ut resolutely she smothered the sparks and bolstered up the pitiful
lie.

The coolie stopped suddenly.

"Go on," she said.

But the coolie smiled and wiped his shaven poll. Elsa gazed at the
hotel-veranda in bewilderment. Slowly she got out of the rickshaw and
paid the fare. She had not the slightest recollection of having seen
the gardens. More than this, it was a quarter to seven. She had been
gone exactly an hour.

"Perhaps, after all," she thought, "I am hopeless. They may be right;
I ought to have a guardian. I am not always accountable for what I do."

She dressed leisurely and with calculation. She was determined to
convince every one that she was a beautiful woman, above suspicion,
above reproach. The spirit within her was not, however, in direct
accord with this determination. Malice stirred into life again; and
she wanted to hurt some one, hurt deeply. It was only the tame in
spirit who, when injured, submitted without murmur or protest. And
Elsa, only dimly aware of it, was mortally hurt.

"Elsa," said Martha, "that frown will stay there some day, and never go
away."

Elsa rubbed it out with her finger. "Martha, do you recall that tiger
in the cage at Jaipur? How they teased him until he lost his temper
and came smashing against the bars? Well, I sympathize with that
brute. He would have been peaceful enough had they let him be. Has
Mr. Warrington called to-day?"

"No."

"Well, if he calls to-morrow, say that I am indisposed."

Martha evinced her satisfaction visibly. The frown returned between
Elsa's eyes and remained there until she went down-stairs to join the
consul-general and his wife. She found some very agreeable men and
women, and some of her natural gaiety returned. At a far table on the
veranda she saw Craig and Mallow in earnest conversation.

She nodded pleasantly to the colonel as the head boy came to announce
that dinner was served. Anglo-Indian society had so many twists and
ramifications that the situation was not exactly new to the old
soldier. True, none had confronted him identical to this. But he had
not disciplined men all these years without acquiring abundant
self-control. The little veins in his nose turned purple, as Elsa
prophesied they would, but there was no other indication of how
distasteful the moment was to him. He would surely warn the
consul-general, who doubtless was innocent enough.

They sat down. The colonel blinked. "Fine passa