As for her motive in visiting the commissioner, that was not far to seek.
There was only one motive in Sialpore for anything--the treasure. No
doubt Samson lusted for it as sinfully and lustily and craftily as any one.
If, thought Gungadhura, Yasmini had a clue to its whereabouts, as she
might have, then whoever believed she was not trafficking with the
commissioner must be a simpleton. The commissioner was known
to have written more than one very secret report to Simla on the subject
of the treasure, and on the political consequences that might follow on
its discovery by natives of the country. The reports had been so secret
and important that Gungadhura had thought it worth while to have the
blotting paper from Samson's desk photographed in Paris by a special
process. Adding two and two together now by the ancient elastic process,
Gungadhura soon reached the stage of absolute conviction that Yasmini
was in league with Samson to forestall him in getting control of the
treasure of his ancestors; and Gungadhura was a dark, hot-blooded,
volcanic-tempered man, who stayed not on the order of his anger but
blew up at once habitually.

We have seen how he came careering down-street just in time to behold
Yasmini's carriage rumble into her stone-paved palace courtyard. After
ordering the guards not to let her escape again on pain of unnamed,
but no less likely because illegal punishment, he rode full pelt to the
temple of Jinendra, whence they assured him Yasmini had just come,
and his spurs rang presently on the temple floor like the footfalls of
avenging deity.

Jinendra's priest welcomed him with that mixture of deference and
patronage that priests have always known so well how to extend to
royalty, showing him respect because priestly recognition of his royalty
entitled him in logic to the outward form of it--patronage because, as