CHAPTER VIII

e,andnowthatAdelahadpromisedtobehiswife,shewassuretounderstand. “Whatdoesouroldgentlemanofthecarthink?”sheasked,andhernegligenttonewasexactlywhathedesired. “Ouroldgentlemanishelpfulandsound,ashealwaysisoverpublicaffairs.You’veseeninhimourshowIndian.” “HaveIreally?” “I’mafraidso.Incredible,aren’tthey,eventhebestofthem?They’reall—theyallforgettheirbackcollarstudssoonerorlater.You’vehadtodowiththreesetsofIndiansto-day,theBhattacharyas,Aziz,andthischap,anditreallyisn’tacoincidencethatthey’veallletyoudown.” “IlikeAziz,Azizismyrealfriend,”Mrs.Mooreinterposed. “WhentheanimalrunsintoustheNawabloseshishead,desertshisunfortunatechauffeur,intrudesuponMissDerek...nogreatcrimes,nogreatcrimes,butnowhitemanwouldhavedoneit.” “Whatanimal?” “Oh,wehadasmallaccidentontheMarabarroad.Adelathinksitwasahyena.” “Anaccident?”shecried. “Nothingnoonehurt.Ourexcellenthostawokemuchrattledfromhisdreams,appearedtothinkitwasourfault,andchantedexactly,exactly.” Mrs.Mooreshivered,“Aghost!”Buttheideaofaghostscarcelypassedherlips.Theyoungpeopledidnottakeitup,beingoccupiedwiththeirownoutlooks,anddeprivedofsupportitperished,orwasreabsorbedintothepartofthemindthatseldomspeaks. “Yes,nothingcriminal,”Ronnysummedup,“butthere’sthenative,andthere’soneofthereasonswhywedon’tadmithimtoourclubs,andhowadecentgirllikeMissDerekcantakeserviceundernativespuzzlesme....ButImustgetonwithmywork.Krishna!”Krishnawasthepeonwhoshouldhavebroughtthefilesfromhisoffice.Hehadnotturnedup,andaterrificrowensued.Ronnystormed,shouted,howled,andonlytheexperiencedobservercouldtellthathewasnotangry,didnotmuchwantthefiles,andonlymadearowbecauseitwasthecustom.Servants,quiteunderstanding,ranslowlyincircles,carryinghurricanelamps.Krishnatheearth,Krishnathestarsreplied,untiltheEnglishmanwasappeasedbytheirechoes,finedtheabsentpeoneightannas,andsatdowntohisarrearsinthenextroom. “WillyouplayPatiencewithyourfuturemother-in-law,dearAdela,ordoesitseemtootame?” “Ishouldliketo—Idon’tfeelabitexcited—I’mjustgladit’ssettledupatlast,butI’mnotconsciousofvastchanges.Weareallthreethesamepeoplestill.” “That’smuchthebestfeelingtohave.”Shedealtoutthefirstrowof“demon.” “Isupposeso,”saidthegirlthoughtfully. “IfearedatMr.Fielding’sthatitmightbesettledtheotherway...blackknaveonaredqueen....”Theychattedgentlyaboutthegame. PresentlyAdelasaid:“YouheardmetellAzizandGodboleIwasn’tstoppingintheircountry.Ididn’tmeanit,sowhydidIsayit?IfeelIhaven’tbeen—frankenough,attentiveenough,orsomething.It’sasifIgoteverythingoutofproportion.Youhavebeensoverygoodtome,andImeanttobegoodwhenIsailed,butsomehowIhaven’tbeen....Mrs.Moore,ifoneisn’tabsolutelyhonest,whatistheuseofexisting?” Shecontinuedtolayouthercards.Thewordswereobscure,butsheunderstoodtheuneasinessthatproducedthem.Shehadexperiencedittwiceherself,duringherownengagements—thisvaguecontritionanddoubt.Allhadcomerightenoughafterwardsanddoubtlesswouldthistime—marriagemakesmostthingsrightenough.“Iwouldn’tworry,”shesaid.