The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-02-06

woman. she felt sure who vas
suffocating bore. and was called
Miss de Souza. which sounded Ike
the name OF an American show
girl at the Palladium.
The boy whom she sent to Ran
some's house TO fetch books had
simply vanished into the rain. and
IN desperation she had tried read
ing, in turn. India Revealed"
The Problem of the Empire and
The Indian Middle" which Bates
brought her from Esketh's room,
but IN the end she abandoned each
of them because none Of them
seemed to tell what she wanted to
know.
When, in turn, she had thrswn
the books on the floor in disgust.
she tried for time to sleep simply
in order to kin the dragging hours:
but that was no good either and
after an hour she rose and began
to walk up and down the room.
thinking. Now : understand WHY
animals in the zoo pace back and
/ forth"
At about o'clock she called her
maid and dressed, filled with de-
sire to do something, no matter
what, if only to 60 out and walk
up and down the streets of Ranchi-
/ pur in the rain. And she could
spend money, which was always
what she did when bored, only
she could remember having seen
nothing in the bazaars of Rancho
I pur which she wanted TO buy.
/ And then Just as she was ready
] to go out servant brought in two
cards. both of which read, Miss
Elizabeth Hodge, Assistant Princi-
| pal, The Maharanee's High School
for Girls" For moment she
stared at the cards in indecision
and then she thought, why not >
1t might be funny. Anyway, it's
better than nothing"
And she asked the servant TO
bring Miss Hodge up to her sitting
room. and when he had gone she
felt a faint sense of excitement.
IF Tom is going to behave like
bore she thought, then III
launch out for myself"
She told her maid to ask for tea.
When she entered the room Miss
Hodge was sitting on the edge of
plush sofa, plump and dowdy in
her Army and Navy Stores -four
lard examining with her near
sighted eyes the furniture, the pic
lures, the fantastic collection Of
bric-abrac which had found its
way somehow from the four quar-
tiers of the earth into the old
summer palace. At the sound of
the opening door she got up
quickly and came forward, blush
ing and trembling.
I'm Miss Hodge" she said,
from the Girls High School,
Edwina answered, How dyou
do? I'm Lady Esketh. Sit down.
Yes" said Miss Hodge, sitting
down well forward on the sofa.
I've seen you once or twice in
your motor I'd have recognized
you anywhere from your picture"
She coughed, and then: Il hope
haven't been a nuisance, drop
ping in this way. informally. But
it occurred to me as I was walk
ing home from the school this
afternoon that you might want to
meet some English people.
know the guests of His Highness
don't often see any of the English
colony and I said to myself, Per-
haps Lady Esketh would like to
see the other side of Ranchipur.
1t was a speech which she had
rehearsed again and again walk
ing through the rain, and now it
came out with astonishing glib
ness, all in one breath. like a poem
recited by a small child
That's very kind of you said
Edwina. las a matter of fact !
was just dressed to go out ="
Miss Hodge started up as if to
leave at once. "Oh. don't think
you kept me in. l was only 60
ing out because I was dreadfully
bored and there wasn't anything
else to do
Perhaps 7 should have written
you note"
I think it's very kind of you TO
have thought OF me at all"
Miss Hodge fumbled with her
bag. uncertain of what to say next.
and then the weather occurred to
her. u suppose" she said. that
this is the first time you've ever
seen a monsoon"
Yes; you see it's the first time
I've ever been TO India"
i suppose you find it very in
teresting ,"
Edwina was about to say. No,
I think it's deadly" when she
understood that she must not say
this to Miss Hodge. You might
say it to people at dinner in Lon
don or to Indian generals. or even
TO the viceroy himself. but not to
Miss Hodge, to whom India must
be everything in life-everything
So she said, Yes. but I've seen too
little of ii. II might be interest
ing If l knew it better. But that
seems to be very difficult"
y suppose" interrupted Miss
Hodge, you've seen the water
works. They're the finest in In
dia They ="
Yes, and the asylum and the
jail and the distillery =. but that
isn't quite what I mean. I'd really
like to see Indians and know how
they live and what they think
and what they're like inside
And as she spoke she was think
ing OF Major Safti. In the bore
dom Of the long afternoon she had
thought a great deal about him.
And in the middle of the speech
she felt desire TO laugh al the
spectacle of Miss Hodge and her
self. thinking
It's a good thing she can't see
into nv inside and discover that