“With your dying breath,” added Mr Dawes, and the Hindu, understanding, gravely nodded his head. “Well?” said Brood, long afterward, raising his haggard face to meet the gaze of the motionless brown man who had been standing in his presence for many minutes. “She ask permission of _sahib_ to be near him until the end,” said the Hindu. “She will not go away. I have heard the words she say to the _sahibah_, and the _sahibah_ is silent as the tomb. She say no word for herself, just sit and look at the floor and never move. Then she accuse the _sahibah_ of being the cause of the young master's death, and the _sahibah_ only nod her head to that and go out of the room and up to the place where the young master is, and they cannot keep her from going in. She just look at the woman in the white cap and the woman step aside. The _sahibah_ is now with the young master and the doctors. She is not of this world, _sahib_, but of another.” “And Miss Desmond? Where is she?” “She wait in the hall outside his door. Ranjab have speech with her. She does not believe Ranjab. She look into his eye and his eye is not honest; she see it all. She say the young master shoot himself and------” “I shall tell her the truth, Ranjab,” said Brood stolidly. “She must know, she and her mother. To-night I shall see them, but not now. Suicide! Poor, poor Lydia!” “Miss Lydia say she blame herself for everything. She is a coward, she say, and Ranjab he understand. She came yesterday and went away. Ranjab tell her the _sahib_ no can see her.” “Yesterday? I know. She came to plead with me. I know,” groaned Brood bitterly. “She will not speak her thoughts to the world, _sahib_,” asserted Ranjab. “Thy servant have spoken his words and she will not deny him. It is for the young master's sake. But she say she _know_ he shoot himself because he no can bear the disgrace------” “Enough, Ranjab,” interrupted the master. “To-night I shall tell her everything. Go now and fetch me the latest word.” The Hindu remained motionless just inside the door. His eyes were closed. “Ranjab talk to the winds, _sahib_. The winds speak to him. The young master is alive. The great doctor he search for the bullet. It is bad. But the _sahibah_ stand between him and death. She hold back death. She laugh at death. She say it no can be. Ranjab know her now. Here in this room he see the two woman in her, and he no more will be blind. She stand there before Ranjab, who would kill, and out of the air came a new spirit to shield her. Her eyes are the eyes of another who does not live in the flesh, and Ranjab bends the knee. He see the inside. It is not black. It is full of light, a great big light, _sahib_. Thy servant would kill his master's wife, but, Allah defend! He cannot kill the wife who is already dead. His master's wives stand before him--two, not one--and his hand is stop.” Brood was regarding him through wide--open, incredulous eyes. “You--you saw it, too?” he gasped.