Knowledge (XXG)

False Dawn (short story)

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44:" from Lahore; and at the time of the story, "just before the final exodus of the Hill-goers", i.e. at the beginning of the hot season, there are under 20 British in residence. The story concerns Saumarez, a well-paid member of the Indian Civil Service who is "popular with women". He decides to propose marriage to one of a pair of sisters, Maud (the elder) and Edith Copleigh, who do everything together: the gossip of the station is that it will be to Maud, which would be an excellent match. She is prettier than her sister, though they are very alike in figure, look and voice. Saumarez arranges a moonlight picnic for six couples to provide a romantic setting. After midnight, the supper is interrupted by a terrible dust storm, and confusion reigns. In a lull in the storm, the narrator (the usual 49:
happy and the air is full of trumpets and gorgeously-coloured fire, and the Earth turns into cloud because she loves and is loved." It is Saumarez's duty to wipe that look off her face. 'Kipling' leaves him to it, galloping off to tell Edith: "You have got to come back with me, Miss Copleigh. Saumarez has something to tell you." They return home in the dawn, Maud riding with 'Kipling': "Maud Copleigh did not talk to me at any length."
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of 'Kipling') hears Edith crying "O my God!". and asking to be taken home. He refuses till daylight, they separate - and then Saumarez says he's proposed to the wrong one. The narrator sees on Maud's face "that look on her face which only comes once or twice in a lifetime - when a woman is perfectly
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published by Macmillan & Co., Limited in London in 1899. The text is that of the third edition (1890), and the author of the article has used his own copy of the 1923 reprint. Further comment, including page-by-page notes, can be found on the Kipling Society's website, at
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The story is set on an unnamed 'station', or one of the posts where the British lived during the
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All quotations in this article have been taken from the
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in 1888, and in subsequent editions of that collection.
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From Sea to Sea and Other Sketches, Letters of Travel
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S. Eliot, 1941) 306:All the Mowgli Stories 282:The Second Jungle Book 23:" is a short story by 1130:This article about a 1069:Georgiana Burne-Jones 1045:John Lockwood Kipling 708:Bread upon the Waters 568:The King's Pilgrimage 290:Letting in the Jungle 117:The Light That Failed 918:Watches of the Night 897:The Three Musketeers 890:Three and – an Extra 701:Baa Baa, Black Sheep 561:In the Neolithic Age 228:Barrack-Room Ballads 841:Miss Youghal's Sais 393:Limits and Renewals 380:(1915, non-fiction) 369:Rewards and Fairies 361:Puck of Pook's Hill 137:Captains Courageous 1195:1888 short stories 1085:Philip Burne-Jones 1077:Edward Burne-Jones 998:(2006 documentary) 785:His Chance in Life 634:The Sons of Martha 582:The Lowestoft Boat 547:Hymn Before Action 385:Debits and Credits 188:In Black and White 1147: 1146: 1112: 1111: 1105: 1097: 1089: 1081: 1073: 1065: 1057: 1056:(mother's family) 