"So you may imagine I have no particular desire to meet him again.
Unless he has greatly changed, he would do me a bad turn if he had
the chance."
"I don't think he has greatly changed," the Doctor said. "That was
really what I came in here for this evening rather than to talk
about this Sepoy business. I am sorry to say, Bathurst, that when
he was in at the Major's today your name happened to be mentioned,
and he said at once, 'Is that the Bathurst who they say showed the
white feather at Chillianwalla and left the army in consequence?'"
Bathurst's face grew pale and his fingers closed. He remained silent
a minute, and then said, "It does not matter; she would have been
sure to hear it sooner or later, and I should have told her myself
if he had not done so; besides, if, as I am afraid, this Berhampore
business is the beginning of trouble, and of such trouble as we have
never had since we set foot in India, it is likely that everyone
will know what she knows now. Has she spoken to you about it? I
suppose she has, or you would not have known that he mentioned it."
"Yes, she was most indignant about it, and did not believe it."
"And what did you say, Doctor?" he asked indifferently.
"Well, I was sorry I could not tell her exactly what you told me.
It would have been better if I could have done so. I simply said
there were many sorts of courage, and that I was sure that you
possessed many sorts in a very high degree, but I could not, of
course, deny; although I did not admit, the truth of the report he
had mentioned.
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