the plates are filled with dainties. Each guest generally gets
thrice as much as he can eat. Then the host who does not himself join
stands with joined hands and requests the guests to do full justice, and
the dinner begins. Very little is eaten in fact, and whatever is left
goes to the poor. That is probably the only consolation. Now on this
particular occasion the bride's father, who was our host and who was an
elderly gentleman had withdrawn, leaving two of his sons to look after
us. He himself, we understood, was looking after his more elderly guests
who had been lodged in a different house.

The hall in which we sat down to dine was a large one and very well
lighted.

Adjoining it was the hall in which our beds had been made. The sons of
_mine host_ with a number of others were serving. I always was rather
unconventional. So I asked my fellow guests whether I could fall to, and
without waiting for permission I commenced eating, a very good thing I
did, as would appear hereafter.

In about 20 minutes the serving was over and we were asked to begin. As
a matter of fact I was nearly half through at that time. And then the
trouble began.

With a click all the lights went out and the whole house was in total
darkness.

Of course, the reader can guess what followed.

"Who has put out the lights?" shouted Jagat, who was sitting next but
one to me on the left.

"The ghost" shouted another in reply.

"I shall kill him if I can catch him" shouted Jagat.

The whole place was in darkness, we could not see anything but we could
hear that Jagat was trying to get up.

Then he received what was a stunning blow on his back. We could hear the
thump.

"Oh" shouted Jagat "who is that?"

He sat down again and gave the man on his right a blow like the one he
had received. The man on the right protested. Then Jagat turned to the
man on his left. The man on Jagat's left evidently resisted and Jagat
had the worst of it.

Then Narain, another one of us shouted out.

"What is the matter with you?" asked his neighbour.

"Why did you pull my hair" shouted Narain.

"I did not pull" shouted the neighbour.

Then a servant was seen approaching with a lamp and things became
quiet.

But the servant did not reach the hall. He stumbled against something
and fell headlong on the ground, the lamp went out, and our trouble
began again.

One of the party received a slap on the back of his head which sent his
cap rolling and in