Novelist

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2671, 24 August 1889, Page 5 (Supplement)

Novelist

[ALL ItICHTS KKSFRYED.]

Love's Labour Won: AN EVENTFUL STORY.

BY JAMES GRANT. Author of " The Romance of War," "Tho Black Watch," " i''aircr than a Fairy," &c., &c.

CHAPTER XXXI.—Ox the Esplanade. " So this is Bengal once more—the shores of India !" said Lonsdale to Montressor as they ascended the poop one morning, when the seabreeze had died away and the atmosphere was hot and still, It was about the end of the rainy season, and the low island of Sangor was looming dimly on the port bow of the Pagoda, as she steamed up the Hooghley—or Hugli, as it is spelled now—but slowly, as the entrance to the deltoid of the Ganges is rendered extremely dangerous and difficult by the many sandbanks which frequently change their relative positions ; and as he gazed, he thought, with an irrepressible glow of enthusiasm, of the vast empire that lay beyond that strip of level coast—the empire ot which Clive laid the solid foundation on the field of Plassy, where Eyre Coote defeated Hyder, where Cornwallis swept Mysore, where Wellesley won Assayn, and where Campbell and Outran)—Outram the Bayard of India, the lion-hearted conqueror of iScinde —avenged so amply the horrors of the Sepoy Revolt. Siinwor did not look inviting, no part of it being above the reach of hi"h spring tides, and its only spontaneous vegetation being such as "rows in salt water—the Java fern, The Bukra palm and wonderful creepers ; but great fairs are hold there, though the district is sorely infested by tigers. In the island of Sangor propel', only Hindoo fakirs live, and deem their sanctity in-

creased by their period of seclusion there. But tho river teems with crocodiles, and between them in the water, ami the tigers on shore the holy men have often a bad time of it. To Digby Montrossor who had been twice out before, the scene was neither new nor interesting ; but lie told Lonsdale that in 1688, when the low land they looked on had been inundated, more than two hundred thousand persons perished in a few hours. A railway has long been talked of, but the waterway from the mouth of the Hooghley, or tho sandheads, as they are named, is ninety miles. All the passengers wore on decks eagerly scouring the scenery of the river as the Pagoda steamed upward find objects of shore became more md more distinct, till, at Calcutta, the stream proves no broader than Thames at Gravepend. After having had but glimpsos sf the land, and for many many :lays seen nothing but the ocean in its varied moods, tho beautiful scenery of the river, tho deep hues md strango forms of tho tropical toliago, which in sonio places grew ;oo thickly to admit of human habi;ation, the life with which the river tself teemed, the countless small joats that studded it liko insects, ho ships and steamers of all sizes md nations, with tho increasing lumber of houses, all more or less )f a somewhat European aspect, all ndicating the propinquity to a arge city, were full of renewed inerest to Lonsdale ; yot his mind iad room for other thoughts— noughts of Melanio Talbot—then 0 far, far away, and how this arival in India was but the first ihapter in tho story of their separaion. In duo time, Lonsdale and his riond found themselves amid the triking scenes and splendour of he " City of Palaces," and after finding at Princess Ghaut, which is learly opposite tho groat citadel ,nd spacious barracks of Wiliaia, and reporting themselves at leadquarters, they took rooms at he chief hotel, the Groat Eastern, ,nd, with General Tremayne and ithors, found a welcome at the U.S. Jlub, 31 Chowringher, as all An-jlo-Bengalees know, and as Lonslalo knew, as he had served in that >nrt of the -world bofore. Chowringhor is the British quarer, par excellence, where tho statey palatial edifices are constructed mtiroly of brick, plastered over vith white cluinom, which presents 1 surface rivalling tho finest mar)le ; but wo must avoid " Guide 3ook" matter, and adhero to our itory. At the U.S. Club, and elsewhere, lothing was talked of but tho var with Burmali and tho Bengal ;ontingent therefore, which was ast being completed in all its deails, and of which the regiment of Jonsdale unci Montressor formed a iart. Even with tho knowledge of our previous wars in the land of the vhite elephant none could quite 'oresee what the result, or what the imount of actual fighting might be 3ut all knew that there were perils )f a peculiar kind to face, in the swampy and pestilential nature of iho country, and from assassins and jands of savage Dacoits. All unaware as yet that the coning campaign would be, if perilous, norhaps an inglorious one, tho two "rionds looked forward keenly to lie work before them, and with the 3nthusiasm natural to their profession—Lonsdfilo with the earnest ilesiro that he might achieve or do something that would enchance him in the estimation of the girl he loved ; and Montressor in the desperate hope, or heedlessness, that lie might, with the sacrifice of his life, forget that he had lost —but by no fault of his own—Claire Eich-

