by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER X.
As Bathurst brought his story to its conclusion the Doctor rose andplaced his hand kindly on his shoulder.
"I certainly should not think of blaming you, Bathurst. What you tellme is indeed a terrible misfortune, situated as we may be soon, thoughI trust and believe that all this talk about the Sepoys is moonshine.I own that I am surprised at your story, for I should have said frommy knowledge of you that though, as I could perceive, of a nervoustemperament, you were likely to be cool and collected in danger. Butcertainly your failing is no fault of your own."
"That is but a small consolation to me, Doctor. Men do not ask whyand wherefore--they simply point the finger of scorn at a coward. Themisfortune is that I am here. I might have lived a hundred lives inEngland and never once had occasion to face danger, and I thought that Ishould have been equally secure as an Indian civilian. Now this troubleis coming upon us."
"Why don't you take your leave, lad? You have been out seven years nowwithout a day's relaxation, except indeed, the three days you were overwith me at Cawnpore. Why not apply for a year's leave? You have a goodexcuse, too; you did not go home at the death of your father, two yearsago, and could very well plead urgent family affairs requiring yourpresence in England."
"No, I will not do that, Doctor; I will not run away from danger again.You understand me, I have not the least fear of the danger; I in no wayhold to my life; I do not think I am afraid of physical pain. It seemsto me that I could undertake any desperate service; I dread itsimply because I know that when the din of battle begins my body willovermaster my mind, and that I shall be as I was at Chillianwalla,completely paralyzed. You wondered tonight why that juggler should haveexhibited feats seldom, almost never, shown to Europeans? He did itto please me. I saved his daughter's life--this is between ourselves,Doctor, and is not to go farther. But, riding in from Narkeet, I heard acry, and, hurrying on, came upon that man eater you shot the otherday, standing over the girl, with her father half beside himself,gesticulating in front of him. I jumped off and attacked the brutewith my heavy hunting whip, and he was so completely astonished that heturned tail and bolted."
"The deuce he did," the Doctor exclaimed; "and yet you talk of being acoward!"
"No, I do not say that I am a coward generally; as long as I have toconfront danger without noise I believe I could do as well as most men."
"But why didn't you mention this business with the tiger, Bathurst?"
"Because, in the first place, it was the work of a mere passing impulse;and in the second, because I should have gained credit for being what Iam not--a brave man. It will be bad enough when the truth becomesknown, but it would be all the worse if I had been trading on a falsereputation; therefore I particularly charged Rujub to say nothing aboutthe affair to anyone."
"Well, putting this for a time aside, Bathurst, what do you think ofthat curious scene, you and I and Miss Hannay disguised as natives?"
"Taking it with the one I saw of the attack of Sepoys upon a house, itlooks to me, Doctor, as if there would be a mutiny, and that that mutinywould be attended with partial success, that a portion of the garrison,at any rate, will escape, and that Miss Hannay will be traveling downthe country, perhaps to Cawnpore, in your charge, while I in some wayshall be with you, perhaps acting as guide."
"It may possibly be so," the Doctor agreed. "It is at any rate verycurious. I wonder whether Miss Hannay recognized herself in thedisguise."
"I should hope not, Doctor; if it all comes true there will be enoughfor her to bear without looking forward to that. I should be glad if thedetachment were ordered back to Cawnpore."
"Well, I should not have thought that, Bathurst."
"I know what you mean, Doctor, but it is for that reason I wish theywere gone. I believe now that you insisted on my coming down to spendthose three days with you at Cawnpore specially that I might meet her."
"That is so, Bathurst. I like her so much that I should be very sorryto see her throw herself away upon some empty headed fool. I like hergreatly, and I was convinced that you were just the man to make herhappy, and as I knew that you had good prospects in England, I thoughtit would be a capital match for her, although you are but a youngcivilian; and I own that of late I have thought things were going onvery well."
"Perhaps it might have been so, Doctor, had it not been for this comingtrouble, which, if our fears are realized, will entirely put an end evento the possibility of what you are talking about. I shall be shown tobe a coward, and I shall do my best to put myself in the way of beingkilled. I should not like to blow my brains out, but if the worst comesto the worst I will do that rather than go on living after I have againdisgraced myself."
