“If India remains under the yoke.”
“But, if Britain should preserve her tenure in India with the Japanese troops—” Peter suggested.
Fallows shuddered. “As yet I can see no philosophy under heaven to cover that.”
“And you think Britain and Russia are enemies in spite of this alliance?”
“Enemies, temperamental and structural—enemies, past and future.”
Peter recurred to this point: “You think that India would not remain loyal if she had arms?”
“I was in a little village of the Punjab two years ago,” Fallows replied, “and there was a lad of sixteen there, wonderful in promise—a mind, a spirit. They could not raise in the village enough money to send him across the seas steerage for his education. A single rifle costs nearly three pounds. It is hard for us to realize how poor India is.”
Peter stood fast against this in his mind; his intellect would not accept.... “Are you going to take the field again, Mr. Fallows?”
“Not in a newspaper way. I shall nurse wounded soldiers. At least they have accepted me.... These are fearful and amazing days. We have all been in a kind of long feeding dream, like the insects, accumulating energy and terrible power for these days. Such death as we shall see!”
There was silence.