The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1912-01-04
CHAPTER VII.
Masks and Faces.

Masks and Faces,
Like many wiser and a better
man. Amber was able upon occasion
10 change his mind without entertain.
ing serious misgivings as to his sta,
Dlllty OF purpose. Therefore. on sec.
ond thought. he elected to 1ournev
lnolawards via the Suez canal rather
than by the western route. Rutton's
instructions had been explicit upon
one point: Amber was to enter India
only by the port Of Calcutta. In de-
Ierrlng to this the Virginian lost sew
eral days waiting in London for the
1ortnightly P. & o. boat for Calcutta:
delay which might have been OBJ
waited by taking the overland route
TO brlndlsi connecting there with the
weekly P. & o. boat for Bombay.
from which latter point Calcutta could
nave been quickly reached by rail
across the Indian peninsula.
Now Quain's letter to Labertouche
went by this quicker route and so an
'tlclpated Amber's arrival at the cant
tai or India by about a week: during
all or which time it languished un
read.
A nice young English boy in Mr.
Lapertouche's employ received and
stamped 1t with the date of delivery
and put IT. away with the rest of the
incoming correspondence in a sub.
stantial-looking safe. After which he
returned to his desk in the ante-room
and resumed his study Of the law:
which he pursued comfortably enough
with cigarette in his mouth. his
chair tilted back. and his feet gently
but firmly implanted upon the fair
printed pages Of an open volume of
blackstone. His official duties, other
wise, seemed to consfAt solely in i'm
parting to all and sundry the informa-
ton that Mr.. Labertouche was some
where up in the Mofussil. hunting
bugs-1 don't know exactly where"
Precisely why Mr.. Labertouche
maintained his ONCE was matter for
casual conjecture to his wide circle of
acqua1ntances; although It's not un-
likely that. were he the subject of dis
cussion, the bulk of the wonder ex-
pressed would be inspired by his un-
reasonable preference for Calcutta as
a place OF residence.
Now upon the morning of the day
that found the steamship Poonah mug
cling up the Hooghly's dirty yellow
Hood. Mr.. Labertouche's clerk arrived
at the DhurrNmtollah street office at
the usual hour; which, in the absence
OF his employer. was generally be-
tween IL o'clock and noon. Having
assorted and disposed of the morn
ing's mail. he donned his office coat,
sat down, thumbed through Black.
stone until he found two perfectly
clean pages. opened the volume at that
place, tipped back his chair, and with
every indication of an untroubled con-
science imposed his feet upon the
book and began the days labors with
a cigarette.
Presently he became aware that
an especially dirty and travel-worn
Attit mendicant had squatted down
\across the way, in the full glare of
unlight, and was composing himself
hr one of those apparently purpose
hess and interminable vigils peculiar
/ IN his vocation. Beneath their droop-
Ex2g lashes the eyes of the clerk |
frightened But he did not move. |
Neither did the Attit mendicant
In the course of the next half-hour
the clerk consumed two cigarettes
and entertained visitor in the per-
son of dapper little Greek curio-
dealer from the Lal bazar, who left
behind him an invitation to Mr.. La
bertouche to call and inspect some
scarabs in which he had protested
an interest. 1t was quite a fresh i'm
portation, .averred the Greek; the
clerk was to be careful to remember
that.
sWhen he had gone the clerk made
note of it. Then, glancing out of
the window. he became aware that
the Attit mendicant, for some reason
FIssatisned, was preparing to move
IN. Yawning, the clerk resumed his
street coat, and went out to lunch,
carSaessly leaving the door unlocked.
and the memorandum of the Greeks
invitation exposed upon his blotter.
When he returned at three o'clock,
the door of Mr.. Labertouche's private
Office vas ajar and that gentleman
sas af his desk. The memorandum
sas. however, gone. Ia
Mr.. Lx1ertouche was in the pro Ii