ast
many days."

That afternoon a messenger from Havelock brought down the terrible news
that they had fought their way to Cawnpore, only to find that the whole
of the ladies and children in the Subada Ke Kothee had been massacred,
and their bodies thrown down a well. The grief and indignation caused by
the news were terrible; scarce one but had friends among the prisoners.
Women wept; men walked up and down, wild with fury at being unable to do
aught at present to avenge the massacre.

"What are you going to do, Bathurst?" the Doctor asked that evening. "I
suppose you have some sort of plan?"

"I do not know yet. In the first place, I want to try whether what you
said the other day is correct, and if I can stand the noise of firing
without flinching."

"We can't try here in the fort," the Doctor said, full of interest
in the experiment; "a musket shot would throw the whole garrison into
confusion, and at present no one can go far from the gate; however,
there may be a row before long, and then you will have an opportunity
of trying. If there is not, we will go out together half a mile or so as
soon as some more troops get up. You said, when we were talking about it
at Deennugghur, you should resign your appointment and go home, but if
you find your nerves are all right you may change your mind about that.
How about the young lady in there?"

"Well, Doctor, I should say that you, as her father's friend, are the
person to make arrangements for her. Just at present travel is not very
safe, but I suppose that directly things quiet down a little many of the
ladies will be going down to the coast, and no doubt some of them would
take charge of Miss Hannay back to England."

"And you mean to have nothing to say in the matter?"

"Nothing at all," he said firmly. "I have already told you my views on
the subject."

"Well, then," the Doctor said hotly, "I regard you as an ass." And
without another word he walked off in great anger.

For the next four or five days Isobel was in a high state of fever; it
passed off as the Doctor had predicted it would do, but left her very
weak and languid. Another week and she was about again.

"What is Mr. Bathurst going to do?" she asked the Doctor the first day
she was up on a couch.

"I don't know what he is going to do, my dear," he said irritably; "my
opinion of Bathurst is that he is a fool."

"Oh, Doctor, how can you say so!" she exclaimed in astonishment; "why,
what has he