THE HOSTS OF THE LORD  BY  FLORA ANNIE STEEL  AUTHOR OF " ON THE FACE OF THE WATERS , " " MISS STUART 'SLEGACY , " " THE FLOWER OF FORGIVENESS , " ETC.  New York  THE MACMILLAN COMPANY  LONDON : MACMILLAN + CO. , Ltd .  1900  All rights reserved  A SHADOW  " Understand !  Of course you do n't .  I do n't , though I 'vebeen here two years .  And what 'smore , I do n't want to , " retorted a rather undersized Englishman , whose white drill suit made him look like a stem to the huge mushroom of a pith hat which he wore .  Despite this protection his face was brown exceedingly , and faintly wrinkled through sheer exposure to sun-bright , sun-dried air .  The fact enhanced the monkey type of his features , and made his clear , light-blue eyes--so set that they were shadowless below and cavernous above--look quite aggressively cool , inquisitive , intelligent .  " So long as we do n't understand them , " he went on , " and they do n't understand us , we jog along the same path amicably , like--well !  like the pilgrims to the ' Cradle of the Gods , ' and the telegraph-posts to the Adjutant General 'soffice up the road yonder--and I 'lltrouble you to cram more space than that between two earthly poles !  No !  It is when we begin to have glimmerings that the deuce and all comes in-- " He paused in the molten gold of sunlight , which made the yellow sand , the corn-coloured tussocks of tiger-grass still yellower and still more corn-coloured , to glance round , as if measuring the distance between the long , low line of mud enclosure they had left but a few hundred yards behind--yet which , already , was losing itself in an illimitable sand stretch beyond--and a bigger tuft in the sand stretch ahead ; a tuft of spear-points and horses , bayonets and men , waiting beside the first faint semblance of a reed-paved road .  Then he took out his watch .  Apparently he found leisure at his disposal , for he walked on .  " There 'sa nursery rhyme they taught me , " he continued , " when my moral nature was at the mercy of any fool who chose to take an interest in it-- 'But if poor Pussy understood , she 'dbe , indeed , a naughty creature ! ' It did n't run so consecutively , of course ; in fact 'creature 'rhymed to ' teach her'--but I learnt it that way .  Children do that sort of thing a sight deal oftener than their elders think .  "  The younger of the two men in uniform with whom he was walking laughed--the honest , elated , conscious laugh of one who has not many good stories about himself , and happens on an opportunity for telling one of them .  " I used to say , ' Six days shalt thy neighbour do all that thou hast to do , and the seventh day shalt thou do no manner -- '"  " Shut up , Lance !  " interrupted his elder companion with a laugh .  " It is a ripping excuse for your intolerable laziness , but I do n't believe-- "  " Fact , I assure you , " protested Lance Carlyon aggrievedly , " and considering I really thought that was the proper version for ten years of my life , I-- "  Dr. George Dillon took off his mushroom hat suddenly , and wiped his forehead as if to smooth away the wrinkles which his smiles had brought to it .  " Lordy !  It 'sa queer world , " he put in .  " There is really no good in understanding most things .  As for this place-- !  Great Scott !  What would happen if my fifteen hundred scoundrels , whom you saw digging like babes in the open just now , were to understand that I--one Englishman in charge--had virtually no force majeure -- "  " Do n't insult us , Dillon !  " remonstrated Captain Vincent Dering , a certain swagger underlying his jest .  " Eshwara is a garrison town , remember , now ; I 'mcommandant , and Carlyon 'sstaff-- "  He had , in fact , ridden that morning as far as Dr. Dillon 'shouse in charge of a troop of native cavalry and some Sikh pioneers who had gone on , under a native officer , to take up their temporary quarters in the half-ruined Fort , just beyond the old town of Eshwara .  And now , having thus secured their breakfasts , he and his lieutenant were on their way towards the horses and escort they had bidden await them at the boat bridge which lay between them and their destination .  For George Dillon was in control of a large industrial gaol , whose inmates had for months been digging the head works of a canal , which was to take off just below the town , on the farther side of the river .  " Are you ?  " replied the doctor , with a look of pity ; " then I hope you 'llboth forget the fact .  We 'vegot on all right without you , hitherto .  So if you 'llstick to marking out the Viceroy 'scamp , and generally preparing the way of the Lord-sahib , I 'llbe obliged to you .  By the way , is he coming to open the canal on the 10th , really ?  "  " So they say .  That is , if you are ready for the show by then .  I believe he could put it off till the 11th or 12th .  Dashwood said something to that effect .  "  " Then Dashwood 'san ass .  The 10th is bad enough .  The place will be filling up even then .  "  " Filling up !  How ?  "  " Pilgrims .  But on the 11th and 12th !  By George !  you should see them !  The ' Assyrians came down like a wolf on the fold , ' is nothing to it ; only these are the Hosts of the Lord , I suppose .  And so Dashwood suggested the 11th or 12th--the Vaisakh festival , did he ?  Well , he is an ass !  But that 'salways the way .  We try to understand feelings , instead of trying to know facts .  However , we shall be ready for the opening , never fear .  Smith expects his C .  S. I .  over it , he says , and that 'senough guarantee .  You know Smith , do n't you , Dering ?  Walsall Smith--I think his wife said she knew you .  "  " Yes , " he interrupted , with rather unnecessary decision , " Mrs. Walsall Smith is a great friend of mine , a very great friend .  "  " Jolly for you , having friends in Eshwara , " assented Lance , in uneasy haste .  " I suppose they are about the only people here , eh , doctor ?  " he went on , changing the subject ; but the latter 'sclear eyes and brain were occupied for a moment in taking stock of Captain Dering 'ssingular , if a trifle voyant personal attractions ; one of the most noticeable of which was the perfect curve of his throat and cheek .  " I beg your pardon--people , did you say ?  " asked Dr. Dillon , after the pause .  " Plenty of people , if you count padrés --the place swarms with missions , you know .  But if you mean polo-- " He shook his head .  Lance Carlyon 'shonest young face clouded , then grew cheerful again .  " Well !  there must be a lot of black partridge , and I expect there 'sfish in the river .  Besides , it 'san awfully picturesque place--By Jove !  it is , Dering , is n't it ?  "  They had reached the tuft of spear-points and horses , men and bayonets , and before them lay Eshwara , sun-saturate , shadowless , in the April noon .  So seen , across the still lagoon of water formed by the junction of the two streams , the Hara and the Hari , which edged the low-lying triangular spit from which its fortified , temple-set walls rose , Eshwara seemed at the very foot of the blue barrier of hill behind it , whose serrated edge , paler than the blue sky above it , claimed three-quarters of all things visible for this world .  That , indeed , was the noticeable point in the picture presented to the eye .  As a rule Heaven claims the larger half of all perspectives .  Here , the three elements , earth , air , water , lay across the view in three broad bands of blue , curiously similar in tint ; for the sky was pale with excess of light , the hills with excess of heat , and the water paler than either by reason of a white silt which it brought with it from the snows ; a white silt which a recent flood had left in a fine film upon the sand stretches that showed here and there in the broad basin .  " It is a gypsum detritus , " explained the doctor-- " from the ' Cradle of the Gods'--the cave , you know , where the rivers rise .  The pilgrims go , in fact , for this very stuff .  Find it in the ice crannies , call it ' the clay of immortality , ' smear themselves with it , and then die happy , in hundreds , of pneumonia !  Those are the facts .  I do n't profess to understand them ; and as I told you I do n't want to .  It 'sdangerous .  As that cracked old Jesuit , Father Narâyan , admitted , with that unfathomable smile of his , when all the other parsons were at me for refusing to allow them access to a postulate or a catechumen , or someone of that sort , who was sent to my jail 'the Church has always admitted the value of invincible ignorance .  ' "  " Father Narâyan !  " interrupted Lance Carlyon eagerly , " I suppose that 'sthe Father Ninian Bruce who has lived here fifty years , and has a sort of Begum in tow , a descendant of General Bonaventura 's, who was the Nawabs 'favourite .  I want to see that old chap ; he must be a character .  My grandmother , old Lady Carewe , used to tell me about him ; long yarns , though she had n't met him since she was in her teens in a convent at Rome , and he was father confessor , I suppose--she 'sa Holy Roman , you know , and was a desperate flirt too .  "  " So am I , " said Vincent Dering quickly .  " I mean a Catholic--at least my people are .  So I can tell you one thing , Dillon ; Father Ninian is n't a Jesuit .  I was talking about him at the Club , when I knew I was coming here , and Father Delamere was indignant at the idea--said he was a disgrace to his cloth .  "  George Dillon 'sdry face grew dryer .  " Did he , indeed !  I quite agree that he is , but I did n't think Delamere would have admitted the fact himself !  As for Pidar Narâyan , as the natives call him , he--he-- " here the dry face melted .  " Bless the man , " he continued , and the dry voice grew soft , " he thinks he knows more about doctoring than I do , and the worst of it is-- " here a perfectly charming smile took possession of every wrinkle-- " he does , in a way ; for the natives believe in him , and the ' saffron bag 'is the best of all remedies .  You see , when he was younger , he used often to go with the pilgrims and try to pull some of the poor devils out of the fire--or rather out of the snow--for the ' Cradle of the Gods 'lies yonder .  "  He pointed to where , faint and far , a peak showed paler than the rest .  " Why do n't they smear themselves here ?  " asked Lance stolidly .  " Why ?  Because they do n't .  Besides , there is n't much to come and go upon for a robe of righteousness here .  Look !  the breeze is blowing it away already !  "  In truth the sun , which with the other three elements of earth , and air , and water , give us , in all religions , the whole spiritual life of man , --the world of his probation , the heaven of his hopes , the means of his purification , and the fire of his retribution--had scorched the fine film to dust , and the wind , blowing where it listed , was sweeping it away , leaving the sand stretches unregenerate as ever .  " An extra touch of pipe-clay !  " laughed Vincent Dering , dusting his knee as he settled himself in his saddle .  " Well !  good-by , old chap .  I shall see you again soon , for I shall be coming over to the Smiths 'pretty often , and I suppose your regiment of ruffians leaves you off duty sometimes .  Carlyon , make Dillon an honourary member of the headquarters mess !  "  George Dillon , leaning with his hands in his pockets against the rail of the first pontoon , watching the little cavalcade start , nodded .  " Thanks .  I 'mover pretty often at the Palace .  Pidar Narâyan plays the fiddle , and the Begum , --as you call her , --Miss Laila Bonaventura , has a voice .  Besides , Babylon--I mean Eshwara--amuses me .  "  " Why Babylon ?  " asked Captain Dering , stooping to straighten his stirrup .  The doctor laughed , as his lounge changed to a start homeward .  " Means the same thing .  Esh-dwarra--or in another tongue , Bab-y-lon , --is 'the Gate of God , ' though Babylon stands for something else nowadays , does n't it ?  That 'swhy I say it 'snever any use to find out the meanings of things .  They change so .  Stick to facts ; they do n't .  Well , ta-ta .  I 'llsee you to-morrow , most likely , at the Palace .  They have a sort of concert-practice-afternoon on Wednesdays--some of the Mission ladies sing jollily in parts--and the old man is sure to ask you .  He sets great store on his ward 'sposition ; besides , I told him you were a nailer at the piano .  "  Vincent Dering made a wry face .  " The deuce you did !  My dear fellow , I could n't play hymn tunes to save my life .  I shall refuse .  "  " Pity , " replied Dr. Dillon over his shoulder , as he swung off in strides which emphasized the undue shortness of his trousers , " for I heard Mrs. Smith say they wanted a good accompanist .  She sings alto --rather well .  "  " Oh , does she ?  " said Captain Dering , in a different tone .  As they set their faces different ways , there was a smile on both , but the doctor 'swas scarcely a pleasant one ; it would , in fact , have been wholly sardonic but for the touch of impatient weariness it brought with it .  So , through the sun-bright , sun-dried air , while George Dillon walked back to his fifteen hundred malefactors , the little trail of spear-points and bayonets , men and horses , drifted at a foot-pace across the frail bridge towards the town ; drifted unsteadily , the yielding boats swaying , the wooden girders giving and groaning over their burden .  Seen so , with but a plank between it and the milky water creased by the faint current , there was something unreal in the gay troop of colour and glitter making its way to the quaint , storeyed town , ablaze in the sunlight , which turned each golden temple-spike to a star .  A cool breeze fluttered the lance-pennants , and brought that faint film of white to horse and man , warm flesh , and cold steel .  And far away on that pale peak , a little white cloud had rested , hiding the " Cradle of the Gods .  "  " There must be fish here , " remarked Lance dogmatically .  " I 'llget out my rods to-morrow and try for a ' mahseer .  ' " And the earnestness of his face , as he lifted his eyes skyward to watch a couple of cormorants , would have suited a knight-errant of old on the quest of the Holy Grail .  " It wo n't be half bad , I expect--for a time , at any-rate , " assented Vincent Dering , still with that content upon his face .  " We will get up some fun while the camp is here , of course ; and after that-- " he paused , and the content became greater-- " we 'llmanage for the month or so we have to stop .  At least I shall .  "  His voice was soft .  He might have been another knight-errant of old , riding across to the enchanted castle of his beloved .  " I beg pardon , sir , " said a voice behind him ; a voice with a strong native accent , yet with a curiously English phrasing in it , " but by dismounting here you will reach the Fort in a few minutes on foot .  The road is longer .  "  Captain Dering turned , as if surprised , to the speaker , a native officer who sat his horse at the salute ; then smiled , and with a clatter of accoutrements slipped to the ground .  " Come along , Carlyon .  I was forgetting that Roshan Khân is up to the ropes here .  You belong to Eshwara , do n't you , risaldar sahib ? "  The man to whom he spoke had slipped from his saddle also , and stood , smart as uniform could make him , still as discipline could hold him .  He was a good-looking young Mahomedan of about thirty , curiously English in his movements , curiously native in his exaggeration of martial airs .  " Huzoor ! " he assented .  " We are connected with the late Nawab 'shouse .  "  He spoke with absolute indifference , but Captain Dering , as they left the bazaar , which led from the bridge , for a short flight of steps and a narrow alley cleaving it 'sway through crowded , shouldering houses , remarked aside : --  " I believe that means he is about the nearest relation left .  The Colonel , I know , was n't sure about the wisdom of his coming here ; but then the Colonel is that sort .  So I insisted .  One wants somebody who can tell you things in a new place .  What 'sthat , in there , Roshan ?  "  They had come to a long , high wall , with trees showing above it , which stretched away on their right hand for two or three hundred yards , until it ended in an arched tunnel through a massive block of buildings at right angles to it .  " The palace garden , sir ; and that is the palace .  There is no entrance this side .  "  " The women 'sapartments , I suppose ?  "  " Huzoor , " assented Roshan Khân once more .  " The Miss Sahib lives there now , and the Padré has his chapel there too .  The river runs along the side , and it is pleasant .  "  " Pleasant and cool , " echoed Lance , as the shadow of the tunnel closed in on them .  " I 'dno idea it was so hot outside .  By Jove !  what a quaint place .  "  They were emerging on a wide , square courtyard of which the palace formed one side , the fort another , a flight of steps leading down to the river a third , while the fourth was apparently , a wing of the palace .  All three walls were absolutely blank save for a low door at each of the four corners ; and these were , so to speak , connected with each other by pathways raised two steps above the rest of the courtyard .  A similar footpath crossed it in the middle and so completed the resemblance to a union-jack ; for the pathways were of white marble and red Agra stone , the courtyard of purple-blue brick .  These paths met in a round platform in the centre , where , on a stone carriage , stood an old cannon .  " That 'sa big gun , " said Vincent Dering , when , with a quickened clink of his spurred steps he had reached it ; so , laying his hand lightly on the cylinder , he vaulted to it , as on to a horse , and stooped to read an inscription on the riveted band about the breech .  " Sanskrit , " he said-- " that stumps me !  it 'sso confounded straight .  Ah !  here it is in Persian too--that 'sbetter .  "  There was a faint clash of steel on stone , for , as he read the motto aloud , Roshan 'shand , stiffening on his sword-hilt , made ground and scabbard meet .  Captain Dering slipped to his feet again with a laugh .  " ' Teacher of religion , and instructor of souls ; ' that 'sabout a correct translation , is n't it , risaldar sahib ? Well !  I 'dback a Maxim against old Blunderbore as a missionary agent nowadays .  Hullo !  they worship it still , do they ?  " He pointed to a faded chaplet of marigolds around the muzzle , and a red hand printed on the marble below .  The Mahomedan 'sface took on the expression of his race and creed ; all unconsciously , too , he reverted to his own language .  " The idolators do that when they come to bathe ; and they give alms to the saint , when he is inside .  "  " Inside !  " echoed Captain Dering .  " What !  Inside the gun ?  "  Here Lance , who had promptly peered down the muzzle , came up from it excitedly , asserting that the saint was there now ; he could see the brute 'sfuzzy head half way down , so he must have crawled in feet foremost--one of those naked brutes who smeared themselves with ashes , to judge by his chignon .  " Make a ripping mop , " laughed Vincent Dering , after glancing down in his turn ; " clean the gun nicely , " --then the insouciance of his face disappeared , its curves hardened-- " and by God !  I 'llmake him .  I 'mnot going to have my guns worshipped !  eh , Roshan ?  "  " Huzoor , " assented the Mahomedan once more , this time joyfully , as--a decorous two paces behind--his spurs jingled in harmony with his captain 'sacross the raised union-jack towards the river-end of the courtyard where , in a projecting bastion right upon the bathing steps , the low arched door stood which gave access to the Fort .  In order to reach it they had to pass the solitary visible occupant of the wide , sunlit courtyard .  This was a man--of what rank , education , occupation , none could tell--who having raised a square of two-inch-high mud wall between his twice-born purity and the world , was preparing his daily food .  Naked , save for his waistcloth , and the thread of the twice-born over his left shoulder , he was isolated even from his kindred .  Alone with himself and his God .  Before him in the mud-plastered square , as he sat immovable , was the mud fireplace on which his wheaten dough-cake was cooking ; beside him was a leaf-platter of curds , a brass vessel of milk ; a sight to be seen a hundred times a day in India ; one which should never be forgotten .  The noon was almost shadowless ; yet , even so , as he led the way , Captain Dering , from sheer habit , swerved to step further from the sacred square .  Doing so his foot slipped an instant on the lower step .  He gave an impatient exclamation and passed on .  A minute later the door of the fort clanged behind the little party , cutting short an English laugh .  Then , not till then , the man in that square of purity showed signs of life .  He rose quietly , almost unconcernedly , took the half-baked cake from the embers , the leaf-platter of curds , the vessel of milk , and going down to the river 'sedge , flung his dinner into it , to feed the fishes .  In that stumble , the plume-like fringe of Vincent Dering 'shigh peaked turban had sent a shadow to overtop the two-inch barrier between one man and his fellows .  " HE SHALL FEED HIS FLOCK LIKE A SHEPHERD "  The garden of the old palace at Eshwara had been rightly described by Roshan Khân as a pleasant place .  Longer than it was broad , its shady walks and orange groves clung to the river , raised above it by a balconied wall against which the current ran dimpling .  