Major Fletcher was well versed in the ways of natives, and as they drove
in his high dog-cart to Farabad a few days later, he imparted to his
companion a good deal of information regarding them of which, till then,
she had been quite ignorant.
He succeeded in arousing her interest, and the long drive down the
hillside in the early morning gave her the keenest enjoyment. She had
been feeling weary and depressed of late, a state of affairs which could
not fairly be put down to the score of ill-health. She had tried hard to
ignore it, but it had obtruded itself upon her notwithstanding, and she
was glad of the diversion which this glimpse of native life afforded
her. Of Lord Ronald Prior she had seen nothing for over a week. He had
left Kundaghat on the day following the dinner-party, dropping
unobtrusively, without farewell, out of her life. She had told herself a
dozen times, and vehemently, that she was glad of it, but the
humiliating fact remained that she missed him--missed him at every turn;
when she rode, when she danced, when she went out in her rickshaw, and
most of all in her drawing-room.
She had grown so accustomed to the sight of the thick-set, unromantic
figure swinging lazily to and fro on her sorely tried music-stool,
watching her with serene grey eyes that generally held a smile. She
wished she had not been quite so severe. She had not meant to send him
quite away. As a friend, his attitude of kindly admiration was all that
could be desired. And he was so safe, too, so satisfactorily solid. She
had always felt that she could say what she liked to him without being
misunderstood. Well, he had gone, and as they finally alighted, and went
forward on foot through the fair, she resolutely dismissed him from her
mind.
She made one or two purchases under Fletcher's guidance, which meant
that she told him what she wanted and stood by while he bargained for
her in Hindustani, an amusing business from her point of view.
Undoubtedly she was beginning to enjoy herself, when he surprised her by
turning from one of these unintelligible colloquies, and offering for
her acceptance a beautifully wrought gold filigree bracelet.
She looked at him blankly, not without a vague feeling of dismay.
"Won't you have it?" he said. "Won't you permit me this small favour?"
She felt the colour go out of her face. It was so unexpected, this from
him--in a fashion, almost staggering. For some reason she had never
regarded this man as a possible admirer. She felt as if the solid ground
had suddenly quaked beneath her.
"I would rather not," she said at last, avoiding his eyes instinctively.
"Please don't think me ungracious. I know you mean to be kind."
"If you really believe that," said Fletcher, smiling faintly, "I don't
see your objection."
The blood rushed back in a burning wave to her face. She, who prided
herself upon being a woman of the world, blushed hotly, overwhelmingly,
like any self-conscious girl.
"I would rather not," she repeated, with her eyes upon the ground.
But Fletcher was not to be turned lightly from his purpose.
"I wouldn't distress you for the world, Mrs. Denvers," he said, "but
don't you think you are a trifle unreasonable? No one expects a woman in
your position to be a slave to convention. I would never have bought the
thing had I dreamed that it could be an offence."
There was a tinge of reproach in his voice, no more, but she felt
inexplicably ashamed as she heard it. She looked up sharply, and the
conviction that she was making herself ridiculous swept quickly upon
her. She held out her hand to him, and mutely suffered him to slip the
bangle on to her wrist.