she thought would 
 be useful. One of these phrases was the reply to 
 Aunt Sophia's greeting, and Nara pronounced the 
 words very correctly, though the " aunt " came 
 out with an effort, partly because she was nervous 
 and partly because an inclination to burst into 
 tears had unexpectedly seized her. But experience 
 had taught her to restrain her emotions, and neither 
 of her aunts suspected the tumult that set her 
 heart fluttering. The twitching at the corners of 
 her mouth ceased, and with her big eyes fixed on 
 Aunt Lavinia she advanced towards that lady 
 and stood patiently while undergoing the ordeal 
 of a cold kiss.
 
 AN UNWELCOME RESPONSIBILITY 153 
 
 " I am your Aunt Lavinia," said the General's 
 wife condescendingly. 
 'Yes, aunt/' 
 
 " And that's your Aunt Sophia." 
 
 " Yes, aunt." 
 
 Nara's tone and manner seemed to indicate 
 that she was neither impressed by nor grateful 
 for the information. Aunt Sophia's kiss, however, 
 was a little warmer than that of her sister, and 
 perhaps had the girl been alone with the Com- 
 missioner's wife the barriers of restraint might 
 have been broken down. As it was, Aunt Sophia 
 thought she was sullen, Aunt Lavinia that she was 
 obstinate, and maybe sly and treacherous, and 
 the lady decided that her superfluous niece was 
 likely to be an endless source of trouble. 
 
 " And haven't you anything to tell us about 
 your voyage, or about your father ? " asked Mrs. 
 Brampton, after an embarrassing silence. 
 
 Nara could have given her aunt plenty of in- 
 formation about her voyage, and though she was 
 only five years old when she last saw her father 
 she remembered him perfectly well, and might 
 have described him had not Mrs. Brampton's pat- 
 ronising manner paralysed her ; but she could 
 think of nothing to say. All she could do was to 
 murmur a faint "No." 
 
 ' Where's the locket with the portrait of your 
 father in it ? ' :l said the lady sharply and with a 
 view to springing a mine upon the girl. 
 
 Nara shrank back, her hands pressed on her 
 throat. 
 
 " No, no ! " she cried wildly. " I will not give it 
 to you. It is mine. You shall not take it from me."
 
 154 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 Mrs. Brampton frowned. All her suspicions 
 were aroused. She regarded the portrait as crucial 
 evidence of Nara's identity. Of course Horsford, 
 in his letter, had laid much stress upon its im- 
 portance. 
 
 " I don't want to take it, but unless you let me 
 see the picture I shall look upon you as an impostor 
 and deal with you accordingly. I suppose your 
 refusal means you haven't any locket in your 
 possession ? " 
 
 11 Oh, Mrs. Brampton," broke in Mrs. Mowatt 
 warmly, " you're unjust. Nara has shown the 
 locket to me." 
 
 " Permit me to deal with my own affairs in my 
 own way, madam," retorted Mrs. Brampton 
 loftily. ' You may have seen the locket, but I 
 presume you have never seen the late Captain 
 Folliott." 
 
 Mrs. Mowatt made no reply but turned to Nara. 
 It was doubtful if the latter understood all that 
 Aunt Lavinia said to her. She was too agitated, 
 too anxious to guard her treasure. Mrs. Mowatt 
 did her best to explain and at last the girl with 
 some difficulty drew the locket from beneath the 
 bosom of her dress. But she would not give it 
 up ; she would only allow Mrs. Brampton to 
 look at it while it was lying in her hand. 
 
 One glance was enough for Mrs. Brampton. For 
 the first time she showed something like natural 
 emotion. The miniature was the work of a clever 
 French artist who had settled in Calcutta. It 
 had been painted soon after Jack Folliott 's arrival 
 in India. It was life-like, and represented Jack 
 exactly as his sister had last seen him. In rather
 
 AN UNWELCOME KESPONSIBILITY 155 
 
 a shaky voice she called to her sister, who was 
 holding a conference with Davis, the parlour- 
 maid, at the door, and the sisters talked together 
 in whispers, Nara's eyes fixed on them both. An 
 evident look of relief stole over her face when she 
 was permitted to replace the locket in its hiding- 
 place. 
 
 The production of the miniature had done one 
 thing : it had convinced her aunts that she must 
 be permitted to stay. 
 
 ' You'd better go with Davis/' said Mrs. Spicer. 
 " I dare say you'd like to wash your face and brush 
 your hair. Say good-bye to Mrs. Mowatt, and 
 thank her for all her kindness." 
 
 The girl was glad to get away from the glare of 
 the gold-rimmed glasses, which had gone back to 
 their customary resting-place on the bridge of 
 Mrs. Brampton's nose, and she turned hastily to 
 Mrs. Mowatt. At first it looked as if the leave- 
 taking between her and the child would be a formal 
 affair. Nara was timidly putting out her hand, 
 when forgetting the presence of her aunts she 
 suddenly resorted to the ways of her race, and 
 dropping upon one knee she lifted the hem of 
 Mrs. Mowatt 's skirt and kissed it. Aunt Lavinia 
 exchanged a horrified glance with Aunt Sophia, of 
 which Mrs. Mowatt was quite oblivious. She only 
 saw the sad, pleading face upturned to hers, and 
 bending down she raised the supple form and 
 kissed her in tender, motherly fashion. The em- 
 brace was too much for the child. Her self-control 
 broke down and she burst into a fit of passionate 
 weeping. 
 
 " Take Nara with you. I will be your servant
 
 156 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 your slave. I love not your England. It is 
 cold and dark and and I do not like these ladies. 
 You said they would be like my dear father. They 
 are not. Let me go back to my own country 
 to my own dress. I want to see Sahib Horsford 
 again. He was kind he he 
 
 Her words ended in a convulsive sob. Mrs. 
 Mowatt soothed her as best she could and was 
 thankful that they were not sufficiently near Nara's 
 formidable aunts for the latter to distinguish what 
 the distracted girl was saying. At last Nara's 
 tempest of grief died away ; she relapsed into her 
 patient self-control and Davis, who had been stand- 
 ing at the door all the time, marched her off. Mrs. 
 Mowatt would have taken her departure, but she 
 was not allowed to escape without Aunt Lavinia's 
 putting her through a species of cross-examination. 
 
 Mrs. General Brampton was exceedingly per- 
 tinacious on the subject of Nara's mother. Who 
 was she ? What was she ? Where was she married 
 to Jack Folliott ? How came Captain Horsford to 
 have Nara in his charge ? Who had the custody 
 of the girl before Horsford appeared upon the 
 scene ? and a dozen other questions equally 
 searching and equally awkward to answer. 
 
 Mrs. Mowatt adroitly sheltered herself behind 
 Horsford. She knew nothing of Nara's relations. 
 She did not even know her story. Captain Hors- 
 ford had asked her to see the girl to England and 
 deliver her to her aunts, and she had kept her 
 promise. Mrs. Brampton 's ingenuity in the way 
 of pumping was of no avail, and at last the 
 badgered visitor was permitted to go her way. 
 
 " What do you think, Sophia ? ' : said the
 
 AN UNWELCOME RESPONSIBILITY 157 
 
 General's wife, relaxing her military-like attitude 
 when she and her sister were alone. 
 
 ' What is your opinion, Lavinia ? " returned the 
 Commissioner's wife cautiously. 
 
 '* Why, that the woman knows more than she 
 chooses to say. She must," added the lady with 
 conviction. " I feel strongly tempted to write to 
 the Resident at Delhi and ask him to make in- 
 quiries." 
 
 ' That's an excellent idea, but it will be more 
 than six months before we can possibly expect an 
 answer, and what's to do done in the meantime 
 with the girl ? ' : 
 
 " She must be sent to boarding-school, unless 
 you can see your way to take charge of her." 
 
 " Indeed, I can't ! There's so much uncertainty 
 about her origin that I don't think it's right for 
 Honoria to associate with the girl until we know 
 more about her than we do at present. She 
 must go to boarding-school and the Commissioner 
 and the General must find the money between 
 them." 
 
 Mrs. Brampton sighed, but she could not see 
 any other way out of the difficulty, and she raised 
 no objection. 
 
 ' What is your opinion of the girl," asked Aunt 
 Sophia presently. 
 
 " I don't like her eyes, I mistrust a girl with long, 
 sweeping lashes and pallid complexion. Of course 
 the Indian blood accounts for both in Nara's case, 
 but that doesn't alter my opinion. Girls like 
 Nara look sleepy, but don't be deceived ; they're 
 wide enough awake where men are concerned. 
 However, there it is, we must make the best of
 
 158 A STAB OF THE EAST 
 
 things, and we must look out a suitable school 
 for her as soon as possible." 
 
 Mrs. Brampton rose, arranged the enormous 
 brooch on her shawl in front of the mirror, de- 
 clared that she must go, as she had several calls to 
 make, and took her departure with an air of having 
 settled the unpleasant business to the satisfaction 
 of everybody concerned. 
 
 A week went slowly by. Aunt Lavinia busied 
 herself in finding a " suitable " school for Nara, a 
 matter more difficult than it appeared at first 
 sight. Directly it was made known that the girl 
 was an East Indian, and had only recently come 
 to England, the terms were at once raised. Mrs. 
 Spicer could, had she chosen, have sent her to 
 the " select seminary for young ladies " where her 
 own daughter was being educated but for fear of 
 " caste contamination." Mrs. Brampton at once 
 vetoed such a suggestion. 
 
 As for Nara the first week in England was one 
 of purgatory. It was not that any one in the 
 house was unkind to her, but all was so strange, 
 so utterly outside her experience and even her 
 comprehension, and what was worse than all, she 
 knew perfectly well she was not wanted. She 
 understood much more English than she could 
 speak, and words were let fall the meaning of 
 which was quite plain to her though not intended 
 to be so. 
 
 A succession of grey, rainy days added to her 
 depression. She missed the Indian sun, the cloud- 
 less skies of the East, the glowing colours of the 
 bazaars and streets, the excitement of the dance. 
 Never once did she show her real, warm-hearted,
 
 impulsive nature to her aunts. They regarded her 
 as a shy, sullen, disagreeable, discontented girl. 
 
 In Aunt Sophia's house everything was done 
 by clockwork. The breakfast, the luncheon, the 
 dinner might have been arranged on the slot 
 principle, so punctually and mechanically did they 
 make their appearance. It was the same in other 
 ways. Aunt Sophia believed in long, objectless 
 walks, taken as some people take medicine, as a 
 kind of self-imposed duty. They were very dreary 
 to Nara, these walks, especially when Aunt Sophia 
 accompanied her. With Davis they were not so 
 bad. Davis was fond of Kensington Gardens, 
 where there was comparative freedom, and the 
 strolls here were the only breaks in the monotony 
 of the girl's first experience of life in England. 
 
 Meanwhile none of the schools suggested by 
 Aunt Sophia were approved of by Aunt Lavinia. 
 They were to her mind too expensive, and one 
 day she descended upon her sister full of bustling 
 importance. Nara, peeping furtively over the 
 stair-rail of the first landing, saw her sail into the 
 dining-room, her stiff silk dress rustling ominously. 
 
 The ladies had a long talk. Aunt Lavinia had 
 found at Brighton just the establishment, the pro- 
 prietress of which was quite willing to enter into 
 negotiations for the future. The idea was that 
 as soon as Nara was qualified she was to become 
 a sort of pupil-teacher or under-governess, with a 
 view to reduce expenses, and to train her in the 
 path she was to follow. 
 
 '' That's an excellent notion," exclaimed Mrs. 
 Spicer. ' The child's wonderfully sharp almost 
 too sharp. It's amazing how she's picked up
 
 160 
 
 English. The worst of it is she doesn't know 
 good from bad, and she's getting to talk just like 
 Davis, whose ideas of grammar are anything but 
 correct. No doubt what she needs is that her 
 energies should be turned into the right channel." 
 
 " Quite so. We must put that before her in 
 plain language. There ought to be no mistake. 
 We'd better have her down at once, and lose no 
 time in letting her know her position." 
 
 Aunt Sophia agreed, and was very much relieved 
 when her sister undertook to explain everything 
 to Nara. Accordingly the girl was summoned, 
 and after submitting to a peck, in the shape of a 
 kiss, stood to endure the next ordeal, feeling very 
 much like a criminal awaiting the sentence of the 
 judge. 
 
 ' We want to give you a start in life, Nara," 
 said Mrs. Brampton, with a crushing use of the 
 big, gold-framed eye-glasses, " and after that you 
 must depend upon yourself. You mustn't sup- 
 pose that you can come to me whenever you want 
 money simply because I happen to be your aunt. 
 I have my own responsibilities and my own 
 expenses, which are very heavy, so that I trust 
 you won't delude yourself with the impression 
 that you can claim anything from me simply 
 because your father was my brother. The first 
 thing you'll have to do is to imagine that you're 
 an English girl. You must forget all about India, 
 and you must try to adapt yourself to our ways. 
 Fortunately, your East Indian origin isn't very 
 prominent in your face, and you might belong to 
 any Southern nationality. I don't see why you 
 should not pass for a native of the South of France.
 
 AN UNWELCOME RESPONSIBILITY 161 
 
 If you learned the language thoroughly it might 
 help you in after-life. But we'll talk of that 
 later on. You're intelligent enough to know 
 what I mean. You may go now and think over 
 what I've said/' 
 
 The preliminaries settled, Nara's departure was 
 hastened. She had led so nomadic a life that the 
 spirit of restlessness was in her blood, and any- 
 thing in the way of a change was welcome. There 
 was nobody in the prim Bayswater house from 
 whom she would part with regret excepting Davis, 
 the parlour-maid. Nara had not the slightest 
 idea that, regarded from Aunt Sophia's point of 
 view, Davis was vulgar and " common/' She 
 only knew that the servant was honest, good- 
 humoured, and good-natured, and she clung to 
 the Cockney-bred girl as she had clung to Azeena. 
 
 In spite of Nara making a friend of Davis the 
 latter knew little more about her than did anybody 
 else. Nara had borne in mind Mrs. Mowatt's 
 repeated cautions to keep her experience as a 
 dancing-girl to herself, and she only once betrayed 
 what had been her calling. This happened one 
 evening when she was about to go to bed she 
 slept in Davis's room and a German band was 
 playing some sentimental air of the Fatherland. 
 There may have been in the melody a phrase 
 which suggested recollections of Azeena's saringhee 
 and the song she used to croon, but whatever it 
 was the impulse to dance was irresistible, and she 
 suddenly glided into the most difficult, the most 
 complicated, and the most fascinating of her 
 dances. 
 
 Davis stared spell-bound as the slim, graceful 
 
 11
 
 162 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 figure circled noiselessly round the room, waving 
 her arms and twisting her lithe body. A delicate 
 rose-tint suffused the olive skin, the lips parted, 
 and in the half-light the effect was ethereal, fairy- 
 like. 
 
 " My goodness, Miss Nara," said the admiring 
 Davis, " wherever did you learn to dance ? If it 
 don't beat anything I've ever seen at a panter- 
 mime. Lor, if I could turn about and do steps 
 like that I wouldn't stand no more of Missus's 
 everlasting nagging. I'd go on the stage, / 
 would." 
 
 The music stopped and Nara stopped too ; the 
 spell was broken. For a few minutes she had in 
 imagination gone back to India. She crept to 
 Davis panting. She was out of practice, and the 
 arduous exercise had tried her severely. 
 
 ' You mustn't tell any one," she whispered im- 
 ploringly. 
 
 ' Tell what, Miss 1 ' ; 
 
 ;< That I danced. The Sahib might hear of it, 
 and he would be angry." 
 
 " Sahib what Sahib ? ''' asked the puzzled 
 Davis. 
 
 Nara shook her head and put her forefinger on 
 her lips. Davis understood that she was to keep 
 the matter a secret, but this did not prevent her 
 putting a few questions concerning the Sahib. 
 But nothing was to be extracted from Nara. 
 
 Aunt Lavinia completed her work by taking 
 Nara down to Brighton and handing her over to 
 the care of Mrs. Granger, who kept an extremely 
 genteel seminary for young ladies, " the daughters 
 of gentlemen only accepted," to quote the pros-
 
 pectus. Mrs. Brampton had driven a hard bar- 
 gain as to the terms on which Nara was to be 
 admitted. But the proprietress was only too glad 
 to have the patronage of a General's wife, and she 
 agreed to take the girl at reduced fees on the 
 understanding that she was to be made use of in 
 every way possible. 
 
 And so for five years it was destined that Nara's 
 experience of England, of English life and manners, 
 should be confined to the narrow, the artificial 
 world of a boarding-school for young ladies. What 
 a " genteel " boarding-school in the fifties was 
 like perhaps some of the grandmothers of the 
 present generation may remember.
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 NARA'S REBELLION 
 
 " I REALLY don't know what's to be done with 
 you, Nara. It's terrible, after so much money's 
 been spent upon your education, to find that 
 you're incapable of doing anything to earn your 
 own living. In the face of Mrs. Granger's letter 
 I can't see I'm called upon to help you any further. 
 Of course I can't turn you out of doors, but- 
 well, I'm in despair. I daren't ask the General 
 to assist me. He was always strongly opposed to 
 my recognising you as my niece. He says you 
 ought to have been sent back to India." 
 
 Aunt Lavinia, whose ample form time had 
 increased, and whose chin was weightier and more 
 pendulous than ever, sank back in a hard and 
 uninviting armchair, upholstered in red and grey 
 striped satin, highly suggestive of sugar-sticks, 
 and folding her fat hands twisted her diamond 
 rings and stared helplessly first at the French 
 clock under a glass case on the mantelpiece, then 
 at the crystal lustres at each corner, and finally 
 allowed her eyes to rest on two sepulchral vases 
 modelled out of cannel coal, their only claim to 
 distinction being that they were bought at the 
 '51 Exhibition and considered great curiosities. 
 
 164
 
 NARA'S REBELLION 165 
 
 Mrs. Brampton had seen very little of Nara 
 during the last five years. The girl spent the 
 summer vacation at the school, as the General 
 and his wife generally went on the Continent to 
 Boulogne preferably on account of its cheapness 
 leaving the servants on board wages, the best 
 rooms denuded of carpets and curtains, the crystal 
 chandeliers and the furniture swathed in brown 
 holland, and every blind save those in the attics 
 drawn down. 
 
 Nara was allowed to pass part of the Christmas 
 holidays in Portman Square, but she was always 
 glad to get back to the school, comfortless though 
 it was. The haughty condescension of Mrs. 
 Brampton, the ostracism of the General only 
 by accident did she ever see him, and he invariably 
 ignored her the sense that she was an interloper, 
 wounded her proud spirit beyond measure, but 
 with the patience and resignation which belong to 
 one phase of the Eastern nature she showed no 
 resentment. At her aunt's solemn parties she was 
 introduced to no one, and she moved about like 
 a ghost. People wondering who she was made 
 guesses at her nationality, and thinking she could 
 speak no English did not attempt to talk to her. 
 Her passiveness, her indifference to naggings and 
 snubs, were put down to sullenness. Mrs. Brampton 
 did not understand her, and never tried to do so. 
 Aunt Sophia was dead, or things might have been 
 different. 
 
 The girl was now standing in the centre of the 
 room, waiting for Aunt Lavinia to resume. The 
 lady was in no hurry. She was pondering over 
 the shock she had received that day in the sudden
 
 166 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 appearance of Nara, who had descended upon her 
 from Brighton without any warning. Nara's ex- 
 planation was that she felt she could stay no longer 
 in the school, and so she had left. She thought 
 the simple reason she gave would be quite suffi- 
 cient, and looked quite astonished when Aunt 
 Lavinia began to scold and upbraid her with such 
 violence that most girls would have burst into tears. 
 But not Nara. She stood mutely until Mrs. 
 Brampton relapsed into a lamentation over the 
 responsibility cast upon her. 
 
 Yet Aunt Lavinia ought not to have been sur- 
 prised. Mrs. Granger had written a week before 
 to ask her to take the girl away, as she did not find 
 her of the least use. The lady's chief complaint 
 was that in spite of Nara having been at the 
 school five years she could not take even a very 
 juvenile class, and had not the slightest aptitude 
 for teaching. Mrs. Granger also hinted that she 
 was a cause of embarrassment in regard to her 
 attractiveness, so much so that orders had to be 
 issued that she was not to accompany the pupils 
 when they took exercise on account of the way 
 gentlemen looked at her. More than once the 
 young ladies had been followed, and the governesses 
 in consequence had had the greatest possible 
 trouble in maintaining discipline. 
 
 " It's only what I expected," moaned Mrs. 
 Brampton, when she read about this enormity. 
 " I told poor Sophia I mistrusted the girl's sleepy 
 eyes/' 
 
 The reason of Nara's sudden rebellion was that 
 she had had a visit from Mrs. Mowatt, and what the 
 old lady said to her had unsettled her mind. Nara
 
 NARA'S REBELLION 167 
 
 regarded Mrs. Mowatt as Horsford's close friend, 
 and of course she eagerly inquired about him. 
 Horsford had indeed written to Mrs. Mowatt 
 for news of his protegee, and before the lady replied 
 she determined to call at the school. All, however, 
 that Mrs. Mowatt could tell Nara about Horsford 
 was that he was still in India to good Mrs. Mowatt 
 Burma was India and that she was to send him 
 word whether she found Nara well and happy. 
 She added that Horsford mentioned that he con- 
 templated coming to Calcutta, where he would 
 probably remain some time. 
 
 This was enough for the imaginative, emotional 
 girl. She pondered over what Mrs. Mowatt had 
 told her. She never slept that night. The one 
 craving of her soul must be satisfied, but how it 
 was to be done how she was to reach the land 
 of her birth, where was the man she hungered for 
 she did not know nor did she trouble. She felt sure 
 she would find a way. The next morning she was 
 missing, and she presented herself to her aunt, 
 indifferent to remonstrances and upbraidings. 
 
 " So far as I can see all you can do is to dress 
 hair Mrs. Granger says something about that in 
 her letter also that you're skilful in embroider- 
 ing and other fancy-work. These seem really to be 
 the qualifications for a lady's maid. Is it your 
 intention to seek a post of that kind ? " inquired 
 Mrs. Brampton sarcastically, having apparently 
 derived inspiration from the sepulchral vases. 
 
 " I don't know. I've not thought about it." 
 
 " Exactly. You haven't thought. I doubt if 
 you ever do think. Mrs. Granger also adds that 
 she surprised you one night performing an out-
 
 168 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 rageous dance for the edification of the young ladies 
 sleeping in the same room. Do you contemplate 
 going on the stage ? '' 
 
 Nara remembered that night well. It was in- 
 tensely hot ; the windows were made to open only 
 a little way at the top, and no one could sleep. A 
 sudden desire to revive memories of her young 
 days, curiosity to satisfy herself that she had not 
 forgotten her dancing, seized her. While she was 
 circling, waving her arms, gliding and pausing and 
 keeping time to the wild melody she was humming, 
 the girls looking on, their eyes strained with wonder 
 and almost with fear, the door slowly opened, and 
 in marched Mrs. Granger, accompanied by the 
 head governess, horror written in their eyes. For 
 a week the culprit was not permitted to associate 
 with the rest of the girls. 
 
 " Well, you don't give me any answer ? " went 
 on Aunt Lavinia acidly. " Is the theatre your 
 aim ? " 
 
 " No no no. I want nothing except to go 
 back to my own country," cried Nara, for the first 
 time a little agitated. 
 
 " Oh, well, it would be the best thing, no doubt, 
 
 but " Mrs. Brampton stopped. There came 
 
 a tap at the door, and a servant entered, bearing a 
 salver with a card. 
 
 " Mrs. Ormerod," said Mrs. Brampton, looking 
 at the card. " Oh, yes, I am at home. I'll see 
 her here, Parsons. You'd better go, Nara. I'll 
 talk with you later on." 
 
 Mrs. Ormerod, a little woman, thin and energetic, 
 excessively flounced and bustled and ringleted, was 
 shown in and greeted the General's wife effusively.
 
 NARA'S REBELLION 169 
 
 " Dear Mrs. Brampton, how well you're looking ! 
 I'm so glad, because I want you and the General 
 to dine with us to-morrow night. I do hope neither 
 you nor General Brampton is engaged. The notice 
 is shockingly short, but I couldn't help myself. 
 Mrs. Meldrum's returning to India this week, and 
 to-morrow's the only evening she has to spare. I 
 do so want you to meet her. She's tremendously 
 rich married Andrew Meldrum, who made a big 
 fortune in indigo or cotton or something. They 
 were married before I left Simla. I was at the 
 wedding everything most recherche. She was 
 one of the prettiest girls in Simla, and excepting 
 that her figure's more set and she's a little stouter 
 I don't see much difference. Now you must come. 
 I positively won't take any refusal." 
 
 " I don't remember that I've any engagement," 
 rejoined Mrs. Brampton, in her slow, impressive 
 way, when she had a chance to speak. " No, I 
 don't think I have. Of course I can't answer for 
 the General." 
 
 " Oh, you must persuade him. I'm sure he'll 
 put off anything, if it's not very important, 
 to oblige you. It was so fortunate my meeting 
 with Clare Meldrum. I was in the Row this 
 afternoon and saw a lady in a landau looking very 
 hard at me, and I recognised her at once. She's 
 in England for a visit, and would have extended 
 her stay, but her husband's lying ill at Delhi, and 
 she's anxious to get back to nurse him. I was 
 very glad to hear her say this, because I don't 
 think the marriage was a particularly happy one. 
 Indeed, there were rumours of a separation. To 
 tell the truth, they weren't well matched ; she
 
 170 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 must be at least five-and-twenty years younger 
 than her husband." 
 
 " I hope there was no ahem scandal/ 5 said 
 Mrs. Brampton, wrinkling her brows. 
 
 " Oh, dear no, not the slightest. I should 
 never think of inviting you to meet her, dear 
 Mrs. Brampton, had there been anything of that 
 kind." 
 
 " I'm very glad. I was constantly hearing of 
 such dreadful things when I was in India. The 
 deception one met with was shocking women 
 passing themselves off as respectable when all 
 the while they were anything but what they ought 
 to be. I had to be most particular, and I'm glad 
 to say / was never deceived." 
 
 This opening was enough for Mrs. Ormerod, who 
 revelled in searching for skeletons in the family 
 cupboard and in rattling their bones. Mrs. 
 Brampton's horror of meeting with people tainted 
 with scandal did not extend to hearing about 
 them, and she was greatly entertained by Mrs. 
 Ormerod's vivacious narratives. 
 
 Suddenly came a deadly thrust. Mrs. Brampton 
 had always been affable towards Mrs. Ormerod, 
 but in a superior, condescending way befitting the 
 proper attitude of a general's wife towards the 
 wife of a mere major, notwithstanding that the 
 latter had inherited a small fortune and had sold 
 out of the army in consequence. The conversation, 
 gave the Major's lady the opportunity of paying 
 off old scores, and she was too sharp and too spiteful 
 to let the chance slip. 
 
 " Talking of scandals, what has become of your 
 niece poor Captain Folliott's daughter ? Guy
 
 NARA'S REBELLION 171 
 
 Horsford shipped her to England for you to take 
 care of, didn't he ? '' 
 
 Mrs. Brampton reddened with anger. How dare 
 a major's wife talk so coarsely ? It was true Nara 
 was her niece. Though the girl's mother was a 
 native woman the relationship could not be 
 denied. But to speak of her as being " shipped " 
 as though she were a bale of bandanas or a case 
 of curry-powder ! It was annoying enough to 
 be aunt to an Eurasian, but to have the fact 
 known in Simla and be gossiped about Captain 
 Horsford must have been terribly indiscreet was 
 inexpressibly galling. 
 
 " I beg your pardon, Mrs. Ormerod," said she 
 freezingly, " but there is no scandal connected with 
 my brother or my brother's child." 
 
 " I'm very glad indeed to hear it. The reputation 
 of Nautch girls is so questionable that it's quite 
 refreshing to come across an exception to the 
 general rule. Of course you would know the true 
 story of Captain Folliott and the girl he fell in 
 love with, so it's very clear that rumour as usual 
 has been fathering falsehoods." 
 
 Mrs. Brampton's fat seemed suddenly to turn 
 to jelly. She shook from head to foot. What 
 was the rumour Mrs. Ormerod alluded to with 
 unmistakable satisfaction ? Mrs. Brampton really 
 knew nothing about Nara beyond what Captain 
 Horsford had written. The Resident, it is true, 
 replied to her letter, but it was little more than a 
 formal acknowledgment. He could learn nothing 
 about Captain Folliott's private affairs, but he 
 promised to make further inquiries. However, 
 he never wrote again, and Mrs. Brampton tried
 
 172 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 to make the best of the matter. Mrs. Ormerod's 
 allusion to Nautch girls was an ugly coincidence, 
 taken in connection with Nara's escapade in the 
 bedroom. It sent her hot and cold. 
 
 " Falsehoods/' she repeated, but not in the 
 confident tone in which she had uttered the 
 word " scandal." ' Yes, no doubt. I should 
 like to hear the nature of the rumour you refer 
 to, so that I may give it an emphatic denial." 
 
 " There's nothing really very bad that is, to 
 those who know what things in India are like. And 
 I don't think it can be said that the rumour's 
 been widely circulated. The truth is the matter 
 was hushed up for some reason concerning Cap- 
 tain Horsford, I believe. It's a pity the story 
 wasn't told openly. People are always ready 
 to imagine things, aren't they ? / happen to be 
 acquainted with the details because the Major 
 told me under a bond of secrecy, of course. But 
 really here in England I don't see why the same 
 secrecy should be observed. I think if you don't 
 know the version of the affair that's been whispered 
 about in Simla, that it would be a kindness to tell 
 you. But mind, I don't vouch for its truth." 
 
 Mrs. Brampton resigned herself with the air of 
 a martyr to listen to Mrs. Ormerod's narrative, 
 which was nothing more than a resume of the 
 story of the episode at the Rajah of Dakhur's 
 Palace, the disappearance of the dancing-girl, the 
 suspicion that Horsford was the abductor, and 
 that the girl herself was Jack Folliott's daughter. 
 
 " All this is news to me. ,1 think Captain Hors- 
 ford behaved shamefully in not telling me every- 
 thing" said Mrs. Brampton, much agitated. " He
 
 NARA'S REBELLION 173 
 
 wrote that the girl's mother was connected with 
 the Royal family of Delhi. Is that true or false ? " 
 
 " Oh, it's very likely to be the case. I've no 
 doubt there are any number of so-called princes 
 and princesses in Delhi. I doubt if the old Kings 
 knew what morality was. It's dreadful to think of, 
 and all we in England can do is to shut our eyes." 
 
 Mrs. Brampton was quite willing to be blind, 
 but she could not shut out the unpleasant fact 
 that she had been brought into personal contact 
 with the manners and customs and the lax morality 
 of India. She would have contradicted Mrs. 
 Ormerod if she could, but in her heart she quite 
 agreed with the Major's wife. In view of what 
 Mrs. Brampton had just heard Nara's dancing 
 freak at the school became of very serious import. 
 It was certainly confirmatory of Mrs. Ormerod 's 
 story. The horrible thought darted into Mrs. 
 Brampton's mind that if some of Nara's early in- 
 stincts and training could be revived after lying 
 dormant for some five years there was no reason 
 why others should not burst out. Those dreamy 
 eyes oh, they were not given to the girl for 
 nothing. 
 
 One point Mrs. Ormerod had left unsettled. 
 Indeed she had not alluded to it. Yet it was of 
 the utmost importance from Mrs. Brampton's 
 point of view. She hardly liked to discuss such a 
 shocking thing as marital relations unsanctified 
 by the Church, but it had to be done. 
 
 " Married ? Of course not," exclaimed Mrs. 
 Ormerod, with a contemptuous sniff. " Captain 
 Folliott would not have been such a fool. Why 
 should he be ? As for the girl, who no doubt was
 
 174 A STAB OF THE EAST 
 
 infatuated, what did she care about our marriage 
 service ? ' ; 
 
 Mrs. Brampton's heart fell. She had not a 
 word to say in opposition to this obvious truth. 
 
 " But/' she faltered, " I expressly mentioned 
 the matter in my second letter to the Eesident in 
 reply to his formal acknowledgment of my first." 
 
 " And what did he say ? " 
 
 " I've never had any answer. He promised to 
 make further inquiries, but I've not had a line 
 from him since." 
 
 Mrs. Ormerod shrugged her shoulders. 
 
 " No doubt he knew your views on such matters, 
 and did not want to distress you. There's only 
 one place where a Church of England marriage 
 could take place in Delhi, and that is old Colonel 
 Skinner's church St. James', you know. Of 
 course a register of some kind is kept, and the 
 Resident could have consulted it. I dare say he 
 did and found no record. Not likely he would. 
 I doubt if any clergyman would have solemnised 
 such a ridiculous union. The girl, you know, was 
 a common dancer." 
 
 " A common dancer I " repeated Mrs. Bramp- 
 ton, aghast. 
 
 " So George told me. I can't think there was 
 any marriage according to our religion. And as 
 for hers well, that was impossible unless Captain 
 Folliott became a Mahommedan." 
 
 " Oh, Mrs. Ormerod " gasped Mrs. Bramp- 
 
 ton faintly. " Don't ! " 
 
 Mrs. Ormerod was satisfied. She had taken 
 down the General's wife sufficiently, and was now 
 prepared to extend her sympathy.
 
 NARA'S REBELLION 175 
 
 " Captain Horsford's to blame for all this 
 trouble. He had no right whatever to meddle in 
 a matter which didn't concern him. At all events, 
 having found the girl he ought not to have 
 shifted his responsibility on to your shoulders, 
 and especially without a word of explanation as 
 to the true state of the case. I call it disgraceful. 
 He might have given you the chance of saying 
 what you would do." 
 
 " Exactly," moaned Mrs. Brampton. " Do you 
 suppose for one moment that I should have re- 
 ceived the girl into my house if I'd known what 
 you now tell me ? Under the shocking circum- 
 stances I can't see that she's any relative of 
 mine." 
 
 ' You're quite right. At all events, she hasn't 
 the slightest claim on you." 
 
 " I feel strongly inclined to write to Captain 
 Horsford and tell him my mind. Where is he 
 now ? ' J 
 
 " In Pegu. He went with General Godwin to 
 Rangoon, and after the capitulation of the Burmese 
 he obtained some post in connection with the 
 administration of Pegu. No doubt a letter would 
 reach him, but would it do much good ? How old 
 is the girl ? ' ; 
 
 " She must be seventeen, I should think." 
 
 " Still at school ? ' j 
 
 " Well, no," returned Mrs. Brampton, with an 
 apologetic cough. " At this moment she's in the 
 house. She only arrived this afternoon, quite 
 unexpectedly. So far as I can make out, there 
 was an upset between her and Mrs. Granger, and 
 she took herself off. Practically she ran away."
 
 176 A STAE OF THE EAST 
 
 " Dear, dear ! Fm afraid there's trouble in store 
 for you, Mrs. Brampton. What sort of girl is 
 she ? ' 
 
 " You can see her if you like. I should be only 
 too grateful if you could suggest any way out of 
 the difficulty. She herself wants to go back to 
 India, but I can hardly send her at random, so 
 to speak." 
 
 ' I dare say she'd tumble on her feet. Head- 
 strong girls generally manage to pull through their 
 difficulties." 
 
 " I don't know that she's headstrong. She's 
 quiet and apparently submissive, but that, I think, 
 must be slyness. However, you shall see her." 
 
 Mrs. Brampton rang the bell, gave her instructions 
 to Parsons, and in a minute or so Nara entered. 
 
 Nara, as Aunt Lavinia said, was seventeen. All 
 the angularities, the disproportions of twelve had 
 disappeared. The change was marvellous, both 
 in figure and face. The soft harmony of budding 
 womanhood marked the first, a mystic beauty 
 lurked in the curves of the second. That beauty 
 was elusive. It flashed upon one in the rare mo- 
 ments of animation, it vanished as quickly, leaving 
 behind the suggestion of coldness, but a coldness 
 which one felt instinctively was but a mask. 
 
 The complexion was of the pallor of her early 
 days, but the olive tinge was not so pronounced. 
 It was clear, with an even creaminess of tint, 
 broken only by the scarlet of the lips. The mouth 
 was less mobile, it was not so ready to pout, not 
 so eager to smile. The restraint imposed upon 
 her by artificial and uncongenial surroundings for 
 the last five years, the continual repression of her
 
 NAKA'S REBELLION 177 
 
 natural impulses, the stifling of her cravings for 
 liberty and independence, had given firmness to 
 the upper lip. Maybe the same causes had 
 accentuated the bold contour of the chin. 
 
 The slight irregularity of the characteristic eye- 
 brows was the same, the eyes themselves had not 
 altered, save to become more expressive, more 
 luminous when she chose to make them so. The 
 long, dark, sweeping lashes had the old habit of 
 drooping unexpectedly, provoking to the male 
 gazer, but irresistibly fascinating. 
 
