IN SLIPPERY PLACES.
Owing to the combined influence of Charteris's strong hand, Gerrard's
lavish promises to the army, and what Colonel Antony chose to style the
"moderation" of Sher Singh, the succession of Kharrak Singh to his
father's throne was effected without general bloodshed. The city was
evidently seething with all the possibilities of revolt when the
funeral procession entered and passed through the streets, but the army
was staunch for the moment--apparently from a sportsmanlike readiness
to allow Gerrard to redeem his promises if he could--and one or two
attempts at disturbance were ruthlessly put down. The women and the
corpse of Partab Singh were got safely into the palace, and Sher Singh,
who would have liked to edge in under cover of the confusion,
dexterously excluded. The walls were garrisoned by the loyal guard,
the disappointed Sher Singh quartering himself with his followers in
the house of a reluctant Armenian near at hand, and Gerrard and
Charteris spent an arduous night in getting up from the secret treasury
an amount sufficient to fulfil their obligations. The heads of the
goldsmiths' guild had been warned to be in attendance early in the
morning, and they came with a mixture of surly defiance and ostentation
of poverty that showed they expected Gerrard's financial expedient to
take the form of obtaining a forced loan from them. The sight of the
gold ingots softened them wonderfully, and though it would not have
been human nature had they failed to exact an exorbitant rate of
exchange for their silver, both sides parted well pleased, the
money-changers only grieving that they could not discover whether this
transaction was a final one, or merely a prelude to further business of
the same sort.
The military arrangements for the funeral were made by Gerrard and
Charteris, who were quite aware that they and their men, in the
character of sympathetic spectators, were in as great danger as Kharrak
Singh himself. The army must be entrusted with the duty of keeping the
ground, since it was necessary for the guard, with the exception of a
small detachment, to remain at the palace and garrison it in case of a
surprise attack, and had the army been ill-disposed, it could have
swept away both claimants and the small Ranjitgarh force with a single
volley. But the army remained unmoved, and Sher Singh walked behind
Kharrak Singh as mourner, and guided his hand when he set light to the
great pyre of sandalwood dripping with costly perfumes. It was the
first time that the body of a Rajah of Agpur had been burnt without the
accompanying self-immolation of a number of his women, and troops and
Brahmins were alike displeased, while the mob surging outside the lines
enlivened the ceremony with taunts and maledictions. The troops made
various raids into the crowd to punish the most outspoken of the
dissentients, and this may have served to assure the people that there
would be no change in the drastic methods of Partab Singh. At any
rate, when the dead man's two sons had watched the pyre burn down into
ashes, had performed the ceremonies of purification and were
returning--on separate elephants, for the Rani had insisted on this--to
the square before the palace for the proclamation of the new Rajah, the
mob acclaimed Kharrak Singh with ardour.
There was some approach to a riot when Partab Singh's will was made
known, appointing the Rani Gulab Kur regent for her son Kharrak Singh,
and begging Gerrard to undertake the office of protector to both, and
loud cries were raised for Sher Singh; but when it was announced that
Sher Singh had consented to refer the question of his appointment as
joint-regent to the arbitration of the Ranjitgarh Durbar, the popular
wrath was turned against him also. Both he and the Rani were equally
committed to what the Agpuris considered a traitorous and unpatriotic
reliance on Ranjitgarh and the English, and the stern unbending
advocates of independence were for getting rid of both. But at present
the executive power lay in the hands of the army, and the army was
being placated with gifts of rupees to the rank and file, and of
jewellery, swords, shawls, and robes of honour to the officers. The
army thereupon decided that the promises made in Kharrak Singh's name
had been kept, and that it would be worth waiting to see if he had more
largess to distribute before turning against him. The local Durbar,
seeing the course things were taking, adapted itself to circumstances
with great readiness, and paid its respects to the Rani Gulab Kur
through her curtain, having purged itself of the irreconcilables who
demanded an instant massacre and an open defiance of the English and of
their allies at Ranjitgarh.
No sooner was this peaceful settlement reached, than Gerrard received
peremptory orders to leave Charteris in charge at Agpur, and present
himself at Ranjitgarh, with all documents and witnesses bearing on the
case, that Sher Singh's claim and Partab Singh's testamentary
dispositions might be inquired into. If he had been a little inclined
to plume himself on the success he and Charteris had achieved, he was
now to meet with a wholesome corrective, for Colonel Antony was much
displeased with him, and showed it plainly. He had added infinitely to
the already overwhelming cares of the Resident at Ranjitgarh, and had
brought into close political union with the British power a province
which would have been much better left to itself. He should have drawn
back at once when Partab Singh showed signs of wishing to cultivate his
personal rather than his political friendship, and left the rival heirs
to settle things between themselves, instead of allowing himself to be
made the tool of an ambitious woman and a doating old man.