On two of the remaining sides , a twenty-feet high barrier of sheer masonry , buttressed and bastioned , blocked out all curious eyes .  On the third , separating it from the courtyard where the big gun stood , rose the palace .  Seen thus intimately from within , the latter had changed its character .  No longer severe , stern , giving a blank stare at the world from the narrow slits of infrequent windows , it had grown fanciful , almost fantastic , full of canopied turrets and inconsequent little latticed retreats .  At least in the two upper storeys ; for the lower one was more solid , its chief feature being a wide , aisled passage leading right through it to a door which gave on the courtyard .  Being exactly opposite the one in the corner of the Fort bastion on the other side , this door opened , as the latter did , on one of the slantwise limbs of the quaint union-jack of raised paths which centred in the cannon .  It was not necessary , however , to go round by this in crossing from one door to the other , as by keeping to the river steps , you could do so on the same level .  In old times the guardians of the frail beauties for whose delectation the garden had been made , had lived in the crypt-like vaulted rooms which opened out from this aisled passage ; so keeping the gate against illegal wanderings .  Since the only other exit from the garden , save by boat , was through the second storey of the women 'sapartments , and as this was by a door leading directly into the royal rooms ( which were on the other side of the tunnel that gave access to the courtyard , and also divided the palace into two portions--male , and female ) , the butterfly prisoners had had no chance of fluttering to strange honey .  In those days , therefore , the door had always been bolted and barred .  It stood wide open , however , showing a vista of green at the farther end of the passage , when Captain Dering and Lance Carlyon came over to it in reply to the intimation that Miss Laila Bonaventura was " At Home for music on Wednesday afternoons , " which had been brought to the Fort overnight by an old pantaloon .  A very old pantaloon with a wizened face , a few sparse hairs--dyed flaming red--standing at right angles to his cheeks , and a marvellous livery , consisting for the most part of yards upon yards of tarnished tinsel cloth , twisted and twined about head and waist like Saturn 'srings .  The oldest of old pantaloons , with a back curved by a life-time of obeisances , a toothless mouth , still full of sonorous titles , and a wicked old eye , watchful for the least want of the master , be it good or evil .  A pantaloon , with Heaven knows what history of unutterable things hidden in his old brain , such as is to be seen , even in these days , lingering round the ruins of a native court ; a figure despicable enough , yet real ; so in a way pathetic , by reason of its absolute lack of real interest in things as they are .  And now as the two Englishmen paused , --partly because the swift change from the glare without to the gloom within was startling , --this same pantaloon , with a white muslin robe superadded to the livery as a badge of his dignity as door-keeper , precipitated himself upon them from the shadows , with ancient skips of alacrity and loop-like salaams ; then with crab-like sidlings led the way , the young men following .  " I must have that old chap on paper before I leave , " said Vincent Dering ; " he 'stoo good to be lost .  "  So , their steps echoing cheerfully with their laughter , they went on until , towards the middle of the passage , the aisle to their left widened , and through a maze of pillars and arches , a glimpse or two of air and sunlight showed sharply .  Lance took a curious step towards them .  " Opens on to the river , I expect ; jolly cool it must be in the hot weather !  By Jove !  those old sinners knew how to be comfortable .  Hullo !  " --he paused in a sort of horror-- " I say , Dering !  I believe it 'sa chapel .  Yes !  it is !  " He took off his cap instinctively , and moved another step forward to see better .  But Captain Dering called impatiently , " Oh , come along , do , Carlyon !  I did n't promise to go to church !  Hymns are bad enough in all conscience .  "  Lance , however , stood rooted to the spot , cap in hand .  " Hush !  " he said in a low voice , " I believe they are having service .  " As he spoke a robed figure showed between the arches against the sunlight beyond them ; showed with something in its lifted hands , then passed to some unseen altar .  " Oh , come along , do !  there 'sa good chap , and let 'sget out of the way , " repeated Captain Dering , sharply .  " It 'sFather Narâyan , I suppose , --he 'sas mad as a hatter , and boshes the whole business--at least , so Delamere said .  I told you we were a bit early , but you would start ; still it 'stoo bad of the old man to have his chapel in the front hall !  Come along !  and let us wait in the garden--it looks an awfully jolly one--awfully-- "  He paused , perhaps at the change , this time , from gloom to glare , perhaps at the sudden sense of anticipation , the sudden quickening of the pulse of life , which made him draw a long breath involuntarily .  It was not unfamiliar to him , that sudden stir of vitality , of expectation ; and with a curious smile on his face he crossed to the edge of the marble plinth on which the passage opened , and leaning over the balustrade , looked down to a terrace below , and so on to the garden itself .  A perfect wilderness of common flowers , sown broadcast , lay at his feet , hemming in a shallow marble tank , which was nearly covered with the dewy leaf-cups of the lotus , and set round with mosaic arabesques .  From this tank two aqueducts led to the edge of the terrace , and ended in steep slopes of fretted marble , where cascades had once wimpled and dimpled down to the water-maze which lay below--a shiny lake , cobwebbed over by narrow marble paths just wide enough for the bare , flying feet of a laughing girl .  Beyond was scented shade , with glints of water-courses gleaming here and there ; while here and there came a peep of a latticed balcony overhanging the river ; a balcony just large enough for a laughing girl and her lover .  Yet there was not even a butterfly to be seen hovering over the flowers .  All was still , all was silent , until Vincent Dering 'scareless laugh echoed through the stillness , the silence .  " Ca n't you imagine it--all lit up--they used to put coloured lamps behind the cascades , I 'mtold , and play 'Catch who can ' up and down and all around the place !  On the whole I expect they enjoyed themselves--better than the type-writing girls of to-day do , for instance .  "  " Got beastly sick of enjoying themselves before they had done with it , I expect , " replied Lance , succinctly , " especially if there was always such a confounded strong smell of orange blossoms .  Bah !  I 'dprefer a polecat ; but , " he gave a distasteful glance at his companion , " I believe you like strong scents .  "  " Why not ?  " laughed Vincent Dering , drawing out a handkerchief deluged with white-rose , and sniffing at it , " it 'sa harmless taste , " here his jest passed to earnest , and his eyes took a half soft , half cynical expression , -- " so 'sthe other , in a way .  It is n't altogether despicable to let yourself loose in Paradise without an arrière pensée of flaming swords .  Especially if you can give pleasure to someone else thereby .  One could act Romeo and Juliet nicely in this garden .  And have your choice of balconies , too , " he continued , returning to jest , " even if the young woman-- "  He glanced back as if to verify his remark from the façade of the palace , but what he saw behind him brought a sudden straightening of his lounge , and rather an elaborate doffing of his sailor hat ; for he was always a trifle ornate in his courtesy towards women , and the girl who stood within a pace or two of him was distinctly attractive , if--even at the first glance--a little too bread-and-buttery for his taste ; too young , too clumsy as to waist , too massive in the contours of face and figure .  For Captain Vincent Dering 'staste had remained constant for the last three years to a different type of beauty ; a type which , for the first time in his life , had made him sentimental , romantic , more or less unselfish .  Still the girl was handsome , even in that babyish frock of starched white muslin , girt about with a yellow silk sash .  The dress , he told himself , --for he was a connoisseur in chiffons , and had a pretty turn for painting in addition--would have been better soft , and creamy ; but thank heaven !  the sash was not blue , like the marker of the missal she carried in her hand .  It might have been ; for it was impossible to fathom the lack of all sense of fitness in some women .  Yet the result would have been to take all the ivory tints from this girl 'scomplexion , and leave it jaundiced .  And the ivory was charming .  " I am Miss Bonaventura , " she began in a set way , which convinced Captain Dering that she had been sent to say those very words , and none other ; " my guardian , Father Ninian Bruce , will be here directly .  Wo n't you come upstairs to the drawing-room ?  I am sorry we did not know it was so late .  "  " It is our fault ; we are disgracefully early , " put in Captain Dering .  " I told Carlyon-- " then he paused , feeling curiously at a loss before the girl 'slook of stolid gravity .  " Perhaps your watch is too fast , " she suggested , " and then my guardian likes to go by the sun .  He says it never needs winding up .  But I think it is inconvenient , when everybody else has a watch .  It is always better to do as other people do .  "  Her voice was very sweet and full ; but a country-bred accent spoilt its beauty , and brought a grimace to Captain Dering 'sface , as he and his companion dutifully followed the speaker up one of the curved flights of steps , which led from the plinth to a wide loggia on the second storey .  Like the room seen through its arches , this was lavishly decorated with fragments of looking-glass fashioned into flowing designs with gilt stucco .  The afternoon sun , at this height shining full into the loggia , made it a veritable star chamber .  " What a charming place , " went on Captain Dering in his best manner .  " Does n't it remind you of the Arabian Nights , Carlyon ?  "  A sudden vague surprise and interest came to the girl 'sface , lightening it infinitely .  " Have you read the Alif Laila ? " she asked .  " My moonshi brought it--I have to learn Urdu , you know , because my guardian thinks I ought to be able to speak to the people , as he does--and I wanted to read it , because it is my name , you see--Laila--it means 'night , ' I believe--but my guardian did not wish it .  