by F. E. Penny
CHAPTER XXIX
Mrs. Hulver was busy cleaning and folding an old uniform. The door ofher room was closed and locked whilst she was thus occupied. With manysighs she passed the brush over the well-worn cloth and smoothed outthe creases.
"An iron would do it good; but it must go for the present as it is. Itwon't do for the uniform to be seen just now. To think what the masterwould say if he knew that the poor young man was in the house all thetime! He would give me a month's notice as sure as my name is MariaHulver! But there, as William used to say"--the William in her mindwas the wearer of the uniform in the old days--"'What the eye doesn'tsee, the heart doesn't grieve for.' God forgive me for loading upyoung William's shoulders with that canteen racket, and him as innocentas a new-born babe! But as William--that was my third--used to say:'If the dhoby donkey were shown half the load that was meant for itsback, it would die of terror.' Young William shall never know if I canhelp it that he was the hero of a canteen fight."
She wrapped the uniform in an old linen towel, tucking in bits ofcamphor on every side, and laid the relic of by-gone days in the bottomdrawer of her wardrobe. A knock at the door startled her. She closedthe drawer hastily, put away the brush and went to see who called her.
"Miss Eola! Come in, miss. Were you wanting to speak to me?"
It was the day after Alderbury's departure. The car had come backbringing a letter for Eola, the first she had received since his lovehad been declared. She read it in the privacy of her room, lingeringover the closely-written sheets as Mrs. Hulver had lingered over thefolding and putting away of the uniform that had belonged to the fatherof her boy.
The housekeeper was still in ignorance of what had passed between Eolaand the guest. Her mind had been too full of anxiety over Ananda'swelfare to admit of any curiosity concerning the behaviour of otherpeople. She knew that she ran a risk in extending the helping hand tothe persecuted 'vert; but she had carried it through without faltering.
Without any explanations she had ordered his luggage to be placed inthe missionary's cart and told the driver that he was to start thatevening, a command that was gladly obeyed.
While the dinner was still proceeding Mrs. Hulver and herscarlet-coated companion left the house presumably for a walk. A jutkawas picked up outside, and directed to take the same road as thatfollowed by the cart. The pony went much faster than the slowly movingcattle, and soon overtook and passed them.
Half an hour later the missionary's servant was roused, and to hisintense astonishment confronted by the Principal's housekeeper. By herside stood a native gentleman dressed in European clothes and wearing aneat turban. As Alderbury's servant had never seen Ananda he did notrecognise Mrs. Hulver's companion.
"You will carry on this friend of mine to the mission station," shesaid, "and you will tell the master when you see him that I gave youthe order."
The servants all understood the varied modulations of her voice. Inthis case it was comprehended, though not expressed, that a breach ofher confidence would be resented, and bring the individual into herblack books. At the same time there was a chink of silver thatpurchased silence and secured obedience. Ananda took Alderbury's placeon the mattress. The servant seated himself near the driver and thecart started on its homeward journey. By daylight it should havecrossed the border and be safe in British territory; and by nineo'clock it should be home. As no warning had been given to Ananda'sfamily it was not likely that he would be pursued or discovered; andMrs. Hulver saw the car swallowed up in the darkness of the night witha sigh of relief.
She walked back to the place where she had directed the jutka to waitfor her, carrying the uniform, which had been exchanged under cover ofthe darkness for the tweed suit, hidden under her cloak. She was backat the college house before eleven.
The following day, on which she was supposed to be seeing young Williamoff by the morning mail was spent at the house of a Eurasian friend inthe town. Eola, suspecting nothing and occupied with her own affairs,asked no questions; and it was not till the morning after Alderbury'sdeparture that she and Mrs. Hulver met.
The housekeeper accompanied by Ramachetty and the cook presentedherself for the usual ritual of ordering dinner. During thehousekeeping business Mrs. Hulver confined herself rigidly to thesubject of the menu. She dared not trust herself to speak of anythingelse lest her tongue should slip and betray her. The secret must bekept at all costs from Dr. Wenaston and from the people in the town.The sweeper might be trusted. He had been a faithful friend all along,and one day his fidelity would be rewarded by Ananda. Of that she wassure, although the man did not look for any recompense. All that hehad done had been the result of his love for the young master he hadknown and served in time past. The change of faith on the part ofAnanda did not affect him. He knew nothing of the intricateceremonialism of the caste Hindus. His religion was simple animism,the propitiation of the power of evil. If he had had any opinion tooffer, it would have been that his master had come under the influenceof an evil spirit, and would do well to make an offering of blood.Mrs. Hulver considered that the rest of the servants might also betrusted. The real identity of young William had never been known tothem, and he remained Mrs. Hulver's sick son to the end.
Eola intended making her confession after the servants were dismissed;but Mrs. Hulver departed quickly in their wake and defeated herpurpose. She determined not to put it off and went to thehousekeeper's room to inform her of the engagement without furtherdelay.
With the packing away of the uniform Mrs. Hulver drew a breath ofrelief. Anxiety was at an end, a load off her mind.
"Take a chair, miss. The room is still untidy from having youngWilliam here; but the sweeper and I will soon get it straight when shecomes back from her dinner."
"It looks quite neat," said Eola inconsequently; she was wondering howshe was to open the subject uppermost in her mind. "Your son got awayall safe yesterday morning, I suppose."
