reet him. Yet she was anxious to witness his
meeting with Ida, hoping that she might glean from it some idea of how
matters really stood between them.

After _tiffin_ a move was made into the long chamber arranged as the
guests' lounge. Here introductions between those who had not previously
known each other and meetings between old acquaintances took place; and
with an inward shrinking Noreen saw Dermot approaching. She was astonished
to observe that Ida's careless and indifferent greeting was responded to by
him in a coldly courteous manner almost indicative of strong dislike. The
girl wondered if they were both consummate actors. Dermot turned to her. He
spoke in his usual pleasant and friendly manner; but she seemed to detect a
trace of reserve that he had never showed before. She was almost too
confused to reply to him and turned with relief to shake hands with Payne
and Granger, who had come up with him.

Chunerbutty played the host well, introduced those who were strangers to
each other, and saw that the Palace servants, who were unused to European
habits, brought the coffee, liqueurs, and smokes to all the guests, where
they gathered under the long punkah that swung lazily from the painted
ceiling and barely stirred the heated air.

As soon as it was cool enough to drive out in the State carriages and
motor-cars that waited in the outer courtyard, the afternoon was devoted to
sight-seeing. Chunerbutty, in the leading car with Noreen and the District
Superintendent of Police, acted as guide and showed them about the city.
Dermot noted the lowering looks of many of the natives in the narrow
streets, and overhead more than one muttered insult to the English race
from men huddling against the houses to escape the carriages.

The visitors were invited by Chunerbutty to enter an ornate temple of
Kali, in which a number of Hindu women squatted on the ground before a
gigantic idol representing the goddess in whose honour the Puja festival
is held. The image was that of a fierce-looking woman with ten arms,
each hand holding a weapon, her right leg resting on a lion, her left on
a buffalo-demon.

"I say, Chunerbutty, who's the lady?" asked Granger. "I can't say I like
her looks."

"No, she certainly isn't a beauty," said the Brahmin with a contemptuous
laugh. "Yet these superstitious fools believe in her, ignorant people that
they are."

He indicated the female worshippers, who had been staring with malevolent
cu