第6章

“Young“Gayersonlaughedagooddeal，andinquiredwhotheVenusAnnodominimightbe。WhichprovesthathehadbeenlivinginBengalwherenobodyknowsanythingexcepttherateofExchange。Thenhesaid“boyswillbeboys，“andspoketohissonaboutthematter。

“VeryYoung“Gayersonsaidthathefeltwretchedandunhappy；and“Young“Gayersonsaidthatherepentedofhavinghelpedtobringafoolintotheworld。Hesuggestedthathissonhadbettercuthisleaveshortandgodowntohisduties。Thisledtoanunfilialanswer，andrelationswerestrained，until“Young“GayersondenmandedthattheyshouldcallontheVenusAnnodomini。“VeryYoung“Gayersonwentwithhispapa，feeling，somehow，uncomfortableandsmall。

TheVenusAnnodominireceivedthemgraciouslyand“Young“Gayersonsaid:——“ByJove！It"sKitty！““VeryYoung“Gayersonwouldhavelistenedforanexplanation，ifhistimehadnotbeentakenupwithtryingtotalktoalarge，handsome，quiet，well-dressedgirl——

introducedtohimbytheVenusAnnodominiasherdaughter。Shewasfarolderinmanners，styleandreposethan“VeryYoung“Gayerson；

and，asherealizedthisthing，hefeltsick。

Presently，heheardtheVenusAnnodominisaying:——“Doyouknowthatyoursonisoneofmymostdevotedadmirers?“

“Idon"twonder，“said“Young“Gayerson。Hereheraisedhisvoice:——

“Hefollowshisfather"sfootsteps。Didn"tIworshipthegroundyoutrodon，eversolongago，Kitty——andyouhaven"tchangedsincethen。Howstrangeitallseems！“

“VeryYoung“Gayersonsaidnothing。HisconversationwiththedaughteroftheVenusAnnodominiwas，throughtherestofthecall，fragmentaryanddisjointed……

“Atfive，to-morrowthen，“saidtheVenusAnnodomini。“Andmindyouarepunctual。”

“Atfivepunctual，“said“Young“Gayerson。“YoucanlendyouroldfatherahorseIdaresay，youngster，can"tyou?I"mgoingforaridetomorrowafternoon。”

“Certainly，“said“VeryYoung“Gayerson。“Iamgoingdownto-morrowmorning。Myponiesareatyourservice，Sir。”

TheVenusAnnodominilookedathimacrossthehalf-lightoftheroom，andherbiggrayeyesfilledwithmoisture。Sheroseandshookhandswithhim。

“Good-bye，Tom，“whisperedtheVenusAnnodomini。

THEBISARAOFPOOREE。

LittleBlindFish，thouartmarvellouswise，LittleBlindFish，whoputoutthyeyes?

OpenthineearswhileIwhispermywish——

Bringmealover，thoulittleBlindFish。

TheCharmoftheBisara。

SomenativessaythatitcamefromtheothersideofKulu，wheretheeleven-inchTempleSapphireis。OthersthatitwasmadeattheDevil-ShrineofAo-ChunginThibet，wasstolenbyaKafir，fromhimbyaGurkha，fromhimagainbyaLahouli，fromhimbyakhitmatgar，andbythislattersoldtoanEnglishman，soallitsvirtuewaslost:because，toworkproperly，theBisaraofPooreemustbestolen——withbloodshedifpossible，but，atanyrate，stolen。

ThesestoriesofthecomingintoIndiaareallfalse。ItwasmadeatPooreeagessince——themannerofitsmakingwouldfillasmallbook——wasstolenbyoneoftheTempledancing-girlsthere，forherownpurposes，andthenpassedonfromhandtohand，steadilynorthward，tillitreachedHanla:alwaysbearingthesamename——theBisaraofPooree。Inshapeitisatiny，squareboxofsilver，studdedoutsidewitheightsmallbalas-rubies。Insidethebox，whichopenswithaspring，isalittleeyelessfish，carvedfromsomesortofdark，shinynutandwrappedinashredoffadedgold-

cloth。ThatistheBisaraofPooree，anditwerebetterforamantotakeakingcobrainhishandthantotouchtheBisaraofPooree。

AllkindsofmagicareoutofdateanddoneawaywithexceptinIndiawherenothingchangesinspiteoftheshiny，toy-scumstuffthatpeoplecall“civilization。”AnymanwhoknowsabouttheBisaraofPooreewilltellyouwhatitspowersare——alwayssupposingthatithasbeenhonestlystolen。Itistheonlyregularlyworking，trustworthylove-charminthecountry，withoneexception。

[TheothercharmisinthehandsofatrooperoftheNizam"sHorse，ataplacecalledTuprani，duenorthofHyderabad。]Thiscanbedependeduponforafact。Someoneelsemayexplainit。

IftheBisarabenotstolen，butgivenorboughtorfound，itturnsagainstitsownerinthreeyears，andleadstoruinordeath。Thisisanotherfactwhichyoumayexplainwhenyouhavetime。

Meanwhile，youcanlaughatit。Atpresent，theBisaraissafeonanekka-pony"sneck，insidethebluebead-necklacethatkeepsofftheEvil-eye。Iftheekka-drivereverfindsit，andwearsit，orgivesittohiswife，Iamsorryforhim。

Averydirtyhill-coolywoman，withgoitre，owneditatTheogin1884。ItcameintoSimlafromthenorthbeforeChurton"skhitmatgarboughtit，andsoldit，forthreetimesitssilver-value，toChurton，whocollectedcuriosities。Theservantknewnomorewhathehadboughtthanthemaster；butamanlookingoverChurton"scollectionofcuriosities——ChurtonwasanAssistantCommissionerbytheway——sawandheldhistongue。HewasanEnglishman；butknewhowtobelieve。WhichshowsthathewasdifferentfrommostEnglishmen。Heknewthatitwasdangeroustohaveanyshareinthelittleboxwhenworkingordormant；forunsoughtLoveisaterriblegift。

Pack——“Grubby“Pack，asweusedtocallhim——was，ineveryway，anastylittlemanwhomusthavecrawledintotheArmybymistake。Hewasthreeinchestallerthanhissword，butnothalfsostrong。Andtheswordwasafifty-shilling，tailor-madeone。Nobodylikedhim，and，Isuppose，itwashiswizenednessandworthlessnessthatmadehimfallsohopelesslyinlovewithMissHollis，whowasgoodandsweet，andfivefootseveninhertennisshoes。Hewasnotcontentwithfallinginlovequietly，butbroughtallthestrengthofhismiserablelittlenatureintothebusiness。Ifhehadnotbeensoobjectionable，onemighthavepitiedhim。Hevapored，andfretted，andfumed，andtrottedupanddown，andtriedtomakehimselfpleasinginMissHollis"sbig，quiet，grayeyes，andfailed。Itwasoneofthecasesthatyousometimesmeet，eveninthiscountrywherewemarrybyCode，ofareallyblindattachmentallononeside，withoutthefaintestpossibilityofreturn。MissHollislookedonPackassomesortofverminrunningabouttheroad。HehadnoprospectsbeyondCaptain"spay，andnowitstohelpthatoutbyoneanna。Inalarge-sizedman，lovelikehiswouldhavebeentouching。

Inagoodmanitwouldhavebeengrand。Hebeingwhathewas，itwasonlyanuisance。

Youwillbelievethismuch。Whatyouwillnotbelieve，iswhatfollows:Churton，andTheManwhoKnewthattheBisarawas，werelunchingattheSimlaClubtogether。Churtonwascomplainingoflifeingeneral。Hisbestmarehadrolledoutofstabledownthehillandhadbrokenherback；hisdecisionswerebeingreversedbytheupperCourts，morethananAssistantCommissionerofeightyears"standinghasarighttoexpect；heknewliverandfever，and，forweekspast，hadfeltoutofsorts。Altogether，hewasdisgustedanddisheartened。

SimlaClubdining-roomisbuilt，asalltheworldknows，intwosections，withanarch-arrangementdividingthem。Comein，turntoyourownleft，takethetableunderthewindow，andyoucannotseeanyonewhohascomein，turningtotheright，andtakenatableontherightsideofthearch。Curiouslyenough，everywordthatyousaycanbeheard，notonlybytheotherdiner，butbytheservantsbeyondthescreenthroughwhichtheybringdinner。Thisisworthknowing:anechoing-roomisatraptobeforewarnedagainst。

Halfinfun，andhalfhopingtobebelieved，TheManwhoKnewtoldChurtonthestoryoftheBisaraofPooreeatrathergreaterlengththanIhavetoldittoyouinthisplace；windingupwiththesuggestionthatChurtonmightaswellthrowthelittleboxdownthehillandseewhetherallhistroubleswouldgowithit。Inordinaryears，Englishears，thetalewasonlyaninterestingbitoffolk-

lore。Churtonlaughed，saidthathefeltbetterforhistiffin，andwentout。Packhadbeentiffiningbyhimselftotherightofthearch，andhadheardeverything。HewasnearlymadwithhisabsurdinfatuationforMissHollisthatallSimlahadbeenlaughingabout。

Itisacuriousthingthat，whenamanhatesorlovesbeyondreason，heisreadytogobeyondreasontogratifyhisfeelings。Whichhewouldnotdoformoneyorpowermerely。Dependuponit，SolomonwouldneverhavebuiltaltarstoAshtarothandallthoseladieswithqueernames，iftherehadnotbeentroubleofsomekindinhiszenana，andnowhereelse。Butthisisbesidethestory。Thefactsofthecasearethese:PackcalledonChurtonnextdaywhenChurtonwasout，lefthiscard，andSTOLEtheBisaraofPooreefromitsplaceundertheclockonthemantelpiece！Stoleitlikethethiefhewasbynature。Threedayslater，allSimlawaselectrifiedbythenewsthatMissHollishadacceptedPack——theshrivelledrat，Pack！Doyoudesireclearerevidencethanthis?TheBisaraofPooreehadbeenstolen，anditworkedasithadalwaysdonewhenwonbyfoulmeans。

Therearethreeorfourtimesinaman"slife-whenheisjustifiedinmeddlingwithotherpeople"saffairstoplayProvidence。

TheManwhoKnewfeltthatheWASjustified；butbelievingandactingonabeliefarequitedifferentthings。TheinsolentsatisfactionofPackasheambledbythesideofMissHollis，andChurton"sstrikingreleasefromliver，assoonastheBisaraofPooreehadgone，decidedtheMan。HeexplainedtoChurtonandChurtonlaughed，becausehewasnotbroughtuptobelievethatmenontheGovernmentHouseListsteal——atleastlittlethings。ButthemiraculousacceptancebyMissHollisofthattailor，Pack，decidedhimtotakestepsonsuspicion。Hevowedthatheonlywantedtofindoutwherehisruby-studdedsilverboxhadvanishedto。YoucannotaccuseamanontheGovernmentHouseListofstealing。Andifyouriflehisroomyouareathiefyourself。Churton，promptedbyTheManwhoKnew，decidedonburglary。IfhefoundnothinginPack"sroom……butitisnotnicetothinkofwhatwouldhavehappenedinthatcase。

