Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-10-31
STEVENS MEETS A RAJAH.
His Experience i'm Stucco Royal
Palace.

1-0lace.
At the door of the stucco palace a
dishevelled sentry presented arms with
even more than the usual feryor.
Then l understood-and perceived COM
ing slowly, slowly, and quite noiseless-
ly toward me down a corridor q 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 noiselessly,
appearing to be moved rather than to
move; | saw a brown face, melting
black eyes, long fine-haired,
oiled, black beard.
The figure took my hand in a hand
that seemed made of soufflet, and with
the same mysterious unmoving motion
led me across a high-roofed hall, with
chandeliers like forest-trees and the
paint peeling off the skirting-board, in
to verandah that overlooked a reel
ing chasm of torrent bed and lower
ing heaye Of mountain beyond. He sat
me in q chair beside him, the inter
prefer opposite, then turned and fixed
his eyes ON me. If the movements
were inhuman the eyes were unearth-
ly. Eyes weary beyond satiety-eyes
utterly passi0nless and purposeless, as
If their owner neither desired anything
nor intended anything, had neither
never had interest in the world or had
quite finished with 1t. Looking into
those black pools of sheer emptiness,
you wondered whether he were a new
born baby or a million years old; you
almost wondered If he were alive or
dead.
That was the Rajah. And then, In q
voice that seemed tor 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 fiOated at
this level, and l began to think that
this Nirvapa-eyed Rajah was-if one
may so speak of princes-a fool. But
presently the babu's circumambient
periods began to call themselves round
definite subject, and the Rajah was
instructing me on the political question
of the hour. 1t does not matter to you
what the question was; 1t did not mat
ter to me. The interest to me lay In
comparing what the Rajah suggested
with what knew to be true. In black
and white he said nothing, but he hint
ed words. The suggestions were so
subtly nebulous that you could hardly
be sure they meant anything at oil;
the subject seemed to he In the air
rather than in his conversation.
found it quite impossible to speak a
language so evasive, and had to fly to
brutal verbs and nouns. He accepted
my remarks, though with depreciation
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
feature of his talk was that he con-
tinually conveyed to me views of the
questions of the hour which l knew
to he false, which he knew me to know
to be false. AT least, he knew that
| came with the Resident, and might
have known that l would ask him
about things and believe what he said.
Yet, without the least encouragement,
he insnuated and insinuated and in
situated away. till felt almost a trail
tor to sit and listen to him. He can
not 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 ma
tlTt. anu VI DCtttl SOhACu-
crate he kept his hand in by trying to
intrigue with me.
And then suddenly, without flicker
in the eyes of either Rajah or inter-
prefer:
"His Highness hopes that on your
return to your country you will write
to him from time to time, and give him
your advice on affairs of State"
/ gasped. "His Highness has heard
much of your good name and high
reputation" pursued the bland, relent-
less voice-he had first heard, and for
gotten, my name three hours before
"and he is sure that your opinion on
the government of his country would
be very valuable to him."
And while / still gasped, His High
ness motionlessly rose, handed me out
of the chair with his souffiet-touch, and
prattled. in English, do not forget
me."-London Mail.