Rujub, the Juggler

s conclusion the Doctor rose and pl

elieve that all this talk about the Sepoys is moonshine. I own that I am surprised at your story, for I should have said from my knowledge of you that tho

a coward. The misfortune is that I am here. I might have lived a hundred lives in England and never once had occasion to f

ays you were over with me at Cawnpore. Why not apply for a year's leave? You have a good excuse, too; you did not go home at

ins my body will overmaster my mind, and that I shall be as I was at Chillianwalla, completely paralyzed. You wondered tonight why that juggler should have exhibited feats seldom, almost never, shown to Europeans? He did it to please me. I saved his daughter's life-this is between ourselves, Doctor, and is not to go farther. But,

ctor exclaimed; "and yet y

as long as I have to confront danger without n

ntion this business wi

dit for being what I am not-a brave man. It will be bad enough when the truth becomes known, but it would be all the worse i

t, what do you think of that curious scene, y

hat mutiny would be attended with partial success, that a portion of the garrison, at any rate, will escape, and that Miss Hannay wil

is at any rate very curious. I wonder whether

e enough for her to bear without looking forward to that. I s

not have thought

ere gone. I believe now that you insisted on my coming down to spend t

reatly, and I was convinced that you were just the man to make her happy, and as I knew that you had good prospects in England, I thought it

he possibility of what you are talking about. I shall be shown to be a coward, and I shall do my best to put myself in the way of being killed. I sho

it too seriou

it, Doctor, an

against the Government, they may refuse to obey orders and may disband; but why on earth should they attack men who have a

can hardly bring myself to believe that they will attack the officers, much l

g from the natives as

time. That picture he showed me of the attack by Sepoys first gave me an idea that his words might mean something. Since then we have heard much more of this discontent, and I am convinced now that the words had a meaning. They were simple enough. It was merely his assurance, two or three time

rate, Bathurst, he ought to be a potent ally. There doesn't seem any limit to his power

classes. They are like the troubadours of the Middle Ages, welcomed everywhere; and they no doubt have every opportunity of l

I shall be on horseback at six, so it is time for me to tur

ike him greatly; but his evident disinclination to join in any society, his absorption in his work, and a certain air of gravity unnatural in a young man of twenty, had puzzled him. He had at the time come to the conclusion that he must have had some unfortunate love affair, or have got into some very serious trouble at home. In tim

c 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 wo

by the arrival of a troop of native cavalry, under a Cap

l Hannay asked, on the afternoon of his arri

s one of the best looking fellows out here, a dashi

him, Doctor," Is

ar-far from it. I think I

't like him, Doct

seen him since his regiment and ours were at Delhi together, and we did not

your tastes are, Do

uished himself more than once in the Punjaub by acts of personal gallantry. I have no doubt he thinks it an awful nuisance coming to a quiet little station l

elieving people's flattery, Doctor. However

"It is not my habit to speak ill of people, m

it is not

. He is not a good man; he has been mixed up in several grave scandals; he has been the ruin of more than one young man at cards and billiards; he is in all

ter what you have said," she replied, with a quiet sm

tionship to you, after your having been in my charge for six months. I don't know a single m

larly pleased: when he came in to tif

wice. Your uncle must know all about him, everyone does; but I don't suppose the Major will open his mouth to you on the subject-he is one of those chivalrous sort of men who never thinks evil of anyone unless he is absolutely obliged to; but in a case like this I think he is wrong

mysterious that I felt quite bewildered, and the picture quite frightened me, but I don't know why. This is the first chance I have had since of speakin

our own likeness; nobody else but Bathurst and myself

face was all obscured somehow. Neither uncle, nor Mrs. Hunter, nor the girls, nor anyone else I hav

jugglers' tricks are curious and unaccountable; but it is no use our worrying ourselves about them. Maybe we are all going to get up private theatric

ng to dine h

ed. I told him frankly that I did not like Forster, and t

Mrs. Doolan and Mr. Congreave, one of the civi

together. "I met him at Delhi soon after I came out. He is quite my beau ideal of a soldier in

ing for me, Mrs. Doolan?

t mind telling you that at one time I did flirt with him-I had been accustomed to flirt in Ireland; we all flirt there, and mean nothing by it; but I had to give it up very suddenly. It wouldn't do, my dear,

d sort of man," Iso

certainly that is not the general opinion of women. Howe

earance was fully justified. He stood over six feet high, with a powerful frame, and an easy careless bearing; his hair was cut rather close, he wore a

ried ladies at Deennugghur. I had the pleasure of being introduced to the Miss Hunters this afternoon.

