“I can quite understand that you give it a different name,” said Alan sympathetically. “You naturally desired to be free.”
“Naturally, but injudiciously, Mr. Fuller. If the British Raj ended, my unhappy country would become the cockpit of contending hosts. We are too divided in India to rule ourselves, and the great powers would interfere, so that we should only exchange King Stork for Queen Log, or the reverse, as I forget the exact details of the fable. But what I mean is that England is a better ruler of our country than Germany or Russia would be.”
“Your sentiments are very liberal, Mr. Bakche.”
“I have read history,” replied the other. “Believe me, Mr. Fuller, that if people only read history more carefully so many mistakes would not be made in this world. The past life of nations is more or less only what the future will be, making reasonable allowance for development.”
Bakche talked on this strain for some time, and displayed a great knowledge of history, and betrayed a shrewd observation of men and manners, so that Alan found the conversation very enjoyable. Later on, his companion became particular after general, and gave a few hints about his family.
“At the time of the Mutiny my grandfather was the Rajah of Kam, which was a little-known state which is in the Madras presidency. That is, it was.”
“Was,” repeated Fuller, surprised, “a state cannot vanish out of existence, Mr. Bakche, since it is land and——”
“Oh, the land is still there and the villages and towns. But the name has been changed and my family have been turned out. I am the sole member left alive, Mr. Fuller. But I have no ambition to get back our former royalty.”
“But I understood from Miss Grison that you had come to England on a mission of that sort.”
“The good lady is wrong again. I want no forfeited title, but I do want certain property.”