the famous dancing girl of Lahore. She takes the orphan home, christens her
Imtiazan, and does her best to blunt the evil memories of her desertion.

Gowhar Jan did her duty by the child according to her lights. She engaged
the best "Gawayyas" to teach her music, the best "Kath-thaks" to teach her
dancing, the best "Ustads" to teach her elocution and deportment, and the
best of Munshis to ground her in Urdu and Persian _belles lettres_; so
that when Imtiazan reached her fifteenth year her accomplishments were
noised abroad in the bazaar. Beautiful too she was, with the fair
complexion of the border-races, slightly aquiline nose, large dark eyes and
raven hair, the latter unadorned and drawn simply back in accordance with
the custom of her mother's people which forbids the unmarried girl to part
her hair or deck it with flowers. Her Indo-Punjabi dress, the loose
many-folded trousers, the white bodice and the silver-bordered scarf of
rose pink--but added to her charm. Yet was Gowhar Jan troubled at heart,
for the girl was in her eyes too modest, too retiring, and cared not at
all whether her songs and dances found favour with the rich landholders,
Sikh Sardars and the sons of Babu millionaires, who crowded to Gowhar
Jan's house. "Alas," sighed Gowhar Jan, "she will never be like Chanda
Malika, gay, witty and famous for generations; her education has been
wasted, and her name will die!" But Imtiazan only pouted and answered;
"I care not to throw good saffron before asses!"

[Illustration: Imtiazan.]

Then Fate cast the die. Her Munshi one day brought to the house a Musulman,
dressed in the modern attire of young India, who had acquired such skill in
playing the "Sitar", that he was able straightway and without mistake to
accompany Imtiazan's most difficult songs. Thereafter he came often
to the house and gradually played himself into the affection of the