But her feet dragged, and her vitality died down.

It was sundown when she reached the mission house, and she could hear the rising, falling, intermittent din of drums before she saw her father in the doorway.
"Father!" She ran to him, and he caught her in his arms to save her from falling headlong.

"Father, there is going to be a suttee tonight! Hear the drums, father! Hear the drums! It'll be tonight! That's to stop the screams from being heard! Listen to them, father--two suttees, side by side--I've seen the pyres and the scaffolds--do they jump into the flames, father, from the scaffolds ?--tell me! No-don't tell me--I won't listen! Take me away from here--away--away--away--take me away, d'you hear!" He carried her inside, and laid her on the caned couch in the living-room, looking like a great, big, helpless, gray-haired baby, as any man is prone to do when he has hysteria to deal with in a woman whom he loves.
"I cursed a man, father! I cursed a man! I did! I said 'Damn you!' I'm glad!" "Don't, little girl--don't! Lassie mine, don't! Never mind what you saw or what you said--be calm now--there is something we must do; we must act; I have determined we must act.

We must act tonight.

But we can't do anything with you in this state." Slowly, gradually he calmed her--or probably she grew calm, in spite of his attentions, for he was too upset himself to exercise much soothing sway over anybody else.