“It’spartlytheoddsurroundingsyouandIkeeponattendingtotriflesinsteadofwhat’simportantwearewhatthepeopleherecall‘new.’” “YoumeanthatmybothersaremixedupwithIndia?” “India’s——”Shestopped. “Whatmadeyoucallitaghost?” “Callwhataghost?” “Theanimalthingthathitus.Didn’tyousay‘Oh,aghost,’inpassing.” “Icouldn’thavebeenthinkingofwhatIwassaying.” “Itwasprobablyahyena,asamatteroffact.” “Ah,verylikely.” AndtheywentonwiththeirPatience.DowninChandraporetheNawabBahadurwaitedforhiscar.Hesatbehindhistownhouse(asmallunfurnishedbuildingwhichherarelyentered)inthemidstofthelittlecourtthatalwaysimprovisesitselfroundIndiansofposition.Asifturbanswerethenaturalproductofdarknessafreshonewouldoccasionallyfrothtothefront,inclineitselftowardshim,andretire.Hewaspreoccupied,hisdictionwasappropriatetoareligioussubject.Nineyearspreviously,whenfirsthehadhadacar,hehaddrivenitoveradrunkenmanandkilledhim,andthemanhadbeenwaitingforhimeversince.TheNawabBahadurwasinnocentbeforeGodandtheLaw,hehadpaiddoublethecompensationnecessarybutitwasnouse,themancontinuedtowaitinanunspeakableform,closetothesceneofhisdeath.NoneoftheEnglishpeopleknewofthis,nordidthechauffeuritwasaracialsecretcommunicablemorebybloodthanspeech.Hespokenowinhorroroftheparticularcircumstanceshehadledothersintodanger,hehadriskedthelivesoftwoinnocentandhonouredguests.Herepeated,“IfIhadbeenkilled,whatmatter?itmusthappensometimebuttheywhotrustedme——” ThecompanyshudderedandinvokedthemercyofGod.OnlyAzizheldaloof,becauseapersonalexperiencerestrainedhim:wasitnotbydespisingghoststhathehadcometoknowMrs.Moore?“Youknow,Nureddin,”hewhisperedtothegrandson—aneffeminateyouthwhomheseldommet,alwaysliked,andinvariablyforgot—“youknow,mydearfellow,weMoslemssimplymustgetridofthesesuperstitions,orIndiawillneveradvance.HowlongmustIhearofthesavagepigupontheMarabarRoad?”Nureddinlookeddown.Azizcontinued:“Yourgrandfatherbelongstoanothergeneration,andIrespectandlovetheoldgentleman,asyouknow.Isaynothingagainsthim,onlythatitiswrongforus,becauseweareyoung.Iwantyoutopromiseme—Nureddin,areyoulistening?—nottobelieveinEvilSpirits,andifIdie(formyhealthgrowsveryweak)tobringupmythreechildrentodisbelieveinthemtoo.”Nureddinsmiled,andasuitableanswerrosetohisprettylips,butbeforehecouldmakeitthecararrived,andhisgrandfathertookhimaway. ThegameofPatienceupinthecivillineswentonlongerthanthis.Mrs.Moorecontinuedtomurmur“Redtenonablackknave,”MissQuestedtoassisther,andtointersperseamongtheintricaciesoftheplaydetailsaboutthehyena,theengagement,theMaharaniofMudkul,theBhattacharyas,andthedaygenerally,whoseroughdesiccatedsurfaceacquiredasitrecededadefiniteoutline,asIndiaitselfmight,coulditbeviewedfromthemoon.Presentlytheplayerswenttobed,butnotbeforeotherpeoplehadwokenupelsewhere,peoplewhoseemotionstheycouldnotshare,andwhoseexistencetheyignored.Nevertranquil,neverperfectlydark,thenightworeitselfaway,distinguishedfromothernightsbytwoorthreeblastsofwind,whichseemedtofallperpendicularlyoutoftheskyandtobouncebackintoit,hardandcompact,leavingnofreshnessbehindthem:thehotweatherwasapproaching.