sary. At any rate, this will
give us time, and, from what I hear, our troops are likely to be here
in another ten days' time. You will be, I know, glad to hear that Wilson
has also escaped.

"Yours,

"R. Bathurst."

A large bottle was next filled with elder flower water. The trap was
brought around, and they drove back to Bithoor. Rabda was punctual to
her appointment.

"I have seen her," she said, "and have given her the message. I could
see that she understood it, but as there were other women round, she
made no sign. I told the mistress of the zenana that you had given me
some magic words that I was to whisper to her to prepare the way for the
philter, so she let me in without difficulty, and I was allowed to go
close up to her and repeat your message. I put my hands on her before
I did so, and I think she felt that it was the touch of a friend. She
hushed up when I spoke to her. The mistress, who was standing close by,
thought that this was a sign of the power of the words I had spoken to
her. I did not stay more than a minute. I was afraid she might try to
speak to me in your tongue, and that would have been dangerous."

"There are the bottles,"' Bathurst said; "this large one is for her to
take, the other two and this note are to be given to her separately.
You had better tell the woman that the philter must be given by your own
hands, and that you must then watch alone by her side for half an hour.
Say that after you leave her she will soon go off to sleep; and must
then be left absolutely alone till daybreak tomorrow, and it will then
be found that the philter has acted. She must at once tell the Nana
that the lady is in a high fever, and has been seized with some terrible
disease that has altogether disfigured her, and that he can see for
himself the state she is in."

Rabda's whisper had given new life and hope to Isobel Hannay. Previous
to that her fate had seemed to her to be sealed, and she had only prayed
for death; the long strain of the siege had told upon her; the scene in
the boat seemed a species of horrible nightmare, culminating in a
number of Sepoys leaping on board the boat as it touched the bank, and
bayoneting her uncle and all on board except herself, Mrs. Hunter, and
her daughter, who were seized and carried ashore. Then followed a night
of dull despairing pain, while she and her companions crouched together,
with two Sepoys standing on guard over them, while the others, after
lighting