"You look at it too seriously, Bathurst."
"Not a bit of it, Doctor, and you know it."
"But if the Sepoys rise, Bathurst, why should they harm their officers?They may be discontented, they may have a grievance against theGovernment, they may refuse to obey orders and may disband; but why onearth should they attack men who have always been kind to them, whomthey have followed in battle, and against whom they have not as much asa shadow of complaint?"
"I hope it may be so most sincerely," Bathurst said; "but one nevercan say. I can hardly bring myself to believe that they will attackthe officers, much less injure women and children. Still, I have a mostuneasy foreboding of evil."
"You have heard nothing from the natives as to any coming trouble?"
"Nothing at all, Doctor, and I am convinced that nothing is known amongthem, or at any rate by the great bulk of them. Only one person has eversaid a word to me that could indicate a knowledge of coming trouble, andthat was this juggler we saw tonight. I thought nothing of his words atthe time. That picture he showed me of the attack by Sepoys first gaveme an idea that his words might mean something. Since then we have heardmuch more of this discontent, and I am convinced now that the words hada meaning. They were simple enough. It was merely his assurance, two orthree times repeated, that he would be ready to repay the service I hadrendered him with his life. It might have been a mere phrase, and so Ithought at the time. But I think now he had before him the possibilityof some event occurring in which he might be able to repay the service Ihad rendered him."
"There may have been something in it and there may not," the Doctorsaid; "but, at any rate, Bathurst, he ought to be a potent ally. Theredoesn't seem any limit to his powers, and he might, for aught one knows,be able to convey you away as he did his daughter."
The Doctor spoke lightly, and then added, "But seriously, the man mightbe of service. These jugglers go among people of all classes. They arelike the troubadours of the Middle Ages, welcomed everywhere; and theyno doubt have every opportunity of learning what is going on, and it maybe that he will be able to give you timely warning should there be anytrouble at hand."
"That is possible enough," Bathurst agreed. "Well, Doctor, I shall be onhorseback at six, so it is time for me to turn in," and taking his hat,walked across to his own bungalow.
The Doctor sat for some time smoking before he turned into bed. He hadas he had said, heard rumors, when Bathurst first came out, that he hadshown the white feather, but he had paid little attention to it at thetime. They had been together at the first station to which Bathurst wasappointed when he came out, and he had come to like him greatly; buthis evident disinclination to join in any society, his absorption in hiswork, and a certain air of gravity unnatural in a young man of twenty,had puzzled him. He had at the time come to the conclusion that hemust have had some unfortunate love affair, or have got into some veryserious trouble at home. In time that impression had worn off. A youngman speedily recovers from such a blow, however heavy, but no change hadtaken place in Bathurst, and the Doctor had in time become so accustomedto his manner that he had ceased to wonder over it. Now it was allexplained. He sat thinking over it deeply for an hour, and then laiddown his pipe.
"It is a terrible pity he came out here," he said. "Of course it is nothis fault in the
slightest degree. One might as well blame a man forbeing born a hunchback; but if there should be a row out here it will beterrible for him. I can quite understand his feeling about it. If I wereplaced as he is, and were called upon to fight, I should take a doseof prussic acid at once. Men talk: about their civilization, but weare little better than savages in our instincts. Courage is an almostuseless virtue in a civilized community, but if it is called for, wedespise a man in whom it is wanting, just as heartily as our tattooedancestors did. Of course, in him it is a purely constitutional failing,and I have no doubt he would be as brave as a lion in any othercircumstances--in fact, the incident of his attacking the tiger withthat dog whip of his shows that he is so; and yet, if he should failwhen the lives of women are at stake it would be a kindness to give himthat dose of prussic acid, especially as Isobel Hannay will be here.That is the hardest part of it to him, I can see."
Three days later the force at Deennugghur was increased by the arrivalof a troop of native cavalry, under a Captain Forster, who had justreturned from leave in England.
"Do you know Captain Forster, Doctor?" Isobel Hannay asked, on theafternoon of his arrival. "Uncle tells me he is coming to dinner."
