§ 17

and it was in this hospital that peter first clearly decided to become personally responsible for the reconstruction of the british empire.

this decision was precipitated by the sudden reappearance in his world of mir jelalludin, the indian whom he had once thought unsuitable company for joan.

513peter had been dozing when jelalludin appeared. he found him sitting beside the bed, and stared at the neat and smiling brown face, unable to place him, and still less able to account for the uniform he was wearing. for jelalludin was wearing the uniform of the french aviator, and across his breast he wore four palms.

“i had the pleasure of knowing you at cambridge,” said mir jelalludin in his indian staccato. “cha’med i was of use to you.”

an explanatory frenchman standing beside the indian dabbed his finger on the last of jelalludin’s decorations. “he killed von papen after your crash,” said the frenchman.

“you were that frenchman——?” said peter.

“in your fight,” said mir jelalludin.

“he’d have finished me,” said peter.

“i finished him,” said the indian, laughing with sheer happiness, and showing his beautiful teeth.

peter contemplated the situation. he made a movement and was reminded of his bandages.

“i wish i could shake hands,” he said.

the indian smiled with a phantom malice in his smile.

peter went bluntly to a question that had arisen in his mind. “why aren’t you in khaki?” he asked.

“the brish’ gu’ment objects to indian flyers,” said mir jelalludin. “i tried. but brish’ gu’ment thinks flying beyond us. and bad for prestige. prestige very important thing to brish’ gu’ment. so i came to france.”

peter continued to digest the situation.

“of course,” said jelalludin, “no commissions given in regular army to indians. brish’ soldiers not allowed to s’lute indian officers. not part of the great white race. otherwise hundreds of flyers could come from india, hundreds and hundreds. we play cricket—good horsemen. many indian gentlemen must be first-rate flying stuff. but gu’ment says ’no.’”

he continued to smile more cheerfully than ever.

“hundreds of juvenile indians ready and willing to be killed for your empire”—he rubbed it in—“but—no, thank you. indo-european people we are, aryans, more consanguineous 514than jews or japanese. ready to take our places beside you.... well, anyhow, i rejoice to see that you are recovering to entire satisfaction. it was only when i descended after the fight that i perceived that it was you, and it seemed to me then that you were very seriously injured. i was anxious. and mem’ries of otha days. i felt i must see you.”

peter and the young indian looked at one another.

“look here, jelalludin,” he said, “i must apologize.”

“but why?”

“as part of the british empire. no! don’t interrupt. i do. but, i say, do they—do we really bar you—absolutely?”

“absolutely. not only from the air force, but from any commission at all. the lowest little bazaar clerk from clapham, who has got a commission, is over our indian officers—over our princes. it is an everlasting humiliation. necessary for prestige.”

“the french have more sense, anyhow.”

“they take us on our merits.

“if i had a british commission,” said jelalludin, “i should be made very uncomfortable. it is the way with british officers and gentlemen. the french are not so—particular.”

“at present,” said peter, “i can’t be moved.”

“you improve.”

“but when i get up this is one of the things i have to see to. you see, jelalludin, this empire of ours—yours and mine—has got into the hands of a gang of gory old fools. partly my negligence—as god said.”

“god?” said jelalludin.

“oh, nothing! i mean we young men haven’t been given a proper grasp of the indian situation. or any situation. no. this business of the commissions——! after all that you fellows have done here in france! it’s disgraceful. you see, we don’t see or learn anything about india. even at cambridge——”

“you didn’t see much of us there,” smiled the indian.

“i’m sorry,” said peter.

“i didn’t come to talk about this,” said jelalludin, “it came out.”

515“i’m glad it came out,” said peter.

a pause.

“i mustn’t tire you,” said mir jelalludin, and rose to go.

peter thanked him for coming.

“and your cha’ming sister?” asked the indian, as if by an afterthought.

“foster sister. she drives a big car about london,” said peter....

peter meditated profoundly upon that interview for some days.

then he tried over the opinions of the americans about india. but americans are of little help to the british about india. their simple uncriticized colour prejudice covers all “asiatics” except the inhabitants of siberia. they had a more than english ignorance of ethnology, and oswald had at least imparted some fragments of that important science to his ward. their working classification of mankind was into anglo-saxons, frenchmen, sheenies, irishmen, dutchmen, dagoes, chinks, coloured people, and black niggers. they esteemed mir jelalludin a coloured person. peter had to fall back upon himself again.