produced, and the door flung wide open.
Perhaps the visitor complained, and the orderly
may, perchance, have got a wigging. To be
even with him, the very next day, when the
Sahib is particularly busy, Lallah pours in
upon him a whole host of troublesome people;
and when remonstrated with, declares that
"Sahib wished it to be so." And thus things
fall back to their old course.

It is not only suitors and other visitors
who are made to contribute to the orderly's
treasury, to build up his golden ladder;
the very police inspectors, or thannadars,
cannot approach the presence without dustur.
Once upon a time an inspector,
either poorer or more stubborn than his
fellows, did not choose to fall into the
customary practice, and declined bleeding for the
benefit of Lallah. The latter was, of course,
indignant at this unprincipled conduct, and
although he dared not act openly against the
recusant official, he laid his plans so quietly
and surely as to effect all he desired. The
Sahib had many idle moments; and, during
these, Lallah contrived to whisper to one of
the hangers-on, loud enough to be heard, some
scandalous proceeding of the thannadar. The
other replied, also in a sort of stage whisper,
that he too had heard something of the same
sort, whilst the mohurrir, or clerk, chimed in
with another story against the doomed policeman,
and remarked that he was a scoundrel
and "unfaithful to his oath." These whisperings
were of course, overheard; and being
repeated at intervals, left an impression on
the mind of the Sahib by no means favourable.
No pains were spared to watch the victim;
and as might be expected, some irregularity
was at last brought against him, not perhaps
of any moment, but Lallah's whispered
poisons had worked their effect in the mind
of the magistrate, and the consequence was
that the thannadar was dismissed.

Such were a few of the proceedings carried
on in the outer courts, the vestibule of the
temple of justice. My hero was not less bold
and successful within the sanctuary itself.
His bean-stalk was planted deep at the
very foot of the justice seat. No sooner was
a case decided, no matter how insignificant,
than the watchful, indefatigable Lallah slipped
out; and, following the successful suitor,
extended towards him his open palm, into which
the other, too wise to decline, dropped a
rupee. The orderly offers up a mental vote
of thanks to Brahma, Siva and Vishnu, and
sneaks back to his place in court; none but
those in the secret having observed his
absence.

The registry office was another locality
highly favourable for the upward growth of
this famous bean-stalk. Whenever an order
of court was made out for a report from the
Sheristah, or native registry, bearing upon
some case in suit, Lallah took especial care
that the matter was not proceeded with for
many days. When the litigant was worn out
with delay, and became importunate, the
wily orderly took him outside, and quietly
requested to know how much he would give
to have the report made out forthwith. The
impatient suitor gladly proffered a rupee.
The dustur was pocketed; and, proceeding
with his retainer to the registry office, Lallah
called out to the record-keeper, in a well-
understood swaggering tone, which was
meant to say "It's all right," that the Sahib
was highly incensed at the delay with the
plaintiff's record, and that he desired him to
intimate that any further hindrance would be
punished with a smart fine.

The refusals to bleed were far from being
many; still they did happen occasionally.
When that was the case, Lallah was in no way
disconcerted, for he knew that it must come
at last, proceeded with the unmanageable
suitor to the registry, and, winking his eye at
the Sheristah, simply enquires why the report
is not made out, in a mild tone of voice,
which plainly enough intimated that it was
not all right yet. The Sheristah of course
understood; and stroking his beard (he was a
Mahometan) called upon the Prophet to
witness that some most important papers had
been demanded by a superior authority
which required immediate attention; the
Sahib must accordingly allow him a few
more day's grace. The suitor, driven to
despair by this delay, consented to a heavy
fee, and instantly Lallah became his warmest
friend. Hastily retracing his steps, the
orderly, in a voice of thunder, expressed his
astonishment at the impertinence of the
Sheristah, and gave him to know that if his
friend did not at once receive the report the
whole affair should be reported. Again the
tone and manner of the pliable orderly were
duly appreciated; the report appeared as if
by magic, and Lallah, the lucky, retired to
share the spoil with the Sheristah, muttering
a song of thanksgiving to that very respectable
body the Hindu Triad.

In this way the bean-stalk had flourished
greatly; but was now destined to be
transplanted to another locality, though still
within a genial, kindly soil. My hero, finding
the office of orderly not quite important
enough for his ambition, and thirsting for
distinction and rupees, managed by a
variety of artful oriental devices to get elected
a Chuprassie, or process-server, to the native
sheriff of the district. This was truly a
splendid field for his talents, and he was not
long before he turned the golden opportunity
to account.

The mode of coining rupees in this
department was of the simplest kind. The
summonses for the appearance of defaulters of
revenue before the deputy magistrate were
very numerous, and the defendants were all
of the Ryot class, the poorest grade in society.
But unless the Zemindar, or landholder, who
took out the summons agreed to fee the
chuprassie in addition to paying for the summons,