Part 21 (1/2)
”You have spoken to hiain
”He left you inyou safe to Jundhra!”
She held her hand out and he took it like a cavalier, bending until he could touch her fingers with his lips
”What is the uns to Jundhra, Risaldar?”
”Who knows, memsahib! The orders of the Sirkar come, and we of the service must obey I am thy servant and the Sirkar's!”
”You, old friend-that were servant, as you choose to call it, to my husband's father! I am a proud woman to have such friends at call!” She pointed to the ayah, recovering sulkily and rearranging the shawl about her shoulders ”That I call service, Risaldar She cohen a knock comes at the door! I need you, and you answer a hardly spoken prayer; what is friendshi+p, if yours is not?”
The Risaldar bowed low again
”I would speak with that ayah, heavenborn!” he muttered, almost into his beard She could hardly catch the words
”I can't get her to speak to ht, Maho But perhaps you can do better Try Do you want to question her alone?”
”By the heavenborn's favor, yes”
Ruth walked down the room toward the , drew the curtain back and leaned her head out where whatever breeze there was ht fan her cheek The Risaldar strode over to where the ayah cowered by an inner doorway
”She-Hindu-dog!” he growled at her ”Mother of whelps! Louse-ridden scavenger of sweepings! What part hast thou in all this treachery? Speak!”
The ayah shrank away froripped her by the throat and shook her
”Speak!” he growled again
But his ten iron fingers held her in a vise-like grip and she could not have answered him if she had tried to
”O Risaldar!” called Ruth suddenly, with her head still out of theHe released the ayah and let her tumble as she pleased into a heap
”Heavenborn?”
”What is that red glow on the skyline over yonder?”
”A burning, heavenborn!”
”A burning? What burning? Funeral pyres? It's very big for funeral pyres!”
”Nay, heavenborn!”
”What, then?”