"Then you must look after your heart, my dear. He is one of the bestlooking fellows out here, a dashing soldier, and a devoted servant ofthe fair sex."
"You don't like him, Doctor," Isobel said quietly.
"I have not said so, my dear--far from it. I think I said a good dealfor him."
"Yes, but you don't like him, Doctor. Why is that?"
"I suppose because he is not my sort of man," the Doctor said. "I havenot seen him since his regiment and ours were at Delhi together, and wedid not see much of each other then. Our tastes did not lie in the samedirection."
"Well, I know what your tastes are, Doctor; what are his?"
"I will leave you to find out, my dear. He is all I told you--a veryhandsome man, with, as is perhaps natural, a very good opinion ofhimself, and he distinguished himself more than once in the Punjaubby acts of personal gallantry. I have no doubt he thinks it an awfulnuisance coming to a quiet little station like this, and he willprobably try to while away his time by making himself very agreeable toyou. But I don't think you need quite believe all that he says."
"I have long ago got over the weakness of believing people's flattery,Doctor. However, now you have forewarned me I am forearmed."
The Doctor hesitated, and then said gravely, "It is not my habit tospeak ill of people, my dear. You do me the justice to believe that?"
"I am sure it is not, Doctor."
"Well, child, in a station like this you must see a good deal of thisman. He is a man who has won many hearts, and thrown them away. Don'tlet him win yours. He is not a good man; he has been mixed up in severalgrave scandals; he has been the ruin of more than one young man at cardsand billiards; he is in all respects a dangerous man. Anatomically Isuppose he has a heart, morally he has not a vestige of one. Whateveryou do, child, don't let him make you like him."
"I don't think there is much fear of that, Doctor, after what you havesaid," she replied, with a quiet smile; "and I am obliged to you indeedfor warning me."
"I know I am an old fool for meddling, but you know, my dear, I feela sort of personal relationship to you, after your having been in mycharge for six months. I don't know a single man in all India whom Iwould not rather see you fall in love with than with Captain Forster."
"I thought uncle did not seem particularly pleased: when he came in totiffin, and said there was a new arrival."
"I should think not," the Doctor said; "the man in notoriously adangerous fellow; and yet, as he has never actually outstepped what areconsidered the bounds which constitute an officer and a gentleman, hehas retained his commission, but it has been a pretty close shave onceor twice. Your uncle must know all about him, everyone does; but I don'tsuppose the Major will open his mouth to you on the subject--he is oneof those chivalrous sort of men who never thinks evil of anyone unlesshe is absolutely obliged to; but in a case like this I think he iswrong. At any rate, I have done what I consider to be my duty in thematter. Now I leave it in your hands. I am glad to see that you arelooking quite yourself again, and have got over your fainting fit ofthe other night. I quite expected to be sent for professionally the nextmorning."
"Oh, yes, I have quite got over it, Doctor; I can't make out how I wasso silly as to faint. I never did such a thing before, but it was sostrange and mysterious that I felt quite bewildered, and the picturequite frightened me, but I don't know why. This is the first chance Ihave had since of speaking to you alone. What do you think of it, andwhy should you be dressed up as a native? and why should?" She stoppedwith a heightened color on her cheeks.
"You and Bathurst be dressed up, too? So you noticed your own likeness;nobody else but Bathurst and myself recognized the two figures that cameout of the wood."
"Oh, you saw it too, Doctor. I thought I might have been mistaken, for,besides being stained, the face was all obscured somehow. Neither uncle,nor Mrs. Hunter, nor the girls, nor anyone else I have spoken to seem tohave had an idea it was me, though they all recognized you.. What couldit mean?"
"I. have not the slightest idea in the world," the Doctor said; "verylikely it meant nothing. I certainly should not think any more about it.These jugglers' tricks are curious and unaccountable; but it is no useour worrying ourselves about them. Maybe we are all going to get upprivate theatricals some day, and perform an Indian drama. I have nevertaken any part in tomfooleries of that sort so far, but there is nosaying what I may come to."
"Are you going to dine here, Doctor?"
"No, my dear; the Major asked me to come in, but I declined. I told himfrankly that I did not like Forster, and that the less I saw of him thebetter I should be pleased."
