His
duty, a pleasant one, no doubt, is to cheer up her otherwise solitary
dinner in her bungalow on the nights when her neglectful husband is
dining out _en garcon_. No _cavaliere servente_ of Old Italy ever had so
busy a time as the Tame Cat of the India of to-day. And the husband
allows it, nay seems, as Major Norton did, to hail his presence with
relief, as it eases the conscience of the selfish lord and master who
leaves his spouse much alone.

But if the Resident saw no harm or danger in the young officer
constantly seeking the society of his pretty wife others did. At first
Frank's well-wishers tried to hint to him that there was likelihood of
his friendship with her being misunderstood. But he laughed at
Raymond's badly-expressed warning and rather resented Major Hepburn's
kindly advice when on one occasion his Company Commander spoke plainly,
though tactfully, to him on the subject. Then Violet's enemies took a
hand in the game. Mrs. Trevor, having failed to decoy him to her
bungalow for what she called "a quiet tea and a motherly little chat,"
cornered him one afternoon when he was on his way to the Residency and
spoke very openly to him of the risk he ran of being entangled in the
coils of such an outrageous coquette as "that Mrs. Norton," as she
termed her. Frank was so indignant at her abuse of his friend that for
the first time in his life he was rude to a woman and snubbed Mrs.
Trevor so severely that she went in a rage to her husband and insisted
on his taking immediate steps to arrest the progress of a scandal that,
she declared, would attract the unfavourable attention of the higher
military authorities to the regiment.

"Do you realise, William, that you will be the one to suffer?" said the
angry woman. "If anything happens, if Major Norton complains, if that
shameless creature succeeds in making that foolish young man run away
with her, you will be blamed. You can't afford it. You know that the
General's confidential report on you last year was not too favourable."

"It wasn't really bad, my dear; it only hinted that I lacked decision,"
pleaded the hen-pecked man.

"Exactly. You are not firm enough," persisted his domestic tyrant. "They
will say that you should have put your foot down at once and stopped
this disgraceful affair."

"But what can I do?" asked the Colonel helplessly.

"Someone ought to speak to Major Norton at once."

"Oh, my dear Jane, I couldn't. I daren't."

"For two pins I