by G. A. Henty
Chapter 20: Home.
Harry, on arriving at the palace, at once went to the rajah's room.
"Well, sahib, what terms does your general offer me?"
"Terms which I think, sir, you will have no hesitation inaccepting. Here is a draft of the treaty that he proposes."
The rajah glanced at the document, which was written in English andin Mahratti, for none of the general's staff understood the Jatlanguage. Harry saw, at once, that the terms were far less onerousthan the rajah had expected; for his face brightened, and the airof despondency that it had for some days expressed passed away.
"It is better than I had looked for," he said. "As a rule, theEnglish have not been merciful to those they have subdued. That theterritory they gave me would be taken away was a matter of course.The sum to be paid is heavy but, as they have given me time, I canmanage to collect it without much difficulty. This is all that isdemanded; and that they should hold Deeg and my son as a hostage,until the money is paid, is fair and just."
"I thought that the conditions would meet with your acceptance,Rajah; and I may say that your kindly treatment of myself and myescort has gone some way in mitigating the terms that wouldotherwise have been demanded. But the general said that you mustunderstand that he can make no further diminution of his demands;and that tomorrow he expects an answer, yes or no."
"I reply yes, at once, Major Lindsay. A load has been lifted frommy mind. I shall still have my liberty, my capital, and my people;and am grateful, indeed, for the clemency that has been shown me. Ihad relied somewhat upon your good offices; but had small hopesthat, after what has taken place, I should be offered such terms."
The rajah at once sent for his sons--of whom Harry had seen butlittle, for they were always on the walls, encouraging the troopsand seeing that the breaches were repaired, as soon as made. Therajah read to them the draft of the treaty. They too were visiblyrelieved; for they had talked the matter over with their father, onthe evening before, and had agreed that, probably, he and hisfamily would be kept as prisoners in a fortress, that thefortifications of the town would be destroyed, and some nominee ofthe British Government created rajah.
"The general has not said which of my sons is to be hostage?"
"No, Rajah, he left that to you. I may say that he took the sameview of your position as that which you, yourself, explained to me;namely, that you joined Holkar simply from the apprehension that,if the English were defeated by him, he would next turn his armsagainst you."
"Which of you will go?" the rajah asked his sons.
All expressed their willingness.
"Then I will choose my third son," he said to Harry; "the otherswill be more useful here."
Harry rode out, early in the morning, with the news that the rajahaccepted the terms offered to him. In an hour the treaty waswritten out formally, the general affixing his signature. Harryreturned to the city, this time accompanied by a general officer,and both signed their names as witnesses to the rajah's signature.Some bullock carts, with chests containing the three lakhs ofrupees, were already in the courtyard; and with these and therajah's third son, Harry returned to camp.
The army afterwards started to meet Scindia, who had advanced withhis army, with the intention of joining Holkar and assisting theRajah of Bhurtpoor. He had, for some time, been almost openlyhostile; had sent his relation, Bapeejee Scindia, with a strongbody of horse, to act in concert with the cavalry of Ameer Khan andHolkar; and had sent letters to the Government which amounted to adeclaration of war. But when Holkar reached his camp a fugitive,and he heard that Bhurtpoor had surrendered, he at once fell back;and endeavoured to make excuses for his conduct, alleging thatBapeejee Scindia has acted entirely without orders, and that he hadhimself advanced only with the intention of mediating between theRajah of Bhurtpoor and the English.
No one was deceived by his assurances, but it was thought politicto pretend to believe them. The Marquis of Wellesley's term ofoffice had expired, and a successor had come out, with orders tocarry out a policy differing widely from that which he hadfollowed. The latter had enormously extended the area of theBritish possessions in India, the British troops had won amarvellous series of victories; but this had been effected at animmense cost and, so far, the revenue drawn from the conqueredprovinces barely sufficed to pay the expenses of occupation andmanagement.
The treaties, too, that had been entered into with various rajahsand chiefs might, at any moment, plunge the Government into war insupport of our allies and, accordingly, Lord Cornwallis was againsent out, to carry out the policy of maintaining friendly relationswith the native powers, and of abstaining from interference intheir quarrels with each other. Indeed, a breathing time wasurgently needed. The rapid progress of the British arms had arouseda feeling of distrust and hostility among all the native princes;and it was necessary to carry out a strong but peacefuladministration in the conquered provinces, to give confidence totheir populations, to appoint civil officers of all sorts; and soto divide the troops that, while they ceased to threaten any of thenative powers, they should maintain order in the new dependenciesnot yet reconciled to the change of masters, or capable ofappreciating the benefits arising from orderly rule.
