Part 7 (2/2)

His squadron's at ari of its colonel than ever was lady of her lord; the more truly he coiht and word and deed Distractions such as polo, pig-sticking, tiger- shooting are tolerable insofar as they steady his nerve and train his hand and eye; to that extent they, too, subserve the regiainst a cavalry colonel should he be a bachelor

There remained no virtue, then, in the eyes of Outram's Own for Colonel Kirby to acquire; he had all that they could iined before he caentleman who couched a lance behind him but believed Colonel Kirby some sort of super-i that there was not even a lady on the sky-line who could look forward to encroaching on the regiment's preserves

His heart, his honor, and his rare ability were all the regiiment knew it; so he was studied as is the lot of few His servant knehich shoes he would wear on a Thursday , and would have them ready; the mess-cook spiced the curry so exactly to his taste that more than one cook-book claimed it to be a species apart and labeled it with his name If he frowned, the troopers knew sorinned; and when his face lacked all expression, though his eyes were more than usually quick, officer, non-coht in the saddle, so to speak, and gather up their reins

His nized that afternoon as he drove back froh twilight was closing down The walerand a blaze that could be seen froh the street mud at a speed which would have insured the arrest of the driver of a n of ordinary health

Nor was the way he took the corner by the barrack gate, on one wheel, any criterion; he always did it, just as he never failed to acknowledge the sentry's salute by raising his whip It needed the observant eyes of Outram's Own to detect the rather strained calmness and the almost inhumanly active eye

”Beware!” called the sentry, while he was yet three hundred yards away ”Be awake!”

”Be awake! Be awake! Beware!”

The warning went from lip to lip, troop to troop, from squadron stables on to squadron stables, until six hundred ht not have recognized the difference, but Kirby's soldier servant awakened frohtened his turban in a hurry, perfectly well aware that there was so in the wind

It was too early to dress for dinner yet; too late to dress for games of any kind The servant was nonplussed He stood in silence, awaiting orders that under ordinary circumstances, or at an ordinary hour, would have been unnecessary But for a while no orders came The only sound in those extremely unmarried quarters was the steady drip of water into a flat tin bath that the servant had put beneath a spot where the roof leaked; the rain had ceased but the ceiling cloth still drooped and drooled

Suddenly Kirby threw hi chair, and the servant made ready for swift action

”Present h sahib, and ask hih to see one Kirby relapsed again into the depth of the chair, staring at the wall in front of hi his eye travel from one to another of the accurately spaced-out pictures, pieces of furniture and trophies that proclai whatever in his quarters to decoy him from his love There were polo sticks in a corner where a woman would have placed a standard lamp, and where the flowers should have stood was a chest to hold horse-ue sood leather

The servant was back again, stiff at the salute, within five minutes

”Ne hai”

”Not there? Not where? Not in his quarters? Then go and find hiiment was keyed to watchfulness, it took about five h was not in barracks The servant returned to report that he had been seen driving toward the bazaar in a tikka-gharri

Then entered Warrington, the adjutant, and the servant was dis thoroughly cheerful

”What now?”

”One of Squadron D's ue in charge of the police 'NotherNo explanation, and the p'lice say there aren't any clues”

He twisted at a little black h is by any chance?” asked Kirby

”Givehell with all the police in Delhi Two-he's at the scene of thedetective work on his own I heard he'd driven away-and, anyhow, it's his squadron Man's probably his second cousin, twenty or thirty times removed”