Part 14 (1/2)

Early nexton dead Faithful's sword froe that anted no uard to the Heir-to-Empire

Once they had reached safety froreat desire for rest ca but eat, and sleep, and rejoice in the early spring sunshi+ne, and the early spring flowers For the late snap of extre to be ahead of its neighbour Bija made endless cowslip balls out of the beautiful rose-pink pri the shepherds' boys, careen fern croziers, which they ate like asparagus But this sort of thing could not last long, since they were close to the caravan route froh, no sooner had the snow on the uplands h

Thus news that the little party had escaped death soon filtered from mouth toFoster-father found himself and those in his care once more semi-prisoners on their way to cruel brother ku Hu his little son to be still within its walls

Now kumran was a far cleverer fellow than his brother Askurry; but there was in him a love of deceit for deceit's sake, which spoiled all his cleverness, for it made him uncertain what he would do in the end This indeed is always the case with deceitful people They know that what they say and do is _not_ straightforward and true, and so they are like sailors without a compass They have no fixed pole by which to steer

And, in addition, kumran liked to be considered clever; so he was always outwardly very courteous, very polite, very char

Thus Foster-father's heart sank within hih which the Kabul River dashes, and along which the caravan road took its high-perched way, he saw the battle the low hills on which the toas built It was a fully fortified town through which the river ran, and at its extre the wider plain below, stood the citadel called the Bala Hissar or High Fort To reach this the travellers had to cross the iron bridge and wend their way through the narrow bazaars

Such wonderful bazaars as they were, too! Croith tiny dark arched shops, like caverns, full to the brim with Persian silk carpets, furs from the north, turquoises and all kinds of precious stones from out-of-the-way places with unpronounceable names And there were such a quantity of cats! Grey Persian cats and white ones, and tabbies and black cats who sat on the balconies and stared at Down as she lay on Horse-chestnut's broad, wavy back For the Captain of the Escort had found out what an excellent creature the old pony was, and had brought it along with hiardens within its battlements and several separate palaces Here, to Foster-father's unbounded delight, they found that Prince kuone out with a s Humayon's arrival had aroused loyalty But as stillwas the news that he had left orders for the Heir-to-Ee of Dearest-Lady! Foster-father could hardly believe his ears; for Dearest-Lady (as she was always called by all her farand nephews and nieces, and cousins, and every one as lucky enough to belong to her) was siood, and clever--all this andin the hearts of those who knew her, that, years after she was dead they would say, if there was any difficult point to be settled--”We wonder what Dearest-Lady would have said?”

She was old, of course, for she was Babar the Brave's elder sister; the sister to whom he had been devoted, who had always been to him also ”his Dearest-One” Nohen you coirls, that is a nice sort of fame to have--to remain for--let me see how many hundred years?--nearly four--Dearest-Lady, or Dearest-Gentleman to all the world

This Dearest-Lady was, of course, the Heir-to-Eh to calh she sniffed a little and said she had heard tell that the Khanzada Khanum was a trifle careless of ceremonials, was satisfied There was no doubt that she was the Highest-Born-in-the-Land

As for little Prince Akbar hirave eyes widely when the tall white figure clasped him closely in its arrandfather,” she murmured, ”so like! so like!--the very hands, the very feet--so strong, so shapely” And both in turn felt the touch of the soft old lips ”And thou, too, small maiden,” she continued kindly, ”welco that God made women weaker than irl And you also, Nurse! Bring cooling sherbets, slaves, while she tells me all that has happened”

Then she sat and listened while Head-nurse told the tale of what had happened, and her faded, gay, old face flashed and sparkled and grew grave by turns

”But where is Tu them hither, slaves! Lo! I love all anihed over their doings, and wept over Old Faithful's death, while Bija and Mirak sat cuddled up close beside her, listening also and enjoying the tale of their own adventures as if they had happened to other children!

”Surely,” she said softly when Head-nurse ended, ”my dearest brother--on whom be peace--must have protected theht else since they are sweet kindly na titles--this very afternoon ye shall coarden he loved, and where his earthly forrave for thanks Since he loved flowers as he loved everything”

So that evening, about an hour before sunset time, they were all carried in litters to the Garden of the New Year, about a mile beyond the city

It was a ht up on the hillside with a splendid view fro ran through it, and beneath the Judas trees, whose leafless branches were flushed with pink blosso flowers

”Pluck him yonder tulips, Mirak,” said Dearest-Lady with a smile ”He loved to count their kinds and those--as he wrote--are 'yellow, double, and scented like a rose'!”

And the boy as to grow to be a greater h he could scarcely be a more lovable one, plucked a posy of the tulips and laid the but the words, ”Heaven is the eternal home of the Emperor Babar” And when Bija, with ay of sweet violets, and Head-nurse and Foster-mother had offered up their respects, they all went and sat down on a grassy spot, and Dearest-Lady, as always full of youthful curiosities concerning all things, began to question Roy, who as a mere lad had been allowed to come with them, as to what he could remember of the time before he was picked up in the desert

”Hold my hand, child, and think,” she said at last, ”mayhap it may come to thee then The touch of kinshi+p has power, and if I do not mistake me, there is that in thy blood that is in ered hand and held it tight, and the boy's face changed, his eyes grew startled, he shi+vered slightly

”Yea!” he said, ”now I do remember Mother was like you, and she told h, for all the rebels arments, and there upon the clear olive of his breast, just above the heart, showed a small dark stain

Dearest-Lady bent close to look at it ”What is't?” she asked

”Mother said it was the sign of utter dreamily