h a little sense of
guilty, shamed hope--if she were beginning to forget him.

Christmas came; and with its coming Ranga Duar woke again to life.
Besides the Bensons and Carter, who now brought his wife, Mrs. Dermot's
brother--a subaltern in an Indian cavalry regiment--and five planters,
old friends of his from the district in which he had once been a planter
himself, came to spend Christmas in the small station. Major Hunt's
bungalow and the Mess took in the overflow from the Political Officer's
house.

Brian and Eileen had the gayest, happiest time of their little lives.
Presents were heaped on them. Muriel and Frank initiated them into all
the delights of their first Christmas tree, and Burke introduced them to
a real Punch and Judy Show. On Christmas Day Badshah, his neck encircled
with a garland of flowers procured from the Plains, was led up solemnly
by his seldom-seen _mahout_ to present Colonel Dermot with a gilded lime
and receive in return a present of silver rupees which passed into the
possession of the said _mahout_. Then he was fed with dainties by the
children; and Eileen insisted on being tossed aloft by the curving
trunk, to the detriment of her starched party frock.

The weather was appropriate to the season, cold and bright, and although
no snow fell so low down, it froze at night, so that the Europeans could
indulge in the luxury--in India--of gathering around blazing wood fires
after dinner.

All, young and old, thoroughly enjoyed this almost English-like
Christmas--all except one. Burke's attentions to Muriel became more
marked and more full of meaning than they had ever been before; and it
was patent that he intended to put his fate to the touch during this
visit of hers. He did so without success, it seemed; for before she left
there was an evident sense of constraint between them and they tried to
avoid sitting beside each other or being left alone together, even for a
moment. Shortly after the departure of the visitors Burke contrived to
effect an exchange to another station, to the regret of all in the
little outpost, and he was replaced by a young Scots surgeon, named
Macdonald, his opposite in every way.

CHAPTER XI

TRAGEDY

The annual Durbar for the reception of the Bhutan Envoy and the payment
of the subsidy had come and gone again. The _Deb Zimpun_, who had not
been accompanied by the Chinese _Amban_ on this occasion, had departed;
and of the few European visitors only M