Hamilton took no notice of either glance, but passed them as if neither existed.  The Commissioner looked miserably guilty whenever he encountered Hamilton’s amused, penetrating eyes, and avoided him as much as possible.  The Commissioner’s house was completely shut to him; he never approached it now except on official business, and nearly every house in the station followed its example.  The story of Mrs. Hamilton’s woes and wrongs had spread all over the community, and proved a theme of delightful and never-ending interest to all the ladies of the station.  They were unanimous in supporting her.  Not one voice was raised in favour of Hamilton.  He was a monster, a heartless libertine, given over to all sorts of terrible vices.  Tales of the fearful doings in the desert bungalow, where Hamilton and Saidie lived the gay, bright, joyous life of two human beings, happily mated, as Nature intended all things to be, spread over the station, and the stony stare of the women upon Hamilton, when they met him, mingled insensibly with a shrinking horror that greatly amused him.

Nobody spoke to him except in his business capacity.  Every one avoided him.  He was practically ostracised.  Mrs. Hamilton, on the other hand, went everywhere, and thoroughly enjoyed herself in the role of gentle forgiving martyr that she played to perfection.  Being plain and unattractive to men, she was thoroughly popular with the women, and they were never tired of condoling with her on having such a brute of a husband.  What more natural, poor dear! than that she should refuse to live with him in India, if the climate did not suit her?  So unreasonable of him to expect it!  The question of a family, too! why, what woman was there now who did not hate to have her figure spoiled, and object to be always in the sick-room and nursery?  So natural that she did not wish those disagreeable passionate relationships:  a man could not expect that sort of thing from his wife!  And then the money, too! she had never had more than half his income all these twenty years!  It seemed to them that she had been wonderfully good and resigned.

Such was the talk at the afternoon teas, and the married men at the club, coached by their wives, and being in the position of the fox who had lost his brush, and wished no other fox to retain his, condemned Hamilton quite as freely.

“It was beastly rough on his wife,” they agreed, “to set up a black dancing-girl under her eyes.”

Hamilton cared not at all for the social life of the station, and was greatly relieved by not having invitations to give or to answer.  All that he regretted was the ultimate resignation of his post, which, he foresaw, would be the result of all this scandal sooner or later.

Saidie, with Oriental quickness, had soon grasped the whole situation, and had flung herself at his feet in a passion of tears, begging him to send her away or to kill her rather than let her presence make him unhappy.  Hamilton had some difficulty in turning her mind from the resolve to kill herself by way of serving him; and it was only his solemn oath to her that she was the one single joy and happiness of his life, that with her in his arms he cared about nothing else, that if he lost her his life was at an end, which pacified and at last convinced her.