Mr. Rayner had not, as Hester supposed, been accompanied by his guest on
his drive. Some letters had reached Mark which required immediate reply,
and as he was leaving for Puranapore after breakfast, he decided he must
forego the tennis-party in question, and devote himself to his
correspondence. He was now seated in a room adjoining the library which
his host had put at his disposal. Mr. Rayner was meanwhile on his way
back from the tennis-party, not in the best of tempers, for his sworn
enemy, the sun, was now high in the heavens and its rays were beating
fiercely on his mail-phaeton.
He was driving himself, and as he swept into Clive's Road he perceived
in the shade of the hedge a waiting figure whom he recognised with
anything but satisfaction, to judge from his quick frown.
"Leila Baltus, by jove! So she's turned up again,--worse luck! Thought
she'd taken herself off to Calcutta for good! She's evidently lying in
wait for me too! Better interview her here than nearer the house," he
muttered to himself, as he threw the reins to the syce and leapt to the
ground, saying he would walk the rest of the way, and directing that the
phaeton should be taken to the stables.
"She's evidently bound for No. 7, or she wouldn't be so far from Vepery.
Fortunate that I've waylaid the creature; she might have tackled Hester
and introduced herself as a former acquaintance of mine! What a close
shave I've had! Well, I'm in for a tussle now!"
His angry frown was replaced by a studied smile as he hurried forward to
meet the same girl who had accosted Mark at Mr. Morpeth's gate. She was
now carefully attired in a spotless white muslin dress and a gay hat
with a wealth of flowers.
Mr. Rayner lifted his sun-topee.
"Good morning, Leila! You're far from home! Didn't know you were in
these parts at all--thought you had gone to Calcutta to keep house for
your brother!"
The girl's face was lit up by smiles. "No," she answered. "I'm here
again in that hole Vepery. Claud took a wife and don't want me. But I
didn't know you were back from England, Alf, till two nights ago, when I
see you and another gent in that smart mail-phaeton. Oh my, what a toff
you did look! All the same, you oughtn't to turn your back on old
friends. You might have looked me and mother up. She will be awfulee
glad to see you. You used to enjoy a bit supper with us. You'll mind
that prawn curry of mother's, don't you, now?" said the girl, with an
insinuating smile.
Alfred Rayner stood hesitating. Was it possible the girl did not know
that he was now a married man, and had no intention of continuing the
acquaintance of his bachelor days or of eating prawn curry in Vepery
again? How bitterly he repented those days of his "griffinage!" when he
had been fool enough in idle hours to be fêted and flattered by the
Baltus household and other undesirable associates! The memory rankled,
and was indeed the chief source of his bitterness against the whole
Eurasian class. And with this pretty Leila he had been unwise enough to
be betrayed into a flirtation. He winced to recall it. Ever since his
return with his bride he had been congratulating himself that Leila
Baltus was no longer a denizen of Vepery, and would not cross his path
again. Yet there she was, glancing at him with encouraging eyes and an
anxious smile. What would she say when she learnt that only a few yards
distant a beautiful English wife awaited him? It was an awkward dilemma.
No wonder the young man felt the need of choosing his words carefully.
"The truth is," he began slowly, "I'm too busy a man now to avail myself
of the pleasures of bachelorhood, Miss Baltus. Besides, the distance
between Nungumbaukum and Vepery is great; so you must excuse me. Salaams
to your mother, forgive my hurrying off--haven't even had my tub yet!"
Lifting his sun-topee he was about to beat a dignified retreat.
"So that's where we are, Mister Rayner! You would fling off your old
acquaintance like a pair of done shoes!" cried the girl, her insinuating
smile changing to an angry scowl. Her companion making no reply, she
seemed to decide on more conciliatory tactics.
"Well, maybe it's truth that you've grown such a grand toff and you'll
want to fight shy of prawn curry and all that. And to tell the truth
there ain't much supper going with us now a days, or anything else.
We've got behindhand, mother and me, and Claud won't be good for a
single pice now he's married, so we're real hard up. Come now, since I'm
so close to your beautiful house this morning you'll not grudge me a cup
o' coffee in your verandah. It's a long tramp between Vepery and this
grand place of yours. Oh, my, it's grand and no mistake!"
The girl looked admiringly towards the fine two-storied house, at one of
the entrances of which the mail-phaeton was now disappearing on its way
to the stables.
More embarrassed than ever, a happy thought occurred to the young man.
"So sorry I can't ask you to come in to-day. I've got a visitor and must
really hurry off to him. But look here, Leila, sorry to hear you're down
in your luck! This will perhaps help a bit"; and taking a ten-rupee note
from his pocket-book he handed it to the girl, congratulating himself
that now he would effect an escape.
But he reckoned without his host.
"Well, since you're too busy for even a chat with your old sweetheart
this morning, she'll just need to come again another time," said the
girl, with a toss of her head, as she crumpled the note in her long
brown fingers. "I'll hand your little gift to mother. She'll send you a
chit to thank you awfulee for minding on her."
Miss Baltus seemed at last disposed to retreat, but a "loose end" was
being discovered by Mr. Rayner. Fearing it might develop into a serious
tangle, he decided to take his courage in both hands.
"Look here, Leila, perhaps you don't know that a Mrs. Rayner now reigns
here. I brought a wife from England with me."
The announcement was evidently quite unexpected. The girl's amber skin
grew a shade darker. Her lustrous eyes flashed fire, and violent emotion
seemed to check her utterance for a moment; then she burst forth in
fury:
"A Mrs. Rayner reigns--and her not me! So this is your little game? Why,
it's the same joke they used to make to me when you came
sweethearting--'Mrs. Rayner would reign!' You false snake! But I'll be
even with you yet or my name's not Leila Baltus! You can go back to your
lovelee English bride, but my word, you're not done with her you
fooled," she hissed as she made a step forward, holding out her thin
fingers as if to return the rupee note, but on second thoughts she
crushed it in her palm again. "No, we shan't be ten rupees poorer anyhow
because of the woman who has supplanted me! I'll just hand it on to my
poor mother to pay for the prawn curries she wasted on an ungrateful
toad!" she muttered, turning her back swiftly on the young man and
hurrying away.
Alfred Rayner stood for a moment watching the slender swaying figure
disappearing down the leafy road, then he turned homeward, muttering:
"Don't fancy I've scotched her. That horrid vixen will give me trouble
yet! What a pity I gave her that money when I can ill spare it with all
my heavy expenses. Depend upon it, she'll be upon me for another note
before long! I've a good mind to make a clean breast of it to Hester.
She's no fool, she'll understand when I give her my side of the story
that I'm simply being persecuted and blackmailed by a half-caste liar!"
Having decided on this course he walked briskly towards the house,
taking the stable-entrance which happened to be nearest the part of the
road where he he had been talking with his old acquaintance.