superstitious, and believe in all sorts of things since so many strange
events have happened. Those pictures on the smoke that came true, Rujub
sending you messages at Deennugghur, and Rabda making me hear her voice
and giving me hope in prison. I do not feel so miserable at the thought
of your going into danger as I should do, if I had not a sort of
conviction that we shall meet again. People believe in presentiments of
evil, why should they not believe in presentiments of good? At any rate,
it is a comfort to me that I do feel so, and I mean to go on believing
it."

"Do so, Isobel. Of course there will be danger, but the danger will
be nothing to that we have passed through together. The Sepoys will
no doubt fight hard, but already they must have begun to doubt; their
confidence in victory must be shaken, and they begin to fear retribution
for their crimes. The fighting will, I think, be less severe as the
struggle goes on, and at any rate the danger to us, fighting as the
assailants, is as nothing to that run when we were little groups
surrounded by a country in arms.

"The news that has come through from Lucknow is that, for some time at
any rate, the garrison are confident they can hold out, while at
Delhi we know that our position is becoming stronger every day; the
reinforcements are beginning to arrive from England, and though the
work may be slow at first, our army will grow, while their strength will
diminish, until we sweep them before us. I need not stop until the
end, only till the peril is over, till Lucknow is relieved, and Delhi
captured.

"As we agreed, I have already sent in my resignation in the service,
and shall fight as a volunteer only. If we have to fight our way into
Lucknow, cavalry will be useless, and I shall apply to be attached to
one of the infantry regiments; having served before, there will be no
difficulty about that. I think there are sure to be plenty of vacancies.
Six months will assuredly see the backbone of the rebellion altogether
broken. No doubt it will take much longer crushing it out altogether,
for they will break up into scattered bodies, and it may be a long work
before these are all hunted down; but when the strength of the rebellion
is broken, I can leave with honor."

There were but few preparations to be made for the wedding. Great
interest was felt in the fort in the event, for Isobel's rescue from
Bithoor and Cawnpore, when all others who had fallen into the power