The other guests turned out to be Captain and Mrs. Doolan and Mr.Congreave, one of the civilians at the station. The Doolans arrivedfirst.
"You have not seen Captain Forster yet, Isobel," Mrs. Doolan said, asthey sat down for a chat together. "I met him at Delhi soon after I cameout. He is quite my beau ideal of a soldier in appearance, but I don'tthink he is nice, Isobel. I have heard all sorts of stories about him."
"Is that meant as a warning for me, Mrs. Doolan?" Isobel asked, smiling.
"Well, yes, I think it is, if you don't mind my giving you one. Thereare some men one can flirt with as much as one likes, and there are somemen one can't; he is one of that sort. Privately, my dear, I don't mindtelling you that at one time I did flirt with him--I had been accustomedto flirt in Ireland; we all flirt there, and mean nothing by it; but Ihad to give it up very suddenly. It wouldn't do, my dear, at all; hisideas of flirtation differed utterly from mine. I found I was playingwith fire, and was fortunate in getting off without singeing my wings,which is more than a good many others would have done."
"He must be a horrid sort of man," Isobel said indignantly.
Mrs. Doolan laughed. "I don't think you will find him so; certainlythat is not the general opinion of women. However, you will see him foryourself in a very few minutes."
Isobel looked up with some curiosity when Captain Forster was announced,and at once admitted to herself that the Doctor's report as to hispersonal appearance was fully justified. He stood over six feet high,with a powerful frame, and an easy careless bearing; his hair was cutrather close, he wore a long tawny mustache, his eyes were dark, histeeth very white and perfect. A momentary look of surprise came acrosshis face as his eyes fell on Isobel.
"I had hardly expected," he said, as the Major introduced him to her,"to find no less than three unmarried ladies at Deennugghur. I had thepleasure of being introduced to the Miss Hunters this afternoon. How doyou do, Mrs. Doolan? I think it is four years since I had the pleasureof knowing you in Delhi."
"I believe that is the number, Captain Forster."
"It seems a very long time to me," he said.
"I thought you would say that," she laughed. "It was quite the p
roperthing to say, Captain Forster; but I have no doubt it does seem longerto you than it does to me as you have been home since."
"We are all here," the Major broke in. "Captain Forster, will you takemy niece in?"
"I suppose you find this very dull after Cawnpore, Miss Hannay?" CaptainForster asked.
"Indeed I do not," Isobel said. "I like it better here; everything issociable and pleasant, while at Cawnpore there was much more formality.Of course, there were lots of dinner parties, but I don't care for largedinner parties at all; it is so hot, and they last such a time. I thinksix is quite large enough. Then there is a general talk, and everyonecan join in just as much as they like, while at a large dinner youhave to rely entirely upon one person, and I think it is very hard workhaving to talk for an hour and a half to a stranger of whom you knownothing. Don't you agree with me?"
"Entirely, Miss Hannay; I am a pretty good hand at talking, but at timesI have found it very hard work, I can assure you, especially whenyou take down a stranger to the station, so that you have no mutualacquaintance to pull to pieces."
The dinner was bright and pleasant, and when the evening was over Isobelsaid to her uncle, "I think Captain Forster is very amusing, uncle."
"Yes," the Major agreed, "he is a good talker, a regular society man; heis no great favorite of mine; I think he will be a little too much forus in a small station like this."
"How do you mean too much, uncle?"
The Major hesitated.
"Well, he won't have much to do with his troop of horse, and time willhang heavy on his hands."
"Well, there is shooting, uncle."
"Yes, there is shooting, but I don't think that is much in his line.Tiffins and calls, and society generally occupy most of his time, Ifancy, and I think he is fonder of billiards and cards than is good forhim or others. Of course, being here by himself, as he is, we must doour best to be civil to him, and that sort of thing, but if we wereat Cawnpore he is a man I should not care about being intimate in thehouse."
"I understand, uncle; but certainly he is pleasant."
"Oh, yes, he is very pleasant," the Major said dryly, in a tone thatseemed to express that Forster's power of making himself pleasant was byno means a recommendation in his eyes.
