The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-10-20
STEVENS MEETS A RAJAH.
HIS Experience In . stucco Rov.I
Palace.

Palace.
At the door Of the stucco palace a
alshevelled sentry presented arms with
even more than the usual feryor
tnen l understood-and perceived com.
ing SLOWLY, slowly, and quite noiseless.
~ toward me down a corridor a small
human figure. 1t wore a white turban
taDard OF lilac silk lined with salmon
eatln, long muslin scarf round tho
neck, snow-white linen drawers. tight
YET SnapeleSS, and white cotton socks
II came up, always quite noiselessly.
appearing TO be moved rather than TO
move; saw a brown face. melting
Diack eyes, a long haired, fne-haired
Oiled black beard.
Ihe Inquire took my hand in a hand
that seemed made of soufilet, and with
the same mysterious. unmoving motion
led me across Il high-roofed hall. with
Chandeliers like foreSt-trees and the
paint peeling off the skirting-b board. in.
TO verandah that overlooked reel
ing chaSm of torrent bed and a lower
ing heave of mountain beyond. He sat
me in q chair beside him. the inter
prefer opposite, then turned and fixed
NSNS Oh ihC IL lIl6 movements
were inhuman the eyes were unearth.
~. Eyes weary beyond satiety-eycs
utterly passionless and purposelesS, as
II their owner neither desired ANYTHING
nor intended anything, had neither
never had interest in the world or had
quite finished with it. Looking into
those black pools of sheer emptiness,
you wondered whether he were new
born baby or million years old; you
almost wondered if he were alive or
dead
That was the Rajah. And then. in a
voice that seemed 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 tloafed at
this level, and | began to think that
this Nirvana-eyed Rajah waS-lf one
may so speak of princes-a fool. But
presently the babu's circumambent
periods began to call themselves round
a definite subject, and the Raiah was
lnstructing me on the political question
OF the hour, 1t does not matter to you
what the question was; it did not mat
ter to me. The interest to me lay in
comparing what the Rajah suggested
with what knew to he 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 all;
the subject seemed to be in the air
rather than in his go versauon. |
found it quite impossible to speak a
lOro ~
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 [ 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 inSnuated and inSinuatod and in
Sinuatcd away, till | felt almost a trail
tor to sit and listen to him. He can
not have thought | should take his
side, or that | could he of any service
to him if | did; but that appeared 10
matter nothing. Intrigue was his ma
tUre, and in default of better confed.
crate he Kept his hand in by trying to
intrigue with me.
And then suddenly, without a flicker
in the eyes of either Raiah or inter-
J prefer:
! Ills Highness hopes that on your
return to your country you will write
! to him from time 10 time, and give him
your advice on affairs of State.
| ga>ped. His IIighness 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 motionlcsSly rose. handed me out
of the chair with his souiilettouch and
prattled, in English, DO not forget
n:e."-Iondon Mail