Part 34 (2/2)
”See no thou art altogether controverted, _Lalji!_” she cried joyfully ”No longer canst thou persist that thou art other than thy true self, the lord of Naraini's heart, the king returned to his kingdoive the lie to the Eye? Indeed,” she continued with a low, sighing laugh, ”I un to doubt, my faith borne down and overcome by thy repeated denials; but now I know thee Did not the Bell foretell that the Eye should be seen of dom, and then only when he wore the Token? Even as it was said, so has it been And now art thou prepared to go?”
”Whither?”
”To Kathiawar--even to the threshold of the Gateway? There is yet ti; but for one night more is the Gateway open to receive thee Thou didst see the saddled stallions in the courtyard? They wait there for thee, to bear thee to Kathiawar Nay, it were better that thou shouldst wait,of the sun Go then to thy rest, heart of ht we shall ride, thou and I, together to the Gateway”
”So be it,” he assented, with a grave inclination of his head
Convinced of the thanklessness of any further atteave it up, and was grateful for the respite proht accomplish much--with the aid of Labertouche At worst he would find some means to communicate with the Farrells and then seek safety for hi until what he had co” should be closed and he be free to resu Some way, somehow, he could contrive to extricate himself and his beloved
Therefore he told the woo”
”And leave ?
A for it?”
He sht her to him ”The point's well taken,” he said ”Decidedly you're worth it, Naraini And if you were not, the shoas!”
And he kissed and left her, all in a breath
CHAPTER XVI
SUNRISE FOR TWO
I
Aarden without difficulty; at the doorway an eunuch waited The Maharana himself, perhaps in deference to the dictates of discretion, did not reappear, and Aet away, to find a place and tiet into communication with Labertouche
The eunuch bowed submissively to his deh the echoing alleries of the many-tiered palace They took a different way from that by which Amber had ascended; had his life depended on it, he could not have found his way back to the garden of Naraini, but by accident
As they passed through the lower court of stables he re led away to their stalls The circumstances confirmed Naraini's statement; the hour of their usefulness was ended for the day--or, rather, for the night
The Virginian wondered dully if ever he would find himself astride one of the superb animals After what he had witnessed and been a part of there was for hi horizon to the world of possibility For hier existed He had met the incredible face to face and found it real
In the cavern-like chamber at the water-level Dulla Dad had the boat in readiness Ah of relief, and the Mohammedan with his double-bladed paddle drove the boat out of the secret entrance, in an impassive silence In the stern A over the face of the waters and wondered
The boat swung in gently to the marble steps of the bund Amber rose and stepped ashore, very tired and very much inclined to believe he would presently wake up to a sane and normal world
”Hazoor,” the voice of Dulla Dad hailed him He turned ”Hazoor, I was to say that at the third hour after sunset to-night this boat will be in waiting here You are to call me by name, and I will put in for you, hazoor”
”What's that? I don't understand Oh, very well”