 Most of the girls at Lanfear House said this 
 drooping of the eyelashes meant craft, but then 
 the girls were not particularly drawn towards Nara. 
 Though she was among them she was not of 
 them. As an under-teacher she was a hopeless 
 failure. Her orders were treated with contempt. 
 But after her weird, fantastic dance the girls altered 
 in their demeanour. They shunned her, not 
 because of dislike, but because of a strange fear 
 with which she had inspired them. She had 
 never lost her soft, Indian pronunciation of 
 certain words ; she still retained little tricks of 
 manner, fascinating and indescribable. Even if 
 she had not suggested the East in her face, one 
 would never have taken her to be English. 
 
 After she entered the room she stood in perfect 
 ease and grace of attitude, awaiting what her aunt 
 had to say. Mrs. Brampton did not introduce 
 her to Mrs. Ormerod, but went on to examine her 
 as to her capabilities, carefully avoiding, however, 
 all reference to her dancing accomplishments, and 
 when the good lady had come to the end of her 
 questions Nara was dismissed. 
 
 12
 
 178 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 " Well, what do you think of her ? " said Mrs. 
 Brampton. 
 
 " She's very handsome strikingly so. You'll 
 have to be very careful where men are concerned," 
 was Mrs. Ormerod's opinion. 
 
 ''' That's just what troubles me. Edgar will be 
 home next week. His term at Addiscombe's 
 over, and he'll stay with us until he's commis- 
 sioned. I wouldn't have the girl in the house 
 while he's here on any account." 
 
 " Certainly not. She's just the girl a lad would 
 go mad over. Besides, the position of cousins is 
 a dangerous sort of relationship. It permits a 
 certain amount of familiarity which 
 
 " Edgar doesn't know she's his cousin," hastily 
 interposed Mrs. Brampton, reddening slightly. " I 
 never meant that they should meet. I had 
 planned out her career, and when she was in a 
 position to earn her own living I intended to re- 
 nounce any claim she might have upon me Now 
 that I know more about her I'm the more con- 
 vinced of my prudence in not acknowledging her 
 before the world." 
 
 : * Does she know that you're her aunt ? ' 
 
 ' Yes thanks to Captain Horsford's unpar- 
 donable presumption. This makes it all the more 
 imperative that she and my boy shouldn't meet. 
 Now, can you suggest anything ? Of course she 
 must take a situation. What do you think she's 
 fit for ? " 
 
 :t Upon my word, I don't know. She doesn't 
 seem to have learned very much. You tell me 
 she can only play the piano a little, and I expect 
 her singing's shrill and harsh, like that of most of
 
 NARA'S REBELLION 179 
 
 the girls of India. She owned she was very back- 
 ward in her French, and she couldn't answer the 
 simple questions in arithmetic and English history 
 you put to her. She's not qualified in the least 
 to be a private governess, and what other occupa- 
 tion is there for girls ? Even if she were better 
 educated, I'm sure she'd have a difficulty in 
 obtaining a post. It would be positively dangerous 
 to engage her where there are grown-up sons. A 
 mother is bound to be very careful about the 
 young women she has to live in the house." 
 
 " Of course of course. You heard what she 
 said about her needlework, and her skill in dress- 
 ing hair ? Well now, I've been thinking that she 
 might go as lady's-maid. Her manners are. quiet 
 and respectful, and as for her good looks, well, 
 they're no detriment, in a menial capacity." 
 
 ' You've no objection, then, to her going out 
 to service ? ' ; 
 
 Mrs. Brampton winced, but soon recovered 
 herself. ' 
 
 " Not under the circumstances. I can't bring 
 myself to think the girl's any relative of mine. 
 She knows my sentiments perfectly well, and if 
 there's no way of getting her back to India, why 
 she must take whatever situation may be open 
 to her in England. Have her in the house I will 
 not." 
 
 " I wonder if Mrs. Meldrum could be persuaded 
 into engaging her ? " said Mrs. Ormerod, after a 
 pause. 
 
 " Oh, I should be so thankful if she could," 
 exclaimed Mrs. Brampton, with a sigh of relief. 
 
 " Clare's return to India was unexpected. She
 
 180 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 mayn't have engaged any maid. This girl what 
 did you call her ? '' 
 
 " Nara Captain Horsford wrote some rubbish 
 about her being descended from Jahanara, one of the 
 princesses of Delhi two hundred years or so ago. 
 Whether this is true or no doesn't matter now. 
 What does matter, dear Mrs. Ormerod, is that 
 Nara must only be known as my protegee. On 
 no account should Mrs. Meldrum be told Captain 
 Horsford 's story." 
 
 ' You may trust me implicitly. I quite under- 
 stand your delicate and painful position. But 
 won't it be necessary to caution Nara herself ? ' 
 
 " Oh, I'll do that," rejoined Mrs. Brampton 
 quickly. " Between ourselves, I don't think the 
 girl's anxious to own her English relations. The 
 influence of her mother's race is far too strong." 
 
 ' Very well. I shall be meeting Mrs. Meldrum 
 to-night, and I'll sound her on the subject." 
 
 ' Thank you thank you. You can't think how 
 grateful I shall be if you can settle the affair 
 satisfactorily. When I see a favourable oppor- 
 tunity of talking to the General about the little 
 matter you mentioned some time ago you may be 
 sure I shall not miss it." 
 
 Mrs. Ormerod went away quite satisfied with 
 her afternoon's work. She had been severely 
 snubbed by the General's wife some weeks before, 
 when she had asked her to persuade the General 
 to say a good word for her brother, a subaltern 
 who had been waiting in vain for promotion, but 
 now that she had the lady under her thumb she 
 already saw " the little matter " would present no 
 further difficulty.
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 ANDREW MELDRUM'S LETTER 
 
 MRS. ORMEROD, anxious to oblige the General's 
 wife, at once posted off to Claridge's Hotel, where 
 Clare was staying, and in her gushing, positive 
 way described Nara as the very girl to suit her 
 if she were wanting a lady's-maid. Clare listened 
 graciously, for a maid who was clever was exactly 
 what she wanted, but when she heard Nara was 
 an Eurasian she shrugged her shoulders contemp- 
 tuously. 
 
 "I'd much rather have a native of pure blood. 
 You're prepared then for the kind of nature 
 you'll have to deal with, but the children of 
 mixed parentage are always uncertain. You 
 know as well as I do, Mrs. Ormerod, that they're 
 despised, both by their own people as well as 
 by ours." 
 
 '* Well, of course that's true, but why not engage 
 her for the journey only ? " 
 
 ' Yes, it would be the safer plan." Clare paused 
 and went on with languid indifference : ' Who 
 are her people ? Do you know who was her 
 father ? A private, I suppose." 
 
 " I expect so. Anyhow, I know he was in the 
 
 181
 
 182 A STAB OF THE EAST 
 
 army, but no doubt Mrs. Brampton will tell you 
 everything." 
 
 " Oh, it's not of the least consequence. If the 
 girl doesn't suit me I can get rid of her." 
 
 " Of course," echoed Mrs. Ormerod. ' Well, 
 you and Mrs. Brampton can talk over the matter 
 when you meet at my house to-morrow night. 
 Au revoir, dear," and Mrs. Ormerod whisked her 
 flounces and her bustle out of the room. 
 
 Clare rose from her chair and walking slowly to 
 the window looked out into the dreary respec- 
 tability of Brook Street. The light was waning 
 and the gas-lamps were unlit. Her vacant eyes 
 rested on the traffic, but it was doubtful if she saw 
 anything. Then she wheeled round abruptly 
 and paced the room for a few minutes. Finally 
 she rang the bell for the gas to be lighted and 
 drew a letter from her pocket. 
 
 The letter had arrived that morning, yet she had 
 not broken the seal. She told herself impatiently 
 that the contents would be certain to irritate 
 her and completely spoil the day's shopping on 
 which her mind was bent. But irritating or 
 not, the letter must be read, for it was from 
 her husband. 
 
 It was hard to say whether Clare's marriage 
 had improved her or the reverse. When she was 
 animated she was quite as pretty as in the days 
 of her maidenhood, and five years had not made 
 her look a day older. Her figure perhaps was 
 more developed, and she no longer suggested a 
 Dresden china shepherdess, but put her in the 
 appropriate dress and she might have stepped out 
 of a Watteau group. She had the full, ample
 
 ANDREW MELDRUM'S LETTER 183 
 
 bust, the symmetrically curved shoulders, and 
 the round and slender waist which Boucher and 
 painters of his school delighted in. The daintiness 
 and grace of every movement somehow did not 
 belong to the conventional idea of the married 
 woman such as she was pictured in the 'fifties. 
 Caps had not then ceased to be the distinguishing 
 mark of the married state, but Clare would never 
 consent to disfigure herself and hide her beautiful 
 hair by following the vile fashion. When she 
 went shopping she was invariably addressed as 
 " Miss." 
 
 Against these improvements had to be set a 
 certain hardness of voice and manner. She was 
 not quite so ready to please and be pleased. She 
 had " moods " without any assignable cause. 
 When her face was in repose it somehow seemed 
 to lose its charm. Indeed, there were times when 
 it looked as if she had gone through a tempest of 
 passion. But such moments of self-betrayal were 
 very rare, and if the company pleased her and she 
 was in good form, she could be almost as fresh 
 and as gay and as fascinating as in the old days 
 at Simla. 
 
 Her expression now as she dragged the letter 
 from the envelope was anything but fresh and 
 fascinating. It was that of a long-continued strain 
 on her nerves which was becoming almost beyond 
 endurance. Her contracted brows, her compressed 
 lips and dilated nostrils indicated the efforts she 
 was making to restrain an outburst of emotion. 
 However, she forced herself to read the letter 
 from beginning to end without comment. 
 
 The letter was one wh ch would have angered
 
 184 A STAE OF THE EAST 
 
 a much less sensitive and high-spirited woman. 
 It began coldly. 
 
 " CLARE," 
 
 " My patience is becoming exhausted. Why 
 do you ignore my repeated requests to you to 
 return home ? Why do you treat me as though 
 I were an entire stranger ? What is the reason 
 you stay in Europe when your place is by the 
 side of your husband ? You know I have re- 
 peatedly asked you to tell me what complaints 
 you have against me, and I've never had a 
 satisfactory answer. You are driving me mad 
 with your coldness and caprice ; yet I believe 
 I could endure both if you were with me. I 
 cannot endure your absence. You are never out 
 of my mind, and I am constantly imagining all 
 kinds of ugly things, quite without any founda- 
 tion, I am sure. People tell me I'm looking ill, 
 but my looks are of no importance, and I can 
 brush aside questions on that subject, but not those 
 relating to you. Our friends are beginning to 
 talk about your being away so long, and I don't 
 know what to say. You went to Europe eighteen 
 months ago on account of your health so you 
 said but in the letters you have sent at very rare 
 intervals you say nothing concerning yourself. 
 I was anxious about you and asked your uncle to 
 tell me if he thought there was anything radically 
 wrong in your constitution, and he laughed at 
 the idea. 
 
 " I've racked my brains, Clar \ to discover a 
 cause for your extraordinary conduct. I have 
 never grumbled at your extravagance ; I held my
 
 ANDREW MELDRUM'S LETTER 185 
 
 % 
 
 tongue when I discovered you had been betting, 
 and I paid your losses. I don't suppose you know 
 this, and I sometimes think that your reason for 
 leaving Delhi was because you could not discharge 
 your ' debts of honour/ If that were so, there's 
 nothing to prevent you returning at once. I have 
 never inquired what you did with the money you 
 were constantly drawing from your settlement, 
 and I don't inquire now, but I imagine from what 
 I have heard that you have not very much left. 
 It seems to me that your only grievance is that I 
 objected to your going out so much, but I had a 
 right to object. I had so little of your society 
 and companionship. You resented my remon- 
 strances and flatly refused to obey me. I made a 
 terrible mistake when I married you, yet I swear 
 to you that the way you have acted has not 
 weakened my love for you, and I am puzzled at my 
 own feelings and at what I suppose you would call 
 my weakness. You have been a bitter disappoint- 
 ment. I looked for a companion and have found 
 a well-dressed, beautiful doll. 
 
 ' When I commenced this letter I did not intend 
 to write so strongly, and I had thoughts of tearing 
 it up and sending another. But it is the truth, and 
 it is time you should know what I think. Yet 
 though every word has been wrung from me I am 
 willing to forget and forgive if you will return. 
 I don't think you realise my character. If you 
 make me your enemy you will repent it. For God's 
 sake don't turn my love into hate. I can say no 
 more now. I await your answer. 
 
 " ANDREW MELDRUM, 
 " Your husband."
 
 186 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 When Clare reached the end of the letter she 
 quivered with rage. The last two words, " your 
 husband," she interpreted as a reminder of an 
 unpleasant fact which he chose to assume she had 
 forgotten. As if she could ever forget it ! Did 
 not her position rankle every day of her life ? 
 
 " My answer ! " she burst out. " Shall I answer 
 his letter at all ? Well, I'm not sorry he's thrown 
 down the gauntlet. An open rupture's better 
 than continual nagging and chafing under restraint. 
 What complaint have I against him ? Why, if 
 he were not so stony and unimaginative he would 
 see at once. My complaint is that he is Andrew 
 Meldrum and I'm a well-dressed doll ! What did 
 he expect ? It might have been worse. He might 
 have married a doll who was not well-dressed." 
 
 Her anger gradually cooled. She was not blind 
 to the fact that her husband was justified in writing 
 as he did. She had behaved badly ; yet not so 
 badly as her conduct on the surface appeared. 
 When she married Meldrum it was with the in- 
 tention of adapting herself to her new life. She 
 gradually found the task impossible. Perhaps if 
 they had not toured in Europe for their honey- 
 moon things might have gone smoother, and even- 
 tually they might have settled down into something 
 like a compromise. But the nature of the honey- 
 moon gave them too much of each other's society. 
 Certainly Clare had too much of her husband's. 
 She could not get away from him, and she had to 
 have his irritable moods as well as his amiable 
 ones. 
 
 Continental travelling in the fifties undoubtedly 
 tried one's temper. Meldrum, used all his life
 
 ANDREW MELDRUM'S LETTER 187 
 
 to instant obedience, found himself continually at 
 loggerheads with railway officials and major-domos 
 of hotels, whose language he understood very im- 
 perfectly. He was never irritable with Clare, but 
 she had the backwash of his irritability with 
 others. Her experience of life had been so easy- 
 going, she had had such little acquaintance with 
 the despotic ways of India, and had never seen 
 her philosophic uncle out of temper with any- 
 thing, that her husband's outbursts over what 
 she looked upon as the veriest trifles came upon 
 her as an unpleasant awakening. She was heartily 
 glad in one sense to get back to India, and in 
 another she was filled with dismal forebodings ; 
 her life promised to be so thoroughly prosaic. 
 Meldrum, of course, had to leave her at times, but 
 not so often as she hoped. He had made his 
 !< pile " and had taken a partner to do the active 
 work of the business. His intention before he 
 was married was to retire and live in Europe, but 
 the fatal honeymoon trip had made him alter his 
 mind. He was too used to India and Indian 
 ways to be able to adapt himself to those of any 
 other country. 
 
 This alteration of plans would have made no 
 difference to Clare provided her husband had not 
 looked after her so closely and jealously. She re- 
 sented being questioned, although Meldrum was 
 always careful to say he wished her to do as she 
 pleased ; and out of bravado, and to satisfy her 
 craving for excitement, she plunged into betting 
 and lost heavily, and, unfortunately, to the 
 dandified and vicious Lawton, whom she detested. 
 The inevitable happened when she could not pay.
 
 188 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 On Lawton's advances being rejected, he threa- 
 tened her not with blackmail, but with revenge- 
 exposure of her recklessness to her husband. 
 
 She would not have cared for his threat had it 
 not meant giving Meldrum an advantage over her, 
 which her pride could not brook. She had not 
 the courage to go through the ordeal, and she 
 invented an indisposition for which the only 
 remedy was a change of climate. Andrew Meldrum 
 would have insisted upon going with her but for 
 the changes which were impending in the govern- 
 ment of Oudh, brought about by Lord Dalhousie. 
 Meldrum's trade with Lucknow was very large, 
 and he did not know what would happen after the 
 deposition of the King. So Clare went by herself 
 to Europe. 
 
 In a fever of restlessness Clare had travelled 
 from city to city in the endeavour to occupy her 
 mind and keep it from dwelling on the fetters she 
 had voluntarily put on. Though she had married 
 Andrew Meldrum she never ceased to think of 
 Guy Horsford. She had heard of him through 
 friends of officers engaged in the expedition to 
 Burma, and times out of number had bitterly 
 reproached herself for her haste in accepting 
 Meldrum. 
 
 The autumn of 1856 arrived. She had been 
 away from Delhi over a year, and might not have 
 had it in her mind to go back but for a paragraph 
 she had happened to notice in an Indian paper 
 she took up by chance in the dining-room of the 
 hotel. It simply told, among other military 
 changes, that Captain, now Colonel Horsford, had 
 resigned his appointment in Pegu and was about
 
 ANDREW MELDRUM'S LETTER 189 
 
 to return to India. These few words concentrated 
 her scattered ideas. If she went back to Delhi 
 her intense longing to see Horsford once more 
 might be gratified. There could be no harm 
 either in seeing him or speaking to him. She was 
 quite sure she could trust herself. 
 
 Andrew Meldrum's angry, reproachful letter 
 came at an inopportune moment. To be told to 
 do a thing was enough to make her not want to 
 do it. For a little time she hovered between 
 submission and her passionate yearning for the 
 man she loved. Being a woman she discovered a 
 compromise. 
 
 k< I'll go back, but I won't answer Andrew's 
 letter. He can think what he likes." 
 
 She was about to tear the letter into fragments 
 when she paused and locked it in her desk instead. 
 
 For the rest of the day she was absent and 
 absorbed. She had promised to go to the Hay- 
 market Theatre with some friends and she fulfilled 
 her engagement, but Buckstone's quaint humour 
 failed to interest her, and the laughter of the 
 audience sounded strangely in her ears. By the 
 following evening, when the Ormerods' guests sat 
 down to dinner, she had forgotten the matter of 
 the Eurasian lady's-maid, and the conversation at 
 the dinner table drove it further from her mind. 
 
 General Brampton, a lean, lantern- jawed, yellow- 
 faced man, whose liver made him pessimistic, had 
 spent three-parts of his life in India, and though 
 he had retired from the Company's service ten 
 years before he never took kindly to England, and 
 he rarely talked of anything but Indian affairs and 
 the old days of " John Company," in whose rule
 
 190 A STAE OF THE EAST 
 
 he firmly believed. He regarded the efforts made 
 in 1853 to transfer its power to the Government 
 in England with great misgiving, and he held 
 that though nominally, with certain modifications, 
 the rule was permitted to remain in the Company's 
 hands, it was the beginning of the end. 
 
 " Mark my words/' said he. " The severance 
 of the old friendly relations between the great 
 chiefs of India and the Company's officials will 
 lead to great distrust. Many will come to believe 
 that the new policy of the British Government 
 will mean new annexations. The Company has 
 always acted in the spirit of ' benevolent des- 
 potism,' and this is the kind of government the 
 natives thoroughly understand. If you tell me 
 it means keeping things pleasant with the assist- 
 ance of doles, pensions, and grants I'm not going 
 to contradict you. Some of you new men call 
 this kind of thing ' bribery.' Well, all I've got 
 to say it's the custom of the country and you 
 can't easily get away from it. I don't agree with 
 Lord Dalhousie's forward policy, but, by gad ! sir, 
 he was right in urging the Court of Directors and 
 the ministry to permit the King of Oudh to retain 
 his sovereignty." 
 
 " But, sir, Shad Wajid Ali was a dissolute, 
 tyrannical scoundrel," objected Major Ormerod. 
 
 ' What then ? The people of India were used 
 to rulers of that kind. It was only when our men 
 of ' advanced opinions/ as they're called, came 
 along with their schemes of reform and their ideas 
 of governing India on European principles that 
 Oudh began to be discontented. Why couldn't 
 Oudh be treated as Delhi was some fifty years ago ?
 
 Bahadah Shah is still a King without much 
 power, it is true, but what does that matter ? 
 Sentiment is preserved, and that's everything in 
 India. Anyhow, the policy's worked well hitherto, 
 but how long it's going to continue is another 
 matter. I suppose you know what's going on in 
 Delhi, Major Ormerod ? ' ; 
 
 " You mean Lord Canning's determination to 
 dispossess the King of his Palace and to take it 
 over on military considerations ? '' 
 
 " That's just what I do mean. Lord Dalhousie 
 wanted the same thing, but the directors were so 
 strongly opposed that he let it alone. The Court 
 consulted me on the subject, and I told them that 
 if they wanted to stir up a hornets' nest they 
 couldn't do better than take Lord Dalhousie 's 
 advice. However, Lord Dalhousie gave way, and 
 
 10 and behold, the first thing Lord Canning does 
 after taking office last February is to carry into 
 effect what his predecessor was reluctant to do. 
 Lookers-on see most of the game, and some of 
 the letters I've received from private sources are 
 almost alarming." 
 
 " I quite agree with you, sir," said Ormerod. 
 "If we escape a row in Delhi we shall be lucky, 
 and as usual it will be the woman in the case I 
 beg your pardon, ladies," broke off the Major, 
 with an apologetic bow to Clare. 
 
 " Oh, please go on," she exclaimed laughingly. 
 
 11 Our unfortunate sex always has had the credit 
 of being at the bottom of every mischief. Eve 
 set the fashion, Adam sheltered himself behind 
 her, and I suppose human nature was made that 
 way. But, Major, we won't quarrel over what
 
 192 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 can't be helped. I'm dying to know more about 
 Delhi and the interesting woman. Who is she ? ''' 
 
 Major Ormerod had seen too much of Clare's 
 moods before she was married not to recognise 
 the note of sarcasm in her voice. It was doubt- 
 ful, however, whether any of the rest did. They 
 only detected light, harmless raillery. 
 
 ' The woman, Mrs. Meldrum, is Zeenut Mehal, 
 Bahadur Shah's youngest and favourite wife. 
 Perhaps you had an opportunity of seeing her 
 when you were living in your Delhi house. A 
 mere man, of course, would never have such a 
 privilege." 
 
 " I saw her once. She did not seem to me to 
 be particularly young. She has what, I believe, 
 is called a strong face. I should think if she set 
 her mind upon anything she'd get it." 
 
 " By George, madam, you're right," broke in 
 the old General. :f The Begum's not one to take 
 things meekly. She governs the old King and 
 everybody about her. Lord Canning's laying 
 up trouble for himself. He not only means to 
 take possession of the Palace but he refuses to 
 recognise Zeenut Mehal's wishes to make Jewan 
 Bukht, her grandson, Bahadur Shah's successor, 
 in place of the eldest son. There'll be a fine 
 rumpus directly the old King dies. Zeenut Mehal's 
 preparing for it. The man who writes to me is 
 behind the scenes, and he tells me she's intriguing 
 everywhere, and especially in the Deccan and 
 Persia, to foster a hostile feeling against England. 
 And that's not the worst of it. It's pretty certain 
 she's joined hands with Seereek Dhundoo Punth, 
 old Bajee Rao's adopted son I believe in Cawn-
 
 ANDREW MELDRUM'S LETTER 193 
 
 pore he's known as Nana Sahib who wants the 
 pension of 80,000 a year the Company granted 
 Bajee Rao when they deposed him. He was 
 Peishwa of Poonah, you know/' 
 
 " I'm glad the Company stood firm over that 
 piece of impudence. Dhundoo Punth doesn't 
 deserve 80,000 pence," said Ormerod. " I don't 
 mean because he was the son of a poor corn-dealer 
 of Poonah, but because I believe him to be sly 
 and revengeful. I've heard he's frightfully savage 
 at the Company's refusal, and if Zeenut Mehal 
 joins her craft with his discontent they may 
 succeed in stirring up I don't say rebellion, our 
 hold over the sepoys is too strong for that but 
 trouble. I tell you what, sir, the man who's 
 most wanted in Delhi just now is Guy Horsford. 
 He speaks half a dozen dialects and knows Delhi 
 like a native. I'm glad to hear he's coming to 
 Calcutta. He'll be within reach if he's wanted, 
 anyhow." 
 
 The ladies pricked up their ears at the sound of 
 Horsford's name, but none of them said a word. 
 Mrs. Brampton had her reasons for being silent ; 
 Mrs. Ormerod, remembering her compact with the 
 General's wife, felt that her lips were sealed, and 
 Clare, though eager to hear more, was afraid to 
 show undue curiosity before the Ormerods. 
 
 General Brampton could have said something in 
 very forcible language about Horsford. Resenting 
 Horsford's interference, he was strongly against 
 his wife taking charge of Nara, and was all for 
 sending her back. Mrs. Brampton, however, con- 
 vinced him that the lesser of two evils was to keep 
 the girl and say as little as possible about her, 
 
 13
 
 194 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 and grumpily he acquiesced. He declared, how- 
 ever, that he would never willingly see her, and he 
 gave orders that her name was never to be uttered 
 in his presence. So when Ormerod mentioned 
 Horsford approvingly his yellow skin took a 
 brickdust hue, and he spluttered out : 
 
 " He'd better stop in Burma. I don't believe 
 in these fellows who are said to be indispensable. 
 I've seen something of 'em ; more conceit than 
 work that's my experience. What's he going to 
 do in Calcutta ? ' 
 
 " It's some post connected with re-organisation. 
 There are less troops in India now than ever 
 there were, thanks to the Crimea business, and 
 some people are a good deal worried about it. 
 Anyhow, the man who writes me says that Hors- 
 ford will be in Calcutta quite six months, and 
 then will go on to Delhi. That's the place Lord 
 Canning will do well to keep his eye upon. Delhi's 
 the hub of India." 
 
 The General gave a grunt of acquiescence, and 
 a convenient pause occurring, Mrs. Ormerod ex- 
 changed glances with Mrs. Brampton, and reading 
 approval in her eyes, rose, an example which was 
 followed by the other ladies. The gentlemen 
 were not sorry to be left alone to their port. 
 
 " I'm very glad you gave me the signal," whis- 
 pered the General's wife to her hostess. " I was 
 on thorns all the while your husband was talking 
 about Colonel Horsford, lest he should say any- 
 thing which would let out the unfortunate story 
 before Mrs. Meldrum." 
 
 " Oh, the Major's most discreet// said Mrs. 
 Ormerod complacently. " I had to tell him, of
 
 course, but he understood the position, and he 
 promised not to say a word. It was a pity he 
 introduced Horsford's name, but luckily no harm 
 was done. I saw the General was getting very 
 angry, and was quite afraid of an outburst. 
 Luckily the storm passed/' 
 
 ' Yes, indeed/ 5 said Mrs. Brampton, with a 
 sigh of relief. 
 
 In the seclusion of the drawing-room Mrs. 
 Brampton opened to Clare the matter about which 
 she was so anxious. A load was taken off her 
 mind when Clare asked no questions, simply 
 saying that if the General's wife could vouch for 
 Nara's efficiency and honesty she would accept 
 the girl's services. 
 
 ' That's most kind of you," returned Mrs. 
 Brampton gratefully. " But you haven't seen the 
 girl. Would you care to call on me and 
 
 " Oh, I don't think that matters," interrupted 
 Clare. " She can come to me to-morrow and 
 commence her duties. I may have to start earlier 
 than I expected."
 
 CHAPTEE XIV 
 
 FAREWELL TO THE WEST 
 
 MRS. BRAMPTON was delighted that the trouble- 
 some business had been accomplished so easily. 
 The next morning she told Nara that she had 
 obtained a situation for her to wait upon a " very 
 nice lady " who was returning to India. The girl 
 did not fail to note the satisfaction with which the 
 announcement was made. Of course Aunt Lavinia 
 would be glad to get rid of her, but for this she 
 cared nothing. To think she was going back to 
 India was everything, and her eyes sparkled. In 
 spite of her desire to shift a disagreeable burden 
 from her shoulders, Mrs. Brampton was not pleased 
 at Nara's evident delight, but she considered it 
 politic to say nothing. In talking over the matter 
 afterwards with the General she characterised 
 Nara's demeanour as " base ingratitude." 
 
 All the morning was spent in buying what was 
 necessary for the girl's outfit, and in the afternoon 
 came the farewell, accompanied by many solemn 
 admonitions. 
 
 " Eecollect, Nara," said the lady impressively, 
 " all now depends upon yourself. I've tried to do 
 my duty by you, and should have continued to do 
 so, as far as it laid in my power, supposing you'd 
 
 196
 
 FAREWELL TO THE WEST 197 
 
 elected to remain in England, but as you've 
 chosen your path I'm no longer responsible for 
 anything you may do. You'll have a good, kind 
 mistress, and you must try to please her. If 
 you're well behaved you'll probably be with her 
 many years, and your future will be quite safe." 
 
 Her future ? Nara had thought of this many 
 times and with hopelessness. England to her was 
 so black and drear, so prim and artificial. She 
 pined for her own land, for its warmth, its gorgeous 
 colours, its picturesqueness and poetry, and she 
 pined for the handsome Englishman who had 
 risked his life to rescue her from shame and cruelty. 
 She had often tried to picture his face, she had 
 treasured the remembrance of his kindly smile 
 and cheery voice. She had gazed furtively at the 
 men she had seen in England, but there was never 
 one, she thought, who looked so brave and kind 
 as Sahib Horsford. To serve him as his slave was 
 the wish of her heart. That would be happiness. 
 
 At last the final word was said, and Nara was 
 seated in a stuffy, noisy, jolting " growler," its 
 floor strewn with ill-smelling, soddened straw. 
 To her the cab was typical of London as she always 
 seemed to have seen it sordid, mean, comfort- 
 less, ugly, depressing. The air outside was murky ; 
 a cold drizzle was falling. The bumping of the 
 cab on the uneven granite cubes of the roadway 
 and the deafening tattle, were intolerable, but filled 
 with exultation at the thought that it was for the 
 last time she did not heed her surroundings. The 
 only time she was disturbed was in Oxford Street, 
 when the traffic was blocked by a flock of be- 
 wildered sheep and a herd of irritated cattle. The
 
 198 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 yells of the drovers armed with spiked goads, 
 the bleating, the bellowing, the barking of dogs, 
 and the growls of angry coachmen, carmen, and 
 cabdrivers did not trouble her ; it was the delay 
 she could not endure. 
 
 But all came to an end ; the cab reached Brook 
 Street and drew up in front of the sedate hotel, 
 and in another five minutes Nara was face to face 
 with the lady whom for some time to come she 
 was to look upon as her mistress. The first glance 
 on both sides was one of indifference. In the 
 second curiosity was aroused, to be followed by a 
 feeling of antagonism, so slight and so subtle that 
 neither could say she was conscious of it. 
 
 Clare's reasons for hostility if her feelings 
 could be so crystallised were fairly easy to define. 
 She expected the average Eurasian fairer, pos- 
 sibly, than the pure-blooded native, and with the 
 subdued, furtive look characteristic of the half- 
 breed girl, as though she acknowledged she had no 
 place on. the earth and deprecated her existence. 
 There was none of this serf -like aspect about Nara. 
 Immediately her eyes fell on the dainty figure, full 
 of grace despite the uncompromising corset, the 
 inartistic flounces, the hideous bustle, she involun- 
 tarily drew herself up with a pride of demeanour 
 as pronounced as that of the fair Englishwoman. 
 
 Clare was seated at a writing-table when Nara 
 entered. Quite a minute went over before she 
 spoke, her somewhat hard, bluish-grey eyes mean- 
 while scrutinising the girl closely. 
 
 " Mrs. Brampton did not tell me your name. 
 What is it ? "'
 
 FAREWELL TO THE WEST 199 
 
 An Englishwoman who had never been in India 
 would probably have asked " Nara what ? " Not 
 so Clare ; she had never troubled about the names 
 of natives, and to her it did not matter whether a 
 man or a woman was called by one or half a dozen. 
 
 ' You'd better go to my rooms/' said she. 
 
 ' You'll find Fifine, my French maid, there. She 
 
 knows you're coming, and she'll instruct you in your 
 
 duties. I'm told you haven't had much experience." 
 
 " No " Then suddenly remembering her 
 
 aunt's admonitions, she added hastily the word 
 " Ma'am." 
 
 '' That doesn't matter so long as you're willing 
 to learn. You can go." 
 
 Nara glided from the room. She easily found her 
 way to Mrs. Meldrum's apartments, a suite of three, 
 one of which was fitted up as a boudoir. Fifine 
 was the usual lady's-maid, cringing or pert, as 
 circumstances demanded. As she had refused to 
 accompany her mistress to India there was no 
 question of being supplanted by Nara, and she 
 received the girl with affable condescension. 
 Mademoiselle was prepared to patronise the " black 
 girl " ; and she was taken back when the " black " 
 proved to be a shade fairer than herself. Her 
 English was somewhat imperfect, and Nara's French 
 was not much better, but they got on fairly well. 
 
 Clare was going to the opera that night. A 
 state function of some kind was on ; it would be 
 the last night of pleasuring she would have in 
 England, and she intended to leave an impression 
 behind that would dwell in the memories of her 
 many admirers. On the whole she had had in 
 London what nowadays would be called a " good
 
 200 A STAB OF THE EAST 
 
 time " ; her husband's wealth had procured her 
 an entree into some of the best and most exclusive 
 Anglo-Indian families, and the men were only too 
 glad to beau about so charming and fascinating a 
 lady. The fact that she was married added to 
 the attraction. To-night was to be a " send-off/' 
 again to quote the language of to-day. 
 
 The toilette was a most elaborate process. 
 Clare was inclined to be more fastidious and more 
 difficult to please than usual. She and Fifine had 
 long, anxious conferences over the selection of a 
 dress, and almost got to high words. At last the 
 important matter was settled, arid then came 
 another matter of even greater gravity the dress- 
 ing of the hair. Dressing hair was the one accom- 
 plishment in which Fifine did not shine. She was 
 deft in dressmaking and millinery, for her youth 
 had been passed with a Parisian modiste, and she 
 was skilful in the art of " making up " the face, 
 but her attempts with hair were not effective, 
 and especially so to-night. Clare wanted a string 
 of pearls interwoven into her tawny tresses, the 
 whole to be surmounted by a comb ornamented 
 with diamonds. The lady declared angrily that 
 Fifine had made her look like a May Queen that 
 danced round a Jack-in-the-Green. 
 
 Meanwhile Nara had done nothing but look on 
 from a distant corner. She was supposed to be 
 deriving benefit from watching Fifine 's proceed- 
 ings. After the French maid's third failure with 
 the hair Clare turned sharply to Nara. 
 
 " Mrs. Brampton said something about your 
 being clever at hairdressing. See what you can do. 
 This doesn't seem to be one of Fifine's good days."
 
 FAREWELL TO THE WEST 201 
 
 Mademoiselle tossed her head, and flinging the 
 brush and comb on the toilet table she bounced 
 out of the room. 
 
 " Impudent creature ! " exclaimed the indignant 
 mistress. " She presumes because she's leaving. I 
 do believe she's made me look a fright on purpose. 
 You heard me tell Fifine what I wanted, didn't you? " 
 
 ' Yes, ma'am." 
 
 " Come here, then ; take down my hair and 
 do your best with it." 
 
 Nara emerged from the shadow into the light 
 of the wax candles each side of the toilet glass. 
 The toilet table was strewn with sparkling gems. 
 If Clare had one passion it was for jewellery, and 
 especially for diamonds. After she accepted 
 Andrew Meldrum he was continually bringing her 
 presents. Some were modern trinkets from Paris ; 
 others were of Indian work, many of them exceed- 
 ingly rare and valuable. Nara gasped for breath, 
 partly because she, too, loved the glitter of gems, 
 and partly because the sight of the delicate and 
 intricate settings sent her memory back to the time 
 when Sundra Bai used to adorn her in preparation 
 for the dance. Whatever timidity she might have 
 felt at her first essay in her new vocation disappeared 
 in this vivid revival of the past. 
 
 The hair of the Indian dancing-girl is always 
 elaborately arranged, sometimes one way, some- 
 times another. Nara, owing to her European 
 father, was looked down upon by the other girls, 
 and put to wait upon them. In this way she 
 became expert in the art of hairdressing, and her 
 fingers had never lost their dexterity. To handle 
 Clare's soft, luxuriant, golden tresses was a supreme
 
 202 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 pleasure. They lent themselves to manipulation 
 beneath her deft touch much readier than the 
 harsh, black locks of the girls of India. As the 
 gradual building of the edifice went on Clare 
 watched the progress in the glass and her dis- 
 satisfied expression gradually softened into com- 
 placency. Nara had arranged her hair to set off 
 her beauty to the best advantage. The design 
 was quaint and unorthodox. It was bound to 
 attract, and that, with Clare, was everything. But 
 the triumph was the cunning intermingling of the 
 jewels. Though Clare had her eyes fixed on the 
 girl's nimble ringers she could not completely 
 follow their movements. The effect of the whole 
 was novel and effective. While handling the 
 pearls arid diamonds Nara, in her delight at the 
 gems, forgot her feeling of antagonism towards 
 Clare. As for Clare, she was loud in her praise. 
 
