I suppose it is
the way in which they are brought up and trained."
"Ages of tyranny have made them supple and deceitful," the Doctor
said, "but of course less so here than among the Bengallies, who,
being naturally unwarlike and cowardly, have always been the slaves
of some master or other.
"You evidently don't like the Nana, Miss Hannay. I am rather glad
you don't, for he is no great favorite of mine, though he is so
generally popular in the station here. I don't like him because it
is not natural that he should be so friendly with us. We undoubtedly,
according to native notions, robbed him of one of the finest positions
in India by refusing to acknowledge his adoption. We have given him
a princely revenue, but that, after all, is a mere trifle to what
he would have had as Peishwa. Whatever virtues the natives of this
country possess, the forgiving of injuries is not among them, and
therefore I consider it to be altogether unnatural that he, having
been, as he at any rate and everyone round him must consider,
foully wronged, should go out of his way to affect our society and
declare the warmest friendship for us."
The Rajah was laughing and talking with General Wheeler and the
group of officers round his carriage.
Again Isobel raised the glasses. "You are right, Doctor," she said,
"I don't like him."
"Well, there is one comfort, it doesn't matter whether he is sincere
or not, he is powerless to hurt us. I don't see any motive for his
pretending to be friendly if he is not, but I own that I should
like him better if he sulked and would have nothing to say to us,
as would be the natural course.
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