ew patent-leather shoes,
in highest condition of fat, exuding joy and salutations.

'By Jove, Mister O'Hara, but I are jolly-glad to see you. I will
kindly shut the door. It is a pity you are sick. Are you very sick?'

'The papers--the papers from the kilta. The maps and the murasla!' He
held out the key impatiently; for the present need on his soul was to
get rid of the loot.

'You are quite right. That is correct Departmental view to take. You
have got everything?'

'All that was handwritten in the kilta I took. The rest I threw down
the hill.' He could hear the key's grate in the lock, the sticky pull
of the slow-rending oilskin, and a quick shuffling of papers. He had
been annoyed out of all reason by the knowledge that they lay below him
through the sick idle days--a burden incommunicable. For that reason
the blood tingled through his body, when Hurree, skipping
elephantinely, shook hands again.

'This is fine! This is finest! Mister O'Hara! you have--ha! ha!
swiped the whole bag of tricks--locks, stocks, and barrels. They told
me it was eight months' work gone up the spouts! By Jove, how they
beat me! ... Look, here is the letter from Hilas!' He intoned a line
or two of Court Persian, which is the language of authorized and
unauthorized diplomacy. 'Mister Rajah Sahib has just about put his
foot in the holes. He will have to explain offeecially how the
deuce-an'-all he is writing love-letters to the Czar. And they are
very clever maps ... and there is three or four Prime Ministers of
these parts implicated by the correspondence. By Gad, sar! The
British Government will change the succession in Hilas and Bunar, and
nominate new heirs to the throne. "Trea-son most base" ... but you do
not understand? Eh?'

'Are they in thy hands?' said Kim. It was all he cared for.

'Just you jolly-well bet yourself they are.' He stowed the entire
trove about his body, as only Orientals can. 'They are going up to the
office, too. The old lady thinks I am permanent fixture here, but I
shall go away with these straight off--immediately. Mr Lurgan will be
proud man. You are offeecially subordinate to me, but I shall embody
your name in my verbal report. It is a pity we are not allowed written
reports. We Bengalis excel in thee exact science.' He tossed back the
key and showed the box empty.

'Good. That is good. I was very tired. My Holy One was sick, too.
And did he fall into--'

'Oah