Page:An American Girl in India.djvu/110

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AN AMERICAN GIRL IN INDIA

one else handy, I had of course, womanlike, to vent it on the Major.

'It's all your fault,' I burst out angrily. 'If you had only gone the right way to work, a man of your position and experience—especially a man who has won the Kadir Cup,' I put in scornfully, 'could have made that Boy do anything he wanted, while instead of that you calmly come and ask me to go and see him make a right down fool of himself.'

I paused for breath, while the Major got rather red in the face. I'm sure if I had been a man he would have knocked me down, or said something dreadful, but being only a woman who was taking an unwarrantable advantage of her sex, he said nothing. That, of course, made me more angry still. If you want to annoy an angry woman, just say nothing. But if you happen to be that woman's husband, well, then, you'd best say something mighty quick, just for the sake of keeping the home together.

I turned away, and looked out across the glorious peaceful waters of the harbour bathed in the sunset glow. It quieted me a bit straight away, as nature always does, but I wasn't going to show that to the Major. It never does to show a man that you are quieting down. He at once plucks up his courage, and gets above himself again if you do. Men are all right so long as you hold the whip hand of them, but once let go the reins and they begin to buck.

'You can tell the Boy,' I said haughtily at last,