to Captain Dalton.

"If I had known, I should have mentioned it," said the doctor above his
soup plate. The rudeness of the reply was characteristic of him.

"I understood from Mrs. Meredith that she and her offspring are in your
charge. How neglectful of you to know nothing!"

"I am ready to attend to them when called in," he replied.

"Then you have not been wanted!" she laughed spitefully. "It must be
very mortifying never to be wanted except when you are of use!"

"A doctor is the one man whom you are only too glad to see the last of,"
said Dalton coldly.

"All the same, I shouldn't be a bit surprised if it's the baby who is
ill, and you are sent for before dinner is over. Mrs. Meredith said it
would be the only reason that would stop her coming," put in Mrs.
Bright, anxious to soothe.

"I hope not, indeed!" cried Mrs. Fox. "For now we've got you we mean to
make you sing. Don't imagine we'll let you off."

The doctor bowed a stiff acknowledgment, which meant nothing, and
entered into conversation with the Executive Engineer on the subject of
a morass which he had condemned in his Sanitary Report, and recommended
to be drained.

"The villagers won't stand it," said Mr. Ironsides. "They draw their
drinking water from that _jhil_, and providing them with wells instead
will not console them for its loss. Incidentally, they use it also for
laundry purposes and bathing," he laughed.

"Exactly. So the sooner it is done away with the better for their health
and the health of the District. Malaria and cholera have their source at
Panipara."

"I hope you are not trying to deprive us of our duck-shooting, Doctor,"
said Mr. Bright in alarm. "We depend upon Panipara Jhil for game in the
winters, and there is little sport besides, in this God-forsaken place."

"It will have to go if you want immunity from sickness," said Dalton.

"If _they_ don't mind it, I don't know why _we_ should. It rages chiefly
in Panipara village itself, and is nothing to us."

"It comes on here afterwards with the flies," said Tommy.

"A few natives, more or less, wiped off the face of the earth hereabouts
would be a benefit to Muktiarbad," drawled young Smart of the Railway
from his seat on Mrs. Fox's right, which, by an unwritten law was always
accorded to him at Station dinners.

"How very unfeeling!" cried two or three ladies in unison.

A vigorous argument arose to which Honor listened, deeply interested.
Panipara Jhil lay a few