PackwenttoadanceatBenmore——BenmoreWASBenmoreinthosedays，andnotanoffice——anddancedfifteenwaltzesoutoftwenty-twowithMissHollis。ChurtonandTheMantookallthekeysthattheycouldlayhandson，andwenttoPack"sroominthehotel，certainthathisservantswouldbeaway。Packwasacheapsoul。Hehadnotpurchasedadecentcash-boxtokeephispapersin，butoneofthosenativeimitationsthatyoubuyfortenrupees。Itopenedtoanysortofkey，andthereatthebottom，underPack"sInsurancePolicy，laytheBisaraofPooree！

ChurtoncalledPacknames，puttheBisaraofPooreeinhispocket，andwenttothedancewithTheMan。Atleast，hecameintimeforsupper，andsawthebeginningoftheendinMissHollis"seyes。Shewashystericalaftersupper，andwastakenawaybyherMamma。

Atthedance，withtheabominableBisarainhispocket，ChurtontwistedhisfootononeofthestepsleadingdowntotheoldRink，andhadtobesenthomeinarickshaw，grumbling。HedidnotbelieveintheBisaraofPooreeanythemoreforthismanifestation，buthesoughtoutPackandcalledhimsomeuglynames；and“thief“

wasthemildestofthem。Packtookthenameswiththenervoussmileofalittlemanwhowantsbothsoulandbodytoresentaninsult，andwenthisway。Therewasnopublicscandal。

Aweeklater，PackgothisdefinitedismissalfromMissHollis。

Therehadbeenamistakeintheplacingofheraffections，shesaid。

SohewentawaytoMadras，wherehecandonogreatharmevenifhelivestobeaColonel。

ChurtoninsisteduponTheManwhoKnewtakingtheBisaraofPooreeasagift。TheMantookit，wentdowntotheCartRoadatonce，foundanekkaponywithabluehead-necklace，fastenedtheBisaraofPooreeinsidethenecklacewithapieceofshoe-stringandthankedHeaventhathewasridofadanger。Remember，incaseyoueverfindit，thatyoumustnotdestroytheBisaraofPooree。Ihavenottimetoexplainwhyjustnow，butthepowerliesinthelittlewoodenfish。MisterGubernatisorMaxMullercouldtellyoumoreaboutitthanI。

Youwillsaythatallthisstoryismadeup。Verywell。Ifeveryoucomeacrossalittlesilver，ruby-studdedbox，seven-eighthsofaninchlongbythree-quarterswide，withadark-brownwoodenfish，wrappedingoldcloth，insideit，keepit。Keepitforthreeyears，andthenyouwilldiscoverforyourselfwhethermystoryistrueorfalse。

Betterstill，stealitasPackdid，andyouwillbesorrythatyouhadnotkilledyourselfinthebeginning。

THEGATEOFAHUNDREDSORROWS。

“IfIcanattainHeavenforapice，whyshouldyoubeenvious?“

OpiumSmoker"sProverb。

Thisisnoworkofmine。Myfriend，GabralMisquitta，thehalf-

caste，spokeitall，betweenmoonsetandmorning，sixweeksbeforehedied；andItookitdownfromhismouthasheansweredmyquestionsso:——

ItliesbetweentheCopper-smith"sGullyandthepipe-stemsellers"

quarter，withinahundredyards，too，asthecrowflies，oftheMosqueofWazirKhan。Idon"tmindtellinganyonethismuch，butI

defyhimtofindtheGate，howeverwellhemaythinkheknowstheCity。Youmightevengothroughtheverygullyitstandsinahundredtimes，andbenonethewiser。Weusedtocallthegully，“theGullyoftheBlackSmoke，“butitsnativenameisaltogetherdifferentofcourse。Aloadeddonkeycouldn"tpassbetweenthewalls；and，atonepoint，justbeforeyoureachtheGate，abulgedhouse-frontmakespeoplegoalongallsideways。

Itisn"treallyagatethough。It"sahouse。OldFung-Tchinghaditfirstfiveyearsago。Hewasaboot-makerinCalcutta。Theysaythathemurderedhiswifetherewhenhewasdrunk。Thatwaswhyhedroppedbazar-rumandtooktotheBlackSmokeinstead。Lateron，hecameupnorthandopenedtheGateasahousewhereyoucouldgetyoursmokeinpeaceandquiet。Mindyou，itwasapukka，respectableopium-house，andnotoneofthosestifling，swelteringchandoo-khanas，thatyoucanfindallovertheCity。No；theoldmanknewhisbusinessthoroughly，andhewasmostcleanforaChinaman。Hewasaone-eyedlittlechap，notmuchmorethanfivefeethigh，andbothhismiddlefingersweregone。Allthesame，hewasthehandiestmanatrollingblackpillsIhaveeverseen。NeverseemedtobetouchedbytheSmoke，either；andwhathetookdayandnight，nightandday，wasacaution。I"vebeenatitfiveyears，andIcandomyfairshareoftheSmokewithanyone；butIwasachildtoFung-Tchingthatway。Allthesame，theoldmanwaskeenonhismoney，verykeen；andthat"swhatIcan"tunderstand。I

heardhesavedagooddealbeforehedied，buthisnephewhasgotallthatnow；andtheoldman"sgonebacktoChinatobeburied。

Hekeptthebigupperroom，wherehisbestcustomersgathered，asneatasanewpin。InonecornerusedtostandFung-Tching"sJoss——

almostasuglyasFung-Tching——andtherewerealwayssticksburningunderhisnose；butyouneversmelt"emwhenthepipesweregoingthick。OppositetheJosswasFung-Tching"scoffin。Hehadspentagooddealofhissavingsonthat，andwheneveranewmancametotheGatehewasalwaysintroducedtoit。Itwaslacqueredblack，withredandgoldwritingsonit，andI"veheardthatFung-TchingbroughtitoutallthewayfromChina。Idon"tknowwhetherthat"strueornot，butIknowthat，ifIcamefirstintheevening，Iusedtospreadmymatjustatthefootofit。Itwasaquietcorneryousee，andasortofbreezefromthegullycameinatthewindownowandthen。Besidesthemats，therewasnootherfurnitureintheroom——onlythecoffin，andtheoldJossallgreenandblueandpurplewithageandpolish。

Fung-Tchingnevertolduswhyhecalledtheplace“TheGateofaHundredSorrows。”(HewastheonlyChinamanIknowwhousedbad-

soundingfancynames。Mostofthemareflowery。Asyou"llseeinCalcutta。)Weusedtofindthatoutforourselves。Nothinggrowsonyousomuch，ifyou"rewhite，astheBlackSmoke。Ayellowmanismadedifferent。Opiumdoesn"ttellonhimscarcelyatall；butwhiteandblacksufferagooddeal。Ofcourse，therearesomepeoplethattheSmokedoesn"ttouchanymorethantobaccowouldatfirst。Theyjustdozeabit，asonewouldfallasleepnaturally，andnextmorningtheyarealmostfitforwork。Now，IwasoneofthatsortwhenIbegan，butI"vebeenatitforfiveyearsprettysteadily，anditsdifferentnow。Therewasanoldauntofmine，downAgraway，andsheleftmealittleatherdeath。Aboutsixtyrupeesamonthsecured。Sixtyisn"tmuch。Icanrecollectatime，seemshundredsandhundredsofyearsago，thatIwasgettingmythreehundredamonth，andpickings，whenIwasworkingonabigtimbercontractinCalcutta。

Ididn"tsticktothatworkforlong。TheBlackSmokedoesnotallowofmuchotherbusiness；andeventhoughIamverylittleaffectedbyit，asmengo，Icouldn"tdoaday"sworknowtosavemylife。Afterall，sixtyrupeesiswhatIwant。WhenoldFung-Tchingwasaliveheusedtodrawthemoneyforme，givemeabouthalfofittoliveon(Ieatverylittle)，andtheresthekepthimself。IwasfreeoftheGateatanytimeofthedayandnight，andcouldsmokeandsleeptherewhenIliked，soIdidn"tcare。Iknowtheoldmanmadeagoodthingoutofit；butthat"snomatter。Nothingmatters，muchtome；and，besides，themoneyalwayscamefreshandfresheachmonth。

TherewastenofusmetattheGatewhentheplacewasfirstopened。

Me，andtwoBaboosfromaGovernmentOfficesomewhereinAnarkulli，buttheygotthesackandcouldn"tpay(nomanwhohastoworkinthedaylightcandotheBlackSmokeforanylengthoftimestraighton)；aChinamanthatwasFung-Tching"snephew；abazar-womanthathadgotalotofmoneysomehow；anEnglishloafer——Mac-SomebodyI

think，butIhaveforgotten——thatsmokedheaps，butneverseemedtopayanything(theysaidhehadsavedFung-Tching"slifeatsometrialinCalcuttawhenhewasabarrister):anotherEurasian，likemyself，fromMadras；ahalf-castewoman，andacoupleofmenwhosaidtheyhadcomefromtheNorth。IthinktheymusthavebeenPersiansorAfghansorsomething。Therearenotmorethanfiveofuslivingnow，butwecomeregular。Idon"tknowwhathappenedtotheBaboos；butthebazar-womanshediedaftersixmonthsoftheGate，andIthinkFung-Tchingtookherbanglesandnose-ringforhimself。ButI"mnotcertain。TheEnglishman，hedrankaswellassmoked，andhedroppedoff。OneofthePersiansgotkilledinarowatnightbythebigwellnearthemosquealongtimeago，andthePoliceshutupthewell，becausetheysaiditwasfulloffoulair。

Theyfoundhimdeadatthebottomofit。So，yousee，thereisonlyme，theChinaman，thehalf-castewomanthatwecalltheMemsahib(sheusedtolivewithFung-Tching)，theotherEurasian，andoneofthePersians。TheMemsahiblooksveryoldnow。IthinkshewasayoungwomanwhentheGatewasopened；butwearealloldforthematterofthat。Hundredsandhundredsofyearsold。ItisveryhardtokeepcountoftimeintheGate，andbesides，timedoesn"tmattertome。Idrawmysixtyrupeesfreshandfresheverymonth。

