n had worn off. A young
man speedily recovers from such a blow, however heavy, but no change had
taken place in Bathurst, and the Doctor had in time become so accustomed
to his manner that he had ceased to wonder over it. Now it was all
explained. He sat thinking over it deeply for an hour, and then laid
down his pipe.

"It is a terrible pity he came out here," he said. "Of course it is not
his fault in the slightest degree. One might as well blame a man for
being born a hunchback; but if there should be a row out here it will be
terrible for him. I can quite understand his feeling about it. If I were
placed as he is, and were called upon to fight, I should take a dose
of prussic acid at once. Men talk: about their civilization, but we
are little better than savages in our instincts. Courage is an almost
useless virtue in a civilized community, but if it is called for, we
despise a man in whom it is wanting, just as heartily as our tattooed
ancestors did. Of course, in him it is a purely constitutional failing,
and I have no doubt he would be as brave as a lion in any other
circumstances--in fact, the incident of his attacking the tiger with
that dog whip of his shows that he is so; and yet, if he should fail
when the lives of women are at stake it would be a kindness to give him
that dose of prussic acid, especially as Isobel Hannay will be here.
That is the hardest part of it to him, I can see."

Three days later the force at Deennugghur was increased by the arrival
of a troop of native cavalry, under a Captain Forster, who had just
returned from leave in England.

"Do you know Captain Forster, Doctor?" Isobel Hannay asked, on the
afternoon of his arrival. "Uncle tells me he is coming to dinner."

"Then you must look after your heart, my dear. He is one of the best
looking fellows out here, a dashing soldier, and a devoted servant of
the fair sex."

"You don't like him, Doctor," Isobel said quietly.

"I have not said so, my dear--far from it. I think I said a good deal
for him."

"Yes, but you don't like him, Doctor. Why is that?"

"I suppose because he is not my sort of man," the Doctor said. "I have
not seen him since his regiment and ours were at Delhi together, and we
did not see much of each other then. Our tastes did not lie in the same
direction."

"Well, I know what your tastes are, Doctor; what are his?"

"I will leave you to find out, my dear. He is all I told you--a very
handsome man, with, as