mond. In the outward voyage, hurried as lie had been from port to port and place to place, Montague Lonsdale did not know when a letter from Melanio might overtake him, in answer to those he had posted to her on every available occasion; and thus, amid the apparent silence of their love, he could but close his eyes at times and dream, or in fancy conjure up her slender figure amid the flower-beds of Eose Cottage, or at their meeting-place by the river, with all its flags and water lilies floating in the sunshine, her violet grey eyes sparkling under their long lashes; then her winning voice would come to his ear and her hand seek his, till imagination seemed lost in reality, and he would start from his reverie to find himself on the busy and gay Esplanade of Calcutta, or intent on some prosaic military duty, going round the soldiers' messes, parading the picquet, or visiting his sentries, amid the groves of trees and vast barrack-squares of Fort William — that great fortress which was the work of Clive after Plassy. Amid the preparations for departure, he, Montrossor, Danvers(now aido-do-camp to General Tremayne, temporarily), and others who had come out in the Pagoda, had still sufficient leisure to amuse themselves in Calcutta, and, as usual there, the Esplanade was their favourite resort, as it is with the inhabitants of all ranks, for air and exercise, and where evoryone sees everyone else. From drowsy dawn, when the sun has got to some height above the horizon, this level plain between Fort Willian and the beautiful city is crowded with Europeans, Eurasians, and natives, who came to enjoy the cool air of the morning ; and in the evenings it exhibits a grand

display of beauty and equipage, with every variety and complexion of vehicle, from the dashing carriage and pair—perhaps four—to the onehorse chaise and palanquin of the Bengalee ; and adapted to the climate are the handsome uniforms of officers of every arm of the service —Artillery, Engineers, Light Cavalry, General Staff, and so forth— often clustering like bees about the fair and fresh new arrivals from Europe, The latest civilisation of the Western world is there, mingled with the most ancient civilisation of the East. There may be seen men in turbans, with flowing attire, with slavish-like servants holding over them splendid umbrellas ; women, clad in many colours, carrying children perched upon the hip ; fakirs, with coarse hair hanging to their feet, with an arm held npward till it has become stiffened and withered like the branch of a tree ; and barefooted people with rings on ther toes. The two frends had " done" Garden Reach, with all its stately villas, and the botanic gardens ; had passed the race-course and ridden to Belvedere, which is the palace of the Lieutenant-Governor, close by where was fought the famous duel in 1777 between Warren Hastings and Sir P. Francis, in which the latter was wounded, and narrowly escaped with his life ; the Government House, with its colossal gates and sphynxes—an edifice in which they had been duly presented to the representative of the Empress-Queen, and of the interior of which a writer says " any adequate idea cannot be conveyed by words ; the eye, not the ear, must be the medium of communication. The rcarble hall, in particular, brought to my mind many of the glowing descriptions in the Arabian Titles of enchanted castles itc. Indeed, I could scarcely persuade myself that I was not treading on magic ground all the

