The bedroom shared by Glyn Severn and Singh was one of a series, small
and particularly comfortable, in the new annexe the Doctor had built
expressly for lecture-room and dormitories when his establishment began
to increase.
The comfortably furnished room just sufficed for two narrow beds and the
customary furniture; and as soon as the two lads had entered, Singh
hurried to his chest of drawers, unlocked one, took out a second bunch
of keys to that he carried in his pocket, and was then crossing to a
sea-going portmanteau standing in one corner, when Glyn, who was looking
very thoughtful and abstracted, followed, and as Singh knelt down and
threw open the travelling-case, laid his hand upon the lad's shoulder.
"What are you going to do?" he said shortly. "Only look out two or
three things that there's not room for in the drawer."
"What for?"
"Why, to dress for the procession."
"Stuff and nonsense! You are quite right as you are," cried Glyn
half-mockingly. "You must learn to remember that you are in England,
where nobody dresses up except soldiers. Why, what were you going to
do?"
"I was going to put on a white suit and belt."
"Nonsense!" cried Glyn. "This isn't India, but Devonshire. Why, if you
were to come down dressed like that the boys would all laugh at you, and
the crowd out in the road shout and cheer."
"Well, of course," said Singh; "they'd see I was a prince."
"Oh, what a rum fellow you are!" cried Glyn, gripping his companion's
shoulders and laughingly shaking him to and fro. "I thought that I had
made you understand that now we are over here you were to dress just the
same as an English boy. Why, don't you know that when we had a king in
England he used to dress just like any ordinary gentleman, only
sometimes he would wear a star on his breast."
"Oh, but surely," began Singh, in a disappointed tone, "he must have--"
"Yes, yes, yes; sometimes," cried Glyn. "I know what you mean. On
state occasions, or when he went to review troops, he would wear grand
robes or a field-marshal's uniform."
"But didn't he wear his crown?"
"No," cried Glyn, bursting out laughing. "That's only put on for a
little while when he's made king."
"What does he do with it, then, at other times?"
"Nothing," cried Glyn merrily. "It's kept shut up in a glass case at
the Tower, for people to go and see."
"England seems a queer place," said Singh quietly.
"Very," cried Glyn drily. "You never want those Indian clothes, and you
ought to have done as I told you--left them behind."
"But the Colonel didn't say so," replied the boy warmly. "He said that
some day he might take me with him to Court. It was when I asked him
for the emeralds."
"What do you mean--the belt?" said Glyn quickly.
"Yes."
"You never told me that you had got them."
"No; the Colonel said that I was not to make a fuss about them nor show
them to people, but keep them locked up in the case. Here they are,"
cried the boy; and, thrusting down one hand, he drew from beneath some
folded garments a small flat scarlet morocco case, which he opened by
pressing a spring, and drew out from where it lay neatly doubled, a
gold-embroidered waistbelt of some soft yellow leather, whose fastening
was formed of a gold clasp covered by a large flat emerald, two others
of similar shape being arranged so that when the belt was fastened round
the waist they lay on either side. It was a magnificent piece of
ornamentation, but barbaric, and such as would be worn by an Indian
prince.
Apparently it was of great value, for the largest glittering green stone
was fully two inches in length and an inch and a half wide, the others
being about half the size, and all three engraved with lines of large
Arabic characters, so that either stone could have been utilised as a
gigantic seal.
"I don't see why one shouldn't wear a thing like this," said Singh. "My
father always used to wear it out at home wherever he went, even when he
wore nothing else but a long white muslin robe. On grand Court days he
would be covered with jewels, and his turban was full of diamonds."
"Yes," said Glyn drily and with a half-contemptuous smile upon his lips;
"but that was in India, where all the rajahs and princes wear such
things."
"Well," said the boy proudly, "I am still a maharajah, even if I have
come to England to be educated; so why shouldn't I put on a belt like
this on a grand day if I like?"
Glyn took the brilliant belt from his companion's hand and held it
towards the light, inspecting curiously the beautiful gems, which were
of a lustrous green marked with flaws.
"Ah," he said, "it looks nice, and is worth a lot of money I suppose."
"Of course," said the young Indian; and he added haughtily, "I shouldn't
wear it if it were not."
"Well, you can't wear it," said Glyn, passing the embroidered leather
through his hands and turning it over in the bright sunlight which came
through the window.
"But why?" cried Singh, frowning slightly at having his will challenged.
"Well," said Glyn, "first of all, as I told you, because the boys would
laugh at you."
"They dare not," cried the boy proudly.
"What!" cried Glyn laughing. "Why, English boys dare do anything. What
did Slegge say this morning?"
"Slegge is what you call a blackguard," cried Singh angrily.
"Well, he isn't nice certainly," said Glyn; "but he'd begin at you again
directly, and chaff, and say that you ought to ride on the elephant."
"Well," said the boy, "and that would be my place if there were a
howdah. Of course I shouldn't ride on the great brute's neck."
"Yes, in India; but can't you recollect that you are still in England?"
"Of course I can," cried the boy, with flashing eyes; "but I can't
forget that I am a prince."
"Now, look here," said Glyn, "what did dad say to you when the Doctor
left us with him in the drawing-room? I mean before father went away.
Have you forgotten?"
"Of course not. He said, `Never mind about being a prince. Be content
with the rank of an English gentleman till you go back to your own
country.' And that's what I am going to do."
"Well done," cried Glyn merrily. "Then, now, put this thing away; you
don't want it. But stop a moment. I never had a close look at it
before."
