This will be your
first Indian festivity, Miss Hannay."
"Do the natives come much?"
"I should think so! All Cawnpore will turn out, and we shall have
the Lord of Bithoor and any number of Talookdars and Zemindars with
their suites. A good many of them will have horses entered, and
they have some good ones if they could but ride them. The Rajah of
Bithoor is a most important personage. He talks English very well,
and gives splendid entertainments. He is a most polite gentleman,
and is always over here if there is anything going on. The general
idea is that he has set his mind on having an English wife, the
only difficulty being our objection to polygamy. He has every other
advantage, and his wife would have jewels that a queen might envy."
Isobel laughed. "I don't think jewels would count for much in my
ideas of happiness."
"It is not so much the jewels, my dear, in themselves, but the envy
they would excite in every other woman."
"I don't think I can understand that feeling, Mrs. Doolan. I can
understand that there might be a satisfaction in being envied for
being the happiest woman, or the most tastefully dressed woman, or
even the prettiest woman, though that after all is a mere accident,
but not for having the greatest number of bright stones, however
valuable. I don't think the most lovely set of diamonds ever seen
would give me as much satisfaction as a few choice flowers."
"Ah, but that is because you are quite young," Mrs.
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