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Show f? fol E T? n ri r-, nnn & R BY TALBOT MUNDY O TALBOT MUNDY WNU SERVICE I lIrC1tinUed I ' half breed without losing caste, I "Let us talk about you," said Run- I know how many western women CHAPTER XV-Continued 14 - "I don't get your point. What do you reckon to find out?" asked Stoddart Stod-dart "Time," said Moses. "Gulbaz tunes it like a jockey. He's the best judge o' pace in all India. He times it to the minute. II he isn't reSdy. ;then he'll play for time." The truck halted In front of a house whose red front door was bolted, barred, and scrawled in chalk with infamous remarks anent the virtue of its inmates. There was an alley, a yard wide, pitch dark at the farther end. Into that alley yellow yel-low light streamed through a door that was partly ajar. There was a faint staccato drumbeat, a twang of stringed music, the sickly wail of a flute, and a stench in which sensuous sensu-ous perfume fought with the reek of garbage. Moses spoke to the truck driver, and the truck driver sounded the horn three times, then three more, then once. The dissolute and dirty looking person in the big white turban, to whom Moses gave a captured knife in the bazaar, appeared suddenly, apparently from nowhere. "What's that bloke up to? Where did he come from?" Stoddart demanded. de-manded. "If you'd looked under the truck you'd know," said Moses. "He ain't respectable, so he don't ride first class like me and you." Moses whispered to the man, who walked down the alley and entered the door. "Is this your harem? Aren't we going in?" asked Stoddart "No. You'd break the ladies' hearts. We'll wait here and give 'em a chance. This is Gulbaz' temporary tem-porary field headquarters.' I've sent him a message. He'll borne or he won't If he don't we'll know the answer." "What did you tell that bloke to say to him?" "I said that Sergeant Stoddart's here with information that he'll sell for a price and wants a personal interview, in-terview, face to face, no go-betweens." go-betweens." "You've got your nerve," said Stoddart. "It'll be all over the bloody bazaar that I'm telling secrets. se-crets. Why don't you use your own name?" "We've hooked him. Here he comes," said Moses. "Keep your hair on now and sit tight. Say nothing, noth-ing, and leave it to me." I Through the door, down the alley and straight to the truck, without glancing aside, without a moment's hesitation, came a man of medium height and middle weight who walked like a young god, though he was middle-aged. He was dressed in a tight-fitting turban, white singlet and loin-cloth and a striped silk semi-European jacket. He came to the tail of the truck, gave one glance at Stoddart and stared straight at Moses. His smile changed, outwardly outward-ly only a little, but something happened hap-pened at the corners of his lips. It had changed to a fighting smile, merciless, malicious. "You're a dog," he remarked in plain English. "Fancy you giving away secrets," Moses answered. "I'm here to sell 'em for cash on the nose. Me and this Sergeant know something. It's hot. We're splitting fifty-fifty. How much?" "I will listen. You may tell your secret." "Cash on the nose," said Moses. "Money down or nothing doing." Gulbaz' smile changed again. It conveyed a suggestion of vanity beyond be-yond the utmost reach of ordinary mortals. He glanced at Stoddart then back at Moses. "Are you satisfied?" he asked. "You have recognized me? You can truly report that you have seen me in Kadur? You saw the door I came from' Very well, you may watch me return. After that you may go to the devil." "I'm staying here until my messenger mes-senger comes out into the street alive," said Moses. "I will send him to you." Gulbaz answered. "He is lucky. Luckier than you are. Wait and see Gulbaz strode back down the alley , nil entered the door. A moment fater messenger came out look- scared, as if be felt murder be-, be-, Ho ran and crawled in hinHdr the fruck Moses spoke to Z Writer tL truck started, for-because for-because the street was too nrtowrfrXdd.Stoddart ::EkrouTeek you'll thmK twii. a '""'trt as he thinks. In some yrh nea" as stupid as you. all along of his pr.de -Oh, that's easy to say du just tlk." haVe" ' ask me, you're a Uar. rarcandescendto a half breed without losing caste, we've been fair to middling friends, you and I. But if you use my name again promiscuous like that I'll knock your block off." "Fathead," said Moses. "He knows me. He doesn't know you. He came out because he was curious." cu-rious." "And he told you to go to the devil. That's all you learned." "Fathead! You mean that's all you learned. I learned