en shall it be, Major?"

"Not just at present, at any rate," the Major said. "We must see how
things are going on. I certainly should not think of going outside the
station now, nor could I give leave to any officer to do so; but if
things settle down, and we hear no more of this cartridge business for
the next ten days or a fortnight, we will see about it."

But although no news of any outbreak similar to that at Barrackpore
was received for some days, the report that came showed a widespread
restlessness. At various stations, all over India, fires, believed to be
the work of incendiaries, took place, and there was little abatement of
the uneasiness. It become known, too, that a native officer had before
the rising of Berhampore given warning of the mutiny, and had stated
that there was a widespread plot throughout the native regiments to
rise, kill their officers, and then march to Delhi, where they were all
to gather.

The story was generally disbelieved, although the actual rising had
shown that, to some extent, the report was well founded; still men could
not bring themselves to believe that the troops among whom they had
lived so long, and who had fought so well for us, could meditate such
gross treachery, without having, as far as could be seen, any real cause
for complaint.

The conduct of the troops at Deennugghur was excellent, and the Colonel
wrote that at Cawnpore there were no signs whatever of disaffection, and
that the Rajah of Bithoor had offered to come down at the head of his
own troops should there be any symptoms of mutiny among the Sepoys.
Altogether things looked better, and a feeling of confidence that there
would be no serious trouble spread through the station.

The weather had set in very hot, and there was no stirring out now for
the ladies between eleven o'clock and five or six in the afternoon.
Isobel, however, generally went in for a chat, the first thing after
early breakfast, with Mrs. Doolan, whose children were fractious with
prickly heat.

"I only wish we had some big, high mountain, my dear, somewhere within
reach, where we could establish the children through the summer and run
away ourselves occasionally to look after them. We are very badly off
here in Oude for that. You are looking very pale yourself the last few
days."

"I suppose I feel it a little," Isobel said, "and of course this anxiety
everyone has been feeling worries one. Everyone seems to agree that
there is no