A Bottle in the Smoke: A Tale of Anglo-Indian Life

by Janet Milne Rae

  CHAPTER XXIX.

  On the morning of the third day after her visit to Mr. Morpeth, asHester sat with Mrs. Fellowes at early tea in the verandah atRoyapooram, a chit was handed to her and the butler announced that hercarriage was waiting. The note was from her husband telling her of hisarrival at Clive's Road.

  "Do, my darling Hester, hurry to me at once," it ran. "I am pining tohold you in my arms. I have only just arrived, but this horrid southwind is making a wreck of me already. I feel so nervous I can hardlyhold a pen."

  Having shared her news with her hostess, Hester rose to make hastypreparations for her departure.

  "This is a blow to me," said Mrs. Fellowes. "I hoped at least to keepyou a week longer with us. Your husband has evidently changed hisplans."

  "He has seemingly. But why should this wind be troubling him? I was justthinking how refreshing it was."

  "Ah, but your husband is right there. This south wind is an enemy wedread, it is baleful in its effects, I assure you. When it first blowson one it does seem refreshing, but the very next moment one begins tofeel its bad influence. It is like a gust of hot damp air blown overmarshes, penetrating to one's joints and marrows."

  "Alfred evidently resents it," returned Hester. "I fear it will blowaway all the good effects of his change. I wonder what can have made himhurry back so soon," she added, with a sigh she repressed at once andturned to her friend, saying, "How can I thank you for all that hasmade this time so pleasant to me? I shall never forget these days."

  The tears sprang to her eyes as she clasped her friend's hand. "I feelas if I were leaving Paradise for the thorns and thistles of thewilderness," she murmured; and in this remark she laid bare more of herheart than she had ever done, even to her trusted friend, who now lookedat her with keen concern.

  "But I mustn't put it like that," she added. "Poor Alfred needs me. Imust go back strong and cheerful!"

  Presently Mrs. Fellowes stood in the verandah with a sorrowful facewatching her departing guest.

  "You don't mean to say the fellow has come back already like a badshilling and requisitioned that wife of his a whole week earlier than wereckoned on!" exclaimed the colonel with vexation, when he returned fromhis morning's work and heard of Hester's sudden summons to Clive's Road."That is a blow! Why, she should have sent back the landau empty andtold him he still owed her a week's release from his presence!"

  "Though you say that, Joe, you know it would not be like the faithfulwife she is to take things into her own hands like that," returned hiswife. "But somehow my heart misgives me about her. I feel as if she weregoing down into a valley of suffering. But she never complains, and wemust not probe her secret sorrow."

  Meanwhile the pair of swift Walers had borne their mistress to herdestination.

  "How ill you look, Alfred!" she exclaimed, when her husband met her onthe verandah steps. "What is the matter? Had you a bad passage? Surelythe south wind can't affect you so much when you've only just arrived!"

  "That's all you know, Hester! It's made a perfect wreck of me already.The fact is I feel more miserable than ever I did in my life," saidRayner with a groan, and threw himself on to a lounging chair,welcoming the baleful wind as the excuse of his haggard looks, of whichhe was fully conscious.

  The revelation made to him at the Shrine of Kali seemed still to scorchhis nature like a flame, and his return to familiar scenes appeared onlyto intensify his misery. He scanned his wife's face anxiously to seewhether by any unlucky chance she might already be in possession of thehateful secret; but he perceived nothing except sweet kindness in herdemeanour, and at once began to think how foolish he had been to let thematter gnaw his heart as he had been doing. The whole story was probablytrumped up by Truelove Brothers, he tried to persuade himself with ajuggler-like effort at self-deception. More than likely the Eurasianclerk was the firm's tool in a conspiracy. Alternating hopes and fearsstill haunted him, however, as he listened to his wife's soothing talk.At length, feeling so comforted by it, he decided to absent himself fromthe High Court and spend the whole day in her society. Then he changedhis mind, and, to Hester's surprise, his mail-phaeton instead of hisoffice bandy was hastily ordered after breakfast. He drove off, sayinghe would return early and have a drive with his wife when the south windhad abated.

  Hester was already experiencing the languor that accompanied the gustywind she had at first welcomed as a friend. She tried to occupy herselfwith various household duties which claimed her attention after herabsence. With her ayah's help she set about arranging all herpossessions, taking her books and ornaments from their retreat, but wasdismayed to find that the wind was bringing in its train, not only damp,but also clouds of dust. She had recourse to closing the glass doors ofthe drawing-room, which had always stood open since her arrival in thetropical clime, before she felt safe to spread out her treasures. Shegave Mr. Morpeth's gift an honoured place among them, smiling as shelaid a packet of her mother's letters in the precious casket.

  When the time came for her husband's return she was surprised to see himdrive up in a hired bandy instead of the mail-phaeton.