time I was wandering through it." Then there was St. Paul's Cathedral with all its momurnents to the brave men whose blood and valour have won India for Britain, and its brother, the Scottish Presbyterian Kirk, or, as the natives curiously call it, the Lard Sahib Ka Girjah, which was founded by Flora, Countess of Loudoun, on St. Andrew's Day, 1815, and the great clock of which cost 5,000 rupees. And so, after all this, one evening they had something of an adventure when riding about the vast extent of the crowded Esplanade. Westward of the latter lies the Ohowi'inghcr-road, where whilom miserable native huts were at times found close by mansions of noble aspect. The Esplanade was crowded with loungers, Europeans and wealthy natives, in beautiful carriages or on horseback; the caparisoned elephant with the golden umbrella, the decorated palanquin, with liveried outrunnsrs, the carhonchy or hackcarriage of Bengal, and many a buggy, and near the roadways, boxwatiahs, or native hawkers, in their clean white muslin costumes— plenty of warm light, colour, glittering and motion - —■ all were there. The group of friends, of whom General Tremayne was the centre, rode slowly through the crowds, smoking and laughing and eyeing attentively all they passed, and among those on whom appreciative glances fell were the graceful, willowy and slendid Eurasian girls, with their languishing black eyes and soft half-European features. These find their greatest admirers generally in young Europeans, and look upon the young men of their own half caste and colour as beneath them. Danvers' eyeglass was never idle ; but such men as Lonsdale and Montressor had other thoughts— thoughts peculiarly their owii—to occupy them and rode slowly on, surveying the carriages and other equipages, and the many equestrians male and female, that flitted past, with apparent indifference. They had seen all these in the same place many a time before. " Life seems to get more of a bore as one grows older," was Montressor's frequent remark and mood of mind. Looking at him, Lonsdale thought what a handsome fellow he was ; such good style, too ; and how few could guess the secret that made him so grave, and often cynical, Danvers, and other young subs., were in the highest spirts. Regrets for leaving home and home circles, were emotions of the past, and novelty of being completely one's master—the trammels of discipline withal—and utterly beyond tutelage, of having life and avocation before them, a handsome uniform to wear, an approved position in society to maintain, and always a good sad-dle-horse to ride, was vivid and keen in every young fellow's breast. " I hope we may see the belle of Calcutta," said Danvers. " She is a stunner, and is here every evening, I believe." " Rather too grave, with all her beauty, for my taste," said Cecil Trarers, another fledging of the Bengal Staff Corps, though wearing the scarlet tunic of the GovernorGeneral's Body Guard, faced with blue and richly-laced with gold, a corps whose standards have many a trophy between " Ara" and " Sabraon." " But who is she V he asked. « Miss—no, Mrs—-by Jove, I for —get the name, She acts as a companion, I believe, to the Governor of Arracon's wife — Lady Tremayne."

" Then the General here must know her." If the General heard the observation, he remained grimly silent. " She seems very young to be a widow," began Charlie Danvers, again. " Yes ; and to be a mother, too, as local gossip adds. She has at least one child." " Ah, that spoils your little romance," said Lonsdale. " A grass widow, probably V suggested some one else—a tall, blaselooking gunner with a knowing smile. " Though she wears black always, even in this hot climate." " Not at all," said Danvers ; " her husband was killed in Egypt, I believe." "What regiment?" queried the sceptic. "I don't know ; but she'll be my fate, I assure you, Montresser," said Danvers, adopting a melo-dramatic tone. " I felt that the moment I saw her." Montressor smiled sourly, but made no reply ; but ere the dialling subaltern could resume— " Don't talk like a fool, Danvers," said General Tremayne, impatiently; " you are in a state of grifTiuage yet," " And have to get over the prickly heat, my lad," added Montressor. " You must, however, stick to the lemon and soda brigade, and avoid brandy-pawnee as you would the devil and all his works." "The lady concerning whom you jest is an object of interest to all," said General Tremayne, who, most unlike his daughter Hilda, was grave in manner and somewhat stern in face. " She has not been without offers since she came to Calcutta with my sister-in-law, but has declined even the most eligable." •' Why?" asked Danvers. "No one knows why; that is her affair. She asserts, however, that she is not engaged." "Yet she told Val Blake "

