Robin ran back for the required books. He was highly amused at his pretty sister’s energy, and regarded Alicia’s first essay at zenana-visiting much as he would have regarded a first attempt at skating. To him it was rather a matter for fun.
The lady and Robin proceeded, chatting cheerfully as the doli jogged along, as far as the outer gate of the fort, which was encompassed by a mud wall. The tall building itself was of brick, quite devoid of windows, but with squares of open brick-work so let into the upper part of the house as to give the appearance of perforations, through which the inmates of the zenana, themselves unseen, could peep at the world below.
“It looks rather like a prison,” observed Alicia, “and I see no bell at the gate.”
“We must rattle the chain to give notice of our coming,” said Robin, who had just helped to extricate Alicia from her square box.
The rattling was repeated twice, and then the door was opened just widely enough to let two dogs, furiously barking, rush out. The doli-men, called kahars, threatened the animals with their staves; one threw a stone at the fiercer dog, and made him go limping and howling away.
“I don’t like this,” said Alicia timidly. “Perhaps the dogs may come back, or there may be others inside. Robin, please go in first.”
“Go in!” repeated Robin in affected horror. “I would rather venture into a bear’s den than into a zenana. It is only open to lady visitors, you know.”
“But can’t I send in the kahars to see that the way is clear?”
“No; the kahars, being men, must remain outside. See, there are girls within the court-yard peeping curiously at you. They will show you the way to the ladies. You have really nothing to fear.”
Alicia, a good deal against her will, had to enter the court-yard alone. The kahars remained outside with the doli, and Robin went back to the bungalow. Brown girls, with a profusion of metal ornaments on their heads and a wondrous number of rings in their ears, called to the English lady to come on. They stood in a doorway at the other side of the court-yard,—a doorway which evidently led to the interior of the large building. As Alicia hesitated, the Hindu girls called more loudly, giggled and laughed, but did not attempt to approach the lonely stranger.