  "What have you done with your phaeton?" she asked.

  "You may well ask, Hester, but wait till I've taken refuge from thehurricane behind the glass doors, which I see you've been sensibleenough to have closed, and I'll tell you," he said cheerfully; andlinking his arm in hers, he led her to one of the sofas in thedrawing-room.

  "Well, what do you think I've done with my fine phaeton? Been and goneand sold it, horses, harness and all! I was going to add the syce, forhe was also thrown in! I met a Mahomedan who was so enamoured of thewhole turn-out that I concluded the bargain there and then!"

  Hester, not being of an inquisitive turn of mind, did not ask the nameof the phaeton's purchaser, and her husband preferred to withhold it.The transaction was the result of an interview with Zynool Sahib. He hadappeared that morning at the High Court in an agitated state and beggedto see La'yer Rayner, who had invited him to accompany him to Waller'sStables, where he had left the phaeton for some small repair. They couldhave a freer talk driving, Mr. Rayner had decided, than in the precinctsof the High Court.

  "Things are going from the bad to the worst at Puranapore," said Zynool,shaking his head dolefully. "Nothing but insults from these pigs ofHindus, backed up by that great enemee of mine, Doctor Campbell. Whatt'sthe good to us of the Government order stopping tom-toms and conchs atcertain hours onlee. By Allah, our mosque is open day and night forprayer. These swinish sounds must not pass its door. We must stop them,La'yer Rayner," he wound up, with a significant glance at his companion.

  "Yes, Zynool, that bit by the river, so near the mosque too, would makea fine site for a garden-house for you, such as you want. You desire anorder to move the Hindu burning place from there, don't you?"

  "That is so," returned the Mahomedan brightening. "You're a clever one,La'yer Rayner!"

  "Wouldn't it be best to get up a little thunderstorm? It would clear theatmosphere if you could combine and give it hot to these troublesomeHindus. Pack the town beforehand with your people from outlyingvillages, and the fire won't need much fanning to burst into a flame.But take care you only mine underground. Complicity found might mean theAndaman Islands!"

  Zynool's fat body shivered.

  "By the holy Prophet there is need for a fight! They come when we are atour prayers, sounding and bellowing those horrible conchs fit to breakthe drums of our ears."

  "The Mohurram will soon be on," said Mr. Rayner. "There's a chance foryou! When you're passing in one of your processions along the streetsarrange to go for some howling crowd that may be annoying you, and thefat will be in the fire! May I be there to see, Zynool Sahib! You'llslay many a craven wretch with that brawny arm of yours."

  The Mahomedan laughed complacently as he spat on the floor of the bandy.

  "Believe you are right, La'yer Rayner. I will say a word to one or twoof the Faithful and try to get them up to the scratch, as you say."

  "A
regular dressing down is what they need. And it will give Worsley andthat puppy, his sub., a scare into the bargain," said Rayner with amalicious smile. He had been surprised that the rash granting of thesite for the mosque had not caused more acute trouble to the Collectorof Puranapore, and his malice now prompted him to wish that he should bereprimanded or made to suffer in some way. There were possible uglyaspects in the agreeing to that site which might be used to Mr.Worsley's disadvantage, he thought with a gratified smile, though he didnot share these conclusions with his companion. A breaking of the peacewould do excellently well as a first move in the game.

  On their arrival at Waller's, Zynool was so fascinated by the smartmail-phaeton that he at once proposed taking it over there and then aspart payment of Rayner's debt to him. As his financial embarrassmentswere pressing, Rayner decided to part with his once much-prizedpossession, though he made it the occasion to ask the usurer for anotherloan. To this the Mahomedan willingly agreed, though he demanded higherinterest. A cheque was transferred to Rayner's pocket which he wentforthwith to cash at the bank; while Zynool, with childish glee, madearrangements with Waller for the sending of his latest possession to hisstables at Puranapore.

  Hester seemed more disturbed by her husband's news regarding the sale ofhis mail-phaeton than he expected.

  "Surely it was too hurried a step to part with it like that," shefaltered, her home ideas being against such raw haste in an importantmatter.

  "How do you know I did it without premeditation? You women always jumpto such hasty conclusions! Let me tell you, Hester, it has been at leastfour days simmering in my mind," returned her husband; then he stoppedand bit his lip. To be sure, he thought, he must tell his wife sooner orlater some tale about his quarrel with Truelove Brothers. That they werecheating him out of his rights--that was how he would put it--but hewould not spoil the first day of his return by such communications. Itwould surely impress her favourably, for the time being, that he had inthis self-sacrificing manner begun by abandoning one of his chiefluxuries.

