ee made a very good
choice indeed, a very good choice.'

Sir William moved on, and Dora was free to send me an expressive glance.
'Isn't that just LIKE this place?' she demanded. 'Let me see, the
Viceroy's medal, the Society's silver medal, five prizes from Members
of Council. Highly Commended's as thick as blackberries, and these
perfectly fresh, original, admirable things completely ignored. What an
absurd, impossible corner of the earth it is!'

'You look very cross, you two,' said Mrs. Sinclair, trailing past. 'Come
and see the crazy china exhibit, all made of little bits, you know. They
say the photograph frames are simply lovely.'

Mrs. Sinclair's invitation was not sincere. Miss Harris was able to
answer it with a laugh and a wave. We remained beside the serious fact
of exhibits 97-103.

'Who are the judges this year?' I asked, not that I did not know
precisely who they were likely to be. There is a custom in these
matters, and I had been part of Simla for eleven years.

Dora took the catalogue from my hand and turned its pages over.

'Mr. Cathcart, of course; the Private Secretary to the Viceroy would be
on the Committee almost ex officio, wouldn't he? Impossible to conceive
a Private Secretary to the Viceroy whose opinion would not be valuable
upon any head. The member for Public Works--I suppose he can build
bridges, or could once, therefore he can draw, or could once; besides,
look at his precedence and his pay! General Haycock--isn't he head of
the Ordnance Department? I can't think of any other reason for putting
him on. Oh yes--he's a K.C.B., and he is inventing a way of taking
coloured photographs. Mr. Tilley, the old gentleman that teaches
elementary drawing to the little girls in the diocesan school, that's
all right. And Mr. Jay, of course, because Mr. Jay's water-colours
are the mainstay of the exhibition, and he must be given a chance of
expressing his opinion of them.' She handed me back the catalogue. 'I
have never been really angry with them before,' she said.

'Are you really angry now?' I asked.

'Furious,' Dora replied, and indeed her face expressed indignation. Its
lines were quite tense, and a spark shone oddly in the middle of the
eyes. One could not credit her with beauty, but as her lady friends were
fond of saying, there was something 'more' in her face. I saw a good
deal more at this moment, and it gave me pleasure, as all her feelings
did when they came out like that. I hasten