But Captain Forster had apparently no idea whatever that his societycould be anything but welcome, and called the next day after luncheon.
"I have been leaving my pasteboard at all the residents," he said; "nota very large circle. Of course, I knew Mrs. Rintoul at Delhi, as wellas Mrs. Doolan. I did not know any of the others. They seem pleasantpeople."
"They are very pleasant," Isobel said.
"I left one for a man named Bathurst. He was out. Is that the Bathurst,Major Hannay, who was in a line regiment--I forget its number--and leftvery suddenly in the middle of the fighting in the Punjaub?"
"Yes; I believe Bathurst was in the army about that time," the Majorsaid; "but I don't know anything about the circumstances of hisleaving."
Had Captain Forster known the Major better he would have been aware thatwhat he meant to say was that he did not wish to know, but he did notdetect the inflection of his voice, and went on--"They say he showedthe white feather. If it is the same man, I was at school with him, andunless he has improved since then, I am sure I have no wish to renew hisacquaintance."
"I like him very much," the Major said shortly; "he is great friendswith Dr. Wade, who has the very highest opinion of him, and I believe heis generally considered to be one of the most rising young officers ofhis grade."
"Oh, I have nothing to say against him," Captain Forster said; "but hewas a poor creature at school, and I do not think that there was anylove lost between us. Did you know him before you came here?"
"I only met him at the last races in Cawnpore," the Major said; "he wasstopping with the Doctor."
"Quite a character, Wade."
Isobel's tongue was untied now.
"I think he is one of the kindest and best gentlemen I ever met," thegirl said hotly; "he took care of me coming out here, and no one couldhave been kinder than he was."
"I have no doubt he is all that," Captain Forster said gently; "still heis a character, Miss Hannay, taking the term character to mean a personwho differs widely from other people. I believe he is very skillful inhis profession, but I take it he is a sort of Abernethy, and tells themost startling truths to his patients."
"That I can quite imagine," Isobel said; "the Doctor hates humbug ofall sorts, and I don't think I should like to call him in myself for animaginary ailment."
"I rather put my foot in it there," Captain Forster said to himself, ashe sauntered back to his tent. "The Major didn't like my saying anythingagainst Bathurst, and the girl did not like my remark about the Doctor.I wonder whether she objected also to what I said about that fellowBathurst--a sneaking little hound he was, and there is no doubt abouthis showing the white feather in the Punjaub. However, I don't thinkthat young lady is of the sort to care about a coward, and if she asksany questions, as I dare say she will, after what I have said, she willfind that the story is a true one. What a pretty little thing she is!I did not see a prettier face all the time I was at home. What with herand Mrs. Doolan, time is not likely to hang so heavily here as I hadexpected."
The Major, afraid that Isobel might ask him some questions about thisstory of Bathurst leaving the army, went off hastily as soon as CaptainForster had left. Isobel sat impatiently tapping the floor with herfoot, awaiting the Doctor, who usually came for half an hour's chat inthe afternoon.
"Well, child, how did your dinner go off yesterday, and what did youthink of your new visitor? I saw him come away from here half an hourago. I suppose he has been calling."
"I don't like him at all," Isobel said decidedly.
"No? Well, then, you are an exception to the general rule."
"I thought him pleasant enough last night," Isobel said frankly. "He hasa deferential sort of way about him when he speaks to one that one canhardly help liking. But he made me angry today. In the first place,Doctor, he said you were a character."
The Doctor chuckled. "Well, that is true enough, my dear. There was noharm in that."
"And then he said"--and she broke off--"he said what I feel sure cannotbe true. He said that Mr. Bathurst left the army because he showed thewhite feather. It is not true, is it? I am sure it can't be true."
The Doctor did not reply immediately.
"It is an old story," he said presently, "and ought not to have beenbrought up again. I don't suppose Forster or anyone else knows therights of the case. When a man leaves his regiment and retires when itis upon active service, there are sure to be spiteful stories gettingabout, often without the slightest foundation. But even if it had beentrue, it would hardly be to Bathurst's disadvantage now he is no longerin the army, and courage is not a vital necessity on the part of acivilian."