1053:MacDonald sisters 1049: 1041: 1033: 1025: 976:Law of the jungle 954:Bateman's (house) 252:Mowgli's Brothers 204:Under the Deodars 130:Wolcott Balestier 1207: 1168: 1161: 1154: 1126: 1119: 1103: 1095: 1087: 1079: 1071: 1063: 1055: 1047: 1039: 1031: 1023: 834:A Matter of Fact 778:A Germ-Destroyer 526:Gentleman ranker 353:The Five Nations 337:Stalky & Co. 315: 312: 273:Rikki-Tikki-Tavi 95: 88: 81: 72: 1215: 1214: 1210: 1209: 1208: 1206: 1205: 1204: 1175: 1174: 1173: 1172: 1115: 1113: 1108: 1061:Stanley Baldwin 1029:Elsie Bambridge 1009: 937: 848:The Mother Hive 792:His Wedded Wife 674: 627:A Song in Storm 606:McAndrew's Hymn 415: 345:Just So Stories 313: 244:The Jungle Book 236:Many Inventions 151: 104: 102:Rudyard Kipling 99: 55:Uniform Edition 25:Rudyard Kipling 17: 12: 11: 5: 1213: 1211: 1203: 1202: 1197: 1192: 1187: 1177: 1176: 1171: 1170: 1163: 1156: 1148: 1145: 1144: 1127: 1110: 1109: 1107: 1106: 1101:Alfred Baldwin 1098: 1093:Edward Poynter 1090: 1082: 1074: 1066: 1058: 1050: 1042: 1034: 1026: 1017: 1015: 1011: 1010: 1008: 1007: 999: 991: 983: 978: 973: 972: 971: 961: 956: 951: 945: 943: 939: 938: 936: 935: 928: 921: 914: 907: 900: 893: 886: 879: 872: 865: 858: 851: 844: 837: 830: 823: 816: 809: 802: 795: 788: 781: 774: 767: 760: 753: 746: 743:Cupid's Arrows 739: 732: 725: 718: 711: 704: 697: 690: 682: 680: 676: 675: 673: 672: 665: 658: 651: 644: 637: 630: 623: 616: 609: 602: 592: 585: 578: 571: 564: 557: 550: 543: 536: 529: 522: 515: 508: 501: 494: 487: 480: 473: 466: 459: 452: 449:The Beginnings 445: 438: 431: 423: 421: 417: 416: 414: 413: 405: 397: 389: 381: 373: 365: 357: 356:(1903, poetry) 349: 341: 333: 329:The Day's Work 325: 324:(1896, poetry) 321:The Seven Seas 317: 302: 301: 300: 293: 278: 277: 276: 269: 262: 255: 240: 232: 231:(1892, poetry) 224: 216: 208: 200: 192: 184: 176: 172:Soldiers Three 168: 159: 157: 153: 152: 150: 149: 141: 133: 121: 112: 110: 106: 105: 100: 98: 97: 90: 83: 75: 69: 68: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1212: 1201: 1198: 1196: 1193: 1191: 1188: 1186: 1183: 1182: 1180: 1169: 1164: 1162: 1157: 1155: 1150: 1149: 1143: 1141: 1137: 1133: 1128: 1125: 1121: 1116: 1102: 1099: 1094: 1091: 1086: 1083: 1078: 1075: 1070: 1067: 1062: 1059: 1054: 1051: 1046: 1043: 1038: 1035: 1030: 1027: 1022: 1019: 1018: 1016: 1012: 1005: 1004: 1000: 997: 996: 992: 989: 988: 984: 982: 979: 977: 974: 970: 967: 966: 965: 962: 960: 957: 955: 952: 950: 947: 946: 944: 940: 933: 929: 926: 922: 919: 915: 912: 908: 905: 901: 898: 894: 891: 887: 884: 880: 877: 873: 870: 866: 863: 859: 856: 855:The Other Man 852: 849: 845: 842: 838: 835: 831: 828: 824: 821: 817: 814: 810: 807: 803: 800: 796: 793: 789: 786: 782: 779: 775: 772: 768: 765: 761: 758: 754: 751: 747: 744: 740: 737: 733: 730: 726: 723: 719: 716: 712: 709: 705: 702: 698: 695: 691: 688: 684: 683: 681: 679:Short stories 677: 670: 666: 663: 659: 656: 652: 649: 645: 642: 638: 635: 631: 628: 624: 621: 617: 614: 610: 607: 603: 600: 599: 593: 590: 586: 583: 579: 576: 572: 569: 565: 562: 558: 555: 551: 548: 544: 541: 537: 534: 530: 527: 523: 520: 516: 513: 509: 506: 502: 499: 495: 492: 488: 485: 481: 478: 474: 471: 467: 464: 463:The Betrothed 460: 457: 456:The Bell Buoy 453: 450: 446: 443: 439: 436: 432: 429: 425: 424: 422: 418: 411: 410: 406: 403: 402: 398: 395: 394: 390: 387: 386: 382: 379: 378: 374: 371: 370: 366: 363: 362: 358: 355: 354: 350: 347: 346: 342: 339: 338: 334: 331: 330: 326: 323: 322: 318: 308: 307: 303: 298: 294: 291: 287: 286: 284: 283: 279: 274: 270: 267: 266:Tiger! Tiger! 