Illustrations

["Mundra had been one of the happy, bejewelled girls of this very town"]Frontispiece
Facing page
["Shama Sahai was not happy"]22
["It was only a glimpse"]54
["For a few moments she managed to keep up the straining movement"]68
["I have a beautiful wife, as fair as your own, Sahib"]96
["The humblest of them frequently rises to acts of great courage and chivalry"]112
["You are an American, aren't you?"]142
["Oh, Allah, Allah, hear the cry of the faithful!"]174

Glossary

Anna—Indian coin, value about two cents.
Ayah—a nurse.
Bearer—body servant or personal attendant.
Chapati—the common bread of India.
Charpoy—a cot-bed.
Chokidar—night watchman.
Chota hazri—light, early breakfast.
Dhersy—the Indian man who does the family sewing.
Durbar—official levee of an Indian prince or ruler.
Ekka—a two-wheeled, springless conveyance.
Gari or gharry—a four-wheeled, closed carriage.
Gariwala—driver of a gari.
Ghat—sacred stairway on river bank adjoining a temple.
Hookah—a water pipe.
Kusti—sacred girdle of the Parsis.
Memsahib—Indian name for European lady.
Pan or pawn—Indian substitute for chewing-gum or tobacco, made by wrapping bits of nuts and lime in the leaves of the betel.
Pice—small Indian coin, value about one-half cent.
Punkah—a large screen-like fan swung from the ceiling.
Purdah—curtain hung for the seclusion of women. "In purdah"—in seclusion.
Rupee—silver coin, value about thirty-three and one-third cents.
Sahib—Indian name for European gentleman.
Sari—a long piece of cloth constituting the principal garment of the Indian woman.
Topi—a sola—a pith hat.

I
Kalighat

"The five years will be up to-morrow. When the sun rises next upon the festival of Kali I shall have completed my vow."

Scarcely had the holy man been able to say his prayers or repeat his sacred texts the whole day long, for there had been constantly before his mind the knowledge that this was the last day of his self-imposed sacrifices and that the next day he would be free from all restraints to do—what? Over and over had the thought repeated itself in the man's mind until now, unconsciously, he had given utterance to it and the stout, sleek priest of Kali who chanced to be standing beside his shelter, looked down upon him in surprise.

"What vow, most holy one?" he courteously inquired. "For many years thou hast sat here at the ghat, the most honoured and revered of all the holy men this side the temple of our Goddess Kali. Was this thy vow—to sit thus in ashes?"

The fakir started at the priest's voice, for his own remarks had been unconscious, and, looking up at his interrogator, he seemed slowly to comprehend that he had spoken aloud and that the priest had heard his words.