PART II.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1944, 20 December 1884, Page 3 (Supplement)

PART 11.

THE BESIDENOT. _, Mr. Travere Colvin, agent for the GovernorGeneral, and resident at Aligunge, wai a specimen of the Bengalfiiralito^who had succeeded to his HpifrflJ|ce'.tbaniitMfi;ppBiesßion of any eitraordiW*2^Bto&tylsMfoty toT BUch * responsible doon are ihut, an Indian

Mr. Colvin was pre-eminently a vaccillating man, a man utterly lacking in firmness and determination, two qualities which are essentials in any officer holding a delicate political position in India. He was also getting on well in years, and was domineered over by his wife, a lady of the Roman nose order of architecture, with a most exaggerated idea of her own importance as the lady of the Resident of Aligunge. Mr. Colvin was in a state of perplexity. He was utterly unable to rise to the exigencies of the times, which he could not but own to himself were most critical. He was shut off from the outer official world. Rebellion and mutiny were rampant on his borders, and he knew not the moment he might see Aligunge itself, follow the example of the neighboring cities and its inhabitants, and the Sepoy garrison throw off the mask and make common cause with the revolted Mahommedans of the province. His assistant, a Mr. Portland, was an assistant solely in name. In reality he rather added to the troubles of his chief than otherwise. Mr. Portland was a stout man, whose leading idea was that he was rather good-looking than otherwise, and his great ambition was to call in the artificial aid of diess to keep up the delusion. He rather despised his chief, though outwardly most obsequious m his manner towards him ; and treated the resident's lady with the utmost deference, with the result that that haughty scion of a civilian anstociacy looked upon him in the light of an especial favorite. Mr. Poitland was breakfasting at the lesidency on this August morning, the company consisting of the resident, his wife, his niece Ethel Marsden, a handsome fair-haired girl of nineteen, but lately out from England, and her bosom friend, Ada Charteris, the orphan daughter of a captain in the company's service. " Mi. Colvin," said his wife, "I have got everything ai ranged for the ball which as you know, will tako place on the 28th, Thursday. To-day is Tuesday. There is one thing you must arrange for, and that is to secure Colonel Oldboy's permission for the band of the 79th. It is a far finer one than the station band, and I mean to leave nothing untried to make this ball a thorough success." "My dear," began the resident, "you know I have always " " Yes, there, that will do, Mr. Colvin. You have always been against the project, although I have pointed out to you time and again that at the piesent crisis it is really a master fetroke of diplomacy. Mi. Portland also quite agrees with me," and the lady looked across at the stout assistant. Mi . Portland bowed in assent. " The native gentlemen," continued the lady, " will see, indeed, they cannot fail to see, and appreciate the reason for giving the ball at this juncture. It will show them that we aie confident in their loyalty, and are above the petty suspicions that have brought forth such bitter fruit in the neighboring stations." The lady again glanced at the assistant, and that poitly gentleman, thus mutely appealed to, nodded his head as though the sagacity of a Burleigh nestled behind his occipital bone, and said : "Most ceitamly, Mrs Colvin, most certainly! Indeed, Sir," he added, turning to his chief, "I really regard the idea as a master stroke, ah, very diplomatic indeed I " " Captain Sutton " began the resident. " And, pray, what has Captain Sutton to do with the matter ? " sharply interrupted his better half. "I piesume you have not to consult the ideas or wishes of a captain of irregulars as to whether you give a ball in the residency or not." "My dear ! Captain Sutton is a very distinguished officer, and he commands a smart cavalry regiment. " Moreover," continued the lesident, " he is not new to the political department. He even once officiated in the very position I have now the honor to occupy." " Yes, and was relieved of his duties," snecied the lady. "That was owing purely to matters of a private nature," replied the resident. " By-the-bye, Portland, you know something about the affair." But Mr. Portland, appaiently in a state ol some confusion, stammered out a few words to the effect that he had heard something in connection with the affair, but it was so long ago, it had quite escaped his memory. Mrs. Colvin hastened to change the subject, while Ethel Marsden and her friend exchanged looks of intelligence, the assistant looked more ill at ease, the resident became fidgetty, and the party broke up. > And at this point, as my space is limited, I cannot do better than explain the contusion ol the stout cnilian, and in doing so let m a little light on the hopes and ambitions of sonio of the actois m my story. bomc si\ jeais pieviously Mr. Colvin occupied the position of magistrate and collector of an mipoitant and populous district in Bengal. Mi. Portland was in these days, as now, his assistant. Mrs. Colvin ruled her lord and master then as subsequently. The worthy civilian was as much domineered over by his wife when a magistrate as he is now as resident at Ahgungo. In those days there resided with Mr. Colvin, in the large palatial bungalow at Gyah, a niece, a cousin of Ethel's, who had been but a year out fiom England. Floia Marsden was the belle of the station, and numerous suitors sought her hand. Among otheis Lieutenant Sutton, of the Irregular Cavalry, and Mr. Portland, the assistant magistrate and collector of Gyah. Flora Maisden lost hei heart to the gallant young cavahy officer, who was devotedly fond of her, and longed to make her his wife. But here Mrs. Colvin intervened. That worthy lady had no liking for a uniform, whether it was the scarlet and gold of the infantry, or the blue and silver of the Irregular Cavalry. Not that she objected to a soldier as a soldier. No, she objected to the pay, which was not to be compared to that of the civil service. " A colonel of a Sepoy regiment," she would say, " is after all only drawing the same pay as a young joint magistrate." So she threw her influence into the scale in favor of the stout civilian. In vain Flora Marsden pleaded her inability to care for the civilian admirer, and that her love was already given to the soldier. Mrs. Colvin was inexorable. She was Flora's guardian and mutual protector, standing to her in the light of a parent, and she insisted on doing her best to advance her future prosperity. When aftairs were hanging on the balance Sutton was ordered to Aligunge as officiating resident. Before leaving for his new post he pleaded earnestly that Flora would go with him and share his new home. Between her love for him and her sense of duty to her aunt, the poor girl was nearly driven distracted, but the latter sentiment prerailedj and Sutton left for his new post alone. The civilian having the field to himself, and the hearty co-operation of Mrs. Colvin, at length brought matters to a crisis. Flora Marsden, "for better or worse," became Mrs. Portland. Poor Jim Sutton, alone in the great residency at Aligunge, stifled his grief as best he could, and tried to find solace in hard work. The Portland manage was a failure from the start. Among his other virtues the stout civilian numbered those of a bully and a coward. He chose to be frantically jealous of his pretty wife, and ill-treated her accordingly. At last the crisis came. It happened that Sutton came down to Gyah on leave, and was staying in the same bungalow with a brother officer of his regiment. During his stay on the station it chanced that Poitland and his wife had a mpre than usually senouß quarrel. So serious was it that the I civilian beside himself, with jealous rage, so far forgot himself as to strike his wife. That evening Flora Portland left her home. Sutton, reading in his room about 10 o'clopk, was astonished to see before him the woman be loved so dearly, in tears, and almost beside herself, imploring his protection. He soothed her to the best of his ability, pointed out to her the fatal step she had taken, and endeavored to persuade her to return home. She would not listen to him. Sutton took counsel with his brother officer, who at length persuaded the unhappy wife, soon to be a mother, to allow him to drive her to the residence of a married officer in the Cantonment. Shortly after tbey left, Portland himself came in, violently accusing Sutton of having taken his wife from her borne. Angry taunts and recriminations ensued till, in the beat ©f the moment and burning to avenge the -wrongs of the -woman hei loved, the soldier Horsewhipped the civilian within an inch of hii life. Poor Mri. Portland was scarcely '.sheltered under the hospitable roof which received , her, when the 1 excitement and, sense of- injury proved too much for her over -wrojight mind. " Premature confinement supervened, 'and next niorning Ipoor Flora had gone where tin and Sorrow arid luffering have no place, The worn-out spirit, had 'found ( rest. ',' *' ', -" , 1 ' i ' i£* J^'i Of course fysJjfl]Bfe, B 'fi** r 9 1^ a t$ < tyft>sM' e ;f'*)'*' wondQi^i&XjjilftmnWSMgarbltids reports* oi thjs^ whole iyfo^^^^^SißfCTß^P l^'^*" 'of;4hVauth'drities. 'IpS*W§wM tto hi * regimeiit; no reaioij',

