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Perhaps presently the great sahib himself would come, and make all things right again. The night was advancing. Surely he would come soon. Barely had he begun to hope for this when the door he guarded was opened slightly from within. His mem-sahib, strangely white and still, looked forth. "Peter!" she said gently. He was up in a moment, bending before her, his black eyes glowing in the dim light.
She looked at Hanani crouched humbly beside her, looked at her again and again, and at last her wonder found vent in speech. "Hanani," she said, "I don't quite understand everything. How did you get me here?" Hanani's veiled head was bent. She turned it towards her slowly, almost reluctantly it seemed to Stella. "I carried you, mem-sahib," she said. "You carried me!"
And British eyes, keen and grey and stern, looked on from afar, watching silently, as the Indian bore his senseless mem-sahib away. "And what am I going to do?" demanded Mrs. Ermsted fretfully. She was lounging in the easiest chair in Mrs. Ralston's drawing-room with a cigarette between her fingers. A very decided frown was drawing her delicate brows.
It took the heart out of him for a moment. The confusion all about, the pall of dust, the roaring of the frightened lions which had escaped destruction, the shrill cries of the panic-stricken populace, who now looked upon the white Mem-sahib as the daughter of Shaitan, these dulled his inventive faculties for the nonce. Here was the confusion, properly planned, and he could not make use of it.
His English is truly remarkable, so much so that I regret to say I have more than once supposed him to be talking Hindustani when he was discoursing in my own mother-tongue. But he certainly is extraordinarily sharp in taking up what I and the "Mem-sahib" say. He presented to me to-day a remarkable letter, of which the following is an exact copy.
He readily understood that the murderous attempt had not been directed against Kathlyn alone, but against all of them. But for her eagerness and subsequent warning some of them would have been dead at this moment. "Sahib, it would be better to make camp on the other side of the ford. The Mem-sahib is weak from the shock and might collapse if we proceeded." "I leave everything to you, Ahmed.
A low wail of terror ran round the arena. Surely this Mem-sahib had all the gods with her. A great crevice had opened up between Kathlyn and the lions, one of which lay dead. Then came the rush toward the exits, a mad frantic rush. Not even Umballa, who knew that not the gods, but man had contrived this havoc, not even Umballa waited, but fled, beating down all those who blocked his path.
The man spoke with deep submission. "Sahib, there was no answer." "What do you mean by that? What the Here, let me pass!" cried Merryon, in a ferment. "There must have been some sort of answer." "No, sahib. No answer." The man spoke with inscrutable composure. "The mem-sahib has not come back," he said. "Let the sahib see for himself."
And if we can help you " "Kit," interposed the colonel, "we can give Ramabai and Pundita only our good wishes. Our way lies to the west, to the seaport and home." Ramabai bowed. And the party returned to the compound rather subdued. This quiet young native banker would go far. "And if I am ever queen, will my beautiful Mem-sahib come back some day and visit me?"
Moreover " she stopped suddenly, and turned her head. "What is it?" said Stella. "I heard a sound, mem-sahib." Hanani rose slowly to her feet. It seemed to Stella that she was more bent, more deliberate of movement, than usual. Doubtless the wild adventure of the night had told upon her.
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