Avery，verylongwhileago，whenIusedtobegettingthreehundredandfiftyrupeesamonth，andpickings，onabigtimber-contractatCalcutta，Ihadawifeofsorts。Butshe"sdeadnow。PeoplesaidthatIkilledherbytakingtotheBlackSmoke。PerhapsIdid，butit"ssolongsinceitdoesn"tmatter。SometimeswhenIfirstcametotheGate，Iusedtofeelsorryforit；butthat"salloveranddonewithlongago，andIdrawmysixtyrupeesfreshandfresheverymonth，andamquitehappy。NotDRUNKhappy，youknow，butalwaysquietandsoothedandcontented。

HowdidItaketoit?ItbeganatCalcutta。Iusedtotryitinmyownhouse，justtoseewhatitwaslike。Ineverwentveryfar，butIthinkmywifemusthavediedthen。Anyhow，Ifoundmyselfhere，andgottoknowFung-Tching。Idon"trememberrightlyhowthatcameabout；buthetoldmeoftheGateandIusedtogothere，and，somehow，Ihavenevergotawayfromitsince。Mindyou，though，theGatewasarespectableplaceinFung-Tching"stimewhereyoucouldbecomfortable，andnotatalllikethechandoo-khanaswheretheniggersgo。No；itwascleanandquiet，andnotcrowded。Ofcourse，therewereothersbesideustenandtheman；butwealwayshadamatapiecewithawaddedwoollenhead-piece，allcoveredwithblackandreddragonsandthings；justlikeacoffininthecorner。

Attheendofone"sthirdpipethedragonsusedtomoveaboutandfight。I"vewatched"em，manyandmanyanightthrough。IusedtoregulatemySmokethatway，andnowittakesadozenpipestomake"emstir。Besides，theyarealltornanddirty，likethemats，andoldFung-Tchingisdead。Hediedacoupleofyearsago，andgavemethepipeIalwaysusenow——asilverone，withqueerbeastscrawlingupanddownthereceiver-bottlebelowthecup。Beforethat，I

think，Iusedabigbamboostemwithacoppercup，averysmallone，andagreenjademouthpiece。Itwasalittlethickerthanawalking-stickstem，andsmokedsweet，verysweet。Thebambooseemedtosuckupthesmoke。Silverdoesn"t，andI"vegottocleanitoutnowandthen，that"sagreatdealoftrouble，butIsmokeitfortheoldman"ssake。Hemusthavemadeagoodthingoutofme，buthealwaysgavemecleanmatsandpillows，andthebeststuffyoucouldgetanywhere。

Whenhedied，hisnephewTsin-lingtookuptheGate，andhecalleditthe“TempleoftheThreePossessions；“butweoldonesspeakofitasthe“HundredSorrows，“allthesame。Thenephewdoesthingsveryshabbily，andIthinktheMemsahibmusthelphim。Sheliveswithhim；sameassheusedtodowiththeoldman。Thetwoletinallsortsoflowpeople，niggersandall，andtheBlackSmokeisn"tasgoodasitusedtobe。I"vefoundburntbraninmypipeoverandoveragain。Theoldmanwouldhavediedifthathadhappenedinhistime。Besides，theroomisnevercleaned，andallthematsaretornandcutattheedges。Thecoffinhasgone——gonetoChinaagain——

withtheoldmanandtwoouncesofsmokeinsideit，incaseheshouldwant"emontheway。

TheJossdoesn"tgetsomanysticksburntunderhisnoseasheusedto；that"sasignofill-luck，assureasDeath。He"sallbrown，too，andnooneeverattendstohim。That"stheMemsahib"swork，I

know；because，whenTsin-lingtriedtoburngiltpaperbeforehim，shesaiditwasawasteofmoney，and，ifhekeptastickburningveryslowly，theJosswouldn"tknowthedifference。Sonowwe"vegotthesticksmixedwithalotofglue，andtheytakehalf-an-hourlongertoburn，andsmellstinky。Letalonethesmelloftheroombyitself。Nobusinesscangetoniftheytrythatsortofthing。

TheJossdoesn"tlikeit。Icanseethat。Lateatnight，sometimes，heturnsallsortsofqueercolors——blueandgreenandred——justasheusedtodowhenoldFung-Tchingwasalive；andherollshiseyesandstampshisfeetlikeadevil。

Idon"tknowwhyIdon"tleavetheplaceandsmokequietlyinalittleroomofmyowninthebazar。Mostlike，Tsin-lingwouldkillmeifIwentaway——hedrawsmysixtyrupeesnow——andbesides，it"ssomuchtrouble，andI"vegrowntobeveryfondoftheGate。It"snotmuchtolookat。Notwhatitwasintheoldman"stime，butI

couldn"tleaveit。I"veseensomanycomeinandout。AndI"veseensomanydiehereonthematsthatIshouldbeafraidofdyingintheopennow。I"veseensomethingsthatpeoplewouldcallstrangeenough；butnothingisstrangewhenyou"reontheBlackSmoke，excepttheBlackSmoke。Andifitwas，itwouldn"tmatter。

Fung-Tchingusedtobeveryparticularabouthispeople，andnevergotinanyonewho"dgivetroublebydyingmessyandsuch。Butthenephewisn"thalfsocareful。Hetellseverywherethathekeepsa“first-chop“house。Nevertriestogetmeninquietly，andmakethemcomfortablelikeFung-Tchingdid。That"swhytheGateisgettingalittlebitmoreknownthanitusedtobe。Amongtheniggersofcourse。Thenephewdaren"tgetawhite，or，formatterofthat，amixedskinintotheplace。Hehastokeepusthreeofcourse——meandtheMemsahibandtheotherEurasian。We"refixtures。

Buthewouldn"tgiveuscreditforapipeful——notforanything。

Oneofthesedays，Ihope，IshalldieintheGate。ThePersianandtheMadrasmanareterribleshakynow。They"vegotaboytolighttheirpipesforthem。Ialwaysdothatmyself。Mostlike，Ishallseethemcarriedoutbeforeme。Idon"tthinkIshalleveroutlivetheMemsahiborTsin-ling。WomenlastlongerthanmenattheBlack-

Smoke，andTsin-linghasadealoftheoldman"sbloodinhim，thoughheDOESsmokecheapstuff。Thebazar-womanknewwhenshewasgoingtwodaysbeforehertime；andSHEdiedonacleanmatwithanicelywaddedpillow，andtheoldmanhungupherpipejustabovetheJoss。Hewasalwaysfondofher，Ifancy。Buthetookherbanglesjustthesame。

Ishouldliketodielikethebazar-woman——onaclean，coolmatwithapipeofgoodstuffbetweenmylips。WhenIfeelI"mgoing，I

shallaskTsin-lingforthem，andhecandrawmysixtyrupeesamonth，freshandfresh，aslongashepleases，andwatchtheblackandreddragonshavetheirlastbigfighttogether；andthen……

Well，itdoesn"tmatter。Nothingmattersmuchtome——onlyIwishedTsin-lingwouldn"tputbranintotheBlackSmoke。

THESTORYOFMUHAMMADDIN。

“Whoisthehappyman?Hethatseesinhisownhouseathomelittlechildrencrownedwithdust，leapingandfallingandcrying。”

Munichandra，translatedbyProfessorPeterson。

Thepolo-ballwasanoldone，scarred，chipped，anddinted。Itstoodonthemantelpieceamongthepipe-stemswhichImamDin，khitmatgar，wascleaningforme。

“DoestheHeaven-bornwantthisball?“saidImamDin，deferentially。

TheHeaven-bornsetnoparticularstorebyit；butofwhatusewasapolo-balltoakhitmatgar?

“ByYourHonor"sfavor，Ihavealittleson。Hehasseenthisball，anddesiresittoplaywith。Idonotwantitformyself。”

NoonewouldforaninstantaccuseportlyoldImamDinofwantingtoplaywithpolo-balls。Hecarriedoutthebatteredthingintotheverandah；andtherefollowedahurricaneofjoyfulsqueaks，apatterofsmallfeet，andthethud-thud-thudoftheballrollingalongtheground。Evidentlythelittlesonhadbeenwaitingoutsidethedoortosecurehistreasure。Buthowhadhemanagedtoseethatpolo-

ball?

Nextday，comingbackfromofficehalfanhourearlierthanusual，I

wasawareofasmallfigureinthedining-room——atiny，plumpfigureinaridiculouslyinadequateshirtwhichcame，perhaps，half-waydownthetubbystomach。Itwanderedroundtheroom，thumbinmouth，crooningtoitselfasittookstockofthepictures。Undoubtedlythiswasthe“littleson。”

Hehadnobusinessinmyroom，ofcourse；butwassodeeplyabsorbedinhisdiscoveriesthathenevernoticedmeinthedoorway。I

steppedintotheroomandstartledhimnearlyintoafit。Hesatdownonthegroundwithagasp。Hiseyesopened，andhismouthfollowedsuit。Iknewwhatwascoming，andfled，followedbyalong，dryhowlwhichreachedtheservants"quartersfarmorequicklythananycommandofminehadeverdone。IntensecondsImamDinwasinthedining-room。Thendespairingsobsarose，andIreturnedtofindImamDinadmonishingthesmallsinnerwhowasusingmostofhisshirtasahandkerchief。

“Thisboy，“saidImamDin，judicially，“isabudmash，abigbudmash。

Hewill，withoutdoubt，gotothejail-khanaforhisbehavior。”

Renewedyellsfromthepenitent，andanelaborateapologytomyselffromImamDin。

“Tellthebaby，“saidI，“thattheSahibisnotangry，andtakehimaway。”ImamDinconveyedmyforgivenesstotheoffender，whohadnowgatheredallhisshirtroundhisneck，string-wise，andtheyellsubsidedintoasob。Thetwosetoffforthedoor。“Hisname，“

saidImamDin，asthoughthenamewerepartofthecrime，“isMuhammadDin，andheisabudmash。”Freedfrompresentdanger，MuhammadDinturnedround，inhisfather"sarms，andsaidgravely:——

“ItistruethatmynameisMuhammadDin，Tahib，butIamnotabudmash。IamaMAN！“

FromthatdaydatedmyacquaintancewithMuhammadDin。Neveragaindidhecomeintomydining-room，butontheneutralgroundofthecompound，wegreetedeachotherwithmuchstate，thoughourconversationwasconfinedto“Talaam，Tahib“fromhissideand“SalaamMuhammadDin“frommine。Dailyonmyreturnfromoffice，thelittlewhiteshirt，andthefatlittlebodyusedtorisefromtheshadeofthecreeper-coveredtrelliswheretheyhadbeenhid；

anddailyIcheckedmyhorsehere，thatmysalutationmightnotbeslurredoverorgivenunseemly。