being given for the step. Two years after Mr. Colvin was appointed resident at Aligunge, and Mr. Portland followed him as assistant. Suttons regiment had also been ordered to the station, whither after the lapse of time all the actors in the tragedy I have narrated found thpmselves located. And now to get on with my story. Most of my readers would doubtless consider that Mr. Portland had had enough of matrimony, and would for the future confine himself to the duties of the post he occupied, and qualify himself for a still higher position in the service, of which he was so distinguished an ornament. Not so, however. Ho at the date of my story had actually fallen in love with Ethel Marsden, and was paying marked attention to that young lady. And strange to say he had again found a staunch ally in the resident's wife. That strong-minded lady considered the prospects of the civilian as too good to be lightly overlooked by her niece. Ethel Marsden looked upon her bulky admirer rather with contempt than otherwise. She did not know the rights of the story concerning her dead cousin's married life ; but she had a general idea that the assistant resident had treated his first wife anything but well, and, girl-like, she disliked him accordingly. And when I state that my hero Jack Dalton was over head and pars in love with Ethel, and prepared at a moment's notice to endow her with sucli wordly goods as are represented by a subaltern's pay, while the young lady, albeit not averse to Jack, yet at the bottom of her heart cherished an unmistakeable penchant for Sutton of the Irregulars, it will be seen that love-looking as far as the chief characters in my story are concerned was in a 1 ather complicated condition. Handsome Jack's pony invariably carried its rider to the Colvin cairiage when the band played on the Mall, and he would monopoliso Miss Ethel's time and attention greatly to the ire of Mrs. Colvin, and the disgust of Mr. Portland, who, snubbed by Ethel and her friend, would be compelled to fall back on the leßident's lady for conversation and amusement. Ethel and her friend had not long been ensconced in the drawing-room of the residency when a native servant entered beaiing a card. Ethel Mavsdea gracefully signified her wish to receive the visitor, whereupon the native retired, and ushered in Lieutenant John Dalton Sahib of the 79th N.I. Jack shook hands with the ladies, and seated himself near to Ethel. " Well, Mr. Dalton, what is the talk in the station to-day ? Are your men still true to their salt?" "Yes, as yet, Miss Marsden." "Only as yet? " " I believe they are right enough. The colonel, he swears by them. He thinks they are paragons. I have my own idea as to their reason for keeping quiet." "And that is?" " Suttons slashers being in the same neighborhood. There is no love lost between the Sepoys and the Sikhs, and all Suttons men are — Punjabis, as you know." " What does Captain Sutton think ? " " He is keeping his eyes wide open, Miss Marsden, you may depend. He came up with me just now to see the resident." " He might pay his respects in the drawingroom first," said the lady. " " But duty you know, Miss Marsden." " Should always give way to another word which rhymes with it." " And that—" "Is beauty, Mr. Dalton. How very dull you

