"Trust me, Leila, I'll have another and a bigger note out of him in no time. I've taken the measure of him. He's a coward as well as a villain. I declare he's no better than if he was a native. Did you ever notice his hands? There's no strength there—just slim, long fingers like a half-caste's. Yes, I'll be even with that young man yet," cried the woman, with undaunted spirit as she trudged along, weary and footsore.
The chairs and tables of the verandah at Clive's Road were still strewn with Hester's purchases when her husband returned from the High Court. She was delighted with his sympathetic attitude and with his approval of her choice of gifts. He was eager also to help her in affixing cards with the names, so dear and familiar to her, and loving Christmas wishes on each. His zeal even reached the unwonted climax of rummaging in a godown for tin-lined cases and helping her to pack her offerings. At length all was finished, and they sank on their lounging chairs with a sense of a well-earned rest.
Never had Hester felt in closer unison with her husband or more radiantly happy. The deal packing case lay near, requiring only the coming of the "tinie-smith" in the morning to solder its lining down. Every now and then she cast loving looks upon it, seeing visions of what pleasure its arrival would bring to the beloved inmates of the Rectory, while her husband gaily congratulated her in having made a hundred rupees buy so many pretty things. "And from Ismail too, a hard-fisted rascal, follows the profession of a soukar, a money-lender—as well as that of a hawker—swindled a client of mine lately."
"Oh, that reminds me, Alfred. There was a client of yours in search of you here just before tiffin——"
"A client? Young Hyde from Palaveram?"
"Oh, no, I wish it had been, poor fellow! No, it was a haughty, inscrutable-looking young woman, to whom Mrs. Fellowes seemed to take an instinctive dislike, and she's generally so charitable. Poor thing, I thought at first she was coming to enrol for our 'Friendly.' But I think I once asked you before if you knew her by name," said Hester, suddenly pausing. She certainly had not connected Alfred's outburst of temper with the name of this girl, but she felt she ought to have remembered that the very mention of any Eurasian seemed to make her husband angry.
"Dear me, Hester, how you do meander on!" said Mr. Rayner irritably. "What was the girl's name?"
"Leila Baltus," answered Hester meekly. "She said you would know who she was—in fact, it was you she came to see."
"Never heard of such a person in my life! She's no client of mine, be assured of that—more likely a lying half-caste beggar!"
Hester saw that her husband looked blanched as if by uncontrollable anger—or was it agitation? He was silent for a moment, then he asked, evidently with an effort to assume an unconcerned tone: "Did the creature say what she wanted? Did she give any reason for her visit?"