MuhammadDinneverhadanycompanions。Heusedtotrotaboutthecompound，inandoutofthecastor-oilbushes，onmysteriouserrandsofhisown。OnedayIstumbleduponsomeofhishandiworkfardowntheground。Hehadhalfburiedthepolo-ballindust，andstucksixshrivelledoldmarigoldflowersinacircleroundit。Outsidethatcircleagain，wasarudesquare，tracedoutinbitsofredbrickalternatingwithfragmentsofbrokenchina；thewholeboundedbyalittlebankofdust。Thebhistiefromthewell-curbputinapleaforthesmallarchitect，sayingthatitwasonlytheplayofababyanddidnotmuchdisfiguremygarden。

HeavenknowsthatIhadnointentionoftouchingthechild"sworkthenorlater；but，thatevening，astrollthroughthegardenbroughtmeunawaresfullonit；sothatItrampled，beforeIknew，marigold-heads，dust-bank，andfragmentsofbrokensoap-dishintoconfusionpastallhopeofmending。NextmorningIcameuponMuhammadDincryingsoftlytohimselfovertheruinIhadwrought。

SomeonehadcruellytoldhimthattheSahibwasveryangrywithhimforspoilingthegarden，andhadscatteredhisrubbishusingbadlanguagethewhile。MuhammadDinlaboredforanhourateffacingeverytraceofthedust-bankandpotteryfragments，anditwaswithatearfulapologeticfacethathesaid，“TalaamTahib，“whenIcamehomefromtheoffice。AhastyinquiryresultedinImamDininformingMuhammadDinthatbymysingularfavorhewaspermittedtodisporthimselfashepleased。Whereatthechildtookheartandfelltotracingtheground-planofanedificewhichwastoeclipsethemarigold-polo-ballcreation。

Forsomemonths，thechubbylittleeccentricityrevolvedinhishumbleorbitamongthecastor-oilbushesandinthedust；alwaysfashioningmagnificentpalacesfromstaleflowersthrownawaybythebearer，smoothwater-wornpebbles，bitsofbrokenglass，andfeatherspulled，Ifancy，frommyfowls——alwaysaloneandalwayscrooningtohimself。

Agayly-spottedsea-shellwasdroppedonedayclosetothelastofhislittlebuildings；andIlookedthatMuhammadDinshouldbuildsomethingmorethanordinarilysplendidonthestrengthofit。NorwasIdisappointed。Hemeditatedforthebetterpartofanhour，andhiscrooningrosetoajubilantsong。Thenhebegantracingindust。Itwouldcertainlybeawondrouspalace，thisone，foritwastwoyardslongandayardbroadinground-plan。Butthepalacewasnevercompleted。

NextdaytherewasnoMuhammadDinattheheadofthecarriage-

drive，andno“TalaamTahib“towelcomemyreturn。Ihadgrownaccustomedtothegreeting，anditsomissiontroubledme。Nextday，ImamDintoldmethatthechildwassufferingslightlyfromfeverandneededquinine。Hegotthemedicine，andanEnglishDoctor。

“Theyhavenostamina，thesebrats，“saidtheDoctor，asheleftImamDin"squarters。

Aweeklater，thoughIwouldhavegivenmuchtohaveavoidedit，I

metontheroadtotheMussulmanburying-groundImamDin，accompaniedbyoneotherfriend，carryinginhisarms，wrappedinawhitecloth，allthatwasleftoflittleMuhammadDin。

ONTHESTRENGTHOFALIKENESS。

Ifyourmirrorbebroken，lookintostillwater；buthaveacarethatyoudonotfallin。

HinduProverb。

Nexttoarequitedattachment，oneofthemostconvenientthingsthatayoungmancancarryaboutwithhimatthebeginningofhiscareer，isanunrequitedattachment。Itmakeshimfeelimportantandbusiness-like，andblase，andcynical；andwheneverhehasatouchofliver，orsuffersfromwantofexercise，hecanmournoverhislostlove，andbeveryhappyinatender，twilightfashion。

Hannasyde"saffairofthehearthadbeenaGodsendtohim。Itwasfouryearsold，andthegirlhadlongsincegivenupthinkingofit。

Shehadmarriedandhadmanycaresofherown。Inthebeginning，shehadtoldHannasydethat，“whileshecouldneverbeanythingmorethanasistertohim，shewouldalwaystakethedeepestinterestinhiswelfare。”ThisstartlinglynewandoriginalremarkgaveHannasydesomethingtothinkoverfortwoyears；andhisownvanityfilledintheothertwenty-fourmonths。HannasydewasquitedifferentfromPhilGarron，but，nonetheless，hadseveralpointsincommonwiththatfartooluckyman。

Hekepthisunrequitedattachmentbyhimasmenkeepawell-smokedpipe——forcomfort"ssake，andbecauseithadgrowndearintheusing。ItbroughthimhappilythroughtheSimlaseason。Hannasydewasnotlovely。Therewasacrudityinhismanners，andaroughnessinthewayinwhichhehelpedaladyontoherhorse，thatdidnotattracttheothersextohim。Evenifhehadcastaboutfortheirfavor，whichhedidnot。Hekepthiswoundedheartalltohimselfforawhile。

Thentroublecametohim。AllwhogotoSimla，knowtheslopefromtheTelegraphtothePublicWorksOffice。Hannasydewasloafingupthehill，oneSeptembermorningbetweencallinghours，whena"rickshawcamedowninahurry，andinthe"rickshawsattheliving，breathingimageofthegirlwhohadmadehimsohappilyunhappy。

Hannasydeleanedagainsttherailingandgasped。Hewantedtorundownhillafterthe"rickshaw，butthatwasimpossible；sohewentforwardwithmostofhisbloodinhistemples。Itwasimpossible，formanyreasons，thatthewomaninthe"rickshawcouldbethegirlhehadknown。Shewas，hediscoveredlater，thewifeofamanfromDindigul，orCoimbatore，orsomeout-of-the-wayplace，andshehadcomeuptoSimlaearlyintheseasonforthegoodofherhealth。

ShewasgoingbacktoDindigul，orwhereveritwas，attheendoftheseason；andinalllikelihoodwouldneverreturntoSimlaagain，herproperHill-stationbeingOotacamund。Thatnight，Hannasyde，rawandsavagefromtherakingupofalloldfeelings，tookcounselwithhimselfforonemeasuredhour。Whathedecideduponwasthis；

andyoumustdecideforyourselfhowmuchgenuineaffectionfortheoldlove，andhowmuchaverynaturalinclinationtogoabroadandenjoyhimself，affectedthedecision。Mrs。Landys-Haggertwouldneverinallhumanlikelihoodcrosshispathagain。Sowhateverhediddidn"tmuchmatter。Shewasmarvellouslylikethegirlwho“tookadeepinterest“andtherestoftheformula。Allthingsconsidered，itwouldbepleasanttomaketheacquaintanceofMrs。

Landys-Haggert，andforalittletime——onlyaverylittletime——tomakebelievethathewaswithAliceChisaneagain。Everyoneismoreorlessmadononepoint。Hannasyde"sparticularmonomaniawashisoldlove，AliceChisane。

HemadeithisbusinesstogetintroducedtoMrs。Haggert，andtheintroductionprospered。Healsomadeithisbusinesstoseeasmuchashecouldofthatlady。Whenamanisinearnestastointerviews，thefacilitieswhichSimlaoffersarestartling。Therearegarden-parties，andtennis-parties，andpicnics，andluncheonsatAnnandale，andrifle-matches，anddinnersandballs；besidesridesandwalks，whicharemattersofprivatearrangement。

Hannasydehadstartedwiththeintentionofseeingalikeness，andheendedbydoingmuchmore。Hewantedtobedeceived，hemeanttobedeceived，andhedeceivedhimselfverythoroughly。Notonlywerethefaceandfigure，thefaceandfigureofAliceChisane，butthevoiceandlowertoneswereexactlythesame，andsoweretheturnsofspeech；andthelittlemannerisms，thateverywomanhas，ofgaitandgesticulation，wereabsolutelyandidenticallythesame。Theturnoftheheadwasthesame；thetiredlookintheeyesattheendofalongwalkwasthesame；thesloopandwrenchoverthesaddletoholdinapullinghorsewasthesame；andonce，mostmarvellousofall，Mrs。Landys-Haggertsingingtoherselfinthenextroom，whileHannasydewaswaitingtotakeherforaride，hummed，notefornote，withathroatyquiverofthevoiceinthesecondline:——“PoorWanderingOne！“exactlyasAliceChisanehadhummeditforHannasydeintheduskofanEnglishdrawing-room。Intheactualwomanherself——inthesoulofher——therewasnottheleastlikeness；sheandAliceChisanebeingcastindifferentmoulds。ButallthatHannasydewantedtoknowandseeandthinkabout，wasthismaddeningandperplexinglikenessoffaceandvoiceandmanner。Hewasbentonmakingafoolofhimselfthatway；andhewasinnosortdisappointed。

Openandobviousdevotionfromanysortofmanisalwayspleasanttoanysortofwoman；butMrs。Landys-Haggert，beingawomanoftheworld，couldmakenothingofHannasyde"sadmiration。

Hewouldtakeanyamountoftrouble——hewasaselfishmanhabitually——tomeetandforestall，ifpossible，herwishes。

Anythingshetoldhimtodowaslaw；andhewas，therecouldbenodoubtingit，fondofhercompanysolongasshetalkedtohim，andkeptontalkingabouttrivialities。Butwhenshelaunchedintoexpressionofherpersonalviewsandherwrongs，thosesmallsocialdifferencesthatmakethespiceofSimlalife，Hannasydewasneitherpleasednorinterested。Hedidn"twanttoknowanythingaboutMrs。

Landys-Haggert，orherexperiencesinthepast——shehadtravellednearlyallovertheworld，andcouldtalkcleverly——hewantedthelikenessofAliceChisanebeforehiseyesandhervoiceinhisears。

Anythingoutsidethat，remindinghimofanotherpersonalityjarred，andheshowedthatitdid。

UnderthenewPostOffice，oneevening，Mrs。Landys-Haggertturnedonhim，andspokehermindshortlyandwithoutwarning。“Mr。

Hannasyde，“saidshe，“willyoubegoodenoughtoexplainwhyyouhaveappointedyourselfmyspecialcavalierservente?Idon"tunderstandit。ButIamperfectlycertain，somehoworother，thatyoudon"tcaretheleastlittlebitintheworldforME。”Thisseemstosupport，bytheway，thetheorythatnomancanactortellliestoawomanwithoutbeingfoundout。Hannasydewastakenoffhisguard。Hisdefenceneverwasastrongone，becausehewasalwaysthinkingofhimself，andheblurtedout，beforeheknewwhathewassaying，thisinexpedientanswer:——“NomoreIdo。”