"No; the Colonel told me to keep it locked up and not to go showing it
about so as to tempt some _budmash_ to steal it."
"Well, we haven't got any _budmashes_ in England," said Glyn merrily, as
he began to inspect the emeralds again and took out his handkerchief to
rub off a finger-mark or two and make the gems send off scintillations
of sunlight which formed jack-o'-lanterns on the ceiling. "But we have
plenty of blackguards who would like to get a chance to carry it off."
"What, among our schoolfellows?" cried Singh hastily.
"Bah! No! There, put it away. But I should like to know what that
writing means."
"It's out of the Koran," said the boy as he took the jewelled belt back
reverently and held it up to the light in turn. "It's very, very old,
and means greatness to my family. It is a holy relic, and the
Maharajahs of Dour have worn that in turn for hundreds of years."
"Well, you put it away," said Glyn; "and I wouldn't show it to anybody
again, nor yet talk about it. I wonder the dad let you have it."
"Why?" said Singh proudly. "It is mine."
"Yes, of course; but it is not suited for a boy like you."
"A boy like me!" cried Singh half--angrily. "Why, I am as old as you."
"Well, I know that; but my father doesn't give me emeralds and diamonds
to take with me to school. He could, though, if he liked, for he's got
all those beautiful Indian jewels the Maharajah gave him."
"Yes," said Singh, "and that diamond--hilted tulwar."
"Yes, that's a grand sword," cried Glyn, with his eyes sparkling. "I
should like to have that."
Singh laughed mockingly.
"Why, you are as bad as I am," he cried.
"That I am not! Why, if I had it, do you think I should buckle it on to
go and see a country wild-beast show?"
"Well, no, I don't suppose you would," said Singh quietly, as he gravely
replaced the emeralds in their receptacle and curled the belt around
them before shutting down the velvet-lined and quilted cover with a loud
snap. "But some day, when we have both grown older, and we are back in
India--I mean when I am at home in state and you are one of my
officers--you will have to get the Colonel to let you wear it then."
"Ah," said Glyn, slowly and thoughtfully, "some day; but that's a long
time off. I suppose I shall be a soldier like the dad is, and in your
army."
"Why, of course," cried Singh. "You will be my greatest general, just
the same as your father was when mine was alive. He was always a great
general there, though he was only colonel in the Company's army. There,
I suppose you are right. I like to look at that belt, but I won't show
it about; but I say, Glyn, I shall be glad when we get older and have
both begun learning to be--no, what do you call it?--not learning--I
mean, being taught to be soldiers."
"Training," said Glyn.
"Yes, training--that's it; and we shall go together to that place where
your father was, not far from London. You know--the place he used to
talk to us about, where he was trained before he came out to India."
"Addiscombe," said Glyn quietly, as he stood watching his companion
thrust the case back into the bottom of the portmanteau and rearrange
the garments he had moved, while his hand lingered for a few moments
about a soft white robe, which he covered over with a sigh before
closing the lid and turning the key of the great leather case.
"Yes," he said, "Addiscombe. What stories he used to tell us about the
young officers there! What did he call them? I forget."
"Cadets," said Glyn thoughtfully.
"That's it. I wish I didn't forget so many of those English words;
but," continued the boy, "I liked it best when he told us about the
battles out at home, when all the chiefs around were fighting against my
father the Maharajah, so as to slay him and divide his possessions. You
know, my father has talked about it to me as well--how he was so nearly
beaten and weakened, and so many of his bravest officers killed, that it
made him apply to the great Company for help, and they sent your father.
Oh, what a brave man he was!"
"Who said that?" cried Glyn, flushing up.
"My father the Maharajah. He said so to me many times, and that he was
his best and truest friend. Oh yes, I used to like to hear about it
all, and he used to tell me that the Colonel would always be my truest
friend as well, and that I was to love him and obey him, and always
believe that what he told me to do was right. And I always do."
"Of course you do," said Glyn flushing. "Yes, Singh, he is some one to
be proud of, isn't he? But I am like you; I don't much like coming to
this school, though the Doctor is very nice and kind to us both."
"Yes, I like him better than the masters," said Singh; "but I don't like
the boys, and I don't think they like me."
"Oh, wait a bit," said Glyn. "It's because everything seems so
different to being in India; but, as father says, there is such a lot
one ought to learn, and we shall get used to it by-and-by; only, I say,
you know what the dad said?"
"You mean about trying to be an English gentle man and leaving the
maharajah till I get back home?"
"Yes, that's it," cried Glyn eagerly.
"Yes; but it's hard work, for everything is so different here, and the
boys are not like you."
"Oh yes, they are," cried Glyn merrily; "just the same. Here, come on;
let's go down and see whether Wrench has put up those forms by the wall.
We want to see the show."
"Yes," cried Singh. "It puts one in mind of Dour again, and I have been
thinking that we don't get on with the other boys through me."
"What do you mean with your `through me'?" said Glyn.
"Well, I don't quite know. It's because I am an Indian, I suppose; and
when they talk to me as they do, and bully me, as you call it, it makes
my heart feel hot and as if I should like to do something strange. But
I am going to try. And look here, Glyn," said the lad very seriously,
"I shall begin at once."
"Begin what?"
"Trying to make them like me. I shall make friends with that big fellow
Slegge, and bear it all, and if he goes on again like he did this
morning I have quite made up my mind I won't fight."
"Oh," said Glyn drily. "Well, come on down the grounds now. We shall
see."