So convinced was Colonel Antony of the righteousness of Sher Singh's
cause that for once he overbore the opposition of his Durbar. The
Durbar considered that Partab Singh's recorded disinheritance of his
elder son, and the presumed reasons for it, which were known by hearsay
to every story-teller in Granthistan, were sufficient to bar his
recognition as regent and heir presumptive; but Colonel Antony thought
that the secrecy with which the Prince had been condemned, and the
absence of any documentary evidence, rendered it extremely probable
that his father had been misled by false information, and condemned him
unheard and innocent. Therefore the unwilling Durbar were impelled in
the way which they were reluctant to take of their own accord, and Mr
James Antony was despatched to Ranjitgarh to interview the Rani through
the curtain, and inform her that she was thenceforth to regard her
stepson as her coadjutor in the work of government. The envoy expected
tears and lamentations, and pathetic attempts to induce the Resident to
alter his decision, but the Rajput lady fought with other than women's
weapons. In clear cold tones she issued her ultimatum. Sher Singh was
to be absolutely debarred access to the palace, and was to make no
attempt to communicate with her otherwise than by messenger, and
Gerrard was to be appointed Resident at Agpur, with quarters in the
fort, and the special task of watching over the safety of Kharrak
Singh. Otherwise the Rani would poison herself and her son and every
soul in the zenana, and then set fire to the building, that the ashes
might remain for ever as a monument to the perfidy of the English.
James Antony tried reasoning and threats, but in vain. The only answer
to his remonstrances was an intimation from the Rani that she declined
to receive him again until he had referred the matter to Ranjitgarh and
could bring her a definite answer. Not, perhaps, wholly unwilling to
demonstrate the ill success of his brother's theories, he did as she
desired, recommending that Gerrard should become acting-Resident, with
the duty of keeping the peace between the two Regents, and serving as a
means of communication between them. Colonel Antony was very angry,
but Gerrard was so obviously the only possible person for such a post,
in view of the confidence reposed in him by Partab Singh, that he gave
way, telling him, as Charteris had done before, that the difficulties
of the position would in all probability make it more of a punishment
than promotion. With this cheering prophecy in his ears Gerrard
departed for Agpur, and Charteris, riding out to meet him, saw at once
that he was in low spirits. He gave no hint of his discovery, however,
until the state entry into the city and the first formal visits were
over, and the two were left to themselves at the Residency, which
Charteris had employed the interval in fortifying, according to a plan
drawn out by Gerrard before he left, so that it formed a kind of minor
citadel inside the great palace enclosure. They were sitting on the
broad verandah, with its tiled roof supported by solid pillars of
masonry, which had served as frame to one of Gerrard's pictures of
imaginary bliss, when Charteris broke the silence.
"Well, you are in the blues, my boy, and no mistake! What's the
meaning of it? Here are you just returned from the giddy haunts of
society and fashion, with a face as long as one of Padri Jardine's
sermons, while I, who have seen no European countenance for a month but
the rough-hewn phiz of our Mr James, am as cheerful as a cricket."
"Result of having got what I wanted, I suppose Antony would say. Did
you indulge a sneaking hope of gaining a little credit on the score of
our exploits here, Bob?"
"Hardly. There's a prejudice nowadays against subalterns annexing
empires without orders, you know. Precious silly, of course, but one
must take it into account."
"Well, I might have been an escaped convict from Botany Bay, by the way
Antony jawed me. And other people took their tone from him, naturally,
except---- By the way, I dined at the Cinnamonds' one night."
"And was our bright particular star visible?"
"She was. So was a young cub of a civilian--just gone into stick-ups,
I should imagine."
"Dangerous?"
"I think not. Merely having his mind and morals improved, if I am any
judge."
"Ah, we know all about that, don't we, old boy? Not that any beggarly
civilian is going to join this noble fellowship, is he? The more he
keeps his distance the better we shall be pleased. And the lady of our
mutual adoration----?"
"She barely spoke to me. At least"--with an effort--"she did ask
whether I sent to request your help or whether you came of your own
accord. Of course I told her it was that."
"And then?"
"She said it was just what she would have expected of you."
Charteris burst into a roar of laughter. "Oh, poor old beggar! and he
ain't jealous, not a bit! Never mind, Hal; when you have pulled me out
of a hole, I shall have to praise you up to her, and won't it go
against the grain! Ray-ther--just a few! But has the fair lady lent
an ear to slander? You don't think she can have heard anything about
the Rani?" cautiously.
"What do you know about the Rani?" cried Gerrard furiously.
"Simply that James Antony thought fit to tell me it had struck him that
it would be very convenient for the transaction of public business, and
very much for the safety of Kharrak Singh, if you or I married the
lady. You were the favourite, as in a way marked out by her husband's
will. One of our Mr James's witticisms, of course, and in vile taste,
as usual."