 ' You will suit me splendidly, Nara/' she ex- 
 claimed. ' You mustn't leave me when we get 
 to India; but perhaps you won't want to do so. 
 Please fasten this bracelet." 
 
 Nara took as much interest in adorning the 
 beautiful woman as though she were adorning 
 herself. She lingered lovingly over the Indian 
 jewels, and made suggestions as to the best way 
 of wearing them to show off their qualities. Clare 
 was charmed. When she surveyed herself in the 
 long glass she decided she had never looked better. 
 
 Her last evening in London was a brilliant 
 success. The other women of the party were put in 
 the shade, and she came back to the hotel feeling 
 that in Nara she had become possessed of a treasure. 
 
 The next day was occupied in shopping and
 
 FAEEWELL TO THE WEST 203 
 
 packing, and in the morning Clare called at the 
 offices of the P. & 0. Company and booked two 
 passages. That evening she and Nara went down 
 to Southampton and put up at an hotel for a day 
 and then went on board the steamer. 
 
 A week passed over, and Mrs. Brampton and 
 Mrs. Ormerod met to compare notes. The first 
 subject was that of Nara and Clare Meldrum. 
 The General's wife warmly thanked the wife of 
 the Major for her timely help, and expressed a 
 hope that she had seen the last of her poor brother's 
 superfluous daughter. 
 
 " I don't suppose she'll ever return to England. 
 She was quite out of place here. Clare is certain 
 to keep her in her service, the girl speaking, as 
 you told me she did, both Hindustani and English. 
 I only wish I'd had an ayah of that sort when I 
 was in Simla. I was robbed wholesale through not 
 knowing the language thoroughly. By the way, 
 I had a letter from Mary Chowden yesterday, 
 written just before the steamer started from 
 Southampton. She's going back to India. You 
 remember Colonel Chowden, of course ? '' 
 
 ' Yes, he fought under my husband at Mooltan." 
 
 ' Well, Mary's his daughter. We're very old 
 friends. She told me in her letter that she'd met 
 Clare Meldrum on board and introduced herself. 
 Clare told her she was going on to Calcutta. 
 What's she doing that for ? I don't understand it." 
 
 " Perhaps Miss Chowden made a mistake," sug- 
 gested Mrs. Brampton. 
 
 " Not she. I never knew a sharper girl. Of 
 course it's no affair of mine. All I can say is that 
 the thing's very puzzling. Mr. Meldrum being so
 
 204 A STAK OF THE EAST 
 
 ill as Clare made out, one would think she would 
 go to Delhi the nearest way. I know that in 
 Simla Clare was an outrageous flirt, and it was 
 whispered that Guy Horsford, who never took 
 much notice of girls, was quite smitten. But that's 
 five years ago and since then Clare's married." 
 
 The two ladies exchanged significant glances. 
 Nowadays one would have said a process of tele- 
 pathy was going on. 
 
 " Didn't your husband say that Colonel Hors- 
 ford had obtained a post at Calcutta ? ' ; asked 
 Mrs. Brampton after a pause. 
 
 " Certainly, and it's that which strikes me as 
 so curious." 
 
 Again an exchange of glances. 
 
 " Surely there can't be any connection between 
 the two things I mean that Mrs. Meldrum and 
 Colonel Horsford should both be going to Calcutta." 
 
 " Oh, I don't think that for a moment," re- 
 turned Mrs. Ormerod, with such promptitude that 
 those who knew her best, had they heard her, 
 would have said at once that this was what she 
 had been thinking, and not only for a moment but 
 ever since she had read Mary Chowden's letter. 
 
 " Still one never knows," she continued. " It 
 was always a mystery why Clare and her husband 
 did not get on well together. The reason never 
 oozed out, and the secrecy both observed was in 
 itself suspicious. I shall write to Mary and ask 
 her whether she's heard anything. As I said be- 
 fore, it's no affair of mine, but one likes to know." 
 
 Mrs. Brampton quite coincided in these views, 
 and then the ladies fell to discussing other matters 
 of more immediate interest.
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 MISTRESS AND MAID 
 
 THE steamer Indus was slowly making its way up 
 the Hooghly. It was sunset and the passengers 
 crowded to the side of the vessel to admire the 
 gorgeous colouring of the western sky. To the 
 north-east Fort William, opposite which the vessel 
 would shortly be moored, loomed sombre and 
 grey, save where the walls caught the glory of the 
 sinking sun. Those whose eyes for the first time 
 lighted upon a Calcutta sunset one of the few 
 picturesque pictures the city presents were loudly 
 expressing their admiration. But two of the 
 gazers were silent Clare and Nara. 
 
 Nara, leaning her elbows on the taffrail and 
 cradling her chin in her hands, her eyes dilated, 
 her lips slightly parted, drank in with delight the 
 varied tints, from a golden brown to the palest 
 of green, changing continually but so gradually 
 that one was hardly conscious of any movement. 
 The instincts of her mother's blood were moving 
 within her, but she did not know it. She was 
 quite content to watch the picture without 
 troubling about the source of the deep sense of 
 pleasure, of content, of rest, of longing at last 
 satisfied. 
 
 205
 
 206 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 With Clare it was otherwise. There was no 
 rest for her active brain, for her fevered heart. 
 She had been the life and soul of the saloon during 
 the voyage, and her gaiety was the theme of 
 admiration, especially among the subalterns who 
 were going out to join their regiments, not a few 
 of them, poor fellows, to their speedy death. 
 But at night a hundred gloomy thoughts oppressed 
 her, and more than once she reproached herself 
 bitterly for her folly in yielding to what she some- 
 times called a caprice, but which she knew was 
 nothing of the kind. It had been a settled con- 
 viction with her for some time past that she would 
 never be happy until she had come face to face 
 with Guy Horsford once more. If fate were only 
 kind enough to gratify her, she might even return 
 to her husband, and, outwardly at least, allow 
 herself to be reconciled. 
 
 " A word a look will do that/' she told herself 
 scornfully. 
 
 Caprice or not, here she was at Calcutta, and if 
 Horsford were there she determined not to leave 
 the city until she had seen him. 
 
 The passengers disembarked. Some of the 
 ladies were stopping for a few weeks in Calcutta, 
 where they had friends and connections ; and to 
 avoid remark in the future as to her reason for 
 remaining in Calcutta Clare adopted the suggestion 
 of a lady who, after her stay in Calcutta, was 
 going on to Cawnpore that they should put up at 
 the same boarding-house for the sake of com- 
 panionship. This settled, then came the question 
 of Nara. Clare had never overcome her feeling 
 of antipathy towards the girl, but she had not a
 
 MISTEESS AND MAID 207 
 
 word to say against her. However, she had taken 
 Mrs. Ormerod's hint about engaging her for the 
 voyage only, and one day, after she had been in 
 Calcutta a week, she brought up the subject. 
 
 ' You know as much about English ways as I 
 do, Nara, so I suppose you're aware that I can, if 
 I like, discharge you without notice." 
 ' Yes." 
 
 ' You remember then what was said when I 
 engaged you ? y ' 
 
 " Oh, yes/' 
 
 A look of annoyance crept into Clare's face. It 
 seemed to her that since she had landed the girl 
 was not so respectful as she had been on board 
 the steamer. 
 
 ' What do you wish yourself ? Do you care to 
 stay on ? >: 
 
 " I want to get to Delhi." 
 
 " So you told me. I may be going there 
 shortly, but I don't know when. I suppose you're 
 in no hurry ? ' ; 
 
 ' I will stay with you for a little. I should 
 like to be engaged by the week." 
 
 " Oh, very well," said the lady haughtily, " let 
 it be so. It's fair for one as for the other. That 
 will do." 
 
 Nara waited in case her mistress had need of her, 
 but Clare threw herself back on the couch, and 
 took up a book as a sign that she had said all that 
 was necessary, and Nara glided away. The look 
 of annoyance on Clare's face deepened. 
 
 " The girl's like all the rest. East or West 
 they're just the same," she burst out angrily. 
 " Directly they think you can't do without them
 
 208 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 they begin to give themselves airs. I was in two 
 minds to pack her off there and then. She would 
 like to be engaged by the week ! Indeed ! What 
 next, I wonder ? I suppose I'm experiencing 
 something of the disrespect that those people from 
 Allahabad were talking about at dinner last night. 
 They were saying that the native servants were 
 becoming almost offensive in their behaviour to- 
 wards their masters and mistresses. I certainly 
 shan't endure any insulting conduct from Nara. 
 Just to punish her I won't take her to Delhi with 
 me that is," she added hastily, " if I do go. It 
 was all very well on board the steamer to have a 
 maid who looks half English and even then the 
 thing wasn't without embarrassment but in India 
 well, I don't want to be mixed up in any scandal. 
 It's a great mistake when girls in a low class of 
 life have pretty faces. It would be much better 
 for themselves and for other people if they were 
 born plain and grew up ugly." 
 
 It was certainly true that the captain of the 
 Indus had asked Mrs. Meldrum to keep an eye on 
 her handsome maid. He had not a word, he told 
 Clare, to say against the girl, who was as quiet and 
 as well-behaved as a lady, but she could not pre- 
 vent men looking at her and falling in love with 
 her. Already there had been a serious fight be- 
 tween two of the petty officers on her account, and 
 he was not going to have the discipline of the ship 
 upset by a pair of enticing eyes. Clare had not 
 forgotten the episode, nor was she blind to the 
 fact that the male portion of the saloon passengers 
 had no eyes for herself when Nara was with her. 
 
 The nearer the steamer approached the land of
 
 MISTRESS AND MAID 209 
 
 the sun the more pronounced became the evidence 
 of the girl's Asiatic descent. This evidence was 
 difficult to define. It might have been something 
 in the free and graceful carriage of the figure, it 
 might have been the steadfast, wistful look in the 
 shining, dark eyes such a look as one sees in the 
 eyes of a faithful dog nobody could say exactly 
 what it was, but all were conscious of it, especially 
 the men, who in the unfettered smoking-room 
 often discussed Clare and her attractive ayah. 
 
 The gradual change irritated Clare. In some 
 subtle, irrational way she chose to regard the 
 admiration Nara excited as a personal slight to 
 herself, and she was often intensely snappish in 
 consequence, to the surprise of the girl, who could 
 not understand what offence she had committed. 
 The truth was, though neither was aware of it, 
 the antagonism of race was asserting itself. 
 " Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants shall he 
 be unto his brethren," cried Noah in the bitterness 
 of his wrath, and the memory has never died out, 
 nor will it ever do so as long as black is black and 
 white is white. The spirit of the ancient prophecy 
 was lurking in Clare's mind, unsuspected, when 
 she rose from the couch and rang her bell sharply. 
 Nara presented herself. 
 
 "I've been thinking, Nara, that as you're now 
 in your native land it would be better if you went 
 back to your native dress. What you are wearing 
 now is neither one thing nor the other. I've toler- 
 ated it hitherto because under the circumstances 
 allowances had to be made for you, but if you left 
 me you would hardly be able to obtain another 
 situation unless you looked like an ordinary ayah. 
 
 H
 
 210 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 The sooner you make the change and get back 
 to your proper station in life the more advantageous 
 it will be for you. No doubt Mrs. Brampton was 
 very indulgent, but you mustn't expect in India 
 to be as you were in England/' 
 
 " I don't expect it but but I should like to 
 look like an English girl a little longer." 
 
 " Why ? " 
 
 Nara drooped her eyes and nervously twisted 
 her ringers. 
 
 " I cannot tell you why." 
 
 " It's all nonsense," returned Clare brusquely ; 
 " you must have some reason. What is it ? ' 
 
 The girl made no answer, but went on twisting 
 her fingers. 
 
 ' We needn't argue the point. You will please 
 do as I say, and as soon as possible. Don't let 
 us have any misunderstanding. You had better 
 go and see about it at once." 
 
 Nara went slowly from the room, and Clare, 
 throwing herself back on the couch with her arms 
 thrown above her shoulders and her head resting 
 in the hollows of her clasped hands, relapsed into 
 her favourite pastime of building castles in the 
 air. Gradually her irritation passed away. She 
 had been invited to a reception at Government 
 House the following week, and she was not only 
 anxious to go but equally anxious to look her 
 best, and no one could dress and adorn her like 
 Nara. While she remained in Calcutta Nara's 
 services were indispensable. One especial reason 
 of her desire to be present was that at Government 
 House, the centre of English rule, she would hear 
 the latest news, military and civil. The talk was
 
 MISTRESS AND MAID 211 
 
 certain to be mainly of a personal nature, and she 
 might learn something of Guy HorsforcTs move- 
 ments. Up to the present she had not been able 
 to find out whether he had returned from Burma. 
 
 Meanwhile Nara was walking slowly down the 
 main street towards the native quarter. It was of 
 no use defying her mistress unless she wished to 
 break with her entirely, and she was not prepared 
 to do this yet. Ever since she had been in Calcutta 
 she had taken every opportunity of going out and 
 wandering in the direction of Government House 
 in the hopes of seeing " Sahib Horsford," and 
 had even had the courage to ask one of the sentries 
 if he could tell her anything. Mr. Atkins would 
 have replied to her surlily had she been old or 
 ugly, but being what she was he suggested she 
 should meet him when he was off duty, a proposal 
 which she answered by walking away at once. 
 Like Clare, she could get no information, and like 
 her also she meant to stay in Calcutta until she 
 was successful. 
 
 Nara's object just now was not so much to 
 pursue her search as to purchase a native dress, 
 and this could not be done so well in the fashionable 
 shops patronised by European ladies as in the 
 bazaars of the native quarter. Her motive for 
 retaining her English attire was both definite and 
 romantic. She understood perfectly well Mrs. 
 Mowatt had indeed taken considerable trouble to 
 impress it on her mind that Sahib Horsford was 
 anxious that she should become English, both in 
 her ways and appearance, and that his hope was 
 she would always remain in England. She knew 
 she had disobeyed his wishes in returning to India,
 
 212 A STAK OF THE EAST 
 
 and she thought it would conciliate him if, should 
 they chance to meet, he saw her in her English 
 frock. 
 
 She reached a squalid, narrow turning, full of 
 natives, jabbering, laughing, quarrelling. The 
 roadway was filthy, the smell none too pleasant. 
 The bazaars of Calcutta are less interesting than 
 those of any other city in India. They are not 
 picturesque, and the admixture of very question- 
 able people from other parts of the world does 
 not add to their attractiveness. 
 
 An English girl would have been frightened to 
 mingle with the jostling crowd, but Nara entered 
 the bazaar without hesitation. The noise was 
 disturbing, the sight of some of the men was re- 
 pulsive, but she was not deterred. The customs, 
 the prejudices, the likes and dislikes of the East were 
 rapidly coming back to her, and she knew that 
 the majority of the crowd looked upon her as 
 immodest for appearing in the street with her face 
 unveiled. But nobody was surprised. They could 
 see she was an Eurasian, and a daughter of the 
 East and West might well be degenerate. Be- 
 sides they were used to Indo-Europeans ; there 
 were any number in Calcutta. 
 
 Nara lingered at a shop which was little better 
 than a stall. Some stuff had taken her fancy, and 
 she prepared for hard bargaining. The shop- 
 keeper, after the manner of his kind, asked six 
 times as much as he would take in the end. The 
 customer knew this quite well, and the merchant 
 knew that she did, but the pleasure of chaffering 
 was too keen to be easily relinquished. 
 
 While the girl was beating down the shopkeeper
 
 MISTRESS AND MAID 213 
 
 to her price voices could be heard on the other 
 side of the gaily coloured woollen hangings which 
 divided the shop from the rest of the premises. 
 For some little time Nara did not heed the sounds, 
 but suddenly a few words struck a chord in her 
 memory and carried her back to the days of her 
 nomadic wanderings as a dancing-girl. And not 
 only were the words familiar, but also the voice 
 of one of the speakers. Over five years had gone 
 by since she had heard those shrill, harsh tones, 
 but they were not to be mistaken. The voice, she 
 was sure, was that of Sundra Bai, the proprietress 
 of the dancing troupe, generally known as the 
 " Begum," though she had not the slightest claim 
 to the title. 
 
 For a moment Nara was paralysed with fear. 
 She was tempted to pay the shopkeeper his price 
 and escape with her purchase but for one word 
 uttered by the shrill voice. It was softened after 
 the Indian fashion, but unmistakable. 
 
 " Sahib Horsford." 
 
 This was enough for the girl. She resumed her 
 bargaining, talking very much at random, her ears 
 fixed on what was going on behind the hangings. 
 
 ' You must do what I tell you/' snarled the 
 shrill voice. " It is Zeenut Mehal's orders. I 
 dare not disobey them. She will pay you well." 
 ' Yes yes, but I I fear. There are others I 
 must think of. If they approve well " 
 
 " Others ? What others ? Who is it who 
 raises his will against Zeenut Mehal's ? '' 
 
 " I must not say. You who are in one of 
 Zeenut MehaTs secrets ought to know this one. 
 If I do what you ask me it will put the Sahib-
 
 214 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 logues on their guard. We are not ready yet. 
 We must wait the signal, and that will not happen 
 until the fatal day of Plassy draws near." 
 
 ' You are talking in riddles, Muza Khan. I 
 know nothing of your fatal days. I only know 
 the will of Zeenut Mehal and my own righteous 
 vengeance. Bhowanee will not allow the death 
 of Hoosein Khan to go unpunished." 
 
 " Bhowanee," repeated the other in a hushed 
 voice, " the goddess of murderers of the thug." 
 ' Yes. Hoosein Khan was Mahoinmedan, but 
 he had been a thug when he was young, and 
 Bhowanee protects the thug whatever his faith 
 may be. You know how I was taking Nara, the 
 cleverest, the most enticing, the fairest of all my 
 tuwaifs, to Zeenut Mehal. The Begum had set 
 her heart upon getting her. Her boy Jewan 
 Bukht, the apple of her eye, had once seen Nara 
 dance and asked his mother for her. It was 
 enough. The girl must be had at any price. She 
 would have loaded me with gold had I brought 
 Nara to her safely, but I was robbed of the child 
 yes, robbed, Muza and Hoosein Khan was 
 murdered. I swore by Siva I would never rest, 
 while life was in my body, until I had my revenge 
 on the accursed Feringhee, the thief of Nara the 
 assassin of Hoosein Khan." 
 
 " Is this true ? " faltered Muza. 
 
 " I swear it. Zeenut Mehal set her spies to 
 work, and I warrant you it was not long before 
 they found out that Azeena's father, Kulloo Bux, 
 the grain dealer of Delhi, had a hand in the plot. 
 Kulloo Bux was seized, taken to the Palace and 
 tortured. In the agonies of death he confessed.
 
 MISTEESS AND MAID 215 
 
 Azeena and Sahib Horsford strangled Hoosein 
 Khan. Sahib Horsford stole the girl and sent her 
 across the Black Water, the Sahib himself fled to 
 Burma to escape Zeenut MehaTs wrath. He has 
 returned ; he is now in Calcutta. Doubtless he 
 thinks Zeenut Mehal no longer cares that I have 
 forgotten. A daughter of Siva never forgets. 
 You must kill him, Muza. What now of the 
 others you talk about ? Why should they come 
 between me and my vengeance ? }: 
 
 " I will tell you, but you must be dumb 
 breathe not a word. It might mean your death 
 and mine too. Great things, noble things are 
 promised before the next monsoon. Our people 
 have been patient and their patience will be soon 
 rewarded. A hundred years ago next June the 
 fate of our country was sealed by the battle of 
 Plassy. It was a shameful fight. Thousands of 
 our fighting men covered themselves and our land 
 with dishonour they yielded to a mere handful 
 of the Feringhees. We have seen chains heaped 
 upon us year after year since the Feringhees 
 hungered for our country ; and that is not enough 
 they now hunger for our religion. Why has the 
 Sahib Dalhousie gone ? The Sahib was a great 
 warrior and he took our lands, but he respected 
 our faiths, and that was why he was not permitted 
 to remain. The Sahib Canning has been sent to 
 destroy our religion the religion of our fore- 
 fathers. We are to be made Christians you will 
 be forced to eat the flesh of oxen, of pigs. Yes, 
 unless we fight now for our faith we are doomed. 
 Do you understand ? " 
 
 The man's voice suggested suppressed passion
 
 216 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 in its quivering tones. A long silence followed. 
 Nara, in the shop, pretended to be interested in 
 other goods nearer the curtain, and moved thither 
 to hear better. She was not concerned with the 
 man's talk about what was to happen during the 
 year. She knew nothing about Plassy, about Lord 
 Dalhousie, about Lord Canning. Very little his- 
 tory was taught at Mrs. Granger's seminary for 
 young ladies. To be able to repeat in parrot 
 fashion the dates of the reigns of the English kings 
 and queens was considered quite enough for any 
 young-lady to know. But, in spite of her ignorance, 
 Nara felt that what she overheard meant trouble. 
 But this was overshadowed by her anxiety con- 
 cerning Horsford. Sundra Bai's appearance in 
 Calcutta was fully accounted for, and Nara shud- 
 dered. She knew the cruel, the venomous nature 
 of the " Begum " no one better. There was 
 danger to herself if she were recognised, but she 
 cared nothing for this so that she could find Hors- 
 ford and warn him. 
 
 The talk began again, but it was carried on in 
 low tones, and all that Nara could make out was 
 that the execution of Sundra Bai's vengeance was 
 to be deferred until the plans of the " others " 
 were ready to be carried out. Directly Nara was 
 satisfied that the compact was settled she closed 
 the bargain with the shopkeeper and fled. She 
 was only just in time, for the next minute the 
 hangings parted and the old " Begum," fat as a 
 porpoise, and more evil-looking than ever, waddled 
 into the shop.
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 IN THE BALCONY 
 
 THE dinner hour at the boarding-house was seven 
 o'clock. At half -past eight Clare went to her 
 room to dress for a concert at which she had 
 promised to sing. She summoned Nara, but with 
 no result. Then one of the servants of the house 
 told her that nothing had been seen of the ayah 
 for some time. She had gone out about five 
 o'clock, but had not returned. Clare was inclined 
 to fly into a passion, but there was no one at hand 
 upon whom she could vent her temper, and she 
 thought better of it. She dressed herself with 
 the assistance of an ayah of another lady boarder. 
 The concert was got up by a colonel's wife, an 
 excellent pianist, in aid of some charity, and it 
 was supported almost entirely by the officers and 
 their wives and relatives. A barrier slight but 
 distinct enough existed between the military and 
 civil sections, although they were continually asso- 
 ciated. Eurasians, in spite of there being many 
 in Calcutta who were very wealthy, were con- 
 sidered quite impossible. This ostracism even 
 extended to any Englishwoman who elected to 
 marry an Indo-Briton. The doors of all the 
 higher circles were closed against her, however 
 
 217
 
 218 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 rich, or whatever might be the attainments of the 
 man of her choice. 
 
 The preponderance of the military element at 
 the concert gave Clare hopes of hearing news of 
 Horsford. At all events, she intended to make 
 inquiries. These inquiries sent her home from 
 the concert in a flutter of joyful expectation. 
 She had heard that Horsford was in Calcutta, and 
 that he was certain to be at the Governor-General's 
 reception the following week. The thought that 
 she was about to see him engrossed her completely, 
 and drove every other idea out of her head. She 
 had quite forgotten Nara and her strange absence, 
 and she rang the bell mechanically. The girl came 
 into the room so pale and so agitated that Clare, 
 in spite of her absorption, did not fail to notice 
 her altered appearance. 
 
 ' What have you been doing ? You were not 
 here when I came up to dress after dinner. You 
 knew I was going out, and yet you must choose 
 to suit your own convenience, and leave me to 
 shift for myself. I can't put up with that kind 
 of thing. Where did you go ? ''' 
 
 '' To buy the sari and other things you said I 
 was to wear/' Nara answered. She seemed to be 
 very weak, and grasped the back of a chair to 
 steady herself. 
 
 " That was at five o'clock. It's now nearly 
 midnight. What time did you come in ? ' ; 
 
 " About an hour ago." 
 
 Clare frowned. She expected Nara to name a 
 much earlier hour> and hoped for the satisfaction 
 of rinding her out in a falsehood. The girl's frank 
 admission rather took the wind out of Clare's
 
 IN THE BALCONY 219 
 
 sails, but she had another tack to go upon the 
 reason of Nara's stopping out so late. She put 
 the question. 
 
 " I heard bad news in the bazaar about 
 about a friend. He is in great danger, and I 
 wanted to warn him. I have been walking about 
 trying to find him, but could not ; then rude men, 
 seeing me alone, spoke to me. I was frightened, 
 and I ran home." 
 
 " It serves you right for being so silly as to stop 
 out so late. Calcutta swarms with bad char- 
 acters. You ought to know that better than I 
 do. Take my hair down and brush it." 
 
 Nara pulled herself together, but the brushing 
 of Clare's luxuriant hair was done languidly and 
 in a perfunctory fashion. She was relieved that 
 Clare did not further question her. Her story 
 was perfectly true. She had walked up and down 
 in front of Government House until, as might be 
 expected, she was spoken to. She reached the 
 boarding-house exhausted and trembling. 
 
 The days went on. The nerves both of Clare 
 and Nara were so highly strung that it was wonder- 
 ful they did not quarrel. Never was their antago- 
 nism so pronounced. Clare at times was at such 
 a pitch of tension that she was strongly tempted 
 to pay the girl a month's wages and tell her to go. 
 Nara's very presence irritated her. But her skill 
 in dressing hair that had to be thought of. She 
 must be retained until the reception at Govern- 
 ment House. After that was over the sooner she 
 went the better. 
 
 As for Nara, the listlessness and languor, indi- 
 cative of the Eastern strain in her nature, so
 
 220 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 manifest after her arrival in Calcutta, had dis- 
 appeared. The realisation of many a dream was 
 at hand. She had now something to live for. 
 
 :< The Sahib is in danger. I must warn him," 
 she repeated to herself over and over again, as 
 though to keep her mission in mind. As if she 
 could ever forget it ! But it was very difficult to 
 fulfil. Not only did Clare refuse her permission 
 to go out save for a very short time, taunting her 
 with wanting to meet the admirer who had kept 
 her out so late on the night of the concert, but 
 when she stole out while Clare was visiting she 
 had to be constantly on the watch lest she should 
 meet the " Begum." 
 
 On the day of the reception at Government House 
 Clare was a little more amiable, possibly because 
 she wanted Nara to be in a good humour on account 
 of the all-important business of the toilette. 
 
 " Do you remember, Nara, the first time you 
 did my hair ? " she asked, in dulcet tones. 
 
 ' Yes, I dp." 
 
 " I want it arranged in the same way for to- 
 night with the rope of pearls, you know, and 
 the diamonds at the sides." 
 
 " I understand." 
 
 Clare took her seat in front of the toilette glass, 
 and Nara began. She did not take particular 
 pains, and perhaps for that very reason was all 
 the more successful. There was an air of abandon, 
 an absence of effort which added to the effect. 
 Clare was highly pleased, and certainly she never 
 looked more handsome and attractive. 
 
 " I'll see how she goes on. Perhaps I won't get 
 rid of her just yet," was her thought.
 
 IN THE BALCONY 221 
 
 After the reception, which was confined to the 
 officers in or passing through Calcutta, there was 
 to be a soiree with music, and perhaps dancing. 
 It all depended upon Lady Canning. She had the 
 reputation of being exceedingly amiable, and 
 every one was sure there would be no rigid formality. 
 
 The proceedings were well advanced when Clare 
 entered the crowded room. A military band was 
 playing some lively Offenbach airs ; some of the 
 guests were promenading, groups were talking, 
 the inevitable " wall-flowers " were not absent. 
 Clare had come with a lady who was a personal 
 friend of Lady Canning's, and the introduction to 
 her hostess over, she was at liberty to look about 
 her. 
 
 When Clare entered the room she saw with 
 much satisfaction people turning their heads to 
 look at her. The whisperings which followed did 
 not go unnoticed. Clare knew she was being 
 criticised, and she was quite indifferent whether 
 the criticisms were favourable or the reverse. The 
 women were probably severely condemnatory, 
 but this condemnation was a compliment. It 
 was the opinion of the men that mattered. One 
 rapid glance round told her that she had their 
 admiration. 
 
 A knot of officers were in deep conversation in 
 one corner. The centre of the group was a man 
 to whom the others paid great deference. The 
 officer on his right had his back turned towards 
 Clare, and something said to him caused him to 
 turn towards the speaker and reply. Clare saw 
 his profile, and her heart beat violently. It was 
 like Guy Horsford's and yet unlike. The face was
 
 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 certainly thinner, the features more clearly cut 
 than Guy's were five years before. Suddenly he 
 threw his head back slightly with a quick move- 
 ment Clare remembered well when he wished to 
 be emphatic. The little trick of manner revealed 
 his personality at once. 
 
 The tell-tale blood rushed to her cheeks. The 
 lady who had accompanied her was speaking, but 
 Clare did not hear a word. The consciousness 
 that the man who for over five years had never 
 been for long absent from her thoughts was in 
 sight of her eyes was overwhelming. She had 
 mentally rehearsed the scene of their first meeting 
 many times. She intended to be very calm and 
 cool ; she was certain she would be quite mistress 
 of her emotions. Now that the moment had 
 arrived she felt as helpless as a child. 
 
 One of her grievances against Horsford, and the 
 one that angered her most, was the blow his 
 desertion as she called it had inflicted on her 
 vanity. This grievance was sometimes palliated 
 by the thought that possibly it was a sense of her 
 fascinations which had kept him away. She had 
 tried to comfort herself by fancying that he was 
 afraid of being tempted. For she had tempted 
 him once, impelled by some power she could not 
 resist a power that had found her at her weakest. 
 The punishment she meant to inflict was that he 
 should be again fascinated, only to be disappointed. 
 She had longed to see him make love to her she 
 had longed to laugh in his face. This was only 
 one of her many moods. She had others which 
 were tender and forgiving. 
 
 But now everything was forgotten in the one
 
 IN THE BALCONY 223 
 
 supreme fact that he was within sight, almost 
 within hearing. All thought of the mask of in- 
 difference she intended to put on, of the piece of 
 clever acting she meant to essay was gone. An 
 inexplicable fear seized her. Something seemed 
 to say that it were safer and better not to meet 
 him. It was so easy to invent an excuse a 
 sudden headache would be enough. Yet the very 
 idea of showing the white feather concerning the 
 man over whom she had once triumphed and 
 whom she had dreamed of bringing to his knees 
 was sufficient to awake her rebellious spirit. She 
 roused herself, and her elastic nervous system 
 answered to the call. 
 
 ' Who is the officer in the centre of the group 
 over yonder ? " said she. 
 
 It was marvellous how she had conquered her 
 emotions. She spoke to her friend in the tone of 
 one who had no interest in putting the question 
 beyond idle curiosity. 
 
 ' That is the commander-in-chief, General 
 Anson," said the lady. " He and my husband 
 are old comrades." 
 
 ' You know him very well then ? '' 
 
 " Oh yes. He is a very charming man. I hope 
 his responsibilities just now won't prove too 
 heavy for him. Great changes are taking place 
 everywhere in India, and some people talk very 
 gloomily about the future. I don't know why, 
 for all seems very much the same to me." 
 
 " Of course. You needn't go far at any time 
 for dismal prophets. They date from Jeremiah. 
 I like General Anson's face exceedingly." 
 
 " When I see an opportunity I'll try to introduce
 
 224 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 you. Just now he appears to be much absorbed. 
 No doubt he is interested in what has been going 
 on in Burma. The man to the right, Colonel 
 Horsford, went through the whole of the campaign 
 and has just come from Pegu." 
 
 " Colonel Horsford ? I knew a little of a Cap- 
 tain Horsford in Simla years ago. Would that be 
 the same ? '' 
 
 " Most likely. You may have a chance of 
 satisfying yourself. It's always pleasant to re- 
 new old acquaintances." 
 
 ' Yes of course. Thank you very much, dear 
 Mrs. Chandos." 
 
 Clare could hardly trust herself to speak. 
 Outwardly quite composed, for the rosy colour had 
 fled under the tenseness of her nerves, inwardly 
 she was a prey to conflicting emotions. Once 
 more the monitor of her conscience spoke to her, 
 but she steeled herself against its warnings. 
 
 " Ah, now is our chance," said Mrs. Chandos. 
 " Lady Canning has broken up the conference. 
 Well saunter by and then we can stop as if acci- 
 dentally. I shall be glad to exchange a few words 
 with the General. I haven't had the opportunity 
 of talking to him yet." 
 
 Mrs. Chandos was as good as her word. She 
 carried out her little plan successfully ; General 
 Anson received Clare with the amiable deference 
 a man, no matter what his rank may be, always 
 shows towards a pretty woman, and they chatted 
 about Simla, Mrs. Chandos having mentioned that 
 Mrs. Meldrum, or rather her husband, had a 
 bungalow there. 
 
 " I'm going to start for the hills shortly," said
 
 IN THE BALCONY 225 
 
 the General pleasantly. " Perhaps I shall have 
 the pleasure of meeting you." 
 
 Clare smiled, and said she hoped so. Then 
 Mrs. Chandos intervened, and Clare turned her 
 eyes carelessly and let them fall on Horsford's 
 bronzed face. She purposely showed no sign of 
 recognition. She wanted him to speak first. Her 
 dissimulation was perfect. While she was staring 
 blankly at him, she was quite conscious he knew 
 her and was struggling to appear at ease. It gave 
 her a sense of triumph to know that she apparently 
 was unmoved and that he was in some confusion. 
 
 But she was mistaken as to the cause. He did 
 not know she was married, and to hear her intro- 
 duced as Mrs. Meldrum to General Anson came upon 
 him with the effect of a cold douche. Though in 
 the old days at Simla he had a sense of rivalry 
 in regard to Andrew Meldrum, he never imagined 
 Clare had thought seriously about the merchant. 
 
 " Clare ! " she heard him say. 
 
 The sound of his deep, sonorous voice was almost 
 too much for her self-possession. It brought back 
 so much that was tender and human. All her 
 intended artifices vanished. She put out her 
 hand without a word, her eyes humid, a faint rose- 
 tint suffusing her face even to her neck. It was 
 rare that Clare showed such emotion. 
 
 " I'm glad to see you looking so well," he went 
 on after a pause. 
 
 :c Thank you Colonel Horsford. You see, I've 
 heard of your advancement. I'm sure it's well 
 deserved. May I congratulate you ? Meanwhile," 
 she added, with a touch of her old raillery, " it 
 isn't necessary to hold my hand for ever," 
 
 15
 
 226 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 She could not resist the thrust. It was accom- 
 panied by a swift glance, at once reproachful and 
 indulgent. 
 
 " I beg your pardon Mrs. Meldrum." 
 
 Horsford did not mean this as a counter-thrust. 
 Clare, however, so interpreted it. The " Mrs. 
 Meldrum " sent a disagreeable little shiver over 
 her body. 
 
 Suddenly he discovered they were by them- 
 selves. The group of talkers had broken up, Mrs. 
 Chandos had gone off with General Anson, and 
 there was no one near to whom they were known. 
 But in a crowded room anything like an exchange 
 of confidences was impossible. 
 
 " Shall we move from here ? ''' said Horsford 
 presently. " I fancy we're rather in the way. 
 Let us go into the balcony. The noise of the band 
 is rather distracting, don't you think so ? 3i 
 
 She bowed and took his proffered arm without 
 a word. They threaded their way between the 
 groups towards the long, door-like windows open- 
 ing into the balcony, which looked cool and 
 refreshing enough, transformed as it had been into 
 a bower of foliage and flowers. 
 
 While traversing the room Clare had had time 
 to collect herself. It was too bad of Guy, she 
 thought, to irritate her before they had been 
 together five minutes. They sat down on a seat 
 just large enough for both, and half shielded from 
 the gaze of any one in the room who might pass 
 the open window. 
 
 ' You don't look a day older, Clare," said he, 
 breaking a silence which promised to become 
 embarrassing.
 
 IN THE BALCONY 227 
 
 !( Nor you. Perhaps a little thinner." 
 
 ' Very likely. I've been doing a deal of hard 
 work the last five years, but hard work suits me." 
 
 " Oh, you're not any the worse for being thinner. 
 The alert, wiry man is always the best." 
 
 If Clare had intended to express her liking for 
 Guy Horsford she could not have gone nearer the 
 mark, for he answered to the description. His 
 active life away from enervating Delhi had vastly 
 improved him. He had not an ounce of super- 
 fluous flesh. He suggested a finely trained horse, 
 ready for endurance as well as speed. 
 
 Another pause, again to be broken by Horsford. 
 ' You congratulated me just now may I be 
 allowed to congratulate you ? }: 
 
 " On what ? " 
 
 " On your marriage, of course. Or perhaps I 
 ought rather to congratulate Mr. Meldrum." 
 
