elaborate plot, such as from its very tortuousness and complexity would
appeal to the heart of an Oriental.

The Rajah of Lalpuri, being of Mahratta descent, tried to copy in many
things the great Mahratta chiefs in other parts of India, such as the
Gaekwar of Baroda and the Maharajah Holkar of Indore. He had long been
anxious to imitate Holkar's method of celebrating the Dussera or Durga
Festival, particularly that part of it where a bull is sacrificed in public
by the Maharajah on the fourth day of the feast. The _Dewan_ had always
opposed it, but now he suddenly veered round and suggested that it should
be done. In Indore all the Europeans of the cantonment and many of the
ladies and officers from the neighbouring military station of Mhow were
always invited to be present on the fourth day. The old plotter proposed
that, similarly, some of the English community of the Duars, the Civil
Servants and planters, should receive invitations to Lalpuri. It would seem
only natural to include the Officer Commanding Ranga Duar. And to tempt
Dermot into the trap Chunerbutty suggested Noreen as a bait, undertaking to
persuade her brother to bring her.

The Rajah was delighted at the thought of her presence in the Palace. The
_Dewan_ smiled and quoted two Hindu proverbs:

"Where the honey is spread there will the flies gather," said he. "Any lure
is good that brings the bird to the net."

The consequence of the plotting was that Noreen Daleham, fretting in
Darjeeling at having to wait for her brother to come there for the Puja
holidays, received a letter from him saying that he had changed his mind
and had accepted an invitation from the Rajah of Lalpuri for her and
himself to be present at the celebrations of the great Hindu festival at
the Palace. She was to pack up and leave at once by rail to Jalpaiguri,
where he would meet her with a motor-car lent him for the purpose by the
Lalpuri Durbar, or State Council. If Mrs. Smith cared to accompany her an
invitation for her would be at once forthcoming. Fred added that he was
making up a party from their district which included Payne, Granger, and
the Rices. From Lalpuri Noreen would return with him to Malpura.

The girl was delighted at the thought of leaving Darjeeling sooner than she
had expected. To her surprise Ida announced her intention of accompanying
her to Lalpuri. But the fact that her Calcutta friend was returning to the
city on the Hoogly and that by going with Noree