Gilpin observer., 1911-11-30
"aood God! you don't mean that!

! "Good God! you don't mean that!
Surely that custom has perished!"
Thou shouldst know that 1t dieth
not. What to us women In whose
4! bodies runs the blood of royalty, is
an edict Of your English government?
What the Sirkar itself to us In Khan
dawar?" She laughed bitterly. II am
Rohilla. a daughter of kings; my dis
honor may be purged only by fame.
Are! that l should live to meet with
such fate-I. Nsraini, to perish in
the flower Of my beauty. For
am beautiful. am not?" She dropped
the veil which instinctively she had
caught across her face, and met his
gaze with childish coquetry, torn
though she seemed to be by fear and
disappointment.
Thou art assuredly most beautiful.
Rance" Amber told her. with break
in his voice. very compassionate. And
he spoke simple truth. "Of thy
kind there is none more lovely in the
world.
There was tenderness then in your
tone. my lord!" she caught him up
quickly. as there no mercy in thy
heart for met Who Is this
woman across the seas who hath won
thy love? :. Aye. even that
know-that thou dost love this fair
daughter of the English. Didst thou
not lose the picture of her that was
taken with the magic box Of the sa-
hibs? . Is 1t for her sake that
thou dost deny me, o my husband?
| Is she more fair than I, are her lips
more sweet?"
II am not thy husband" he declared
vehemently. appalled, by her reversion
to that delusion. Till this hour
have never seen thee; nor is the sa-
hiba of any concern to thee. Let me
go, please"
But she had him fast and he could
not have shaken her of but with vio-
lence. He had been strong man In
deed who had not been melted to ten
derness by her beauty and her dis
tress. She lifted her glorious face to
him, pleading. insistent. and played
upon him with her voice of gold. Yet
a moment gone thou 6idst tell me
was greatly gifted with beauty. Have
l changed in thine eyes, o my king?
Canst thou look upon this poor beauty
and hear me tell thee of my love-and
indeed l am thine, altogether thine.
Lalji!-and harden thy heart against
me? What though 1t be as thou
hast said? What though thou art Of
truth not of the house of Rutton. nor
yet rajput? Let us say that this Is
SO. however hard 1t be to credit; even
so. am l not reward enough for thy
renunciation?"
Il know not thy meaning. Rance,
j."
Come, then, and I will show thee.
my king. Come thou with me. :.
Nay, why shouldst thou falter? There
is naught for thee to fear-save me-"
She tugged at his hand and laughed
low. in voice that sang like smitten
glasses. Come. beloved"
Unwillingly. he humored her. This
could not last long. The wom-
an half led. half dragged him to the
northern boundary of the garden.
where they entered little turret
builded out from the walls over an
abyss fully three hundred feet In
depth. And here, standing upon the
| verge of the parapet, with naught but
a foot-high coping between her and
the frightful fall. utterly fearless and
unutterably lovely. Naraini flung out
a bare. jeweled arm in an eloquent
gesture.
See. my king!" she cried, her voice
vibrant. her eyes kindling as they met
his. Look down upon thy kingdom.
North. south. east. west-look!" she
commanded. Wherever thine eyes
may turn. and farther than they can
see upon the clearest day. this land Is
all thine for the taking. Look
and tell me thou hast strength to re-
nounce 1t and me. beloved"
She opened her arms with infinite
allure. 1T Is SO little that Is asked
of thee-only to ascend thy fathers
throne and be honored of all Bharuta.
only to WELD the scepter that is thine
by right, only to reign an undisputed
king In two Observation-Disclosures
and thy Naraini's heart!"
II am very sorry" he returned. ut
is quite impossible. Besides, 1t seems
that you leave the sirkar altogether
out Of your calculations. 1t may not
have occurred to you that the supreme
government Of India may have some
thing to say about the contemplated
change"
He saw her bite. her lips with cha
grin, and the look she flashed to his
face was anything but kind and ten.
der. "Arre!" she laughed derisively.
And of what account is this frail.
tottering sirkar's will besides the VIII
Of the Body? OF what avail its dicta
against the rulings Of the Bell? Thou
knowest-"
Pardon, know nothing. have
told thee, Rance. that I am net lIar
| Oval Rutton"