Thequeernessofthesituationandthereply，madeMrs。Landys-

Haggertlaugh。Thenitallcameout；andattheendofHannasyde"slucidexplanation，Mrs。Haggertsaid，withtheleastlittletouchofscorninhervoice:——“SoI"mtoactasthelay-figureforyoutohangtheragsofyourtatteredaffectionson，amI?“

Hannasydedidn"tseewhatanswerwasrequired，andhedevotedhimselfgenerallyandvaguelytothepraiseofAliceChisane，whichwasunsatisfactory。NowitistobethoroughlymadeclearthatMrs。

HaggerthadnottheshadowofaghostofaninterestinHannasyde。

Only……onlynowomanlikesbeingmadelovethroughinsteadofto——speciallyonbehalfofamustydivinityoffouryears"standing。

Hannasydedidnotseethathehadmadeanyveryparticularexhibitionofhimself。HewasgladtofindasympatheticsoulinthearidwastesofSimla。

Whentheseasonended，HannasydewentdowntohisownplaceandMrs。

Haggerttohers。“Itwaslikemakinglovetoaghost，“saidHannasydetohimself，“anditdoesn"tmatter；andnowI"llgettomywork。”ButhefoundhimselfthinkingsteadilyoftheHaggert-

Chisaneghost；andhecouldnotbecertainwhetheritwasHaggertorChisanethatmadeupthegreaterpartoftheprettyphantom……

Hegotunderstandingamonthlater。

ApeculiarpointofthispeculiarcountryisthewayinwhichaheartlessGovernmenttransfersmenfromoneendoftheEmpiretotheother。Youcanneverbesureofgettingridofafriendoranenemytillheorshedies。Therewasacaseonce——butthat"sanotherstory。

Haggert"sDepartmentorderedhimupfromDindigultotheFrontierattwodays"notice，andhewentthrough，losingmoneyateverystep，fromDindigultohisstation。HedroppedMrs。HaggertatLucknow，tostaywithsomefriendsthere，totakepartinabigballattheChutterMunzil，andtocomeonwhenhehadmadethenewhomealittlecomfortable。LucknowwasHannasyde"sstation，andMrs。

Haggertstayedaweekthere。Hannasydewenttomeether。Andthetraincamein，hediscoveredwhichhehadbeenthinkingofforthepastmonth。Theunwisdomofhisconductalsostruckhim。TheLucknowweek，withtwodances，andanunlimitedquantityofridestogether，clinchedmatters；andHannasydefoundhimselfpacingthiscircleofthought:——HeadoredAliceChisane——atleastheHADadoredher。ANDheadmiredMrs。Landys-HaggertbecauseshewaslikeAliceChisane。BUTMrs。Landys-HaggertwasnotintheleastlikeAliceChisane，beingathousandtimesmoreadorable。NOWAliceChisanewas“thebrideofanother，“andsowasMrs。Landys-Haggert，andagoodandhonestwifetoo。THEREFORE，he，Hannasyde，was……

herehecalledhimselfseveralhardnames，andwishedthathehadbeenwiseinthebeginning。

WhetherMrs。Landys-Haggertsawwhatwasgoingoninhismind，shealoneknows。Heseemedtotakeanunqualifiedinterestineverythingconnectedwithherself，asdistinguishedfromtheAlice-

Chisanelikeness，andhesaidoneortwothingswhich，ifAliceChisanehadbeenstillbetrothedtohim，couldscarcelyhavebeenexcused，evenonthegroundsofthelikeness。ButMrs。Haggertturnedtheremarksaside，andspentalongtimeinmakingHannasydeseewhatacomfortandapleasureshehadbeentohimbecauseofherstrangeresemblancetohisoldlove。Hannasydegroanedinhissaddleandsaid，“Yes，indeed，“andbusiedhimselfwithpreparationsforherdeparturetotheFrontier，feelingverysmallandmiserable。

ThelastdayofherstayatLucknowcame，andHannasydesawheroffattheRailwayStation。Shewasverygratefulforhiskindnessandthetroublehehadtaken，andsmiledpleasantlyandsympatheticallyasonewhoknewtheAlice-Chisanereasonofthatkindness。AndHannasydeabusedthecoolieswiththeluggage，andhustledthepeopleontheplatform，andprayedthattheroofmightfallinandslayhim。

Asthetrainwentoutslowly，Mrs。Landys-Haggertleanedoutofthewindowtosaygoodbye:——“Onsecondthoughtsaurevoir，Mr。

Hannasyde。IgoHomeintheSpring，andperhapsImaymeetyouinTown。”

Hannasydeshookhands，andsaidveryearnestlyandadoringly:——“I

hopetoHeavenIshallneverseeyourfaceagain！“

AndMrs。Haggertunderstood。

WRESSLEYOFTHEFOREIGNOFFICE。

Iclosedanddrewformylove"ssake，Thatnowisfalsetome，AndIslewtheRieverofTarrantMoss，AndsetDumenyfree。

Andevertheygivemepraiseandgold，AndeverImoanmyloss，ForIstrucktheblowformyfalselove"ssake，AndnotforthemenattheMoss。

TarrantMoss。

Oneofthemanycursesofourlifeouthereisthewantofatmosphereinthepainter"ssense。Therearenohalf-tintsworthnoticing。Menstandoutallcrudeandraw，withnothingtotonethemdown，andnothingtoscalethemagainst。Theydotheirwork，andgrowtothinkthatthereisnothingbuttheirwork，andnothingliketheirwork，andthattheyaretherealpivotsonwhichtheadministrationturns。Hereisaninstanceofthisfeeling。Ahalf-

casteclerkwasrulingformsinaPayOffice。Hesaidtome:——“DoyouknowwhatwouldhappenifIaddedortookawayonesinglelineonthissheet?“Then，withtheairofaconspirator:——“ItwoulddisorganizethewholeoftheTreasurypaymentsthroughoutthewholeofthePresidencyCircle！Thinkofthat?“

Ifmenhadnotthisdelusionastotheultra-importanceoftheirownparticularemployments，Isupposethattheywouldsitdownandkillthemselves。Buttheirweaknessiswearisome，particularlywhenthelistenerknowsthathehimselfcommitsexactlythesamesin。

EventheSecretariatbelievesthatitdoesgoodwhenitasksanover-drivenExecutiveOfficertotakecensusofwheat-weevilsthroughadistrictoffivethousandsquaremiles。

TherewasamanonceintheForeignOffice——amanwhohadgrownmiddle-agedinthedepartment，andwascommonlysaid，byirreverentjuniors，tobeabletorepeatAitchison"s“TreatiesandSunnuds“

backwards，inhissleep。WhathedidwithhisstoredknowledgeonlytheSecretaryknew；andhe，naturally，wouldnotpublishthenewsabroad。Thisman"snamewasWressley，anditwastheShibboleth，inthosedays，tosay:——“WressleyknowsmoreabouttheCentralIndianStatesthananylivingman。”Ifyoudidnotsaythis，youwereconsideredoneofmeanundertanding。

Now-a-days，themanwhosaysthatheknowstheraveloftheinter-

tribalcomplicationsacrosstheBorderisofmoreuse；butinWressley"stime，muchattentionwaspaidtotheCentralIndianStates。Theywerecalled“foci“and“factors，“andallmannerofimposingnames。

AndherethecurseofAnglo-Indianlifefellheavily。WhenWressleylifteduphisvoice，andspokeaboutsuch-and-suchasuccessiontosuch-and-suchathrone，theForeignOfficeweresilent，andHeadsofDepartmentsrepeatedthelasttwoorthreewordsofWressley"ssentences，andtacked“yes，yes，“onthem，andknewthattheywere“assistingtheEmpiretograpplewithseriouspoliticalcontingencies。”Inmostbigundertakings，oneortwomendotheworkwhiletherestsitnearandtalktilltheripedecorationsbegintofall。

Wressleywastheworking-memberoftheForeignOfficefirm，and，tokeephimuptohisdutieswhenheshowedsignsofflagging，hewasmademuchofbyhissuperiorsandtoldwhatafinefellowhewas。

Hedidnotrequirecoaxing，becausehewasoftoughbuild，butwhathereceivedconfirmedhiminthebeliefthattherewasnoonequitesoabsolutelyandimperativelynecessarytothestabilityofIndiaasWressleyoftheForeignOffice。Theremightbeothergoodmen，buttheknown，honoredandtrustedmanamongmenwasWressleyoftheForeignOffice。WehadaViceroyinthosedayswhoknewexactlywhento“gentle“afractiousbigmanandtoheartenupacollar-

galledlittleone，andsokeepallhisteamlevel。HeconveyedtoWressleytheimpressionwhichIhavejustsetdown；andeventoughmenareapttobedisorganizedbyaViceroy"spraise。Therewasacaseonce——butthatisanotherstory。

AllIndiaknewWressley"snameandoffice——itwasinThackerandSpink"sDirectory——butwhohewaspersonally，orwhathedid，orwhathisspecialmeritswere，notfiftymenkneworcared。Hisworkfilledallhistime，andhefoundnoleisuretocultivateacquaintancesbeyondthoseofdeadRajputchiefswithAhirblotsintheir"scutcheons。WressleywouldhavemadeaverygoodClerkintheHerald"sCollegehadhenotbeenaBengalCivilian。

Uponaday，betweenofficeandoffice，greattroublecametoWressley——overwhelmedhim，knockedhimdown，andlefthimgaspingasthoughhehadbeenalittleschool-boy。Withoutreason，againstprudence，andatamoment"snotice，hefellinlovewithafrivolous，golden-hairedgirlwhousedtotearaboutSimlaMallonahigh，roughwaler，withabluevelvetjockey-capcrammedoverhereyes。HernamewasVenner——TillieVenner——andshewasdelightful。

ShetookWressley"sheartatahand-gallop，andWressleyfoundthatitwasnotgoodformantolivealone；evenwithhalftheForeignOfficeRecordsinhispresses。

ThenSimlalaughed，forWressleyinlovewasslightlyridiculous。

Hedidhisbesttointerestthegirlinhimself——thatistosay，hiswork——andshe，afterthemannerofwomen，didherbesttoappearinterestedinwhat，behindhisback，shecalled“Mr。Wressley"sWajahs“；forshelispedveryprettily。Shedidnotunderstandonelittlethingaboutthem，butsheactedasifshedid。Menhavemarriedonthatsortoferrorbeforenow。

Providence，however，hadcareofWressley。HewasimmenselystruckwithMissVenner"sintelligence。Hewouldhavebeenmoreimpressedhadheheardherprivateandconfidentialaccountsofhiscalls。Heheldpeculiarnotionsastothewooingofgirls。Hesaidthatthebestworkofaman"scareershouldbelaidreverentlyattheirfeet。