  Perceiving that she seemed to regret his self-denial, he set about tomake light of it, assuring her that with such a sweet wife he couldafford to dispense with bachelor delights. The load of misery which hadweighed him down so heavily these last days seemed already to be rollingaway as he sat by Hester's side in the drawing-room shut in from theraging wind, and listened to her beautifully modulated tones as she readaloud to him.

  Though he laughingly declared he was not an invalid, and did not requireto be coddled when she placed her softest cushions under his head, herquick eyes discerned that from whatever cause her husband's holiday hadbeen no gain to his health, but very much the reverse. His cheeks lookedhollow and his eyes lustreless, and his step had an uncertain treadwhich she had never observed before.

  Dinner was over, and they had again taken refuge in their shelteredretreat, for as the wind still raged the verandah was impossible. Mr.Rayner began to pace up and down the room as he listened to Hester'splaying, which he seemed to appreciate as he had seldom done. In hiswalk he was suddenly attracted by the ivory box which lay on his wife'swriting table.

  "Hallo, Hester, where came you by this treasure? What a beauty! This oneis real ivory and no mistake. My poor bone fellow must hide its head forever now. Why this is a genuine work of art! What splendid carving! DidMrs. Fellowes present this as a supreme proof of her admiration of mywife? Or did you dip deep into your own purse? I shouldn't have thoughtthese things were in the market nowadays. Where did you pick it up?"

  "Well, Alfred, I'll tell you," answered Hester slowly, as she wheeledround on the piano-stool to face her husband. "It ought to seem apeace-offering to you, for you once behaved so badly to the dear oldman. Mr. Morpeth actually gave it to me the other day when Mrs. Fellowesand I paid him a visit in his most interesting house."

  "You got it from _him_? You paid _him_ a visit? You actually dared toenter that man's house?" panted her husband, growing deadly pale, hiseyes flashing, and his lips quivering in uncontrolled passion. "Youshall not--you shall not keep it."

  As he spoke he lifted the box high above his head and dashed it on thefloor, where it lay dismembered. Then with a savage gesture he stampedon the fragments, crushing them to atoms with his foot.

  Hester sat staring at him as if spell-bound. She gazed alternately ather husband's face and at the ruins of her priceless box. Ignorant asshe was as to the source of his wild emotion, she realised that therewas something quite exceptional in his attitude. It seemed nothing lessthan frenzy. She rose, appalled and trembling from head to foot, hercourage for once deserting her. She made a movement to cross the roomand escape by the glass door to seek refuge under the dark blue heavens.Then she sank down on her seat again and, covering her face with hertrembling hands, bursted into a torrent of tears.

  At length she raised her eyes to her husband, who still stood withfolded arms and ghastly pale, looking silently down on her. She rosefrom the music stool and quietly picked up, one by one, the brokenfragments of the ivory box which had been so precious to her. Gatheringthem in the folds of her muslin gown as a child might guard itstreasure, she hurried away and went up-stairs, leaving her husbandstanding motionless and silent.

  When she reached her room she sank down under the light of the lamp asif she meant to examine the broken fragments. Instead of doing so shesat holding them covered up in her lap, for there was a greater tragedygripping her heart than the ruin of the box. Her thoughts wereinvoluntarily following the same train as Mr. Worsley's when in his pityfor the young wife he had remarked to her friend, "What a vista ofmisery lies before her!"

  Yes, it was some glimmering of this vista which Hester was seeing nowmore clearly than she had ever done before. Was it to be in a successionof such scenes that she was to pass all her earthly years till deathreleased her? They might be many, for she was young and strong of body.What would it matter now if to-morrow her husband were to greet hergaily and seemingly forgetful of the wounds which he had inflicted onher heart, or even if he expressed himself penitent and desirous toatone for his fit of demoniac fury? Could he efface by a light word, amanufactured smile--as he flattered himself he was able to do--therecollection of his blighting words and deeds?

  Love for him was dead, but Pity was now knocking gently at the door ofher tender heart. A true compassion for that disordered soul camecreeping in. Surely this desperate pass made a stronger claim for her toput forth every effort to help her husband. She might perhaps, when hewas calmer, be able to show him the misery which he was inflicting onboth their lives by these ungoverned outbursts. She must be more braveand firm for the right than she had been in the past. Other disorderedlives had been won over by patience; and was not the great patient Loveof One the source of all hope and trust? To that never-failing Love shecarried her burden now and found there the promised peace.

  Unfolding her muslin dress, she drew forth the pitiful fragments of theshattered thing of beauty, and opening her _almirah_, brought out an oldbox which had been one of the treasures of her childish days. Into itshe reverently laid the relics, wrapping them in a fold of paper onwhich she wrote the words: "The True," and the date of the tragedy. Shestowed the box safely away, fearing lest even her ayah should discoverit and marvel at the fate of the much-prized treasure.