 ' You needn't. He's not here to reply for 
 himself, and I'm not in a position to do it for him." 
 
 She spoke tartly, and Horsford gave a side glance 
 at her. There was no necessity for her to tell 
 him in so many words that her marriage was a 
 failure. He could see it in her face, he could 
 hear it in her voice. He would have dropped the 
 subject, but it was hardly possible. Neither 
 Clare's marriage nor her husband could be ignored. 
 
 " Mr. Meldrum, then, is not in Calcutta ? " he 
 went on. 
 
 " No. Why do you ask ? ' ; 
 
 " I thought I saw him yesterday in the Maidan." 
 
 "It's quite impossible ! " exclaimed Clare hastily. 
 " Mr. Meldrum's in Delhi. He's not very well." 
 
 Horsford was puzzled. An uncomfortable sus-
 
 228 A STAB OF THE EAST 
 
 picion crept into his mind a suspicion which 
 pained him and which he could not easily dismiss. 
 Scandals were so common in Delhi. Meldrum ill 
 in Delhi, his wife in Calcutta what did it mean ? 
 
 Clare must have read Horsford's thoughts. 
 She went on to say : 
 
 " Fve just come from England. I had a nervous 
 breakdown over a year ago, and I had to leave 
 Delhi. The climate was killing me." 
 
 " The change has done you good ? '' 
 
 " Oh, I don't know," she answered hastily. 
 " Perhaps. Of course I've been free from worry 
 still, at times Fve felt very lonely." 
 
 " You've been travelling by yourself, then ? '' 
 
 " Good Heavens, Guy, do you think I could 
 endure travelling a whole year and more with my 
 husband ? It would drive me mad ! S! 
 
 She could no longer command herself. The 
 presence of Guy Horsford had been too much for 
 her overwrought nerves. All idea of triumphing 
 over him, of fascinating him, even, had vanished. 
 What she wanted now was sympathy, tenderness. 
 What she had had from him was cold questioning 
 about her husband and her marriage ! 
 
 A dozen impulses crowded upon her. She could 
 have flown into a passion or burst into tears with 
 equal facility. Perhaps the most galling of her 
 thoughts was the precipitancy with which she had 
 accepted Andrew Meldrum. If she had only 
 waited ! Fate had with cruel kindness thrown 
 her into Horsford 's path. She believed he still 
 loved her. She thought she read love in his eyes, 
 in the vibration of his voice when the old word of 
 familiarity, " Clare," came from his lips. And to
 
 IN THE BALCONY 229 
 
 think that by her own act she was fettered ! How 
 small their differences seemed now. How childish 
 her jealousy of a miserable dancing-girl a girl too 
 who belonged to the class most despised in India, 
 the Eurasians ! She had never troubled about 
 the girl since. She did not know what had become 
 of her and did not care. Oh, it was intolerable ! 
 
 " Guy why did you leave me without a word ? 
 You were cruel cruel ! ' J 
 
 The words burst from her without premeditation, 
 and left her panting hysterical. Horsford was 
 dumbfounded, but whatever his feelings were 
 towards her the moment was not one for weakness. 
 
 " Is it worth while to revive what's dead ? You 
 must think of me what you will. We've each 
 chosen our own path. Let us continue in it. 
 It's better and wiser you must know that as 
 well as I do." 
 
 ' Yes, for you, no doubt. But what about 
 me ? You're a man and free. I'm a woman and 
 a slave." 
 
 " Clare Clare, you're talking downright non- 
 sense." 
 
 Horsford tried to introduce a note of sternness, 
 but with not much success. His voice was not 
 without pity even tenderness. 
 
 " Oh, I dare say," she retorted. ' Women, 
 according to some men, talk nothing else. Per- 
 haps it's because they're such fools. Women 
 ought never to be judged by what they say, but 
 by what they do. I was horribly silly to be 
 offended with you. I was not myself. You 
 ought to have known that and made allowances. 
 You had no business to take me seriously."
 
 230 A STAR OP THE EAST 
 
 " And if I were to admit that/' he returned 
 very slowly, " what good would it do now ? ' : 
 
 " No good at all, I suppose. I wonder you don't 
 say that what I did marrying a man for whom 
 I didn't care a bit was my own fault and that 
 what followed might have been expected." 
 
 ' What followed ! Surely surely, Clare, you 
 haven't left your husband ? '' 
 
 Horsford spoke with concern, almost with agita- 
 tion. 
 
 " I understand what you mean," she exclaimed 
 bitterly, " but you're wrong. I've told you already 
 why I went away, but it wasn't quite the truth 
 that it was on account of my health. India suits 
 me admirably, but I couldn't endure my husband, 
 and I left him. I went to England by myself 
 and I returned by myself." 
 
 " But but does he allow you to do this with- 
 out remonstrance ? " asked Horsford, a little 
 staggered. 
 
 " Oh, there have been remonstrances enough, I 
 promise you. Of course he's always urging me to 
 return. I have a letter from him it reached me 
 just before I left England, and I haven't answered 
 
 it which I should like to show you some day. 
 j 
 
 " Pray do nothing of the kind," interrupted 
 Horsford hastily. ' You've given me too many 
 confidences already." 
 
 " And why shouldn't I ? Who has a better 
 right to my confidence than you ? }: 
 
 Guy Horsford was silent. Her eyes flashed a 
 look upon him, eloquent with meaning, and then 
 dropped instantly.
 
 IN THE BALCONY 231 
 
 " If you'd come to me when I asked you if 
 you'd only sent me a line ! " 
 
 ' You had my letter. I wrote it immediately 
 I had yours. I had but an hour before starting 
 for Calcutta to join Godwin's force." 
 
 ' Yes, to escape from me. That was why you 
 went to Burma. It was rather cowardly, wasn't 
 it?" 
 
 The injustice of this accusation stung Horsford 
 to the quick. 
 
 ' You're wrong, Clare. You've no right to say 
 such a thing. My application to join the Burma 
 expedition was made before I went to Simla, and 
 weeks before our meeting at your uncle's bungalow," 
 he cried angrily. ' When I went down for a 
 few weeks' holiday at Simla, how on earth could 
 I tell I was to meet my fate there in the shape of 
 yourself ? You ought to know that a man in the 
 army can't be transferred from one regiment to 
 another in five minutes. It means the unwinding 
 of any amount of red tape." 
 
 Something either in Horsford's reproachful words 
 or in his voice moved her. Tears suddenly started 
 in her eyes. 
 
 " Forgive me, Guy. Yes, I was unjust to you. 
 Forget my silliness." 
 
 She insinuated her arm beneath his coaxingly, 
 and inclined her head towards his shoulder. 
 
 At that moment the window was darkened. 
 A man was entering the balcony. One more 
 step, and his eyes were fixed upon them. With a 
 little gasp of terror Clare sprang to her feet, and 
 white and trembling faced the intruder Andrew 
 Meldrum !
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 HUSBAND AND WIFE 
 
 MELDRUM glared at them both for an instant. 
 
 "So I was not misinformed. ... I flatly con- 
 tradicted the man who told me that you . . . my 
 wife . . . were in Calcutta. What's the explana- 
 tion ? Do you refer me to ... this gentleman ? '' 
 
 Andrew Meldrum's words came from his pallid 
 lips with a hissing of the breath. He stood rigid, 
 his arms hanging straight, his hands clenched. 
 Horsford had sprung from his seat almost as soon 
 as Clare, and met Meldrum's glaring eyes de- 
 fiantly. Notwithstanding his defiance, he appre- 
 ciated the embarrassing, the compromising nature 
 of the situation, but how compromising it was he 
 did not then realise. Clare had not told him all. 
 ' You are entitled to an explanation, and so 
 far as I'm able to give you one you shall have it, 
 Mr. Meldrum," he said quickly. 
 
 " Oh you know me. So much the better. 
 Just to clear the air who are you ? '' 
 
 The balcony was not lighted save for the feeble 
 illumination coming through the windows, and 
 Horsford was in shadow. 
 
 '* We're not unacquainted to each other, Mr. 
 Meldrum. I am Colonel Horsford. In Simla you 
 knew me as Captain Horsford, and 
 
 232
 
 HUSBAND AND WIFE 233 
 
 You! Ha, I'm beginning to see daylight," 
 interrupted Meldrum, nodding his head slowly and 
 mechanically. 
 
 " Stop/' cried Clare wildly. " You see nothing 
 at all. You're blind ... as you've always been. 
 I alone am answerable for everything. Colonel 
 Horsford knew nothing of my being in Calcutta. 
 We met accidentally half an hour ago. I refer 
 you to Mrs. Chandos." 
 
 Clare's explanation sounded lame. It was true 
 so far as Horsford was concerned, but not true in 
 regard to Clare herself. It was the consciousness 
 of this that made her voice ring falsely. Meldrum 
 heard her unmoved. 
 
 ' You tell me Fve seen nothing. Then you 
 were not caressing . . . your old friend . . . may- 
 be your old lover, for aught I can tell . . . when I 
 entered. I'm afraid I spoiled sport. I apologise. 
 I hardly know what is the proper course for me 
 the husband to take. The practice among gentle- 
 men under similar awkward circumstances used 
 to be to do their best to kill each other. I don't 
 propose to do anything so silly. What do you 
 suggest, Colonel Horsford ? ' : 
 
 " I suggest nothing, sir. I'm prepared to take 
 full responsibility for any offence you may attribute 
 to me. I'm concerned only for Mrs. Meldrum. 
 It's but bare justice to her to say that since I left 
 Simla, over five years ago, I've had no communica- 
 tion with her, and when I entered this house I 
 had not the slightest idea I should meet her. We 
 had a perfect right to talk as old friends, and any 
 suspicion that we are otherwise is both groundless 
 and childish."
 
 234 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 " Oh, your stories agree wonderfully. I might 
 have expected as much. I suppose there's nothing 
 left for me but to accept your explanations and 
 be thankful it's no worse. Perhaps I'd better not 
 seek to know more. At any rate, I presume I 
 haven't at present abrogated my rights over Mrs. 
 Meldrum. I'm still her husband. For the mo- 
 ment we won't go beyond this. You say you are 
 concerned for Mrs. Meldrum. Permit me to take 
 that responsibility. You'll have the goodness to 
 come with me, Clare at once." 
 
 His imperious air, his sneering tones, cut Clare 
 like the slash of a whip. 
 
 " I refuse," she cried, her eyes blazing. " I'm 
 not your slave, Andrew Meldrum, though you paid 
 a high price for me. Go by yourself. Do what 
 you like. I don't care." 
 
 ' You mean that you prefer to remain with your 
 paramour ? " 
 
 The accusation was intolerable. Hitherto Hors- 
 ford had kept a strong curb upon himself indeed, 
 it seemed to him the position was so unhappy that 
 he could not interfere without making matters 
 worse, but Meldrum's offensive charge was not 
 to be borne. 
 
 " That's a falsehood, sir ! " he cried hotly, " and 
 what is much worse a gross insult to your wife." 
 
 " Do you defend her ? >: 
 
 ' Yes, against insults, even insults from her 
 own husband." 
 
 Meldrum was silent. He seemed to be taken 
 aback by Horsford's bold front. He stood biting 
 his lips and evidently puzzled what to do. Before 
 he could answer Clare interposed.
 
 HUSBAND AND WIFE 235 
 
 " Thank you, Colonel Horsford, but I can de- 
 fend myself. I refused just now to accompany 
 Mr. Meldrum. I've altered my mind, I suppose 
 you'd like to go now. I'm quite ready." 
 
 Clare's words were addressed to her husband, 
 but they were meant for Horsford, and the latter 
 understood. She did not want the two men to 
 quarrel. 
 
 Meldrum showed no signs of triumph at his wife's 
 submission. He simply shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " I'm glad you've come to your senses," said 
 he, almost contemptuously. 
 
 Clare heard him with studied indifference. 
 ' Would you be good enough to take me to the 
 ante-room ? " said she icily to Meldrum. " My 
 wraps are there." 
 
 Meldrum would have offered his arm, but Clare 
 anticipated him by passing swiftly into the room. 
 For an instant Horsford and Meldrum were alone. 
 The former stepped forward hastily. 
 
 " This matter can't end here. I shall write to 
 you." 
 
 " As you please. A letter to Osmonde's hotel 
 will find me." 
 
 Husband and wife threaded their way between 
 the groups. Horsford stood in the window watch- 
 ing them and saw Clare leave her husband and 
 proceed alone to the ante-room. 
 
 The whole affair was the most extraordinary and 
 most unhappy complication possible ; as humilia- 
 ting as it was unhappy, and not the less so because 
 he was innocent of having done anything purposely 
 to bring about the catastrophe. Guy Horsford 
 had come from Burma a free man, without an
 
 236 
 
 embarrassment of any kind, eager to devote him- 
 self heart and soul to assist in smoothing out the 
 difficulties of which those who could see below 
 the surface of things in India were apprehensive, 
 and without a moment's notice he was plunged 
 into an entanglement out of which there appeared 
 to be no escape with honour. 
 
 ' What does it mean ? Nemesis ? " he asked 
 himself gloomily. 
 
 It was impossible to tell where Clare's com- 
 plexity of character would lead her. Eashness, 
 uncontrollable impulses, strong feminine egotism, 
 pertinacity a formidable combination indeed, and 
 one full of the unexpected. How much of what 
 she had said was he to believe ? She had told him 
 distinctly Meldrum was in Delhi. Did she know- 
 ingly tell him a lie ? Was it true she had been 
 away from her husband over a year, travelling by 
 herself ? If so, was there any cause other than 
 her " nervous breakdown," and her inability to 
 endure Meldrum 's society ? If she spoke the 
 truth, why had she come to Calcutta ? Was she 
 returning to her husband ? 
 
 It was all puzzling, worrying, and made the 
 more so by the revelation that Clare had never 
 forgotten the love passages of that fateful evening 
 in Simla. Did not her eyes speak even more 
 than her tender reproaches ? 
 
 " If I'd the slightest idea she was going to be so 
 foolish I'd never have suggested talking in the 
 balcony. That was my fault, I know. What's the 
 next step ? Write my letter of explanation to 
 Meldrum, of course, and chance his accepting it. 
 I can think of nothing else. What to do about
 
 HUSBAND AND WIFE 237 
 
 Clare is a much harder nut to crack. Best do 
 nothing, I suppose. It will all simmer down. 
 Matrimonial squabbles generally do. Anyhow, the 
 superfluous third person always makes matters 
 worse. Clare surely will have the sense to smooth 
 Meldrum over. Yes, I shall let things drift so 
 far as she's concerned/' 
 
 An uncomfortable reflection flashed across Hors- 
 ford's mind that letting things drift had already 
 borne disastrous consequences. The letter he 
 had written to Clare on the eve of his departure 
 for Burma had not made it clear that he had 
 severed himself .completely and entirely from her. 
 It had seemed at the time brutal to say as much 
 in so many words, but as the sequel had shown it 
 would be wiser to have been cruel to be kind. 
 
 Horsford rapidly traversed the crowded room. 
 He descended the broad staircase, pushed his way 
 through the crowd of native servants, and reached 
 the hall. A carriage was waiting at the foot of 
 the steps, and a lady and gentleman were about 
 to get inside. Horsford was half way down the 
 steps before he realised that the two were Andrew 
 Meldrum and Clare. Having no wish for a further 
 encounter with either, Horsford would have re- 
 treated, when he heard his name screamed in shrill, 
 feminine accents : " Sahib Horsford ! " 
 
 The space in front of Government House was 
 thronged by natives eager for sight-seeing, no 
 matter how trivial. It was difficult to say where 
 the cry came from ; there was a commotion, the 
 carriage started, and at the same moment a slim, 
 white-robed figure ran from the crowd in front of 
 the horses. Then she was seen to fall ; either her
 
 238 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 foot had slipped or her scarf had caught the pole 
 of the carriage. Guttural shrieks and yells were 
 heard on all sides. The horses were fresh and 
 spirited, and one reared, preventing the coachman 
 from seeing what was going on. His whip slashed 
 the flanks of the restive steeds, and they sprang 
 forward. 
 
 What happened next was Horsford springing 
 at a bound from the steps to the horses' heads and 
 forcing them back till they were on their haunches. 
 Lying motionless on the ground beneath their 
 
 */ <_? o 
 
 plunging hoofs was a girl, her veil torn from her 
 face. Half a dozen dusky forms crept forward 
 and drew her out of danger. Horsford let go his 
 hold of the horses and helped them. There was 
 blood on her white sari, and she was insensible. 
 
 " A smart bit of work that, Horsford. Another 
 second, and those thundering hoofs would have 
 pounded her to a jelly. By Jove, what a hand- 
 some girl ! " 
 
 This was from an officer who had been standing 
 near the spot at the commencement of the incident. 
 He had quickly followed Horsford, whom he knew, 
 and the two Englishmen were bending over the girl. 
 
 " Is she hurt much ? }: whispered Horsford 's 
 friend. 
 
 " I don't know. The head seems to have es- 
 caped. That blood's from a cut in the arm. Fell 
 on a stone, perhaps. We'd better get her to the 
 hospital, anyhow. 
 
 A sergeant was looking on, and Horsford spoke 
 to him. The sergeant thought he knew where to 
 find a dhoolie, and he ran off. One of the native 
 police came up to Horsford.
 
 HUSBAND AND WIFE 239 
 
 ' The Sahib in the carriage wishes me to tell 
 you," said the man, " that he regrets the accident, 
 and that if it is his fault in any way will you send 
 word to him. The Sahib says that you know 
 where he is to be found/* 
 
 Horsford, then, had been recognised by the 
 Meldrums. He did not know whether to be 
 pleased or sorry. He sent a brief message by the 
 policeman to the effect that he could not tell if 
 the girl was seriously hurt, but that he would see 
 she was properly attended to. She would be taken 
 to the hospital. The man went back to Meldrum, 
 and presently the carriage rolled by. Horsford 
 purposely kept his head bent, and did not see 
 Clare's drawn, pale face at the carriage window. 
 Presently the sergeant and a couple of men arrived 
 with the dhoolie, and the girl was carried away, 
 still unconscious. 
 
 The carriage meanwhile was speeding on its 
 way to Osmonde's Hotel. Not a word passed 
 between Clare and her husband. When the car- 
 riage stopped Meldrum alighted and held out his 
 hand. 
 
 " No," said she curtly. " I am not coming. 
 I'm going on to my boarding - house. You'd 
 perhaps like to know where it is. I'm staying 
 at Stephenson's." 
 
 " Does this mean you intend to go right away 
 from me ? '' 
 
 " I don't know exactly what I intend to do. 
 Anyhow, I don't mean to stay at your hotel to- 
 night." 
 
 " And what about your explanation you were so 
 anxious to give me a short time ago ? ''
 
 240 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 " My explanation will keep. I'll give it you 
 to-morrow. I shall want an explanation from 
 you/' 
 
 ' From me ? About what ? ' 
 
 " About the frankly brutal letter you sent me. 
 That virtually decided me. I looked upon it as 
 my dismissal. I didn't suit you you were greatly 
 disappointed, and you told me to go." 
 
 " Clare ! " 
 
 " Oh, I have the letter, and I shall never destroy 
 it lest you may be tempted to deny your own 
 words. I presume you'll agree with me that we 
 can hardly discuss a matter of this kind through 
 a carriage door, and I don't suppose you think of 
 dragging me out by force. May I beg the loan 
 of your carriage ? If not, I can walk. It's no 
 distance from here to Stephenson's." 
 
 Meldrum bowed, and wheeling round abruptly 
 walked away slowly and entered the hotel. He 
 was choking, not with rage, but with grief and 
 mortification. Rigid as his principles were, he 
 could have found it in his heart to forgive his wife 
 had she shown the slightest sign of remorse. But 
 her attitude was one which he could not help 
 thinking was intended to anger him further and 
 raise the barriers already existing between them. 
 He did not want to believe her guilty, but what 
 was he to think ? 
 
 Clare, left in the carriage, had not time to 
 speculate as to what her husband's cold acquies- 
 cence might mean, for in a couple of minutes she 
 was at the boarding-house. So far as it was 
 possible for her to turn the thing over in her mind 
 she was puzzled. She was not one to understand
 
 passiveness in a man. She was inclined to attribute 
 it either to cowardice or craft. Andrew Meldrum, 
 she knew, was not a coward therefore silence in 
 his case meant craft. 
 
 " He's preparing something. I'm sure of it," she 
 murmured. ' Well, we shall see." 
 
 She walked wearily to her room. She was sick 
 at heart and tired in brain. The entire fabric of 
 the castle she had built in the air was shattered. 
 She had pictured a triumph. She had suffered 
 defeat. The net result of all her scheming was 
 to deepen the dislike of her husband to hatred. 
 She had gone through a process of degradation in 
 his eyes. No argument could do away with this 
 fact. The effect was to harden her, to blind her 
 to the consequences of her headstrong folly. 
 
 Yet with all her egotism Clare was helpless by 
 herself. She felt horribly lonely. She sank on 
 the couch and tried to picture all that had happened 
 during that too brief half hour on the balcony. 
 How she had looked forward to meeting Horsford, 
 to fascinating him afresh ! She believed she had 
 made herself invincible thanks to Nara and she 
 would have conquered, but for the unlucky in- 
 trusion of her husband. 
 
 She glanced at the mirror as if to justify her 
 thoughts. Her hair was certainly arranged in a 
 fashion that was strangely effective. It was 
 a mystery how it was put up ; it was equally a 
 mystery how it was to be taken down. Only 
 Nara could do it properly. She languidly rose 
 and rang the bell. A servant belonging to the 
 house appeared in answer to the summons. Nara 
 had gone out soon after the mem-sahib, and had 
 
 16
 
 242 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 not returned. It was now eleven o'clock. This 
 meant that the girl had been away some three 
 hours. 
 
 " Unpardonable," exclaimed Clare angrily. 
 " She may stop out altogether. I'll have no more 
 to do with her. Can you wait on me to-night ? ' 
 
 The woman hesitated and mumbled something. 
 Like all the native servants, she had only one 
 idea the special duties for which she had been 
 engaged. 
 
 " How ridiculous ! Of course I shall pay you. 
 Mrs. Stephenson will have no objection, I'm sure. 
 Ah, here is Mrs. Stephenson." 
 
 A heavy step was heard in the corridor, and 
 the portly proprietress of the boarding-house was 
 seen approaching. 
 
 " Have you heard about poor Nara ? " she called 
 out, before she reached Clare. 
 
 ' I've heard nothing. I've been wanting her." 
 
 " She's met with an accident. The poor girl 
 was knocked down and run over in front of Govern- 
 ment House. Hasun, one of my khidmutgars, saw 
 it all, and he's just come in with the news. She 
 seems to have run in front of a carriage and slipped 
 just as the horses were starting. It was no fault 
 of the coachman." 
 
 Clare started. Instantly the scene was before 
 her eyes. She saw the girl lying on the ground, 
 and Guy Horsford bending over her. No wonder, 
 with his gaze fixed on Nara's beauty, Horsford 
 had no eyes for her. A pang of jealousy shot 
 through her absurd, unreasonable, of course, but 
 she could not help it. 
 
 " I'm afraid it was " she was about to say
 
 HUSBAND AND WIFE 243 
 
 " my husband's carriage/' but this would mean 
 explaining things to Mrs. Stephenson, and she was 
 in no mood for explanations, so she substituted 
 " the carriage that brought me home. I knew 
 something had happened that somebody had 
 met with an accident, but I'd not the least idea 
 it was Nara." 
 
 " Dear me, what an extraordinary coincidence 
 that you should have been in the very carriage. 
 The khidmutgar says that the girl saw some one 
 she knew, called out his name, and ran across the 
 road to speak to him, and in her hurry stumbled 
 and fell." 
 
 Called out his name ? Yes, Clare had heard 
 the girl's voice, and the words certainly sounded 
 like "Sahib Horsford," but she put down the re- 
 semblance to her fancy, for at the moment Guy 
 Horsford was uppermost in her mind. 
 
 " How shocking ! If I had only known, of course 
 I should have looked after her myself. Is she 
 much hurt ? " 
 
 ''' The khidmutgar could not tell me. She was 
 carried to the hospital in a dhoolie, and two 
 English officers were looking after her." 
 
 Clare's heart beat violently. She was silent for 
 a few seconds, and then with an effort said : 
 
 " And the man the girl was calling to did he 
 go as well ? " 
 
 ' Well, according to Hasun's story, one of the 
 English officers was the man. I can hardly be- 
 lieve it you know what inveterate gossips the 
 natives are, and what splendid liars they can be 
 when they like." 
 
 " Yes."
 
 244 A STAE OF THE EAST 
 
 The word was little more than breathed. Clare 
 felt as though a pall had suddenly descended upon 
 her. Everything was vague save one her jealous 
 hatred of Nara. Nara's halting story the other 
 night of the reason why she was late instantly 
 darted into Clare's mind, and here was the solution 
 of the mystery ! And here also was the explana- 
 tion of Horsford's lack of warmth. The two 
 must have become acquainted ! 
 
 Mrs. Stephenson saw that Clare was terribly 
 upset, and attributed her distress to her being 
 personally associated with Nara's accident, and 
 after remarking by way of consolation that Mrs. 
 Meldrum " had nothing to reproach herself with/' 
 that " no doubt the story was much exaggerated," 
 and that the " girl was certain to be well looked 
 after/' bade Clare good-night, and went off to 
 talk the matter over with another of her lady 
 boarders. 
 
 In the meantime the ayah had taken the oppor- 
 tunity to steal away, but this did not matter now 
 to Clare, who returned to her room with faltering 
 steps. She closed and bolted the door mechanically 
 and stood for a few moments quivering from head 
 to foot, her nerves unhinged, her brain incapable 
 of grasping any idea clearly. Once more she 
 caught sight of her reflection in the mirror, and a 
 sudden revulsion of feeling seized her. In a frenzy 
 of passion she tore the jewels from her hair and 
 tugged at the involved tresses until they were 
 hanging dishevelled and tangled. She felt no 
 pain, though she had used all her strength, but 
 she was exhausted, and threw herself on the bed, 
 where she lay like one lifeless till morning broke.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 NARA'S WARNING 
 
 " SLIGHT concussion/' said the surgeon. " I don't 
 apprehend any danger, but she'll probably be un- 
 conscious for some hours. A very pretty girl. 
 English father, I should think, eh ? Who is she ? " 
 
 " I haven't the slightest notion. As you say, 
 doctor, she's extremely pretty, and possibly Eura- 
 sian," said Horsford slowly. 
 
 His eyes were fixed on the pallid, harmonious 
 face, quite Eastern now that it was in repose. The 
 doctor's words " English father " had sent his 
 memory back five years. 
 
 The pillow was too high, the doctor thought, 
 and the nurse lifted the patient's head to with- 
 draw the bolster from beneath the pillow. The 
 sari was loose, and the portion which had served 
 to veil the girl's face had fallen about her neck. 
 The nurse, after putting the head in a comfortable 
 position, began arranging the folds of the sari, 
 and in so doing dragged out the locket which Nara 
 treasured so jealously. 
 
 " Let me look at that, nurse," said Horsford 
 quickly. One glance was enough. 
 
 " Doctor ! " he exclaimed, a little agitatedly, 
 " I believe I know the poor girl. If I'm right she 
 
 245
 
 246 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 is the daughter of an old comrade who died at 
 Moodkee. Bring the lamp nearer, nurse." 
 
 The nurse obeyed, and he looked long and stead- 
 fastly at the beautiful face. Really, it had changed 
 very little. She might almost have been the 
 child who had fainted after the exhausting dance 
 before the Rajah of Nakhur and his guests. Her 
 Eastern origin was visible enough in the small, 
 sleek head and the full lips. The influence of her 
 mother had become more pronounced now that 
 she was on the threshold of womanhood. 
 
 ' Yes," said Horsford, drawing a long breath, 
 " it is she. How she comes to be in Calcutta I 
 can neither explain nor understand." 
 
 " Come into my room," said the doctor, " and 
 we'll have a chat over a cigar. Nothing very 
 much can be done just now for the girl. We 
 must trust to Nature and her own vitality." 
 
 Christopher Pentreath was a good fellow, be- 
 sides being a good doctor. He had not lost the 
 ruggedness of Cornwall. He was blunt and plain- 
 speaking, and a man to be trusted. Horsford 
 instinctively felt this, and he had no hesitation 
 about opening his heart freely. 
 
 " Humph," said the doctor, after Horsford had 
 told his story. " Let me tell you, Colonel Hors- 
 ford, that you did a devilish risky thing, and you 
 were devilish fortunate in pulling it off as well as 
 you did. What became of the ayah who could 
 handle the roomal as well as the saringhee ? '' 
 
 " She died of cholera during the voyage to 
 England so the lady who had the child in charge 
 wrote me in the letter I told you I had had from 
 her."
 
 NARA'S WARNING 247 
 
 4< That was a bit of bad luck/* said the doctor, 
 shrugging his shoulders. " If the story should 
 leak out people will never believe a woman would 
 have strength enough to do what sh^-did. I guess 
 the old rascal, despite his age, was tough and wiry. 
 You'd have some difficulty in clearing yourself." 
 
 ' You forget that I was disguised. No one 
 knew I was an Englishman. Anyhow, it's five 
 years ago, and in all probability the affair's for- 
 gotten." 
 
 " I hope you're right, but when it comes to a 
 matter of revenge, the Easterns have plaguy long 
 memories. Anyhow, the romance as it stands is 
 a very pretty one. I only hope there won't be a 
 sequel. Adventure mischief God or the devil 
 knows what follows a girl with a face like hers. 
 It haunts one. Wait till the lips are red once 
 more and she can use her eyes." 
 
 " I know quite well what they're like. I haven't 
 forgotten," rejoined Horsford drily. " By Jove," 
 he added, looking at his watch, "it's two o'clock, 
 and I've an appointment with Lord Canning at 
 eight this morning." 
 
 Horsford walked to his hotel with the air of one 
 whose mind was absorbed by some deep anxiety. 
 Had he not been so preoccupied he might have 
 noticed that a man, tall, thin-faced, long-bearded, 
 in the filthy rags of a mendicant, followed him 
 wherever he went. This man had been in the 
 crowd when the accident happened, and had 
 shadowed the little procession to the hospital, 
 outside which he remained until Horsford reap- 
 peared. He now loitered near the hotel for a 
 time, as if to make sure the Sahib was staying
 
 248 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 there, and not merely paying a visit, and then 
 made his way to the native quarter of the city. 
 
 Though the hour was late, and though he was 
 fatigued, Horsford wrote to Meldrum before he 
 went to bed. His letter was polite, even con- 
 ciliatory, despite its military brevity. All he con- 
 sidered necessary was an emphatic repetition of 
 his verbal statement that his meeting with Clare 
 was purely accidental. He declared solemnly that 
 he had not held the slightest communication with 
 Mrs. Meldrum since he quitted Simla five years 
 ago, and he wound up by demanding a withdrawal 
 of the offensive and grossly false insinuation 
 Meldrum had used towards him. What would 
 follow, supposing Meldrum refused, Horsford did 
 not bother to think. He was not one to meet 
 troubles half way. 
 
 He despatched the letter about seven o'clock 
 the next morning, and at eight presented him- 
 self at Government House. There he found an 
 anxious conclave. 
 
 It was the first week in March, 1857. Lord 
 Canning, succeeding Lord Dalhousie, had been 
 Governor-General exactly a year, and though 
 nothing definite had happened to cause anxiety 
 there were disquieting rumours of discontent, 
 especially in Oudh and in Delhi. The episode of 
 the Brahmin, who at the Dum-Dum cantonments 
 spread the story of the intention of the British 
 Government to issue cartridges smeared with beef 
 fat and hog's lard, was now some six weeks old, 
 and the panic it created among the Hindu Sepoys 
 had by no means subsided. Oudh was in a state 
 of simmering rebellion, but Sir Henry Lawrence
 
 NARA'S WARNING 249 
 
 had been despatched to Lucknow, and it was 
 believed that so firm and wise an administrator 
 would soon restore order. All was quiet in Delhi, 
 but with such a mistress of intrigue as Zeenut 
 Mehal at the head of affairs anything might happen. 
 
 The conference to which Horsford had been 
 invited was called to consider a very important 
 and unpleasant item of news which had just come 
 from Burhampore. It was reported that the 
 19th Infantry had shown signs of gross insub- 
 ordination on February 27. Lord Canning 
 announced that it was decided to disband the 
 regiment, and that orders had been sent to march 
 the troops for that purpose to Barrackpore, where 
 the 34th were quartered. 
 
 These two regiments had formerly been stationed 
 at Lucknow, but after the deposition of the King 
 of Oudh in 1856 they became so disaffected that 
 it was considered prudent to separate them. 
 One regiment was accordingly sent to Burham- 
 pore and the other to Barrackpore. It was hoped 
 that the disbanding of the 19th would stop further 
 trouble, but Lord Canning, like a good many 
 other men with more experience of India than he 
 had, did not realise the storm that was gathering. 
 No one, of course, could have foreseen that on 
 March 29 a sepoy of the 34th regiment and a 
 religious enthusiast, Mungul Pandy by name, 
 would, when intoxicated, run amok and uninten- 
 tionally set light to the torch of rebellion that 
 before six weeks were passed would be waved 
 from the Punjaub to Bengal. 
 
 The conference lasted two hours, and the chief 
 subject of discussion was the position of affairs
 
 250 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 in Delhi. However much men of Indian experi- 
 ence differed in regard to British rule, they all 
 agreed on one point : that whoever held Delhi held 
 also India. Throughout the terribly anxious 
 months of the Mutiny this was the central thought 
 of every Englishman in India. So when it was 
 known in the early part of '57 that Zeenut Mehal's 
 emissaries were moving stealthily from province 
 to province, the authorities felt that if it was 
 necessary to be watchful anywhere, the city of 
 Shah Jahan was the place. Information had in 
 some way reached Lord Canning that Guy Hors- 
 ford had intimate knowledge of Delhi, its court 
 and its people, which would be invaluable during 
 the uncertainty which prevailed, and after much 
 talk Horsford left the conference entrusted with 
 an important mission. He was to start at once 
 for Delhi and make a secret and independent 
 report of the state of affairs, especially in regard 
 to Zeenut Mehal's doings. As for her husband, 
 the aged King, Bahadur Shah, he was of no ac- 
 count ; he was but a pawn in the game. 
 
 The mission was one quite to Horsford's taste. 
 It was full of risk, it demanded tact and adroit- 
 ness, and it might necessitate all his powers of 
 dissimulation and disguise. But there was one 
 serious drawback. He was required to start at 
 once, and there was so much which ought to 
 detain him at Calcutta. Until the embarrassment 
 concerning Clare was settled Meldrum would be 
 certain to put a wrong construction upon his 
 hasty departure. It might be said that he had 
 gone because he was afraid. Such a possibility 
 was unthinkable. Then there was Nara ! What
 
 NARA'S WAENING 251 
 
 was he to do about her ? Never was a man so 
 torn by the antagonism between his personal re- 
 sponsibilities and his duty as a soldier ; but the 
 matter was not one to be argued, and whatever 
 might be thought and said about him he must 
 carry out his orders. 
 
 Full of this determination he went to the 
 railway station to ascertain the time of the trains. 
 Raniganj was as far as he could travel by rail ; 
 he would have to pursue the rest of the journey 
 to Delhi by dak. He found the morning train had 
 gone, and the next started at six o'clock that 
 evening. He determined to go by this, and after 
 sending a telegram to the dak agent at Eaniganj 
 to have runners and palanquin in readiness, he 
 set out to return to his hotel, resolving to call at 
 the hospital on his way. 
 
 It was the busiest time of the morning and the 
 streets were thronged. The ragged mendicant 
 who had dogged Horsford's footsteps the previous 
 evening and at an early hour that morning, had 
 no difficulty in following the Englishman wherever 
 he went. He had posted himself in the street 
 where Horsford's hotel was situated as soon as 
 day broke ; he had seen Horsford come out, and 
 he had shadowed him to Government House and 
 thence to the railway station. Had he been 
 Horsford's double he could not have pursued him 
 closer or more persistently. 
 
 At the hospital Horsford met Dr. Pentreath 
 and anxiously inquired after Nara. 
 
 " Better," was the reply. " Brain gradually 
 becoming normal. The nurse says that when she 
 told her you'd come to-day the prettiest smile
 
 252 
 
 ever seen came into her face. You'll have to be 
 careful, Colonel Horsford," went on the doctor 
 chaffingly. " Nurse Barton swears the girl's in 
 love with you. I dare say she's right. Women 
 are deuced sharp in reading one another's secrets 
 in that direction." 
 
