He merely felt, as each wooden face confronted his own, that here
was surely no Great Man, no Hero. Only when it came to the civilians his
eyes rested with some degree of satisfaction on Travers' well-knit figure
and fresh-colored face. For the first time during the whole proceedings
the prince smiled, and in turn received a smile.
The ladies had by this time arrived, and the presentations continued.
There was no change in Nehal Singh's demeanor when he stood before
Beatrice Cary--no change, at least, visible to the curious eyes that
watched. If there was any hidden meaning in his expression during the
brief instant that they looked at each other, only she herself could have
read it; and this she apparently did not do, for her face retained its
Madonna peace and dignity.
"I think Rajah Sahib and Miss Cary have already met?" remarked Travers,
who was acting as master of the ceremonies.
"Yes, we have met," Nehal Singh answered, and passed on.
If any hesitation showed itself in his manner, it was before Lois
Caruthers. A swift shade of puzzled surprise clouded his features.
"You have been a long time in India?" he asked, after the first words of
introduction. The question sounded as though he merely sought her
affirmation to something he already knew.
"Almost all my life, Rajah Sahib," she answered. Possibly it was a natural
shyness which made her voice sound troubled and nervous.
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