'Did you ever hear of anything so mad so absurd? And he had the
ball at his feet. He had only to kick it! I would have made him
anything! Anything in the wide world. He could have gone to the
world's end. I would have helped him. I made him, didn't I, Polly?
Didn't I create that man? Doesn't he owe everything to me? And to
reward me, just when everything was nicely arranged, by this
lunacy that spoilt everything!'

'Very few men understand your devotion thoroughly.'

'Oh, Polly, don't laugh at me! I give men up from this hour. I could
have killed him then and there. What right had this man this Thing
I had picked out of his filthy paddy - fields to make love to me?'

'He did that, did he?'

'He did. I don't remember half he said, I was so angry. Oh, but such
a funny thing happened! I can't help laughing at it now, though I
felt nearly ready to cry with rage. He raved and I stormed I'm
afraid we must have made an awful noise in our kala juggah.
Protect my character, dear, if it's all over Simla by to-morrow and
then he bobbed forward in the middle of this insanity I firmly
believe the man's demented and kissed me.'

'Morals above reproach,' purred Mrs. Mallowe.

'So they were so they are! It was the most absurd kiss. I don't
believe he'd ever kissed a woman in his life before. I threw my
head back, and it was a sort of slidy, pecking dab, just on the end
of the chin here.' Mrs. Hauksbee tapped her masculine little chin