"Oh, that boy's demented! I had a note also from him this morning. He's quite wild."

"Good chap Jim,--knows a thing or two!" said Ted, nodding his head sagely.

CHAPTER V

The Cad of the Regiment

"This is the place where I was knifed, Paterson," said Ted, "and there's the old boy I had been bargaining with. Watch him eyeing me; he looks rather scared, don't he?"

The wound was now quite healed, and impelled doubtless by a magnetic attraction, akin perhaps to that said to be exercised on murderers by the scenes of their crimes, our ensign had induced his chum Paterson to stroll with him through the _bazar_ one evening after duty was over for the day.

While Ted had been down with his wound Alec Paterson had opened out in a remarkable manner and thrown down the last barriers of reserve. Ensign Paterson had only recently admitted Ted into close friendship. He was a Scottish lad, hailing from Lanarkshire, and no better choice of a friend could have been made. Physically he was tall and well-formed, intellectually he was ahead of most of his brother ensigns, and in moral character strong, upright, and healthy. He was very reserved, difficult to know, chary of his intimacy, and slow of speech. Tynan termed him a "saint", and cordially disliked him; and in return Paterson disproved the accusation of saintliness by being obnoxiously polite and somewhat ponderously playful in his dealings with the regimental _bete noir_.

"He does look scared," Alec replied. "He must think you were killed, and that your ghost has come to jump down his throat or ride on his back, or whatever it is that their evil spirits do. You had better speak and reassure him."

As Ted approached the stall, the hand of the sleek Hindu shot forth across the boards on which his wares were displayed and snatched something from the front row. Not, however, before our hero had recognized the identical bangle that he had bought and paid for on the occasion of his previous visit. His face flushed.

"That is mine," he asserted. "I bought and paid for it."

Understanding that the bangle had been seen, and that denial was useless, the shopkeeper salaamed and unabashed replied: "Nay, sahib, the one you bought you took away, and I have never set eyes on it since."

"But you told me it was unique--that there was not another like it in the country."

"I am the sahib's slave, and I spoke truth. There was not another like it in the Punjab. But since the Heaven-born's visit a Kazilbash merchant from Kabul, with whom I deal in turquoises, has sold me this. It is indeed similar to the one I sold the sahib, but the turquoises are larger and better. Welcome is the sight of the Heaven-born in the eyes of his servant, who has suffered great anxiety."

"What's the row, Ted?" Paterson asked. And matters being explained, he at once enquired of the Hindu why he had been so anxious to prevent the bangle being seen if he had come by it honestly. But the "Aryan brown"

was more than their match in guile.

"In truth I remembered how the former one had brought ill-luck to the young sahib, and I feared lest he might take a fancy to this one also.

And I know that the sahibs are reckless in such matters, not believing in omens. Rather would I lose business than bring misfortune upon the head of the young sahib."

Alec Paterson laughed.

"I'm afraid it's no go, Russell," he whispered. "The rascal is too deep for us, and we cannot prove that it really is the same article."

"But it's robbery pure and simple!" Ted indignantly declared. "I know it's the same that I lost during the scuffle."

The shopkeeper regarded them gravely and sadly, as though he felt deeply the doubts they had cast upon his honesty. He produced one article after another, tempting them in vain to buy. At length, guessing that the boy had set his heart upon the bangle, he offered him the pretty toy for thirty rupees, assuring him that he had given twice that sum to the Kazilbash.

"I'll give you fifteen," said Ted, "and not an anna more."

The Hindu shook his head.

"I am poor man," said he, "else would I gladly beg the sahib to accept it as a present."

"Very well," Ted firmly rejoined. "Come along, Alec."

They turned to go, but the Hindu hastily recalled them.

"Nay," said he, "I had forgotten that the sahib had to suffer the loss of the first one. For twenty rupees will I sell it, or, in truth, give it away, rather than that the Heaven-born should be disappointed."

"Fifteen," was all Ted's answer; and once more the bangle changed hands, and the ensign left the shop. On the way to cantonments they overtook Harry Tynan, the object of their mutual dislike, and were about to pass with a nod as devoid of cordiality as decency would permit, when Tynan spoke, or rather sneered: "Why, Russell, I thought you always took a girl to protect you whenever you went into the _bazar_!"

"Did you really now?" asked Ted banteringly. "Wasn't it an effort?"

"What do you mean? Was what an effort?"

"To think--so unusual, you know, for you."

"Oh how clever you are! But how aren't you keeping an eye on Brother Jim's future wife, according to instructions? I saw her this evening flirting as usual with the Commissioner Sahib. You are not doing your duty. Captain Russell 'ud be angry if he knew."

"Come along, Russell; what's the use of talking to that cad?" whispered Paterson. "Contemptible toad!"

But his friend's ire had been aroused by the last remark. He halted and faced Tynan.

"What d'you mean?" he demanded.

Tynan slowly drew a huge cheerot from his lips and attempted to blow rings of smoke before replying.

"You know well enough. Stunnin' little flirt is Ethel--deuced stunnin'!

Shouldn't be surprised if she threw Brother Jim over!"

"What do you mean?" repeated Ted with still greater heat.

"Don't be an ass, Ted. Leave the cad alone," Paterson again whispered.

Tynan was Russell's senior by nearly a couple of years, and he stood a clear three inches taller. Ted's anger amused him.

"Why--don't you know?" he innocently enquired. "You see, our little Ethel had been setting her cap at Sir Arthur Fletcher for months before she saw your brother. But Arthur knows what's what, and the little darling has had to put up with a mere captain of the Guides. But she still hankers after the commissioner, and sighs for the handle to her name."

"Ye leein' hyaena!" Paterson burst out, his native dialect rising to the surface in his excitement. "Keep a ceevil tongue in your heid, or I'll knock ye down!"

"No, you don't, Paterson," broke in Ted. "That's my business. You cad, to lie like that about a girl you're not fit to speak to! Take that!"

Our ensign struck his comrade across the face--a resounding smack with the open palm.

The fight was very short. Though tall enough, Tynan was weedy and unfit.

For several years he had considered himself a man of the world, and one of the chief aims--if not _the_ chief--of his life had been to convince his associates that he was well qualified for that dignified position, and the attainment of this object had, of course, necessitated abundant smoking and drinking. Wonderful to relate, no one had so far seemed greatly impressed!

Five minutes after the first blow, with bleeding nose and damaged eye, the contemptible fellow was sullenly admitting that he had had enough.

"Think it over the nicht," Paterson suggested. "If ye hev not I'll just gie ye seemilar satisfaction. And I'd hev ye obsairve it wad be safer to cam' oot wi' no mair lees o' that sort. Cam' awa', Russell!"

"Wait a moment, I've not done yet," said Ted. "Let me inform you now, you cad, what I would not waste my breath in telling you before--that Miss Woodburn had refused Sir Arthur Fletcher before she became engaged to my brother, and that he has congratulated my brother, and is a loyal, honourable gentleman, of whose friendship Miss Woodburn is proud; and don't let me hear you speaking of her again as you did just now."