The evening times., 1899-07-03
MR.. STEVENS MEETS A RAJAH
An Indian Ruler Curious in Appear
nnce 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 fervor. Then l 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, 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 nolseless-
ly, appearing to be moved rather than TO
| move; l saw a brown face, melting black
eyes, a long haired, fine haired, oiled.
black beard.
The figure took my hand in a hand that
seemed made of souflet, and with the same
mysterious, unmoving motion led me
across a hign-roofed hall, with chande-
liers like forest trees and the paint peeling
Off the skirting board, into verandah that
overlooked a reeling chasm of torrent bed
and a lowering heave of mountain beyond.
| He sat me in a chair beside him, the in
| terpreter opposite. then turned and fixed
| his eyes on me. If the movements aere
! inhuman the eyes were unearthly. Eyes
weary beyond satiety-eyes utterly pas
! sionless and purposeless, as II their owner
/ neither desired anything nor intended any
/ thing. had neither never had interest in
the world or had quite finished with 1t.
| Locking into those 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
| specialized 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
eyed Rajah was-if one may SO spsak
OF princes-a fool. But presently the ba-
bus circumambient periods began to coil
themselves round a 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; it
! did not matter to me. The interest 10 me
lay in comparing what the Rajah suggest
ed with what l knew 10 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. l found it 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 ne said
Yet, without the least encouragement, he
insinuated and insinuated and insinuated
away, till | felt almost a traitor to sit
/ and listen to him. He cannot have thought
| should take his side, or that l could be
of any service TO him If / did: but that
appeared to matter nothing. Intrigue was
his nature, and in default of better con-
federate he kept his hand in by trying to
intrigue with me.
And then suddenly, without flicker in
the eyes of either Rajah 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 reputa-
ton" 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.
And while l still gasped, His Highness
motionlessly rose, handed me out of the
chair with his soufflet- touch, and prattled,
in English, do not forget me-