“I see, Mr. Dass.  Very wise of you,” remarked Dermot, restraining an inclination to smile.  “You are a Brahmin, aren’t you?”

“Yess, sir,” replied the Bengali with pride.

“Well, Mr. Dass, I hope that your health will improve in this bracing air.  Good-morning.”

“Good-morning, sir,” replied the Bengali, and continued on his way.

Dermot watched his departing figure meditatively.  He felt that he had got hold of a thread, however slender, of the conspiracy against British rule.

“You seem very interested in that coolie, Major Dermot,” remarked Noreen.

“Eh?  Oh, I beg your pardon,” he said, turning to her.  “Yes.  You see, it is very unusual to find such a man doing this sort of work.”

He did not enter into any further explanation.  The suspicion that he entertained must for the present be kept to himself.

When Daleham left them the girl felt curiously shy.  Perfectly at her ease with men as a rule, she now, to her surprise, experienced a sensation of nervousness, a feeling almost akin to awe of her guest.  Yet she liked him.  He impressed her as being a man of strong personality.  The fact that—­unlike most men that she met—­he made no special effort to please her interested her all the more in him.  Gradually she grew more at her ease.  She enjoyed his tales of the jungle, told with such graphic power of narrative that she could almost see the scenes and incidents that he depicted.

Dinner-time brought Chunerbutty, who did not conduce to harmony in the little party.  Dermot regarded him with interest, for he wished to discover if the engineer played any part in the game of conspiracy and treason.  Although the Hindu was ignorant of this, it was evident that he resented the soldier’s presence, partly from racial motives, but chiefly from jealousy over Noreen.  He was annoyed at her interest in Dermot and objected to her feeling grateful for her rescue.  He tried to make light of the adventure and asserted that she had been in no danger.  Gradually he became so offensive to the Major that Noreen was annoyed, and even her brother, who usually saw no fault in his friend, felt uncomfortable at Chunerbutty’s incivility to their guest.

Dermot, however, appeared not to notice it.  He behaved with perfect courtesy to the Hindu, and ignored his attempts at impertinence, much to Daleham’s relief, winning Noreen’s admiration by his self-control.  He skilfully steered the conversation to the subject of the Bengalis employed on the estate.  The engineer at first denied that there were Brahmins among them, but when told of Narain Dass’s claim to be one, he pretended ignorance of the fact.  This obvious falsehood confirmed Dermot’s suspicion of him.

The Dalehams were not sorry when Chunerbutty rose to say good-night shortly after they had left the dining-room.  He was starting at an early hour next morning on a long ride to Lalpuri to visit his father, of whose health he said he had received disquieting news.