Accordingly, Scindia's excuses were accepted. A considerableportion of the dominions that had been wrested from him wererestored; and even Holkar, whose atrocious cruelties to all theBritish soldiers and officers who fell into his hands should haveplaced him beyond the pale of pardon, was again invested with mostof his former possessions--with the object, no doubt, ofcounterbalancing Scindia's power as, had Holkar been driven to takerefuge in the north, as a fugitive, Scindia would have becomeparamount among the Mahrattas.
One of the last acts of the Marquis of Wellesley was to offer Harrya high civil appointment, in one of the new provinces; but hedeclined it, upon the ground that he was about to apply for leaveto go to England. He had, indeed, already formed the idea ofquitting the service altogether. The presents he had received fromBajee Rao, on his first arrival at Poona, and on being invested asPeishwa; and the still larger one that Nana Furnuwees had givenhim; had been, for the most part, invested in the purchase of landat Bombay. In the eight years that has elapsed, the town hadgreatly increased in size; and the land had been gradually sold, atfour or five times the sum that it had cost, and the proceeds sentto England. Harry was, therefore, a rich man.
He had been constantly engaged in service for nearly nine yearsand, as he had never been settled long enough to have anestablishment of his own, his military pay had much more thansufficed for his wants; and the large increase which he hadobtained, when engaged in civil or special duty, had been entirelylaid by. There was, then, no further occasion whatever for him toremain in the service. At any rate, he determined to obtain a threeyears' leave; and before the end of that time, he could finallymake up his mind on the subject.
A month, therefore, after the siege of Bhurtpoor was concluded,Harry had an interview with Lord Lake, and requested three years'leave to go to England.
"You have well earned it, Major Lindsay. Your services have beenvery great and, if the war was likely to continue, I should haveasked you to reconsider your request; but as, from what I hear, acomplete change of policy has been determined upon, and it has beendecided that there shall be no further extension of our territory,there is likely--at any rate for a time--to be a period of peace.The board of directors desire to consolidate the territory that wehave gained, and wish to abstain from all embarrassing alliances,or from any meddling in the affairs of the native princes.
"You, who have been so long at Poona, and understand the shiftynature of Scindia, Holkar, and indeed of all the native princes,must know well that these orders are much more easily given thancarried out. If our restraining hand is removed, we shall haveScindia, and Holkar, the Peishwa, the Rajahs of Berar, Kolapoore,and Bhurtpoor at each other's throats again. They will treat ourdeclarations, that we desire peace, only as a proof of weakness;and may, at any moment, lay aside the
ir private quarrels to uniteagainst us; and, unlikely as it may seem at present, my convictionis that there will never be permanent peace in India until we aremasters from Cape Comorin to the borders of Afghanistan. It may beanother half century, and will certainly only be after hardfighting; but I believe that, until all India acknowledges ourrule, there will not be anything like permanent peace within itsborders."
"I am afraid that that is so, sir. The only really sincere andhonest man that I have met, bent upon serving his country, was NanaFurnuwees and, in consequence, he was equally hated by the Peishwa,Scindia, and Holkar. I was certainly extremely well treated by theRajah of Bhurtpoor; but this was, no doubt, largely due to the factthat he thought that, if matters went against him, his courtesy tome would tell in his favour, while ill treatment or murder wouldhave put him beyond the pale of forgiveness."
"Your application comes at a fortunate moment, for I am sending aregiment of Bombay cavalry back to their presidency, and it will bewell that you should travel with it through Jaipore and Ajmeer to Surat,and so on to Bombay, which will save you a long journey--unless, indeed,you wish to travel by way of the Ganges."
"I would much rather go to Bombay, sir. I wish to visit the goodpeople who brought me up. I will ask you to allow Havildar Abdoolto go with me. I don't know whether he will wish to take hisdischarge, but I should think he would do so and, as he belongsproperly to the Bombay army, and is indeed a Mahratta, I am surethat he would prefer to settle there."
"I will certainly do that, and will see that the services he hasrendered are mentioned in his discharge; and I will, myself, writeto the Government of Bombay, saying that I had intended to granthim a small holding, as a reward for his fidelity; and asking thatthis may be bestowed upon him, either in the Concan, or in some ofthe territory that we have become possessed of above the Ghauts."