"Yes, miss!" Mrs. Hulver would not trust herself to more than thesimple affirmative.
"I am afraid you are rather tired after all the nursing you have had."
"I took a good rest yesterday. After young William left I went to seemy first husband's cousin, Mrs. de Silva. She was in a fine way abouther girl who has refused to marry the man chosen for her. The sillychild--she's only sixteen--has set her heart on a young Englishman whois out of employment. I did my best to cheer her up and to argue withthe girl."
"You are always doing something for others. You must think of yourselfnow and rest."
"I'm happier when I am doing for somebody else, miss. As William--thatwas my second--used to say: 'You'll find happiness for yourself whenyou're hunting it for others.'"
"That's quite true."
There was a pause. Mrs. Hulver received a sudden shock. Her eyes hadfallen on her husband's helmet which was lying on the camp cot. Shehad forgotten to put it away. Eola saw it and observed:
"Your son has forgotten his helmet, surely."
"That isn't my son's, miss! It belonged to his father. I got it outto show him the difference the authorities have made in the pattern.They are always changing, and it must cost the government somethingfirst and last. I have kept that old helmet as a momentum of my boy'sfather."
"I suppose out of all the three you liked him best."
"Well, miss, he was my choice. My first was my mother's choice, and mythird chose me. You see, William, my second, left me with somethingelse besides his helmet and that was young William."
Eola's attention was wandering and Mrs. Hulver was pleased to see thatthe helmet had not excited her curiosity.
"I want to tell you something; it is about Mr. Ananda," said Eola.
Mrs. Hulver started, but was not to be caught off her guard.
"To tell you the truth, miss; I am getting rather tired of Mr. Ananda'sname. I dare say he has got safely away from Chirapore by this time ifhe isn't down the well. As William--that was my third--said when the
barrack sweeper led him home from the canteen: 'Misfortune will findyou queer friends in queer places.' If Mr. Ananda is still alive hehas probably found some friend, queer or otherwise, to help him."
"You are right. When Mr. Alderbury reached home Mr. Ananda met him atthe door."
"Lor, miss! you take my breath away!" exclaimed Mrs. Hulver expressingdiscreet astonishment.
"Like your husband in his difficulty, it was the sweeper who proved hisfriend. He took him to some hiding place, and threw his cap down thewell to deceive his people and put them off the scent. When theexcitement of his mysterious disappearance was over, the man contrivedto smuggle him out of the State of Chirakul into British territory,where he is quite safe. At the mission house another surprise awaitedMr. Ananda. His wife managed to escape and find her way to Mr.Alderbury's station. I thought you would be pleased to hear the news,"concluded Eola with reproach in her voice.
"So I am, miss," was the warm response. "I am very glad to know thathe is safe. He wasn't safe from the spite of wicked men as long as heremained in Chirapore. His only hiding place was the sweeper's housewhere no man of caste would venture. As William--that was myfirst--used to say: 'A rat that has but one hole is soon caught.' Mr.Ananda will need no hiding place as long as he stays with Mr.Alderbury."
"I have some more news for you, Mrs. Hulver. Mr. Alderbury was so muchimpressed by what you said about a house being no home without a womanin it, that he has asked me to make a home for him of his house--and Ihave consented."
"There, now, if I haven't gone and made a mess of it after all!"exclaimed Mrs. Hulver, more than a little disturbed. "As William--thatwas my second--used to say: 'An ounce of sense is worth a pound of wit;better slip with the foot than the tongue.' To think that my foolishtongue which must need sharpen itself at his expense should have put itinto his head to ask you to do that! I should never be reconciled toyour marrying a missionary, miss; not if I lived to be a hundred!"
"Don't worry about it; it's all right; I am not going to marry amissionary," said Eola.
"Not marry him! miss! whatever do you mean?" cried Mrs. Hulver inhorror. "You can't keep house for a man except as his housekeeper orhis wife--that is to say, if you have right-minded principles. AsWilliam--that was my second--used to say: 'Bad as the best may be; itis better to be poisoned in your blood than in your principles.'"
Eola reassured her. "It is quite all right, I am going to marry him,and you are going to take care of the doctor for me."
"Then I don't understand what you mean, miss, about not marrying amissionary," said Mrs. Hulver, completely puzzled.
"Mr. Alderbury is giving up missionary work. He has been offered abishopric."
"And him with those legs!"
"The legs don't matter if they belong to the right sort of man, as isthe case here," said Eola, prepared to do battle for her lover.
"Mr. Alderbury, my Lord Bishop! I can't get over it; it is sosurprising!"
"You haven't congratulated me and wished me good luck," Eola remarkedin an aggrieved voice, which she knew would win over her faithfulhousekeeper.
"I'm sure I beg your pardon. I congratulate you with all my heart.Fancy you marrying a bishop! Who would have thought it! It's no morethan you deserve all the same. Dear me! How strangely things turnout! you taking a missionary and finding yourself marrying a bishop!and Mr. Ananda coming to life again and finding his wife a widow! andshe escaping all through losing her husband and being widowed! AsWilliam--that was my third--said when he fell into a prickly pear bushand just escaped being seen the worse for liquor by the colonel:'Maria, me dear,'--he was such a gentleman in his speech, hewas!--'Maria, me dear! You never know your luck.'"
THE END.
PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, LONDON AND BECCLES.
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