CHAPTER VIII

arenotparticularlyinteresting,”saidAdela,quietly,dislikingtheyoungwoman’stone.HerhandtouchedRonny’sagaininthedarkness,andtotheanimalthrilltherewasnowaddedacoincidenceofopinion. “Ah,thereyou’rewrong.They’repriceless.” “Iwouldscarcelycallherwrong,”brokeouttheNawabBahadur,fromhisisolationonthefrontseat,whithertheyhadrelegatedhim.“ANativeState,aHinduState,thewifeofarulerofaHinduState,maybeyonddoubtbeamostexcellentlady,andletitnotbeforamomentsupposedthatIsuggestanythingagainstthecharacterofHerHighnesstheMaharaniofMudkul.ButIfearshewillbeuneducated,Ifearshewillbesuperstitious.Indeed,howcouldshebeotherwise?Whatopportunityofeducationhassuchaladyhad?Oh,superstitionisterrible,terrible!oh,itisthegreatdefectinourIndiancharacter!”—andasiftopointhiscriticism,thelightsofthecivilstationappearedonarisetotheright.Hegrewmoreandmorevoluble.“Oh,itisthedutyofeachandeverycitizentoshakesuperstitionoff,andthoughIhavelittleexperienceofHinduStates,andnoneofthisparticularone,namelyMudkul(theRuler,Ifancy,hasasaluteofbutelevenguns)—yetIcannotimaginethattheyhavebeenassuccessfulasBritishIndia,whereweseereasonandorderlinessspreadingineverydirection,likeamosthealth-givingflood!” MissDereksaid“Golly!” Undeterredbytheexpletive,theoldmanswepton.Histonguehadbeenloosedandhismindhadseveralpointstomake.HewantedtoendorseMissQuested’sremarkthatbigpeoplearenotinteresting,becausehewasbiggerhimselfthanmanyanindependentchiefatthesametime,hemustneitherremindnorinformherthathewasbig,lestshefeltshehadcommittedadiscourtesy.ThiswasthegroundworkofhisorationworkedinwithitwashisgratitudetoMissDerekforthelift,hiswillingnesstoholdarepulsivedoginhisarms,andhisgeneralregretforthetroublehehadcausedthehumanraceduringtheevening.Alsohewantedtobedroppednearthecitytogetholdofhiscleaner,andtoseewhatmischiefhisgrandsonwasupto.Ashewovealltheseanxietiesintoasinglerope,hesuspectedthathisaudiencefeltnointerest,andthattheCityMagistratefondledeithermaidenbehindthecoveroftheharmonium,butgoodbreedingcompelledhimtocontinueitwasnothingtohimiftheywerebored,becausehedidnotknowwhatboredomis,anditwasnothingtohimiftheywerelicentious,becauseGodhascreatedallracestobedifferent.Theaccidentwasover,andhislife,equablyuseful,distinguished,happy,ranonasbeforeandexpresseditselfinstreamsofwell-chosenwords. Whenthisoldgeyserleftthem,Ronnymadenocomment,buttalkedlightlyaboutpoloTurtonhadtaughthimthatitissoundernottodiscussamanatonce,andhereservedwhathehadtosayontheNawab’scharacteruntillaterintheevening.Hishand,whichhehadremovedtosaygood-bye,touchedAdela’sagainshecaresseditdefinitely,heresponded,andtheirfirmandmutualpressuresurelymeantsomething.Theylookedateachotherwhentheyreachedthebungalow,forMrs.Moorewasinsideit.ItwasforMissQuestedtospeak,andshesaidnervously,“Ronny,IshouldliketotakebackwhatIsaidontheMaidan.”Heassented,andtheybecameengagedtobemarriedinconsequence. Neitherhadforeseensuchaconsequence.Shehadmeanttoreverttoherformerconditionofimportantandcultivateduncertainty,butithadpassedoutofherreachatitsappropriatehour.Unlikethegreenbirdorthehairyanimal,shewaslabellednow.Shefelthumiliatedagain,forshedeprecatedlabels,andshefelttoothatthereshouldhavebeenanotherscenebetweenherloverandherselfatthispoint,somethingdramaticandlengthy.Hewaspleasedinsteadofdistressed,hewassurprised,buthehadreallynothingtosay.Whatindeedistheretosay?Tobeornottobemarried,thatwasthequestion,andtheyhaddecideditintheaffirmative. “Comealongandlet’stellthematerallthis”—openingtheperforatedzincdoorthatprotectedthebungalowfromtheswarmsofwingedcreatures.Thenoisewokethematerup.Shehadbeendreamingoftheabsentchildrenwhoweresoseldommentioned,RalphandStella,anddidnotatfirstgraspwhatwasrequiredofher.Shetoohadbecomeusedtothoughtfulprocrastination,andfeltalarmedwhenitcametoanend. Whentheannouncementwasover,hemadeagraciousandhonestremark.“Lookhere,bothofyou,seeIndiaifyoulikeandasyoulike—IknowImademyselfratherridiculousatFielding’s,but...it’sdifferentnow.Iwasn’tquitesureofmyself.” “Mydutieshereareevidentlyfinished,Idon’twanttoseeIndianownowformypassageback,”wasMrs.Moore’sthought.Sheremindedherselfofallthatahappymarriagemeans,andofherownhappymarriages,oneofwhichhadproducedRonny.Adela’sparentshadalsobeenhappilymarried,andexcellentitwastoseetheincidentrepeatedbytheyoungergeneration.Onandon!thenumberofsuchunionswouldcertainlyincreaseaseducationspreadandidealsgrewloftier,andcharactersfirmer.ButshewastiredbyhervisittoGovernmentCollege,herfeetached,Mr.Fieldinghadwalkedtoofastandfar,theyoungpeoplehadannoyedherinthetum-tum,andgivenhertosupposetheywerebreakingwitheachother,andthoughitwasallrightnowshecouldnotspeakasenthusiasticallyofwedlockorofanythingassheshouldhavedone.Ronnywassuited,nowshemustgohomeandhelptheothers,iftheywished.Shewaspastmarryingherself,evenunhappilyherfunctionwastohelpothers,herrewardtobeinformedthatshewassympathetic.Elderlyladiesmustnotexpectmorethanthis. Theydinedalone.Therewasmuchpleasantandaffectionatetalkaboutthefuture.Laterontheyspokeofpassingevents,andRonnyreviewedandrecountedthedayfromhisownpointofview.Itwasadifferentdayfromthewomen’s,becausewhiletheyhadenjoyedthemselvesorthought,hehadworked.Mohurramwasapproaching,andasusualtheChandraporeMohammedanswerebuildingpapertowersofasizetoolargetopassunderthebranchesofacertainpepultree.Oneknewwhathappenednextthetowerstuck,aMohammedanclimbedupthepepulandcutthebranchoff,theHindusprotested,therewasareligiousriot,andHeavenknewwhat,withperhapsthetroopssentfor.TherehadbeendeputationsandconciliationcommitteesundertheauspicesofTurton,andallthenormalworkofChandraporehadbeenhungup.Shouldtheprocessiontakeanotherroute,orshouldthetowersbeshorter?TheMohammedansofferedtheformer,theHindusinsistedonthelatter.TheCollectorhadfavouredtheHindus,untilhesuspectedthattheyhadartificiallybentthetreenearertheground.Theysaiditsaggednaturally.Measurements,plans,anofficialvisittothespot.ButRonnyhadnotdislikedhisday,foritprovedthattheBritishwerenecessarytoIndiatherewouldcertainlyhavebeenbloodshedwithoutthem.Hisvoicegrewcomplacentagainhewasherenottobepleasantbuttokeepthepeac