is the number, C

ry long time t

oper thing to say, Captain Forster; but I have no doubt it does s

broke in. "Captain Forster,

dull after Cawnpore, Miss Ha

care for large dinner parties at all; it is so hot, and they last such a time. I think six is quite large enough. Then there is a general talk, and everyone can join in just as much as they like, wh

found it very hard work, I can assure you, especially when you take down a str

e evening was over Isobel said to her uncle, "I

ciety man; he is no great favorite of mine; I think he will

mean too m

jor he

with his troop of horse, and tim

e is shooti

y, and I think he is fonder of billiards and cards than is good for him or others. Of course, being here by himself, as he is, we must do our

cle; but certainl

one that seemed to express that Forster's power of making hi

tever that his society could be anything but w

very large circle. Of course, I knew Mrs. Rintoul at Delhi, as well as M

ry pleasant,

rst, Major Hannay, who was in a line regiment-I forget its number-a

that time," the Major said; "but I don't know a

now, but he did not detect the inflection of his voice, and went on-"They say he showed the white feather. If it is the sam

Dr. Wade, who has the very highest opinion of him, and I believe he is gen

he was a poor creature at school, and I do not think that there wa

s in Cawnpore," the Major said;

charact

ongue was

er met," the girl said hotly; "he took care of me coming

the term character to mean a person who differs widely from other people. I believe he is very skillful in

hates humbug of all sorts, and I don't think I should

said about that fellow Bathurst-a sneaking little hound he was, and there is no doubt about his showing the white feather in the Punjaub. However, I don't think that young lady is of the sort to care about a coward, and if she asks any questions, as I dare say s

e army, went off hastily as soon as Captain Forster had left. Isobel sat impatiently tapping the f

at did you think of your new visitor? I saw him come away

m at all," Isobe

u are an exception

ial sort of way about him when he speaks to one that one can hardly help liking. Bu

that is true enough, my dear

be true. He said that Mr. Bathurst left the army because he showed t

id not reply

n leaves his regiment and retires when it is upon active service, there are sure to be spiteful stories getting about, often without the slightest foundation. But ev

to be brave. Could anyone possibly respect a man who

lf only partially. I have known a man who is as brave as a lion in battle, but is terrified by a rat. I have known a man brave in other respects lose his nerve altogether in a thunderstorm. In neither of these cases was it the man's own fault; it was constitutional,

envied was bravery, and that a coward was the most despicable creature living. It might not be his actual fault, but one can't help that. It is not anyone's fault if he is fearfully ugly or born an idiot, for example. But cowardice seems somehow different. Not to be brave when he is strong seems to

here is nothing in Bathurst's conduct that diminishes my respect for him in the

ed cowardice? If he did, and you know it, why did you invite him here? why did you always praise him? why did you

t know it, my dear, or I should have told you at first that in this one point he was wanting. It is

nothing to me whether Mr. Bathurst is brave or not, only it is not quite pl

he is a friend of mine. There is no occasion for us to quarrel, my dea

that Bathurst had retired from the army because he was wanting in courage was well founded. Everything he had said, in fact, was an excuse rather t

that he had performed; but what was that if a man had had to leave the army because he was a coward? To Isobel it seemed that of all things it was most dreadful that a man should be wanting in courage. Tales of daring and br

ot affect the fact. He might be more to be pitied than to be blamed; but

to his opinions. His quiet and somewhat restrained manner was in contrast to the careless fun and good humor of most of those with whom she came in contact. It had seemed to her that he was a strong man, one who could be relied upon implicitly at all

d and even his warm friend, the Doctor, could not deny that the accusation of cowardice was well founded. The pain of the discovery opened her eye

I had come to love a man who was a coward-who had left the army because he was afraid? I should have despised myself as much as I should despise him. Well, that is my first lesson. I shall not trust

away in a state of

t unfortunate failing of his, it would have been altogether different coming from his own lips just as he told it to me. Of course, my lips were sealed and I could not put the case in the right light. I would give three months' pay for the satisfaction of horsewhipping that fellow Fors

, Major? You

ve refused to use the cartridges served out to them, and that yesterday a Sepoy of the 34th at Barrackpore raised seditious cries in front of the lines, and when Baugh, the adjutant, a

re been trouble but at one station it might have been the effect of some local grievance, but happening

here; the regiment has always behaved well, and I am sure they have no reason to complain

I think, pretty nearly as well as most men, I feel that I really know nothing about them. They appear mild and submissive, and have certainly proved faithful on a hundred battlefields, but we don't know whether that is their r

utmost devotion for them, and although some scheming intriguers may have sown the seeds of discontent among them, and these lies about the cartridges may have ex

as savage a beast as its mother was before it. Of course, I hope for the best, but if the Sepoys once break loose I would not answer for any