"You can't mean that, Doctor; surely every man ought to be brave. Couldanyone possibly respect a man who is a coward? I don't believe it,Doctor, for a moment."
"Courage, my dear, is not a universal endowment--it is a physical asmuch as a moral virtue. Some people are physically brave andmorally cowards; others are exactly the reverse. Some people areconstitutionally cowards all round, while in others cowardice showsitself only partially. I have known a man who is as brave as a lion inbattle, but is terrified by a rat. I have known a man brave in otherrespects lose his nerve altogether in a thunderstorm. In neither ofthese cases was it the man's own fault; it was constitutional, and by noeffort could he conquer it. I consider Bathurst to be an exceptionallynoble character. I am sure that he is capable of acts of great braveryin some directions, but it is possible that he is, like the man I havespoken of, constitutionally weak in others."
"But the great thing is to be brave in battle, Doctor! You would notcall a man a coward simply because he was afraid of a rat, but you wouldcall a man a coward who was afraid in battle. To be a coward there seemsto me to be a coward all round.
I have always thought the one virtuein man I really envied was bravery, and that a coward was the mostdespicable creature living. It might not be his actual fault, but onecan't help that. It is not anyone's fault if he is fearfully ugly orborn an idiot, for example. But cowardice seems somehow different. Notto be brave when he is strong seems to put a man below the level of awoman. I feel sure, Doctor, there must be some mistake, and that thisstory cannot be true. I have seen a good deal of Mr. Bathurst since wehave been here, and you have always spoken so well of him, he is thelast man I should have thought would be--would be like that."
"I know the circumstances of the case, child. You can trust me whenI say that there is nothing in Bathurst's conduct that diminishes myrespect for him in the slightest degree, and that in some respects he isas brave a man as any I know."
"Yes, Doctor, all that may be; but you do not answer my question. DidMr. Bathurst leave the army because he showed cowardice? If he did, andyou know it, why did you invite him here? why did you always praisehim? why did you not say, 'In other respects this man may be good andestimable, but he is that most despicable thing, a coward'?"
There was such a passion of pain in her voice and face that the Doctoronly said quietly, "I did not know it, my dear, or I should have toldyou at first that in this one point he was wanting. It is, I consider,the duty of those who know things to speak out. But he is certainly notwhat you say."
Isobel tossed her head impatiently. "We need not discuss it, Doctor. Itis nothing to me whether Mr. Bathurst is brave or not, only it is notquite pleasant to learn that you have been getting on friendly termswith a man who--"
"Don't say any more," the Doctor broke in. "You might at least rememberhe is a friend of mine. There is no occasion for us to quarrel, my dear,and to prevent the possibility of such a thing I will be off at once."
After he had left Isobel sat down to think over what had been said. Hehad not directly answered her questions, but he had not denied that therumor that Bathurst had retired from the army because he was wanting incourage was well founded. Everything he had said, in fact, was an excuserather than a denial. The Doctor was as stanch a friend as he was bitteran opponent. Could he have denied it he would have done so strongly andindignantly.
It was clear that, much as he liked Bathurst, he believed him wanting inphysical courage. He had said, indeed, that he believed he was brave insome respects, and had asserted that he knew of one exceptional act ofcourage that he had performed; but what was that if a man had had toleave the army because he was a coward? To Isobel it seemed that of allthings it was most dreadful that a man should be wanting in courage.Tales of daring and bravery had always been her special delight, and,being full of life and spirit herself, it had not seemed even possibleto her that a gentleman could be a coward, and that Bathurst could be sowas to her well nigh incredible.
It might, as the Doctor had urged, be in no way his fault, but this didnot affect the fact. He might be more to be pitied than to be blamed;but pity of that kind, so far from being akin to love, was destructiveof it.
Unconsciously she had raised Bathurst on a lofty pinnacle. The Doctorhad spoken very highly of him. She had admired the energy with which,instead of caring, as others did, for pleasure, he devoted himself tohis work. Older men than himself listened to his opinions. His quiet andsomewhat restrained manner was in contrast to the careless fun and goodhumor of most of those with whom she came in contact. It had seemed toher that he was a strong man, one who could be relied upon implicitly atall times, and she had come in the few weeks she had been at Deennugghurto rely upon his opinion, and to look forward to his visits, and even toacknowledge to herself that he approached her ideal of what a man shouldbe more than anyone else she had met.