263: 260: 259:Kaa's Hunting 256: 253: 249: 248: 246: 245: 241: 238: 237: 233: 230: 229: 225: 222: 221: 217: 214: 213: 209: 206: 205: 201: 198: 197: 193: 190: 189: 185: 182: 181: 177: 174: 173: 169: 166: 165: 161: 160: 158: 154: 147: 146: 142: 139: 138: 134: 131: 127: 126: 122: 119: 118: 114: 113: 111: 107: 103: 96: 91: 89: 84: 82: 77: 76: 73: 66: 62: 61: 56: 52: 51: 50: 47: 43: 42:day's journey 39: 34: 32: 31: 26: 22: 1140:expanding it 1129: 1114: 1037:John Kipling 1002: 993: 986: 949:Bibliography 770: 729:Consequences 648:The Sweepers 598:Mary Gloster 597: 498:Danny Deever 470:Big Steamers 407: 399: 391: 383: 375: 367: 359: 351: 343: 335: 327: 319: 304: 280: 242: 234: 226: 218: 210: 202: 194: 186: 178: 170: 162: 143: 135: 128:(co-author, 123: 115: 58: 54: 45: 35: 28: 20: 18: 1132:short story 1006:(2007 film) 1003:My Boy Jack 990:(1997 play) 987:My Boy Jack 904:Thrown Away 620:Recessional 613:My Boy Jack 519:Fuzzy-Wuzzy 505:A Death-Bed 314: 1895 156:Collections 1179:Categories 1032:(daughter) 771:False Dawn 764:Fairy-Kist 641:Submarines 21:False Dawn 969:Iron Ring 806:Kidnapped 540:Gunga Din 491:Dane-geld 484:Cold Iron 1088:(cousin) 1064:(cousin) 1048:(father) 925:Wireless 589:Mandalay 46:persona 1104:(uncle) 1096:(uncle) 1080:(uncle) 942:Related 820:Lispeth 297:Red Dog 285:(1895) 247:(1894) 132:, 1892) 1072:(aunt) 1024:(wife) 1014:Family 662:Ubique 404:(1940) 396:(1932) 388:(1926) 372:(1910) 364:(1906) 348:(1902) 340:(1899) 332:(1898) 239:(1893) 223:(1889) 215:(1888) 207:(1888) 199:(1888) 191:(1888) 183:(1888) 175:(1888) 167:(1888) 148:(1901) 140:(1896) 120:(1891) 109:Novels 1040:(son) 655:Tommy 477:Boots 420:Poems 1136:stub 687:.007 596:The 554:If— 145:Kim 57:of 38:Raj 1181:: 311:c. 1167:e 1160:t 1153:v 1142:. 934:" 930:" 927:" 923:" 920:" 916:" 913:" 909:" 906:" 902:" 899:" 895:" 892:" 888:" 885:" 881:" 878:" 874:" 871:" 867:" 864:" 860:" 857:" 853:" 850:" 846:" 843:" 839:" 836:" 832:" 829:" 825:" 822:" 818:" 815:" 811:" 808:" 804:" 801:" 797:" 794:" 790:" 787:" 783:" 780:" 776:" 773:" 769:" 766:" 762:" 759:" 755:" 752:" 748:" 745:" 741:" 738:" 734:" 731:" 727:" 724:" 720:" 717:" 713:" 710:" 706:" 703:" 699:" 696:" 692:" 689:" 685:" 671:" 667:" 664:" 660:" 657:" 653:" 650:" 646:" 643:" 639:" 636:" 632:" 629:" 625:" 622:" 618:" 615:" 611:" 608:" 604:" 601:" 594:" 591:" 587:" 584:" 580:" 577:" 573:" 570:" 566:" 563:" 559:" 556:" 552:" 549:" 545:" 542:" 538:" 535:" 531:" 528:" 524:" 521:" 517:" 514:" 510:" 507:" 503:" 500:" 496:" 493:" 489:" 486:" 482:" 479:" 475:" 472:" 468:" 465:" 461:" 458:" 454:" 451:" 447:" 444:" 440:" 437:" 433:" 430:" 426:" 316:) 309:( 299:" 295:" 292:" 288:" 275:" 271:" 268:" 264:" 261:" 257:" 254:" 250:" 94:e 87:t 80:v 67:. 19:"

Index

Rudyard Kipling
Plain Tales from the Hills
Raj
day's journey
Plain Tales from the Hills

v
t
e
Rudyard Kipling
The Light That Failed
The Naulahka: A Story of West and East
Wolcott Balestier
Captains Courageous
Kim
Plain Tales from the Hills
Soldiers Three
The Story of the Gadsbys
In Black and White
The Phantom 'Rickshaw and Other Tales
Under the Deodars
Wee Willie Winkie and Other Child Stories
From Sea to Sea and Other Sketches, Letters of Travel
Barrack-Room Ballads
Many Inventions
The Jungle Book
Mowgli's Brothers
Kaa's Hunting
Tiger! Tiger!
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

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