Abdool was greatly moved, when Harry told him that he had appliedfor and obtained leave.
"You will take me with you, master, I hope?"
"I think, Abdool, that you would do better to remain in your owncountry. You would feel very strange in England, among people noneof whom speak your language. You would also feel the cold,greatly."
"I would rather go with you, sahib. Were I to go back to my nativevillage, I should find myself among strangers, for I have now beennearly fifteen years away; and what should I do withoutemployment?"
"Well, we will think it over, Abdool. Lord Lake kindly offered towrite a letter in your favour to the Government of Bombay, askingthem to give you the charge of a village district, which would keepyou in comfort."
"I should not be comfortable if I were not with you, sahib."
"Well, Abdool, we are going with the Bombay regiment which startstomorrow, and shall travel through Central India to Surat. There Ishall leave them in the Concan, and cross the Ghauts to Jooneer,and pay a visit to Soyera, Ramdass, and Sufder, and see them allcomfortably settled; and then go down to Bombay. So we shall bothhave plenty of time to think it over."
Accordingly the next morning Harry, after saying goodbye to all hisfriends, started. The journey to Surat was nearly seven hundredmiles, and was accomplished without incident. On their arrival atJowaur, they ascended the Ghaut to Trimbuck, and then rode toJooneer, and another half hour took them to the farm.
Harry was received with delight by its occupants. It was six yearssince he had parted from his old nurse at Bombay, and he hadgreatly changed since then. He was now a tall and powerfully-builtman.
"And so you are already a major, as was your dear father!" shesaid, after the first greetings were over. "It seems to me but ashort time since you were an infant in my arms. But what brings youhere?"
"There is going to be a general peace for some time, Soyera; and Ihave had enough of fighting, and am on my way home to England,where I hope to learn something about my father's and mother'sfamilies. I have three years' leave, and as I am as rich as I coulddesire to be, possibly I may return here no more."
"I shall grieve, Harry; but it is natural for you to do so, and Ishall feel happy in the thought that you have become all yourparents could have wished, and that I have been the means, in someway, of bringing this about."
"In all ways, Soyera. I owe not only my life, but all that I am, toyou. Had you been without friends, I would have taken you toEngland. But happily you are among your own people, and have nowbeen living with your good brother and his wife for four-and-twentyyears; and I can leave you, knowing that you are perfectlycomfortable and happy.
"Have you any desire to better your condition, Ramdass? I owe you,too, so much that it would greatly please me to be able, in someway, to show that I am grateful for the shelter you gave me for somany years."
"There is nothing," Ramdass said. "I have all that I can desire.Had I more, I should have greater cares. Those who are rich hereare not the best off, for it is they who are squeezed when ourlords have need of money. My sons will divide my land when I die,and my daughter is already married and provided for. Had I a largerfarm, I should need more hands and have more cares. The bountywhich you before gave me has gratified my utmost desires."
A messenger had already been sent off to Sufder, who rode in thenext day. He, too, was well and comfortable, and was viewed as aman of importance by the villagers.
Harry remained there four days longer, then bade farewell to thosewho had proved themselves his true friends, and rode down toBombay. On the road he had a long talk with Abdool, who remainedfixed in his determination to accompany him to England, if he wouldtake him.
"Very well, Abdool, so it shall be. But if, at any time, you have alonging to come back to your own country, I will pay your passage,and give you enough to make you comfortable for life."
Harry remained but a few days in Bombay, wound up his affairs withhis agents there and, being fortunate in finding a vessel that wason the point of sailing, took passage in her for England. Thevoyage was an uneventful one. They experienced bad weather off theCape but, with that exception, carried all canvas till they enteredthe Channel. Here they encountered another gale, but arrived safelyin the Thames, four months after leaving Calcutta.
It was now January, 1806, and after going with Abdool to an hotel,Harry's first step was to procure warm clothing for himself and hisfollower. The weather was exceedingly cold, and although Abdoolhad, as he considered, wrapped himself up in an extraordinary way,he was unable to keep warm, except when sitting in front of a hugefire.
"Is it always like this, sahib?" he asked, in a tone of greatanxiety.
"Oh no, Abdool, only for perhaps two months out of the twelve. Youwill find it pleasant enough in summer and, after two or threewinters, will get accustomed to the cold. You had better not thinkof going out, till you get your clothes. I will have a tailor in tomeasure you. I should say that it would be more convenient for youto take to European clothes. You will not find them uncomfortable,as you have for so many years been accustomed to uniform. They aremuch more convenient for getting about in, and you will not bestared at in the streets; as you would be if you went about innative costume. However, you can wear your own turban, if youlike."
