Banked Fires

  CHAPTER XXVI

  THE FAIR

  The _mela_[19] week was a great event at Muktiarbad, for the Europeansas well as the natives of the District, as it gave the officials aholiday, brought people together, and encouraged healthy competition inarts, crafts, and various industries of the country. Prizes were offeredfor the best exhibits, and local shopkeepers took advantage of theopportunity to advance their own interests by placing on the market,articles of use and ornament from all parts of India. Eager crowds,garbed in all the hues of the rainbow created a kaleidoscope of colouras they jostled one another among the booths, bent on bargaining or onsight-seeing. Merry-go-rounds, puppet shows, monkey-dances, juggling,and cocoanut shies, entertained adults as well as children, while thenoise and confusion of tongues was Bedlam.

  [Footnote 19: Fair.]

  The fair was usually held at the crossroads where a large irregularpatch of green afforded ample space for the pens, stalls, booths, andside-shows that contributed towards the joys of the occasion; and to itcame people from miles around, and even from distant parts of theDistrict.

  Just when this annual _fete_ was at its height, Mrs. Dalton arrived atMuktiarbad to take up her abode under her husband's roof, thus providingenough of a sensation among his neighbours to last beyond the regulationnine days for wonderment.

  That the Civil Surgeon should prove a married man was not so outrageousas his having neglected to admit, while she was among them, that NurseDalton was his wife, instead of misleading them tacitly into thinkingthat the name was a coincidence. It was unpardonable! And now, to addinsult to injury, after she had made herself conspicuous in Darjeelingby flirting openly with her late patient, the Station of Muktiarbad wasexpected to forget and forgive, and take the black sheep to its bosom.Unheard of audacity!

  How far Ray Meredith was to blame for the gossip concerning himself andthe lady, was immaterial, since his wife was reported happy andcontent,--besides, he was a man, and women are notoriously hard uponwomen; as was proved when the ladies of the Station were ready to throwstones at the erring one the instant it was known that the doctor tookevery chance to keep out of his wife's way, and was seldom found athome. Why the two had come together again when there was no love lostbetween them, was a mystery to all and a challenge to their sense ofpropriety.

  When Mrs. Dalton, as in duty bound, called on everybody, she wasreceived without cordiality by her sex, who met immediately afterwardsto consult what response to her overtures was demanded by commoncivility. Some proposed the snub direct, by ignoring her altogether;others were for dropping cards into her "Not-at-home box" at the gatewhen it was ascertained that it was up; while Mrs. Bright decided toreturn her call and let civilities end there.

  Tommy listened with indifference to the female cackle at the Club tillHonor's name was introduced, and then he could no longer hold his peace."What about Honor Bright?" someone had asked meaningly.

  "What about her?" said Tommy, his eyes following the girl's lithemovements on the tennis court.

  "It was popularly supposed that she was engaged to Captain Dalton, andyet she knew all along that he was a married man!"

  "Has any one in this company got anything to say that is detrimental toMiss Bright?" he asked with eyes flashing.

  Thus challenged, the speaker collapsed into silence.

  "Honor is one of the very best," said Mrs. Ironsides vehemently. "Letthere be no mistake about that!" This was the last word on the subject,and Tommy retired victoriously, cursing feminine tongues that wouldnever mind their own business. His relief when he discovered thatCaptain Dalton was no longer in competition with himself for Honor'shand, was great, till he realised, later that his own chances were_nil_.

  The Government of Bengal having at last yielded to his importunities tobe allowed to join the Indian Army Reserve, he was waiting, like Dalton,for orders, brimful of martial ardour while he packed and sorted hiskit. Jack's belongings were to be sent on to him; while his own,salvaged from the wreck of patriotic-dinner parties at which hisbachelor friends had drunk to the confusion of the enemy till they werethemselves confused, were to be sold to his successor and to friends inthe District. Mr. Ironsides had bespoken his gun, a local Rajah hisponies; and his dogs were to be distributed among friends. Thereremained personal treasures, chief among them being a gold napkinring,--a christening present twenty-two years ago,--which was to begiven to Honor as a keepsake. Should he fall in battle, it would serveto remind her tenderly of his unfaltering love. Thoughts of wooing andmarriage were out of place and of secondary importance beside the needsof the Great War, into which he was going heart and soul.

