e so very kind."

I began to read, and read on and on through the exquisite rise and fall
of the stanzas, through the beautiful clear high thoughts which seem to
come as a breath and a breeze from an unattainable heaven, from the
Nirvana we all hope for in our inmost hearts, whatever our confession of
faith. And the poor girl was soothed, and touched and lulled by the
music of thought and the sigh of verse that is in the poem; and the
morning passed. I suppose the quiet and the poetry wrought up in her the
feeling of confidence she felt in me, as being her lover's friend, for
after I had paused a minute or two, seeing some one coming toward the
tent, she said quite simply--

"Where is he gone?"

"He is gone to do a very noble deed. He is gone to save the life of a
man he never saw." A bright light came into her face, and all the
chilled heart's blood, driven from her cheeks by the weariness of her
first parting, rushed joyously back, and for one moment there dwelt on
her features the glory and bloom of the love and happiness that had been
hers all day yesterday, that would be hers again--when? Poor Miss
Westonhaugh, it seemed so long to wait.

The day passed somehow, but the dinner was dismal. Miss Westonhaugh was
evidently far from well, and I could not conceive that the pain of a
temporary parting should make so sudden a change in one so perfectly
strong and healthy--even were her nature ever so sensitive. Kildare and
the Pegnugger magistrate tried to keep up the spirits of the party, but
John Westonhaugh was anxious about his sister, and even old Mr. Currie
Ghyrkins was beginning to fancy there must be something wrong. We sat
smoking outside, and the young girl refused to leave us, though John
begged her to. As we sat, it may have been half an hour after dinner, a
messenger came galloping up in hot haste, and leaping to the ground
asked for "Gurregis Sahib," with the usual native pronunciation of my
euphonious name. Being informed, he salaamed low and handed me a letter,
which I took to the light. It was in _shikast_ Persian, and signed
"Abdul Hafiz-ben-Isak." "Ram Lal," he said, "has met me unexpectedly,
and sends you this by his own means, which are swift as the flight of
the eagle. It is indispensable that you meet us below Keitung, towards
Sultanpoor, on the afternoon of the day when the moon is full. Travel by
Julinder and Sultanpoor; you will easily overtake me, since I go by
Simla. For friendship's sake, f