Adventure Magazine Cover — page 34: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

24 Mukhum Dass kept silence, and tried to smother the raging anger in his eyes. “Was it Mukhum Dass or another who went to the priest in the temple of Jinendra _ on a certain afternoon and requested inter- cession to the god in order that a title deed might. be recovered, that fell down the nullah when the snakes frightened a man’s mule and he himself fell into the road? Or was it another accident that split that ear of thine in two piéces?” “Priests cackle like old women,” rowled the money-lender. “Nay, but this one cackled to the god. Padiare Jinendra felt compassionate toward a poor shrojff (money-lender) who can not defend his suit successfully without that title-deed. Jengal Singh died, and his son, who ought to know, claims that the house was really sold to Dhulap Singh, who dallies with his suit because he suspects, but does not know, that Mukhum Dass has lost the paper, eh?” “How do you know these things?” “Maybe the god Jinendra told. Which would be better, Mukhum Dass—to keep great silence and be certain to receive the paper in time to defend the lawsuit—or to talk freely, and so set others talking? Who knows that it might not reach the ears of Jengal Singh that the title deed is ney lost?”’ “He who tells secrets to a priest,” swore the money-lender, ‘would better have screamed them from the housetops.”’ “‘Nay—the god heard. The priest told the god, and the god told a certain one to whom the finder brought the paper, asking a reward. That person holds the paper now as security for silence.” “Tt is against the law to keep my paper.” “The law catches whom it can, Mukhum Dass, letting all others go, like a python after monkeys in the treetops.” “From whom am [I to get my paper for the lawsuit at the proper time?” “From Jinendra’s priest—perhaps.” “He has it now? The dog’s stray off- spring! I will——” “Nay, he has it not. Be kind and courteous to Jinendra’s priest, or perhaps the god will send the paper after all to Dhulap Singh.” “As to what shall I keep silence?” “Two matters. Firstly, Chamu the but- ler will presently pay his son’s debt. Give Chamu a receipt with the number of the Adventure bank-note written on it, saying nothing.” “Second?” “Preserve the bank-hote carefully for thirty days—and keep silence.” “IT will do it. Now tell me thy name.’ Yasmini laughed. “Do thy victims repay in advance the rupees not yet lent? Nay, the price is silence. First pay the price; then learn my name. Go—get thy money from Chamu the butler. Breathe as much as a hint to any one, and thy title deed shall go to Dhulap Singh.” . Eying her like a hawk, but with more mixed emotions than that bird can likely compass, the money-lender sat his mule and watched her. stride round the corner out of sight. Then, glancing over her shoulder to make sure the man’s parasite was not watching her at his master’s orders, she ran along the shoulder of the hill to where, in the shelter of a clump of trees, a carriage waited. It was one of those lumbering, four- wheeled affairs with four horses, and a platform for two standing attendants behind and wooden latticework over the windows, in which the womenfolk of princes take the air. -But there were no attendants—only a coachman and a veiled woman who came -running out to meet her; for Yasmini, like her cousin the maharaja, did not trust too many people all at once. “Quick, Hasamurti!” “eH FUSSING and giggling over her—. j ex; the very name means Laughter—the a= maid bustled her into the carriage, and without a word of instruction the coach- man tooled his team down-hill at a leisurely gait as if told in advance to take his time about it; the team was capable of speed. Inside the carriage, with a lot more chuckling and giggling, a change was taking place almost as complete as that from chrysalis to butterfly. The toilet of a lady of Yasmini’s nice discrimination takes time under the easiest circumstances; in a lum- bering coach, not built ‘for leg-room, and with a looking-glass the size of a saucer, it was a mixture of horse-play and miracle. Between them they upset the perfume bottle, as was natural, and a shrill scream at one stage of the journey—which started a rumor all over Sialpore to the effect that Gungadhura was up to the same old game ~ again—announced as a matter of plain fact sz cS Eomichboo (EO)