" Blake of the King's Dragoon Guards ?" asked Montressor, wincing at the. name. " Yes—that honour bound her to another, and eternally separated her from him or anyone else." " It was scarcely good taste in him to repeat that," said Montressor. " She referred to the dead fellow, her Egyptian hero no doubt." "Oh, that is mere bosh!" exclaimed the boyish Travers. "All the world knows what widows are, and how long such fancies are likely to last, especially in a climate so sultry as this." All this was destitute of interest to Lonsdale and Montressor, save that the latter winced at the name of the old. Cavalry rone, Blake. Each had a fair face in his mind— a loved face that was far, far away; and that was enough for them to dream and ponder over. "It is a thousand pities to think of so fine a girl having perhaps to spend the best years of her life in such a place as my brother's government, Arracon," said General Tremayne; " a swampy hole where the streets are built on piles, amid mud and ooze—a concentration of of shallow lakes, streams and moi'asses." " That she will never do, depend on it," said tho quizzical Artillery officer. "Why?" "Because some fellow, lucky or unlucky, will pick her up here, before Sir Hobart Tremayne leaves us." " Were she less beautiful," said the general, " people would not trouble or interest themselves about her, young fellows especially ; but now, as no one knows anything concerning her or her antecedents, she has become a heroine of conjecture, of no small amount of silly gossip, in consequence of her style, reticence of manner, and supposed misfortunes." "I do not know whether they are supposed or not," persisted young Travers; " but old Doyley, of the Dragoon Guards, is quite spoony upon her, and gossip says she rather affects the gallant colonel." " Gossip again !" said the general, angrily. " Colonel 1 He was but a brevetmajor when I last saw him," observed Montressor to Lonstlale, as he recalled with pain his Brighton experience and the so-called " Irene Beaufort." " Oh, he is full colonel in the army now, but wild as ever." exclaimed Travers. " And now about this girl " " I would rather not have any jests made about her in my presence," said General Tremayne, now with such unmistakable severity that even the usually irrepressible Travers changed, colour. " I beg pardon—if " he began. " I only hope that such a man as Colonel Doyley will not annoy her in any way by his unwelcome attentions," said the general, quietly interrupting the subaltern. " Sho appears to me, apart from being most ladylike and highly-bred, to bo amiable, gentle and uncomplaining, though in a subordinate position, for which she was too surely never intended." " Old Tremayne is surely spoony on her himself," whispered' Charlie Dauvers to Travers. "But, by Jove, here she comes, with Doyloy, Blako and ever so many fellows about her, as usual. I suppose Yal gave her those magnificent gold bangles she wears." The group of officors about Lady Tremayne and the beauty came ridj ing slowly on, for a caparisoned

elephant, with golden rings on its tusks, came lumbering along -with a gilded howdah on its back, wherein sat a fat and ghee-inflated native prince, whose native runners strove to clear the way before him. Lonsdale had only time to perceive that the lady of whom he had heard so much had a slight and graceful figure, that strongly reminded him of Mclanie ; that her riding habit was of Holland linen, prettily braided with black; that she wore a hat with a large white feather round it, acting as a kind of puggaree ; and that her veil was tightly tied down, when, just as General Tremayne raised his right hand to his solartopee, in salute to her and his sister-in-law, the horse of the former seemed to stumble, as if she had suddenly relaxed her reins, and a low cry escaped her as she sank forward on her paddle bow for a moment, and dropped her switch and a riding gauntlet. Quick as thought, Digby Montressor, anticipating Colonel Doyh?y and even the much younger Danvers, was out of his saddle, had picked up and presented to her the switch and gauntlet, receiving a bow, a word of thanks faintly uttered, and a quick glance from two dark eyes, through a laces veil. Me saw that her ungloved hand was marvellously white, slim and perfect; then vaulted into his saddle ; and he thought no more about it, as each party passed on their way. " A fortunate fellow, you, Captain Montrcssor," said Danvers; "but this is just my luck—too late for everything—came into the world five minutes after my brother, and so lost a fine estate in the Midlands. Her habit fits her like a glove ; and how bright, lithe and girlish she seems. She is a mystery.' , "My sister-in-law, Lady Tremayne, gives a reception to-morrow night, chiefly to the fellows bound for Burniah," said the general, with a good-natured laugh, " Come with me, all of you who have not received cards." Most of the group muttered their assent and thanks, and Danvers stroked his scarcely-perceptible yellow moustache, with an emotion of gratification and anticipated conquest. Perhaps the good-natured general thought that the best way to check the empty talk of these silly lads was to introduce them to the lady in question ; but an event —a most startling one—came to pass that none of them could havo forcsc-en. But the general loved his daughter Hilda, perhaps more than that gay young lady deserved, and ho viewed all the rest of the sex through that love for liei. (To be continued.)