"Ah, no doubt," agreed Shumilal with a look of grim amusement. Then leaning forward confidentially, "I think we have got him—at last!"
"Um, yes—I'll believe it, when I see him."
"You shall see him this time, I guarantee," declared the other with dignified confidence. "I will send your plan of action to Panjeverram, where you are staying at present."
"But why not give it to me now?"
"Oh, there are wheels within wheels," replied the other nodding his head, and looking wise, and inscrutable.
"Precious slow ones!" exclaimed the visitor. "Well, mind I shall expect to hear from you, in not later than a week!"
"I promise for a fortnight, on my honour," said Shumilal; he rose as he spoke, and bowed his client out of the room, and down the stairs. Apparently his time was invaluable. Was his honour of the same quality?
Although to Mallender, Madras had once seemed to be the city of friends, he now felt lonely, and depressed, as he walked slowly along Pophams Broadway. The regiment he had known had been moved up country, and replaced by another from Singapore. He avoided the Club, and the polo ground—in a month the Hill people would descend in force. Somehow he experienced an instinctive reluctance in presenting himself in a circle, where once he had been welcomed with open arms, as a relative of the Tallboys—since the Tallboys had now cast him off! Fortunately he had no idea of, or any means of hearing, the whispers respecting him that Mrs. Fiske poured into the ears of her confidantes. To these, her information would be imparted after this fashion:
"I always thought there was something fishy about young Mallender; his sudden arrival was rather queer to start with, and I know for a fact, he had an intrigue with that wretched Ada Sim, and paid to get her out of the country! I heard this from Mrs. Wylie, whose husband was Mallender's confidant; and then he got into another mysterious scrape, which must have been pretty bad, as the Tallboys turned him out of their hotel the very day they arrived in Coonoor. A friend of mine met him flying for the train with all his baggage, and his two servants, and Nancy Brander chasing him like a mad woman! I'm told he has been seen knocking about Madras, looking dreadfully seedy and shabby—serves him right. I took his measure. I knew he was an upstart, and impostor, sponging on the Tallboys!"
Luckily Mallender did not hear this version of his character; but he had an intuition that there was something hostile in the social air, and held himself in solitude, and retirement.