 Horsford bit his lips in vexation. Everything 
 seemed to be conspiring against him. Apparently 
 it was his fate to be plagued by the eternal 
 feminine. Strange for one who cared so little for 
 women ! So he had often told himself. He had 
 hoped that he might have been able to set out on 
 his journey without any fresh embarrassment on 
 Nara's account. He could not but believe that 
 the girl was in charge of English people in Calcutta 
 friends it might be of her aunt and that she 
 would be properly looked after. 
 
 The doctor had been called away, and Horsford 
 had time to argue the matter with himself. A step 
 was heard. Dr. Pentreath bustled into the room. 
 
 " Fve had a look at your protegee, Colonel Hors- 
 ford. She is awake and, everything considered, 
 fairly strong. Strangely worried about you, 
 though, but brightened up amazingly when I said 
 you were here and waiting to see her.' 5 
 
 Horsford shrugged his shoulders with an air of 
 resignation. What was the use of fighting against 
 fate ? Resolutions and plans were powerless in 
 the face of the force of circumstances, of coinci- 
 dences, of the unexpected. 
 
 ' Very well," said he, "I'll stay a minute or 
 two. I've a tremendous lot to do to-day. I 
 leave Calcutta this evening for Delhi." 
 
 " The deuce ! That's quick work. You haven't
 
 NARA'S WARNING 253 
 
 been more than three days in Calcutta, you told 
 me." 
 
 " Quite true. I'd not the least idea last night 
 my stay would be short." 
 
 " Nothing amiss, eh ? '' said the doctor, drop- 
 ping his voice. 
 
 " No ; nothing beyond the Burhampore trouble." 
 
 " I hope that won't be followed by anything 
 else. I can't explain it, but there seems to be 
 great uneasiness everywhere. India is a queer 
 country. One has forebodings here totally un- 
 known in any other part of the world. What I 
 mean is that if anything evil is about to happen, 
 it throws its shadow before in some uncanny 
 fashion. Have you ever noticed that ? ' 
 
 ' Yes. India is the land of fate or to put the 
 matter in another form, in India one becomes a 
 fatalist." 
 
 ' If you mean, Colonel, that apprehensive of 
 coming misfortunes you must sit down and do 
 nothing, I don't agree with you." 
 
 " I should never suggest anything so absurd. 
 Anyhow, for the moment we're talking in the 
 clouds, so we needn't pursue the subject. As 
 you've told the girl I'm here, I'd better see her 
 and get it done with." 
 
 " All right. I can see you're steeled against 
 the magic of a romantic face," said the doctor 
 laughingly. " Come along. You may be trusted 
 especially as you're going away." 
 
 Long before Horsford reached the ward where 
 Nara was lying she knew he was coming, and in 
 spite of the nurse's remonstrances she insisted 
 upon sitting up in the bed. Her beauty was
 
 254 
 
 enhanced by the sparkle of her eyes and the faint 
 glow in her cheeks, signs of excitement which in- 
 creased the nurse's concern. But Nara would listen 
 to nothing. She had caught sight of Horsford and 
 she extended her hands imploringly. 
 
 " Sahib Sahib you " 
 
 Her voice died away in a throb. She sank back 
 panting and quivering. 
 
 " I told you what would happen if you got 
 excited," whispered the nurse a little angrily. 
 ' You're doing yourself no good. What, will the 
 Sahib think ? " 
 
 The last admonition probably had its effect. 
 Nara suddenly became calm. But the nervous 
 twitching of her lips showed that the tempest of 
 emotion had not passed away. When Horsford 
 reached her she was lying quietly. He had not 
 seen her momentary excitement, her outstretched 
 hands, her flushed face. He sat down by her 
 bedside and rested his hand on hers. 
 
 " I knew you would come," she whispered. 
 " Oh, I have thought of you many many times." 
 She drew a deep breath and went on. " I have 
 prayed night and morning that we might meet 
 again and felt that my prayers would come true. 
 God has sent me here to save you. Sahib Sahib 
 I want to tell you something bend your head, 
 please. No one else must hear." 
 
 Her yearning eyes, her vibrating voice, in which 
 it seemed to him there was a note of terror, affected 
 Horsford strangely. He obeyed her. 
 
 ' You are in terrible danger, Sahib," she whis- 
 pered agitatedly. " You have bitter, treacherous 
 enemies. I overheard them talking about you
 
 NARA'S WARNING 255 
 
 but they did not see me. Oh, I was thankful I 
 understood their language. It was what some of 
 the girls with with Sundra Bai used to speak, 
 and I learned it of them." 
 
 Nara told her story brokenly, and Horsford 
 listened in amazement. 
 
 " So I'm tracked, am I ? " he muttered, his lips 
 tightening, " thanks to Kulloo Bux. Poor beggar ! 
 I'm sorry, but it's not wonderful the torture was 
 too much for him." 
 
 It was all serious enough, but the gravest part 
 of the story was that which inferred the existence 
 of a plot in which the maintenance of the English 
 supremacy in India was concerned. It was dis- 
 appointing that Nara could tell him so little on 
 this point ; but certainly it was definite enough 
 that Sundra Bai's revenge on him was to be de- 
 layed until after something had happened in June. 
 His duty, however, was clear ; he must go straight 
 to Lord Canning and convey what he had heard. 
 He would have risen from his chair by the bedside, 
 but Nara guessed his intention and convulsively 
 clasped his hand between both hers. 
 
 " Sahib Sahib," she cried imploringly, " don't 
 leave me. If you go I shall be wretched. It 
 would break my heart if anything happened to 
 you. You don't know the wickedness of Sundra 
 Bai. / do. I've seen it many and many a time. 
 She never forgives. No no " 
 
 He was trying to withdraw his hand, but her 
 fingers had twined round it like little snakes. 
 He succeeded in getting free, however, and she 
 sank back exhausted. 
 
 ' You're frightening yourself without a cause,
 
 256 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 Nara," said Horsford gently. "I'm not afraid of 
 a hundred Sundra Bais. I shall come and see 
 you again." 
 
 '* When when " she burst out. 
 
 * Very soon. This afternoon, perhaps. While 
 I am away I must see what I can do to make sure 
 that you return to England. It's the only place 
 of safety for you." 
 
 " No. I shall not go," she cried, with sudden 
 desperation. " I hate England. I was so un- 
 happy there. I only want to be where you are, 
 Sahib," she went on, sinking her voice. 
 
 ' You mustn't be foolish. Can't you see that 
 what you ask is impossible ? You must be good, 
 Nara, and do as I say." 
 
 ' Yes yes I will try," she murmured. 
 
 ' Very well then, rest quietly until I return. I 
 suppose you don't want to go back to Sundra Bai 
 and dancing ? ri 
 
 " No no. God forbid ! " she cried. 
 
 " Good ! Then I'll see what I can do for you 
 when I come back." 
 
 His voice softened. It was useless to attempt 
 to be harsh with her. He saw she was anxious to 
 please to obey him. He was turning away when 
 a moment of weakness seized him. He could not 
 resist the yearning, beseeching look in the big eyes. 
 He bent down and kissed her. There was no 
 harm. He was twelve years older than she, and 
 though she was seventeen she was but a child. 
 No, there was no harm, he told himself. For all 
 that he walked quickly away, as though he had 
 done something for which he ought to be sorry. 
 
 Horsford was fortunate in finding Lord Canning
 
 NARA'S WARNING 257 
 
 disengaged. The Governor- General heard what 
 he had to say but did not seem to attach much 
 importance to the story. It came to him as no 
 novelty. He had heard rumours of something 
 which was intended to take place somewhere near 
 the date of the centenary of the battle of Plassy, 
 but there was nothing definite, nor was any par- 
 ticular locality indicated as a centre of danger. 
 He saw no reason to alter his plans about Hors- 
 ford's mission to Delhi. 
 
 " But two of the plotters are in Calcutta ought 
 they not to be discovered and watched ? " ob- 
 jected Horsford. " I would respectfully suggest 
 that this woman Sundra Bai be arrested, or at 
 least detained while inquiries are being made/' 
 
 " By all means, if she can be discovered. It's 
 some days, you tell me, since the Eurasian girl 
 saw her she may have left Calcutta by this time. 
 Anyhow, you had better see the officer who has 
 such matters in charge." 
 
 The Governor- General scribbled a few lines on 
 a slip of paper which he gave to Horsford. The 
 paper contained instructions for the secret inquiry 
 department to take Colonel Horsford's informa- 
 tion and act upon it if necessary. 
 
 ' You will start for Delhi just the same, Colonel 
 Horsford," said Lord Canning. " Possibly Sundra 
 Bai means to return to Zeenut Mehal and report. 
 Evidently she's one of the Queen's spies. It's as 
 well that you know her you will be forewarned in 
 case you run across her in Delhi." 
 
 The interview with the secret inquiry officer did 
 not have any important result. The official de- 
 cided that he ought to have Nara's story from her 
 
 17
 
 258 A STAK OF THE EAST 
 
 own lips before he could do anything. To this 
 Horsford could make no reasonable objection. 
 Probably Nara had more to tell if she were skilfully 
 questioned. Horsford went away, by no means 
 satisfied in his mind, and that which troubled him 
 most was that duty compelled him to leave the 
 girl to her fate. 
 
 It was past midday. Horsford meant to visit 
 the hospital again, but in the meantime he decided 
 to go to his hotel, pack up a few necessaries, and 
 have them sent to the railway station. The 
 manager of the hotel met him in the entrance hall. 
 
 " A lady is waiting to see you, sir/' said the 
 manager. " She would not tell me her name/' 
 
 " Clare for a thousand pounds," muttered 
 Horsford, biting his lips. " How horribly im- 
 prudent of her. What's happened now ? I'm in 
 a confoundedly awkward coil a coil that for the 
 moment I don't see how to get out of. Where is 
 the lady ? " he asked aloud. 
 
 " In your rooms, sir." 
 
 " In my rooms ! " cried Horsford, staggered. 
 '* What on earth made you show her there ? ' 
 
 ''' The lady insisted, sir. She said she was a 
 very old friend of yours." 
 
 A doubt crossed Horsford's mind. Perhaps it 
 was not Clare after all. He asked the manager 
 to describe her. 
 
 ' Well, I can't. She had her veil down. I 
 could just see that she was fair." 
 
 Horsford shrugged his shoulders. The meagre 
 description was reminiscent of Clare. He strode 
 on, prepared for the worst. He had faced the 
 enemy with less misgivings than he felt now.
 
 THE HEART OF A WOMAN 
 
 THE visitor had her back towards Horsford when 
 he entered the room, and she remained motionless, 
 though she must have heard the door open. She 
 did not even turn when he approached her. Of 
 course it was Clare. He could not mistake the 
 symmetrical shoulders, the lithe figure, the erect 
 carriage of the head. The defiance, the self-asser- 
 tion suggested by her attitude were in striking 
 contrast to the gentle girl of the East. It was 
 inevitable that he should at that moment think 
 of Nara. The tender affection written in the girl's 
 eyes, in every accent of her soft, liquid voice, was 
 fresh in his memory. 
 
 He came to a dead stop when within a pace or 
 so of the statuesque figure, and waited silently. 
 Quite thirty seconds went by, and she jerked 
 herself round impatiently. 
 
 He was amazed at the change he could see in 
 her. She was unusually pale her lips indeed were 
 white there were symptoms of dark curves be- 
 neath the eyes, and the eyes themselves shone with 
 a hard, metallic light. 
 
 ' Why don't you speak to me, Guy ? " she 
 cried huskily. " Can't you see don't you know 
 
 259
 
 260 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 that you're the only one in the world I can appeal 
 to ? I came to ask your help of course you were 
 not to blame for being out, but waiting for you to 
 return got on my nerves. I've been here an hour, 
 and it has been an eternity. I thought it would 
 never come to an end, and now you you say 
 nothing. Oh oh. . . ." 
 
 She suddenly broke down. Her highly strung 
 nervous system reached the last point of tension. 
 She burst into a passionate fit of hysterical sobbing. 
 Horsford was terribly pained, but in Clare's ex- 
 cited state to ask for an explanation was, he knew, 
 useless. He led her gently to the couch and 
 persuaded her to sit quietly for a time. 
 
 Clare was not a woman to be soothed in a mo- 
 ment Horsford could see this plainly enough, and 
 he did not express any pity or sympathy. He rang 
 the bell and went into the corridor and waited 
 until a servant came. Then he ordered a bottle 
 of champagne. He did not return until the wine 
 was brought, and he took it into the room himself. 
 
 The storm was subsiding. Clare's lips were 
 quivering, her eyes were red and swollen, but the 
 hysterical sobbing had ceased. She looked at him 
 wildly, despairingly, almost dazed. It was doubtful 
 whether she had been conscious of his absence. 
 Horsford took no notice of her but opened the 
 champagne. There was something prosaic and 
 worldly in the sound of the popping cork which 
 acted as a counter-irritant to her exalted feelings. 
 At first she refused the wine, but Horsford peremp- 
 torily ordered her to drink it, and she obeyed 
 almost meekly. As it happened Horsford had 
 done the right thing. Her shattered condition
 
 THE HEART OF A WOMAN 261 
 
 was due not only to her harassed mind and to her 
 uncontrolled emotions, but also to the fact that 
 since seven o'clock the previous evening she had 
 eaten nothing. 
 
 " Thank you," Horsford heard her say in a faint 
 voice. 
 
 "Now let's talk quietly," said he. 'What's 
 amiss ? ' 
 
 " I've left my husband for ever. I won't go 
 back not that he's ever likely to ask me. I 
 fancy I've made that impossible. At all events 
 I want it to be so. I've told him the truth." 
 
 Horsford could make no reply. He was stag- 
 gered. For a moment he thought Clare had taken 
 leave of her senses. But there was no sign of 
 derangement in those clear, steady eyes. Her 
 excitement had passed. Evidently she had come 
 with the intention of confessing to him what she 
 had done, and the accomplishment of her task 
 had been accompanied by a reaction which left 
 her with the abnormal composure of despair. 
 
 " And how much of the truth does that mean ? ' : 
 Horsford asked slowly. 
 
 " All your share as well as mine. There was 
 nothing else to be done. Andrew called on me 
 this morning, and began by telling me he had had 
 your letter and that he did not believe what you 
 said in it about our meeting here being accidental." 
 
 " But it was," cried Horsford vehemently. 
 " Did you not tell him so ? ' ; 
 
 ' Yes. I said you were innocent that we 
 hadn't heard from each other for five years that 
 you hadn't the slightest idea I was in Calcutta 
 when you threw up your appointment in Pegu
 
 262 A STAE OF THE EAST 
 
 that you didn't even know I was married. Oh, I 
 fought for you, Guy. I did you justice. I returned 
 good for evil." 
 
 "Evil?" faltered Horsford. "What have I 
 done to you that was evil ? ' : 
 
 She looked at him steadily, with an ironic light 
 in her eyes. 
 
 'You ... left me." 
 
 " And was that why you married Meldrum ? 
 You needn't have done so." 
 
 '' I thought it best. You gave me no hope in 
 the letter you wrote from Delhi that you would 
 ever see me again that you wanted to see me 
 again." 
 
 ' The chances were against our meeting. No 
 one knew how the Burmese war was going to turn 
 out. There were not many casualties, it is true, 
 but there was plenty of fever. Apparently you 
 had cast me off, and I was anxious you should be 
 free." 
 
 " Free ? How could I ever be free ? What is 
 it that chains us ? Thought memory regret- 
 disappointment." 
 
 Horsford made no answer. He felt that Clare 
 in a way was right. 
 
 ' We needn't go into the old story. It doesn't 
 matter who was to blame. The world would say 
 I was the sinner. The world can say what it 
 likes. It may have plenty to talk about soon," 
 she went on. 
 
 Horsford still remained silent. Clare's reckless- 
 ness, her persistency in recalling the past and 
 ignoring their separation, which he had always 
 regarded as one they had mutually agreed to,
 
 THE HEAET OF A WOMAN 263 
 
 appalled him. Argument, reason, commonsense 
 were powerless against her femininity. 
 
 ' Yes, I told him everything/' she went on in 
 a dogged, impassive manner. " It was the only 
 thing to do. I did not want him to be under a 
 false impression. And I felt I could no longer go 
 on acting the lie against which I've been struggling 
 for the last five years. He wanted to know why 
 I had come to Calcutta. A good many people 
 you yourself, Guy, though you didn't say it in so 
 many words have wondered why. I said that 
 it was in order to meet you." 
 
 " Me ? That was a lie," burst out Guy furiously. 
 " How could you say such a thing ? God in 
 Heaven, that you " 
 
 " No, no. You mustn't say a word until you've 
 heard all," she implored, holding her hand against 
 his lips. " Haven't I told you I did you justice ? 
 As God is my judge, Guy, I am speaking the truth. 
 Accidentally I read in an Indian paper I saw 
 in London that you were leaving Pegu for an 
 appointment in Calcutta, and I could not resist 
 the temptation of coming to see you." 
 
 * You confessed all this to your husband 1 ' 
 demanded Horsford chokingly. 
 
 " Yes. But I also said that you knew nothing 
 of my intention." 
 
 " And did he believe you ? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Of course not. No man in his senses would," 
 cried Horsford, in a bitter tone. 
 
 Clare's incredible folly unnerved him. He 
 walked up and down the room overwhelmed. 
 Never in his life had he imagined that he would
 
 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 come to hate a woman, and one so beautiful and 
 fascinating as Glare. The next moment he re- 
 proached himself for having used the word " hate " 
 even mentally. How could he hate one who 
 looked so dejected, so lonely and helpless as Clare 
 looked at that moment ? Pity was the proper 
 feeling. But neither pity nor hate would aid him 
 to solve the difficulty of the future ? What was 
 in Clare's mind in paying him this embarrassing 
 visit after her fatal confession to her husband ? 
 
 He stopped in front of her abruptly. 
 
 ' What do you intend to do now that you're 
 alone ? " he asked. 
 
 " That's a question, Guy, you ought to be able 
 to answer," said she, in a low voice, and with her 
 eyes cast down. 
 
 " I'd rather have the answer from your lips, 
 Clare." 
 
 " How cruel you are ! You were cruel when you 
 left me. You are cruel now. You want to 
 humiliate me as you humiliated me five years 
 ago." 
 
 " Humiliate you ? ' he cried hastily. ' What 
 madness ! When did I humiliate you ? '' 
 
 ' When you compelled me to write to Delhi 
 begging you to return to me. Don't think I 
 regret the letter, for it told you what was in 
 my heart, but it was a humiliation all the 
 same. What happened afterwards ? Five years 
 of wretchedness for me, a life of freedom, of 
 activity for you." 
 
 ( But it was your own choice that you married 
 Meldrum. I was not to blame for that." 
 
 " How like the reasoning of a man ! He helps
 
 THE HEAKT OP A WOMAN 265 
 
 to place a woman in circumstances from which 
 there's but one way of escape for her, and she 
 alone is in fault ! At the time I felt I could do 
 nothing else but marry. Fear drove me into it." 
 
 Horsford was silent. There was force in her 
 reasoning. 
 
 " You ask me what I intend to do now that I'm 
 alone/' she went on. " I don't know. I seem 
 enveloped in darkness. I want you to guide me. 
 Whom can I come to but you ? ' J 
 
 Not a word could Horsford say. He was as 
 much in darkness as she. Clare approached him 
 almost timidly, clasped his arm with both hands, 
 and looked up into his eyes. 
 
 " I've left my husband because of you, Guy. 
 Isn't that claim sufficient ? Am I to suffer by 
 myself ? " 
 
 " No," he returned quickly. ' That's the last 
 thing I wish. I'm not reproaching you. I've not 
 the ghost of a right to do that but why did you 
 make that terrible confession ? ' 
 
 " Oh, it was inevitable," she answered, with 
 perfect composure. " Not only because of last 
 night, but because it was my answer to my hus- 
 band's letter I told you about. I've brought it 
 with me. I want you to read it." 
 
 ' I'd rather not. How can it concern me ? ' 
 
 " It does. You must." 
 
 Agitatedly she drew the letter from her pocket 
 and thrust it into his hand. When he had mastered 
 the contents he could see how they must have 
 galled Clare's proud spirit. To be called a well- 
 dressed doll and by her husband ! The offence 
 was unforgivable.
 
 266 A STAE OF THE EAST 
 
 " Meldrum ought never to have written that," 
 
 said he slowly. 
 
 " I'm glad he did. Can't you see it gave me a 
 
 cause of quarrel ? What do I care now for his 
 
 insults ? Everything has happened for the best. 
 
 Haven't I met you, Guy ? '' 
 
 ' Yes, you've met me," he repeated, drawing a 
 
 long breath. " And the devil is with us, too. 
 
 I'm off to Delhi this evening." 
 
 " Delhi ? Then I'll go with you ! Delhi of all 
 
 places ! Meldrum's home is there. What a 
 
 triumph for me ! " 
 
 " My God, Clare, you're mad ! Scandal won't 
 
 affect me it slips off a man's back pretty easily, 
 
 but it sticks to a woman, whatever part of the 
 
 world she may be in. I can't prevent you going 
 
 to Delhi by yourself, but with me for Heaven's 
 
 sake think twice ! " 
 
 :< Think ? Haven't I been thinking for the last 
 
 five years ? I'm not blind to my own nature. 
 
 I'm lost if I haven't the companionship of a man 
 
 who's congenial to me. I'm not going back to 
 
 my husband, that's certain, and if you cast me off 
 
 Guy- 
 She suddenly altered her tone, and her manner 
 
 with it. The first was hard, the second aggressive. 
 
 She continued : 
 
 ' When we separated our difference I can 
 
 hardly call it a quarrel was over a dancing-girl. 
 
 You preached about saving her from a horrible 
 
 life. What about my life, Guy ? What will you 
 
 do to save me I '' 
 
 " The dancing-girl was but a child." 
 
 " That isn't the point. If you thought it right
 
 THE HEART OF A WOMAN 267 
 
 to save a girl from shame how much more anxious 
 you ought to be to save a woman and one 
 who 
 
 Her voice quivered, and she turned her head 
 away. 
 
 ' You mean, I suppose, that you've cut yourself 
 adrift, and that you've now nothing to live upon." 
 
 "I don't mean anything of the kind. The 
 balance of my settlement isn't so small as Andrew's 
 letter might lead you to imagine. Lawton and 
 his friends would have robbed me you know 
 how easily cheating can be done over horse-racing 
 and I took precautions. I purposely withdrew 
 a large sum from the bank and invested it in 
 English securities. Andrew chose to pay my 
 debts, but I dare say he was thinking more of 
 his own credit than mine. I've enough to live 
 upon. That's nothing. Can't you realise what 
 my position is ? ' 
 
 "It was your own doing," said Horsford gloomily. 
 
 " Put it that way, if you like. It's too late to 
 trouble about fixing one's responsibility. I know 
 what awaits me. I didn't travel alone for a year 
 without discovering what men think of women 
 who are ' unattached.' They're prey to be 
 pursued. I could take care of myself then you 
 were ever in my mind, Guy. But if you discard 
 me I suppose you have a right I can't say what 
 may happen." 
 
 ' You don't mean this for a threat, do you, 
 Clare ? ' ; said Horsford, after a pause. 
 
 " No. I'm simply telling you what I'm sure 
 will follow. Of course, I've come across well- 
 dressed men of charming manners who were
 
 268 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 scoundrels all the same. They abound in foreign 
 hotels. I've learned to tell that kind of man at 
 a glance. But there are others, rich, generous, 
 well-meaning and foolish. Do you suppose I 
 couldn't have made them fall in love with me had 
 I chosen ? But they didn't interest me, and I 
 looked upon them with indifference, not because 
 of my husband, but because of you. And if you 
 leave me I shall go straight to rack and ruin. I 
 know myself too well." 
 
 A long silence followed. Clare's eyes, wild, 
 dilated, like those of a prisoner awaiting the 
 verdict of the jury, were fixed on Horsford. At 
 last he spoke. 
 
 ' You shall have your way, Clare," said he very 
 quietly. " As you said, it's too late to talk about 
 fixing responsibility. For the future I answer for 
 you. Just now, at all events, we'd better be 
 practical." He looked at his watch. " It's three 
 o'clock. At six I start for Raniganj. If you can 
 catch the same train well and good. If not come 
 by the first train to-morrow, and you will find 
 I've made arrangements at Raniganj to travel by 
 dak to Delhi." 
 
 " Won't you wait for me at Raniganj ? " she 
 pleaded. 
 
 " No. I want you to understand clearly that 
 whatever happens the first thing is my duty. I 
 must obey orders, and those orders are to reach 
 Delhi with all possible despatch. Nothing not 
 even you, Clare must stand in the way." 
 
 ' You misjudge me, Guy, if you think I'm 
 going to be a burden. I only want to be near you 
 to talk with you when we can to know that
 
 THE HEAET OF A WOMAN 269 
 
 we're friends. I'll do anything you ask me. It 
 shall be as you say. I'll follow you to-morrow. 
 Good-bye. You'll be glad to get rid of me." 
 
 She lifted her eyes imploringly. He read the 
 meaning of the yearning look. He kissed her, and 
 the kiss would have been a cold one but that she 
 flung her arms about his neck. He could feel her 
 throbbing. 
 
 " I love you, dear/ 5 she whispered brokenly. 
 " I've always loved you. I shall love you to the 
 end, whatever that end may be/' 
 
 She clung to him convulsively, and then tore 
 herself away. 
 
 ' Whatever that end may be," repeated Hors- 
 ford to himself mechanically when he was alone. 
 
 He stood for a few seconds in a kind of reverie, 
 and then, shrugging his shoulders as one who 
 meant to take things philosophically and make 
 the best of them, he summoned his servant, and 
 for the next half-hour busied himself in the work 
 of packing. 
 
 Again Horsford was at the hospital and was 
 taken direct to the doctor's room Dr. Pentreath 
 had given orders to that effect. 
 
 " I'm glad you've come, Colonel Horsford," 
 said the bluff doctor. " I want to speak straight 
 to you. I don't know how you regard that in- 
 teresting protegee of yours it's no affair of mine, 
 and all I'm concerned about is the girl as a 
 patient. It's my duty to do the best I can for 
 her. She's horribly harassed in her mind and 
 quite likely as not to do something desperate. 
 Her brain isn't working normally, and won't while 
 she's thinking about you. It's no use beating
 
 270 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 about the bush the poor child's madly in love 
 with you, and the less she sees of you the better. 
 I'll have a talk with her and explain that you've 
 been ordered off to Delhi." 
 
 " It would be at once the truth and the best 
 thing to do. Look here, doctor, I'm going to ask 
 a favour of you. I want you to keep Nara here 
 in some capacity, it doesn't matter what I think 
 you'll find her useful. I don't want you to pay 
 her that is to say, out of the funds of the hospital. 
 I'll arrange that with you and subscribe some- 
 thing to the funds besides. You understand the 
 interest I take in her, don't you ? " 
 
 " Oh, certainly," said the doctor drily. It 
 seemed to him quite natural. The beauty of the 
 girl was a sufficient reason. 
 
 " Then it's settled, I take it. Her appointment 
 will only be temporary. I expect to be back in 
 Calcutta in May, and then I will consider what's 
 to be done." 
 
 " There's no harm in the notion," said the 
 doctor ; " at the same time if it doesn't work out 
 to your satisfaction, don't blame me." 
 
 " I won't. I'm sure you'll do your best." 
 
 There was nothing more to be said, and Horsford 
 hurried away, by no means easy in his mind. He 
 had voluntarily loaded himself with fetters from 
 which he could not possibly get free. The position 
 was as false as it was bound to be embarrassing 
 and compromising. The worst of it was that he 
 could give no explanation, and if he could no one 
 would believe him. There was no man in the 
 train that steamed out of Calcutta that evening 
 so silent and absorbed as Colonel Guy Horsford.
 
 THE HEART OF A WOMAN 271 
 
 Meanwhile the doctor had fulfilled his promise. 
 He gave Nara Horsford's message. She listened 
 quietly, and then shook her head. 
 
 " No no. I won't stay unless the Sahib tells 
 me with his own lips. Why doesn't he come to 
 see me ? He said he would. Let him tell me 
 himself." 
 
 " Quite impossible, my dear. Colonel Horsford 
 was obliged to leave Calcutta, and by this time 
 he is on his way to Delhi." 
 
 " To Delhi ? Oh ' 
 
 A look of fright was in her eyes. The exclama- 
 tion came from her lips in a long-drawn sigh. 
 
 " So you see," went on the doctor, " you must 
 please him by your obedience, and wait patiently 
 for his return in two months' time. Do you 
 understand ? ' ; 
 
 ' Yes," he heard her say in a sad whisper. 
 
 " I've done the best I could for Horsford," 
 thought the doctor. " At the same time, I hate 
 working in the dark. I'll bet there's a lot more 
 in this affair that Colonel Horsford's kept to him- 
 self. I'd like to know what it is." 
 
 The good doctor was not destined to have his 
 curiosity satisfied ; on the contrary it was to be 
 further excited. Early the next morning the 
 nurse knocked at his door and came in, looking 
 very agitated. 
 
 " If you please, sir, a most extraordinary thing's 
 happened but it was no fault of mine I was not 
 on night duty I 
 
 ' Well ? " said the doctor sharply. 
 ' The girl the ayah you gave me instructions 
 about last night is gone."
 
 272 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 " Gone ? Gone where ? " 
 
 " I don't know, sir. She must have escaped by 
 the window in the night. The night nurse says 
 she was called to the Nightingale Ward, and the 
 girl must have taken the opportunity to slip out. 
 Nurse says she was only away five minutes, and 
 when she came back it did not occur to her to 
 look at the bed, and so nothing was known until 
 I went in this morning as usual/' 
 
 News indeed, but not surprising. It only con- 
 firmed the doctor's conviction that Horsford had 
 not told him all. But he had no time to think the 
 matter out, for at that moment a card was brought 
 to him by the hall porter. Mrs. Meldrum had 
 called. 
 
 " I must see this lady. About the girl, nurse, 
 if she's really gone I don't know that we can do 
 anything, but I'll look into the matter presently." 
 
 The nurse departed and Clare was ushered into 
 the room. She was looking her best. Whatever 
 might be in store for her, she felt at that moment 
 in an exaltation of spirits to which she had long 
 been a stranger. She had not carried out her 
 dream of fascinating Guy Horsford a second time 
 of bringing him to her feet ; but she was free 
 from the hateful fetters imposed upon her by her 
 marriage with Meldrum. Not, indeed, legally free, 
 but for this she cared little. Before a woman's 
 will and a woman's heart the law was powerless. 
 She never thought of Guy Horsford's position. 
 It did not matter how she had compromised him 
 and herself. She was blind to the consequences 
 of her wilfulness. If she reflected at all on the 
 situation it was with a sense of relief that
 
 273 
 
 the heart-burnings, the bitterness, the regrets, the 
 folly regrets that seemed vain, and folly which 
 appeared irremediable of the last five years were 
 gone. She had no longer any fear about Horsford, 
 she had bound him to her by a link stronger than 
 that of love the link of honour. 
 
 So it was natural that the freshness, the gaiety 
 of her young days should dawn once more, and 
 the sharpness that of late had crept into her voice 
 begin to soften. It was with quite her old charm 
 of manner and gracious smile that she made known 
 her errand to Dr. Pentreath. 
 
 " It is curious that you should come at this 
 moment, Mrs. Meldrum," said the doctor. " A 
 strange discovery has just been made. The girl 
 has disappeared. I'm unable to tell you more 
 than that at present. The nurse who had her in 
 charge thinks she made her escape by the window, 
 and it may be so. The sill is but some ten feet 
 from the ground. But I haven't had time to 
 make inquiries. However, if you like to wait 
 while I do so, I may be able to tell you more." 
 
 "I'm afraid I can't stay. My train starts in 
 half an hour. I'm going to Delhi. I thought I 
 would like to know how the poor girl was going 
 on. It so happens that she came from England 
 with me, but I only engaged her for the voyage, 
 and she was virtually out of my service when the 
 accident happened, but of course that would make 
 no difference. I want to do what is right." 
 
 " Certainly. I may say that I've had a mes- 
 sage to a similar effect from Mr. Meldrum, but 
 no doubt you're aware of that." 
 
 " Mr. Meldrum oh yes " 
 
 18
 
 274 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 Clare was confused for a moment or two, and 
 then recovering herself, said : 
 
 " Have you any idea why she left the hospital ? ' j 
 
 " Not the slightest. I suppose you can't throw 
 any light upon the mystery, Mrs. Meldrum ? '' 
 
 ' Well, I had my suspicions she had a sweet- 
 heart in Calcutta. Indeed, I was obliged to 
 reprimand her on that account. She was so 
 neglectful. It may be he was a soldier and was 
 going away. By the way, it was Colonel Horsford 
 who rescued her, wasn't it ? ' 
 
 ' Yes. Do you know him ? ' 
 
 ' Very well indeed. We were old friends in 
 Simla five years ago." 
 
 '' Then I dare say you've heard of the strange 
 romance of the pretty dancing-girl in which he 
 was concerned." 
 
 " I believe there was some talk of the kind. 
 What of it ? ' : 
 
 Clare's voice had suddenly become harsh. She 
 had never expected such a test of her powers of 
 self-possession as this. Her object in calling at 
 the hospital was simply to observe the conven- 
 tionalities. It was, of course, bound to be known 
 that the injured girl was her ayah, and what 
 would people say if she made no inquiries ? True, 
 a pang of jealousy had seized her when she thought 
 how Horsford might admire Nara, but as he had 
 gone to Delhi there was nothing to trouble about. 
 The unsuspecting doctor went on. 
 
 ' Well, it turns out that your ayah is the heroine 
 of his romance. She's the daughter of an old 
 comrade of his who was killed at Moodkee. The 
 story's too long to tell in all its details indeed I
 
 THE HEART OF A WOMAN 275 
 
 shouldn't have mentioned it but for the fact 
 that you and Colonel Horsford are old friends 
 but the gist is that he managed to get the girl to 
 England. How she came back you, of course, 
 Mrs. Meldrum, know better than I do." 
 
 Clare hardly paid attention to what Pentreath 
 was saying. A hundred confused thoughts were 
 agitating her. The room had suddenly become 
 suffocating. She rose, declined the suggestion that 
 she should wait until inquiries were made about 
 Nara's strange disappearance, and with difficulty 
 maintained her self-command while the doctor 
 escorted her down the staircase. 
 
 She hurried back to the boarding-house and 
 shut herself in her own room. All the emotional 
 struggles she had gone through since that fateful 
 night in Simla were nothing in comparison to this 
 which now convulsed her whole being. It seemed 
 to her that the perfidy of Guy Horsford was made 
 evident. No doubt he had kept up a corres- 
 pondence with Nara during the last five years, and 
 it followed that it was an arranged thing she 
 should meet him at Calcutta. Nara's absence on 
 the night of the concert and her constant desire 
 to get out were now accounted for. It was also 
 clear why Horsford refused to travel with her 
 (Clare) to Delhi. Of course he wanted her rival 
 for his companion and the girl had run away from 
 the hospital to join him ! 
 
 Clare remained in her room the entire day, 
 surrendering herself to the bitterest pangs a 
 woman can suffer. All her sacrifices had been in 
 vain. But for Guy Horsford she might have 
 endured her life with Andrew Meldrum. She could
 
 276 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 have done pretty much as she liked had she 
 chosen to humour him. But from the first she 
 had thwarted and irritated her husband. And it 
 had all come to this she was a woman scorned, 
 duped, made a thing of nought to be flung aside 
 for a girl of mixed blood, doubtful parentage, and 
 belonging to a shameful calling ! 
 
 The train for Raniganj steamed out of Calcutta 
 that evening, but Clare was not a passenger, and 
 it was whispered in the boarding-house that Mrs. 
 Meldrum had altered her plans. She was not 
 going to Delhi. 
 
 Dr. Pentreath could make nothing of the puzzle 
 of Nara's disappearance. It looked, however, 
 as if Nurse Barton's theory of the manner of her 
 escape was well-founded. A portion of the girl's 
 sari was found on the earth immediately below 
 the window ; no doubt it had been torn when she 
 let herself down. The doctor could do little more 
 in the matter beyond reporting it to the Calcutta 
 police. He was sure they would not trouble, as 
 there was no suspicion of foul play, and no doubt 
 the incident would be soon forgotten. 
 
 Before this period was reached, however, it was 
 destined to cause the doctor a little more embarrass- 
 ment. During the day a letter arrived from 
 Andrew Meldrum, enclosing a cheque for two 
 hundred rupees for the use of the girl when she 
 was discharged from the hospital. 
 
 " Confound it ! I don't suppose I shall ever 
 see her again. I can't keep this money. I'd 
 better return it personally and thank him. I 
 suppose Meldrum hasn't gone with his wife to 
 Delhi or maybe she's made him miss the train."
 
 THE HEART OF A WOMAN 277 
 
 The doctor went to Osmonde's hotel and asked 
 for Meldrum. The manager's answer was that 
 the merchant had set out for Madras about two 
 hours before. 
 
 " Madras ? You mean Delhi ? " said he to the 
 manager. 
 
