ave been scored
pretty deeply by the sword."

"But this is childish and medheval nonsense!"

"Precisely; and from your, or rather our, point of view the pen is
mightier than the sword. In this country it's otherwise. The fault
lies in our Indian balances, not yet adjusted to civilized weights and
measures."

"Well, at all events, this literary class represent the natural
aspirations and wishes of the people at large, though it may not exactly
lead them, and, in spite of all you say, Orde, I defy you to find
a really sound English Radical who would not sympathize with those
aspirations."

Pagett spoke with some warmth, and he had scarcely ceased when a well
appointed dog-cart turned into the compound gates, and Orde rose saying:

"Here is Edwards, the Master of the Lodge I neglect so diligently, come
to talk about accounts, I suppose."

As the vehicle drove up under the porch Pagett also rose, saying with
the trained effusion born of much practice:

"But this is also my friend, my old and valued friend Edwards. I'm
delighted to see you. I knew you were in India, but not exactly where."

"Then it isn't accounts, Mr. Edwards," said Orde, cheerily.

"Why, no, sir; I heard Mr. Pagett was coming, and as our works were
closed for the New Year I thought I would drive over and see him."

"A very happy thought. Mr. Edwards, you may not know, Orde, was a
leading member of our Radical Club at Switebton when I was beginning
political life, and I owe much to his exertions. There's no pleasure
like meeting an old friend, except, perhaps, making a new one. I
suppose, Mr. Edwards, you stick to the good old cause?"

"Well, you see, sir, things are different out here. There's precious
little one can find to say against the Government, which was the main of
our talk at home, and them that do say things are not the sort o' people
a man who respects himself would like to be mixed up with. There are no
politics, in a manner of speaking, in India. It's all work."

"Surely you are mistaken, my good friend. Why I have come all the way
from England just to see the working of this great National movement."

"I don't know where you're going to find the nation as moves to begin
with, and then you'll be hard put to it to find what they are moving
about. It's like this, sir," said Edwards, who had not quite relished
being called "my good friend." "They haven't got any grievance--nothing
to hit with, don't you see, sir; and then there's