And now this was all shattered at a blow. He was wanting in man's firstattribute. He had left the army, if not in disgrace, at least undera cloud and even his warm friend, the Doctor, could not deny that theaccusation of cowardice was well founded. The pain of the discoveryopened her eyes to the fact which she had not before, even remotely,admitted to herself, that she was beginning to love him, and thediscovery was a bitter one.
"I may thank Captain Forster for that, at least," she said to herself,as she angrily wiped a tear from her cheek; "he has opened my eyes intime. What should I have felt if I had found too late that I had cometo love a man who was a coward--who had left the army because he wasafraid? I should have despised myself as much as I should despise him.Well, that is my first lesson. I shall not trust in appearances again.Why, I would rather marry a man like Captain Forster, even if everythingthey say about him is true, than a man who is a coward. At least he isbrave, and has shown himself so."
The Doctor had gone away in a state of extreme irritation.
"Confound the meddling scoundrel!" he said to himself, as he surprisedthe horse with a sharp cut of the whip. "Just when things were goingon as I wished. I had quite set my mind on it, and though I am sureBathurst would never have spoken to her till he had told her himselfabout that unfortunate failing of his, it would have been altogetherdifferent coming from his own lips just as he told it to me. Of course,my lips were sealed and I could not put the case in the right light. Iwould give three months' pay for the satisfaction of horsewhipping thatfellow Forster. Still, I can't say he did it maliciously, for he couldnot have known Bathurst was intimate there, or that there was anythingbetween them. The question is, am I to tell Bathurst that she has heardabout it? I suppose I had better. Ah, here is the Major," and he drew uphis horse.
"Anything new, Major? You look put out."
"Yes, there is very bad news, Doctor. A Sowar has just brought a letterto me from the Colonel saying that the General has got a telegramthat the 19th Native Infantry at Berhampore have refused to use thecartridges served out to them, and that yesterday a Sepoy of the 34that Barrackpore raised seditious cries in front of the lines, and whenBaugh, the adjutant, and the sergeant major attempted to seize him hewounded them both, while the regiment stood by and refused to aid them.The 19th are to be disbanded, and no doubt the 34th will be, too."
"That is bad news indeed, Major, and looks as if this talk about generaldisaffection were true. Had there been trouble but at one station itmight have been the effect of some local grievance, but happening attwo places, it looks as if it were part of a general plot. Well, we musthope it will go no farther."
"It is very bad," said the Major, "but at any rate we may hope we shallhave no troubles here; the regiment has always behaved well, and I amsure they have no reason to complain of their treatment. If the Colonelhas a fault, it is that of over leniency with the men."
"That is so," the Doctor agreed; "but the fact is, Major, we knowreally very little about the Hindoo mind. We can say with some sort ofcertainty what Europeans will do under given circumstances, but thoughI know the natives, I think, pretty nearly as well as most men, I feelthat I really know nothing about them. They appear mild and submissive,and have certainly proved faithful on a hundred battlefields, but wedon't know whether that is their real character. Their own history,before we stepped in and altered its current, shows them as faithless,bloodthirsty and cruel; whether they have changed their nature under ourrule, or simply disguised it, Heaven only knows."
"At any rate," the Major said, "they have always shown themselvesattached to their English officers. There are numberless instances wherethey have displayed the utmost devotion for them, and although somescheming intriguers may have sown the seeds of discontent among them,and these lies about the cartridges may have excited their religiousprejudices, and may even lead them to mutiny, I cannot believe for aninstant that the Sepoys will lift their hands against their officers."
"I hope not," the Doctor said gravely. "A tiger's cub, when tamed, isone of the prettiest of playthings, but when it once tastes blood it isas savage a beast as its mother was before it. Of course, I hope for thebest, but if the Sepoys once break loose I would not answer for anythingthey might do. They have been pretty well spoilt, Major, til
l they havecome to believe that it is they who conquered India and not we."