"His taste is his own affair; what I mind are his abominable practical
jokes. Do you know that he said this same thing to the Colonel, but
put it as though I had approved, or even proposed, the arrangement?"
"The Colonel is a little apt to jump to conclusions, when they involve
the depravity of other people," suggested Charteris. "It's just
possible that he misunderstood his brother."
"Then I wish to goodness they would adopt some means of communication
that left no room for misunderstanding. There Antony sent for me, and
reviled me as if I had been a criminal of the deepest dye; said that
Granthistan would stink in the nostrils of all India if these marriages
with native women continued, and threatened to send me back to Bengal
unless I gave up all thoughts of it at once."
"Alas, poor Hal! And what did you do?"
"Told him that I had got pretty well accustomed by this time to be
reprimanded for everything I did, but when it came to being jawed for
things I had no thought of doing, and wouldn't do for all the wealth of
Delhi, I was hanged if I would stand it. Then I handed in my
resignation on the spot."
"And what did he do?"
"Begged my pardon, like a man and a gentleman and a Christian as he is,
dear old fellow! Asked me as a favour to withdraw my resignation, and
shook hands."
"Well, you have got on his soft side, and no mistake! But what had
riled him? Who were your predecessors in iniquity?"
"Oh, you haven't heard. Remember Horry Arbuthnot, big dashing fellow
in the Cavalry? He has been and gone and married the daughter of old
Murid-ud-din of Bala."
"You don't say so! How on earth did he manage it?"
"Why, he was sent up to help Tika Singh in pacifying the hill
tracts--or rather, to keep him from perpetrating a massacre and calling
it pacification--and Murid-ud-din's widow and family had taken refuge
there. I don't know how the trick was done, but I daresay Tika Singh
had a finger in the pie. He had taken a fancy to Arbuthnot, and may
have wished to get a hold over him--at any rate, the bold Horace made
definite proposals. Then the thing came to Antony's ears--Tika Singh
may have had a hand in that too--and the fat was in the fire. He sent
up orders--to Tika Singh, mind you--to send Arbuthnot down under arrest
forthwith, and so nip his matrimonial project in the bud. Now it so
happened--the course of true love running smooth for once--that
Antony's letter reached Tika Singh on the eve of a great festival, and
of course he couldn't possibly open it. But he took a squint inside,
or the messenger told him the drift of it, or something, and by some
most regrettable leakage the contents got to Arbuthnot's ears. The
fellow is like you, Bob; he don't let the grass grow under his feet.
He married the lady that night by Mohammedan rites under the auspices
of her mother, who was highly in favour of the match, and they set off
post-haste for Gajnipur. Another remarkable coincidence--only the day
before Tika Singh had given Arbuthnot a duplicate of his own signet,
which would carry him anywhere in Bala. Antony's orders had been
confidential, so that they got to Gajnipur and were married by the
Padri there before the truth got out."
"I don't envy that Padri," said Charteris.
"Nor I. Antony would have declared himself Pope of Granthistan if that
would have enabled him to invalidate the marriage, but the younger
Begum is indubitably Mrs Arbuthnot, and means to remain so. So Antony
has packed them both back to the hill tracts, with the intimation that
Arbuthnot may consider himself permanently relegated to the society of
his new relations and his kind friend Tika Singh."
"Which means utter and absolute ruin, of course. Well, I call it
uncommon hard."
"I don't know. Suppose Antony had written, 'Return to your sorrowing
chief, and all shall be forgiven,' and done the heavy father business
when they turned up, and set both Mrs Antonys and Lady Cinnamond to
call on the Begum Arbuthnot, what would it have been but an
encouragement to other fellows to go and do likewise?"
"Will the fellow find it worth it, I wonder? Funny thing what a
difference a woman can make in a man's life."
Gerrard assented with almost a groan. "She plays the very mischief
sometimes. Bob, I can't help thinking that perhaps you were right when
you suggested we had better agree to give up all thoughts of her, both
of us."
The light-brown eyes, which gave a peculiar character to Charteris's
red-tanned face, flamed suddenly. "I suggest such a thing?" he cried.
"Hal, you are mad. What I said was that I would never, under any
circumstances, enter into such an agreement. Give up if you like. I
go on until I die or she marries me."
"Or me," said Gerrard, laughing mirthlessly.
Charteris struck his hand upon the table. "Are you trying to provoke
me, Hal? I have stood a good deal from you, but there are limits.
What's come over you?"
"Oh, forebodings--presentiments, that's all."
"You always were a superstitious sort of chap."
Charteris's passion had faded. "Had this sort of thing before?"
"Oh yes, often."
"And the presentiments always came true?"
"No-o, not always."
