"I will listen again to those that whisper in the dark," she answered,
"and perhaps if it concerns you, for your protection, I will tell."

"I hope those men didn't fall in with my two chaps," Barlow said,
rather voicing his thoughts than in the way of speaking to the girl.

"The two who rode--they were the Captain Sahib's servants?"

Barlow started. "Yes, they were: I suppose I can trust you."

"And the Sahib is troubled? Perhaps it was a message for the Sahib
that they carried."

"I don't know," he answered, evasively. "I was thinking that perhaps
they might be messengers, for our sepoys are not stationed here, and
come but on such errands."

"And if they were lulled, and the message stolen, it would cause
trouble?"

She felt him tremble as he looked down into her eyes.

"I don't know. But the messages of a Raj are not for the ears of men
to whom they have not been sent."

Barlow had an intuition that the girl's words were not prompted by idle
curiosity. He was possessed of a sudden gloomy impression that she
knew something of the two men who rode. And it was strange that they
had not been seen upon either of the roads. The officer spoke of them