coming down again; but I did not tell you--for you can understand it
is a thing that I should not care to talk much about--that he showed me
a picture like those we saw tonight.

"It was a house standing in a courtyard, with a high wall round it. I
did not particularly observe the house. It was of the ordinary native
type, and might, for anything I know, be the house in the middle of this
station used as a courthouse by Hunter, and for keeping stores, and
so on. I don't say it was that; I did not notice it much. There was a
breach in the outside wall, and round it there was a fierce fight going
on. A party of officers and civilians were repelling the assault of a
body of Sepoys. On the terraced roof of the house others were standing
firing and looking on, and I think engaged in loading rifles were two or
three women. One of them I particularly noticed; and, now I recall it,
her face was that of Miss Hannay; of that I am absolutely certain."

"It is curious, lad," the Doctor said, after a pause; "and the picture,
you see, has so far come true that you have made the acquaintance with
one of the actors whom you did not previously know."

"I did not believe in the truth of it, Doctor, and I do not believe in
it now. There was one feature in the fight which was, as I regret to
know, impossible."

"And what was that, Bathurst?"

Bathurst was silent for a time.

"You are an old friend, Doctor, and you will understand my case, and
make more allowances for it than most people would. When I first came
out here I dare say you heard some sort of reports as to why I had left
the army and had afterwards entered the Civil Service."

"There were some stupid rumors," the Doctor said, "that you had gone
home on sick leave just after the battle of Chillianwalla, and had then
sold out, because you had shown the white feather. I need not say that I
did not give any credit to it; there is always gossip flying about as to
the reasons a man leaves the army."

"It was quite true, Doctor. It is a hideous thing to say, but
constitutionally I am a coward."

"I cannot believe it," the Doctor said warmly. "Now that I know you, you
are the last man of whom I would credit such a thing."

"It is the bane of my life," Bathurst went on. "It is my misfortune,
for I will not allow it is my fault. In many things I am not a coward.
I think I could face any danger if the danger were a silent one, but I
cannot stand noise. The report of a gun makes