  Poor old Jack! Tommy could pity him despite the fact that he was marriedto the girl of his heart. How it was possible for any fellow to "sittight in his job" while all his pals were in the thick of the fight, wasinconceivable. But Jack put the blame on the Government and settled downto enjoy his Elysium. It was clear that Mrs. Darling was going to haveit all her own way in the future to Jack's supreme delight. According toher, "There was a place for every man, and every man should be kept init." It was, further, a husband's duty to "obey his wife." As for thewar!--he must remember that "They also serve who stand and wait,"--or,as she put it--"administer justice in the land in which it has pleasedthe Almighty to place them." The "Almighty," in this case, being theGovernment of India.

  These sentiments quoted in a humorous letter from the young magistrate,brought forth an appreciative reply and a wedding present which made agap in Tommy's small savings, for he was infinitely relieved at hisfriend's escape from the clutches of a certain lady. It was asatisfaction to know that at last Jack would be in agreement withSolomon on the subject of a wife.

  Honor Bright first met Mrs. Dalton at the _mela_, not having been athome when that lady had called. She was making a tour of the exhibitswith friends from Hazrigunge when she was joined by the Meeks who werecharitably piloting the lonely new-comer about the grounds. Mr. Meek,glad of an amiable listener, was discoursing on the merits of hislive-stock which had won prizes, and was pointing them out in theirpens. Husband and wife, in their isolation at the Mission, heard littleor nothing of Station gossip, and to them Mrs. Dalton appeared verysuperior to her unfriendly husband whom they had never liked. Smallwonder that his wife had been unable to agree with such a domineeringnature!

  Honor thought her greatly altered and believed she could divine thecause. Since happiness has its source from within, it was not surprisingthat Mrs. Dalton had failed to find it in the life she had led. Her eyeshad a wistful appeal; her manner was deprecating. The old confidence anddaring were gone, never to return. Something had happened to bringdisillusionment, and the lesson had sunk deeper.

  "I saw so little of you when I was last here," she said to Honor aftershaking hands. "You went directly to the hills, you remember? I do hopewe shall be friends?"

  "You are very kind," said Honor with embarrassment, as she had noinclination for friendship with Brian Dalton's wife.

  "We have so many tastes in common, I believe, and might do thingstogether. In a quiet station like this, it is the only way to killtime."

  "I am very busy now-a-days," said Honor whose time was always too welloccupied to admit of practising such an accomplishment. "There areambulance classes at the Railway Institute; the work-society forknitting comforts for the soldiers and sailors; the bazaar at Hazrigungefor the Belgian Relief Fund, and other duties, so that I have quite alot to do."

  "I wish that I, too, might help!"

  "The secretary would be glad, I am sure. She is Mrs. Ironsides. I shouldadvise you to apply to her." With a smile and bow, Honor passed on,followed by Mrs. Dalton's gloomy gaze.

  "Honor Bright is a very dear friend of mine," said Mrs. Meek, kindly."Don't you think she is a very refreshing specimen of girlhood? Myhusband thinks she is very good-looking, but I say she is good to lookat. A distinction without a difference, you will say? but not so; thedifference lies in expression, which makes the matter of featuresimmaterial. Honor has
such a frank and truthful face, and a nature ofthe very kindest."

  "I am just wondering why it is she is not married?"

  "She will marry the right man when he comes along. So far I have notseen one good enough."

  "It is rather wonderful how everyone loves her! Most people have enemiesand detractors, but Miss Bright seems a universal favourite."

  "It is not really surprising. She is universally respected and beloved.Even the natives look up to her."

  "'Respected!'" echoed Mrs. Dalton to herself bitterly. The lack ofself-respect had always been the rock on which her life had beenshipwrecked. She had failed to mark it on her chart, and was now aderelict. A jealous pang went through her and she remarked with a tingeof spite, "In fact, Miss Bright is so good that, like the Pharisee ofold, she thanks God she is not as other women are!"

  "You do her injustice. I know no one more charitable," said Mrs. Meekwarmly.

  "I apologise," said Mrs. Dalton with a sudden revulsion of feeling."Believe me, I have reason to know that, for she tried to do me a goodturn, I don't know why,--considering the circumstances,--but I must findan opportunity for thanking her." Yet Mrs. Meek saw only discontent andunhappiness in her companion's face, and wondered.

  Meanwhile, Honor passed beyond their range of vision and was makinghousehold purchases for her mother: _jharunse_[20] made at Cawnpur, laceat the Mission, a pair of garden shears, and trifles that appealed toher as useful for the Hazrigunge bazaar.

