Noreen looked at her in surprise.

“Why not?  We could do nothing for him,” she said.  “We sent him soup and jelly made by our cook, and Fred went to see him before we started.  But he didn’t want to be disturbed.”

Mrs. Rice’s manner grew even more sweetly sympathetic.

“I am so sorry,” she said.  “How worried you must be!”

The girl stared at her in astonishment.  She had never expected to find Mrs. Rice seriously concerned about any one, and least of all the Hindu, who was no favourite of hers.

“Oh, there’s really nothing to worry about,” she exclaimed impatiently.  “Fred said he hadn’t much of a temperature.”

“Yes, I daresay.  But you can’t help being anxious, I know.  I wonder that you were able to bring yourself to come here at all, dear,” said the older woman in honeyed tones.

“But why shouldn’t I?”

Noreen’s eyebrows were raised in bewilderment.  She felt instinctively that there was some hidden unfriendliness at the back of Mrs. Rice’s sympathetic words.  She felt that Dermot was watching her.

“Oh, forgive me, dear.  I am afraid I’m being indiscreet.  I forgot,” said the other woman.  She rose from her chair and turned to the man beside her.

“Major, do take me out to see how the coolies are getting on with the polo ground.  I hope when it’s finished you’ll come here to play regularly.  These boys want someone to show them the game.  You military men are the only ones who know how it should be played.”

She put up her green-lined white sun-umbrella and led the way down the verandah steps.  With a puckered brow Noreen watched her and her companion until they were out of sight round the corner of the little wooden building.

“What does Mrs. Rice mean?” she demanded.  “I’m sure there’s something behind her words.  She never pretended to like Mr. Chunerbutty.  Why should she be concerned about him now?  Why does she seem to expect me to stay behind to nurse him?  Of course I would, if he were dangerously ill.  But he’s not.”

Payne glanced around.  Some of the men, who were sitting near, had heard the conversation with Mrs. Rice, and Noreen felt that there was something hostile in the way in which they looked at her.

Payne answered in a careless tone: 

“Let’s sit down.  There are a couple of chairs.  We’ll bag them.”

He pointed to two at the far end of the verandah and led the way to them.

When they were seated he said: 

“Haven’t you any idea of what she means, Miss Daleham?”

The girl stared at him anxiously.

“Then she does mean something, and you know it.  Mr. Payne, you have always been good to me.  Won’t you help me?  Everyone seems to have grown suddenly very unfriendly.”

The grey-haired man looked pityingly at her.

“Will you be honest with me, child?” he asked.  “Are you engaged to Chunerbutty?”