"Hah, you think so, do you?" said old Stuart, in his most Scottish tones. "I never knew a tiger hesitate to bite or a serpent to sting because the pairson near him was an Englishman. Ye'll hae to tak' care o' yon lassie o' yours, Perowne, or she'll get us into sad meeschief." "If Mr Stuart would kindly direct his attention to the instruction of his own daughter, papa, I am sure he would find his hands full," said Helen, in a haughty, half-contemptuous tone, as she crossed the soft carpet unheard. "Oh, ye're there are ye, lassie?" said the old Scot. "Weel, I'll tell ye that my Grey kens how to behave, and don't go throwing herself at the head of every gentleman she meets; and for your own sake, lassie, I wish your poor mither was alive." Helen raised her eyes and looked at him for some moments with an angry, disdainful stare of resentment. "Eh, ye've got bonnie een, lassie, verra bonnie een; but I'd a deal rather see my Grey's little wax tapers burning softly than those dark brimstone matches of yours ready to set every puir laddie's heart ablaze." "Is this your friend, papa?" cried Helen; and she swept from the room. "Yes, lassie," said the old Scot, wiping his eyes after laughing at his own conceit. "Yes, I'm ye'r father's best friend, lassie; am I not, Perowne?" "Yes, yes, of course," said the merchant; "but you should not talk to her like that, Stuart." "And why not?" said the old man. "Are we to let her go on setting fire to trains all over the place, and trying to get us blown in the air?" "Nonsense, nonsense! These fellows have sense enough to know what they may do and what they may not." "Oh, yes, they've plenty of sense," agreed the old Scotch merchant. "And they won't forget in a hurry how we punished the other rajahs for their treacherous rising against the British power." "Yes, yes, I know all about that," said the old man; "but Murad will not forget this insult to his pride, and I insist, Perowne, upon your keeping a tighter rein over that lassie." Mr Perowne seemed disposed to resist, but he ended by promising that he would; and after a certain number of discussions in various houses, the cessation of all further proceedings, and a certain amount of worry consequent upon the apprehended danger, the old state of affairs began once more to prevail. The last to hold out was Mrs Doctor Bolter, who exercised a great deal of watchfulness over her husband and brother, sending one after the other at the most incongruous times. So peace was once more settling down over Sindang, which rapidly began to resume its dreamy state, the only busy thing about the place being the river, which rapidly flowed onward towards the sea. The three ladies had grown somewhat accustomed to the sleepy life that nature compelled them to live in a land where, saving at early morn and at evening, any employment was only to be carried out by an extreme effort of will that very few there cared to exercise.