The times., 1899-07-03
MR.. STEVENS MEETS A RAJAH.
An Indian Ruler Curious in Appear
rnce and Conversation.
from the London Daily Mail.)

At the door of the stucco palace dis
heveled sentry presented arms with even
more than the usual feryor. Then | under
stood-and perceived coming slowly, slow
ly, and quite noiselessly toward me down
a corridor a small human figure. 1t wore
a white turban a tabard of lilac silk lined
with salmon satin, long muslin scarf
round the neck. snow white linen drawers.
tight, yet shapeless, and white cotton
socks. 1t came up, always quite noiseless-
ly, appearing to be moved rather than TO
move; / saw brown face, melting black
eyes, long haired, fine-haired, oiled,
black beard.
The figure took my hand in hand that
seemed made of soufilet, and with the same
mysterious, unmoving motion led me
across a high-rocfed hall. with chande
liers like forest trees and the paint peeling
eff the skirting board, into verandah that
overlooked a reeling chasm of torrent bed
and a lowering heave CT mountain beyond.
He sat me in chair beside him, the in
terpreter opposite then turned and fixed
his eyes On me. II the movements .ere
inhuman the eyes were unearthly. Eyes
weary beyond satiety-eyes utterly pas
sionless and purposeless, as if their owner
neither desired anything nor intended any
thing, had neither never had interest in
the world CT had cutie finished with it.
Locking into these black pools of sheer
emptiness you wondered whether he were
a newborn baby or a million years old;
you almost wondered if he were alive or
dead.
That was the Rajah And then, in
voice that semed to fall among us from
nowhere, he told the fat-cheeked, gold
spectacled babu to tell me he trusted
was in the enjoyment of good health,
Awhile the conversation foated at this
! level, and began TO think that this Mir
vana-e eyed Rajah was--if one may SO speak
Of princes-a fool. But presently the ba-
bus circumambent periods began TO coil
| themselves round definite subject, and
the Rajah was instructing me on the po-
| litical question of the hour. 1t does not
matter to you what the question was; 1t
did not matter to me. The interest to me
| lay in comparing what the Raiah suggest
| ed with what | knew to be true. In black
and white he said nothing, but he hinted
/ worlds. The suggestions were so subtly
| nebulous that you could hardly be sure
| they meant anything at all; the subject
| seemed to be in the air rather than in
his conversation. / found 1t quite impos-
| sible to speak language so evasive, and
had to fly to brutal verbs and nouns. He
accepted my remarks, though with depre-
cation of their bluntness; so that at least
/ had the satisfaction of knowing we were
both talking about the same thing.
But the astonishing and inhuman fea-
| ture of his talk was that he continually
conveyed to me views of the questions of
the hour which | knew to be false, which
he knew me to know to be false. AT least,
he knew that / came, with the Resident
and might have known that | would ask
him about things and believe what he said.
Yet, without the least encouragement, he
insinuated and insinuated ard insinuated
away, till ! felt almost a traitor to sit
and listen to him. He cannot have thought
/ should take his side or that | could be
OF any service to him if | did; but that
appeared to matter nothing. Intrigue was
his nature and in default of a better con-
federate he kept his hand in by trying to
intrigue with me.
And then suddenly, without a flicker in
the eyes of either Raiah or Interpreter:
His Highness hopes that on your return
to your country you will write to him
from time to time, and give him your ad-
vice on affairs of state.
gasped. His Highness has heard
much of your good name and high rsputa-
tion." pursued the bland, relentless voice
he had first heard, and forgotten. my
name three hours beforehand he is sure
that your opinion on the government Of his
country would be very valuable to him. y
And while l still gasped. His Highness
motionlessly rose, handed me out of the
chair with his soufIiet- touch. and prattled
in English, do not forget me-