Ruskinwritessomethinglikethissomewhere，Ithink；butinordinarylifeafewkissesarebetterandsavetime。

AboutamonthafterhehadlosthishearttoMissVenner，andhadbeendoinghisworkvilelyinconsequence，thefirstideaofhis“NativeRuleinCentralIndia“struckWressleyandfilledhimwithjoy。Itwas，ashesketchedit，agreatthing——theworkofhislife——areallycomprehensivesurveyofamostfascinatingsubject——

tobewrittenwithallthespecialandlaboriouslyacquiredknowledgeofWressleyoftheForeignOffice——agiftfitforanEmpress。

HetoldMissVennerthathewasgoingtotakeleave，andhoped，onhisreturn，tobringherapresentworthyofheracceptance。Wouldshewait?Certainlyshewould。Wressleydrewseventeenhundredrupeesamonth。Shewouldwaitayearforthat。Hermammawouldhelphertowait。

SoWressleytookoneyear"sleaveandalltheavailabledocuments，aboutatruck-load，thathecouldlayhandson，andwentdowntoCentralIndiawithhisnotionhotinhishead。Hebeganhisbookinthelandhewaswritingof。Toomuchofficialcorrespondencehadmadehimafrigidworkman，andhemusthaveguessedthatheneededthewhitelightoflocalcoloronhispalette。Thisisadangerouspaintforamateurstoplaywith。

Heavens，howthatmanworked！HecaughthisRajahs，analyzedhisRajahs，andtracedthemupintothemistsofTimeandbeyond，withtheirqueensandtheirconcubines。Hedatedandcross-dated，pedigreedandtriple-pedigreed，compared，noted，connoted，wove，strung，sorted，selected，inferred，calendaredandcounter-

calendaredfortenhoursaday。And，becausethissuddenandnewlightofLovewasuponhim，heturnedthosedrybonesofhistoryanddirtyrecordsofmisdeedsintothingstoweeportolaughoverashepleased。Hisheartandsoulwereattheendofhispen，andtheygotintothelink。Hewasdoweredwithsympathy，insight，humorandstylefortwohundredandthirtydaysandnights；andhisbookwasaBook。Hehadhisvastspecialknowledgewithhim，sotospeak；butthespirit，thewoven-inhumanTouch，thepoetryandthepoweroftheoutput，werebeyondallspecialknowledge。ButIdoubtwhetherheknewthegiftthatwasinhimthen，andthushemayhavelostsomehappiness。HewastoilingforTillieVenner，notforhimself。

Menoftendotheirbestworkblind，forsomeoneelse"ssake。

Also，thoughthishasnothingtodowiththestory，inIndiawhereeveryoneknowseveryoneelse，youcanwatchmenbeingdriven，bythewomenwhogovernthem，outoftherank-and-fileandsenttotakeuppointsalone。Agoodmanoncestarted，goesforward；butanaverageman，sosoonasthewomanlosesinterestinhissuccessasatributetoherpower，comesbacktothebattalionandisnomoreheardof。

WressleyborethefirstcopyofhisbooktoSimlaand，blushingandstammering，presentedittoMissVenner。Shereadalittleofit。

Igiveherreviewverbatim:——“Oh，yourbook?It"sallaboutthosehow-widWajahs。Ididn"tunderstandit。”……

WressleyoftheForeignOfficewasbroken，smashed，——Iamnotexaggerating——bythisonefrivolouslittlegirl。Allthathecouldsayfeeblywas:——“But，butit"smymagnumopus！Theworkofmylife。”MissVennerdidnotknowwhatmagnumopusmeant；butsheknewthatCaptainKerringtonhadwonthreeracesatthelastGymkhana。Wressleydidn"tpresshertowaitforhimanylonger。Hehadsenseenoughforthat。

Thencamethereactionaftertheyear"sstrain，andWressleywentbacktotheForeignOfficeandhis“Wajahs，“acompiling，gazetteering，report-writinghack，whowouldhavebeendearatthreehundredrupeesamonth。HeabidedbyMissVenner"sreview。Whichprovesthattheinspirationinthebookwaspurelytemporaryandunconnectedwithhimself。Nevertheless，hehadnorighttosink，inahill-tarn，fivepacking-cases，broughtupatenormousexpensefromBombay，ofthebestbookofIndianhistoryeverwritten。

Whenhesoldoffbeforeretiring，someyearslater，Iwasturningoverhisshelves，andcameacrosstheonlyexistingcopyof“NativeRuleinCentralIndia“——thecopythatMissVennercouldnotunderstand。Ireadit，sittingonhismule-trucks，aslongasthelightlasted，andofferedhimhisownpriceforit。Helookedovermyshoulderforafewpagesandsaidtohimselfdrearily:——“Now，howintheworlddidIcometowritesuchdamnedgoodstuffasthat?“

Thentome:——“Takeitandkeepit。Writeoneofyourpenny-farthingyarnsaboutitsbirth。Perhaps——perhaps——thewholebusinessmayhavebeenordainedtothatend。”

Which，knowingwhatWressleyoftheForeignOfficewasonce，struckmeasaboutthebitterestthingthatIhadeverheardamansayofhisownwork。

BYWORDOFMOUTH。

Notthoughyoudieto-night，OSweet，andwail，Aspectreatmydoor，ShallmortalFearmakeLoveimmortalfail——

Ishallbutloveyoumore，WhofromDeath"shousereturning，givemestillOnemoment"scomfortinmymatchlessill。

ShadowHouses。

Thistalemaybeexplainedbythosewhoknowhowsoulsaremade，andwheretheboundsofthePossibleareputdown。Ihavelivedlongenoughinthiscountrytoknowthatitisbesttoknownothing，andcanonlywritethestoryasithappened。

DumoisewasourCivilSurgeonatMeridki，andwecalledhim“Dormouse，“becausehewasaroundlittle，sleepylittleman。HewasagoodDoctorandneverquarrelledwithanyone，notevenwithourDeputyCommissioner，whohadthemannersofabargeeandthetactofahorse。Hemarriedagirlasroundandassleepy-lookingashimself。ShewasaMissHillardyce，daughterof“Squash“

HillardyceoftheBerars，whomarriedhisChief"sdaughterbymistake。Butthatisanotherstory。

AhoneymooninIndiaisseldommorethanaweeklong；butthereisnothingtohinderacouplefromextendingitovertwoorthreeyears。Thisisadelightfulcountryformarriedfolkwhoarewrappedupinoneanother。Theycanliveabsolutelyaloneandwithoutinterruption——justastheDormicedid。Thesetwolittlepeopleretiredfromtheworldaftertheirmarriage，andwereveryhappy。Theywereforced，ofcourse，togiveoccasionaldinners，buttheymadenofriendshereby，andtheStationwentitsownwayandforgotthem；onlysaying，occasionally，thatDormousewasthebestofgoodfellows，thoughdull。ACivilSurgeonwhoneverquarrelsisararity，appreciatedassuch。

FewpeoplecanaffordtoplayRobinsonCrusoeanywhere——leastofallinIndia，wherewearefewintheland，andverymuchdependentoneachother"skindoffices。Dumoisewaswronginshuttinghimselffromtheworldforayear，andhediscoveredhismistakewhenanepidemicoftyphoidbrokeoutintheStationintheheartofthecoldweather，andhiswifewentdown。Hewasashylittleman，andfivedayswerewastedbeforeherealizedthatMrs。Dumoisewasburningwithsomethingworsethansimplefever，andthreedaysmorepassedbeforeheventuredtocallonMrs。Shute，theEngineer"swife，andtimidlyspeakabouthistrouble。NearlyeveryhouseholdinIndiaknowsthatDoctorsareveryhelplessintyphoid。ThebattlemustbefoughtoutbetweenDeathandtheNurses，minutebyminuteanddegreebydegree。Mrs。ShutealmostboxedDumoise"searsforwhatshecalledhis“criminaldelay，“andwentoffatoncetolookafterthepoorgirl。WehadsevencasesoftyphoidintheStationthatwinterand，astheaverageofdeathisaboutoneineveryfivecases，wefeltcertainthatweshouldhavetolosesomebody。Butalldidtheirbest。Thewomensatupnursingthewomen，andthementurnedtoandtendedthebachelorswhoweredown，andwewrestledwiththosetyphoidcasesforfifty-sixdays，andbroughtthemthroughtheValleyoftheShadowintriumph。But，justwhenwethoughtallwasover，andweregoingtogiveadancetocelebratethevictory，littleMrs。DumoisegotarelapseanddiedinaweekandtheStationwenttothefuneral。Dumoisebrokedownutterlyatthebrinkofthegrave，andhadtobetakenaway。

Afterthedeath，Dumoisecreptintohisownhouseandrefusedtobecomforted。Hedidhisdutiesperfectly，butweallfeltthatheshouldgoonleave，andtheothermenofhisownServicetoldhimso。Dumoisewasverythankfulforthesuggestion——hewasthankfulforanythinginthosedays——andwenttoChinionawalking-tour。

ChiniissometwentymarchesfromSimla，intheheartoftheHills，andthesceneryisgoodifyouareintrouble。Youpassthroughbig，stilldeodar-forests，andunderbig，stillcliffs，andoverbig，stillgrass-downsswellinglikeawoman"sbreasts；andthewindacrossthegrass，andtherainamongthedeodarssays:——“Hush——hush——

hush。”SolittleDumoisewaspackedofftoChini，toweardownhisgriefwithafull-platecamera，andarifle。Hetookalsoauselessbearer，becausethemanhadbeenhiswife"sfavoriteservant。Hewasidleandathief，butDumoisetrustedeverythingtohim。

OnhiswaybackfromChini，DumoiseturnedasidetoBagi，throughtheForestReservewhichisonthespurofMountHuttoo。SomemenwhohavetravelledmorethanalittlesaythatthemarchfromKotegarhtoBagiisoneofthefinestincreation。Itrunsthroughdarkwetforest，andendssuddenlyinbleak，nippedhill-sideandblackrocks。Bagidak-bungalowisopentoallthewindsandisbitterlycold。FewpeoplegotoBagi。PerhapsthatwasthereasonwhyDumoisewentthere。Hehaltedatsevenintheevening，andhisbearerwentdownthehill-sidetothevillagetoengagecooliesforthenextday"smarch。Thesunhadset，andthenight-windswerebeginningtocroonamongtherocks。Dumoiseleanedontherailingoftheverandah，waitingforhisbearertoreturn。Themancamebackalmostimmediatelyafterhehaddisappeared，andatsucharatethatDumoisefanciedhemusthavecrossedabear。Hewasrunningashardashecouldupthefaceofthehill。