 " Indeed I don't. All his luggage was labelled 
 Madras, and I know for a fact that he booked his 
 passage yesterday/' 
 
 ' Well, what about Mrs. Meldrum ? She's gone 
 to Delhi, hasn't she ? ' ; 
 
 " Mrs. Meldrum ? I know nothing about any 
 Mrs. Meldrum. If Mr. Meldrum is married his 
 wife has certainly not been staying here." 
 
 " Oh " 
 
 The doctor thought it discreet to ask no more 
 questions. He went away with a solemn shake of 
 the head.
 
 CHAPTEK XX 
 
 THE BEGINNING OF THE END 
 
 A DAK palanquin was traversing the hard, white 
 road straight as an arrow, crossing the dry and 
 dusty plain to the east of Delhi, and terminating 
 in the bridge of boats over the Jumna. Dusk 
 was creeping on rapidly. The traveller had but 
 to shut his eyes and open them slowly to find that 
 the darkness of night had already gathered. The 
 solid walls of the King's Palace, the parapets 
 and towers but a few seconds before crimsoned 
 by the setting sun were almost lost in the universal 
 greyness ; the grim Salim-garh Fort was a shape- 
 less lump of shadow. 
 
 The occupant of the palanquin was Guy Horsford 
 who, ever since he had left Cawnpore, had been 
 charing at his slow progress. The runners, not 
 merely one party, but every party, were apparently 
 overcome by laziness. Nothing he could say or 
 do hurried them, and at last he resigned himself 
 to his fate. 
 
 He had been much longer on the journey from 
 Calcutta than he had anticipated. The railway 
 only took him a little more than a hundred miles. 
 Even by the iron horse the travelling was very 
 leisurely, but by dak along the Grand Trunk road 
 it was intolerable. The height of the hot season 
 
 278
 
 THE BEGINNING OF THE END 279 
 
 was approaching, and early morning and evening 
 were the only times the men would work. 
 
 Moreover Horsford had considered it advisable 
 to tarry a brief space at Benares, Allahabad, and 
 Cawnpore to pick up news and to get some idea 
 of the state of feeling. The authorities at these 
 centres were quite sure there was no danger to be 
 apprehended, but they admitted to an impression 
 of unrest. At Cawnpore Horsford made a detour, 
 hired horses and rode to Lucknow, where he inter- 
 viewed Sir Henry Lawrence. He returned with 
 a conviction that the far-seeing statesman had a 
 profound grasp of the causes underlying the 
 simmering discontent, and that he by no means 
 shared the confidence of General Wheeler at 
 Cawnpore and others. The conclusion Horsford 
 had come to was that so well expressed by one of 
 the many historians of the Mutiny, who wrote that 
 at this time " the minds of the natives were 
 troubled ; they either knew more or understood 
 better than the Europeans. They felt something 
 dreadful was at hand. Those who had money hid 
 it in the earth, and fear was in the hearts of all ; 
 the jackals were heard to howl more dismally at 
 night ; the dogs to weep round the villages ; and 
 voices came from the jungle crying, ' Mar, Mar ' 
 (smite, smite)." 
 
 It was now the second week in April, but nothing 
 had happened since the carrying out of Lord 
 Canning's order for the disbanding of the 19th, 
 which was done on the last day of March, and, says 
 the historian already quoted, " the sepoys returned 
 to their homes, spreading sedition in every station 
 on the way."
 
 280 A STAB OF THE EAST 
 
 Gloom clouded Horsford's mind. He could not 
 put his finger on anything definite which it could be 
 said deepened his worries, but he was unable to get 
 rid of a vague sense of disquietude and impending 
 trouble. In one respect the foreboding he had 
 on leaving Calcutta had not been realised there 
 were no signs of the danger against which Nara 
 had warned him. Latterly he had ceased to re- 
 gard the plot against himself as of any importance. 
 His thoughts were divided between Nara and 
 Clare and the strange workings of fate which had 
 brought them together. He had acted for the 
 best towards both, and in the face of his mission 
 he could hardly have done more. Pentreath, he 
 was sure, would look after Nara, and as for Clare, 
 he had made what arrangements at Raniganj he 
 could to secure her a safe journey the rest of the 
 way. It could hardly be said that outwardly the 
 country was unsettled or that the roads were 
 unsafe. He had certainly heard or seen nothing 
 of dacoits or goojurs, the stormy petrels of troubles 
 ahead. 
 
 At last the bridge of boats was crossed ; the 
 palanquin was through the Calcutta Gate and 
 was being borne towards the cantonments on the 
 ridge north of the city. The night was unusually 
 brilliant. Myriads of stars spangled the sky, and 
 their diffused light was safer than the direct illumi- 
 nation of the moon. The walls, the angles of 
 frowning masonry, the deep doorways cast no 
 inky shadows wherein assassins might lurk. 
 
 That strange, vague sensation of remoteness, of 
 ancient dynasties, habits, manners, faiths, which 
 Delhi, more than any other city in India, always
 
 THE BEGINNING OF THE END 281 
 
 suggests, came upon Horsford directly he was 
 within its precincts. The narrow, tortuous lanes 
 between sullen walls, the noisome smells, the black, 
 viscid mud, were all Delhi. The palanquin crossed 
 one of the many courtyards of the Palace there 
 was a glimpse of imposing architecture, of massive 
 columns, arches, ornamentation, luxuriant and 
 severe by turns all Delhi. After the palanquin 
 emerged from the Cashmeer Gate, and Horsford's 
 eyes fell on the villas and the bungalows, and a 
 long string of oxen-drawn carts, laden with stores 
 for the cantonments, countless ages seemed to be 
 left behind. The city walls enclosed the poetry, 
 the mystery of antiquity ; beyond were the 
 bustle, the actuality, the prose of modern life. 
 
 Horsford was not sorry to be back among his 
 old chums and in his old quarters, if only to enjoy 
 the luxury of a bed. A long and heavy sleep, 
 and he was ready for the difficult, the intricate 
 business with which he had been entrusted. He 
 discovered a tone of uneasiness in the talk of his 
 brother officers. Much discussion was indulged 
 in concerning the vexed question of the greased 
 cartridges ; conjectures were hazarded as to 
 the meaning of the mysterious distribution of the 
 chupatties. Nobody had been able to discover 
 for what purpose these harmless flat cakes had 
 been passed from hand to hand. Not even the 
 natives seemed to know they certainly would not 
 or could not give any explanation. It was as- 
 sumed that they were intended as a signal to be 
 prepared for some great event, and this in itself 
 was disquieting. Lastly there was Zeenut Mehal 
 and her intrigues. No one could say definitely
 
 282 A STAE OF THE EAST 
 
 what they were or for what object they were 
 designed. All was vague and uncertain. But 
 the majority of the officers were optimistic. An old 
 Colonel, grown white in the Company's service, 
 declared emphatically that the English in India 
 would always be supreme. 
 
 " And what about Delhi ? " asked Horsford. 
 " If that goes from us everything goes/' 
 
 The Colonel stared, and spluttered out : 
 
 " Delhi go from us ? What do you mean ? 
 At the first hint of danger here we should at once 
 have assistance from Meerut and Ambala." 
 
 " Oh possibly, but in the meantime Delhi might 
 be lost, and if so, with its seven miles of walls we 
 should want a much bigger army than we possess 
 to get it back. At the present moment, thanks 
 to our so-called conciliatory policy, we've no 
 English troops in Delhi, and yet we've chosen to 
 place there the biggest magazine in India. What 
 would happen in the case of a rising ? All the 
 disaffected would flock to Delhi, and if we'd de- 
 sired to make things easy for them, we couldn't 
 have gone a better way about it." 
 
 Horsford spoke with unwonted heat, and his 
 violence gave great offence to some of his seniors. 
 They were willing to admit that Horsford had 
 once been well qualified to speak about Delhi, but 
 this was five years ago. He had been absorbed in 
 Burma since then, and things had changed in Delhi. 
 The King was old and infirm. He could not live 
 much longer, and the moment he was dead the 
 Moghul dynasty would be dead too, and Delhi would 
 commence a new life under British Government. 
 Horsford listened but was not convinced, and
 
 THE BEGINNING OF THE END 283 
 
 soon after left, as a busy day was before him. He 
 had conferences with Sir Theophilus Metcalfe, the 
 Resident ; with Mr. Commissioner Fraser ; with 
 Brigadier Graves. All agreed that there was no 
 immediate cause for alarm, and Horsford deter- 
 mined to see things for himself. In the dress of a 
 native he set out for Delhi, and purposely taking 
 a long detour, entered the city by the Lahore 
 Gate, from which the Chandi Chauk runs in 
 almost a straight line to the Palace. At about three- 
 quarters of its length from the Lahore Gate is the 
 road leading to the Jama Masjid, and thither he 
 turned his footsteps, but he did not proceed direct 
 to the mosque, preferring instead the maze of 
 noisome lanes north of the great temple of prayer. 
 
 He mingled with the crowd ; he lingered at some 
 of the stalls, ostensibly to bargain but in reality 
 to listen to the gossip going on around, and nothing 
 escaped him which could in any way give the 
 slightest information. But so far as he could tell 
 the people were interested only in their own private 
 affairs. Then he approached the Jama Masjid. 
 
 About twenty yards ahead he saw a crowd 
 gathered in front of a placard posted on the red 
 sandstone walls. There was no excitement, only 
 quiet, profound attention. Many of the passers-by 
 stopped, but apparently were unable to read what 
 was on the placard, and asked the others. Then 
 one man spoke in a low voice, and the rest listened 
 intently. Without showing any curiosity Hors- 
 ford strolled to the group. The man had finished 
 his explanation, and those who had heard it went 
 on quickly. Horsford sidled his way into the crowd, 
 and started when he read what was on the placard.
 
 284 A STAE OF THE EAST 
 
 It was an announcement to the effect that the 
 King of Persia was coming to drive the infidels 
 out of India ! 
 
 " The devil he is ! " 
 
 Thoughtlessly Horsford had uttered his ex- 
 clamation aloud and in English. One or two of 
 the natives within earshot turned and stared at 
 him. He cursed his folly, but it was too late. 
 At the same time it was by no means certain the 
 men who heard the words understood them. 
 The strangeness of the tongue was sufficient to 
 make them stare at a stranger. 
 
 He passed northward, back to the Chandi 
 Chauk, with the intention of going direct to the 
 Resident. It was not at all likely Sir Theophilus 
 Metcalfe knew of the placard which, so Horsford 
 found from the gossip, had only been posted that 
 morning. Before he reached the Chandi Chauk, 
 however, he discovered that he was being followed 
 by a tall, thin, grey-bearded man. He pretended 
 to take no notice, and did not even quicken his 
 pace. All he could do was to double upon his 
 shadower, and he turned into a nest of lanes in 
 the direction of the Palace. Thanks to dexterous 
 twinings and twistings, dodging among crowds, 
 and taking advantage of any vehicle in the road- 
 way to cover his movements, he at last thought 
 he had shaken off his pursuer, and he tried to 
 hark back to the broad Chandi Chauk, where he 
 knew he would be safe. 
 
 Unfortunately he was in a part of the city to 
 which he was an entire stranger, and the lanes 
 were so devious that it was impossible to tell in 
 what direction they ran. More than once, after
 
 THE BEGINNING OF THE END 285 
 
 walking for some five minutes, he discovered himself 
 almost at the spot from which he had started. He 
 had nothing to guide him, and taking his chance, 
 he entered a lane more promising than the rest ; so 
 much of it as he could see was fairly straight. 
 
 After walking a dozen yards or so he saw that 
 a little farther on the lane took a sharp turn, 
 almost indeed at right angles. He reached the 
 corner, and then saw that he was in a cul de sac. 
 Blind alleys were by no means uncommon in Delhi, 
 and Horsford, though disgusted, was not surprised. 
 
 He wheeled round. Peril, dire and unexpected, 
 faced him in the shape of half a dozen savage, 
 wiry, semi-naked men. They were armed with 
 sticks. Barefooted, they had followed noiselessly, 
 and uttering wild yells they rushed upon him 
 before there was time to draw his pistol, hindered 
 as he was by the folds of the native dress. His 
 fists shot out right and left, and the two foremost 
 went down like ninepins. The lane was narrow ; 
 the bodies of the two prostrate men choked it. 
 Escape at the rear there was none. The rest of 
 the fellows, trusting in their numbers and in their 
 sticks, which it was clear to Horsford they knew 
 how to use, instantly surrounded him, and rained 
 a shower of blows upon his head and shoulders. 
 
 The men were skilled fencers, and though 
 Horsford managed to plant a crashing blow 
 between the eyes of the foremost, he could do 
 little more. As a last effort he dashed at one of 
 his assailants and attempted to wrest the weapon 
 from his grasp. He gripped the man's wrist, but 
 failed to hold it, for the simple reason that the 
 fellow had greased his arm. Before he could
 
 286 A STAK OF THE EAST 
 
 recover himself the sticks of the others descended 
 with murderous force, he knew no more. 
 
 " Is he dead, Muza Khan ? " 
 
 The voice was of discordant, guttural shrillness, 
 the speaker a gross, unwieldy old woman, whose face 
 suggested a dried yellow skin stretched over a skull. 
 
 " I I do not think so, Sundra Bai," stammered 
 the thin, grey-bearded man who was holding the 
 lamp so that its smoky light fell on the huddled 
 figure lying on the damp, slimy stones. Then he 
 knelt down, placed the lamp on the ground, and 
 laid his hand over the prostrate man's heart. 
 
 " I can feel it throb," said he at last. " He has 
 been lying here for forty-eight hours without 
 attention/' 
 
 ' That was not my wish," exclaimed the old 
 woman angrily. ' Let him be seen to by the 
 King's physician. He must be restored to health. 
 I want my vengeance to be long. I would see 
 him die slowly slowly : days weeks months 
 of torture. Do you understand, Muza Khan ? ' 
 
 1 Yes, yes," muttered the man. ' Your orders 
 shall be obeyed, Sundra Bai." 
 
 " See to it then. Hold the lamp nearer." 
 
 The man obeyed, and the vindictive old hag let 
 her glassy eyes rest on the pallid, impassive face, 
 streaked with blood. After a lapse of a few minutes 
 Sundra Bai, with a haughty gesture, made a sign 
 to her companion to lead the way with the lamp, 
 and stalked across the dungeon, her uncouth shadow 
 flitting on the ground, the walls, the vaulted roof 
 becoming more and more grotesque till the receding 
 light buried it in the surrounding darkness.
 
 THE BEGINNING OF THE END 287 
 
 The King's physician came, and Horsford re- 
 covered consciousness, to find himself not only as 
 weak as a rat, but attacked with fits of shivering 
 and dry heat which he knew were the forerunners 
 of fever. His condition was not wonderful. He 
 was lying in one of the noisome dungeons of the 
 grim Salim-gahr fort. His prison had a slit of a 
 window in the thick wall, not more than a few 
 feet above the river Jumna. It was the dry 
 season, the river was low, and its sandy bank 
 was the receptacle of fever-breeding refuse. The 
 narrow opening faced the east, and when Horsford 
 had thrown of! the fever a process of some three 
 weeks the rising sun was the only means he had 
 of knowing how the days came and went. 
 
 What was to be his fate he could not conjecture. 
 Evidently he was not to be allowed to die, or why 
 was the physician so constant in his attentions ? 
 But these speculations did not occupy him long. 
 With returning strength came one all-absorbing 
 desire escape. The slit of an opening only served 
 to throw a pencil of light on one particular spot. 
 Everywhere else the floor, the roof, the walls 
 was black. He made his way to the door by 
 feeling round the walls. This door was of sturdy 
 timbers studded with iron. Nothing short of a 
 battering ram or an explosive would shatter it. 
 
 Horsford returned to the spot where a mat had 
 been thrown for his bed, by the side of which 
 was a lotah of water. He dragged the mat to the 
 patch of light, and tried to steady his thoughts 
 to take in the situation and its possibilities. The 
 dungeons of the Salim-garh, he was quite sure, 
 were strong enough to resist any attempt at escape.
 
 288 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 If he had hammer and chisel he might perhaps 
 chip his way through the stone in some six months' 
 time, if he were permitted to work uninterruptedly. 
 But he had nothing. He had been thoroughly 
 searched, and everything, from his pistol to his 
 purse, taken from him. 
 
 Of course he would be missed by his brother 
 officers, but his disappearance would cause no alarm. 
 He was on a mission which demanded secrecy, he 
 had a free hand, and it might well be they would 
 imagine that he had good reasons for leaving Delhi. 
 
 " No help from that source/' he muttered. 
 
 He could think of nothing but attacking the 
 men who brought him food. The plan was full 
 of risk ; he had no weapon of any kind, and could 
 only trust to his fists. If he escaped their tulwars, 
 keen as razors, he would have to run the gauntlet 
 of the guard outside. Still the boldness, the 
 energy, the courage of Englishmen had in India been 
 successful against heavy odds times out of number, 
 and when he was less weak he would make the 
 attempt. 
 
 That evening a change was made in his diet. 
 Hitherto it had been very spare, but now his 
 gaolers brought in a mess of savoury curry and 
 rice, with kabobs, as a concession to the taste of 
 the Englishman for meat. Convalescence had 
 brought with it an unbounded appetite, and he 
 ate the curry voraciously. Drowsiness followed as 
 a matter of course, and he curled himself on his 
 mat like a dog, and fell into a heavy sleep. 
 
 He awoke, after how long an interval it was 
 impossible to say. It was night, and his prison 
 was in that impenetrable darkness which in itself
 
 THE BEGINNING OF THE END 289 
 
 had a mysterious effect upon the nerves. He had 
 a sense of overpowering weight, and he at first put 
 down his sensations to some kind of nightmare. 
 He managed to move one hand slightly, and his 
 fingers grasped something cold and hard. In an 
 instant the truth flashed across his mind, and 
 sent his body into a clammy sweat. He was 
 chained to the wall. He now saw the reason of 
 the savoury, enticing curry. It had been drugged. 
 
 The discovery was appalling. He remained for 
 a long time numbed, overwhelmed. His plan of 
 escape by attacking his gaolers was foiled. Maybe 
 something of the kind had been anticipated. He 
 struggled to his feet. He could hardly move a 
 pace. Directly he stood upright giddiness, faint- 
 ness, seized him ; he dropped down, a chain 
 clanking hideously, and fell into a kind of stupor 
 until daybreak. Then he heard the sounds of bolts 
 drawn back, of bars lifted. He did not trouble. 
 For the moment nothing seemed to matter. 
 
 Sundra Bai, the fat " Begum," waddled in. She 
 was attended by the tall, thin, grey-bearded man, 
 Muza Khan. Sundra Bai was unveiled. Her eyes 
 were lit with hatred, with the terrible joy of ven- 
 geance about to be realised. Her lips, parted and 
 stretched, showed her betel-stained teeth, even 
 as they were in the days when she could smile 
 alluringly and tempt men to their destruction. 
 
 Something in her fiendish gaze roused Horsford's 
 dormant energy. He did not know who she was, 
 for he had only seen her in the gloom of the covered 
 cart on the fateful evening of the abduction of 
 Nara, but he had his suspicions. He pulled himself 
 together and with a violent effort raised himself 
 
 19
 
 290 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 once more to his feet and leaned against the edge 
 of the embrasure sloping towards the slit of a 
 window. Evidently the old woman did not expect 
 he would show so much vigour ; she drew back 
 hurriedly towards Muza Khan. 
 
 ' You need not fear, Sundra Bai," said Horsford 
 ironically. " I won't hurt you." 
 
 " No," she screamed, " I know that. I have cut 
 your claws, Sahib aha ! and neither you nor any 
 of your accursed race can harm us. I have come to 
 tell what is happening. It will please you. Listen." 
 
 It was Sunday evening. The wind was from the 
 west and blew the sound of the chimes of the English 
 church towards the dungeon. The sonorous, almost 
 harsh clang was easily distinguishable from the sil- 
 very tinkle which called the faithful to the mosques. 
 ' This is the last time you will hear the bells 
 of your church." 
 
 Horsford shrugged his shoulders. He took her 
 words to mean that he had not long to live. He 
 understood everything now. The danger Nara 
 had warned him against had come to pass. The 
 presence of Sundra Bai explained the mystery of 
 the attack made upon him, of his imprisonment 
 in that loathsome prison. 
 
 " And not you alone, Sahib Horsford," she 
 hissed, coming very near to him now that she had 
 convinced herself he was powerless, " but all the 
 sahib-logues in Delhi, all the mem-sahibs, all 
 the babas. To-night it may be to-morrow of a 
 certainty. The red and blue and white flag will 
 be dragged down and torn into strips and the green 
 flag of the true faith will be waving over Delhi. 
 Not one of you will be left. No no, I am wrong
 
 THE BEGINNING OF THE END 291 
 
 there one will be spared. Do you know who that 
 one is ? You yourself, Sahib Horsford. Your ac- 
 complice, Kulloo Bux, was racked with pain before 
 he confessed. His confession did not save him, 
 nor will yours save you, Sahib. His tortures were 
 nothing compared with what yours will be." 
 
 "It is a matter of indifference to me what you 
 do," broke in Horsford haughtily. " Englishmen 
 know how to die." 
 
 " I doubt it not. Death is nothing. Bodily 
 agony, lasting hours days weeks, till you beg 
 and pray for mercy that is everything. You will 
 have some one to see you suffer some one you 
 love as your life. She shall dance and sing to you 
 while you slowly die. And if she refuses, there is 
 the lash for her. What have you to say ? ' ; 
 
 " Do as you please," he rejoined doggedly. " I 
 defy you to extract a cry from me." 
 
 " Ah yes from you but from your Nara ? 
 When the whip cuts her flesh, will she be silent ? 
 Oh, if you do not beg for mercy for yourself, you 
 will for her." 
 
 " You lie, Sundra Bai. You think to terrify me. 
 You won't succeed." 
 
 " We shall see. What if I bring your Nara as 
 proof that I speak the truth ? ' 
 
 " As you please. Let it be so." 
 
 Horsford spoke with the utmost sang-froid. He 
 was not going to give the venemous old hag the 
 slightest spark of gratification. But inwardly his 
 heart was torn. The deadly vengeance fore- 
 shadowed by Sundra Bai might, for aught he 
 could tell, be carried out in all its fiendish details. 
 
 Sundra Bai was about to throw her robe over
 
 292 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 her face when the mysterious hints she had let 
 fall concerning the fate of the English people in 
 Delhi hints which in the talk relating to himself 
 had dropped into the background recurred to 
 him. He knew he would get no information by 
 asking for it direct, and he made some remark, 
 half sneering, half defiant, in reference to her 
 boasted supremacy of the green flag of Islam. 
 
 She turned upon him furiously. 
 ' What do you know, dog of an infidel you 
 who have been shut from the world, from the light 
 of the sun for a month ? ' 
 
 A month ? Was it possible he had been imprisoned 
 in his dungeon so long ? He contradicted the woman 
 flatly as the best way of inducing her to talk. 
 
 ' You are the liar," she shrieked. " It is now 
 the tenth day of the fifth month. Before another 
 twenty-four hours are gone Delhi will be in the 
 hands of the Faithful and you English will be 
 swept away. The soldiers that you imagined 
 loved you so much they would defile themselves 
 with bullock's fat, with hog's grease to please you, 
 have risen against their masters at Meerut. The 
 sahib-logues are shot, the mem-sahibs are killed, 
 the soldiers are on their way to Delhi. Before long 
 you will hear them shouting, ' Deen, Deen I ' 
 
 Trembling with passion, Sundra Bai flung the 
 end of her sari over her head and stalked away, 
 Muza Khan obsequiously following with the lamp. 
 
 Horsford was overwhelmed. He tried to per- 
 suade himself that the story was a concoction in- 
 tended to frighten him ; yet this woman spoke 
 with an intensity of conviction and a confidence 
 which could not be gainsaid.
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 THE ELEVENTH OF MAY 
 
 SUNDRA BAI'S terrible words instead of crushing 
 Horsford's spirit acted upon it as a counter- 
 irritant and helped him to throw off the effect of 
 the narcotic. But with renewed enemy came also 
 
 C7*/ 
 
 biting suspense gnawing anxiety and a sense of 
 utter helplessness. Inaction was the thing most 
 to be dreaded. He felt he must exert himself in 
 some way or he would go mad. 
 
 He examined his chain. It was as antiquated 
 as it was clumsy. The iron waistband to which 
 it was attached was about two inches wide by 
 nearly a quarter of an inch thick, hinged in front 
 and fastened by some kind of mechanical con- 
 trivance behind ; so at least was his impression 
 after feeling it. The staple which held the chain 
 was solidly fixed between two stones, and for 
 aught he could tell had been for a century just 
 as it was now. 
 
 He stood for some minutes pondering over his 
 chances of freedom. They were small indeed. 
 The only thing upon which he could congratulate 
 himself was that the staple was near the window 
 and he was permitted to stand in the rays of the 
 rising sun. But this small mercy was rapidly 
 
 293
 
 294 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 flitting. The sun was mounting, and he sadly 
 watched the bright patch of light depart, as one 
 utters farewell to a friend. Then he set to work 
 to try to loosen the staple. 
 
 For a couple of hours at least he worked the 
 chain, hoping to crack the cement, but without 
 any success. But he was not discouraged. All 
 that he wanted was sufficient time and patience. 
 Prisoners before now had done wonders with a 
 rusty nail. But their escape had been a matter 
 of months. Sundra Bai, he thought with a 
 shudder, would not wait long before she would 
 visit him again. 
 
 :f The hag's thirsting for her vengeance/' he 
 muttered. His hands and wrists were tired with 
 handling the chain, and he leaned against the 
 edge of the embrasure to rest himself, his eyes 
 fixed on the slit of daylight. 
 
 By standing on his toes he could catch a glimpse 
 of the outer world. It appeared to him he was 
 about six feet above the level of the Jumna. 
 He saw a portion of its placid waters and the 
 Trunk Road beyond. All was quiet no sounds 
 of uproar, no firing of guns such as would be sure 
 to follow the uprising, the massacre hinted at by 
 Sundra Bai. The aspect was so peaceful that he 
 could not avoid coming to the conclusion that the 
 old woman's story was nothing but bombast in- 
 tended to frighten him. His thoughts went back 
 to his efforts to loose himself, and he had another 
 idea. If he could but shift the iron waistband 
 round so as to get the fastening in front he might 
 discover how to open it. 
 
 " Not much chance, I guess," he exclaimed
 
 THE ELEVENTH OF MAY 295 
 
 bitterly. " Hardly likely the poor devils of 
 prisoners, my predecessors, would not have thought 
 of twisting the cursed thing only to find them- 
 selves foiled." 
 
 For all that he made the attempt. The band 
 fitted very tightly. The prisoners it had enclosed 
 were of smaller girth than Guy Horsford. It was 
 a long time before he could coax it round, and 
 when he had succeeded he could do nothing. It 
 was fastened by some kind of mechanical device 
 which required a key. What with his failure, his 
 exhaustion, and the dregs of the narcotic still 
 lurking about him he felt sick and faint and giddy. 
 He looked for his lotah of water. He could see 
 it, but it was beyond his reach. 
 
 :t The fiends ! " he gasped. 
 
 Maybe this was part of the torture. He was 
 parched with thirst ; he could see the means of 
 quenching it without avail. Tantalus over again. 
 He sank on the ground, weary and despairing. 
 His lips, his tongue, his throat were scorching. He 
 held a link of the chain within his mouth. The 
 coldness of the iron relieved him for a few seconds 
 but did no more. Weakness or the remains of the 
 drug brought on drowsiness. He fell into a stupor, 
 and when he recovered his prison was in darkness. 
 
 The sleep had done him good. The effects of 
 the narcotic were dissipated. His brain was 
 clearer. But the parching, the thirst, continued. 
 As a rule his gaolers paid their visits at nightfall 
 and brought food. Had they come while he was 
 asleep ? He groped in all directions in search of 
 a dish, though after his last experience he felt 
 that nothing but starvation should induce him to
 
 296 A STAK OF THE EAST 
 
 eat anything. His fingers encountered nothing 
 but the hard stone floor. 
 
 " Starved to death is that to be my fate ? '' 
 he cried aloud. 
 
 The darkness, his dismal thoughts, his help- 
 lessness infuriated him, and despairingly he re- 
 commenced working at the staple. It was a 
 miserable consolation seeing that his effort might 
 end in nothing ; still it was a consolation. He 
 went on unceasingly and in a sort of mechanical 
 way, dreading to leave off. His wearied muscles 
 gave way only at daybreak. Then he examined 
 the staple. He could not see that his tugging 
 backwards and forwards had made the slightest 
 difference. The staple had been driven in so 
 deeply that he could get hardly any leverage. He 
 turned away despondently, and leaning his elbows 
 on the sill of the embrasure and resting his chin 
 on his grimy hands, he watched the rising sun. 
 He remained thus until the rays no longer filtered 
 through the slit, and only the dazzling surface of 
 the Jumna and the scorched plains and the frag- 
 ment of the white road met his eyes. Now and 
 again he could see people and could hear the 
 rumble of country carts. 
 
 Suddenly he perceived a moving cloud of dust 
 in the far distance. For several moments it was 
 nothing more, for the furnace-like air seemed to 
 be vibrating with the blaze of the sun and dis- 
 torted the vision. But not for long. The outline 
 of a couple of horsemen a little ahead of the rest 
 became fairly distinct. Others emerged from the 
 cloud but the cloud itself did not lessen. It 
 seemed to stretch as far as the eye could reach.
 
 THE ELEVENTH OF MAY 297 
 
 " The devil ! A stampede of cavalry ! " cried 
 Horsford. ' What in the name of Heaven is the 
 meaning of it ? '' 
 
 It was simply a wild, unruly mob of horsemen. 
 Horsford had never seen anything so like a rout 
 a sauve qui pent of about fifty men. He could see 
 but one explanation. Either they were mutineers 
 and were being pursued by British troops or 
 rebellion had broken out in Delhi and troops had 
 been telegraphed for to put it down. The latter 
 hypothesis was hardly feasible. A regiment on 
 duty would never forget its discipline. They would 
 at least ride in something like order. It was far 
 more likely that the party was in full flight. 
 
 The troopers passed, and the dust began to 
 subside. Then Horsford heard the confused thud, 
 thud of horses' hoofs. The horsemen were crossing 
 the bridge of boats. He listened in painful sus- 
 pense for the next sounds. They came, the firing 
 of muskets and pistols, then the voices of a huge 
 multitude, like the roar of an angry sea. 
 
 An hour went over ; Horsford heard no more 
 firing ; the voices had subsided. He hoped what- 
 ever was the cause of the disturbance that it had 
 been removed. Again he strained his eyes along 
 the white road. Again he saw a moving cloud 
 of dust, but moving so slowly that he knew the 
 advancing host were on foot. Soon they came 
 in sight, company after company in open column, 
 headed by a force of cavalry at a walking pace. 
 
 " A rising in Delhi, " Horsford cried excitedly, 
 " and these men belong to a relief force. Muti- 
 neers would never march so steadily." 
 
 And so he was justified in thinking, for the troops
 
 298 
 
 strode along so evenly and kept distance so well 
 that they might have been on the parade ground. 
 The head of the column passed out of sight and 
 then came shouts, not of anger but of joy. It 
 was now nothing but the tramp of feet. The last 
 of the force disappeared acr^s^the bridge of boats, 
 and Horsford tried to piece out what could have 
 brought this little army to Delhi, and why the ex- 
 isting force in the cantonments on the ridge of the 
 north could not have quelled any disorder within 
 the city walls. He could think of no adequate 
 explanation, and the more he thought the more 
 anxious he became. 
 
 After the troops passed into the city the cheering, 
 which apparently their arrival had caused, changed 
 into murmurs, shouts, yells the screaming of 
 women. Then followed reports of firearms at 
 irregular intervals. 
 
 " My God ! " cried the prisoner, " this is mu- 
 tiny ! " 
 
 It was too true. Some few days before a test 
 of the new cartridge was made on the parade 
 ground at Meerut. The 3rd Native Cavalry, 
 believed to be thoroughly loyal, were told that 
 General Hewitt expected them to set a good 
 example. It was also intimated that they need 
 not bite the cartridges, which were not different 
 from those they had hitherto used, but that they 
 could open them with the finger. They petitioned 
 against the order, as they did not want to be held 
 in derision by the other regiments, and they also 
 asked that the parade might be delayed until the 
 excitement over the matter had calmed down. 
 The General refused, the parade began, and cart-
 
 THE ELEVENTH OF MAY 299 
 
 ridges were offered to ninety carabineers made 
 up of selections from each troop. Of this number 
 five only obeyed orders. The rest were immediately 
 arrested, tried by court-martial, and sentenced 
 to ten years 3 hard labour. 
 
 On May 9 a parade of all the troops at Meerut 
 was held. They were to witness the degradation 
 of their comrades, all men respected in the regi- 
 ment, all of high caste. One deep sigh burst from 
 the ranks when the eighty-five had been stripped 
 of their uniforms and the irons hammered on to 
 their wrists. This sigh, which seems to have been 
 utterly unpremeditated, and in no sense a signal, 
 was the only sign of emotion. The troops marched 
 back to quarters, and General Hewitt, who through- 
 out the melancholy business showed a fatuity 
 almost inconceivable, thought he had settled 
 everything satisfactorily. The next day, Sunday, 
 a rocket went up from the Sepoy lines. It was 
 the signal for a general revolt. The officers who 
 tried to quell the tumult were shot ; the 3rd 
 Calvalry galloped to the gaol and released their 
 eighty-five comrades ; fourteen hundred convicts 
 who were in the prison were set free, and the rest 
 of the troops were rapidly approaching the crisis of 
 rebellion. The shooting of Colonel Finnis decided 
 the matter. Fire, robbery, slaughter of men, 
 women, and children followed. Then the mutineers 
 set off in hot haste for Delhi. They could have 
 been pursued by the British troops quartered at 
 Meerut, but General Hewitt did nothing. 
 
 Suddenly Horsford heard the sound of shooting 
 back the bolts of his prison door. He turned at 
 bay. If it was his fate to be killed like a dog he
 
 300 A STAK OF THE EAST 
 
 would die with his face to his murderers. The 
 next moment he recoiled in amazement. He saw 
 not the assassins he expected, but a girl who, 
 darting through his dungeon's gloom, appeared 
 to his fevered brain like an angel of deliverance. 
 He could say nothing do nothing. He heard her 
 frantic whispers, but for a second or two they 
 seemed to convey no meaning. 
 
 '' They are killing all the English people ! " she 
 gasped. 
 
 No wonder that at first he failed to realise what 
 she was saying. It was like the creation of some 
 hideous nightmare. 
 
 " Come, Sahib, come. I have a safe hiding- 
 place for you/' she screamed, and seizing his arm 
 dragged him with all her force. 
 
 The girl was Nara. After Sundra Bai's frightful 
 threats Horsford was not surprised to see her, but 
 everything was overwhelmed by her terrible tidings. 
 
 " Why do you not move ? I Oh oh 
 
 oh ! . . /; 
 
 The girl had caught sight of the chain of the 
 waistband of the staple in the wall. She was 
 seized with a fit of trembling, her eyelids drooped, 
 she reeled and would have fallen but for Horsford 
 flinging his arms about her. 
 
 At that moment came a report which no thunder- 
 clap could equal. If it were possible to imagine 
 the crash of worlds the effect could not have been 
 more overwhelming. A trembling of the earth, 
 mysterious, rumbling noises, cracking noises, patter- 
 ing noises, as though the heavens were raining 
 missiles, swiftly followed, but of these noises the 
 two human beings clinging to each other were
 
 301 
 
 unconscious. The one thought crowding out every 
 other was that they were waiting for death. They 
 were in darkness for a few seconds, and when this 
 disappeared and their eyes naturally sought the 
 light of the window the air seemed to be suffused 
 with a rosy mist. 
 
 A strange silence, in itself appalling after the 
 terrible sounds, followed. It seemed to be the 
 precursor of more horrors, as though nature had 
 been exhausted by her first convulsions, and was 
 preparing for the next effort. Words in a broken 
 whisper reached Horsford's ear. 
 
 " Sahib Sahib is this death ? Oh, if if 
 with you. . . ." 
 
 Nara's voice died away. She crept closer within 
 his arms, her hands gripped one of his and she 
 pressed it to her lips. The mastering emotion that 
 he had a woman to protect seemed in some mys- 
 terious way to have the power of awakening 
 Horsford's numbed senses. He drew himself erect ; 
 his embrace tightened ; he forgot that he was 
 chained. He lifted her with the intention of 
 carrying her to the door. One pace a sudden 
 jerk a loud clanking of metal he was free ! 
 
 Without relinquishing his burden he turned to 
 where the staple had been. Between the two 
 stones was now a fissure about the breadth of 
 a finger. The cement was cracked and crumbling, 
 the staple had been dragged out by the jerk of his 
 body and was lying on the ground still attached 
 to the chain. There could be but one cause for 
 this an earthquake. 
 