that he's ready. He's red-hot ready." "Ready for what?" "To get Norwood. He's trigger-ready. trigger-ready. If he weren't, he'd be playing play-ing for time, and we'd be arguing this minute about the price o' what we'll tell him if he'll pay." "You mean he'd have bribed us?" "I do not. Gulbaz makes promises. prom-ises. And he sometimes keeps his promises, unless." "Unless what?" "Unless someone else can keep 'em for him with a long knife. He can hire that done for five rupees a head. So why pay us a thousand? Can your intellect answer that conundrum? con-undrum? Figure it out on a board when you get home." CHAPTER XVI The Maharanee was scrupulously fair. Rather than disguise her motive, mo-tive, she revealed it She stripped objections to it naked. She didn't pretend that Rundhia was a prince of virtue or a man of his word, except when it suited him, or when compelled to keep a promise. The The Maharanee believed every word she said. Maharanee believed every word she said. But she used arguments that sounded curious, even to Lynn, who was under the spell of the eastern environment. Lynn later found Rundhia standing stand-ing in moonlight in a golden turban tur-ban and European dinner clothes. As a palace door closed behind Lynn, she, too, stepped into the moonlight with her face half veiled under the sequined sari. It was she who looked oriental, dressed according accord-ing to the Maharanee's wishes. Rundhia Run-dhia looked like a western athlete, in more or less fancy dress. And he called Lynn a goddess in west-1 ern terms that any polo-playing American gallant might have used: "You look like Miss India! You almost give me religion! Pull away that curtain! Show your golden hair, and let's give all the other goddesses a sight to make them green with envy!" Lynn uncovered her head and walked beside him in silence. "I feel like a god tonight" said Rundhia. "Have you 'been drinking?" Lynn asked. "You golden-haired iconoclast! Your arrow aimed into the heart of my ballooning self-esteem! You delicious de-licious archer! I have had five cocktails. cock-tails. Do I seem drunk?" "Wbat sized cocktails?" "Measured to my mood, exactly." "Then you seem astonishingly sober. so-ber. What have you done about Captain Norwood?" "Lynn, let's forget Norwood. I want to talk to you." I can't forget him. You and I have wronged him." "Has he answered your letter?" Rundhia retorted. "No. But have you forgotten your "Didn't the Maharanee tell you? Don't trouble yourself about Norwood. Nor-wood. Forget him. Talk to me. "I wish to talk about Captain Nor- WHe has talked about you, I don't mind telling you. According to one S the palace servants, he told your aunt this afternoon that he s disgusted dis-gusted with you." -1 can believe he is d.sgusted, Lynn answered. "But I can t .mag-tae .mag-tae him saying so to Aunty, or to anyone else." "Let us talk about you," said Rundhia. Run-dhia. "Very well, what about me?" "Now you have made me speechless!" speech-less!" "Have I? Then perhaps you will listen to me." "Beloved, I will glady listen to you, in an ecstasy of patience and devotion, during -years which shall flow so fast that we'll be old before we know it!" "Did you get that from a book?" "I never read books. When I talk to you, my tongue can only stutter miserable hints of how I feeL You make me delirious. Be good enough to notice that these arms resist impulse!" im-pulse!" He extended his arms toward to-ward the moon, then dropped them to his sides. "Oh, Lynn, I love you." "Good job I don't love you," she answered. "There'd be" "A new golden age in Kadur!" Rundhia interrupted. "Lynn: philosophy, philos-ophy, religion, economics and the other muck they made me listen to at school and college left me, until you came, dry of faith in anything but evil and even evil dying! You are my first glimpse of goodness." "Don't you love the Maharanee? Isn't she good?" "Oh, yes. She is good past history. his-tory. Lynn, you are the present and the future! One straight look into your blue eyes, and I knew what hope means and the higher vision. I had never seen it, until I saw you." "Sounds good," Lynn answered. "What was in the cocktails?" "Don't joke! Lynn, I'm in love. I mean every word I'm saying to you." "I mean what I say, too," Lynn answered. "I don't love you What was that noise? In the distance. It sounded like shooting." "I didn't hear it" said Rundhia. They had reached the steps that led to the kiosk on the garden wall. It was dark in the wall's shadow. He was justified in offering his arm to guide her up the steps, but he put it around her. She could feel his vibrance. She escaped him ran up the steps ahead of