Outside the temple stood the car, fantastically carved, dull with
rubbed gold leaf. You could see the sockets where horrid knives had
once glittered in the sunlight. Xerxes no doubt founded his war
chariots upon this idea. The wheels, six in number, two in front and
two on each side, were solid, broad and heavy, capable of smoothing out
a corrugated winter road. The superstructure was an ornate shrine,
which contained the idol on its peregrinations to the river.
About the car were the devotees, some holding the ropes, others
watching the entrance to the temple. Presently from the temple came
the gurus or priests, bearing the idol. With much reverence they
placed the idol within the shrine, the pilgrims took hold firmly of the
ropes and the car rattled and thundered on its way to the river.
Of Juggernaut and his car more anon.
The street outside the garden of brides was in reality no thoroughfare,
though natives occasionally made use of it as a short cut into town.
Therefore no one observed the entrance of an elephant, which stopped
close to the wall, seemingly to melt into the drab of it. On his back,
however, the howdah was conspicuous. Behind the curtains Kathlyn
patiently waited. She was about to turn away in despair when through
the wicker gate she saw Winnie, attended by one of the zenana girls,
enter the garden. It seemed as if her will reached out to bring Winnie
to the wall and to hold the other young woman where she was.
But the two sat in the center of the garden, the thoughts of each far
away. The attendant felt no worry in bringing Winnie into the garden.
A cry from her lips would bring a dozen guards and eunuchs from the
palace. And the white girl could not get out alone. More than this,
she gave Winnie liberty in order to trap her if possible.
By and by the native girl pretended to feel drowsy in the heat of the
sun, and her head fell forward a trifle. It was then that Winnie heard
a low whistle, an old familiar whistle such as she and Kit had used
once upon a time in playing "I spy." She sat up rigidly. It was hard
work not to cry out. Over the wall the drab trunk of an elephant
protruded, and something white fluttered into the garden.
Winnie rose. The head of the native girl came up instinctively; but as
Winnie leisurely strolled toward the palace, the head sank again.
Winnie turned and wandered along the walls, apparently examining the
flowers and vines, but all the while moving nearer and nearer to the
bit of white paper which the idle breeze stirred back and forth
tentatively. When she reached the spot she stooped and plucked some
flowers, gathering up the paper as she did so. And still in the
stooping posture, she read the note, crumpled it and stuffed it into a
hole in the wall.