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"We are very glad, very glad." His voice vibrated through the room, without effort. It struck one with singular force, like the shrewd, kind brightness of his eyes, light blue, and oddly benevolent, under brows hard as granite. "Sit down, Mr. Hackh," he ordered genially, "and give us news of the other world! I mean," he laughed, "west of Suez. Smoking's allowed here, try that!"
"Can't leave now," snapped Gilly. "I'll be along, tell her " "Had she better go alone?" suggested Heywood. "No; right you are." The other swept a fretful eye about the company. "But this business begins to look urgent. Here, somebody we can spare. You go, Hackh, there's a good chap." Chantel dropped the helmet he had caught up. Bowing stiffly, Rudolph marched across the room and down the stairs.
"Too late!" called the white-haired giant, indulgently, to the dismounting trio. "Mr. Hackh, you should have come spurring." Rudolph advanced, pale, but with a calmness of which, afterward, he was justly proud. The heroine of the moment turned toward him quickly, with a look more natural, more sincere, than she had ever given him. "Is this Mr. Hackh?" she said graciously.
His puffy eyes turned furtively toward Rudolph. "May be bad form, Hackh, but we all wish you luck, I fancy." Then, in a burst of candor, "Wish that unspeakable ass felt as seedy as I do heat-stroke drop dead that sort of thing." Still grumbling treason, this strange second rejoined his principal.
The man in the story, that dipped in dragon's blood, was made invulnerable." "Oh?" He stood plainly at a loss. "Oh, I see. German, wasn't he? Pity they didn't pop Rudie Hackh in!" Her swift upward glance might have been admiration, if she had not said: "Your mind works very slowly." "Oh?" Again he paused, as though somewhat hurt; then answered cheerfully: "Dare say. Always did.
The Chinese page, quick, solemn, and noiseless, glided round the table with his tray. "Ah, you young devil! You're another weird one, you atom. See those bead eyes watching us, eh? A Gilpin Homer, you are, and some fine day we'll see you go off in a flash of fire. If you don't poison us all first. Well, here's fortune!" "Your health, Mr. Hackh," amended the other Englishman.
Once more he meditated; then heaved his big shoulders to let slip the whole burden. "One day at a time," he laughed. "Thank you for telling us. You see, Mr. Hackh, they're not devils. The only fault is, they're just human beings. You don't speak the language? I'll send you my old teacher."
Some one came running, shot bolts, and swung the door inward. The lantern showed the tawny, grinning face of a servant, as they passed into a small garden, of dwarf orange trees pent in by a lofty, whitewashed wall. "These grounds are yours, Hackh," said Heywood. "Your predecessor's boy; and there" pointing to a lonely barrack that loomed white over the stunted grove "there's your house.
Then your name's what is it again? Hackh, isn't it? Heywood's mine. So you take Zimmerman's place. He's off already, and good riddance. He was a bounder! Charming spot you've come to! I daresay if your Fliegelmans opened a hong in hell, you might possibly get a worse station." Without change of manner, he uttered a few gabbling, barbaric words.
"To our better acquaintance," said Rudolph, as they raised their glasses. "What? Oh, yes, thanks," the other laughed. "Any one would know you for a griffin here, Mr. Hackh. You've not forgotten your manners yet." When they had sat down to dinner in another white-washed room, and had undertaken the promised rice and chicken, he laughed again, somewhat bitterly. "Better acquaintance no fear!
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