“Every soul--every woman and child. Think of it--the fiends! the devils! The native brought me the news. If I had heard it in the streets of Cawnpore I should have gone mad and seized a sword and run amuck. As it was, I was well nigh out of mind. I could not stay there. The man would have sheltered me until the troops came up, but I was obliged to be moving, so I started down. Hush! here comes Isobel; we must keep it from her.” “Now, Isobel,” he went on, as the girl joined them, and they all started along the road, “tell me how it is I find you here.” “Mr. Bathurst must tell you, Doctor; I cannot talk about it yet--I can hardly think about it.” “Well, Bathurst, let us hear it from you.” “It is a painful story for me to have to tell.” Isobel looked up in surprise. “Painful, Mr. Bathurst? I should have thought--” and she stopped. “Not all painful, Miss Hannay, but in parts. I would rather tell you, Doctor, when we have finished our journey this evening, if your curiosity will allow you to wait so long.” “I will try to wait,” the Doctor replied, “though I own it is a trial. Now, Isobel, you have not told me yet what has happened to your face. Let me look at it closer, child. I see your arms are bad, too. What on earth has happened to you?” “I burnt myself with acid, Doctor. Mr. Bathurst will tell you all about it.” “Bless me, mystery seems to thicken. Well, you have got yourself into a pretty pickle. Why, child, burns of that sort leave scars as bad as if you had been burnt by fire. You ought to be in a dark room with your face and hands bandaged, instead of tramping along here in the sun.” “I have some lotions and some ointment, Doctor. I have used them regularly since it was done, and the places don’t hurt me much now.” “No, they look healthy enough,” he said, examining them closely. “Granulation is going on nicely; but I warn you you will be disfigured for months, and it may be years before you get rid of the scars. I doubt, indeed, if you will ever get rid of them altogether. Well, well, what shall we talk about?” “I will take pity on you, Doctor. I will walk on ahead with Rabda and her father, and Mr. Bathurst can then tell you his story.” “That will be the best plan, my dear. Now then, Bathurst, fire away,” he said, when the others had gone on thirty or forty yards ahead. “Well, Doctor, you remember that you were forward talking to the young Zemindar, and I was sitting aft by the side of Miss Hannay, when they opened fire?” “I should think I do remember it,” the Doctor said, “and I am not likely to forget it if I live to be a hundred. Well, what about that?” “I jumped overboard,” Bathurst said, laying his hand impressively upon the Doctor’s shoulder. “I gave a cry, I know I did, and I jumped overboard.” The Doctor looked at him in astonishment. “Well, so did I, like a shot. But what do you say it in that tone for? Of course you jumped overboard. If you hadn’t you would not be here now.”