A Bottle in the Smoke: A Tale of Anglo-Indian LifeRae, Janet Milne
History
A Bottle in the Smoke: A Tale of Anglo-Indian Life
Rae, Janet Milne
India -- History -- British occupation, 1765-1947 -- Fiction
"What a perfectly beautiful face it is!" murmured Mark to himself. "Yet
it lacks strength of character." All at once he recalled the pictured
face of Mr. Morpeth's wife which Hester and he had examined that happy
afternoon, in which she had seen a likeness to her husband. "A wonderful
resemblance! I can see it now, and just that same something lacking."
His thoughts now strayed to Hester, and the trouble hovering over her in
this terrible disaster. Trying and unstable as this man had proved, the
shock and horror of this event would mark a terrible crisis in her young
life. He recalled her query, evidently wrung from a sore heart that
morning at St. Thomas' Mount. Would the Master's shaping process be
always sharp and painful and inscrutable--the tools He used sometimes
making the poor quivering heart bleed? A sore answer was coming to that
question.
Mark's reverie was now disturbed by the approach of the doctor. He was
showing signs of excitement, and he stooped down and lilted low: "The
Campbells are coming, hurrah, hurrah! The Campbells are coming, hurrah!"
"I know," nodded Mark quietly. "I saw the first of them appearing just
at the moment this happened. Otherwise I doubt if even the claim of this
poor fellow should have brought me from my post. The Collector's all
right, is he?"
"As right as a trivet, and in great spirits. Rioters on both sides
scuttling like rabbits. The police-peons are now, at last, busy making
arrests and Samptor's striding about like an avenging fate! They've got
Zynool--not without a struggle. However, he is nabbed, and the warrant
out to search his house at once. Mootuswamy Moodliar has seen to that.
It will be the Andamans for him, without doubt. The streets will soon be
empty. The soldiers are to camp here for the night, but the danger's
over. Here, alas, we have the worst result of the riot," said the
doctor, glancing round on the rows of wounded men, many of them crying
out in pain, others beyond any expression of their misery.
"Look, Campbell," said Mark, his eyes eagerly fixed on Rayner's face.
"Isn't there some sign of returning consciousness here?"
A slight tremor passed through the mangled frame, the eyelids quivered
and opened, and Rayner fixed his eyes on Mark's face for a moment, then
closed them again. Presently, however, Mark found his large, lustreless
eyes resting steadily upon him. The broken man made an effort to speak,
but the voice was so low and faint it was difficult to catch the words.
"Cheveril!--It is you--thought I was dreaming--where am I? In Zynool's
house--I remember. He spotted me--drove his horse on me--my own
Australian too. He's done for me, Cheveril--every limb--game's
up--nothing matters now----"
His voice died away, but after a moment he roused himself and fixed his
eyes on the pitying face bending over him. "Kind, by Jove! I saw
you--before Zynool--went for me."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account