him, then waited on the wall in full moonlight, facing him, unafraid. "There! Did you hear that? Wasn't that a rifle-shot, Rundhia?" "Might have been," he answered. "Not so easy to tell." "Isn't Captain Norwood's camp in that direction?" Lynn asked. "Somewhere over there, yes. Possibly Pos-sibly a jackall or a stray dog scared his sentries. Never mind Norwood. Lynn, you say you don't love me. I don't believe you." "Why not? I told you the plain truth Do you think sentries would fire at a dog?" "His would! He's crazy. Lynn, I don't believe you because you forgave for-gave what I did in the treasure room. And because when you hurt me, you were sorry. Also because you are not afraid to be alone with me now. Lynn, you don't know yourself. You're " "Do you know yourself?" she retorted. re-torted. "Don't you think it strange that they should be shooting at night?" "No. Most soldiers live in a continual con-tinual state of false alarm. Lynn, listen to me. Don't I excite you?" "You did. But I saw you, and I heard you laugh at Captain Norwood's Nor-wood's ruin." "You dislike me?" "Oh, no." "You admit I can stir your emotions?" emo-tions?" "Oh, yes. I admit that. Why tell lies about it? You're magnetic. I almost fell in love with you." "Lynn, you are thinking about East and West. That hoary old superstition! su-perstition! It lingers, they tell me, in America more tenaciously than anywhere else, though even school-books school-books nowadays admit that we and you are of the same race. Do you know how many western women have become the wives of Indian princes?" "I don't want to know. I don't care." "You are right, Lynn. Quite right. Why should you care? It is love, not what others have done, that crumbles crum-bles superstitions. Lynn, I love you. I wouldn't lie to you " "Have you done your best for Captain Cap-tain Norwood? Have you really done it? What have you done?" "Never mind. I have done it" "You swear?" "Yes." "Then I will listen. You were saying ?" Rundhia had to recover the train of his thought. He turned away from her a moment, paced the wall, and came back: "Lynn, my love for you may sound selfish. I always have been selfish, until I met you. I have no practice with words that a genuine lover should use. But I am genuine. For the first time in my life, I am unselfish. un-selfish. May I tell you will you listen if I tell you what my heart tells me?" "Yes, I will listen, Rundhia." "Will you really listen?" "Yes, Rundhia. I would rather listen, to almost anything than my own thought, at the moment" "You are feeling deserted?" "Despised!" Lynn answered. "If Captain Norwood had answered my letter" "You are lonely! So am I lonely! Lynn, diwaza kola hai! The door is open! Enter. It is that short step across the threshold that makes you hesitate. Leap!" "You mean into your arms?" "Yes." "No." "Come, Lynn!" - "No." "Lynn, you make me hate myself. my-self. Am I so unappealing to your " Suddenly he changed his voice. He sounded angry: "Are you in love with Norwood?" "I hardly know him. How could I be? I only know that I never felt dirty before in all my life. I don't like it Rundhia. And I can't forgive for-give you for having crowed over Captain Norwood's disgrace. You and I brought it on him." "Lynn, is that all that's the matter? mat-ter? If I give you my word of honor that I have solved the Norwood problem, will you listen to me?" "Have you solved it?" "If I prove to you, before midnight, mid-night, that there is no longer any problem about Norwood, will you come into my arms?" "Speak plainly, Rundhia." "I will. Lynn, face it! Norwood has no use for you. Has he answered your letter? He has not! The messenger mes-senger reported that he tore up your letter without reading it I don't know why you care a damn what happens to him. He doesn't care what happens to you. Your aunt doesn't care. She is leaving you flat." Lynn interrupted: "You say Captain Cap-tain Norwood tore up my letter? Why didn't you tell me that before?" "To save your feelings. However, you know now. That's how he feels. That's Norwood. Lynn, you are merely hesitating on that damned old superstitious crumbling platform plat-form of 'East is East and West is West,' that Kipling lied about You and I are above all that nonsense. Lynn, beloved, come into my arms now! You are lonely. So am I lonely. lone-ly. See, I am waiting for you. Come here, Lynn. Come of your own will. Be mine. Face things from the inside in-side looking outward. You shall be my wife, and I swear by my love for you, that Norwood " "Oh, that's only a promise," Lynn interrupted. "I won't believe you about Captain Norwood, until you prove it." (TO BE CONTINUED) |