Buttherewasnobeartoaccountforhisterror。Heracedtotheverandahandfelldown，thebloodspurtingfromhisnoseandhisfaceiron-gray。Thenhegurgled:——“IhaveseentheMemsahib！I

haveseentheMemsahib！“

“Where?“saidDumoise。

“Downthere，walkingontheroadtothevillage。Shewasinabluedress，andsheliftedtheveilofherbonnetandsaid:——"RamDass，givemysalaamstotheSahib，andtellhimthatIshallmeethimnextmonthatNuddea。"ThenIranaway，becauseIwasafraid。”

WhatDumoisesaidordidIdonotknow。RamDassdeclaresthathesaidnothing，butwalkedupanddowntheverandahallthecoldnight，waitingfortheMemsahibtocomeupthehillandstretchingouthisarmsintothedarklikeamadman。ButnoMemsahibcame，and，nextday，hewentontoSimlacross-questioningthebearereveryhour。

RamDasscouldonlysaythathehadmetMrs。DumoiseandthatshehadliftedupherveilandgivenhimthemessagewhichhehadfaithfullyrepeatedtoDumoise。TothisstatementRamDassadhered。

HedidnotknowwhereNuddeawas，hadnofriendsatNuddea，andwouldmostcertainlynevergotoNuddea；eventhoughhispayweredoubled。

NuddeaisinBengal，andhasnothingwhatevertodowithadoctorservinginthePunjab。ItmustbemorethantwelvehundredmilesfromMeridki。

DumoisewentthroughSimlawithouthalting，andreturnedtoMeridkitheretotakeoverchargefromthemanwhohadbeenofficiatingforhimduringhistour。ThereweresomeDispensaryaccountstobeexplained，andsomerecentordersoftheSurgeon-Generaltobenoted，and，altogether，thetaking-overwasafullday"swork。Intheevening，Dumoisetoldhislocumtenens，whowasanoldfriendofhisbachelordays，whathadhappenedatBagi；andthemansaidthatRamDassmightaswellhavechosenTuticorinwhilehewasaboutit。

Atthatmomentatelegraph-peoncameinwithatelegramfromSimla，orderingDumoisenottotakeoverchargeatMeridki，buttogoatoncetoNuddeaonspecialduty。TherewasanastyoutbreakofcholeraatNuddea，andtheBengalGovernment，beingshorthanded，asusual，hadborrowedaSurgeonfromthePunjab。

Dumoisethrewthetelegramacrossthetableandsaid:——“Well?“

TheotherDoctorsaidnothing。Itwasallthathecouldsay。

ThenherememberedthatDumoisehadpassedthroughSimlaonhiswayfromBagi；andthusmight，possibly，haveheardthefirstnewsoftheimpendingtransfer。

Hetriedtoputthequestion，andtheimpliedsuspicionintowords，butDumoisestoppedhimwith:——“IfIhaddesiredTHAT，IshouldneverhavecomebackfromChini。Iwasshootingthere。Iwishtolive，forIhavethingstodo……butIshallnotbesorry。”

Theothermanbowedhishead，andhelped，inthetwilight，topackupDumoise"sjustopenedtrunks。RamDassenteredwiththelamps。

“WhereistheSahibgoing?“heasked。

“ToNuddea，“saidDumoise，softly。

RamDassclawedDumoise"skneesandbootsandbeggedhimnottogo。

RamDassweptandhowledtillhewasturnedoutoftheroom。Thenhewrappedupallhisbelongingsandcamebacktoaskforacharacter。HewasnotgoingtoNuddeatoseehisSahibdie，and，perhapstodiehimself。

SoDumoisegavethemanhiswagesandwentdowntoNuddeaalone；theotherDoctorbiddinghimgood-byeasoneundersentenceofdeath。

Elevendayslater，hehadjoinedhisMemsahib；andtheBengalGovernmenthadtoborrowafreshDoctortocopewiththatepidemicatNuddea。ThefirstimportationlaydeadinChooadangaDak-

Bungalow。

TOBEHELDFORREFERENCE。

BythehoofoftheWildGoatup-tossedFromtheCliffwhereShelayintheSun，FelltheStoneTotheTarnwherethedaylightislost；

SoShefellfromthelightoftheSun，Andalone。

Nowthefallwasordainedfromthefirst，WiththeGoatandtheCliffandtheTarn，ButtheStoneKnowsonlyHerlifeisaccursed，AsShesinksinthedepthsoftheTarn，Andalone。

Oh，ThouwhohasbuildedtheworldOh，ThouwhohastlightedtheSun！

Oh，ThouwhohastdarkenedtheTarn！

JudgeThouTheSinoftheStonethatwashurledBytheGoatfromthelightoftheSun，AsShesinksinthemireoftheTarn，Evennow——evennow——evennow！

FromtheUnpublishedPapersofMcIntoshJellaludin。

“Say，isitdawn，isitduskinthyBower，ThouwhomIlongfor，wholongestforme?

Ohbeitnight——beit——“

Herehefelloveralittlecamel-coltthatwassleepingintheSeraiwherethehorse-tradersandthebestoftheblackguardsfromCentralAsialive；and，becausehewasverydrunkindeedandthenightwasdark，hecouldnotriseagaintillIhelpedhim。ThatwasthebeginningofmyacquaintancewithMcIntoshJellaludin。Whenaloafer，anddrunk，singsTheSongoftheBower，hemustbeworthcultivating。Hegotoffthecamel"sbackandsaid，ratherthickly:——

“I——I——I"mabitscrewed，butadipinLoggerheadwillputmerightagain；andIsay，haveyouspokentoSymondsaboutthemare"sknees?“

NowLoggerheadwassixthousandwearymilesawayfromus，closetoMesopotamia，whereyoumustn"tfishandpoachingisimpossible，andCharleySymonds"stableahalfmilefurtheracrossthepaddocks。Itwasstrangetohearalltheoldnames，onaMaynight，amongthehorsesandcamelsoftheSultanCaravanserai。Thenthemanseemedtorememberhimselfandsoberdownatthesametime。HeleanedagainstthecamelandpointedtoacorneroftheSeraiwherealampwasburning:——

“Ilivethere，“saidhe，“andIshouldbeextremelyobligedifyouwouldbegoodenoughtohelpmymutinousfeetthither；forIammorethanusuallydrunk——most——mostphenomenallytight。Butnotinrespecttomyhead。"Mybraincriesoutagainst"——howdoesitgo?

Butmyheadridesonthe——rollsonthedung-hillIshouldhavesaid，andcontrolsthequalm。”

Ihelpedhimthroughthegangsoftetheredhorsesandhecollapsedontheedgeoftheverandahinfrontofthelineofnativequarters。

“Thanks——athousandthanks！OMoonandlittle，littleStars！Tothinkthatamanshouldsoshamelessly……Infamousliquor，too。Ovidinexiledranknoworse。Better。Itwasfrozen。Alas！

Ihadnoice。Good-night。IwouldintroduceyoutomywifewereI

sober——orshecivilized。”

Anativewomancameoutofthedarknessoftheroom，andbegancallingthemannames；soIwentaway。HewasthemostinterestingloaferthatIhadthepleasureofknowingforalongtime；andlateron，hebecameafriendofmine。Hewasatall，well-built，fairmanfearfullyshakenwithdrink，andhelookednearerfiftythanthethirty-fivewhich，hesaid，washisrealage。WhenamanbeginstosinkinIndia，andisnotsentHomebyhisfriendsassoonasmaybe，hefallsverylowfromarespectablepointofview。Bythetimethathechangeshiscreed，asdidMcIntosh，heispastredemption。

Inmostbigcities，nativeswilltellyouoftwoorthreeSahibs，generallylow-caste，whohaveturnedHinduorMussulman，andwholivemoreorlessassuch。Butitisnotoftenthatyoucangettoknowthem。AsMcIntoshhimselfusedtosay:——“IfIchangemyreligionformystomach"ssake，Idonotseektobecomeamartyrtomissionaries，noramIanxiousfornotoriety。”

AttheoutsetofacquaintanceMcIntoshwarnedme。“Rememberthis。

Iamnotanobjectforcharity。Irequireneitheryourmoney，yourfood，noryourcast-offraiment。Iamthatrareanimal，aself-

supportingdrunkard。Ifyouchoose，Iwillsmokewithyou，forthetobaccoofthebazarsdoesnot，Iadmit，suitmypalate；andIwillborrowanybookswhichyoumaynotspeciallyvalue。ItismorethanlikelythatIshallsellthemforbottlesofexcessivelyfilthycountry-liquors。Inreturn，youshallsharesuchhospitalityasmyhouseaffords。Hereisacharpoyonwhichtwocansit，anditispossiblethattheremay，fromtimetotime，befoodinthatplatter。

Drink，unfortunately，youwillfindonthepremisesatanyhour:andthusImakeyouwelcometoallmypoorestablishments。”

IwasadmittedtotheMcIntoshhousehold——Iandmygoodtobacco。

Butnothingelse。Unluckily，onecannotvisitaloaferintheSeraibyday。Friendsbuyinghorseswouldnotunderstandit。

Consequently，IwasobligedtoseeMcIntoshafterdark。Helaughedatthis，andsaidsimply:——“Youareperfectlyright。WhenIenjoyedapositioninsociety，ratherhigherthanyours，Ishouldhavedoneexactlythesamething，GoodHeavens！Iwasonce“——hespokeasthoughhehadfallenfromtheCommandofaRegiment——“anOxfordMan！“ThisaccountedforthereferencetoCharleySymonds"stable。

“You，“saidMcIntosh，slowly，“havenothadthatadvantage；but，tooutwardappearance，youdonotseempossessedofacravingforstrongdrinks。Onthewhole，Ifancythatyouaretheluckierofthetwo。YetIamnotcertain。Youare——forgivemysayingsoevenwhileIamsmokingyourexcellenttobacco——painfullyignorantofmanythings。”

Weweresittingtogetherontheedgeofhisbedstead，forheownednochairs，watchingthehorsesbeingwateredforthenight，whilethenativewomanwaspreparingdinner。Ididnotlikebeingpatronizedbyaloafer，butIwashisguestforthetimebeing，thoughheownedonlyoneverytornalpaca-coatandapairoftrousersmadeoutofgunny-bags。Hetookthepipeoutofhismouth，andwentonjudicially:——“Allthingsconsidered，Idoubtwhetheryouaretheluckier。Idonotrefertoyourextremelylimitedclassicalattainments，oryourexcruciatingquantities，buttoyourgrossignoranceofmattersmoreimmediatelyunderyournotice。Thatforinstance。”——HepointedtoawomancleaningasamovarnearthewellinthecentreoftheSerai。Shewasflickingthewateroutofthespoutinregularcadencedjerks。