"I should think not!" shouted Charteris, with a mighty burst of
laughter. "Never was anything like the presentiments I had before
going into action the first time, and now I remember it, you were
pretty much the same, but we both came out without a scratch. Cheer
up, old boy. Who would think it was you that gave Sher Singh the lie
to his face, and started calmly to march to certain death? Here, let
me mix you a peg. I looks towards you, sir."
"I likewise bows," said Gerrard, with a perfunctory smile. "You don't
think me altogether a coward, Bob? There is something evil about the
atmosphere of this place. I felt it as I rode in at the gateway."
"I should recommend the estimable Moraes and a blue-pill," said
Charteris, yawning. "Coward? nonsense! an overworked conscience
sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought is more your number. And
now, as I march at a commendably early hour in the morning----"
"I wish you were staying on with me, Bob."
"Oh no, you don't. Think of the evil atmosphere of the place getting
hold of me too. Why, we should sit in corners and grind our teeth at
one another. You forget the healthy rivalry between us. No, no, you
will do bear-leader to the youngster, and keep Sher Singh and the Rani
from scratching each other's eyes out, and I'll knock down some more
robber castles in Darwan, and demand your help when I stir up a more
vicious hornets' nest than ordinary. By the bye, when there was mortar
and all kinds of mess about, I took the opportunity of bringing up a
little more gold from the treasury--ten thousand rupees' worth or so,
as nearly as I could guess--and building it into this wall here," he
indicated the parapet of the terrace with his cheroot. "It is behind
this bluish stone. You may be glad of it in an emergency."
"You think of everything, old boy. Sorry I haven't been a jollier
companion to-night."
They parted the next morning, Charteris riding out to take up again the
nomadic life and open-air work that he loved, while Gerrard remained to
begin his irksome task of trying to induce the Regents, the Durbar, the
army and the citizens to lay aside their differences and aim at the
common good. The Rani's one idea was to safeguard her son's position
by securing the loyalty of the army at all costs. The faintest sign of
discontent among the troops threw her into a frenzy of terror, and
brought orders for the instant granting of all demands and a
distribution of rupees. As a natural result, the army speedily
dominated the whole city, and kept the rest of the inhabitants in
subjection, secure of the Rani's favour. The Durbar, composed largely
of Partab Singh's old councillors, lifted up voices of protest and
lamentation when there were no soldiers about, but maintained a
discreet silence in their hearing. Which side Sher Singh took, Gerrard
found it difficult to discover. He complained bitterly in private of
the arrogance of the army, the supineness of the Durbar, and the
unreasonable behaviour of his co-Regent, but he seemed not to be making
any attempt to form a party of his own, that might work towards a
healthier state of things. Gerrard himself was the butt for every
one's ill-humour. The Rani and the troops alike execrated him when he
declined to give his sanction to the distribution of a largess demanded
without even a shadow of pretext, and Sher Singh and the Durbar sighed
reproachfully over his inability to keep the army in its proper place.
The one spot of light in the gloom was the behaviour of little Kharrak
Singh, who proclaimed and exercised his royal will in the matter of
seeking the society of Jirad Sahib. That the Rani was intensely
jealous of his influence Gerrard perceived by many indications, but she
could not refuse to be guided by the directions left by her husband,
and she was at any rate assured of the boy's safety while he was with
him. Surrounded by a small army of guards, they would ride through the
muttering streets out into the open country, and there cast off for a
few delightful hours the restraints of state. But this happened very
seldom, and Kharrak Singh was generally to be found on the Residency
verandah, where Gerrard, immersed in business, had to answer his
unceasing questions, instil such rudiments of useful information as he
could, and generally endeavour to prepare the child for the great
future before him. It was clear that the native tutors had no control
whatever over their illustrious pupil, and every creature in and about
the zenana was his submissive slave, so that Gerrard became seriously
exercised as to the development of his character. At times he had
visions of obtaining a European tutor for him--an absolutely
revolutionary innovation for those days--but the impossibility of
bringing the Durbar to see the wisdom of such a course, or of securing
proper support for the unhappy man who might be appointed, deterred
him. To remove the child from the city, into surroundings mentally
more healthy, was of course impossible, and therefore Kharrak Singh
continued to come each day to the Residency with his attendants,
dismissing all but a favoured few with a regal wave of the hand at the
foot of the steps, and climbing on the divan arranged for him, to sit
there and talk under the pretence of looking at pictures. Gerrard had
sent for his books from down-country by this time, and after long
journeying on the heads of groaning coolies, and many vicissitudes by
the way, they now graced his meagrely furnished rooms. In the daytime
they were useful in teaching Kharrak Singh the bare beginnings of the
English language, and in the long evenings they served to mitigate the
loneliness of the house which had presented itself as an abode of bliss
for two, but was sadly too large for one.