The Keepers of the People

1156“Run, Latchimi, run!” shrieked Althea, jerking another cartridge into its place. Latchimi ran like the wind, catching up the child: and the tiger sprang with a great leap towards his new foe. Althea, thrilled to her very marrow, bit through her lip to steady her aim, and fired at the rushing brute. He pitched sideways and rolled over a yard or two away; Althea forced another cartridge into place with the swiftest jerk; and as the brute recovered and sprang at her, fired into his gaping jaws, and dropped flat. His left paw caught the barrel of the rifle and knocked it out of her grasp a dozen yards away, and he passed right over her, and rolled over. There was a fierce yelping, and Alrasch and half a dozen more of the bloodhounds, leaping through the bushes, pinned him down: Althea flung herself away from the struggling brutes, heard a shouting and bursting through the bushes, and Prince Ralph caught her up in his arms. He crushed her to him fiercely, and kissed her full on the lips, crying —

1157“My God, child, what a fright you gave me! I know fear now! But it was well done! It was well done!”

1158He set her down, dazed, flushing, and trembling: he had never kissed her before. She was scarcely aware of Latchimi sobbing for joy, and kissing her hand, wiping the blood from the lip she had bitten to steady herself, with her hair; she scarcely heard Colonel Sayers praising her. An oppression was on her; she wanted to be alone to think, to understand. She walked back with the two men to Prince Ralph’s wing on trembling feet; went slowly up the staircase to her rooms; and flung herself down on her couch, crying and sobbing violently: Prince Ralph’s kiss, coming when she was at the highest pitch of nervous strain, had filled her with an overpowering, incomprehensible trouble which found this natural outlet. Her amazed maids stared at her a while, consulting one another with their eyes and swift fingers: they had never seen her in tears before. Then one of them more daring came near her, and began stroking her hair; and another began to stroke her hand. After a while the paroxysm wore itself out; it had lightened her of the oppression; and she turned over, and smiled at once at their woebegone faces. The smile relieved them, and they all smiled back at her. She rose with an uncertain, faint laugh, and going to the mirror, looked at the wholly womanly air the reddened eyelids, and the tear-stains gave her face.

1159“Well,” she said slowly, and sternly, “all that fuss about a kiss and a tiger. Am I never going to grow hard, and be able to help rule the people?”

1160She bathed her face and slept for a while, but when she awoke the trouble had not all gone. She felt less sure of herself: something new and strange had entered into her life: and for many a day her foot fell less light; her laugh was slower coming; and above all she was less at her ease with Prince Ralph.