 The discovery brought with it a terrible dread. 
 The Salim-garh, stout as it was, might be the very
 
 302 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 worst place for shelter. Its solidity was a danger. 
 Once its foundations were disturbed its own 
 weight would bring it down like a house of cards. 
 Without a word to Nara, Horsford rushed with her 
 to the door, his chain jangling behind him on the 
 hard stone. The door opened into a narrow, 
 vaulted passage. A glimmer of light at the end 
 guided him. The light came from an opening in 
 the wall less than a foot square and strongly 
 barred, and he could dimly discern a flight of 
 circular stone steps. 
 
 Standing Nara all dazed on the ground, he leaned 
 against the wall to get his breath, and gathered 
 up his chain lest it should clank. He might still 
 have the guard to encounter, and he asked Nara 
 if she could tell him where it was stationed. 
 
 She had seen no guard, she said. She had es- 
 caped from the zenana in the Palace, had run 
 across the bridge connecting the Palace with the 
 Salim-garh, and had easily found her way to his 
 dungeon. Sundra Bai had derisively told her it 
 was situated in the lowest and most unhealthy 
 part of the prison, and she had wheedled its exact 
 whereabouts out of the old physician who had 
 been called to Horsford. 
 
 " Every one is away in the streets killing, 
 killing," she whispered fearfully. " Oh, it is 
 horrible ! The soldiers at Meerut mutinied last 
 evening and shot their officers and the ladies and 
 children, and they came into Delhi this morning." 
 
 Nara also told Horsford that she had seen savage 
 men with drawn swords run upstairs to the apart- 
 ments within the Palace of Captain Douglas of the 
 Palace Guards, and that she had heard shouts and
 
 303 
 
 screams. But there was no time for her to say 
 more than this. Horsford had got his second 
 wind, and he would have carried her up the circular 
 stairs, but she protested, and so they ran to- 
 gether. At the top was a small chamber with a 
 narrow, squat, arched door, which Horsford tried 
 to open, but tried in vain. 
 
 ' But I left it unlocked indeed I did, Sahib/' 
 cried Nara, " and I took the key away. I threw 
 the key out of the barred window below. It was 
 part of my plan to set you free/' 
 
 Horsford made a second attempt, but the door 
 opened into the room, and he had but a small 
 knob to grasp. He glanced at the frame and saw 
 a crack in the wall above. It was clear what had 
 happened. The earthquake had loosened some of 
 the stonework, and the pressure had fixed the door. 
 Only force on the other side could move it. 
 
 Scarcely had he arrived at this conclusion than 
 force arrived. Some one first tried to push open 
 the door, and then, finding it refused to budge, 
 threw himself against it. Still it stood fast. Then 
 angry words were shouted. The man was calling 
 to others. " Deen ! Deen ! " was heard in shrill 
 accents. The men had just come from the mas- 
 sacres in the streets, and were like demons. They 
 hurled their bodies on the door, it shook under the 
 onslaught. 
 
 Meanwhile Horsford bade Nara go down the 
 stairs and remain out of sight. He thought that 
 if he were killed the fellows would trouble to go 
 no further. But she refused to leave him. 
 
 " If they kill you, Sahib, they may kill me too/' 
 she whispered. " I am not afraid."
 
 304 A STAK OF THE EAST 
 
 Her eyes were fixed upon him with an intensity 
 which told him every word she said was true. 
 
 ' Very well/' he rejoined grimly. " Only stand 
 a little back. I want plenty of room for this 
 patent weapon of mine." 
 
 Some five feet of chain was attached to his 
 w.aistbelt, and this he had grasped so as to leave 
 quite two feet free. He kept his eye on the 
 gradually yielding door, and began swinging the 
 chain to get the required impetus. 
 
 At last ! The door was swung back with a 
 crash. The doorway was not wide enough to 
 allow more than one man to enter at a time, and 
 the first one paid the forfeit. Down came the 
 chain with merciless force on his skull. He dropped 
 like a stone and blocked the passage-way. 
 
 The men behind, mad with the lust of blood, 
 pressed forward, but the sight of Horsford's tall, 
 gaunt form, his unkempt hair, his emaciated face, 
 and his eyes glittering with the fierce light of 
 desperation daunted them. The gloom of the 
 chamber lent a ghostly effect to the scene and 
 worked upon their superstitious fears. Their 
 nerves were in a highly electric condition. They 
 were as ready for abject terror as for shedding 
 blood. To their inflamed imagination that heroic 
 figure was the avenging god of the slaughtered 
 Englishmen and women with whose blood their 
 hands were red, whose bodies were not yet cold ; 
 and Nara was the goddess urging him to vengeance ! 
 They were doomed men if they stayed, and with 
 a wild yell of fright they turned and fled. 
 
 The man felled by the deadly chain was lying, 
 his body distorted, his face turned towards the
 
 THE ELEVENTH OF MAY 305 
 
 room, blood trickling down his dusky, ashen 
 cheeks from a gaping wound in the skull. Hors- 
 ford recognised the long, thin, withered face, the 
 grey hair and beard. So, too, did Nara. 
 
 " Muza Khan Muza Khan," she exclaimed, in 
 a low, frightened voice. " Oh, Sahib Sahib, 
 Sundra Bai will have no mercy now." 
 
 Horsford took no notice of Nara's words. He 
 flung himself by the side of the old man, filled 
 with sudden hope, and thanks to his knowledge 
 of native dresses he went at once to where Muza 
 Khan carried his money and valuables. He found 
 what he wanted in a receptacle beneath his girdle 
 a key of strange, uncouth shape. He held it out 
 to Nara. 
 
 " Quick quick ! }i he shouted. " This ac- 
 cursed belt. Here's the key. Do you under- 
 stand ? " 
 
 Not another word was needed. In less than a 
 minute he was free from the hateful iron band. 
 It had not been altogether an evil. Its chain 
 what would he have done without that ? 
 
 Muza Khan was armed with a sword, and of 
 this Horsford took possession. He felt his muscles 
 stiffen as his hand grasped the hilt. If the worst 
 came to the worst, he would at least die fighting 
 like a soldier. He lifted Nara over the prostrate 
 dead body, and together they sped along narrow 
 passages, flights of steps leading where they knew 
 not. They had no plan of escape, all depended 
 on luck, and so far luck had been on their side, 
 and continued to be so, for they did not meet a 
 soul. There was no choice but to go forward, 
 and eventually they found themselves on the roof. 
 20
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 KISMET ! 
 
 HORSFORD stared about him in amazement. The 
 air tasted bitter. A great black cloud hung over 
 the city like a pall, in the distance the atmosphere 
 was rose-tinted. The sun was blazing furiously, 
 but its rays had a difficulty in penetrating the 
 smoke. So much had happened during the last 
 ten minutes that he had forgotten the terrific 
 report, the trembling of the ground, the vibrating 
 walls of the Sah'm-garh the effects, so he thought, 
 of an earthquake. 
 
 As the recollection came back he looked about 
 for the familiar landmarks of the city. He ex- 
 pected to find ruin, desolation everywhere. But 
 the great edifices of Delhi were all intact. The 
 Jama Mas] id was as stately, the Palace as im- 
 posing as ever, and he could see no change any- 
 where. Stay what was that big expanse of 
 vacancy to the north-west, half obscured by slowly 
 rolling pillars of dark, dense smoke ? He could 
 see dimly figures moving at the edges of the area 
 of vapour, some bending as they went, as though 
 searching for something, others carrying burdens 
 beween them burdens which he made out to be 
 dhoolies, and the truth flashed across his mind. 
 
 306
 
 KISMET 307 
 
 "My God!" he cried. "The Magazine's 
 gone ! }i 
 
 It was true. The little band of immortal 
 heroes, Willoughby, Scully, Buckley, Forrest, Ed- 
 wards, Crow, and the rest had done their work well. 
 They had destroyed the vast stores of ammuni- 
 tion, of the possession of which the mutineers 
 had made sure. Horsford could only gaze spell- 
 bound at the smoking ruins. Nara's trembling, 
 fragmentary words had but conveyed to him a 
 vague sense of horror, but now the conviction that 
 the long-simmering rebellion had risen to boiling- 
 point was forced upon him. 
 
 If General Hewitt, after the outbreak at Meerut, 
 had only shown a spark of resolution, of energy ! 
 No doubt he thought Delhi was safe. No doubt 
 he believed the 54th and the 38th Sepoy regiments 
 stationed at Delhi would prove faithful to their 
 salt. He had his own safety to think of. He had 
 to protect himself from an attack which never 
 came ! He had a compact body of English troops 
 under his command, and he cooped them up. 
 Delhi was left to its fate. The anxious men and 
 women who had fled from the massacre within 
 the city walls to take shelter in the Flagstaff 
 Tower ; the officers in the cantonments who had 
 seen their men, so obedient but a few hours before, 
 jeer and scoff and rush to join the mutineers from 
 Meerut looked in vain for help ! 
 
 The roof of the Salim-garh was one big promenade 
 enclosed by a high parapet. There were various 
 openings leading to staircases, but before descending 
 one of these Horsford reconnoitred his surround- 
 ings. He held out his hand to Nara, she clung to
 
 308 
 
 it gratefully, and together they hastened to the 
 eastern side overlooking the Jumna. One glance 
 was enough. The Grand Trunk Road was strongly 
 held, the bridge of boats had been secured, and 
 troops patrolled the river bank. 
 
 "Look look ! " suddenly cried the girl. ' Those 
 two poor men. They are running to the river 
 they are being pursued they are swimming. 
 Ah, they have escaped, and oh, cruel cruel ! " 
 
 She covered her eyes with her sari to shut out 
 the sight. Horsford set his teeth and clenched 
 his hands. The men had come from the city 
 chased by a couple of troopers. The horses' hoots 
 sank in the soft sand, and the fugitives reached 
 the river. But it was of no avail. The soldiers 
 on the bank raised their muskets, levelled and 
 deliberately shot the two swimmers. 
 
 Horsford had hoped to escape by the river. 
 The incident told him that such an attempt at 
 all events by daylight would mean death. He 
 ran with Nara across to the other side of the Fort 
 facing the city. Their ears were filled with a 
 horrid din shouts, yells, the screams of women, 
 the hoarse voices of savage men, the crashing of 
 wood, as of heavy hammers descending on doors 
 and window shutters, the splintering of glass, 
 the sharp report of muskets, and underneath all 
 a sort of ground bass, as it were a continual growl, 
 now rising to an angry roar, now sinking to sullen 
 murmurs. All the narrow lanes within view were 
 packed with seething crowds, struggling, fighting, 
 swaying, with now and again mad rushes to some 
 point where doubtless there was plunder. The 
 budmash, the riffraff of vile slums such as it is
 
 KISMET 309 
 
 impossible to picture had been let loose. Delhi 
 had emptied its sinks of iniquity. Robbery and 
 murder went on everywhere, and no one cared. 
 And it was for this the soldiers had thrown off 
 the allegiance of years, and had turned against 
 those whom they loved and respected ! 
 
 " It's pretty bad for me/' murmured Horsford, 
 " but for you, my poor child my God ! it's 
 frightful. Well, we must do something," he went 
 on desperately. ' We can't stay here. We're 
 bound to be discovered, and we shall be like rabbits 
 in the open without a vestige of shelter. Look 
 here, Nara, you must leave me " 
 
 " No, I will not," she burst out passionately. 
 
 ' Wait a moment. Just listen. You're of your 
 mother's race now. You must forget your English 
 blood. No one will harm you by yourself you 
 belong to India. But if you're with me it will 
 mean death. You must go back and " 
 
 " No," she interrupted, not now with passion, but 
 with the calm, subdued tone of unshaken resolve. 
 " I'm not afraid to die with you, Sahib. What 
 have I to live for ? You are my only friend. 
 I've no love for any one but you." 
 
 Her large, lustrous eyes were upturned to his. 
 There was no fear, no doubt in their fathomless 
 depths. Horsford's heart, and he did not check it, 
 went out to hers. Yet his feeling was not that of 
 love as love is understood in this world. It was 
 something purer something higher some would 
 call it the co-mingling of souls, and so it may have 
 been ; but what both were conscious of was 
 sacrifice for each other, and in this intensity of 
 emotion, in the supreme moment when death and
 
 310 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 life are face to face, there is consolation, courage, 
 an exquisite pleasure. 
 
 ' You shall have your own way, little Nara. 
 I won't let you go from me." 
 
 It was not a time for words, but if words had to 
 be uttered, he could have said nothing better than 
 this. Tears of joy trembled on her dark lashes, 
 and for an instant they stood silent, their hands 
 clasped, faith in each other shining in their eyes. 
 
 " So," he cried, in a tone of fierce gaiety, 
 " we're to be comrades. Good. Then you must 
 help me. Tell me what was in your mind when 
 you burst into my prison. You had some plan, 
 eh?" 
 
 " Yes yes. I know of a secret passage from 
 the Palace to an underground place outside." 
 
 :t That sounds well. And have you found a 
 secret passage to the Palace too without crossing 
 the bridge ? " 
 
 His tone of raillery pained her. She was des- 
 perately in earnest, and so indeed was he, but he 
 had his own way of showing it. 
 
 " No," she cried, " there's no other way but by 
 the bridge. Oh, Sahib Sahib, you don't believe 
 me. You're laughing at me. It is not kind." 
 
 " Don't trouble, little one. We'll go to that 
 hiding-place of yours, and we'll cross the bridge 
 if we get there alive," he added to himself. 
 
 He chose the nearest exit, an opening which led 
 to a circular staircase exactly like that which he 
 and Nara had ascended. They met no one. 
 They heard no sounds. The fort was deserted. 
 The prisoners had been released and had gone on 
 with the gaolers to join the looters.
 
 KISMET 311 
 
 The bridge was originally constructed as a 
 private and direct communication between the 
 Palace and the Salim-garh. After the British 
 possessed Delhi the King was debarred from using 
 this passage-way, but the prohibition was, years 
 after, withdrawn. Otherwise Horsford could hardly 
 have been taken secretly to the prison. 
 
 The fugitives reached the bridge. Then Hors- 
 ford hesitated. He could see armed men at the 
 Palace windows. It might be safer to wait until 
 dusk. There was no danger in staying where they 
 were. Neither gaolers nor prisoners glutted with 
 spoil were likely to return to the grim Salim-garh. 
 They would be certain to go to quarters of the 
 city more to their liking and where they could be 
 easily relieved of their ill-gotten gains. 
 
 So the two remained in the deep shadow of the 
 doorway overlooking the bridge and talked in low 
 tones. Nara had much to tell. She had escaped 
 from the hospital exactly as Nurse Barton had 
 supposed dropping from the window-sill to the 
 soft sand beneath. Then she hastened to the shop 
 in the bazaar where she had overheard the con- 
 versation between Sundra Bai and Muza Khan, 
 and she discovered that Sundra Bai was lodging 
 in the house. She disclosed herself to the old 
 woman and made out that she was sick of being 
 ayah to a mem-sahib and that she wanted to go 
 back to the tuwaifs life. 
 
 ' You told the old hag that \ My God ! how 
 could you ! " 
 
 " I had to. There was no other way. I heard 
 at the hospital that you had gone to Delhi. Sun- 
 dra Bai wanted to know what I had been doing
 
 312 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 since I went from her. I told her lies. I would 
 not say a word about you, Sahib. I said I did 
 not know your name. I said I hated the English. 
 You will forgive me, Sahib, won't you ? >: 
 
 " I've nothing to forgive, Nara, excepting your 
 foolishness in following me. You should have 
 stayed with Dr. Pentreath. I asked him to tell 
 you." 
 
 " I know, but God willed it should be otherwise. 
 He was right was it not so ? Sundra Bai has 
 no dancing-girls now/' she went on rapidly, " she 
 is in Zeenut Mahal's service. She knows all about 
 cosmetics, painting the face, washes, perfumes 
 poisons. Zeenut Mehal and the ladies of the 
 zenana are always making her handsome presents. 
 She has rich jewels ; and she put them on just 
 before I ran to your prison. She told me she 
 meant to jeer at you with all her grandeur while 
 you were lying helpless. Everything was ready 
 for the torture the wretches with knives, men 
 with the burning charcoal and the irons. Oh, 
 I can't bear to think of it ! But God would not 
 permit such wickedness. When Sundra Bai was 
 about to start with the others the soldiers from 
 Meerut rushed into the Palace, yelling like demons 
 and waving their swords. I slipped away un- 
 noticed." 
 
 ' You've been very good and you've been 
 lucky," said he, kissing her forehead. " And now 
 we'll try our luck again." 
 
 The daylight was gone and hand in hand they 
 crossed the bridge. Everything in Delhi that day 
 had been left to chance. Wild lawlessness, up- 
 roar, robbery, murder, reigned supreme. The
 
 KISMET 313 
 
 Palace gate at the bridge had been opened to admit 
 the handful of troopers who arrived with the news 
 from Meerut and had not been shut. The two 
 stole within the portals. They could hear the 
 hum of voices at a distance ; otherwise the Palace 
 was as silent as the Salim-garh. 
 
 Nara was now the guide. She led Horsford into 
 a courtyard and thence into one of the arcades it 
 enclosed. 
 
 ' We pass under the archway in the corner," 
 she whispered. ' The stairs inside go to the 
 zenana. Some of the panels of the wall opposite 
 the staircase are really doors. I found that out 
 when I was watching Sundra Bai. I saw her 
 slide one of the panels back and disappear. That 
 made me try the next. I found my way to the 
 hiding-place I told you of, and 
 
 The girl stopped, recoiled, and pointed her 
 ringer. 
 
 " Look look there on the ground ! " she 
 gasped. 
 
 The feeble light of the stars was sufficient to 
 show a shapeless mass like a huge bundle. Hors- 
 ford went nearer and the bundle resolved itself 
 into a woman, her sari torn and tangled, the arms 
 stretched out at right angles to the body. Dark 
 patches of moisture near the head, the extremities 
 of the arms, the feet, were of sinister significance. 
 One glance at the unwieldy figure, at the face, 
 was enough. It was Sundra Bai dead, murdered 
 for the sake of her jewels ! The miscreants could 
 not wait to drag her gold bangles over her hands 
 and feet, and the rings from her fingers and toes ; 
 their sharp knives had found a quicker way.
 
 314 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 The dead woman was lying near the sliding door 
 
 / \j o 
 
 of which Nara had spoken. The door was open 
 and Horsford saw on a little bracket close to the 
 doorway a lamp and a box of English matches. 
 He annexed both. He struck a match. Its glare 
 showed a regiment of quaint jars, flasks, gallipots, 
 alembics, pots and pans. A charcoal stove stood 
 in a recess. The air was charged with the smell 
 of drugs and concoctions of herbs. The very 
 sickliness of the atmosphere suggested death. 
 Doubtless it was here that Sundra Bai prepared 
 her nostrums. Horsford hurried back to Nara 
 and told her of his discovery. 
 
 " It is just," said the shuddering girl. " God 
 has punished her for her wickedness." 
 
 It was some time before Nara controlled her 
 trembling fingers sufficiently to manipulate the 
 spring of the other door ; then Horsford pushed 
 the panel back and they entered. He lit the lamp, 
 closed the panel, slid his arm within Nara's and 
 the two hastened between the stone walls of a 
 tortuous passage. They followed its twinings and 
 twistings and emerged into a series of small 
 vaulted cellars. Horsford was not surprised. 
 Many of the Delhi houses were provided with 
 similar tyekhanas. A broad step-ladder against 
 the wall of the furthermost cellar led to a trap- 
 door, which Horsford forced open. The din of 
 tumult, the mingling of countless horrid sounds, 
 which had been inaudible while he was under- 
 ground, broke upon his ear. 
 
 He found himself in a room which it was clear 
 had been visited by looters, who, out of mere 
 wantonness, had smashed what was not portable
 
 KISMET 315 
 
 or not worth stealing. Through the windows 
 small openings near the ceiling came a red glare, 
 and now and again clouds of suffocating, nauseous 
 smoke. Incendiaries were at work outside. 
 
 The house was in the Chandi Chauk. Every 
 room had been pillaged and dismantled and the oc- 
 cupants had left the dwelling to its fate. Horsford 
 and Nara ascended to the roof and from behind 
 the parapet surveyed the terrible scene. Tongues 
 of flame broke the darkness in every direction, the 
 streets, the lanes were filled with a wild, surging 
 mob. 
 
 There is no need to tell again the story of the 
 massacre of that horrible first day. It has been 
 described oftentimes. Horsford feared the worst 
 but he could not realise the horror. Two things, 
 however, were very clear to him firstly, the city 
 was in the hands of the mutineers, and secondly, 
 the little British force in the cantonments was 
 helpless. To regain Delhi meant the employment 
 of a properly equipped army. And there were 
 so few British troops in India at that moment, 
 alas ! 
 
 Their own fate his and Nara's what would 
 that be ? A house which had been looted no 
 longer presented temptation, and they might stay 
 there and be safe, but to what end ? Starvation 
 was certain. Before day broke the lust for blood 
 and plunder would probably be sated, and in their 
 native dresses they might steal along in the shadow 
 of the houses to the Lahore Gate. Of course the 
 Cashmeer Gate was the nearest to the canton- 
 ments, but here was the centre of violence. If, 
 as he was quite sure was the case, the 38th and
 
 316 A STAK OF THE EAST 
 
 the 54th had mutinied no one would be allowed 
 to pass out of the Cashmeer Gate. But the Lahore 
 Gate at the extreme west might not be guarded in 
 the present state of anarchy. 
 
 Three hours went by. Where there had been 
 flames were now patches of sullen red. A hoarse 
 murmur, rising now and again to mocking laughter, 
 had succeeded savage yells and frenzied shrieks. 
 After daylight the fell work of butchery would 
 probably recommence. 
 
 ' We're going to try to escape, little Nara," 
 said Horsford quietly. 
 
 " Yes, Sahib." 
 
 This was all they said. They descended to the 
 ground floor. The marauders had entered the 
 house from a lane in the rear and had not troubled 
 to close any doors. The lane curved towards the 
 Chandi Chauk and within five minutes the two 
 were hastening towards the Lahore Gate. Hors- 
 ford was careful to keep the girl between himself 
 and the houses. There were many gruesome 
 sights in the roadway. 
 
 The street was full of ruffianly stragglers, but 
 the fugitives looked too poor and wretched to be 
 worth molesting. The Lahore Gate was quite 
 deserted. Had an avenging force been in readiness 
 it could have entered the city without the slightest 
 opposition. 
 
 Soon they were in the open country and work- 
 ing their way north towards the cantonments. 
 Horsford knew every inch of the ground. Many 
 a time in the old days had he marched at the 
 head of his company along that road which he 
 was now traversing, possibly to encounter as
 
 KISMET 317 
 
 enemies some of the very soldiers who once 
 obeyed instantly his slightest word of command. 
 
 They passed many bungalows, each in its own 
 compound ; another mile or so would bring them 
 in sight of the Flagstaff Tower. There were no 
 mutineers or goojurs to be seen. The looters had 
 not yet finished their work of despoiling the city, 
 but in a few hours this would be over and they 
 would be let loose, with their brutal appetites 
 whetted for more pillage and blood. But danger 
 might come from another source. The news of 
 the mutiny and of the seizure of Delhi had spread 
 far and wide ; swarms of budmash from the 
 surrounding villages had set out to share in the 
 spoil and these had been joined by later mutineers 
 from Meerut. 
 
 Soon after passing the junction of the road to 
 the cantonments with the Karnal road, Nara 
 became so exhausted she was on the verge of 
 fainting. She confessed to having eaten nothing 
 for the last twenty-four hours. The pale light of 
 dawn showed a bungalow close by and Horsford 
 determined to enter it. Most likely the occupants 
 had fled to the cantonments, but something might 
 be left behind in the way of food. 
 
 From the size of the compound and the rare 
 plants and flowers it contained the bungalow was 
 evidently the residence of a wealthy man. The 
 bungalow itself was large and solid. In spite of 
 her protests Horsford carried the girl to the veran- 
 dah and sat her down while he examined the doors 
 and windows. One of the windows was not only 
 unfastened but open. He entered a drawing- 
 room sumptuously furnished in the European
 
 318 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 fashion. He brought the girl into the room and 
 laid her on the couch. Then he latched the window 
 and set out to explore the other portions of the 
 bungalow, especially the kitchen and the larder. 
 Everybody was gone, and the place was hi con- 
 fusion. He found some portions of chicken and 
 rice and brought them to the drawing-room. 
 
 Nara had risen from the couch and was staring 
 at a picture on the wall. Horsford's eyes went to 
 it too. It was a portrait of Clare ! Clare in all 
 her fresh beauty of five years ago, a beauty which 
 had lost nothing in the hands of the artist ! Mel- 
 drum had had it painted in London during the 
 honeymoon. 
 
 " Sahib, I told you I was maid to a lady who 
 brought me back to India. That is she. Is it 
 not strange ? I know it's the same lady because 
 Clare Meldrum is written on some music on the 
 piano." 
 
 Fate had led them to Andrew Meldrum's bunga- 
 low as their last refuge ! And fate mercifully was 
 moving with rapid strides. A hideous noise from 
 without burst upon their ears. The doomed man 
 seized the sword he had taken from Muza Khan, 
 and turned to Nara who, her hands clasped to her 
 breast, seemed to be patiently awaiting him. 
 Instantly his arms were round her and their lips 
 met in the last embrace. The girl knew, as he did, 
 that the end had come ; but before her boundless 
 love Death lost its terrors. 
 
 " One of the most tragic mementoes of the 
 terrible Delhi massacre has just been made public,"
 
 KISMET 319 
 
 wrote the Calcutta correspondent of Galignani's 
 Messenger six months later, when Delhi had been 
 recaptured, and little was talked about but the 
 heroic exploit of Home, Salkeld, Burgess, Car- 
 michael, and Smith, and the death of the gallant 
 Nicholson. " About a week after the rebels had 
 taken possession of the city a detachment of 
 British soldiers was instructed to occupy a bunga- 
 low, which from its elevated position commanded 
 the road beween the Lahore and Cashmeer Gates. 
 On entering one of the rooms they found the dead 
 body of an Englishman and a native girl. The 
 Englishman was easily recognised by the officer 
 in command as Colonel Horsford, who was in 
 Delhi on a secret mission at the time of the out- 
 break. There was ample evidence that Colonel 
 Horsford had sold his life and that of his companion 
 dearly. His sword had snapped, his fingers were 
 still grasping the hilt ; the blade was lying several 
 feet away. The bodies of dead sepoys told their 
 own tale. Round the girl's neck was a thin, gold 
 chain, to which a locket containing a miniature 
 portrait of an English officer was attached. It is 
 said that the girl on the mother's side was descended 
 from the royal family of Delhi." 
 
 A handsome woman, richly attired, had her 
 eyes fixed on this paragraph, her lips pressed 
 together until they were almost bloodless. There 
 came a tap at the door and, startled, she flung the 
 paper behind the couch. A servant entered and 
 announced the expected visitor, the Due de Valen- 
 on, a man of distinguished appearance who ap- 
 proached the lady with an indefinable air of 
 possession. He took the white jewelled hand
 
 320 A STAR OF THE EAST 
 
 extended to him and raised it to his lips with a 
 murmured : " You are charming, Madame/' 
 
 Madame smiled coldly, accepted his proffered 
 arm, and the two descended the staircase to the 
 carriage and pair in waiting. They were set 
 down at the Tuileries. The Empress Eugenie was 
 giving one of the splendid balls identified with 
 the Second Empire. 
 
 In the adulatory notice of the function which 
 appeared in the Moniteur the following morning 
 a whole paragraph was devoted to a description of 
 the dress and jewels of " La belle Anglaise." In 
 these pages she is known better as Clare Meldrum. 
 
 THE END 
 
 Printed by Hazell, Walton <t Viney, Ld., London and Aylftbury.
 
 /Ifoessrs. Stanley {Paul's 
 publications 
 
 Arranged in order of price, from 3d. upwards 
 
 .A, PREVIODS LISTS CANCELLED 
 
 32/- NET 
 
 Napoleon in Exile. St.Helena 1815-1821. By NORWOOD 
 YOUNG, with a chapter on the Iconography of Napoleon at St. 
 Helena. By A. M. BROADLEY. Two coloured plates and about 
 100 illustrations from the collection of A. M. Broadley. Two vols., 
 demy 8vo, 32/- net the set (set also under 2i/-). 
 
 30/- NET 
 The Library Encyclopaedia. By the Foremost 
 
 Authorities. Edited by ALEX. J. PHILIP. To be issued by 
 Subscription. 
 
 28/- NET 
 The Life and Letters of Laurence Sterne. 
 
 LEWIS MELVILLE. Two vols., demy 8vo, with coloured frontispiece 
 and other illustrations. 
 
 24/- NET 
 Intimate Society Letters of the 18th Century. 
 
 By His GRACE THE DUKE OF ARGYLL, K.T. In two volumes, 
 demy 8vo, cloth gilt and gilt top. With two photogravure frontis- 
 pieces and 56 other full-page illustrations, printed on art paper, of 
 original letters, autographs, and other interesting matter. 
 
 An Imperial Victim: MARIE LOUISE, ARCHDUCHESS 
 OF AUSTRIA, EMPRESS OF THE FRENCH AND DUCHESS OF PARMA. 
 EDITH E. CUTHELL, F.R.H.S. Illustrated. Two vcls., demy 8vo. 
 
 The Amazing Duchess : The Romantic History of 
 
 Elizabeth Chudleigh, Maid of Honour Duchess of Kingston 
 Countess of Bristol. CHARLES E. PEARCE. In two volumes, 
 demy 8vo, cloth gilt, with numerous illustrations. Third Ed.
 
 Intimate Memoirs of Napoleon III. : Personal 
 
 Reminiscences of the Man and the Emperor by the late BARON 
 D'AMBES; translated by A. R. Allinson. In two volumes, demy 
 8vo,. fully illustrated. 
 
 Four Ennobled Actresses : The Adventures of the 
 
 Duchess of Bolton, Countess of Derby, Countess of Essex, 
 Countess of Harrington on and off the Stage, by CHARLES E. 
 PEARCE. Two vols., demy 8vo, with two photogravure frontis- 
 pieces and 32 half-tone illustrations. 
 
 21/- NET 
 Napoleon in Exile. Elba 1814-1815. By NORWOOD 
 
 YOUNG, with a chapter on the Iconography of Napoleon and 
 Elba by A. M. BROADLEY. Coloured frontispiece and about 50 
 illustrations from the collection of A. M. Broadley. Demy 8vo, 
 cloth gilt. For further volumes on St. Helena, to complete the 
 work, see under 32/- net. 
 
 18/- NET 
 Fourteen Years of Diplomatic Life in Japan. 
 
 Stray leaves from the Diary of BARONESS ALBERT D'ANETHAN, 
 with an introduction by His Excellency the Japanese Ambassador 
 to the Court of St. James (Baron Kato), who was twice 
 Minister of Foreign Affairs during Baron d'Anethan's term in 
 Tokio. Illustrated with photogravure and half-tone illustrations 
 printed on art paper. 
 
 16/- NET 
 
 A Woman of the Revolution : THEROIGNE DE 
 MERICO0RT. FRANK HAMEL. Demy 8vo. With photogravure 
 frontispiece, illustrated. 
 
 Princess and Queen : The Life and Times of Mary II. 
 
 MARY F, SANDARS. Demy 8vo, illustrated. 
 
 Godoy, the Queen's Favourite. EDMUND B. 
 
 D'ADVERGNE. Demy 8vo, illustrated. 
 
 The Life and Times of Rodrigo Borgia. 
 
 Pope Alexander VI. By THE MOST REV. ARNOLD H. MATHEW, 
 D.D. Very fully illustrated. Demy 8vo. 
 
 The Life of Cesare Borgia. RAFAEL SABATINI 
 
 In demy 8vo, cloth gilt, with coloured frontispiece and other 
 illustrations printed on art paper. Third edition. 
 
 Duchess Derelict : A Study of the Life and Times of 
 Charlotte d'Albret, Duchess of Valentinois (the wife of Cesare 
 Borgia). E. L. MIRON. Demy 8vo, fully illustrated. 
 
 The France of Joan of Arc. LIEUT.-COLONEL 
 ANDREW C. P. HAGGARD, D.S.O. Demy 8vo, cloth gilt, with 
 photogravure frontispiece and 16 illustrations on art paper.
 
 In the Footsteps of Richard Coeur de Lion. 
 
 MAUD M. HOLBACH. In demy 8vo, fully illustrated. 
 
 The Royal Miracle : A Garland of unpublished or 
 very Rare Tracts, Broadsides, Letters, Prints and other Rariora 
 concerning the Wanderings of Charles II. after the Battle of 
 Worcester (September 3 October 15, 1651), with an Historical 
 Introduction and Bibliography, together with some account of the 
 Commemorative Pilgrimage of September 3 9, 1911. By A. M. 
 BROADLEY. Author of " Dr. Johnson and Mrs. Thrale," " Chats 
 on Autographs," " Napoleon in Caricature," etc. In demy 8vo, 
 cloth gilt, fully illustrated, with portraits, maps, etc., from rare 
 originals. 
 
 Jean de la Fontaine : The Poet and the Man. 
 
 FRANK HAMEL. In demy 8vo, cloth gilt, illustrated. 
 
 The Coburgs : The Story of the Rise of a great Royal 
 House. EDMDND B. D'AUVERGNE. Photogravure frontispiece and 
 other full-page illustrations on art paper. Demy 8vo, cloth gilt. 
 
 The Beloved Princess. Princess Charlotte of Wales. 
 By CHARLES E. PEARCE. Demy 8vo, cloth gilt, fully illustrated. 
 
 Famous Artists and their Models. ANGELO S. 
 
 RAPPOPORT, Ph.D. Demy 8vo, 32 full page illustrations. 
 
 12/6 NET 
 
 In Jesuit Land : The Jesuit Missions at Paraguay. 
 W. H. KOEBEL. Demy 8vo, fully illustrated. 
 
 A Winter Holiday in Portugal. CAPTAIN GRAN- 
 
 VILLE BAKER. With coloured frontispiece and 32 original drawings 
 by the author. Demy 8vo, cloth gilt. 
 
 Spain Revisited : A Summer Holiday in Galicia. 
 C. GASQUOINK HARTLEY. In demy 8vo, cloth gilt. With coloured 
 frontispiece and numerous illustrations, printed on art paper. 
 
 In the Maoriland Bush. W. H. KOEBEL 
 
 Demy 8vo, fully illustrated. 
 
 Sicily in Shadow and in Sun. MAUD HOWE 
 
 With a map and 100 illustrations from photographs, and drawings 
 by John Elliott. Demy 8vo, cloth gilt. 
 
 The Gay King. Charles II., his Court and Times. 
 
 DOROTHY SENIOR. Demy 8vo, illustrated. 
 
 Every Man's El Dorado (British South America). 
 
 By EDITH A. BROWNE. Demy 8vo, illustrated. 
 
 Cameos of Indian Crime. Studies of native crimi- 
 nality in India. H. J. A. HERVEY (Indian Telegraphs, retired). 
 Demy 8vo, cloth gilt, illustrated.
 
 The Artistic Side of Photography. In Theory 
 
 and Practice. A. J. ANDERSON. With 12 photogravure plates and 
 
 other illustrations. Demy 8vo. 
 
 The Amateur Photographer says : " A most delightful book, full of pleasant 
 reading and surprises. It is beautifully illustrated with many photogravure and halt- 
 tone reproductions of pictures by leading workers. Every amateur photographer with 
 an interest in pictorial work should get it." 
 
 Police and Crime in India. SIR EDMUND C. Cox, 
 
 Bart. Demy 8vo, cloth gilt, illustrated. 
 
 " An interesting and timely book. . . . Sir Edmund Cox tells many remarkable 
 stories, which will probably astound readers to whom the ways of the East are 
 unknown." Times. 
 
 " In perusing the many extraordinary details in which this book abounds, the reader 
 feels as if he had opened the Arabian Nights of Criminality." Evening Standard. 
 
 10/6 NET 
 Nineteenth Century English Engravings. W. G. 
 
 MENZIES. About 96 full pages of half-tone illustrations. 
 
 Nineteenth Century English Ceramic Art. J. F. 
 
 BLACKER. With 1,200 illustrations. 
 
 A Tour through South America. A. S. FORREST 
 
 Demy 8vo, cloth gilt, profusely illustrated. 
 
 David Garrick and his French Friends. Dr. F- 
 
 A. HEDGCOCK. Demy 8vo, cloth gilt, fully illustrated. 
 
 The Motor. A complete work on the History, Con- 
 struction, and Development of the Motor. JOHN ARMSTRONG. 
 Illustrated by too drawings and photographs. 
 
 The Romance of Sandro Botticelli. A. J. ANDERSON 
 
 Demy 8vo, cloth gilt, with photogravure frontispiece and 16 full- 
 page illustrations on art paper. 
 
