“But if Bayard has made up his mind not to take it?” Eveleen spoke before Colonel Bayard could. He raised his hand in protest.
“Not made up my mind, ma’am—you’re mistaken there. I should hardly feel justified in ignoring such a warning—yet to refuse the offer would be a precious strong step to take. Khair Husain would naturally feel himself ill-used.”
“But if you accepted it, we would be ill-used,” said Eveleen triumphantly. “Would you really like that better? And didn’t you yourself just this minute say the offer would be an insult?”
“My dear Richard, there was a great casuist lost in Mrs Ambrose.” Colonel Bayard managed to keep his indulgent air, though Eveleen felt, and looked, as though she would like to box his ears. “And what, ma’am”—kindly—“would be your idea of the proper procedure when the offer had been refused?”
“Of course, I’d like greatly to be in a real fight,” said Eveleen regretfully. “But”—summoning all the forces of duty and self-denial to her aid—“I know you gentlemen will all cry out with one voice that’s my bloodthirsty nonsense.” Deeply shocked, Colonel Bayard negatived the suggestion with a deprecating hand. “Ah, don’t I know it? So I’ll be moderate and sensible, and only say I suppose we ought all get up the river again in the Asteroid.”
“And betray my trust here?” It was his turn to triumph. “No, ma’am, I came to Qadirabad by the General’s orders”—he disregarded a sound as of dissent from Richard,—“and here I stay until either I am turned out or Sir Henry sends me orders to leave. But my first duty—Ambrose, I know you will be with me in this—is to assure the safety of the lady who has laboured so pluckily to save our lives, as she believes. I will send word to Franks that Mrs Ambrose will sleep on board to-night.”
“You think there’ll be a fight, and you won’t let me be in it?” Her undisguised anguish and dismay brought back Colonel Bayard’s sunny smile.
“Precisely!” he said, the last vestige of his ill-humour vanishing. “Why, what curs you must think us, ma’am, to be willing to expose you to a peril against which you have yourself warned us!”
Richard laughed—he could not help it—and Eveleen glared from one to the other. “I’ll never speak a word to either of y’again—unless I have to!” she declared wrathfully, and swept majestically from the room. For the rest of the day she refused to be comforted or placated, and made Richard very angry—because he felt she was making him ridiculous—by declining to address him directly, and sending him messages through Ketty, though they were on the same verandah. Therefore he triumphed in his turn when, after being summoned to be present when Colonel Bayard received a Vakil from Khair Husain Khan, he was able to meet her again with a fine air of mystery.
“Something very queer about this——” shaking his head solemnly as he sat down. “Giving warning is one thing, but playing the enemy’s game——! Now why should she——?”