of his great toe (he had left his shoes, out of
respect, in the verandah) with the lighted
end of a cheroot. Black and Blue howled
with pain, whereupon the two roared with
laughter. The doctor, who was reading a
paper, begged of the young men to desist,
and, somewhat angrily, expostulated with
his son for treating a native so cruelly; for
he was touched with poor Black and Blue's
appeal: "God make us all. When fire burns
black man, black man feels as much pain as
white man. In hell, you rich gentlemans
sing out just as much as poor box-waller."

"Black and Blue is used to it, governor,"
said the lieutenant.

"Stuff, Robert!" said the doctor, "I
address myself to you, and not to these gentlemen,
when I say that I have no patience with
such flippant cruelty."

"Sahib," said Black and Blue, looking up at
the doctor, "you are very good gentlemans—
very kind man, and very handsome. May
God make you a lord; may your throne be
perpetual, and may your end be peace; but
do not be angry with these gentlemen. They
play tricks with Black and Blue; but they
are no enemies. If enemies, what for send
to buy Black and Blue's property? Sir, you
greatly oblige Black and Blue if you smile
once more on these gentlemans. Sir, do you
want any violent- (violate) powder, or one
small patent corkiscrew (corkscrew). All
men born equal; God's rain wet black man
and white man all the same. Devil's fire
burn, too, both the same." Here he laughed
at the lieutenant. "Take one packet of
violent-powder. Every one rupee a packet.
Well, then, take two for one, twelve. That
can't hurt anybody. Less than prime cost.
I give you my solemn word. Handsome sir,
don't be angry."

The doctor, his attention attracted by those
light blue eyes, set in that very black skin
stared at Black and Blue for several minutes
after he finished the speech above quoted.
He had never before seen such a peculiar
expression as that on the face of the box-
waller. Suddenly he recollected an instance
of black skin and light blue eyes; but in that
case the boy was half-European, the child of
the Honourable Francis Gay.

Black and Blue had occasion to change his
position; and, in doing so, exposed the calves
of his legs. On one of them was a scar, quite
round, and about the size of a shilling.

"Good God!" exclaimed the doctor, who
became both surprised and agitated, and
allowed the newspaper to fall from his hand.

"What is the matter, governor?" asked
the lieutenant.

"Nothing—nothing!" said the doctor, still
staring at Black and Blue, whose countenance
was no longer strange to him. "How did
you come by that mark?" he at length asked,
pointing to the scar.

"I don't know, Sahib."

"But did not your parents ever tell you?"

"No, Sahib. Parents used to say that it
come of itself."

This was, no doubt, true.

"Have you another mark like that on your
right arm—just here?"

The doctor placed his finger on the sleeve
of the man's dress.

"Yes. But bigger mark that one. How
you know that, Sahib?" He pulled up his
sleeve and exhibited a scar the size of half-a-
crown.

"And another here—on your hip—and
another here, on your ribs?"

"Yes. All them marks got, sir. How you
know that, Sahib?"

The doctor was quite satisfied that Black
and Blue was no other than his little patient
of former years, and consequently the heir to
the earldom of Millflower. Could it be
possible, he thought, that Captain Gay eventually
abandoned his black wife and child! If not,
how came it that the boy (now a man of two
or three and twenty) should be a miserable
pedlar, living in the Bazaar at Delhi? When
Black and Blue had sold all that the young
officers wanted to buy—when no amount of
coaxing and flattering would induce them to
take anything more—he was about to take
his departure; but, the doctor desired him to
stay, and intimated to his son that he wished
to have some conversation in private with
Black and Blue.

"Where is your father?" the doctor
asked.

"He dead, Sahib."

"When did he die?"

"Long time ago—ten or twelve year ago."

"Where did he die?"

"Mans—robber mans—kill him with
sword."

"And your mother?"

Black and Blue told the doctor the whole
of their history, since the death of Captain
Gay, and his statements were substantially
true. Black and Blue, however, declared
most positively that his father was a native,
and no European.

"Do you think," the doctor inquired, "that
your mother would see me, if I went down to
her home?"

"O yes—why not? Come along, Sahib.
I will show where she live. You call for
palankeen and get on. I run alongside."

The doctor's curiosity was very strong, and
he could not resist the desire to satisfy it at
once. He accepted Black and Blue's
invitation, and went to the house occupied
by Ellen. Habited as a native, she was
sitting on a coarse mat, smoking, and at the
same time mending an old garment of her
son's.

The doctor recognised Ellen, immediately;
albeit she was now aged. But, at first she did
not recognise him. He was altered very much,
in appearance. His hair and whiskers had
become very grey, and he no longer wore a
moustache.