and said nothing, so Tess offered him a chair, which Chamu drew up
more fussily than ever.

"Have you had breakfast?" she asked, taking the conscious risk. Strangers
of alien race are not invariably good guests, however good-looking,
especially when one's husband is somewhere out of call. She looked
and felt nearly as young as this man, and had already experienced
overtures from more than one young prince who supposed he was
doing her an honor. Used to closely guarded women's quarters, the
East wastes little time on wooing when the barriers are passed or down.
But she felt irresistibly curious, and after all there was Chamu.

"Thanks, I took breakfast before dawn."

The Rajput accepted the proffered chair without acknowledging the
butler's existence. Tess passed him the big silver cigarette box.

"Then let me offer you a drink."

He declined both drink and cigarette and there was a minute's silence
during which she began to grow uncomfortable.

"I was riding after breakfast--up there on the hill where you see that
overhanging rock, when I caught sight of you here on the veranda.
You, too, were watching the dawn--beautiful! I love the dawn. So I
thought I would come and get to know you. People who love the same
thing, you know, are not exactly strangers."

Almost, if not quite for the first time Tess grew very grateful for Chamu,
who was still hovering at hand.