Part 25 (2/2)

(Hither, and play with er!)

CHAPTER XI

Men say Yasmini does not sleep Of course, that is absurd None the less, it is certain she ht, until after entry know, at home to all comers in her wonderful apartment

It is ever aon in Delhi, and in India, and in the greater outer world, although they theovernment could ever suck out of the silent hills They knohere she keeps her cobras-where the strong-box is, in which her jewels lie croho run her errands-and sooose is more inquisitive than a man born in the hills, and Yasmini has many maids But none-not even her favorite, most confidential maids-knohat is in the little rooht of stairs that have a steel door at the top

She keeps the key to that steel door, and it has, besides, a combination lock that only she understands

Once a very clever hillman, who had been south for an education and had learned skepticism in addition to the rule of three, undertook to discover wires leading over roof-tops to that room; but he searched for a week and did not find the at hiht with a knife-wound between his shoulder-blades, and, later still, Yas about him None searched for wires after that, and the consensus of opinion still is that she ht that rooh was safely locked in with his trooper, although herier of her two reception- rooms for official inforarded as pure fiction always, unless confirh's release of his trooper froeneral officer had thrown aside other business and had drawn on a cloak of secrecy that not even his own secretary could penetrate

”Closed carriage!” he ordered; and, as though the fire brigade were doing double duty, a carriage caallop outside his door

”Pathan turban!” he ordered; and his servant brought him one

”Sheepskin cloak!”

In a moment the upper half of him would have passed in the dark for that of a rather portly Northern trader He decided that a rug would do the rest, and snatched one as he ran for the carriage with the turban under his arave no order to the driver other than ”Cheloh!” and that means ”Go ahead”; so the driver, as a Sikh, went ahead as the guns go into action, asway and aswing, regardless of everything but speed

”Yaseneral, at the end of a hundred yards; and the Sikh took a square, right-angle turn at full gallop with a neatness the Horse Artillery could not have bettered There seemed to be no need of further instructions, for the Sikh pulled up unbidden at the private door that is to all appearance only aaround hissmall boy described afterward as ”a fat hill-rajah on his way to be fleeced” The carriage drove on, for coachmen ait outside Yasmini's door are likely to be butts for questions The door opened without any audible signal, and thearound his middle disappeared

He had ceased to bear any reseeneral in mess-dress by the time he reached the dark stairhead; and Yas there alone to meet him She held, a candle-lantern

”Whom have you?” he demanded

They seemed to understand each other-these two He paid her no compliments, and she expected none; she made no atte Yashtly

”I set a trap and a buffalo blundered into it! He will do better than any other!”

”Whoeneral whistled softly

”Of the Sikh Light Cavalry?” he asked

”One of Kirby sahib's officers, and a trooper into the bargain!”

The general whistled again