"Yes. Came direct from Calcutta after the rains set in."
"He is said to be very clever, but the natives don't seem to like him at all, as he is supposed to be rather fond of the knife."
"A good surgeon, I am told. The natives are great cowards of surgery, and risk gangrene before they will consent to an operation."
"That is so. He has his hands full, I should think," said the lady. "Elsie Meek, the daughter of a dear friend of mine, is dangerously ill at the Mission not far from Muktiarbad. I suppose you know that?"
Meredith had heard a rumour to that effect, and wondered how Captain Dalton had managed to spare so much of his valuable time to the camp.
"Mr. Meek is a Methodist who came out some years ago and married a school friend of my mother's. Their daughter was educated in England and joined them a few months ago. I am told she is a talented girl and totally unsuited to her life here," said his hostess. "Have you seen much of her?"
"Very little, indeed, for her people don't belong to the Club and Miss Elsie has only been to see the Brights who are rather friendly with her parents. She came out in the summer."
"Poor thing! Enteric is such a terrible disease, and she is very bad I hear."
"She could not be in more skilful hands," said Meredith.
Before he left the Subdivision, he had many illuminating talks with the wife of the Deputy on the subject of infants and how to rear them in Bengal.