Abdool willingly consented to this proposal. A tailor wasconsulted, and suggested loosely-cut trousers and a short jacket,similar to that now worn by the French zouaves, and differing butlittle from that of the Indian cavalry. In this, with the additionof a long and warmly-lined cloak, Abdool professed his readiness toencounter any degree of cold.
As soon as his own clothes had arrived, Harry went to LeadenhallStreet and, sending in his card, was shown into a large room, wheretwo or three of the governors of the Company were seated,considering the reports that had been brought from India in theship in which Harry had arrived.
"Your name is familiar to us, Major Lindsay," the gentleman at thehead of the table said cordially. "You have been mentioned innumerous despatches, and always in terms of the highestcommendation. First, by the Governor of Bombay; then by the Marquisof Wellesley, for the manner in which you secured the neutra
lity ofBerar, during the Mysore war; then again, if I remember rightly,for obtaining concessions for our occupation of the island ofSingapore, when we are in a position to undertake it. He also sentus your report of that business, by which it appeared that you hadsome extremely perilous adventures, entailed by your zeal to obtainthe Rajah of Johore's consent to the cession. Sir Arthur Wellesleymentioned your name in his despatch after Assaye, and Lord Lake'sdespatches make numerous mention of your service with him.Altogether, I do not think that any officer has received such warmand general commendation as you have done."
"Thank you, sir. I have always done my best, and been exceptionallyfortunate in being engaged in services that gave me an opportunityof, in some degree, distinguishing myself."
"Pray sit down, Major. My colleagues and myself will be glad toknow a little more about you. When the Governor of Bombay informedus that he most strongly recommended you for a commission, hementioned that you were a son of Major Lindsay who, with his wife,was killed in the Concan, at the time of that most unfortunate andill-managed expedition to Poona. We had never heard of yourexistence before. Had it been brought before our notice we should,of course, have assigned a pension for your bringing up andeducation."
Harry, at his request, gave a very brief outline of the manner inwhich he had been saved by his nurse, who had taught him English,and prepared him for entering the service when he came of age.
"I have returned to England," he said, "partly to find out, ifpossible, any of my relatives who may exist on my father's ormother's side."
"I have no doubt that we shall be able to put you in the way ofdoing so. Doubtless, at the time of your father's and mother'sdeath, we notified the fact--at any rate to your father'sfamily--and received communications from them. We will cause asearch to be made. Where are you staying?"
Harry gave the name of the hotel.
"We will send you word there, as soon as the records have beensearched. At any rate, it is certain that the birthplace of yourfather and the residence of his father will be found, at the timehe obtained his appointment as cadet. I have no doubt that theletter communicating his death was directed to that address."
The next day a messenger brought a note to Harry's hotel:
"Dear Major Lindsay:
"We find that your grandfather was a landowner in Norfolk. Hisaddress was Parley House, Merdford. The letter sent to him with theaccount of your father's death was answered by a son of his; whostated that his father had died, two months before, and enquired ifany news had been obtained of an infant who, they had learned, hadbeen born some months before the murder of its parents. We repliedthat the report to us had stated, 'body of infant not found.' We,at his request, wrote to Bombay on the subject.
"The answer was as before that, although the body of the child wasnot found with those of its father and mother, no doubt whateverwas entertained that it had been killed. It was some days after thecatastrophe happened before any report of it reached theauthorities, when a party of cavalry were at once sent out. Many ofthe bodies had been mutilated, and some almost devoured by jackals.No doubts were entertained that the infant had been altogetherdevoured."
"The remains were all buried at the spot where they were found; anda stone was erected, some months afterwards, by the officers of hisregiment; recording the deaths of Major Lindsay, his wife andchild, at that spot."
Two days later Harry took his place with Abdool on the north coachand, after spending a day at Norwich, drove in a post chaise toMerdford. Here he heard that Parley House was two miles distantand, without alighting, drove on there. It was a fine house,standing in a well-wooded park. On a footman answering the bell,Harry handed him his card, "Major H. Lindsay."
He was shown into a library and, a minute later, a gentlemanentered. He was about sixty years of age, of the best type ofEnglish squire; tall, inclined to be portly, with genial face andhearty voice.
"We are of the same name, I see, Major Lindsay."
"We are, sir; and, strange as it may appear to you, of the sameblood."