He gave me the ' Mirror of Virtue 'instead .  It is a very , very long-- "  Her almost childish garrulity ceased in a faint flush over the ivory of her face , and she reverted to her lesson , and her indifference-- " The other people will be here directly ; but they will come from the city , across the tunnel , and go straight into the drawing-room .  Would you like to come in there , or stay here ?  "  " Oh !  stay here , please !  " said Vincent , desperately .  The young woman was getting on his nerves .  " Then perhaps you would like to try the piano ?  " persisted Miss Bonaventura .  " My guardian has it brought out here on Wednesday afternoons , because it sounds well among the arches .  Will you try it ?  "  Her hand--it was ivory also , Vincent observed , and had long filbert-shaped nails--held the cover of the keyboard open stolidly ; and Lance Carlyon , feeling a bit desperate also , said appealingly : --  " Do , Dering .  He is a nailer at the piano , I assure you , Miss Bonaventura , and he sings too .  "  " So my guardian-- " she began , when Vincent 'spatience gave way and , with a perfect devil of exasperation roused in him , he sat down on the music-stool and with a crash burst into a naughty little love song he had picked up at Brindisi on the way out .  He did it simply to soothe himself ; so , to do him justice , he nearly fell off the music-stool in horror when , at the refrain of the second verse , a very full round mezzo-soprano joined in it with a verve and abandon far exceeding his own .  He scarcely knew whether to apologize , or go on ; but Miss Bonaventura apparently had no doubts .  She finished with a gay little staccato note which would have made her fortune at a music hall , and then turned to the accompanist with a smile which showed an absolutely flawless set of teeth .  " What funny words ; but I like them , and the tune too .  What is it called ?  I should like to get it and sing it to my guardian .  "  Vincent , who had begun a stammering regret that he had not remembered her nationality , altered his phrase , with a sense of relief , to " You know Italian very well , I suppose , Miss Bonaventura ?  "  She returned to her indifference immediately .  " My guardian and I speak it .  He loves Italy and the Italians .  He knew my grandmother there .  She was a princess ; but he never speaks of her , so I do n't know very much about it .  Only Mother at the convent said that my guardian-- "  She was off , gaily , on the childishly confidential tack again , when the sight of someone coming up the stairs made her veer towards dignity once more .  " There is my guardian , " she said ; " he is very sorry to have kept you waiting .  "  Evidently this was the last bit of her lesson , for she closed the piano with great decision .  The figure which came slowly towards them was that of a very old man , yet one older , by many years , than his looks .  For he was still straight , save for a slight stoop in the neck ; but this , by the backward poise of the head thus made necessary to enable his brown eyes to meet all things , after their habit , squarely , if softly , gave him an air of alertness .  He was dressed in an ordinary black soutane , but wore a fine white embroidered muslin skull-cap , such as natives wear , instead of a black one .  His grey hair showed , still luxuriant , beneath it ; and the wide sash of faded lilac silk , with tasselled ends , which was tied in a bow about his waist , set off his still slim and still graceful figure .  " I hope my little girl has been doing the honours properly , " he began , pausing a pace or two from the young men , and not offering to shake hands ; but his voice was a welcome in itself , and had that nameless cachet of absolute good breeding which makes offence impossible .  There was a slight hesitancy in it too , now and again , which was overcome by a look that took the listener into its confidence , and appealed for friendly forbearance-- " but she is only just back from school at Calcutta , and the good nuns did not see much company , did they , Laila ?  " Then in an undertone of solicitude he added , in Italian , " Didst tell them , cara mia ? --didst remember it all ?  "  Laila Bonaventura looked at him with a faint resentment .  " I think so , guardian , " she replied , in English .  " Did n't I ?  "  The last came with such swift , almost savage , challenge of voice and eyes , that Vincent Dering , the recipient , felt glad of the diversion caused by the arrival , through the drawing-room , of some more guests to claim the attention of the host and hostess , and so leave him in peace .  " I say , that girl has got splendid hair , has n't she ?  " he said in an undertone to Lance , as they stood a little apart , watching the new comers .  " That tall one , you mean--do n't admire it .  Puts me in mind of that devil of a chestnut who nearly killed me at polo ; a chestnut with white stockings ; awfully handy , but-- "  He paused as Father Ninian came up to them .  " You can scarcely know any of your neighbours as yet , Captain Dering , " began the old man with the ceremony of a past age , " so perhaps you will give me the privilege of presenting you to some of our good mission ladies .  "  " Thanks , " replied Vincent , hastily .  " But I see my old friend , Mrs. Walsall Smith , coming in .  I must just go and shake hands .  But I 'msure Carlyon-- "  Lance shot a perfectly pathetic glance after his Captain , who moved off to meet a delicate-looking fair woman who at that moment came in with Dr. Dillon ; the latter taken possession of and monopolized by an exceedingly pretty child of five , who had evidently inherited her mother 'sfragility .  " Delighted , I 'msure , " murmured Lance , following his leader dejectedly .  " Miss Erda Shepherd , Mr. Lancelot--I am right , am I not--Carlyon ?  "  It was the tall girl with the red-brown hair , of course .  She had bronze eyebrows , too , and bronze eyes--nice ones .  He saw so much as he made his bow , while Father Ninian stood looking first at the girl , then at the young man ; and as he looked his fine old hands were clasped as if they held something very precious .  It was a habit of his .  " I hope you will like each other , " he said in his kind old voice ; and then , ere he moved away , his hands fell apart for an instant as if giving something .  " Peace go with you , my children , " he said with a smile .  Lance felt a queer , unaccustomed thrill travel from the nape of his neck to his boots , pausing by the way at his heart .  It was an unusual method of introduction , certainly ; yet somehow it relieved the shyness which generally beset him at such functions .  He found himself looking frankly into the bronze eyes , and something in them made him say , almost involuntarily : --  " That was rather a jolly way of beginning to be friends .  I mean-- " The shyness came back with a rush ; he blundered horribly .  " Very , " put in the girl , interrupting him quite simply .  " I hope it will be peace .  I always hope that .  You know I am a missionary .  "  " Oh , " he replied , blankly .  " Yes , there are a lot of you--I mean--of them , in Eshwara , are n't there ?  "  Her face set suddenly , her mouth grew almost stern .  " Not enough , Mr. Carlyon ; not half enough , " she replied .  And the militant ring of her voice , belying the peaceful professions of the previous moment , made him look at her curiously , recognizing that he had touched some quivering nerve of mind .  " If you knew Eshwara as I know it , " she went on , passionately , " you would say so too ; I 'msure you would .  "  The bronze eyes , meeting his blue ones , though they gave nothing back but kindly , almost boyish , surprise , seemed satisfied .  She turned suddenly and stretched her right hand over the river which slipped oilily past the wall below , as they stood beside the balustrade of the loggia .  " Look !  " she said , impulsively .  " Do you see that straight white thing floating down the curve of the current yonder ?  It is n't a log ; those others are ; plenty of logs come down the rivers from the forests in the hills , for they do n't catch all , you know , at the government wood-station .  And so the people here catch the runaways in the backwater , and get paid for them .  But that-- " She paused and her other hand gripped the balustrade hard ; then she turned back to him with a faint apology .  " Why should I bother you ?  Let us talk of something else .  There is no reason why I should talk of these things to you so soon , or , indeed , at all .  "  " I 'drather you did , " he put in quickly .  It was the truth .  A sudden curiosity had come to him , a sudden desire to know more , to think more .  He was less of a boy than he had been five minutes before .  " I--I hope you will , " he added ; " really I do--I--I-- " He felt his manhood as he had never felt it before , and yet , in a way , he was more forgetful of it .  The girl opposite him was womanhood incarnate to him , and yet , in some mysterious way , beyond it , above it .  " You and I must be about the same age , I expect , " he said , with a half-perplexed frown , " but you have seen a lot more than I have .  I wish you 'dtell me , please !  "  The straight white glint in the water was just disappearing behind one of those balconies overhanging the river , where there was only room for a pair of lovers .  " It is a dead girl , Mr. Carlyon , " she said in a low voice .  " She was in my school .  Her people were very bigoted--Brahmins in a temple--but they let her be taught to read , because she was betrothed to an educated man .  Last year she was married--she was but a child still--and I have only seen her once or twice since .  Then " --the voice paused a second .  " She was very frightened , poor little Premi , at what was coming .  ' I shall die , Miss- sahib , I shall surely die , ' she said to me the very last time I saw her ; so I promised--I am a medical missionary , Mr. Carlyon .  But when the time came , they would not let me in .  I--I went to the husband--he is an educated man--you may have heard of him--Rama-nund , a great speaker , --he writes , too , and all that--but he said he was helpless with the women ; and I am not sure either if he wished it himself--they do n't know their own minds .  So poor little Premi and her baby--Oh !  " she broke off with an infinite pain in her voice-- " it is so hard--so hard for both .  "  Her face , set riverwards , was soft , yet stern ; full of fight , yet full of pity , and Lance thought of a virgin martyr in the illustrated 'Lives of the Saints 'with which his grandmother , Lady Carewe , had been wont to still his boyish unrest on Sunday afternoons .  Yet there was something beyond that self-concentrated devotion in this face ; something that took him back further still to the days when he had sobbed out his childish hurts in his mother 'sarms .  " She was ill all yesterday and the day before--they told me there was no hope of either--they just let them die .  And they always put them in the river--they have iron rings round their wrists and ankles to prevent them coming back to harm the men-- " She paused and turned to Lance swiftly .  " Is n't it true that there are not enough of us--that we want more women to teach them what-- "  " But I does !  " came a high childish treble , forcing itself irresistibly even on the attention of these two ; " I ' ikes 'oo twenty 'fowsand times better than dad , an ' I 'ikes Captain Dering ten 'fowsand times better too ; an ' so does ' mum--do n't ' oo mummie ?  "  It was little Gladys Smith , who , clasping both Dr. Dillon 'shands in hers , had swung herself back from him so as to toss her fair curls from her laughing face , as she looked up at him mutinously .  There was an instant 'sawkward pause , during which the eyes of a man and woman met for a second .  Met and parted hastily ; but not before the girl with the yellow silk sash , who stood between them , had looked from one to the other with a dim surprise unclosing her red lips , and showing the gleam of her white teeth between them .  Then Dr. Dillon said , carelessly , " And you like Akbar Khân better than any of us , you young sinner , because he gives you sweeties !  Here !  Akbar Khân , bring the Missy- baba some cream toffee !  "  The old pantaloon , who , with his loose coatee removed and a white duster tucked into Saturn 'swaist-ring was now helping to hand round coffee and cake , capered up with a voluble , but toothless , --  " Ger-reeb--pun-wâz ! " ( Protector of the Poor .  )  Gladys helped herself discriminately , staring at the old servitor the while .  " But I do n't ' ike Akbar Khân .  Do I , son of an owl ?  " she continued superbly , in the accurate Urdu which comes so daintily from lisping English babies .  " Did I not say I would hate thee because thou wouldst not tell me why thou didst prostrate thyself before the soldier in the courtyard ?  And the ayah laughed , the base-born !  She knew also , and would not say , and so did the soldier ; so I hate you all !  "  She stamped her little foot , and shook her curls defiantly .  " Gladys !  " cried her mother , reproachfully .  " Hullo !  What 'sall this about ?  " laughed Captain Dering , catching the child up in his arms .  " One of my soldiers insulting you ?  Who was it ?  " He turned , with the absolute command of his race , to the be-ringed one , who stood , full of deprecatory mumblings and salaamings , his hands , holding the tray of sweets , trembling visibly .  " Who was it , Khân- jee ? " asked Father Ninian , in a curiously even tone ; one which , nevertheless , seemed a compelling one , for a murmured name came rapidly , followed by eager explanations .  Father Ninian frowned , and deliberately put on the gold pince-nez which always hung around his neck .  He seldom used it , however , being , he would say playfully , in his native Scotch , too " well acquaint " with Eshwara and all in it to need such help after fifty years experience .  So it had come to be an unfailing sign that he was face to face with something unexpected , something new .  Naturally , therefore , it changed the character of his face , bringing back to it a strange look of youth ; of hope and energy--the look of choice which age has not .  " Roshan Khân , " he echoed , " why comes he here ?  " Then in sudden recollection he turned to Vincent Dering .  " Of course , he comes with you .  I knew he was in your regiment , but I did not think .  "  Captain Dering put down the child gently .  " Is there any reason , sir , " he asked decisively , " why he should not be here ?  If so-- "  Father Ninian took off his eye-glasses slowly .  He was back on familiar ground .  " No !  " he said , with a smile and a shrug of the shoulders ; " none .  He is welcome to come if he likes .  He is a fine soldier , Captain Dering , and a good fencer .  "  " The best I have ever come across , " put in Lance Carlyon .  Father Ninian laughed , a satisfied , vainglorious little laugh , and bowed , with his hand on his heart , in foreign fashion .  It seemed almost as if something had brought back the manners of a different life .  " His master thanks you , " he said gaily .  " I taught him ; but as Esmond said of the botte de Jesuit --not all .  We craftsmen keep something up our sleeve for our own use !  "  Lance Carlyon 'sface grew eager .  He had heard of Father Ninian 'sart with the foils , and took his opportunity .  " That 'swhat Roshan does to me .  I took lessons from him , but he licks my head off with tricks .  Perhaps some day , sir-- "  Father Ninian 'sright hand and wrist , despite their age , flourished themselves with marvellous suppleness .  " Of a surety !  Of a surety , " he interrupted , still in that gay , almost reckless voice , " and I will teach you ' L'Addio del Marito .  ' I never taught that to Roshan--it does not do for savage natures .  "  " The husband 'sgood-by !  What a funny name , " echoed Laila , curiously .  " Why is it called that , guardian ?  "  The gaiety left the old man 'sface .  " Because the thrust is used , cara mia , " he replied in Italian , and his answer came dreamily , half to himself , " when even those who have that greatest tie to life prefer to say good-by to it .  " He paused , then went on cheerfully : " But come !  Music !  Music !  We lose time horribly .  Laila , ' tis your part to begin .  "  The girl walked stolidly to the piano .  " What shall I sing , guardian ?  " she asked .  " Sing ?  " he repeated , reverting once more to Italian , and his voice had the dreamy tone in it again ; " sing my favourite , child .  Something hath taken me back to the old days--and sing it well .  "  Something in the pose of the girl , something in the faint defiance of her face as she stood turning over the leaves of the music , attracted Vincent Dering 'sfancy .  He moved over to her , and asked if he should play her accompaniment .  " If you can , " she said , ungraciously .  He smiled .  " What is it ?  Oh !  --Handel .  " He shrugged his shoulders .  " Yes !  I fancy I can play him--he is not very complex .  "  The next instant he had embarked , with a certain sense of pique lending perfection to his phrasing , on the prelude ; but perfect as his tone was , it seemed to fall dull and dead before the voice which rose and echoed into the arches .  " He shall feed His flock like a Shepherd . "  " He shall feed His flock like a Shepherd .  "  Pure , peaceful , free from every touch of passion ; absolutely , utterly , beyond this world and its works , it rose and filled the garden ; the orange-scented garden with its fretted marble cascades and water-maze , where the feet of laughing girls had chased each other , the latticed balconies where lovers had sat .  " And He shall gather the lambs in His arms . "  It floated out over the river where the dead girl had drifted , making a light come to a pair of bronze eyes .  " Come unto Him all ye that labor . "  Out beyond the garden , into the city , a faint far echo of the call made men and women pause in the struggle for life , and say , " They are singing in the palace .  "  " And ye shall find rest unto your souls . "  The promise of all religions , the cry which makes all creeds one , rose and fell , as the afternoon sun , shining into the loggia , put a canopy of stars above the head of the singer .  Some of the audience said " Thank you , " politely when she ended .  Vincent Dering did not .  He stood on one side , and , being musical to the heart 'score , gave himself the luxury of silence .  Only when Father Ninian , ever mindful of ceremonies and courtesies , crossed to acknowledge the services of the accompanist , he said briefly , --  " Who taught her that ?  "  The old man looked at him almost wistfully : " I heard her grandmother sing it , nearly sixty years ago .  I have never forgotten it .  "  " I do not wonder , " said Vincent Dering , and his eyes , forgetful of others , followed the girl whose dress ought to have been creamy and soft , instead of white and starched .  DRIFTWOOD  The river Hara , after skirting the fort , the bathing-steps below the courtyard , the palace , and the palace garden , continued its course , still hemmed in to swift current by a high bank on the opposite side , and on the near one by a wall set with spiked temples sacred to Siva ; for Hara is one of his many names .  But , on reaching the apex of the triangle formed by the city , the banks fell away , the river spread itself out to greater rest , until , at the uttermost end of a long spit of sandbank and tamarisk , it met the waters of its twin river , the Hari , in the broad placid lagoon which lay between Eshwara and the south ; that is the dry stretch of desert , against whose barrenness Western ingenuity--aided by Dr. Dillon 'shorde of fifteen hundred ruffians--had been digging defiance for months .  From the spit of sand you could see the result .  A broad seam on the face of patient Mother Earth , a first wrinkle telling of millions to come from the ploughshares of men .  As yet , however , the canal was as dry as the desert around it ; and was to remain so until the great Lord- sahib came in state , on his way to the hills , to open the sluices .  There was to be a big camp , a big function on the occasion , and even sleepy Eshwara felt a vague excitement regarding it .  For the older men remembered the days when the Hosts of the Lord- sahibs had regularly passed through the city , and had tales to tell about them ; a fact which prevented the coming event from being too strange even to be thought about !  Then the opening of the canal was another disturber of primeval calm .  True , the idea of it had been with Eshwara ever since the first sod had been turned two years before ; but now the thing stared it in the face .  Within a few days the waters of the sacred rivers would have to lie in a new bed .  Would they like it ?  Would the gods like it ?  Would men like it ?  Those were the questions being asked from one end of Eshwara to another .  Even outside it , on the long narrow spit of sand-bank set with sparse tussocks of grass and tamarisk which reached beyond the city 'striangle into the rivers--and where , after a flood , the white gypsum silt lay like a robe of righteousness--they were being discussed ; for the strange race who lived on it , shifting their wigwams of grass to the low-lying land opposite when the waters rose , lived by the river ; by the fish in it , and the logs of wood which came floating down it .  So this question of the canal was in the mind of the naked man , attired in the complete suit of blue beads which marks an aboriginal race , who , in the dawn following , squatted on the highest curve of the spit .  