  [Footnote 20: Dish-cloths.]

  While selecting a rush basket for flowers at a stall for the sale ofwicker-work made by low-caste Hindus at Panipara, she overheard aconversation in the vernacular between one of the workers and anoutsider of evil appearance. Their words were often unintelligible beingdrowned in the noises prevailing around her, but the drift of their talkheld Honor rigid and attentive, with every faculty alert, and fear ather heart. Feeling secure in the midst of so much distraction, theyspoke unreservedly.

  "These reeds of Panipara are unsurpassed," said the outsider viciously."Where will you get others for your trade, now that the _jhil_, is beingdrained? Look you, it is the work of Dalton Sahib, this butcher of humanflesh!"

  "Alack! my trade is ruined. I shall have to move on and seek a livingelsewhere, or die of want!"

  "Thus you are turned from the village of your forefathers where you haveworked,--and they before you,--at basket-plaiting and mat-making. Whatdoes he deserve for his wanton act?"

  "May he die, and jackals eat his flesh!"

  "That is a just saying, my brother! Even I have suffered--" for a fewminutes Honor heard nothing but the loud laughter of some Bengalistudents who were passing. "My only child it was," the voice proceededagitatedly; "he was rendered unconscious, and while lying helpless on atable at the hospital, and I his father crying in the yard below, thisruthless one cut open his bowels and removed a part of the intestines!Can anyone live without that which is necessary to life. In agony my sondied, calling aloud to his mother and father,--and we, powerless to savehim! _Ai Khodar!_ Listening my liver dried up and my heart hardened as astone, while I took vows on his dead body to find a way to punish thismurderer. No matter how long I have to wait, I shall--" again his wordswere lost.

  "But brother, this is idle talk! will you risk----?"

  "Care must be taken to find one suited to the job; he must haveexperience and courage, and"--he glanced suspiciously at Honor anddropped his voice, fearing that she might be one of those Memsahibs, whounderstood Bengali. So many did not.

  "There is one man at Panipara--of daring inconceivable. Three months heserved in gaol for--he fears neither the law nor----"

  "Ss-s-h! I will see him. Tell me where--?" Their heads drew closer astheir voices were lowered to continue their plotting.

  Honor could hear no more. She had drawn too near and their suspicionswere aroused, so that whatever else they had to say was lost inmumbling.

  Her heart hammered and her pulses throbbed with fear. What were thesemen thinking of doing in their revenge? Was the doctor's life in actualdanger?

  Her friends, at another stall where brasses and wood-carving weredisplayed, were signalling for her to join them. She looked around forhelp, but not a policeman was in sight. Even then, she could have donenothing, for the evil-looking Indian had slipped away and was lost inthe crowds. She had no positive evidence to offer that would satisfy thelaw. The basket-weaver, looking innocent and bland, sat on his haunchesshouting out to the public to inspect his goods.

  Honor, therefore, controlled her excitement, and decided to warn CaptainDalton again on his return to the Station, and consult her father on thesubject. With an anxious heart, she joined her friends who were lookingon at a monkey dance.

  "_Bibi Johorun_," the female monkey, dressed in skirt and shawl, and capon her head adorned with a red feather, hopped to the measure of thelittle drum the man rattled rhythmically with a turn of his wrist; whileher husband, the male, in coat and brass buttons, sat on a toy stoolawaiting his turn to be called up for the War. Presently the pair wouldembrace in farewell, he would shoulder his mimic gun to the delight ofthe spectators, and proceed to march to battle to the time of the drum.Honor knew the routine perfectly. Meanwhile his expression of sleepyindifference under the rakish khaki cap as he blinked and chewed thenuts offered by the public, was human in its comprehension. When thecrowd grew pressing, Honor left with her party, hearing for somedistance the man's monotonous sing-song voice urging Johorun to dancefor her reward, failing which there would be a certainty ofchastisement.

  _"Natcho-jee, Johorun, natcho-jee! Paisa mile ga. Paisa, na courie, thuphur mile, ga!"_

  That evening, at the Club, Mrs. Dalton drew Honor apart from the rest ofthe company and they paced the grass together while it grew dusk. Shewas evidently much agitated, and after making some clumsy attempts tolead up to the subject, she suddenly broke out with the question.

  "Tell me why you told my husband to take me back?"

  As Honor was not ready with her reply, she continued,

  "He told me in his specially cruel fashion, that I owed the concessionto you, for I had charged him with being in love with you."

