Gilpin observer., 1911-11-30

| been put through the ordeal, as they
call 1t, for the sake Of appearances
! and the moral effect upon the Hindu
race at large. Now I think you un.
derstand."
II think l do, thanks" Amber re-
turned dryly. You're quite right, al
said before So I'm of to the resi-
dency. But how to get through that
guard out there?"
He received no response. In as HI
tie time as It took him to step back
wards from Amber Labertouche had
resumed his temporarily discarded
masquerade Instantaneously 1t was
the khansamah who confronted the
Virginian-the native with head and
shoulders submissively bended, as one
who awaits an order.
Amber, surprised, stared, started to
speak, received sign, and was silent,
the excuse for Labertouche's sudden
change of attitude being sufficiently
apparent in an uproar which had been
the compound The advent OF a rum
ming horse seemed to have been re-
sponsible for It, for the clatter Of
hoofs as the animal was checked ab-l
ruptly in mid.stride was followed by a.
Glamour Of drunken cries, shrieks Of
alarm, and protests on the part Of the
sepoys disturbed In the midst Of their,
carouse. Over all this there rang tha
voice Of an Englishman swearing
good, round, honest British oaths.
Stand aside, you hounds"
Amber turned pale. That's Far
rell's voice!" he cried, guessing at the
truth.
Labertouche made no answer, but
edged toward the khansamahs quar-
ters.
The din subsided as Farrell gained
the veranda. His feet rang heavily on
the boards, and second later hs
thrust the door violently open and
slammed breathlessly into the room.
booted, spurred, his keen old face
livid, riding whip dangling from one
wrist, a revolver in the other hand.
He wheeled on the threshold and
lifted his weapon, then, with gasp of
amazement, dropped it. by heaven.
sir!" he cried. that's odd! Those
damned sepoys tried to prevent my
seeing you and now they've cleared
out, every mothers son Of them!"
Amber stepped to his side; to his
own bewilderment, the compound was
| deserted; there was not a sepoy in
sight.
so much the better he said, quick
ly, the first to recover. What's wrong.
sir?"
Wrong" Farrell stumbled over to
| the table and into a chair, painting.
'Everythings wrong! What's gona
wrong with you, that we haven't been
able to find you all day?"
I've been lying there" Amber told
him, nodding to the charpoy. "drugged,
What's happened? Is Miss Farrell"
Sophia" The Political lifted hiA
hand to his eyes and let it fall. with
an effect of confusion. In the name
Of charity tell me you know where she
Isl"
You don't mean"
She's gone, Amber-gone. She's
disappeared, vanished. been spirited
away! Don't you understand met
She's been kidnapped"
In dumb torment, Amber heard Q
nant with meaning as a spoken word,
and turned to meet Labertouche's
eyes. and to see that the same thought
was in both their minds. Salia
Singh had found the way to lure Am,
ber to Kathiapur.
No spoken word was needed; their
understanding was implicit on the In
stant. Indeed, the secret agent dared
not speak, lest he be overheard BY an
eavesdropper and SO be the cause OF
his own betrayal. With a flutter OF
white garments he slipped noiselessly
from the room, and Amber knew In,
stinctively that II they were to meet
again that night It would be upon the
For himself. his path of duty lay clear
to the Virginian's vision; like Laber-
touches, 1t was the road to Kathpia.
pur. He had no more doubt that So
phia had been conveyed thither than
he had of Farrell's presence before
him.
He thought swiftly of Dulia Dxd's
parting admclition: You shall ind
but one way to Kathiapur."
We'll. sir? Well?' Exasperated by
his silence the Political sprang to his
feet and brought the riding-crop
against his leg with a smack like q
gun-shot Have you nothing to saye
Don't you realize what it means when
a white woman disappears in this land
Of devils? Good God! you stand there.
doing nothing, saying nothing. ike a
man with heart OF stone!'
Speak French Amber interposed
quietly. He continued in that tongue.
his tone SO steady and imperative that
1t brought the half-frantic Englishman
to his senses. Speak French. You
must know that we're spied upon
every instant. every word we speak
is overheard, probably. Tell me what