Page:Lachmi Bai Rani of Jhansi.djvu/29

 shocking enough to be obliged to meet one's own i. o. u.'s; but to settle up for another fellow is monstrous. My sympathy there is with the Rani, though it wasn't our fault, you know."

"Yes, I thought that would appeal to you," remarked the Commissioner dryly, " but if I am not mistaken that matter of killing cows, in spite of her protests, has en- raged her more than the loss of either the Jhansi throne or the revenue. That, was an unnecessary insult to her religious sensibilities. Now what I maintain is this, if she has been waiting for a favorable opportunity to s.trike a blow for what she may regard as her lost position and injured feelings, the present is as good a one as she is likely to be afforded. Her influence with the people is, I am convinced, a quantity worth taking into account."

Vane yawned with the heat and the little interest he felt in both the subject and the visit. He was satisfied that the Commissioner's fears were groundless, that there was not the slightest danger of an outbreak in Jhansi, and only with difficulty had he been persuaded to accompany his colleague to the Rani's palace.

"In any case, suppose there is something in your idea," he asked, " what can she do? "

"That is exactly what we are going to try and dis- cover," returned the Commissioner firmly. They had arrived before the main entrance to the palace. They dismounted and handed the reins of their horses to the native orderly.