“Therearewaysandwaysofcleaningsamovars。Ifyouknewwhyshewasdoingherworkinthatparticularfashion，youwouldknowwhattheSpanishMonkmeantwhenhesaid——

"ItheTrinityillustrate，Drinkingwateredorange-pulp——

InthreesipstheAryanfrustrate，Whilehedrainshisatonegulp——"

andmanyotherthingswhichnowarehiddenfromyoureyes。However，Mrs。McIntoshhasprepareddinner。Letuscomeandeatafterthefashionofthepeopleofthecountry——ofwhom，bytheway，youknownothing。”

Thenativewomandippedherhandinthedishwithus。Thiswaswrong。Thewifeshouldalwayswaituntilthehusbandhaseaten。

McIntoshJellaludinapologized，saying:——

“ItisanEnglishprejudicewhichIhavenotbeenabletoovercome；

andshelovesme。Why，Ihaveneverbeenabletounderstand。I

fore-gatheredwithheratJullundur，threeyearsago，andshehasremainedwithmeeversince。Ibelievehertobemoral，andknowhertobeskilledincookery。”

Hepattedthewoman"sheadashespoke，andshecooedsoftly。Shewasnotprettytolookat。

McIntoshnevertoldmewhatpositionhehadheldbeforehisfall。

Hewas，whensober，ascholarandagentleman。Whendrunk，hewasrathermoreofthefirstthanthesecond。Heusedtogetdrunkaboutonceaweekfortwodays。Onthoseoccasionsthenativewomantendedhimwhileheravedinalltonguesexcepthisown。Oneday，indeed，hebeganrecitingAtalantainCalydon，andwentthroughittotheend，beatingtimetotheswingoftheversewithabedstead-

leg。ButhedidmostofhisravingsinGreekorGerman。Theman"smindwasaperfectrag-bagofuselessthings。Once，whenhewasbeginningtogetsober，hetoldmethatIwastheonlyrationalbeingintheInfernointowhichhehaddescended——aVirgilintheShades，hesaid——andthat，inreturnformytobacco，hewould，beforehedied，givemethematerialsofanewInfernothatshouldmakemegreaterthanDante。Thenhefellasleeponahorse-blanketandwokeupquitecalm。

“Man，“saidhe，“whenyouhavereachedtheuttermostdepthsofdegradation，littleincidentswhichwouldvexahigherlife，aretoyouofnoconsequence。Lastnight，mysoulwasamongthegods；butImakenodoubtthatmybestialbodywaswrithingdownhereinthegarbage。”

“Youwereabominablydrunkifthat"swhatyoumean，“Isaid。

“IWASdrunk——filthydrunk。Iwhoamthesonofamanwithwhomyouhavenoconcern——IwhowasonceFellowofaCollegewhosebuttery-

hatchyouhavenotseen。Iwasloathsomelydrunk。ButconsiderhowlightlyIamtouched。Itisnothingtome。Lessthannothing；forIdonotevenfeeltheheadachewhichshouldbemyportion。Now，inahigherlife，howghastlywouldhavebeenmypunishment，howbittermyrepentance！Believeme，myfriendwiththeneglectededucation，thehighestisasthelowest——alwayssupposingeachdegreeextreme。”

Heturnedroundontheblanket，puthisheadbetweenhisfistsandcontinued:——

“OntheSoulwhichIhavelostandontheConsciencewhichIhavekilled，ItellyouthatICANNOTfeel！Iamasthegods，knowinggoodandevil，butuntouchedbyeither。Isthisenviableorisitnot?“

Whenamanhaslostthewarningof“nextmorning"shead，“hemustbeinabadstate，Ianswered，lookingatMcIntoshontheblanket，withhishairoverhiseyesandhislipsblue-white，thatIdidnotthinktheinsensibilitygoodenough。

“Forpity"ssake，don"tsaythat！Itellyou，itISgoodandmostenviable。Thinkofmyconsolations！“

“Haveyousomany，then，McIntosh?“

“Certainly；yourattemptsatsarcasmwhichisessentiallytheweaponofaculturedman，arecrude。First，myattainments，myclassicalandliteraryknowledge，blurred，perhaps，byimmoderatedrinking——

whichremindsmethatbeforemysoulwenttotheGodslastnight，I

soldthePickeringHoraceyousokindlylentme。DittaMulltheClothesmanhasit。Itfetchedtenannas，andmayberedeemedforarupee——butstillinfinitelysuperiortoyours。Secondly，theabidingaffectionofMrs。McIntosh，bestofwives。Thirdly，amonument，moreenduringthanbrass，whichIhavebuiltupinthesevenyearsofmydegradation。”

Hestoppedhere，andcrawledacrosstheroomforadrinkofwater。

Hewasveryshakyandsick。

Hereferredseveraltimestohis“treasure“——somegreatpossessionthatheowned——butIheldthistobetheravingofdrink。Hewasaspoorandasproudashecouldbe。Hismannerwasnotpleasant，butheknewenoughaboutthenatives，amongwhomsevenyearsofhislifehadbeenspent，tomakehisacquaintanceworthhaving。HeusedactuallytolaughatStricklandasanignorantman——“ignorantWestandEast“——hesaid。Hisboastwas，first，thathewasanOxfordManofrareandshiningparts，whichmayormaynothavebeentrue——I

didnotknowenoughtocheckhisstatements——and，secondly，thathe“hadhishandonthepulseofnativelife“——whichwasafact。AsanOxfordman，hestruckmeasaprig:hewasalwaysthrowinghiseducationabout。AsaMahommedanfaquir——asMcIntoshJellaludin——hewasallthatIwantedformyownends。Hesmokedseveralpoundsofmytobacco，andtaughtmeseveralouncesofthingsworthknowing；

buthewouldneveracceptanygifts，notevenwhenthecoldweathercame，andgrippedthepoorthinchestunderthepoorthinalpaca-

coat。Hegrewveryangry，andsaidthatIhadinsultedhim，andthathewasnotgoingintohospital。Hehadlivedlikeabeastandhewoulddierationally，likeaman。

Asamatteroffact，hediedofpneumonia；andonthenightofhisdeathsentoveragrubbynoteaskingmetocomeandhelphimtodie。

Thenativewomanwasweepingbythesideofthebed。McIntosh，wrappedinacottoncloth，wastooweaktoresentafurcoatbeingthrownoverhim。Hewasveryactiveasfarashismindwasconcerned，andhiseyeswereblazing。WhenhehadabusedtheDoctorwhocamewithmesofoullythattheindignantoldfellowleft，hecursedmeforafewminutesandcalmeddown。

Thenhetoldhiswifetofetchout“TheBook“fromaholeinthewall。Shebroughtoutabigbundle，wrappedinthetailofapetticoat，ofoldsheetsofmiscellaneousnote-paper，allnumberedandcoveredwithfinecrampedwriting。McIntoshploughedhishandthroughtherubbishandstirredituplovingly。

“This，“hesaid，“ismywork——theBookofMcIntoshJellaludin，showingwhathesawandhowhelived，andwhatbefellhimandothers；beingalsoanaccountofthelifeandsinsanddeathofMotherMaturin。WhatMirzaMuradAliBeg"sbookistoallotherbooksonnativelife，willmyworkbetoMirzaMuradAliBeg"s！“

This，aswillbeconcededbyanyonewhoknowsMirzaAliBeg"sbook，wasasweepingstatement。Thepapersdidnotlookspeciallyvaluable；butMcIntoshhandledthemasiftheywerecurrency-notes。

Thenhesaidslowly:——“Indespitethemanyweaknessesofyoureducation，youhavebeengoodtome。IwillspeakofyourtobaccowhenIreachtheGods。Ioweyoumuchthanksformanykindnesses。

ButIabominateindebtedness。ForthisreasonIbequeathtoyounowthemonumentmoreenduringthanbrass——myonebook——rudeandimperfectinparts，butoh，howrareinothers！Iwonderifyouwillunderstandit。Itisagiftmorehonorablethan……Bah！

whereismybrainramblingto?Youwillmutilateithorribly。Youwillknockoutthegemsyoucall"Latinquotations，"youPhilistine，andyouwillbutcherthestyletocarveintoyourownjerkyjargon；

butyoucannotdestroythewholeofit。Ibequeathittoyou。

Ethel……Mybrainagain！……Mrs。McIntosh，bearwitnessthatI

givethesahiballthesepapers。Theywouldbeofnousetoyou，Heartofmyheart；andIlayituponyou，“heturnedtomehere，“thatyoudonotletmybookdieinitspresentform。Itisyoursunconditionally——thestoryofMcIntoshJellaludin，whichisNOTthestoryofMcIntoshJellaludin，butofagreatermanthanhe，andofafargreaterwoman。Listennow！Iamneithermadnordrunk！Thatbookwillmakeyoufamous。”

Isaid，“thankyou，“asthenativewomanputthebundleintomyarms。

“Myonlybaby！“saidMcIntoshwithasmile。Hewassinkingfast，buthecontinuedtotalkaslongasbreathremained。Iwaitedfortheend:knowingthat，insixcasesoutoftenthedyingmancallsforhismother。Heturnedonhissideandsaid:——

“Sayhowitcameintoyourpossession。Noonewillbelieveyou，butmyname，atleast，willlive。Youwilltreatitbrutally，Iknowyouwill。Someofitmustgo；thepublicarefoolsandprudishfools。Iwastheirservantonce。Butdoyourmanglinggently——verygently。Itisagreatwork，andIhavepaidforitinsevenyears"

damnation。”

Hisvoicestoppedfortenortwelvebreaths，andthenhebeganmumblingaprayerofsomekindinGreek。Thenativewomancriedverybitterly。Lastly，heroseinbedandsaid，asloudlyasslowly:——“Notguilty，myLord！“

Thenhefellback，andthestuporheldhimtillhedied。ThenativewomanranintotheSeraiamongthehorsesandscreamedandbeatherbreasts；forshehadlovedhim。

PerhapshislastsentenceinlifetoldwhatMcIntoshhadoncegonethrough；but，savingthebigbundleofoldsheetsinthecloth，therewasnothinginhisroomtosaywhoorwhathehadbeen。

Thepaperswereinahopelessmuddle。

Stricklandhelpedmetosortthem，andhesaidthatthewriterwaseitheranextremeliaroramostwonderfulperson。Hethoughttheformer。Oneofthesedays，youmaybeabletojudgeforyourself。

ThebundleneededmuchexpurgationandwasfullofGreeknonsense，attheheadofthechapters，whichhasallbeencutout。

Ifthethingsareeverpublishedsomeonemayperhapsrememberthisstory，nowprintedasasafeguardtoprovethatMcIntoshJellaludinandnotImyselfwrotetheBookofMotherMaturin。

Idon"twanttheGiant"sRobetocometrueinmycase。

End