nd,
believe me, if all goes well, it will not be long before he is back
in Poona, as minister to the Peishwa."

"Minister to Chimnajee?"

"No, sir, minister to Bajee Rao."

"I would that it were so," Mr. Malet said, "but since one is a
fugitive and the other a prisoner, I see no chance, whatever, of
such a transformation."

"I will briefly tell you, sir, what is preparing. Bajee, feeling
certain that he will, ere long, be sent to a fortress, has
communicated with Nana, imploring him to aid him."

"If he has turned to Nana for support, he is either mad, or acting
as Balloba's tool."

"On the contrary, sir, I think that his doing so shows that he
recognizes Nana's ability; and feels that, ere long, he may become
a useful ally. Already Nana has been at work. Holkar, who naturally
views with intense jealousy Scindia's entire control of the
territory of the Peishwa, has already agreed to put his whole army
in the field; Rao Phurkay will rebel, with the household troops
and, what is vastly more important, Scindia has embraced Nana's
offer of a large sum of money, and a grant of territory, to arrest
Balloba, and to replace Bajee on the musnud. In addition to this,
he has won over the Rajah of Berar, has incited the Rajah of
Kolapoore to attack the district of Purseram Bhow; and has obtained
the Nizam's approbation of a treaty, that had already been settled
between Nana and the Nizam's general, the basis of which is that
Bajee is to be re-established, with Nana himself as minister and,
on the other hand, the territory formerly seized by the Peishwa to
be restored.

"My mission here is to inform Bajee Rao of the plans that have been
prepared, and to obtain from him a solemn engagement that Nana
shall be reappointed as his minister, on the success of his plans."

Mr. Malet listened to Harry with increasing astonishment.

"This is important news, indeed," he said; "marvellous, and of the
highest importance to me. Already I have been asked, by the Council
of Bombay, to give my opinion as to whether it is expedient to
render any assistance to Nana Furnuwees. It is, to them, almost as
important as to Nana that Scindia should not obtain supreme power.
I have replied that I could not recommend any such step, for that
Nana's cause seemed altogether lost; and that any aid to him would
be absolutely useless, and would only serve Scindia with a pretext
for declaring war against us. Of course, what you have told me
entirely al