are to-day. I hope you will be more lively at the ball on Thursday." "Is the ball really to come off? " "Of course. Why not?" " Most of " ours " think it very inopportune, a ball at such a time, and to tell you the truth I fancy Sutton has come up to speak to the resident on the subject." " If he tries to stop it I will never speak to him again, neither will Ada." " Indeed no," replied that young lady ; " but stay, here comes the captain himself." A tall, grave-looking man, a large brown beard flowing over his shoulders, piercing eyes, and a soldierly manner, dressed in the handsome uniform of the irregular cavalry, entered at this moment, and gravely saluting the ladies, took his seat. IJe was evidently on d.uty, as he wore hjs sword, sabretasche, and pouch belt, and his steel scabbard clanked as he sat down. " What is all this about the ball, Captain Sjutton?" began Ethel. " V(e hear you wjsh to, prevent it coming pff? " " That is true enough, Miss Marsden. I, incommon with many others, think the time for such an amusement is, at least, ill chosen, and my misssion here to-day is to acquaint the resident with my views on the subject. ' " And will not the ball come off? " asked Ada Charteris. " The resident refuses to alter his plans," replied the captain " Mrs. Colvin," he added, smiling slightly, " was present at our interview, and I think helped to influence him in his decision." "I am very glad, and if you wish to regain my good opinion Captain Sutton, you will dance at least three waltzes with me on Thursday evening," "It's my opinion, Dalton," observed the cayalry officer to the infantry subaltern, as they rode away together from the Eesidency, that there will be such a ball danced here before many hours are qyer that very few of us haye ever heard the tune of. If I had my way I'd put a stop to the tomfoolery, but what can one do ? The Besident is ruled by his wife. Colonel Oldboy, who commands the station, is in bis dotage; I can do nothing with him. There is one comfort, the ball will collect all the ladies in one place." " What do you mean Sutton 2 " "J mean, if anything dqes happen, the ladies will be together, and I will, qn my own responsibility, take care that a troop of tfye sjastyers, jn full marching order, are at hane}." " You suspect something then." " Hush ! Come over to my quarters about five o'clock this evening. You will find some more of your fellows there. Say nothing to any one. Till then, good-bye." And as the Captain galloped off Jack Dalton looked after him, and gave rent to a prolonged wh^sjie.