 The Life of James Hinton. MRS. HAVELOCK ELLIS 
 
 Illustrated. 
 
 A Great Russian Realist : (Dostoievsky.) J. A. 
 
 T. LLOYD. Demy 8vo, cloth gilt and gilt top, with illustrations. 
 
 In the Land of the Pharaohs : A Short History 
 
 of Egypt from the fall of Ismael to the Assassination of Boutros 
 Pasha. DUSE MOHAMED. Demy 8vo, illustrated. 
 
 The Argentine Republic. Its History, Physical 
 
 Features, Natural History, Government, Productions, etc. A. 
 STUART PENNINGTON. Demy 8vo, cloth gilt, illustrated. 
 
 Two Russian Reformers (IVAN TURGENEV AND LEO 
 
 TOLSTOY). J. A. T. LLOYD. Demy 8vo, cloth gilt, illustrated. 
 
 The Romance of Fra Filippo Lippi. A. J. 
 
 ANDERSON. Second Edition. With a photogravure frontispiece 
 and 16 full-page illustrations, on art paper, demy 8vo.
 
 Our Future Existence ; or, The Death Surviving 
 Consciousness of Man. By FRED G. SHAW, F.G.S. Large crown 
 8vo, cloth, gilt edges. 
 
 Ancient, Curious, and Famous Wills. BY VIRGIL 
 
 M. HARRIS. Demy 8vo. 
 
 The First Signs of Insanity. Their Prevention 
 
 and Treatment. By BERNARD HOLLANDER, M.D. Demy 8vo. 
 
 7/6 NET 
 
 An Actor's Note Books. Being a record of some 
 
 Memories, Friendships, Criticisms and experiences of FRANK 
 ARCHER. Demy 8vo, 32 half-tone illustrations. 
 
 Home Life under the Stuarts, 1603-1649. 
 
 ELIZABETH GODFREY. 19 photogravure and half-tone illustrations. 
 Demy 8vo. 
 
 The Quantities of a Detached Residence ; 
 
 TAKEN-OFF, MEASURED AND BILLED. With drawings to scale 
 in pocket of cover. By GEORGE STEPHENSON. Demy 8vo, 
 cloth gilt. 
 
 " We can honestly and heartily recommend it." Building News. 
 " The student who conscientiously follows this work through will have a thorough 
 grounding in the art of quantity surveying which subsequent practice with other 
 examples will soon develop." Surveyor. 
 
 Wall Paper Decoration. By ARTHUR SEYMOUR 
 JENNINGS. 
 
 STANLEY PAUL'S 6/- NOVELS 
 
 Cantacute Towers. CECIL ADAIR 
 
 Francesca. CECIL ADAIR 
 
 The Qualities of Mercy. CECIL ADAIR 
 
 A Man with a Past. A. ST. JOHN ADCOCK 
 
 Cheerful Craft. R. ANDOM 
 
 Neighbours of Mine. 60 Illustrations. R. ANDOM 
 
 A Week at the Sea. HAROLD AVERY 
 
 Every Dog His Day. HAROLD AVERY 
 The Activities of Lavie Jutt. MARGUERITE and ARMIGER BARCLAY 
 
 The Baron of 111 Fame. HESTER BARTON 
 
 The Children of Alsace. RENE BAZIN 
 
 David Birot. RENE BAZIN 
 
 His Will and Her Way. H. LOUISA BEDFORD 
 
 Maids in Many Moods. H. LOUISA BEDFORD 
 
 Dagobert's Children. J. L. BEESTON 
 
 The Watch Night. HKNRY BETT 
 
 Love s Old Sweet Song. CLIFTON BINGHAM 
 
 Lonesome Land. B. M. BOWER 
 
 Between Two Stools. RHODA BROUGHTON 
 
 The New Wood Nymph. DOROTHEA BUSSELL 
 
 The Retrospect. ADA CAMBRIDGE 
 
 A Durbar Bride. CHARLOTTE CAMERON 
 
 A Passion in Morocco. CHARLOTTE CAMERON 
 
 Suffragette Sally. G. COLMORE 
 
 Because of a Kiss. LADY CONSTANCE 
 
 The Broken Butterfly. RALPH DEAKIN
 
 Stanley Paul's Six Shilling Novels continued. 
 
 A Mysterious Lover. ALICE M. DIEHL 
 
 Confessions of Perpetua. ALICE M. DIEHL 
 
 The Marriage of Leiiore. ALICE M. DIEHL 
 
 Their Wedded Wife. ALICE M. DIEHL 
 
 The Justice of the King. HAMILTON DRUMMOND 
 
 The Three Envelopes. HAMILTON DRUMMOND 
 
 Married when Suited. MRS. HENRY DUDENEY 
 The Consort. MRS. EY-B^ARD COTES (SARA JEANNETTE DUNCAN) 
 
 The Imperishable Wing. MRS. HAVELOCK ELLIS 
 
 The Promoter's Pilgrimage. C. REGINALD ENOCK, F.R.G.S. 
 
 The Third Wife. HERBERT FLOWERDEW 
 
 The Villa Mystery. HERBERT FLOWERDEW 
 
 The She-Wolf. MAXIME FORMONT 
 
 Exotic Martha. DOROTHEA GERARD 
 
 The City of Enticement. DOROTHEA GERARD 
 
 Damosel Croft. R. MURRAY GILCHRIST 
 
 The Marble Aphrodite. ANTHONY KIRBY GILL 
 
 Madge Carrington and her Welsh Neighbours. "DRAIG GLAS" 
 
 Clive Liorimer's Marriage. E. EVERETT-GREEN 
 
 Duckworth's Diamonds. E. EVERETT-GREEN 
 
 Galbraith of Wynyates. E. EVERETT-GREEN 
 The Romance of Bayard. LIEUT.-COL. ANDREW C. P. HAGGARD 
 Two Worlds: A Romance. LIEUT. -CoL. ANDREW C. P. HAGGARD 
 
 The Return of Pierre. DONAL HAMILTON HAINES 
 
 A Lady of the Garter. FRANK HAMEL 
 
 God Disposes. PELLEW HAWKER 
 
 The Thread of Proof. HEADON HILL 
 
 The Bride of Love. KATE HORN 
 
 The Lovelocks of Diana. KATE HORN 
 
 The Mulberries of Daphne. KATE HORN 
 
 The White Owl. KATE HORN 
 
 Susan and the Duke. KATE HORN 
 Swelling of Jordan. CORALIE STANTON AND HEATH HOSKEN 
 The Muzzled Ox. CORALIE STANTON AND HEATH HOSKEN 
 
 The Celebrity's Daughter. VIOLET HUNT 
 
 The Doll. VIOLET HUNT 
 
 Her Majesty the Flapper. A. E. JAMES 
 
 A Robin Hood of France. MICHAEL W. KAYE 
 
 Captain Hawks, Master Mariner. OSWALD KENDALL 
 
 The Poodle-Woman. ANNESLEV KENEALY 
 
 The Irresistible Mrs. Ferrers. ARABELLA KENEALY 
 
 The 'Woman-Hunter. ARABELLA KENEALY 
 
 Hodson's Voyage. W. H. KOEBEL 
 
 Veeni the Master. R. FIFIELD LAMPORT 
 
 The Three Destinies. J. A. T. LLOYD 
 
 The Second Woman. NORMA LORIMER 
 
 The Ban. LESTER LURGAN 
 
 Paul Burdon. SIR Wit LIAM MAGNAY, BART. 
 
 The Fruits of Indiscretion. SIR WILLIAM MAGNAY, BART. 
 
 The Long Hand. SIR WILLIAM MAGNAY, BART. 
 
 The Meteoric Benson. VINCENT MILLS-MALET 
 
 The Mystery of Redmarsh Farm. ARCHIBALD H. MARSHALL 
 
 The Love's of Stella. MRS. SHIERS-MASON 
 
 Brass Faces. CHARLES McEvoY 
 
 Love's Cross Roads. L. T. MEADE 
 
 Raffles. L. T. MEADE 
 
 When we are Rich. WARD MUIR 
 
 The Amazing Mutes. WARD MUIR 
 
 Fear. E. NESBIT 
 
 A Star of the Bast: A Story of Delhi. CHARLES E. PEARCE 
 
 Red Revenge: A Story of Cawnpore. CHARLE* E. PEARCE 
 
 The Three Anarchists. MAUD STEPNEY RAWSON 
 
 A Woman with a Purpose. ANNA CHAPIN RAY 
 
 A Grey Life. " RITA" 
 
 The Justice of the Duke- RAFAEL SABATINI 
 
 The Desire of Life. MATILDE SERAO
 
 Stanley Paul's Six Shilling Novels continued. 
 
 The Incorrigible Dukane. GEORGE C. SHEDD 
 
 Two Girls and a Mannikin. WILKINSON SHERREN 
 
 Opal of October. JOY SHIRLEY 
 
 The Unholy Estate. DOUGLAS SLADEN 
 
 Bright Shame. KEIGHLEY SNOWDEN 
 
 The Free Marriage. KEIGHLEY SNOWDEN 
 
 Love in Armour. PHILIP L. STEVENSON 
 
 Across the Gulf, NEWTON V. STEWART 
 
 The Cardinal. NEWTON V. STEWART 
 
 The Ascent of the Bostocks. HAROLD STOREY 
 The King's Master. OLIVE LETHBRIDGE and JOHN DE STOURTON 
 
 The Unseen Hand. G. VILLIERS STUART 
 
 Prince and Priest. BERYL STMONS 
 
 The Lotus Lantern. MARY IMLAY TAYLOR 
 
 Our Guests. ST. JOHN TREVOR 
 
 A Prisoner in Paradise. H. L. VAHEY 
 
 Camilla Forgetting Herself. H. L. VAHEY 
 
 Where Truth Lies. JANE WARDLE 
 
 An Empress in Love. FRED WHISHAW 
 A Modern Ahab. THEODORA WILSON WILSON 
 
 Maggie of Margate. GABRIELLE WODNIL 
 
 The Destiny of Claude. MAY WYNNE 
 
 The Red Fleur De Lys. MAY WYNNE 
 
 6/- NET 
 A Tour through Old ProYence. A. S. FORREST 
 
 Large Crown 8vo, profusely illustrated, cloth gilt. 
 
 A Motor Tour through England and France. 
 
 ELIZABETH YARDLEY. Crown 8vo, illustrated. 
 
 Guerilla Leaders of the World. By PERCY CROSS 
 
 STANDING. With a preface by the Earl of Dundonald. Crown 
 8vo, illustrated. 
 
 Old Clifford's Inn. PERCIVAL J. S. PERCEVAL 
 
 A history of the earliest of the old Inns at Chancery. Illustrated 
 with nearly 50 drawings by the author. Large crown 8vo, cloth gilt. 
 
 Our Fighting Sea Men. LIONEL YEXLEY 
 
 Large crown 8vo, cloth. 
 
 A Woman's Winter in South America. 
 
 CHARLOTTE CAMERON. Crown 8vo, illustrated. 
 
 Joy of Tyrol. Edited by J. M. BLAKE 
 
 Illustrated with over 100 original drawings in the text by the 
 Author. In crown 8vo, cloth gilt. ^. 
 
 " The book is a triumph." Evening Standard. 
 
 The Physiology of Faith and Fear ; or, the Mind 
 in Health and Disease. By WILLIAM S. SADLER, M.D. 
 
 The Ridge of the White Waters. Impressions of 
 
 a visit to Johannesburg, with some notes on Durban, Delagoa Bay, 
 and the Low Country. By WILLIAM C. SCULLY. Illustrated, 
 Crown 8vo. 
 
 7
 
 The Retrospect. ADA CAMBRIDGE 
 
 Crown Svo, cloth gilt. 
 
 Woman Adrift. The Menace of Suffragism. HAROLD 
 OWEN. Crown Svo. Second edition. 
 
 The Sweep of the Sword. From Marathon to Mafe- 
 king (A Complete Battle Book). ALFRED H. MILES. Dedicated 
 by special permission to Field-Marshal Earl Roberts, V.C. In 
 large crown Svo. (over 600 pages), with a photogravure frontispiece, 
 16 full-page illustrations of world-famous battle pictures, printed 
 on art paper, and nearly 150 illustrations in the text, handsomely 
 bound in cloth gilt, with special design. 
 
 Our National Songs. ALFRED H. MILES 
 
 With Pianoforte Accompaniments. Full music Size. Cloth, gilt 
 edges. 
 
 SI- NET 
 The White Slave Market. By MRS. ARCHIBALD 
 
 MACKIRDY (Olive Christian Malvery). Author of "The Soul 
 Market, "etc. And W. N. Willis, 16 years Member of Parliament 
 of Australia. Crown Svo, cloth. 
 
 French Music in the Nineteenth Century. 
 
 ARTHUR HERVEY. Crown Svo, with Portraits. 
 
 Sea and Coast Fishing (with special reference to 
 Calm Water Fishing in Inlets and Estuaries. F. G. AFLALO. 
 With over 50 illustrations, from drawings and photographs, printed 
 throughout on art paper. Crown 8vo. 
 
 Diners a Deux. S. BEACH CHESTER 
 
 Crown Svo. 
 
 Love Letters of a Japanese. Being the corre- 
 spondence of a Japanese man with his English betrothed. G. N. 
 MORTLAKE. Second ed., with an Introduction by Dr. MARIE 
 C. STOPES. Large crown Svo, white cloth gilt, chaste design. 
 
 The History of Garrards, Crown Jewellers, 1721 
 191 1. Printed throughout on art paper, in two colours, with 
 nearly 40 whole-page illustrations. Cr. Svo, cloth gilt. 
 
 The ABC about Collecting (second edition). SIR 
 
 JAMES YOXALL, M.P. Large cr. Svo, profusely illustrated with 
 numerous line and 32 pages of half-tone illustrations. The subjects 
 include, among others, China, Clocks, Prints, Books, Pictures, 
 Furniture and Violins. 
 
 A B C of Collecting Old English China. J. F. 
 
 BLACKER. Large cr. Svo, profusely illustrated with numerous line 
 and 64 pages of half-tone illustrations, printed on art paper.
 
 The A B C of Japanese Art. J. F. BLACKER 
 
 Profusely illustrated with 150 line and 100 half-tone illustrations, 
 printed on art paper. In large crown 8vo. 
 
 A B C of Collecting Old English Pottery. J. F. 
 
 BLACKER. Large cr. 8vo, illustrated with about 400 line and 32 
 pages of half-tone illustrations. 
 
 The ABC of Collecting Old Continental Pottery. 
 
 J. F. BLACKER. Large cr. 8vo, fully illustrated with line and 
 half-tone illustrations. 
 
 The Production of the Printed Catalogue. The 
 
 Preparation, Printing, and Publication of Catalogues of Libraries, 
 Museums, Art Galleries, Publishers, Booksellers and Business 
 Houses, with a Chapter on the Monotype Machine, and an Appen- 
 dix of Type Faces, by ALEX. J. PHILIP. Cr. 8vo, illustrated. 
 
 A Guide to Mythology. HELEN A. CLARKE 
 
 53. net. 
 
 A Guide to Music. DANIEL GREGORY MASON 
 
 53. net. 
 
 A Guide to Pictures. CHARLES H. CAFFIN 
 
 53. net. 
 
 A Guide to United States History. HENRY W. 
 
 ELSON. 53. net. 
 
 Standard Concert Repertory, and other Concert 
 
 Pieces. GEORGE P. UPTON. Fully illustrated with portraits. In 
 cr. 8vo, cloth gilt. 
 
 Anomalies of the English Law. "The Law in the 
 
 Dock." S. BEACH CHESTER. Crown 8vo, cloth. 
 
 5,- 
 ALFRED H. MILES' NEW SERIES 
 
 For Boys and Girls. Large crown Svo, 384 pages, fully illustrated. 
 
 In the Lion's Mouth. Fierce Fights with Wild Mem 
 Wild Animals, and Wild Nature. By THEODORE ROOSEVELT, 
 CLIVE FENN, etc. With coloured plates. A Book for Boys. 
 
 Where Duty Galls; or Danger Stories of courage 
 and adventure. By EVELYN EVERETT-GREEN, GRACE STEBBING, 
 etc. With coloured plates. A Book for Girls. 
 
 'Twixt Life and Death on Sea and Shore. A Book 
 
 for Boys. 
 
 Heroines of the Home and the World of Duty. A 
 
 Book for Girls. 
 
 A Book of Brave Boys All the World Over. 
 
 9
 
 A Book of Brave Girls At Home and Abroad. 
 
 In the Teeth of Adventure Up and Down the World. 
 
 The Case for Protection. ERNEST EDWIN WILLIAMS, 
 
 F.R.S.S. Large cr. 8vo. 
 
 The Boy's Book of Sports, Pastimes, Hobbies and 
 Amusements. E. KEBLE CHATTERTON. Cloth gilt. 
 
 The Library of Elocution. Edited by ALFRED H. 
 MILES. 
 
 4/- NET 
 
 Coloured Designs for Wall and Ceiling Decor- 
 ation. Edited by ARTHUR SEYMOUR JENNINGS. 
 Port folio. 
 
 3/6 NET 
 Woman in Music. GEORGE P. UPTON 
 
 With an Appendix and Index. In small crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 
 33. 6d. net. Persian yapp, gilt (boxed), 55. net. 
 
 The Practical Art of Graining and Marbling. 
 
 JAMES PETRIE. In 14 parts, 33. 6d. net each. 
 
 The Human Machine. An Inquiry into the Diversity 
 of Human Faculty in its Bearings upon Social Life, Religion, 
 Education, and Politics. J. F. NISBET. Fifth and new edition. 
 Crown 8vo. 
 
 The Insanity of Genius. j. F. NISBET 
 
 Sixth and new edition. Crown 8vo. 
 
 Original Poems. By ALFRED H. MILES. 
 
 Crown 8vo, cloth gilt, with photogravure portrait frontispiece. 
 "The poems cover a wide range of thought and emotion. Many of the lyrics are 
 full of tenderness and charm. The ballads have colour, warmth and movement, and 
 at times a touch of that fine enthusiasm that stirs the blood like the sound of a 
 trumpet. Mr. Miles is a poet of the people." The Bookman. 
 
 The Aldine Reciter. Modern Poetry for the Plat- 
 form, the Home, and the School. With Hints on Public Speaking, 
 Elocution, Action, Articulation, Pitch, Modulation, etc. By ALFRED 
 H. MILES. Crown 4to, 676 pages, cloth gilt. 
 
 Three Modern Seers QAMES HINTON, F. NIETZSCHE 
 
 AND EDWARD CARPENTER). MRS. HAVELOCK ELLIS. Illustrated 
 with 4 photogravure plates, crown 8vo, cloth gilt. 
 
 3/- NET 
 Practical Gilding, Bronzing and Lacquering. 
 
 FREDK. SCOTT-MITCHELL. 175 pages, crown 8vo. 
 Practical Stencil Work. FREDK. SCOTT-MITCHELL
 
 Practical Church Decoration. ARTHUR Louis 
 
 DOTHIE. 176 pages, crown 8vo. 
 
 Decorators' Symbols, Emblems and Devices. 
 
 G0Y CADOGAN ROTHERV. 119 original designs, crown 8vo. 
 
 The Painters' and Builders' Pocket Book. (New 
 
 Edition.) PETER MATTHEWS. 
 
 Scumbling and Colour Glazing. 
 
 2/6 NET 
 Marriage Making and Breaking. CHARLES TIBBITS 
 
 With Foreword by A. C. Plowden, Esq., Chief Magistrate at 
 Marylebone Police Court. In cr. 8vo, cloth. 
 
 The Beau. Illustrated with photogravures and line draw- 
 ings. Nos. i and 2 now ready. 2/6 net each. 
 
 The Welshman's Reputation. " AN ENGLISHMAN " 
 
 In crown 8vo, cloth. 
 
 A Garland of Verse for Young People. Edited 
 
 by ALFRED H. MILES. Handsome cloth gilt. 
 
 The Lord of Creation. T. W. H. CROSLAND 
 
 The Egregious English. ANGUS MCNEILL 
 
 Crown 8vo. 
 
 Monte Carlo. Facts and Fallacies. SIR HIRAM S. 
 MAXIM. With illustrations by George A. Stevens. Crown 8vo. 
 
 The Flowing Bowl. A Treatise on Drinks of all 
 
 kinds and of all periods, interspersed with sundry anecdotes and 
 reminiscences. EDWARD SPENCER ('Nathaniel Gubbins'). Crown 
 8vo. 
 
 Cakes and Ales. A memory of many meals, the whole 
 
 interspersed with various Recipes, more or less original, the Anec- 
 dotes, mainly veracious. EDWARD SPENCER ('Nathaniel Gubbins'). 
 Crown 8vo, 4th edition. 
 
 Pluto and Proserpine. A Poem. JOHN SUMMERS. 
 In crown 8vo. 
 
 This is my Birthday. ANITA BARTLE. With an 
 
 introduction by ISRAEL ZANGWILL. Handsomely bound, gilt and 
 gilt top, 756 pages, as. 6d. net. ; paste grain, limp, gilt edges (boxed), 
 33. net : paste grain, padded, gilt edges (boxed), 43. net ; velvet 
 calf, gilt edges (boxed), 53. net. 
 
 A unique birthday-book containing beautiful and characteristic 
 quotations from the greatest poets, artists, philosophers, statesmen, 
 warriors, and novelists. 
 
 ii
 
 2/6 
 
 Cole's Fun Doctor. First Series. The funniest book 
 in the world. E. W. COLE. 384 pp., crown 8vo, cloth, as. 6d. 
 
 Cole's Fun Doctor. Second Series. The funniest 
 book in the world. E. W. COLE. 440 pp , crown 8vo, cloth, as. 6d. 
 
 A White Australia Impossible. E. W. COLE 
 
 Crown 8vo, cloth. 
 
 Truth. E. W. COLE 
 
 Cloth gilt, crown 8vo. 
 
 21- NET 
 
 Cole's Intellect Sharpener. E. W. COLE 
 
 Demy 4to, with numerous illustrations. 
 Containing a,ooo Riddles, and 500 Puzzles and Games. 
 
 Federation of the Whole World. Edited by E. W. COLE. 
 
 Being fifty prize essays for and against the Federation of the 
 
 World, illustrated with representive portraits of all nations. 
 
 Crown 8vo, cloth. 
 This Funny World. F. RAYMOND COULSON (DEMOCRITUS). 
 
 Author of " A Jester's Jingles." Crown 8vo, cloth gilt. 
 
 A Book of Short Plays. MRS. DE COURCY LAFFAN. Crown 8vo. 
 
 Zinc Oxide and its uses. J. CRUICKSHANK SMITH, B.Sc., 
 
 F.C.S., with a chapter by DR. A. P. LAURIE. 
 
 Phases, Mazes and Grazes of Love. Compiled by MINNA 
 
 T. ANTRIM, with coloured illustrations on each page. i8mo. 
 Your Health ! IDELLE PHELPS. A book of toasts, aphorisms 
 
 and rhymes. With coloured illustrations by H. A. KNIFE. i8mo. 
 Home Occupations for Boys and Girls. BERTHA JOHNSTON. 
 
 Small 8vo, cloth. 
 How to Train Children. EMMA CHURCHMAN HEWITT. Small 
 
 8vo, cloth. __^ 
 
 " RITA'S " NOVELS. 2/- NET EACH. 
 
 Uniform Revised Edition in Cr. 8vo, cloth, coloured wrapper. 
 
 The Countess Daphne. 
 
 Corinna. 
 
 Asenath of the Ford. 
 
 Edelweiss. 
 
 My Lord Conceit. 
 
 The Man in Possession. 
 
 Faustine. 
 
 The Laird of Cockpen. 
 
 " Rita" has a gift for portraying the emotions of the heart which few modern writers 
 have equalled, and this new revised edition of her stories should meet with wide 
 acceptance. 
 
 21- 
 
 Sugar Round the Pill. E. W. COLE 
 
 A cyclopedia of Fib, Fact and Fiction, containing some 1,500 
 items of amusing and ingenious Falsehood and Fact, and 1,250 
 items of Fun. In crown 8vo, cloth.
 
 STANLEY PAUL'S 2/- (net) 
 NOVELS 
 
 Cr. 8vo, cloth, pictorial wrapper, 2s. net each. 
 
 The Bungalow under the Lake (2nd edition). CHARLES E. 
 
 PEARCE 
 
 Clive Lorimer's Marriage (2nd edition). E. EVERETT-GREEN 
 Pretty Barbara (2nd edition). ANTHONY DYLLINGTON 
 
 Impertinent Reflections (sth edition). COSMO HAMILTON 
 
 Lying Lips (2nd edition). WILLIAM LE QUEUX 
 
 The Riding Master (6th edition). DOLF WYLLARDE 
 
 In Fear of a Throne (and edition). 50 illustrations. R. ANDOM 
 The Lion's Skin (2nd edition). RAFAEL SABATINI 
 
 Young Nick and Old Nick (2nd edition). S. R. CROCKETT 
 Love, the Thief (sth edition). HELEN MATHERS 
 
 Tropical Tales (yth edition). DOLF WYLLARDS 
 
 The Cheerful Knave (4th edition). E. KEBLE HOWARD 
 
 The Trickster (3rd edition). G. B. BURGIN 
 
 Love Besieged (3rd edition). CHARLES E. PEARCE 
 
 The Artistic Temperament (3rd edition). JANE WARDLE 
 
 1/6 NET 
 
 The Diners-Out Vade Mecum. A pocket "Who's Who "on 
 the manners and customs of Society Functions, Toasts and 
 Sentiments, Indoor Amusements, etc. ALFRED H. MILES. In 
 fcap. 8vo (6| x 3|), cloth bound, round corners, is. 6d. net. 
 Leather, as. net. 
 
 Verses. DOLF WYLLARDE 
 
 With Photogravure Frontispiece. Paper, is. 6d. net. Cloth, 
 2s. 6d. net. 
 
 STANLEY PAUL'S I/- (net) 
 NOVELS 
 
 Stiff pictorial board covers, Is. net ; cloth, 2s. net. 
 
 A Babe in Bohemia. FRANK DANBY 
 
 22 The Garden of Life. 2nd Edition. KATE HORN 
 
 23 No. 5, John Street, aoth Edition. RICHARD WHITEING 
 
 24 Dr. Phillips: A Maida-Vale Idyll. FRANK DANBY 
 
 25 Tropical Tales. 7th Edition. DOLF WYLLARDB 
 
 1 The Widow to say Nothing of the Man. HELEN ROWLAND 
 
 2 Thoroughbred. FRANCIS DODSWORTH 
 
 13
 
 Stanley Paul's One Shilling (net) Novels continued. 
 
 3 The Spell of the Jungle. ALICE PERRIN 
 
 4 The Sins of Society (Drury Lane Novels). CECIL RALEIGH 
 
 5 The Marriages of Mayfair (ditto). E. KEBLE CHATTERTON 
 
 6 A Ten Pound Penalty. H. NOEL WILLIAMS 
 
 7 Priests of Progress. G. COLMORE 
 
 8 Gay Lawless. HELEN MATHERS 
 
 9 A Professional Rider. Mrs. EDWARD KENNARD 
 
 10 The Devil in London. GEO. R. SIMS 
 
 13 Fatal Thirteen. WILLIAM LE QUEUX 
 
 14 Brother Rogue and Brother Saint. TOM GALLON 
 
 15 The Death Gamble. GEO. R. SIMS 
 
 16 The Mystery of Roger Bullock. TOM GALLON 
 
 17 Bardelys, the Magnificent. RAFAEL SABATINI 
 
 19 The Cabinet Minister's Wife. GEO. R. SIMS 
 
 20 The Dream and the Woman. TOM GALLON 
 
 21 The Ghost Pirates. W. HOPE HODGSON 
 
 THE SATIRICAL SERIES, 1/- NET 
 
 25 The Perfidious Welshman. " DRAIG GLAS " 
 
 loth Edition. Containing a reply to his Critics. 
 
 26 America Through English Eyes. 2nd Edition. "RITA" 
 
 11 The Unspeakable Scot. T. W. H. CROSLAND 
 
 12 Lovely Woman. T. W. H. CROSLAND 
 
 18 Billicks. A. ST. JOHN ADCOCK 
 
 I/- NET 
 
 Arnold's Handbook of House Painting, Decorating, 
 Varnishing, Graining, etc. HERBERT ARNOLD 
 
 Paul's 'Simplicode.' M. LEVY. Crown 8vo. 
 
 The Everyday Pudding Book. F. K. A tasty recipe for every 
 day in the year. Crown 8vo, strongly bound. 
 
 Everyday Savouries : A Savoury for every day in the year. 
 By MARIE WORTH. Crown 8vo, strongly bound. 
 
 Drawing Room Entertainments. New and Original Mono- 
 logues, Duologues, Dialogues and Playlets for Home and Platform 
 use. Edited by ALFRED H. MILES. In crown 8vo, red limp, is. 
 net; cloth gilt, is. 6d. net; paste grain, gilt, 35. net; Persian 
 yapp, gilt, 45. net. 
 
 Ballads of Brave Women. Crown 8vo, red limp, is. net ; cloth 
 gilt, is. 6d. net ; paste grain, gilt, 33. net ; Persian yapp, gilt top, 
 43. net. 
 
 The Shilling Music Series. Edited by ALFRED H. MILES. Each 
 with Pianoforte Accompaniments. Full Music size. is. net each. 
 
 FORTY ENGLISH SONGS 
 FIFTY SCOTCH SONGS 
 THIRTY-SIX ENGLISH SONGS 
 
 AND BALLADS 
 FIFTY IRISH AND WELSH SONGS 
 
 8 FAVOURITE SONGS FOR THE 
 
 CONTRALTO VOICE 
 6 SONGS OF THE QUEEN'S NAVEE 
 1 FAVOURITE SONGS FOR THE 
 
 TENOR VOICE
 
 Canada To-day, 1912. Its Progress, Prosperity and Opportunities. 
 
 300 illustrations, Maps and Plans, 240 pp. (13^x9!), is. net; 
 
 or half-bound stiff boards, as. net. 
 Divorce in its Ecclesiastical Aspect. Being a rejoinder by 
 
 'Viator' to "The Question of Divorce" by the Bishop of 
 
 Birmingham. Crown 8vo, cloth, is. net. 
 Sidelights on the Court of France. By LIEUT. -CoL. ANDREW 
 
 C. P. HAGGARD, D.S.O. Cloth. 
 
 6D. NET 
 
 The Librarian and Book "World. The Independent Professional 
 
 Journal for the Professional Man. Published Monthly, 6d. net. 
 Ideal Cookery. (loth Edition.) LILIAN CLARKE. 8vo, boards, 
 
 6d. net. 
 Punctuation Simplified. (22nd Thousand.) T. BRIDGES. 
 
 Medium 8vo, 6d. net. 
 The Burden of 1909. ELDON LEE. In crown 8vo, paper cover, 
 
 6d. net. 
 The Coming Dominion of Rome in Britain. By the author 
 
 of ' The Great Pyramid.' Crown 8vo, paper, 6d. net. 
 The Aldine Reciters. Edited by ALFRED H. MILES. In crown 4to, 
 
 double columns, 128 pages. Price 6d. net each. 
 
 THE ENGLISH RECITER 
 THE AMERICAN RECITER 
 THE YICTORIAN RECITER 
 
 THE SCOTCH RECITER 
 THE MODERN RECITER 
 THE SHAKESPEARE RECITER 
 
 The New Reciter Series. By various Authors. Edited by ALFRED 
 H. MILES. 96 pages, large 4to, double columns, clear type on 
 good paper, handsome cover design in three colours, 6d. net. 
 (Also in cloth, is. net.) 
 
 THE FIRST FAYOURITE RECITER | THE UP-TO-DATE RECITER 
 
 6D. 
 
 The Al Reciter Series. (Over half-a-million copies already sold.) 
 By various Authors. Edited by ALFRED H. MILES. Each in 
 large folio, paper cover, well printed. Price 6d. each. 
 
 1 THE A 1 RECITER 
 
 2 THE A 1 SPEAKER 
 
 3 THE A 1 BOOK OF RECITATIONS 
 
 4 THE A 1 ELOCUTIONIST 
 
 5 THE A 1 READER 
 
 6 THE A 1 BOOK OF READINGS 
 
 3d. NET 
 
 The Budget and Socialism of Mr. Lloyd George. J. 
 
 BUCKINGHAM POPE. In crown 8vo, paper, 3d. net. 
 French Gardening without Capital. E. KENNEDY ANTON. 
 In medium 8vo, paper, 3d. net ; cloth, gd. net. 
 
 1D. 
 
 The Commentator. The real Conservative weekly. One Penny 
 Weekly. 
 
 15
 
 STANLEY PAUL'S 'CLEAR 
 TYPE' SIXPENNY NOVELS 
 
 NEW TITLES. 
 
 46 Edelweiss 
 
 45 Only an Actress 
 
 44 The Apple of Eden 
 
 43 Cay Lawless 
 
 42 The Dream and the Woman 
 
 41 Love Besieged 
 
 40 A Benedick in Arcady 
 
 39 Justice of the King 
 
 38 The Man in Possession 
 
 37 A Will in a Well 
 
 36 Edward and I and Mrs. Honaybun 
 
 35 Priscilla of the Good Intent 
 
 34 Fatal Thirteen 
 
 33 A Struggle for a Ring 
 
 32 A Shadowed Life 
 
 31 The Mystery of Colde Fell 
 
 30 A Woman's Error 
 
 29 Claribel's Love Story 
 
 4 At the Eleventh Hour 
 
 27 Love's Mask 
 
 s6 The Wooing of Rose 
 
 25 White Abbey 
 
 24 Heart of his Heart 
 
 23 'The Wonder of Love 
 
 22 Co-Heiresses 
 
 21 The Evolution of Katherlne 
 
 20 The Love of His Life 
 
 19 A Charity Girl 
 
 IB The House of Sunshine 
 
 17 Dare and Do 
 
 16 Beneath a Spell 
 
 15 The Man She Married 
 
 14 The Mistress of the Farm 
 
 13 Little Lady Charles 
 
 is A Splendid Destiny 
 
 it Cornelius 
 
 10 Traffic 
 
 9 St. Elmo 
 
 8 Indiscretions 
 
 7 The Trickster 
 
 6 The City of the Golden Gate 
 
 5 Shoes of Gold 
 
 4 Adventures of a Pretty Woman 
 
 3 Troubled Waters 
 
 3 The Human Boy Again 
 
 i Stolen Honey 
 
 "RlTA" 
 "RlTA'' 
 
 E. TEMPLE THURSTOM 
 
 HELEN MATHERS 
 
 TOM GALLON 
 
 CHARLES K. PEARCK 
 
 HALLIWELL SUTCLTFFE 
 
 HAMILTON DRUMMOND 
 
 "RITA" 
 
 E. EVERETT-GREEN 
 
 KATE HORN 
 
 HALLIWELL SUTCLIFFE 
 
 WILLIAM LE (,JUEUX 
 
 CHARLOTTB BRAMB 
 
 CHARLOTTE BRAMB 
 
 CHARLOTTE BRAM* 
 
 CHARLOTTE BRAUK 
 
 CHARLOTTE BRAKE 
 
 CHARLOTTE BRAUK 
 
 EFFIE ADELAIDE ROWLANDS 
 
 EFFIK ADELAIDE ROWLANDS 
 
 EFFIE ADELAIDE ROWLANDS 
 
 MADAME ALBANKSI 
 
 MADAME ALBANESI 
 
 E. EVERETT-GREEN 
 
 E. TEMPLE THURSTON 
 
 EFFIE ADELAIDE ROWLANDS 
 
 EFFIE ADELAIDE ROWLANDS 
 
 EFFIE ADELAIDE ROWLANDS 
 
 EFFIE ADELAIDE ROWLANDS 
 
 EFFIE ADELAIDE ROWLANDS 
 
 EFFIE ADELAIDE ROWLANDS 
 
 EFFIE ADELAIDE ROWLANDS 
 
 EFFIE ADELAIDE ROWLANDS 
 
 EFFIE ADELAIDE ROWLANDS 
 
 Mrs. HENRY DE LA PASTURE 
 
 E. TEMPLE THURSTOM 
 
 AUGUSTA EVANS WILSON 
 
 COSMO HAMILTON 
 
 G. B. BURGIM 
 
 E. EVERETT-GREEM 
 
 HAMILTON DRUMMOND 
 
 FLORENCE WARDKK 
 
 HEADON HILL 
 
 EDEN PHILLPOTTS 
 
 ADA & DUDLEY JAMBS
 
 University of California 
 
 SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1388 
 
 Return this material to the library 
 
 from which it was borrowed. 
 
 MJG * 6 <W 
 
 JUL 
 
 .'iariibrary Loans 
 1 1 630 University Res 
 3ox 951 575 
 
 os Angeles, CA 90d35-t57 
 
 RECEIVED 
 
 rWiCES 
 sarch Library
 
 A 000135197 2