Page:An American Girl in India.djvu/193

 Now it requires a very good tempered person indeed to smile when he's being laughed at, especially when he's not quite sure why he's the object of merriment. 'Not having seen the pig-sticking pictures in John's study,' I said as pleasantly as I could, 'I——'

'Oh, my dear,' interrupted Berengaria, still laughing, but recovering herself, 'it's that topi.' I am afraid it was rather stiffly that I asked what was wrong with that topi. 'Ah, that's one of the things that's so hard to explain,' said Berengaria smilingly. 'Of course, it ought not to have that piece of silk hanging down behind, but beyond that it's difficult to say what's wrong with it except that it is wrong. When you've been out here a little longer you will understand. It isn't that you are bound down to any one shape or style. There are lots of different shapes that you may wear, but there are equally lots of shapes that you can't possibly wear. You'll soon learn to know by instinct, but you can't explain it.' So the reason of the impossibility of my topi was another of the many things in India one can't expect to get an explanation of.

'Fortunately you can get topis in Slumpanugger,' Berengaria informed me. 'I'll send round for the box-wala to come and bring some up for you to see.' I didn't ask just then what a 'box-wala' was, because I was too much concerned about my topi,