"Indeed!" he said, shaking hands with his visitor. "What is therelationship? It must be a distant one, for I was not aware that Ihad any connection of your rank in the army.
"By the way, now that I think of it, I have seen, in the reports ofour campaigns in India, the name of a Captain Lindsay frequentlymentioned."
"I am the man, sir."
"I am glad to know that one who has so distinguished himself is arelation of mine, however distant."
"It is not so very distant, sir. In point of fact, I am yournephew."
The squire looked at him in bewilderment.
"My nephew!" he repeated.
"Yes, Mr. Lindsay. I am the son of your brother, also MajorLindsay, of the Bombay Army. I returned from India but ten daysago; and learned for the first time, from the governors of theCompany, the family to which my father belonged. Had it beenotherwise, I should have written to you, years ago, to inform youthat I was the infant who was supposed to have perished, when itsfather and mother were killed."
Harry thought that the colour paled a little in his uncle's face.
"You have, of course, proofs of your identity?" the latter said,gravely.
"Certainly. I have the evidence of the Indian nurse who saved mylife, and brought me up; that of a cousin of hers, who was anofficer of the band that attacked my father; and that of herbrother, with whom I resided from the time she brought methere--three days after the death of my parents--until I was twelveyears old, when she placed me with a lady in Bombay, for two yearsand a half, to be taught to speak English perfectly. After that, Iwas some three years in the service of the Peishwa.
"These depositions were, by the order of the Governor of Bombay,sworn to by them before the chief justice there. My identity wasfully recognized by the Governor of Bombay, who at once recommendedme for a commission, in consequence of some service that I hadrendered to the Government; and the recommendation was accepted bythe court at home, and my commission dated from the time of myappointment by the Governor."
"I see a likeness in you to my brother who, when I last saw him,was about your age. I do not say that you are exactly like him, butyour expression and voice both recall him to me. As a matter ofform, of course, I should like to see these depositions. I amcurious to know the details of your adventures.
"But that will keep. I will at once introduce you to my wife anddaughter. Like your father, I was unfortunate in my children. Iknow that you had several brothers and sisters born before you, allof whom died in their infancy. I did not marry until some yearslater than he did. I had two boys, who were both drowned when outin a fishing boat at Yarmouth. My daughter was the youngest."
He rose from his seat and led the way to the drawing room, where alady some fifteen years younger than himself was seated at work,with a girl of nineteen or twenty.
"My dear," he said, "I have a surprise for you. This gentleman,Major Lindsay, who has distinguished himself greatly in India, isour nephew. He claims, and I may say at once that I see no reasonswhatever to doubt it, that he is the child of my brother Harry who,as you may remember, was, with his wife, killed in India a fewmonths after we were married. My enquiries resulted in leaving, asit seemed, no room for doubt that the infant had perished with hisparents, and that its body had been devoured by wild beasts.
"But it now appears that he was saved by his nurse, who happened tohave a relation who was an officer in the party that attackedHarry's camp. She took him to the house of a brother, and there hewas brought up; and he afterwards went down to Bombay, where hesatisfied the Governor as to his identity, and received acommission. I have not heard further particulars yet, but MajorLindsay--
"I suppose I shall come to call you Harry, in time, nephew--
"Will tell us all about it, himself. I am sure that you will joinwith me in welcoming Harry's boy heartily, and in my satisfactionthat he has proved himself well worthy of his race."
Harry was a little surprised at detecting a tone of
warning, in themanner in which the last words were spoken; and at the agitationwith which Mrs. Lindsay had listened to her husband. Thisdisappeared, however, as she held out her hand to him.
"I welcome you back to England, nephew. Yours is indeed a strangestory. I know that my husband was greatly attached to your father."
"Yes, I loved him dearly," Mr. Lindsay said, "and can see aresemblance to him in his son. He is taller and more strongly builtthan Harry was. I do not say that the features are very like, butthere is something in the expression of his face, and tone of hisvoice, that recalls him to me strongly.
"This is my daughter Mary. We called her so after your mother. Itwas a fancy of mine, for I knew her well before she married yourfather. The two families were on terms of great friendship, and forher sake, as well as for my brother's, I gave her the name."
"I am glad to meet you, cousin," the girl said, holding out herhand frankly to him. "It is, of course, a great surprise to us, andI can hardly realize yet that you are really my cousin."
