Part 11 (2/2)

Food was laid on a small table by a silent servant who had eyes in the back of his head and ears that would have caught and analyzed the lightest whisper; but the colonel and his adjutant ate hurriedly in silence, and the only thing reiment afteras that both drank only water Since all Sikhs are supposed to be abstainers fro drink, that was accepted as a favorable omen

The shay arrived on tii, taken over froh outer darkness at the box seat, but the driver did not look toward him; all he could see was that there was only one ton

”The club”

Warrington ju at the traces as if they had a gun behind them Three hundred yards beyond the barrack wall Colonel Kirby knelt on the front seat and poked the driver fronized a native risaldar of D Squadron Until the novelty wears off it would disconcert any man to discover suddenly that his coachman is a troop commander

”D'you know a person named Yasmini?” he asked

”Who does not, sahib?”

”Drive us to her house-in a hurry!”

The ie as the whip descended on both horses and the heavy carriage began to sway like a boat in a bea streah and closed like water again behind theton hu as there were only action

”I've heard India spoken of as dead,” he reainst the darkness!”

”If Ranjoor Singh is dead, I' to know it!” said Colonel Kirby ”And if he isn't dead, I' hiton I happen to know that Ranjoor Singh has been suspected in a certain quarter Incidentally, I staked my own reputation on his honesty this afternoon And besides, we can't afford to lose a wing coot to find him!”

Once or twice as they flashed by a street-lanized as British officers, and then natives, ould have gone to some trouble to seem insolent a few hours before, stopped to half-turn and salaam to thee?” ton

”India doesn't often wear her heart on her sleeve,” said Kirby

”It's there to-night!” said Warrington ”India's awake, if this is Delhi and not a nightmare! India's makin' love to the British soldier- h a city that is polychroht a dreaht were blended in one uproar, and the Chandni Choas at floodtide, wave on wave of excited hu into it froain

So the risaldar drove across the Chandni Chowk, fighting his ith the aid of whip and voice, and roups of people argued at the corners, and sometimes a would-be holy man preached that the end of the world had come

They reached Yasmini's fro out of the carriage the instant that the risaldar drew rein

”Wait within call!” commanded Kirby, and the risaldar raised his whip

Then, with his adjutant at his heels, Colonel Kirby dived through the gloo in a wall that Yasmini devised to look as little like an approach to her-or heaven-as possible

”Wonder if he's brought us to the right place?” he whispered, sniffing into the moldy darkness

”Dunno, sir There're stairs to your left”

They caught the sound of faint flute music on an upper floor, and as Kirby felt cautiously for his footing on the lower step Warrington began to whistle softly to himself Next to war, an adventure of this kind was the nearest he could iine to sheer bliss, and it was all he could do to contrive to keep fro

The heavy teak stairs creaked under their joint weight, and though their eyes could not penetrate the upper blackness, yet they both suspected rather than sensed so for them at the top,