'
'Detestable word! Have Civilians culchaw? I never studied the
breed deeply.'
'Don't make fun of Jack's Service. Yes. They're like the teapoys in
the Lakka Bazar good material but not polished. They can't help
themselves, poor dears. A Civilian only begins to be tolerable after
he has knocked about the world for fifteen years.'
'And a military man?'
'When he has had the same amount of service. The young of both
species are horrible. You would have scores of them in your salon.'
'I would not!' said Mrs. Hauksbee fiercely.
'I would tell the bearer to darwaza band them. I'd put their own
colonels and commissioners at the door to turn them away. I'd give
them to the Topsham Girl to play with.'
'The Topsham Girl would be grateful for the gift. But to go back to
the salon. Allowing that you had gathered all your men and women
together, what would you do with them? Make them talk? They
would all with one accord begin to flirt. Your salon would become
a glorified Peliti's a ''Scandal Point" by lamplight.'
'There's a certain amount of wisdom in that view.'
'There's all the wisdom in the world in it. Surely, twelve Simla
seasons ought to have taught you that you can't focus anything in
India; and a salon, to be any good at all, must be permanent. In two
seasons your roomful would be scattered all over Asia.
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