"Now, Harry," his uncle said briskly, "I will give orders to haveyour things taken out of the post chaise, and carried up to yourroom. We shall be having lunch directly and, after that, you shalltell us your story at full length."
Ten minutes later they sat down to lunch. When Harry rejoined theothers, he fancied he saw traces of tears in the eyes of Mrs.Lindsay and her daughter; and he thought that perhaps they had beenthinking that, if their own boys had lived, they also would beyoung men now.
After the meal was over, the squire said:
"Now, wife, we will all adjourn to the library. It is the mostcomfortable room in the house, and the cosiest--just the place forlistening to a long story. I have told William to get two morearmchairs there, so that we can sit round the fire--which is quitethe proper thing to do when a story has to be told."
The light had faded out of the sky, and the curtains were drawn;but the squire would not have candles lighted, saying that theblaze of the fire was the proper thing to listen by. Harry relatedfully the manner in which he had been brought up and trained, byhis nurse, for the time when he could present himself at Bombay;and also his adventures in the Deccan, which had paved the way forhis obtaining a commission. He told the rest more briefly, thoughhe was obliged, in answer to the questions of the others, to gosomewhat further into his personal adventures.
"It is a wonderful story," the squire said, when he at lastfinished. "There are many things that you have cut very short; andwhich you must, some other time, tell us fully. Your poor fatherwould have reason to be proud of you, indeed, had he lived to seeyou now. He thought that he was wonderfully fortunate, in obtaininga majority at the age of thirty-five; but you have got it ten yearsyounger.
"Well, we have not spared you, for we have kept you talking overfour hours."
Dinner passed off quickly, and when wine had been placed on thetable, and the servants retired, Mr. Lindsay said:
"You will understand, Harry, that although absolutely certain thatyou are my nephew, I do not resign, and offer you my seat at thehead of the table, until the documents that you have brought areformally examined."
"What do you mean, uncle?" Harry asked, in surprise.
"I mean, of course, that as your father's son, this estate isyours, and not mine."
Harry rose to his feet.
"I don't understand you, uncle. I never dreamt for a moment--" andhe stopped.
"That your father was my eldest brother. Yes, he was a year olderthan myself; and at his father's death would, of course, havesucceeded to the estate. But he died before him; and you, as hisson, will of course succeed."
"But I could not dream of such a thing, uncle. Do you think that Ihave come down here with the idea of turning you and my aunt andcousin out, and taking your place? If I had known it, I should nothave come down at all. It would be monstrous if, after you havebeen master here for twenty-five years, I should come down to claimthe estate from you."
"I am glad to hear you say so, Harry," his uncle said, gravely."Naturally, it did not occur to us that you were ignorant that yourfather was the eldest son. We thought, from your manner, that youwould be willing to arrange everything on amicable terms; for ofcourse, legally, you are entitled to all the back rents, which Ihonestly say I could not pay. Your aunt's little fortune, and myportion as younger brother, will be amply sufficient to keep usthree comfortably; but as to paying the arrears, it would beimpossible."
"My dear uncle, the whole thing is impossible. I have returned homewith an ample amount of money to live in luxury. I did not think itnecessary to mention, in my story, that Nana Furnuwees presented mewith a considerable sum of money; and Bajee Rao did the same. ThisI invested in land close to Bombay, which is now covered withhouses, and fetched five times the price I gave for it. In additionto this, I have been in civil employment for the past six yearsand, as I have always been on the move, I have never had theexpense of an establishment, and have thus saved some five thousandpounds.
"Therefore I am master of something over ninety thousand pounds;and can, if I do not return to India--which I have, I may say,already made up my mind not to do, buy an estate. I have had verymuch more than my share of adventures, and have marvellouslyescaped. If I return, my luck might change.
"At any rate, I have had enough of it. I have made a very handsomefortune and, even putting everything else aside, would rather knowthat I owed all I possessed to my own good luck and exertions, thanto an accident of birth."
"But that cannot be, lad."
"Well, uncle," Harry said obstinately, "if you choose to see thingsin that light, all I can say is, that I shall at once throw up myleave and return to India; and if you choose to leave this houseand estate, it may go to wreck and ruin for anything I care."
"Well, well, my boy, we won't say anything more about it, now, butwill leave it to the lawyers to settle."
