William?' asked Dora.

'I have bought it.' Sir William's chest underwent before our eyes
an expansion of conscious virtue. Living is so expensive in Simla;
the purchase of a merely decorative object takes almost the
proportion of an act of religion, even by a Member of Council
drawing four hundred pounds a month.

'First-rate it is, first-rate. Have you seen it? "Our Camp in
Tirah." Natives cooking in the foreground, fellows standing about
smoking, and a whole pile of tinned stores dumped down in one
corner, exactly as they would be, don't you know! Oh, I think the
Committee made a very good choice indeed, a very good choice.'

Sir William moved on, and Dora was free to send me an expressive
glance. 'Isn't that just LIKE this place?' she demanded. 'Let me
see, the Viceroy's medal, the Society's silver medal, five prizes
from Members of Council. Highly Commended's as thick as
blackberries, and these perfectly fresh, original, admirable things
completely ignored. What an absurd, impossible corner of the earth
it is!'

'You look very cross, you two,' said Mrs. Sinclair, trailing past.
'Come and see the crazy china exhibit, all made of little bits, you
know. They say the photograph frames are simply lovely.'

Mrs. Sinclair's invitation was not sincere. Miss Harris was able to
answer it with a laugh and a wave. We remained beside the serious
fact of exhibits 97-103.