Rujub, the Juggler. Henty George Alfred

time brought home to her the reality of their existence, and that around this little group of English men and women lay a vast population, with their joys and sorrows and sufferings.

      At breakfast she surprised Mrs. Hunter by asking a variety of questions as to native customs. “I suppose you have often been in the Zenanas, Mrs. Hunter?”

      “Not often, my dear. I have been in some of them, and very depressing it is to see how childish and ignorant the women are.”

      “Can nothing be done for them, Mrs. Hunter?”

      “Very little. In time I suppose there will be schools for girls, but you see they marry so young that it is difficult to get at them.”

      “How young do they marry?”

      “They are betrothed, although it has all the force of a marriage, as infants, and a girl can be a widow at two or three years old; and so, poor little thing, she remains to the end of her life in a position little better than that of a servant in her husband’s family. Really they are married at ten or eleven.”

      Isobel looked amazed at this her first insight into native life. Mrs. Hunter smiled.

      “I heard Mr. Bathurst saying something to you about it yesterday, Miss Hannay. He is an enthusiast; we like him very much, but we don’t see much of him.”

      “You must beware of him, Miss Hannay,” Mr. Hunter said, “or he will inoculate you with some of his fads. I do not say that he is not right, but he sees the immensity of the need for change, but does not see fully the immensity of the difficulty in bringing it about.”