A Bottle in the Smoke: A Tale of Anglo-Indian Life. Janet Milne Rae

of the young English lady could not call up the sudden air of discomfort on the old man's face. Then he recalled Alfred Rayner's insolent demeanour on the previous night, and his refusal even to apologise to the man whom he called a "greasy half-caste." Yes, that must be what made the sensitive man shrink into his shell. He did not wish to encounter the wife of his insulter, Mark decided, as he held out his hand, saying:

      "We must meet again before I leave for Puranapore. I shall come and get some of your wisdom while I can."

      With a glad smile Mr. Morpeth raised his sun-topee and hurried down the shady walk which made a short cut to the entrance gate.

      "Oh, I'm so sorry that elusive Mr. Morpeth has eluded me again," said Hester. "I watched Mrs. Fellowes introduce you to him and said to myself, 'Now's my chance,' and when I perceived you and him in deep conversation I didn't like to intrude, and now he's gone. I saw him here once before and thought he had such a sad interesting face, I longed to know him."

      "Yes, he is interesting," returned Mark, "specially so to me. He is an East Indian by birth. I only wish for this and other reasons I was not to be banished from Madras. I'm sure this David Morpeth and I would become fast friends, especially since there is the bond of race between us."

      Hester looked grave, and her lips parted as if she were about to speak. Here surely was the opportunity for giving Mark some warning on this point concerning which her husband had dwelt with such harsh words. The ice had not been broken on the topic as yet, and she felt she must go softly, all the more since Alfred was now seeming to belie his words and proving an entirely gracious and helpful host; for she had not heard of the episode of the homeward evening drive. It must surely have been only a fit of passing petulance which had made Alfred speak so. It would be worse than foolish in her to refer to the matter now, she decided, as, after taking leave of Colonel and Mrs. Fellowes, they drove home to baths and late breakfast.

      "Here is a list I've been framing for you of important people you've got to call on, Cheveril," said Mr. Rayner with a paterfamilias manner, as he walked into the breakfast-room, evidently bent on initiating his guest in all the intricacies of social procedure in Madras. "The new-comer has to call first here, so you must positively leave cards at all those houses, Government House included, since you are bent on leaving us to-morrow."

      "What a formidable array of names!" exclaimed Mark, raising his eyebrows as he scanned the sheet. "Why, one would think you were going to put me up for a constituency, Rayner, if there was such a thing in this part of the world?"

      "You may thank your stars, there is not, for then you might have to canvass all the half-caste warrens, kiss babies as black as your boot, et cetera. Thank goodness, Englishmen will never sink to that! No, the constituency I desire you should cultivate is one of pure Englishmen. I've only given you the names of socially desirable people. You must plough through those calls, Cheveril, they are a sacred rite for the new-comer. Great mistake not to leave your card on all big entertainers, for instance! Puranapore is not so far off that you cannot respond to every desirable invitation. The fair Miss Clarice will be sure to claim you for her coming ball. In fact, I saw an invitation in her eyes, mouth, and every feature of her face!" he added, with a laugh which jarred upon Mark, who, though he was not what is called "a lady's man," and perhaps because he was not, possessed that innate chivalry for woman which seemed to rise to the surface when the slightest note of disrespect for them was sounded.

      But truly, as Mark acknowledged to himself, Rayner was proving a most painstaking host. He was actually pressing the use of one of his carriages on his acceptance, and Hester assured him that the landau was at his service, as she had duly responded to all social obligations, having been, she laughingly assured him, kept up to the mark by her husband.

      Mark would not hear of appropriating an article which, in this hot climate, he understood to be as essential as one's boots, and had, in fact, already ordered a hired carriage for this enforced round of visits.

      His host at length departed for the High Court with semi-paternal injunctions that his guest must not skip a single name in his valuable list.

      Presently the hired bandy, which had been waiting under a tree for some time, was summoned, and Mark's butler, whom, on his host's recommendation he had engaged that morning, stood salaaming below the verandah steps preparatory to opening the carriage door.

      "Where master wishing to drive?" asked Narainswamy in his best English.

      "Morpeth house, Vepery," was the reply.