roaching elephants. Then, dropping to the ground again
with puffed-out, defiant tail, he trotted on into the undergrowth angry
and unafraid.

Arrived at Ranga Duar the brother and sister exclaimed in admiration at the
beauty of the lonely outpost nestling in the bosom of the hills. They gazed
with interest at the stalwart sepoys of the detachment in khaki or white
undress whom they passed and who drew themselves up and saluted their
commanding sahib smartly.

Dermot had given up his small bungalow to his guests and gone to occupy
the one vacant quarter in the Mess. Noreen was to sleep in his bedroom,
and, as the girl looked round the scantily-furnished apartment with
its small camp-bed, one canvas chair, a table, and a barrack chest of
drawers, she tried to realise that she was actually to live for a while
in the very room of the man who was fast becoming her hero. For indeed
her feeling for Dermot so far savoured more of hero-worship than of
love. She looked with interest at his scanty possessions, his sword,
the line of riding-boots against the wall, the belts and spurs hung on
nails, the brass-buttoned greatcoat hanging behind the door. In his
sitting-room she read the names of the books on a roughly-made stand to
try to judge of his taste in literature. And with feminine curiosity she
studied the photographs on the walls and tables and wondered who were
the originals of the portraits of some beautiful women among them and
what was their relation to Dermot.

While her brother, who picked up strength at once in the pure air,
delighted in the military sights and sounds around him, the girl revelled
in the loveliness of their surroundings, the beauty of the scenery, the
splendour of the hills, and the glorious panorama of forest and plains
spread before her eyes. To Parker, who had awaited their arrival at
Dermot's gate and hurried forward to help down from Badshah's back the
first Englishwoman who had ever visited their solitary station, she took an
instant liking, which increased when she found that he openly admired his
commanding officer as much as she did secretly.

In the days that followed it seemed quite natural that the task of
entertaining Noreen should fall to the senior officer's lot, while the
junior tactfully paired off with her brother and took him to shoot on the
rifle range or join in games of hockey with the sepoys on the parade
ground, which was the only level spot in the station.

Propinquity is