to be especially shocked.

Surajah Dowlah raised his head and looked at me in some surprise.

"I should not care to be king of your country if I could not put a man
to death when I wished to. Allah has created kings, and has put men's
lives into our hands. It is destiny. Those who fall by my hands would
perish instead by pestilence or famine or wild beasts if I forbore to
slay them. They die because it is the will of Allah."

I listened in consternation to this frightful profession of fatalism
by which Surajah Dowlah sought to decline the responsibility of his
wicked acts. In the meantime he read the letter which I had brought
from Colonel Clive.

"Why does Sabat Jung so earnestly desire me to disband my troops?" he
asked presently.

"Your Highness's own conscience must tell you that," I returned. "So
long as you keep your army in the field, threatening Calcutta, it is
impossible to believe that you are in earnest in your professions of
friendship towards the English. The present state of things keeps the
minds of the merchants unsettled and prevents the resumption of trade,
without which our factories cannot subsist in Bengal."

"No, no," the Nabob broke out, speaking very earnestly, "I design
nothing against you. But I am in fear of the Morattoes, who meditate
another invasion."

"Have no fear of that, sir. Colonel Clive will protect you, if
necessary, against the Morattoes. But you may depend upon it he will
never believe in your friendship till your troops are withdrawn from
Plassy."

The Nabob seemed to meditate upon these words for a few minutes,
during which nobody ventured to speak to him. Then he looked at me
again, seeming as if he would search my heart.

"And suppose I comply with this demand, what security have I that the
Colonel will not advance against this city? How do I know that he is
not deceiving me? There are plots--yes, there are plots in the air!"

I felt a touch of contempt for him as I answered--

"That is a matter which I must take leave not to discuss. It is for
your Highness to consider whether your conduct has been such as to
conciliate the affections of your subjects, or whether it has not
rather been calculated to make every man your secret enemy."

Surajah Dowlah started, and sank back on his seat, terrified by this
unexpected plainness, which caused little less alarm among his suite.
But I soon saw that my words had been rightly judged. Being an
Oriental, the Nabob could no