She was still but a little over thirty-three
years old, and although the long years of anxiety and sorrow had left
their traces on her face, the rest and quiet of the sea voyage had
done much to restore the fulness of her cheeks, and to soften the
outline of her figure.
The Rajah, a young and handsome-looking man of thirty, ascended the
stairs with an eagerness and speed that were somewhat at variance with
Dick's preconceived ideas of the stateliness of an Eastern prince.
"My sister Margaret!" he exclaimed, in English, and embraced her with
a warmth that showed that his affection for her was unimpaired by the
years that had passed since he last saw her.
Then he stood with his hands on her shoulders, looking earnestly at
her.
"I know you again," he said. "You are changed, but I can recall your
face well. You are welcome, Margaret, most welcome.
"And this is my nephew?" he went on, turning to Dick, and holding out
both his hands to him. "You are taller than I expected--well nigh as
tall as I am. You are like your mother and my mother; and you are bold
and active and strong, she writes me. My boys are longing to see you,
and you will be most welcome at Tripataly.
"I have almost forgotten my English, Margaret "--and, indeed, he spoke
with some difficulty, evidently choosing his words--"I should quite
have forgotten it, had not I often had occasion to speak it with
English officers.
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