Page:Letters from India Vol 1.djvu/319

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LETTERS FROM INDIA.
311

house early on Monday morning and stay the day there. It sounds rather dreadful, and I think an artillery review must be worse than a common review, inasmuch as cannon make more noise than guns. The Brigadier pledges himself that I shall have a good luncheon, three rooms to myself, liberty not to receive the ladies of the station, and he solemnly asserts there is no Mrs. —— to do the honours, &c., and that there shall be nobody but his aide-de-camp to take care of me; so I shall request whichever of our aides-de-camp goes with me to run his aide-de-camp through the body if he talks too much, and then it will do very well.

Dumdum, Monday, 27th.

There! like a clever creature I brought my writing things up with me, and I am very comfortable here in my own rooms, and quite at leisure. A great many of the Dumdum ladies have called, but Captain —— has very wisely informed them I should be tired if I saw them, which I am sure would have been the case. He and I came up very early with Wright and Rosina and Giles, and about four