"I shall certainly employ no lawyers in the matter, uncle. By allmeans, obtain your solicitor's opinion as to whether the proofs Ihave put in your hands are sufficient to establish, beyond all fearof doubt, the fact that I am the son of Major Harry Lindsay. Itmatters not whether my father was your elder brother or not, toanyone except ourselves. I am perfectly satisfied with havingproved, to the satisfaction of all in India, that I am the son of abrave officer. My object in coming to England was not to seewhether I was entitled to money, but simply to find friends amongthe families of my father and mother; and if it were to end in myturning you, my aunt, and cousin out of the place you have believedto be your own, for so many years, my visit here would be a dismalfailure, and I should bitterly regret having set foot in England.
"Please do not let us say anything more about it. The matter, sofar as I am concerned, is concluded; and nothing that can possiblybe said will shake my determination, in any way."
In order to break the silence, for Mrs. Lindsay and Mary were bothwiping their eyes, Harry went on:
"Now that we have finished this question, uncle, I will tell youhow I got the ratification of the treaty, that will some day bemade for our occupation of Singapore, from the Rajah of Johore. Asfar as the excitement went, it certainly was the most stirringbusiness that I was ever employed in;" and he at once launched intothe narrative of his capture, the escape, the adventure with thetiger, and the defence of Johore.
"It seems to me, Harry," his uncle said, when he had finished,"that you not only have as many lives as a cat, but as a wholeposse of cats. I cannot but think that it was a wild business,altogether; and that, having got the assent of the gentleman withthe very hard name, there was no occasion to bother about therajah, who seemed to have no authority whatever."
"But he might have got it, you see, uncle. It may be ten years ormore before a governor general will be able to attend to thebusiness, and it was as well to get it settled, once for all."
"What did the rajah present you with for saving his capital?"
"He offered me a number of weapons and things but, as I had noplace to put them in, I co
uld not be bothered with them. I do notthink that cash was at all a strong point with him, and I don'tsuppose he had a thousand dollars in his treasury. I was a littlesurprised that he did not offer me half a dozen young ladies aswives; but had he done so, I should have resisted the temptation,as they would have been even more trouble than the weapons."
"You never fell in love with any of the Indian beauties, cousinHarry?"
"I have never seen any to fall in love with. The ladies of theupper class in India, whether Hindus or Mussulmans, always goclosely veiled; and as to the English ladies, in the first placethey were nearly all married, and in the second place I went aslittle into society as I could help, being on the GovernorGeneral's staff, and nearly always away on duty. Certainly I neversaw anyone who caused my pulse to beat faster; which I believe,from what I have read, is one of the many symptoms of being inlove."
Harry then enquired about his mother's relations.
"I, unfortunately, can tell you nothing about them. She was an onlydaughter when she married your father. Both her parents died, yearsago. They only had a lease of the place they lived in, and I reallycannot tell you anything whatever about them. There was a son, whowould, I suppose, succeed to any property his father left; but hewas a ne'er-do-well, and was seldom at home, and I have never seenor heard of him, since."
"Well, I am quite content with the relations that I have found, andshall not trouble myself to seek further."
Four days passed. At the end of that time, Mr. Lindsay received aletter from his lawyer and, after breakfast, asked Harry to go intothe library with him.
"About that business that we were talking about, I have todayreceived an answer to my letter. My lawyer is of opinion, from whatI told him of these papers, that your case is a strong one; andthat though, if I chose, I might give you a great deal of trouble,he thinks that in the long run you would succeed. As I don't wantto give you trouble; and as I am, myself, as completely convincedthat you are my brother Harry's son as that I am his brother, thematter may now be considered as finally settled."
"Quite so, uncle. I don't want to hear anything more about it. Ifyou choose to be obstinate, and turn out, I can only say that Ishall be sorry that the old house, where my father and you wereboth born, should go to wreck and ruin. At any rate, let the matterrest, for the present. Possibly it may yet be arranged to thesatisfaction of all parties."
"It will certainly not be arranged to my satisfaction," the squiregrumbled, "unless you become master here."
"We will talk it over, in six months' time."
He related the conversation to his wife who, to his surprise,looked pleased.
"Nothing could be better," she said; "it would be an excellentplan."
"What on earth do you mean, Louisa?"
"You are as blind as an owl, Peter. There can be only one meaningin what he has said, only one arrangement that could besatisfactory to all parties."
"And what is that, my dear?" the squire said, a little testily.
"I mean, of course, that he should marry Mary."
The squire sat down suddenly, in his surprise.
"Such an idea never entered my head," he said. "But why should youthink of it? Why, the young fellow has only been here four or fivedays!"
