Far to Seek

Far to Seek

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Far to Seek, by Maud Diver This
eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: Far to Seek A Romance of England and India
Author: Maud Diver
Release Date: April 25, 2005 [EBook #15704]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FAR TO
SEEK ***

Produced by Michael Ciesielski, Beginners Projects and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team.

FAR TO SEEK
A Romance of England and India
BY MAUD DIVER
AUTHOR OF 'CAPTAIN DESMOND, V.C.,' 'LILÁMANI,'
'DESMOND'S DAUGHTER,' ETC.
"I am athirst for far-away things. My soul goes out in longing to touch
the skirt of the dim distance.... O Far-to-Seek! O the keen call of thy
flute...!" --RABINDRANATH TAGORE.
"His hidden meaning dwells in our endeavours; Our valours are our
best gods." --JOHN FLETCHER.

William Blackwood & Sons Ltd.
Edinburgh and London
* * * * *
_TO MY BLUE BIRD,
BRINGER OF HAPPINESS TO MYSELF AND OTHERS,
I DEDICATE THIS IDYLL OF A MOTHER AND SON.
M.D._
* * * * *
"The dawn sleeps behind the shadowy hills, The stars hold their breath,
counting the hours.... There is only your own pair of wings and the
pathless sky, Bird, oh my Bird, listen to me--do not close your wings."
--RABINDRANATH TAGORE.

AUTHOR'S NOTE.
As part of my book is set in Lahore, at the time of the outbreak, in
April 1919, I wish to state clearly that, while the main events are true to
fact, the characters concerned, both English and Indian, are purely
imaginary. At the same time, the opinions expressed by my Indian
characters on the present outlook are all based on the written or spoken
opinions of actual Indians--loyal or disaffected, as the case may be.
There were no serious British casualties in Lahore, though there were
many elsewhere. I have imagined one locally, for purposes of my story.
In all other respects I have kept close to recorded facts.
M.D.

CONTENTS.
PAGE
PHASE I. THE GLORY AND THE DREAM 1
PHASE II. THE VISIONARY GLEAM 65
PHASE III. PISGAH HEIGHTS 135
PHASE IV. DUST OF THE ACTUAL 283
PHASE V. A STAR IN DARKNESS 417

PHASE I.
THE GLORY AND THE DREAM

CHAPTER I.
"Thou art the sky, and thou art the nest as well." --Tagore.
By the shimmer of blue under the beeches Roy knew that
summer--"really truly summer!"--had come back at last. And summer
meant picnics and strawberries and out-of-door lessons, and the lovely
hot smell of pine-needles in the pine-wood, and the lovelier cool smell
of moss cushions in the beech-wood--home of squirrels and birds and
bluebells; unfailing wonderland of discovery and adventure.
Roy was an imaginative creature, isolated a little by the fact of being
three and a half years older than Christine, and "miles older" than Jerry
and George, mere babies, for whom the magic word adventure held no
meaning at all.
Luckily, there was Tara, from the black-and-white house: Tara, who
shared his lessons and, in spite of the drawback of being a girl, had
long ago won her way into his private world of knight-errantry and
romance. Tara was eight years and five weeks old; quite a reasonable
age in the eyes of Roy, whose full name was Nevil Le Roy Sinclair,
and who would be nine in June. With the exception of grown-ups, who
didn't count, there was no one older than nine in his immediate
neighbourhood. Tara came nearest: but she wouldn't be nine till next
year; and by that time, he would be ten. The point was, she couldn't
catch him up if she tried ever so.
It was Tara's mother, Lady Despard, who had the happy idea of sharing
lessons, that would otherwise be rather a lonely affair for both. But it
was Roy's mother who had the still happier idea of teaching them
herself. Tara's mother joined in now and then; but Roy's mother--who
loved it beyond everything--secured the lion's share. And Roy was old
enough by now to be proudly aware of his own good fortune. Most
other children of his acquaintance were afflicted with tiresome
governesses, who wore ugly jackets and hats, who said "Don't drink
with your mouth full," and "Don't argue the point!"--Roy's favourite
sin--and always told you to "Look in the dictionary" when you found a

scrumptious new word and wanted to hear all about it. The dictionary,
indeed! Roy privately regarded it as one of the many mean evasions to
which grown-ups were addicted.
His ripe experience on the subject was gleaned partly