an who had been compelled by his
extravagant follies to leave the British regiment in which he had
formerly held a commission. He had incurred such debts in India that he
would have been unable to leave that country even if he had possessed
the price of a passage home, and, being thus stranded and penniless, he
had accepted a mere pittance to drill the semi-barbarous matchlockmen of
Sindkhote.

"He is mine body and soul, and the wretch is nearly desperate with
home-sickness and misery," the Maharajah went on, warming as he saw that
he had gripped Nugent's attention. "There are no Europeans for him to
associate with in Sindkhote, and before his fall he was the most popular
young officer at Simla and Calcutta--a good dancer, a crack shot and a
grand polo player. He is as strong and as handsome as one of the ancient
gods, and all the ladies adored him. I propose to return to India by the
next mail boat, and I shall send him home to England, so that Violet
Maynard may fall in love with him."

"What good is that going to do you?" asked Nugent, though his agile mind
was already grasping the germ of the idea.

"It will be the task of this Leslie Chermside to induce Miss Maynard to
elope with him on a fast steamer, ostensibly his own yacht, which I will
furnish you with the funds to charter," the Maharajah continued. "It
will be for you to select the crew and make all the arrangements, as
well as secretly supervising Chermside's courtship and diplomatically
working old Maynard so as to drive his daughter to consent to elope.
Once on board, the rest will be easy, provided the embarkation is
skilfully managed. She will make all speed round the Cape for Sindkhote,
which is a maritime state, and the thing is done."

"And my twenty thousand will be paid--when?"

"It will be placed to your credit the day Violet Maynard sets foot in my
dominions. In any case, you will at once be supplied with the necessary
money for preliminary expenses."

Nugent rapidly reflected. Win or lose the main stake, there should be
some pretty pickings out of those preliminary expenses, and it ought not
to be difficult in the event of failure so to cover up his own
connection with the dastardly project as to escape unpleasant
consequences for himself. It was a tempting prospect, but there was a
flaw in the scheme from the point of view of one who would have sold his
best friend for a song.

"You are sure of this fellow Chermside?" he said. "He won't