’And if it be a girl
she shall wear a wedding-ring,
And if it be a boy he
shall fight for his king,
With his dirk, and his
cap, and his little jacket blue,
He shall walk the quarter-deck—’
‘Yellow on blue—green next player,’
said the marker monotonously.
’He shall walk the quarter-deck,—Am
I green, marker? He shall walk the quarter-deck,—eh!
that’s a bad shot,—As his daddy used
to do!’
‘I don’t see that you have anything to
crow about,’ said a zealous junior civilian
acidly. ’The Government is not exactly pleased
with your work when you relieved Sanders.’
‘Does that mean a wigging from headquarters?’
said Holden with an abstracted smile. ‘I
think I can stand it.’
The talk beat up round the ever-fresh subject of each
man’s work, and steadied Holden till it was
time to go to his dark empty bungalow, where his butler
received him as one who knew all his affairs.
Holden remained awake for the greater part of the
night, and his dreams were pleasant ones.
‘How old is he now?’
’Ya illah! What a man’s question!
He is all but six weeks old; and on this night I go
up to the housetop with thee, my life, to count the
stars. For that is auspicious. And he was
born on a Friday under the sign of the Sun, and it
has been told to me that he will outlive us both and
get wealth. Can we wish for aught better, beloved?’
’There is nothing better. Let us go up
to the roof, and thou shalt count the stars—but
a few only, for the sky is heavy with cloud.’
’The winter rains are late, and maybe they come
out of season. Come, before all the stars are
hid. I have put on my richest jewels.’
‘Thou hast forgotten the best of all.’
‘Ai! Ours. He comes also. He
has never yet seen the skies.’
Ameera climbed the narrow staircase that led to the
flat roof. The child, placid and unwinking, lay
in the hollow of her right arm, gorgeous in silver-fringed
muslin with a small skull-cap on his head. Ameera
wore all that she valued most. The diamond nose-stud
that takes the place of the Western patch in drawing
attention to the curve of the nostril, the gold ornament
in the centre of the forehead studded with tallow-drop
emeralds and flawed rubies, the heavy circlet of beaten
gold that was fastened round her neck by the softness
of the pure metal, and the chinking curb-patterned
silver anklets hanging low over the rosy ankle-bone.
She was dressed in jade-green muslin as befitted a
daughter of the Faith, and from shoulder to elbow
and elbow to wrist ran bracelets of silver tied with
floss silk, frail glass bangles slipped over the wrist
in proof of the slenderness of the hand, and certain
heavy gold bracelets that had no part in her country’s
ornaments but, since they were Holden’s gift
and fastened with a cunning European snap, delighted
her immensely.