He was small , swart to positive inkiness , and his thin legs and arms shewed grey lights on their tense muscles , as if these were truly iron .  Behind him rose a wigwam of reeds , at the entrance to which a spear was stuck in the sand in order to display the head of a bottle-nosed alligator impaled on its point .  At his right hand was a reed basket , a rude net of reed twine .  In front of him lay one of those small shark-like scaleless fishes which the learned call Silurian , and tell us are relics of a creation older than ours .  So might the man have been .  So might have been the background of sand and reed , spear and wigwam , the foreground of net and fish .  Yet the fisher was not all uncivilized .  This little survival of an aboriginal race , shifting about in the shifting river-bed , had always had an attraction for the Missionaries , who , as a rule , find the inferior races easiest to deal with .  Gu-gu therefore--his name being as primitive as his appearance , since it is the first effort of infant tongues--belied his looks .  He had at any rate a civilized eye to business , a civilized notion of the relations between supply and demand , for he shook his head at the customer opposite him .  " Not a cowrie less , Khân-jee .  ' Tis the only one in the market , see you ; besides on this day the ' Missen 'miss comes to us folk , and she never haggles .  She will pay the five annas gladly to be let read her book to my women .  "  The mumble-apparently a pious aspiration that the Most High would smite infidels hip and thigh--was the only recognizable point in the figure on the other side of the fish ; for Akbar Khân , doorkeeper , messenger , assistant waiter , had not only discarded Saturn 'srings--the loss of which about his head made his baldness something of a shock--but also every article of clothing except his waist-cloth .  The reason for this was , in a way , like many another thing about the old sinner , pathetic .  Briefly he liked to dissociate his inner self from occupations which he considered were beneath the dignity of the Akbar Khân of the past .  Therefore being , for the nonce , a bazaar coolie in search of fish for his master 'sbreakfast , he got up for the part ; so finding it , at once , easier to forget , and to remember that past .  He mumbled of it as he strenuously opposed the price .  " Everything grows dearer , every day , " yawned the aboriginal Gu-gu .  " Even women , as thou shouldst know .  "  Akbar Khân clucked a pious denial .  " We spread no nets for that game in the palace nowadays .  Those evil times are gone ; we live sober and virtuous .  " The piety held a distinct flavour of regret .  " And as for fish , " continued Gu-gu , " they will be dearer ere they are cheaper .  When the deep water begins to run canalwards , the fish will run too .  Then good-by to our trade , since the Huzoors allow us nothing in their waters without payment .  "  He whined , however , to the wrong quarter for sympathy , the old retainer 'sviews on preserving being absolutely those of a Shropshire squire who is also a J .  P.  " Neither did we , " he replied , indifferently .  " Thy like , Gu-gu , would have had to bring thy fish to the palace and be satisfied with our leavings .  Out on thee for an upstart !  Take thy four annas , and be thankful--slave !  "  Gu-gu 'sill-tempered face became aggressive .  " Not I !  --the Miss will give it ; nay !  six , mayhap , since the child is sick , and she will be wanting leave to dose it .  So--hands off--eunuch !  "  The title , once dignified , was opprobrious now , and old Akbar rose in a perfect fury , his bald head wobbling , the flaming fringe of red hairs about his face giving him a ludicrous resemblance to a toothless old man-eating tiger , face to face with his lawful prey , yet unable to injure it .  " Oh !  for the bastinado !  " he stuttered , impotently .  " Oh , for the cutting off of bodily members !  Oh !  even , for the tying up of heels , and roastings and duckings .  But the Huzoors have taken them from us , and gifted them to the police , who know not the proper methods .  Yâh !  Gu-gu , had I but had thee fifty years ago !  " his anger lessened with sheer wistful regret .  " Fifty years ago when the Nawab gifted me as body-servant to the new Wazeer Bun-avatâr [ 1 ] - sahib because he brought him a bird that would sing of itself from Italy wilayat .  "  " But all birds do that , " cavilled Gu-gu , feeling nevertheless a reverent curiosity about those legendary days .  Akbar gave a crackling , contemptuous laugh .  " Not palace birds !  they have to be wound up ; and Bun-avatâr- sahib sent for this across the black water .  So he kept favour with the Nawab .  Birds that sing , and flowers that smell , and boxes that make music , and dolls that dance when you wind them .  Lo !  these , Gu-gu , are the pleasures of palaces ; but how canst thou know , who hast not lived in them even , as I-- "  The sense of his own superiority soothed him still more ; he squatted down again , and hubble-bubbled for a space at the hookah which was an integral part of all his impersonations .  " Yea !  those were times , " he mumbled half to himself .  " Even Pidar Narâyan--may Heaven protect him--could not say ' please God 'to every mouthful , as he does now--as we all do now , and rightly , seeing that we have grown old .  " Once more the piety smacked of pity , and the old man , finding a listener , went on with a certain gusto .  " Look you !  he had to walk like the tongue among thirty-two teeth in those days , with Bun-avatâr- sahib , my master , like two peas in one pod with the Nawah .  Except for women .  Pidar Narâyan took his way there--mostly !  "  The interrupting gurgle of the hookah gave time for an elaborate wink of a wicked old eye .  Possibly this was due to the smoke , for the old voice went on as before almost dolorously .  " He had the money-bags , you see , and looked after the rents .  But my master , Bun-avatâr--lo !  thou shouldst have seen him when he came first--the picture of a man !  --they say he was a prince in his own country , but fell into trouble ; so came to make his fortune here with Pidar Narâyan--was called Wazeer .  And let me tell thee , Gu-gu , it means something to be body-servant to a Wazeer ! Lo !  to think I might have been it still but for that jade , Anâri Begum !  "  Despite the epithet , he smiled , and his pipe this time gave out quite a chuckling sound .  " As ill to keep within walls as a butterfly !  " he muttered .  " Up and down the garden , in and out the balconies , and the Nawab in two minds to use force , or put her in a sack .  For she flouted him .  The prettiest ones play that game for power always , and she was Walidâd , her brother 's, last hope of favour .  Walidâd , Kanjara , who had been king 'scaterer for years before my master , Bun-avatâr- sahib , came to make all the court cry sour buttermilk !  Walidâd , who had once stood so high , that , in a drunken bout , the Nawab promised him his half-sister to wife .  And he got her too !  She wept on her wedding day , but we in the lower storey heeded not tears in the upper .  For , see you , mine uncle was chief eunuch--we kept the honour thus in the family from generation to generation--so I was in and out , seeing what went on .  Until somehow ( mine uncle with the bowstring round his neck--as was right , honest man--swore he knew not how ) Bun-avatâr- sahib caught a sight of her !  Some say it was a plot , from beginning to end , of Walidâd 's; others that his enemies feared lest Anâri should succeed .  There be balls within balls , even in a plaything , if the workmen are cunning !  Anyhow , he saw her .  " And I , his body-servant , was able to come and go where Pidar Narâyan hath made his church nowadays .  But there !  what matters it ?  ' Tis all one .  Love and the Faith are in and out of men 'sminds like a shelldrake in weedy water ; a body cannot tell which way its head may be and which its tail !  Nevertheless I felt a choke at my throat , Gu-gu , many a time , as I waited for him in the boat below the balcony ; yet in the end , it was not my throat , but mine uncle 's.  He died in the faith , Gu-gu , cursing women .  His head was that way at the last ! --'Tis mostly so-- he -- he -- "  The chuckle of his pipe was fiendish , yet his wizened face was wistful .  " Still , God knows , one could scarce look on at such a wooing , and not beat the drum in time , as musicians to a dancer .  And it runs in our blood , see you , to watch , and beat the drum .  That is our profession ; and , by mine ancestors !  I deemed it enough for mortal man .  But Bun-avatâr- sahib , see you , was not of our race .  He was of Italy wilayat and a prince .  So , one day , my liver dissolved hearing that the butterfly was over the walls !  But , as I said , it was mine uncle 'sneck , not mine .  Yet the game ended for me when Bun-avatâr- sahib died .  "  " They poisoned him , folk say ; is't true ?  " asked Gu-gu .  It was a point in the oft-told tale which was still discussed by Eshwara gossips .  " That is other folks 'news , not mine , " replied Akbar , discreetly .  " May be , may be not .  The Huzoors , anyhow , sent the Nawab to die in Calcutta on a pinson [ 2 ] for it ; but they have ever an excuse to take land !  Pidar Narâyan had a hard fight to keep Bun-avatâr- sahib 'sgrants--the Nawab was ever generous to his favourites , look you--for Anâri Begum 'sbaby ; ay !  though he showed a writing of marriage , and had made the infant Christian after their habit .  Still he got them , land and palace and all .  So I stayed on serving my master 'schild , and when she died , her child , the Miss- baba , even to the haggling for fish .  Lo !  slave !  it grows late .  Give it to me and have done with it--Thou wilt not .  Oh !  for the devil that was in her grandmother Anâr to be in this Miss- baba , and for her to come to Bun-avatâr- sahib 'srights as Wazeer --then would there be loppings and-- "  " Or if Roshan Khân should come to his , " sneered Gu-gu .  " The canal sahib 'sayah was telling me thou didst prostrate thyself in the dust as if he were indeed Nawab !  Have a care !  eunuch- jee , the police are agog nowadays to find disloyalty even in newspapers .  "  " May her gossiping tongue be slit !  " stuttered the old retainer .  " Can a body not do obeisance to his masters ?  For look you , Roshan is true grand-nephew to the Nawab through his grandmother , Walidâd 'swife--ay !  and for that matter , cousin to the Miss , through Anâri Begum , Walidâd 'ssister !  I did but welcome him ; I did but my duty--I did but show my manners--I did but what we have done from generation to generation .  " He moved away muttering , full of virtuous resentment that a suspicion of anything save sheer servility should have been imputed to him .  