  Honor drew back shocked at her bad taste. "That is hardly the thing foryou, his wife, to tell me!"

  "I don't say it from any evil motive!--oh, I wish you to believe that Iam past all that--I have no longer any use for malice, and hatred--evenjealousy! I only want to understand you. I am a woman, too; if I caredabout a man who loved me as he loves you, I should want to kill thewoman who stood in my way! There is something eternally primitive aboutlove in its relation to the sexes!"

  "There is love--and _love_. Perhaps you don't know--apart fromeverything--that Joyce Meredith is my dear friend? She has a right to behappy in her married life."

  "I see. So you sacrificed yourself and ordered him to come to therescue! He would do anything in the world for you."

  "He and I can never be anything to each other," said Honor firmly.

  "I am beginning to feel truly sorry for my husband. Perhaps you don'tbelieve it? But, since he despises me so absolutely, it seems a shamethat he should be tied to me for life! He should have given me myliberty long ago. You know why we parted?"

  "Yes, I know."

  "He might then have married you----"

  "Please do not speak to me in this way or I must refuse to walk withyou," said Honor indignantly.

  "Oh, no, don't!--please don't go before you hear what I have to say!"Mrs. Dalton cried earnestly. "I have no tact, and always say the wrongthing. The fact is, I am a most miserable woman, feeling every day theconsequences of my first mistake. If you knew what a bankrupt I am inlove and all that goes towards making life worth living, you would havethe heart to feel a little pity for me!"

  "I do pity you," said Honor, relenting.

  "If he would only forgive me! But he is so hard. He spurns my everyeffort to humble myself. He has no faith in me. I killed it! But if hewould only give me a chance, I would be a
better woman, I swear it! Akind word and look--oh, what wouldn't I do to atone! Miss Bright, youcan help me!"

  "I?"

  "Yes. You! Natures like yours are great." Mrs. Dalton's voice broke witha sob and she wrung her hands in genuine emotion. "You may not credit mewith sincerity, but I am not wholly bad. Brian is my husband--whenever Ilook at him I realise all that I have lost forever--unless, a miraclehappens and he forgives me! If he could do that, I would be his slave. Iwould be at his feet! What a life is mine! The emptiness of it!--thefutility of it! Who cares for women like myself? Women at a loose endwho have spoilt their lives, and are trying to patch up some kind offorbidden happiness for themselves? It is just a form of gambling; wildexcitement while it lasts. But it never lasts long! Think what I feeltonight! Here am I, a married woman among so many--with a finehusband,--he is that!--hard and cold, yet such a _man_!--and I mighthave been so happy. I might have had children!" Mrs. Dalton broke downinto violent sobbing and Honor guided her to a bench that she might weepunrestrainedly and so find relief.

  It was a strange position for herself, who a moment ago was filled withrepulsion, to find that she could fold the unhappy woman in her arms andattempt to console her with words.

  "I quite understand. Believe me, I _do_ understand. It has been likelosing the substance for the shadow."

  "Just that. Oh, why couldn't I have looked ahead and seen this day! ButI was mad and blind. Women must be insane when they commit theseirrevocable acts! It is only men who can retrieve such mistakes--women,_never_!"

  "It is unfair to us," said Honor for her sex.

  "It is damned unfair!" said Mrs. Dalton fiercely. "Why can't he forgiveme and let me have another chance? God forgives; why not man?"

  "Perhaps he might--some day."

  "Do you say that? Oh, Miss Bright!--now I know why everyone loves you."She seized Honor's hand and kissed it passionately. "Will you plead forme? This is what I want of you. Will you do it? He would listen to youif he listened to no one else in the world. I am truly heart-broken, anddone with folly and conscious wrong-doing. Jesus Christ said, 'Thy sinsare forgiven thee, go and sin no more.'"

  "I will do my best for you," said Honor quietly.

  "God bless you--oh, God bless you and reward you! Brian is away for afew days. I will let you know when he returns, and you can come to thebungalow. Will you promise?"

  "I promise," said Honor bravely. "But he is giving his services to thewar. He will be leaving shortly for the front?"

  "I know it. And I shall follow him wherever he goes, like a dog, just tobe near and serve him. It is the least I can do. They want nurses at thefront."

  They talked for a while longer and when they parted at the gate of theClub, it was understood that Honor would accept an invitation to tea atthe Daltons' bungalow as soon as the doctor was back.