"Suit yourself!" sneered Tom Tripe. "The maharajah sahib is with his
dancing girls this minute. What happened to the last man who interrupted
his amusements?"

The Rajput hesitated. The answer to that question could be seen any
day near the place they call the Old Gate, where beggars sit in rags.

"Shall I offer him money?" whispered Tess.

"For God's sake, no, lady! The man's a decent soldier. He'd refuse
it and we'd all be in the apple-cart! Leave him to me."

He turned again on the Rajput.

"You know who I am, don't you? You know it's my duty to see that the
palace guards attend to business, eh? That's why I'm here tonight.
His highness particularly warned me to see that if anything unusual
wanted doing it should get done. If you want to question my authority
you'll have it out with me before his highness in the morning first thing."

The Rajput obviously wavered. Everybody knew that the first thing in
the morning was no good time to appear on charges before a man
who spent his nights as Gungadhura did.

"Who is to enter? A man and a woman?"

"No, you idiot! A lady doctor only. And nobody's to know. You'd better
warn your men that if there's any talk about this night's business the
palace guard will catch the first blast of the typhoon. Gungadhura's