My father is not at home. Why, surely it isn't----? [_Rises._ ADENE. Yes, it is! VERA. Mr. Adene! How stupid of me! But you've changed a great deal! ADENE. I wrote to Sir David. Didn't he tell you? VERA. Father has been away for three days. No doubt I forwarded your letter to him. ADENE. Without recognising the handwriting? [VERA _motions him to a chair and sits_.] When will he be back? VERA. This afternoon. ADENE. I am glad. I want to ask him for some advice and some introductions. I'm going to India. VERA. What! ADENE. The fact is, I feel rather run down, and I'm going to take a holiday--with a little work to fill in spare moments. VERA. I know your idea of a holiday: twelve hours a day at a new subject instead of ten at an old one! ADENE. I'm going to Rajpoor, your father's old province: and I want specially to get up into the mountains, to the scene of his great exploits. VERA. To Bhojal! You'll find that difficult. But why in the world are you going? ADENE. You know I've been working for some years at Indian dialects? VERA. Yes; you sent us your book. Father said he couldn't imagine where you had learnt all those languages. ADENE. Where? Why at "Stratford-atte-Bow!" [VERA _looks inquiringly_.] More precisely at Limehouse. All nationalities come in course of time to London Docks. But Bhojali is my last acquisition--since my book. I came across my Bhojali by accident a year ago. And now I can talk pretty well with him. VERA. Then, all the more, why go to Bhojal? ADENE. Well, you see, it is history rather than philology that I have in mind for the moment. VERA. Not the history of Bhojal? ADENE. The history of the Indian Frontier--from the native's point of view! VERA. Do you mean an account of the various small wars? ADENE. Well, chiefly all that came before the wars; the intrigues, and the motives---- VERA. Isn't it all in the Blue Books? ADENE. Of course, but the point is---- [_Pauses with a smile._ VERA. Don't be afraid! ADENE. If you take the Blue Books, the natives always seem to be in the first place treacherous criminals---- VERA. Which savages often are. ADENE. And also insanely blind to their own interests; which even savages are not! [VERA _laughs as if beaten_.] I know the English mind already; I want to get inside the Bhojali mind. VERA. It is like the programme of a Baboo Protection Society. I hope the officials will like it. ADENE. I have thought of that. But I know too much of India to be even suspected of thinking ill of the officials. And Sir David's recommendation will soften them. VERA. "Please give bearer every facility for attacking the reputation of my late colleagues;" is that it? ADENE. [_Rising._] I don't want to attack any one! Of course there may be cases. If I met an actual instance of foul play on our part---- VERA. [_Mockingly._] "Foul play!" It is to be as bad as that? ADENE. I suppose even Englishmen have occasionally done wrong? VERA.