een, a Brahmin of the Kshittree caste, desires to speak to
him?"

The man gave the message to one of the attendants who, in two or
three minutes, returned and asked Harry to follow him. The minister
was alone.

"What have you to say to me, holy man?" he enquired; and then,
looking more fixedly at his visitor, he exclaimed:

"Why, it is Puntojee!"

"You are right, Nana. I am sent here to ascertain, if possible,
what is going on, and how things are likely to tend. But first, I
must tell you that I am now here as Colonel Palmer's assistant."

"I will take you entirely into my confidence," Nana said. "Until
you told me that you were an Englishman, when you took leave of me
two years ago, I could not quite understand why it was that I felt
I could confide in you, more than in the older men around me. I
esteem the English highly, and especially admire them for their
honesty and truthfulness. You at once impressed me as one
possessing such qualities and, now that I know you are English, I
can understand the feeling that you inspired.

"I am glad you have come. No doubt your Government are well
informed, as to the state of affairs here. I feel the power
slipping from my hands, without seeing any way by which I can
recover my lost ground. Scindia is solely under the domination of
Ghatgay, whose daughter he will shortly marry. I have, of course,
made it my business to enquire as to the antecedents of this man. I
find that he has the reputation of being a brutal ruffian,
remarkable alike for his greed and his cruelty--a worse adviser
Scindia could not have. Holkar was but a poor reed to lean upon,
for he was as weak in mind, as in body. But at any rate, he was a
true friend of mine and, now that he has been succeeded by one even
more imbecile than himself--and who is but a puppet in the hands of
Scindia, to whose troops he owes his accession--his power and his
dominions are practically Scindia's.

"There can be no doubt, whatever, that Bajee Rao is acting secretly
with Scindia; that is to say, he is pretending so to act, for he is
a master of duplicity and, even where his own interests are
concerned, seems to be unable to carry out, honestly, any agreement
that he has made.

"I am an old man, Mr. Lindsay, and can no longer struggle as I did,
two years ago, against fate; nor indeed do I see any means of
contending against such powerful enemies. The Rajah of Berar,
although well disposed towards me, could not venture, al