After a lifetime of trucklings and bootblackings , to be credited with higher motives was too bad .  To prove his innocence he would that very evening , he told himself , seek out Roshan , not at the Fort , --that might be misunderstood , --but at his grandmother 's.  His grandmother , who , though she had been upstart Walidâd 'swife , was still the late Nawab 'shalf-sister !  His sister !  !  What could be nearer than that !  !  !  And he would prostrate himself again , and assure the family of his services .  That was his birthright .  Meanwhile Gu-gu looked after him , and laughed .  He was a clever fellow , was Gu-gu , and in a previous generation of scholars had been pet pupil in a little school started by another Miss from another Missen .  He had got pennies for attending it , which had come in useful before he was big enough to face the river .  But now he was the best man on either the Hara or the Hari , save one .  And he ?  Gu-gu 'sbeady black eyes , watching the curve of the current mechanically , gave a sudden flash .  He was on his feet in a second .  There was something dipping , diving , sidling , drifting , out yonder which might be secured for his wigwam before anyone else saw it !  But as , silently , like a seal 's, his black head came up from his first forge under water which was to give him a fair start from the shore without even a splash to attract notice , another black head showed to the right of him , a yard or two behind .  But it was his head !  Am-ma 'shead !  Am-ma , the frog-like , Am-ma , whose wide hands and feet looked as if webbed in the water .  Am-ma , the only man who could touch him .  He set his teeth , gave up silence , and surged ahead with an overhand stroke , his hand seeming to clutch and hold the water .  It was a faster stroke than Am-ma 's; for a time the swifter .  Then with a backward glance he drew a quick breath , knowing it would be a race indeed , for the black head had gone , and only a faint wale on the smooth water told where his rival , avoiding the slight resistance of the air , swam like a fish .  Dangerous tactics for most men , ending often in a sudden collapse , bleedings from nose and ears , or , at least , time lost in coming to the surface .  But Am-ma was not as other men .  Half-witted , except in river lore , uncouth , misshapen , he was practically amphibious .  Gu-gu ground his teeth impotently as the faint wale crept up and up .  The man must have air in his stomach like a fish !  Ah !  if the river had been in flood , if this had been a race with air bladders , indeed , --one black head of inflated skin under each arm , and your own in the middle--the issue would have been certain ; for no one , in the whole tribe , knew the backward rip of a knife from below which would leave a rival helpless , lopsided , bound to seek safety on shore , so well as Gu-gu !  But it was not flood time , so he must risk all .  Like a porpoise at play the curve of his dark back disappeared , and now there were two wales upon the water side by side .  And ahead , sidling , dipping , diving to the current was a deodar log with the broad arrow of government on it , now visible , now out of sight .  It was a question of steering ; steering without eyes , steering by instinct , steering by sheer experience of logs and their ways , of the meeting currents of the two rivers and their ways .  And over against them , to the right across the broad lagoon , were low brick buildings , and a horde of fifteen hundred ruffians with fascines and earth-baskets finishing a dam that was to alter the currents , and protect the canal !  They looked like swarming ants in the sunshine .  The wales were neck and neck now , side by side , straight as a die on the log .  Then suddenly , the right-hand one swerved outward .  Only a yard or two ; a yard or two nearer to the ants in the sunshine .  A second after the log swerved also--swerved to the right .  The next , two black heads rose silently ; but one of them was two yards to the left of that dancing , dipping prize !  Gu-gu , breathless as he was , gave an inarticulate cry of rage , and shook his fist at the swarming ants .  Already their work was altering the currents he had known for so long .  That it was possible to allow for this , as Am-ma had done , did not comfort him .  He swam back sulkily , his wrath increased by the knowledge one glance had given him , that the log on which his rival was paddling to shore triumphantly bore its broad arrow so lightly , and so near its end , that a little dexterous manipulation would have left the runaway unmarked , and so given its captor the right , not merely of ransom , but of sale !  Truly , it was an ill world for the poor !  But Lance Carlyon laughed , as he lounged over his early tea and watched the river through his field-glass , in a balcony of the fort , dressed in a gorgeous ring-streaked sleeping suit which he could only wear when on outpost duty , as the regiment had tabooed it .  In truth it made him not unlike Tom Sawyer 's" Royal Nonsuch .  "  " The little ' un 'sgot it !  I say !  Dering , I believe I shall like Eshwara .  It's--it's--new--do n't you know .  " His eyes rested , as he spoke , on the low , bastioned building , all hemmed in by temple spires , at the very point of the city 'striangle , which Erda Shepherd had told him was the mission house .  Truly , he thought , she was in the thick of it !  " New !  " echoed Vincent Dering captiously , " I should have called it old .  I thought that sort of thing had died with the pagoda tree .  "  " What sort of thing ?  "  Vincent nodded towards the palace with an odd , cynical laugh .  " That ; it 'sghostly .  Does n't belong to the nineteenth century !  "  Lance turned curiously .  " I said that to--to Pidar Narâyan--I ca n't call him anything else , somehow--when he was showing me over yesterday .  And--you know that inscrutable smile of his--he just pointed up to the telegraph wires--they go right across the garden you know--and said , ' There is half the news of half the world over our heads , anyhow .  ' It knocked me over , I tell you , to think of it ; and by Jove !  Dering , next week when the Lord- sahib comes-- "  Vincent Dering laughed boisterously .  " There 'llbe the millennium , of course .  Come along , Lance !  It 'stime we were off to prepare his way .  Dashwood wants it done A1 .  They are going to lay on electric light , and all that .  By the way , Mrs. Smith told me to tell you she expected you to breakfast .  "  Ten minutes afterwards they were riding over the boat bridge to superintend the laying out of the Vice-regal camp against the coming of the Lord- sahib and his hosts .  UNDER-CURRENTS  Mumtâza Mahal , Roshan Khân 'sgrandmother , lived in a queer little backwater of a house which had eddied itself away from the main stream of the town , and jammed itself against a wall of the palace as if seeking dignity thereby .  For all that it belonged irredeemably to the city , and to its evil-smelling lanes .  The word house , however , is misleading to western ears , since this was simply a well-like courtyard , with a great wooden bed set in the centre under a miserable attempt at a tree which was used as a clothes-peg , a rack for saucepans , and a variety of other domestic purposes .  It fulfilled them to the perfect satisfaction of its proprietress , a roundabout old lady , plump as a button-quail , who , when she was not asleep inside the arcaded slip of a room on one side , passed her time on the bed in the scanty shade , keeping company with a sausage-roll of a pillow and a quilt , both covered in faded , greasy silk .  As a rule she did nothing save eat pân ; though sometimes , as a favour to Erda Shepherd , who came to read to her once a week , she would give a few more stitches to a knitted comforter which never seemed to get any longer .  It had been begun , indeed , under the auspices of another " Miss , " who had returned to England only to die , as so many do , from exposure , and overwork , and homesickness .  For the rest , Mumtâza was an arrogant , yet good-natured old soul , who , despite those tears on her wedding-day , had kept dissolute Walidâd under her thumb , and his son also .  Therefore , it was one of her pet grievances--and she had many--that Roshan , her grandson , should have defied her authority and entered the army .  The great standing grievance , however , was that the " pinson " she received from Government because her husband had been deported with the Nawab to Calcutta , was not so large as one received by a neighbour and gossip whose husband had been hanged in the mutiny !  The two old ladies came to loggerheads over their respective claims once a month , regularly , when pay-day came round ; Mumtâza asserting shrilly that to die in a strange country was more painful than hanging , Ashrâf-un-nissa contending roundly that if Walidâd had had as much respectful affection for his widow as her husband had had for his , he could easily have caused himself to be hanged ; since he had certainly deserved it .  Whereat there would be war , until some one in the alley , or round the corner did something outrageous , --threw slops over some one , or had twins , or imported a new mother-in-law !  Then , friendly discussion becoming a necessity of life , the big wooden bed would once more hold two old ladies , two roly-poly bolsters , two quilts--also two tongues !  But these confined themselves , for a time , to lesser grievances ; such as the general decadence of the age , manifested by the reluctance of young people to obey the old .  There was , however , no sign of displeasure in the reception prepared for Roshan , when one afternoon , immediately after his arrival at Eshwara , he appeared to prostrate himself at the feet of age ; at least so he had said in his letter of intimation .  Mumtâza Mahal knew her duty towards men-folk better than to show temper at once ; knew also the suffocating effect of ceremonials .  So the tarnished treasures of past state had been dug out of the mounds of litter heaped up in all four corners of the arcaded room , and set about the courtyard .  An old elephant-housing covered the wooden bed , and to it Roshan was conducted : his grandmother , despite her best green satin trousers , squatting below , on a mat .  The young soldier felt and looked thoroughly uncomfortable .  Out of sheer funk of the old lady 'sremarks if he had appeared in his usual mufti of English tweed and a close-fitting turban , he had reverted to the airy muslins and embroidered smoking-caps of his forbears .  He felt chilly , barely decent in them ; and , indeed , the whole environment was absolutely repugnant to him .  His grandmother 'stramways could scarcely be otherwise to one who had gone ahead by express train like Roshan Khân .  