Show AM A M FA IU E T BY TALBOT MUNDY 0 0 0 0 TALBOT MUNDY SERVICE CHAPTER XII continued 12 lynn stared do you think I 1 could persuade to try to prove captain No innocence but lynn dear if captain norwood has been guilty of taking a bribe lynn interrupted 1 I dont believe captain norwood is guilty but what do you know about him dear what do you know about me how do you know im not a criminal lynn dear even if captain norwood could be guilty of an ungentlemanly mean thing like taking a bribe it was I 1 who betrayed him and I 1 want nim to know it if he guilty the door opened suddenly run d hia entered followed by an attend 1 a ant nt in the maharajahs Mahara jahs livery yes said the that man can be trusted lynn de dear ar I 1 will give him both your letters he will find captain norwood even if he has to hunt all over kadur she gave the man emphatic orders in in his own language told him to go at once watched him along the corridor and led lynn through the brass gate to the quarters waited standing when he heard the messengers footfall returning along the corridor he opened the door admitted him closed the door held out his hand received both letters glanced at them and returned to the messenger the one that was addressed to mrs harding deliver that one after that keep out of sight for an hour then return and say that you have delivered the other letter to captain norwood go opened the letter that was addressed to norwood he smiled there was no heading your unkindness about what you saw this morning does not make me wish to hurt you in return there is something I 1 wish to tell you it is important I 1 hate myself for something that I 1 said unintentionally under great strain I 1 can explain it wont you see me lynn CHAPTER XIII the bengali doctor entered run chias suite at the palace with the air of a crook who is afraid of a master crook he assumed an air of self importance that he feel of confidence that exist he wait for to tell him to be seated and he began to speak in bengali interrupted him you may discontinue dosing mrs harding miss lynn harding has accepted an invitation to remain here at the palace so the sooner the aunt clears out of kadur the better let her get well she has refused medicine I 1 had to put it on her breakfast food and now she wont eat she will recover quickly enough there is nothing much the matter with h her er I 1 am relieved I 1 do not like to do such things to western people could you get at captain norwood no s 1 I think better last night at supper norwood watched your clumsy byplay by play when you ga gave ve that pellet to mrs harding the way you switched the pellets clever norwood suspects you captain norwood is himself under suspicion the bengali answered he stands accused does he not of having accepted a bribe you told me to say so to mrs harding and I 1 did yes I 1 was coming to that interrupted 1 I thought the news might influence her to keep norwood away now look here officers caught taking bribes especially if popular and well connected very often commit suicide No suicide would be appropriate convenient and in the circumstances not suspicious how do we go about it we donti the bengali answered without a seconds hesitation stared at him scornfully well he remarked at last 1 I it t might be dangerous to do you and I 1 must be careful the bengali folded his hands across his stomach very careful things be traced back to us said Rund hia there is nothing so far that can be traced back to me but I 1 have the goods on you and by god if you dont do what I 1 tell you youre in trouble fear looked forth from the ben galis eyes but he said nothing he crossed his knees and waited 1 norwood has got to be killed s said aid Rund hia ile he is in love with miss lynn harding ile he hates me he is suspicious by nature he is on the defensive and he is the type of person whose idea of self defense is to attack with every scrap of energy he has that kind of person is much too dangerous you and 1 I rant cant afford to let him live if we can blame his death on the priests wat could be made to hold water the priests bribed him by this time they probably know that the news of the bribe is out it would be natural for them to murder norwood to stop his mouth well why not let them why not leave it to them the bengali retorted because they wont do it you fool did you ever know a priest to do a thing at the right time to suit someone else it will have to be done for them now heres the idea they keep a hospice where mendi cants may live as long as they please for no payment there are three men in that hospice who would kill their mothers and anyone else for an ounce of opium for two ounces they would murder ten children apiece you know my man gulban Gul baz too well some day that bad mash will turn on you smiled long before that dear doctor he shall swallow one of your prescriptions prescription sl summon gulban give him money I 1 will il oa 03 no he ask me to promise give you three hundred rupees and you may keep the change ten tell gulban he is to hire those three men to assassinate norwood tonight I 1 dont care how they do it and I 1 hope they get caught they have been living for months in the temple hospice everyone will believe they are in the pay of the priests do you understand 1 I understand you I 1 wont do it I 1 have done what I 1 have done because you knew of former eions for which you could have betrayed me to the law and I 1 will do what I 1 will do because I 1 need the money there it ends I 1 wish you keep me waiting I 1 am becoming nervous I 1 have drugged his medicine until he needs it five times daily now he is demanding one at bedtime why wait are you sure of the poison quite sure it is the same that I 1 gave you to test on the monkey that you packed in ice and sent to delhi to be autopsied it is a vegetable poison it escapes anal analysis ass by all known methods it is one of five poisons that baffle analysis once it has become absorbed by the blood they will find in your uncles stomach if they look some traces of marijuana which it can be proved that he himself bought and which I 1 added to his tonic at his own written request I 1 advise you to act quickly is nodded if you will attend to the killing of norwood I 1 will let you do the other job tonight but I 1 want norwood out of the way there was a chill at lynns heart As she walked beside the into the room that was called ca 11 ed the boudoir but retained the sumptuous old fashioned splendors of a royal bibi kana