"That is quite long enough for him to see that Mary is a charminggirl," Mrs. Lindsay said. "He has seen very little of ladies; andhe is, no doubt, struck with the idea that she is an extremely nicegirl. I don't say that he is in love with her, yet; but quiteenough, perhaps, to foresee that, ere long, he will feel moreardent than he does at present; and that it is the only arrangementpossible, since we are determined to turn out for him.
"Now mind, Peter, you do not throw out the slightest hint, eitherto him or to her, that such a solution has ever occurred to us. Itmight spoil everything. It would make Mary shy with him, and mightcause him to be awkward. You give your consent to remain here, forsix months. By that time the question will have solved itself. If Iam wrong, no harm will have been done. If I am right, thearrangement will be, as he says, a satisfactory one to us all."
"I was always against cousins marrying," Mr. Lindsay said,doubtfully.
"Don't be absurd, Peter. I don't say that, in some cases, there isnot a good deal to be said against it; but where both the man andthe woman are healthy, and come of healthy families, no union canbe more likely to be happy."
"But I think I have heard you speak--"
"Never mind what you have heard me speak, sir; circumstances altercases, and this case is altogether an exceptional one.
"We certainly could not wish for a finer young fellow as Mary'shusband. He is a desirable partner, in every respect. He is himselfwell off and, although I quite agree with you that, whatever itcosts, we must give the dear old place up, I grant that it would bevery pleasant to avoid so terrible a wrench.
"The one thing I don't like is that man of his. He moves about sonoiselessly that it is like having a ghost in the room."
"It is you who are absurd, now, Louisa," the squire said. "The manhas, over and over again, proved himself to be a most faithfulfriend to him. I own that it is a little trying to see him standingbehind Harry's chair, without moving, except when his master wantssomething; but after all, that is less fidgety than having footmendodging about you.
"Well, Louisa, I will take particular heed of what you have said,and will be mum as a mouse, until we see how the cat jumps."
Mrs. Lindsay's prevision turned out correct. Harry remained a weeklonger at Parley House. Then he heard that an estate was for sale,two miles away, and drove over quietly to inspect it. Ten dayslater he wrote from London, and said that he had bought the place.
"He is the most obstinate fellow that I ever knew!" Mr. Lindsayexclaimed, as he read the letter.
"What is it, dear?"
"He has bought Hungerford's place, and never gave me the slightesthint of his intentions."
"Well, I think it will be very nice to have him so near us," Mrs.Lindsay said, decidedly.
"Oh, of course, and it will be so handy for--"
"Peter, will you take another cup of tea?" his wife said, sharply;and Mr. Lindsay knew that he had nearly put his foot in it.
A week later Harry came down again--to see, as he said, whatrequired to be done to the house; and he needed no persuasion tostay at Parley Hall. To decide upon matters, he needed a great dealof advice, both from Mrs. Lindsay and Mary; and then, having putthe house into the hands of the builders and decorators, he went upto town again. However, he frequently ran down to see how thingswere getting on and, before the alterations were all finished, Maryhad consented to become its mistress.
Abdool preferred to remain as his master's body servant, as before.He had even, before leaving India, picked up a certain amount ofEnglish; and had improved considerably his knowledge of thelanguage during the long voyage. Mary, fortunately, had not sharedin her mother's feelings about him but, on learning that he had,several times, saved Harry's life, had taken to him greatly. Henever returned to his native land.
And although Harry and his wife talked, sometimes, of making thevoyage to India, they were never enabled to accomplish it for, aschildren grew up around them, Mary was no longer free to travel.Abdool's devotion was now divided between his master and mistressand the little ones, who were never tired of listening to hisstories of their father's adventures.
Mr. and Mrs. Lindsay lived to an advanced age, and died within afew weeks of each other. Harry then moved to Parley Hall, and soldthe estate he had bought; as the management of one estate, and hisduties as county magistrate, occupied as much time as he cared togive. The only complaint made against him, by his neighbours, wasthat he did not care for field sports. But, as he said, he had seenenough bloodshed to last him his lifetime; and would neither shedthe blood of bird nor beast, though he had no quarrel with thosewho liked that sort of thing.
He kept up a regular correspondence, to the end of her life, withhis old nurse; and his interest in his Indian friends never abated.He was
an old man when the Indian mutiny broke out, and two of hisgrandsons took their share in the long siege of Delhi, and servedwith both the forces which, under Sir Colin Campbell, fought theirway into Lucknow, and finally broke the neck of the Sepoy mutiny.