"Money-lenders," was his curt reply.
"Mother is so fond of figures—oh, so mad about them. Perhaps," still giggling, "she is playing at being a soucar."
"Perhaps; but she never struck me as a likely person to play—at anything!"
Oh, Pussy, Pussy! what a gigantic cat you have suffered to escape through your imprudence! You have aroused the dawn of a suspicion in your boatman's shrewd mind!
The golden light disappeared with the rude abruptness of an Eastern sunset; then came the changing touch in the air, the smell of rank water plants, the flip of a bat's wing; a silence and gloom which had fallen on the landscape was shared, for some inexplicable reason, by the little party in the boat.
CHAPTER XXXIX
Two evenings after this boating party Mr. Lepell and his nephew had a long interview with Mr. Chandos, who heard with astonishment that in Abdul Buk's house in the bazaar part of his daughter's jewellery had been recovered. That Abdul Buk's money ledgers had been examined, and he stood exposed as a cheat, a swindler, and a thief. He was a true wolf in sheep's clothing, who had contrived to pass himself off as an inoffensive, if somewhat garrulous, old man. Terrified by his situation, Abdul had turned King's evidence, and had confessed all, and figuratively given away his employer. His employer—incredible as it seemed—was Mrs. Chandos.
It was she, who for twenty long years had been the chief usurer in Rajahpore; she it was, who had lent money, taken bonds, charged huge interest, extorted pitilessly, ground down the faces of the poor, and was very wealthy. It seemed inconceivable, but it was proved beyond doubt that Rosa Chandos was no other than the notorious "Saloo." Her husband lived too much with his splendid dreams, his books, and his opium (alas! for those little black pills), to realise who Saloo was; for, as he had repeatedly assured Mr. Lepell, he had nothing to do with soucars now. His monthly salary he handed to his wife; and Rosa, his wife, was a notorious usurer! At first he declared that it was impossible—for one thing, she had no capital.
"She had a large amount of capital, secured in her mother's name, in the Bank of Bengal, as well as shares in half the good things in India. She had impressed deeds and papers which did not belong to her, and she must relinquish them at once, or her office would be searched. We will wait here, Chandos," said Mr. Lepell, "and you can talk to your wife about it. These papers are the property of zemindars, her debtors; she has come by them illegally. If they are not given up, there will be a row. Salwey and I wish to manage this thing quietly, for the sake of you and your family, and that is one reason why Brian rode out here before dark and came first to me, so as to disarm any notice; but he has a search warrant in his pocket."
"God knows, I have gone through many things in my life," declared Mr. Chandos, with dignity, "and I have been brought low in the world; my wife has her faults, but she is no money-lender, that is certain."