Part 50 (1/2)

Half-way down the thronging stream of men on foot caentlea and Urettable to chronicle, were very drunk indeed and laughed exceedingly atjests with the crowd that would have made Tess's hair stand on end, if she could have heard and understood the the street, people threers at Bia and U beggars as if they were noblearland out of the buds to wear on his turban, which made him look more bacchanalian than ever

In and out and around and through the ancient city the procession filed, passing now and then through streets so narrow that people could have struck Utirupa through the upper story s; but all they threw at hi of elephants, and great prince, and dozens of other naeantry and humor He acted the part for theht in the howdah like a prince in a fairy story, with jeweled aigrette in his turban andon his silken clothes than a courtesan would wear at Monte Carlo

And all the other princes were likewise in degree, only that they rode rather s no peer when he was sober and behaved himself

And when Yasmini passed, and Tess and all the other princesses, there was such excitement as surely had never been before; for if you looked carefully, with a hand held to keep the sun from your eyes, you could actually see the outlines of their faces through the veils! And such loveliness! Such splendor! Such pride! Such jewels! Above all, such fathoeantry is expensive, but--believe Sialpore--it is worth the price!

And then in front of the durbar hall in the dinning, throbbing heat, all the ani vortex, while the notables went into the hall to be jealous of one another's better places and left the crowd outside to sort itself And everything wassigns of ill-tereat trunk once or twice to tru hi hi with the next But Akbar wanted alcohol, not proht get as drunk as he wished in a stone-walled coht at Akbar's true at the durbar door only in the nick to tinant elephant se; but nobody was hurt beyond a bruise or two, although they passed word down the thunderous line that a hundred and six and thirty had been crushed to death and one child injured, which , and the sensation was just as actual as if the deaths had really happened

And inside the durbar hall there was surely never such a splendid scene in history--such a sea of turbans--such glittering of jewels--such a peacocking and swaggering and proud bearing of ancient names! Utirtipa sat on the throne in front of a peacock-feather decoration; and-marvel of marvels!--Yasenuine unveiled and very beautiful princess beside her, whoht be Tess She wore almost as many jewels as the queen herself, and looked al

But the Princess Yaslory of that occasion!

Her spun-gold hair was marveled at, but her eyes--surely they were lent by a God for the event! They were bluer than the water of Himalayan lakes; bluer than turquoise, sapphire, the sky, or any other blue thing you can think of--laughing blue,--loving, understanding, likable, a blue--tels that outshone all the other jewels in the durbar hall that day

And as each prince filed past Utirupa in proper order of precedence, to make a polite set speech, and bow, and be bowed to in return, he had to pass Yash he ed it So, when Samson's turn caentlehed into his angry ones as she bowed to hiood humor and elation that he could not help but s, could Saive her that no less than nineteen British officers of various ranks, as well as one-hundred-and-three-and-twenty native noblemen had seen him with their own eyes tonized her officially! Well; he supposed he could eat his aftermath as well as any h chin, to unboso over a whisky and soda at the club, as Ferdinand de Sousa Braganza reported in soht, when the fireworks were all over and the lights were beginning to be extinguished on the roofs and s, it was a question which was ars, or To could be heard all over the city, as he raced around his dark co else that he iined or could see What Tom Tripe saw kept him to his quarters, where Trotters watched hia and Umra, saw three amber moons in a purple sky, for they said so They also said that all the world was lovely, and Yasmini was a queen of queens, out of whose jeweled hand the very Gods ate

And when people scolded theeously funny and iain

Drunk or sober (and more than ninety-nine per cent of Sialpore was absolutely sober then as always) every one had so to amuse and entertain, except Saround in which he h commissioner; and poor Tom Tripe, who had worked harder than anybody, and was now enjoying the afterreat good temper, sure that princes and elephants and ceremony were the cream of life, and that whoever did not think so did not deserve to have any pageantry and po early, dick Blaine drove down to look for Tom Tripe, found him--bound him in a blanket--shoved hi-cart, and drove him, followed by Trotters in doubt whether to show approval or fight, to his own house on the hill, where Tess and he nursed the old soldier back to soberness and old rea and U in the dust in ancient rags and whining, ”Bhig i, saheebi!”

”Alms! heavenborn, alms!”

Chapter Twenty-Four

”You are a fool,” said the crow ”Am I?” the hen answered ”Certainly you are a fool You sit in a dark corner hatching eggs, when there are live chickens for the asking over yonder” So the hen left her nest in search of ready-made chickens, and the crow, uarded it

It began to be runize Blaine's contract with his predecessor Sauarded hints, and the fact that the mouth of the mine remained blocked with concrete masonry were o, although dick put in no appearance at the club

Then Patali, as sedulously cultivating Yasns on Utirupa that were not misunderstood, told Norwood's wife's ayah's sister's husband that the American had secured another contract; and the news, of course, reached Samson's ears at once

So Samson called on Utirupa and requested explanations He was told that thecontract had not received a moment's consideration and, with equal truth, that the A an expert in such matters and on the spot, had been asked to undertake examination of the fort's foundations The new maharanee, it seemed, had a fancy to build a palace where the fort stood, and the ation and estimate in advance

Samson could not object to that Those foundations had not been exaood palace had been wrested away by diploical reason why the maharajah should not build another one to replace it The fort had noto try to pay for your new palace out of taxes?”

Sa of that kind would be necessary