she felt more self critical than ever before in her life not even aunty aulty hardings cruelest crudest accusations had made her feel as guilty and as impotent to undo wrong lynn darling why are you si silent I 1 can almost always count on you for chatter when I 1 feel despondent did you ever betray anyone let us sit here by the window said the tell me how it feels perhaps I 1 can help you to feel differently you have helped me in so many ways there is a law of compensation perhaps comes now my opportunity to do for you what you have done for me 1 I hate myself lynn answered you cant change that I 1 dont want it changed it if I 1 hate myself for what ive done I 1 be fit to live the dreadful part is that I 1 cant undo what I 1 did oh my god she put heil her head between her hands I 1 mean to do it it if I 1 could cut out my tongue but I 1 said it I 1 cant unsay it lynn darling did you promise captain norwood not to speak about those diamonds no he ask me to promise he took it for granted that I 1 mention what any idiot could guess he wanted me to see captain norwood saw me kissing Rund hia I 1 know he did did he say so of course he and of course he wont mention it ever to anyone else the man is a gentle than khan I 1 dont want him to despise me yet it bother me if P did perhaps you dont yet understand Rund hia oh yes I 1 do is a beautiful savage darling did you ask him not to tell 1 I made it quite clear I 1 was sorry ahad I 1 had told him well you must remember that you told him something that concerns th the eState state of kadur you uncovered to him the existence of a bribe that might have changed the destiny of kadur by legalizing the priests possession of the diamond mine I 1 told you much about the diamond mine it is supposed to be a secret do you call it a betrayal that I 1 have mentioned it to you dont worry I 1 wont tell 1 lynn answered 1 I never want to hear diamonds mentioned again how long will it take that messenger to reach captain norwood that depends on where captain norwood is the messenger will have to look for him he has gone on horseback I 1 ordered him not to spare the horse it might take him half an hour an hour 1 I cant wait for an answerl answer I 1 wish I 1 had gone in search of him myself I 1 any pride left his career will be ruined wont it but darling he deserves to be ruined it if he accepts bribes and if he is innocent he can prove it do you believe that I 1 can easily doubt it lynn answered 1 I have never once been able to prove my innocence against aunts accusations not one single once not one time ever to this minute she lei ieves everything she has ever said against me then suddenly what is doing 1 I dont know does he like to be despised lynn dear if you should despise him I 1 dont know what might happen loves you does he you think so tell him I 1 despise himl him and I 1 will until he proves to me that he has done his absolute utmost best to undo the cowardly wrong he has done to captain norwood lynn dear wont you please tell him I 1 mean it he might believe you the sighed she left lynn and walked out of the room to find Rund hia lynn was seated in the armchair by the window staring at an illustrated magazine when the came beck darling has promised what did he promise to do what can he do 1 I mean that captain norwood can be cleared of the charge of bribery the answered however made a condition dear tell me dont prepare me for it I 1 can take it without our pretending its something else very well said the let us be quite frank with each other loves you so says Rund hia and I 1 love you 1 I can believe that lynn answered why else should you be so kind I 1 influence or money you have personality the ma harance answered you have imagination agi nation and spirit you can redeem Rund hia so that when the day comes that he shall be maha rajah of kadur he will be a great man will do anything for you anything your influence wil wid persuade him to do good things ot of that I 1 am sure even now having known you only one day for your sake he is willing to save captain norwood but he makes conditions cant he tell them to me he has gone in search of that creature gulban has taken it for granted that you will accept the conditions since he has accepted as a command your wish that he should help captain norwood lynn almost lost her temper she retorted 1 I was treacherous so was Rund hia I 1 dont believe captin captain norwood has been I 1 wont believe it until they prove it I 1 the returned to her subject Rund hia insists that you tell captain norwood whose influence it was that saved him he demands and I 1 think that is fair it cant afford to be compromised he demands that if captain norwood should characteristically force his way into your presence you will not answer nor woods questions but I 1 have asked captain norwood to come and see me the Mahar anees sympathy looked genuine lynn doubt it lynn dear thinks that captain norwood probably believes you told about the diamonds because you knew that captain norwood was embarrassed by your having seen them and you wished to punish him for remarks he had made in the garden last night run adhia thinks that perhaps captain norwood wont answer your letter lynn was silent for a long time thinking the watched her reading on lynns face the course of the struggle between pride humiliation anger and some other western emotion that not even lynn could have put into words it was too simple too elementary it escaped analysis at last lynn spoke 1 I promise I 1 wont tell captain norwood that is helping him but will do it for you he will do anything the answered CHAPTER XIV norwood sat in his tent and checked darts survey figures figure found a couple of mistakes corrected them admonished stoddart and gave the sergeant instructions for the following day nervously he walked the distance between the horse line and his tent after the third of his facings to and fro he sat at the table in his tent and wrote a letter to lynn harding tore it up and made several more attempts he tore up the last one gathered all the scraps of paper into one heap carried them to a cook fire and burned the lot he returned to his tent scraped out a pipe wrote another letter to lynn harding and tore up that one it was getting on toward dark the kadur river was a splurge of crimson he heard the hoof beats of OLe arys horse at about the hour when he had first seen lynn harding in the Mahar anees carriage No servant came and lighted the lamp in the tent TO BE CONTINUED |