Part 18 (1/2)

There was no point at which Yasmini and himself could uise were notorious--so notorious thatplaces and the khans

And as if that were not bad enough there was a rumor lately that she had turned Abhisharika The word is Sanskrit and poetic To the ordinary folk, who like to listen to love-stories by ht on the roofs or under trees, that o to hiadhura, naturally, such a word bore other s As we have said, he was a stickler for propriety

Last, and most uncoed with Salish ladies call on her at intervals

Not a prophet on earth could guess where that ht lead to, and to what extreh one does not see the high-caste wo and know all that is going on But it needed no prophet to explain that a wolish officers could not be uments pointed one way He must have it out with Yas to surrender, well and good

He would make her pay for the past, but no doubt there were certain concessions that he could yield without loss of dignity If she knew the secret of the hiding-place of the treasure he would worm it out of her

There are ways, he reflected, of wor secrets from a woman--ways and means If she knew the secret and refused to tell, then he kne to provide that she should never tell any one else If she had told some one else already,--Samson, for instance, or Jinendra's priest-- then he would see to it that priest or coht be, must carry on without the cleverest member of the firm

But he must hurry Poison apparently would not work and he did not dare ht,to think how one not very violent bloith a club or a knife would put an end to her wilfulness forever, and yet that the risk to himself in that case would be almost as deadly as the certainty for her

But accidents ers, snakes, wild boars and desperate e for circumstance, and the sooner the accident the less the risk of interference by soned by Samson

An ”accident” in Yasmini's palace, he decided would be nearly as risky as murder But he had a country-place fifty miles away in the mountains, to which she could be forcibly relishwomen off the scent for a while at any rate That secluded little hunting box stood by a purple lake that had already drowned its dozens, not alithout setting up suspicion; and between the city of Sialpore and the ”Nesting-place of Seven Swans” lay leagues of wild road on which anything at all ht happen and be afterward explained away

As for the forcible abduction, that could best be got around by obliging her to write a letter to hie of air and scenery There ays andwomen to write letters

Best of all, of course, would be Yasmini's unconditional surrender, because then he would be able toto explain away her ”accident” and cope alone with any one whoht already have entrusted with her secret There should be a strenuous effort first to bring her to her senses Physical pain, he had noticed, had u instance recently

One of his dancing girls na and dance her best before a ned toa toe-nail behind the scenes had changed her mind within three minutes

Then there were other little hu an intended convert to your views in such ingenious fashi+on that the lightest touch of a finger on taut catgut stretched froarette end, of course, applied in such circureat power to persuade

As to accoainst Yasmini he kneould have no chance whatever, for she was physically stronger than a panther, and as swift and graceful But there are creatures, not nearly yet extinct froest quality is seldom said to be mercy, and whose chief business in life is to be auard with their lives their master's secrets Three were really too many to be let into such a secret; but it had needed two to hold Malati properly while the third experier than Malati; so heprobleuards were his own nore the first law of purdah that forbids the crossing of a woman's threshold, especially after dark, unless she is your property

Besides, they all knew already what sort of prowl-by-night their master was, and laws, especially such laere, made for other people, not for maharajahs

Chapter Seven

A bloody enlistedin the officer's plan--race to a nation And proper societee

Yet I've a notion the sky--pure blue Ain't h

I'm a man I can think

In the chain of eternal Affairs I'er than adhura!”

It took longer to get the hamper ready than Tess expected, partly because it did not seem expedient to have the butler Chamu in the secret By the ti-cart there was already a nearly fulltown a slow breeze had moved the river-mist, until a curtain shut off the whole of the bazaar and merchants' quarters from the better residential section where the palaces stood It was an ideal night for adventure; an alht for crime; one could step fro vapor

Here and there a solitary policehed after they had passed, or slunk into a shadow lest they recognize and report hi at his post All sahibs have unreasonable habits, and not even a constable can guess which one will notyapped at the wheels, and liossip--especially about sahibs who are out after dark--is a coinage of its own that buys welco in particular happened until the horse struck sparks froate, and a sleepy Rajput sentry brought his rifle to the challenge

Then it was not exactly obvious what to do next Tess felt perfectly confident on the high seat, with the pistol in her husband's pocket pressing against her and his reassuring bulk between her and the sentry; but everywhere else was insecurity and doubt One does not as a rule descend fro-carts after dark and present half-sheets of paper by way of passports for admission to Rajput palaces The sentry looked hly warned and threatened in case of efforts to escape froht want to enter However, since the dog-cart continued to stand still in front of the gate, he turned the guard out as a matter of routine; one never knehen sahibs will not couard lined up at attention--eight ular nuadhura's orders The risaldar stepped up close to the dog-cart and spoke to the , as was natural, the Rajput tongue But dick Blaine only knew enough of the language for fetch and carry purposes--not enough to deceive a native as to his nationality after the first tords