Thoroughly well-educated , he knew himself to be considered one of the smartest native officers in the army .  A first-class polo player , a fair cricketer , able to handle cue and racket , and without equal at the foils , he had for years met Englishmen on equal terms in sporting matters .  What wonder , then , that he sat looking inexpressibly bored beside the hookah which was the pride of his grandmamma 'sheart , in that it had belonged to many dead and gone Nawabs ?  He was simply longing for the solace of a smoke , yet he did not dare to use the silver cigarette case with his initials , " R.K. " on it , which Lance Carlyon had given him at Christmas in return for the fencing lessons .  Fortunately , however , boredom and yawns are correct during visits of ceremony , so Mumtâza Mahal crossed her little fat hands over her little fat green-trousered legs , and told herself the lad was improved in both manners and looks ; was distinctly more like her brother , the late and sainted Nawab .  The fact emphasized her regret that , after a brilliant career in a mission school , a career which must have led to a minor clerkship , her grandson should have taken the unheard-of course of entering the army !  If he could even have gone as the Nawab 'sgrand-nephew , with a dozen troopers or so as following , it might have been bearable ; but , as Walidâd 'sextraction barred all claim to noble descent , enlistment meant something very different .  The old lady , accustomed to obedience all round , when the dreadful defiance had occurred , ten years before , had called the stars to witness that it was all--that everything was--Pidar Narâyan 'sfault !  And then she had fallen a-whimpering , knowing right well that but for the latter 'sintercession , she herself would have had no " pinson " ; since Government bars those who can be proved to be personally implicated in evil doings .  And now , as she sat looking at her grandson , the same conflicting estimates made her irritable .  Why had Pidar Narâyan ever put his finger in the Eshwara pie ?  Yet , without him , where would they all have been ?  Still , he need not have taught the lad to fence , and so turned him into a mean , common soldier .  Now , whether this was true , whether his skill with the foils had turned Roshan 'sthoughts towards a fighting life , or whether it was simply the result of natural aptitudes that way , the choice of professions had been wise .  His Colonel , --of the old school though he was , --had admitted , when pressed , that the young Mahomedan , given practice , might be able to lead the regiment as well as a fresh-joined English subaltern .  The newer school , again , playing the Krieg spiel against him at Simla , and finding itself in grips with a genuine gift for tactics , had shaken its head and confessed the hardship of such a talent being barred from finding its proper level .  Still it was impossible to legislate for exceptions without upsetting the every-day army apple-cart .  Roshan himself , being sensible--above all , being of a nation which accepts limitations as a law of God--was , as a rule , satisfied with his future risaldar majorship , and , if he was lucky , Aide-de-Camp to the Queen , and a few other titles tacked on to it .  Like all natives of India he lived largely on the approbation of his immediate superiors , and this he had without stint ; besides , his whole line of thought had become too military for any subversion of rule and discipline to seem desirable .  Yet the curb made itself felt sometimes ; never more keenly than at his grandmother 'sscornful look , when , in reply to her catechising , he named his income .  " Only that !  Bâh ! Tis the pay of a coolie !  "  " 'Tis the pay of my rank , anyhow , " he replied sulkily , " and I cannot expect promotion yet ; the rules-- "  She waggled her be-veiled , be-jewelled head cunningly .  " Rules !  What have rules to do with favour , either for men or women ?  Lo !  thy grand-uncle , the Nawab , gave twice that to a coachman who had one eye black and the other blue because he fancied him !  So , if thou art in favour , as thou sayest , ask for more .  The Huzoors will give it , sooner than lose thee .  "  Roshan did not attempt explanation ; he simply evaded the point by asserting that the pay was sufficient for his wants .  In a way it was an unfortunate remark , since it precipitated the lecture lurking in the old lady 'smind .  " And for the wife 'sthat is to come ?  " she asked , not without dignity , --the dignity of age reminding youth that its turn for duty has come .  " And for the son 'sthat has yet to be born ?  Why are these old arms still empty of thy children , Roshan ?  "  He had his answer ready ; one that had hitherto baulked even the matrimonial desires of his mother , who , having gone to live with her own people , was backed up by sisters and sisters-in-law .  " Because the Most High decreed freedom for wife and son .  "  It was true .  The wife found for him as a boy had died in child-birth .  But Mumtâza had made up her mind to refuse this excuse any longer .  Matters were getting desperate .  Here was Roshan past thirty , and never a child 'svoice to soothe the passion which seems to come back , vicariously , to Indian women in their old age .  She had been brooding over an appeal ever since she had heard that , after ten years 'absence , the lad was once more to be within reach of her tongue .  So she edged closer to him , an almost pathetic authority in her face .  " That is but the skin of the orange , Roshan ; I take not that as a gift !  There be more wives than one , if the one die , even for the Huzoors whom thou apest .  Nay !  Light of the house !  frown not , " she continued , in sudden alarm at his look .  " I did but mean that thou wert different from thy fathers .  How canst help it ?  Think not the old woman cannot understand .  Was I not young once ?  Was I not wedded with tears to thy grandfather--on whom be peace !  So I know the heart hath fancies , and thine--listen while I whisper it--is--is for a wife like a mem ! Wherefore not ?  Thou hast seen and talked with them--they have seemed better to thee than a cow of a black girl !  What then ?  Have not mems married our people ere now ?  And with thee , " --she looked round quickly , to be certain of privacy , then leant closer still , -- " with thee it would be easy--for there is thy cousin .  "  " My cousin ?  " he echoed stupidly .  " Yea !  thy cousin , when all is said and done , " she repeated , with faint scorn .  " Is not the Miss at the palace Anâri Begum 'sgranddaughter ?  Was not Anâri Begum thy grandfather 'ssister ?  If that is not cousin , what is it ?  "  He had known these facts before , of course , but they had never presented themselves to him in this connection .  Yet they came instantly , accredited by custom .  His cousin ; if so , his wife , if he chose , almost by right .  And yet from custom also , he--too sensible not to have gauged the vast difference between his position as regards Englishmen , and his position as regarded their wives , sisters , mothers--was conscious of distinct revolt .  " Thou shouldst not say such things , " he exclaimed almost angrily ; " the Miss- sahib -- "  " Miss- sahib indeed !  " interrupted Mumtâza with a forced giggle .  " Who knows she is that ?  Not even Pidar Narâyan .  "  " Wherefore ?  " asked Roshan coldly .  " Her mother was Bonaventura- sahib 'schild and heir .  That is certain ; else the Government would not have continued the grants given to him by the Nawab .  "  An expression of infinite cunning crossed the old lady 'sface ; she tucked another budget of pân into her cheek , preparatory to a lengthy explanation .  " Not if it was payment for evidence given , by which Government could find excuse for seizing the rest , and sending innocent people to die in Calcutta ?  Thou knowest the tale , Roshan ?  How Pidar Narâyan said no word when everyone was searching , after Bun-avatâr 'sdeath , for Anâri Begum , who had disappeared , and how , when the land was being taken , he appeared with a baby , a baptized baby , and swore it was Bun-avatâr 'slawful heir--that he himself had married them .  Mayhap he did .  But , look you , Anâri was in the palace zenâna ere she disappeared .  Who is to say she is not thy cousin twice over ?  ... I say not that she is , look you , but who can tell .  Yet this is certain , Roshan ; she hath Anâri Begum 'seyes .  For I have seen her ; but a month ago the Miss who reads brought her , not knowing of these tales ; for Pidar Narâyan keeps a silent tongue .  Her name is Laila , and thine Roshan .  [ 4 ] Is not that a fate ?  and she hath thy grand-aunt 'seyes ; ay !  and thy grandfather 'sland too ; for would it not have been Walidâd 's, if Bun-avatâr had not ousted him from the wazeer -ship with singing birds ?  "  Roshan Khân stood up feeling as if he was being suffocated .  It was ten years since he had had experience of the fine-drawn meshes of vague , almost useless , conspiracy for which Indian women have such vast capability ; it was ten years since , with eyes open to his own advantage , he had cast in his lot loyally with the Government he served .  In that time there had not been wanting--there never is in India--others , less scrupulous , ready to trade on his connection with a dispossessed family , and his possible sense of injustice .  He had known how to treat them .  But this idea bit shrewdly at a feeling which men of his stamp have inevitably--the desire for a wife more suitable to their own culture than they can hope to find among their own people .  He gave an uneasy laugh .  " These be dreams , indeed , grandmother .  To begin with , Pidar Narâyan-- "  " Pidar Narâyan !  Pidar Narâyan !  " echoed the old diplomatist tartly , " Art turned Hindoo , that thou dost count Narâyan [ 5 ] the Creator of all ?  " Then she suddenly clapped her hands together in absolute impatience and anger .  " Yet is it true .  He is the cause of all !  But for him Bun-avatâr would have been as an over-fried fritter , a burst bladder , a drum on a hen 'sback !  But for his teaching thee to fence-- "  A quick frown came to her hearer 'sface .  " Teaching !  Ay !  but only enough to make me fit for his skill to play with .  I know that now .  Well !  let him try it again-- " Roshan 'ssudden fierceness died down to sombre discontent-- " but that is fool 'stalk .  He is too old .  I could not meet him on equal terms .  " He drew himself up proudly ; yet he felt a vague regret at his own acquired sense of fair play .  Below it lay a savagery that could rejoice in revenge at any price , and Mumtâza Mahal , watching him , thought him still more like his ancestors , and nodded approvingly .  " Think of it , at least , Roshan , " she said , " and remember that it is not as if the girl were a real mem .