“I don’t think I can understand that feeling, Mrs. Doolan. I can understand that there might be a satisfaction in being envied for being the happiest woman, or the most tastefully dressed woman, or even the prettiest woman, though that after all is a mere accident, but not for having the greatest number of bright stones, however valuable. I don’t think the most lovely set of diamonds ever seen would give me as much satisfaction as a few choice flowers.” “Ah, but that is because you are quite young,” Mrs. Doolan said. “Eve was tempted by an apple, but Eve had not lived long. You see, an apple will tempt a child, and flowers a young girl. Diamonds are the bait of a woman.” “You would not care for diamonds yourself, Mrs. Doolan?” “I don’t know, my dear; the experiment was never tried--bog oak and Irish diamonds have been more in my line. Jim’s pay has never run to diamonds, worse luck, but he has promised me that if he ever gets a chance of looting the palace of a native prince he will keep a special lookout for them for me. So far he has never had the chance. When he was an ensign there was some hard fighting with the Sikhs, but nothing of that sort fell to his share. I often tell him that he took me under false pretenses altogether. I had visions of returning some day and astonishing Ballycrogin, as a sort of begum covered with diamonds; but as far as I can see the children are the only jewels that I am likely to take back.” “And very nice jewels too,” Isobel said heartily; “they are dear little things, Mrs. Doolan, and worth all the diamonds in the world. I hear, Mrs. Prothero, that your husband has a good chance of winning the race for Arabs; I intend to wager several pairs of gloves on his horse.” “Yes, Seila is very fast. She won last year. But Nana Sahib has had the horse that won the cup at Poona last year, and is considered one of the fastest in India, brought across from Bombay. Our only hope is that he will put a native up, and in that case we ought to have a fair chance, for the natives have no idea of riding a waiting race, but go off at full speed, and take it all out of their horse before the end of the race.” “Well, we must hope he will, Mrs. Prothero; that seems, from what I hear, the only chance there is of the regiment winning a prize. So all our sympathies will be with you.” “Hunter and his wife and their two girls are coming,” the Major said, the next morning, as he opened his letters. “Very well, uncle, then we will do as we arranged. The Miss Hunters shall have my room, and I will take the little passage room.” “I am afraid it will put you out, Isobel; but they have been here for the last two years at the race times and I did not like not asking them again.” “Of course, uncle. It will make no difference to me, and I don’t require any very great space to apparel myself.” “We must have dinners for twelve at least, the day before the races, and on the three days of the meeting.”