d bent
over his wife. But she was in a deep slumber and oblivious of her
husband's presence. He noticed Ethel's form on the opposite side of
the bed and, walking gently round, touched her arm and whispered:
"Are you asleep too?"

She lifted the pillow, stretched her arms, and then sat up on the
bed. He noticed her evening dress and was explaining his late arrival
when she jumped up crossly from the bed and saying, "Look at your wife,
is she not looking ghastly?" went out of the room. Charlie returned to
his wife's side and looked closely at her. Her face seemed strangely
pallid and her hands were cold. He endeavoured to wake her and was
still trying to rouse her when Ethel returned to the room followed
by several of the servants, who looked excited.

In answer to his question, "What is wrong with Alice?" Ethel said
"There are two thieves hidden behind the almirah. Let the servants help
you to secure them and then you will know what is wrong with Alice."

The two Chinamen were soon routed out from behind the almirah,
captured and handed over to the police. A doctor was summoned and
Alice was brought out of the stupor, she had been thrown into by the
fumes of opium smoke.

An Unfaithful Servant.

A rich zemindar named Bose lived in Lucknow, He had emigrated there
from Bengal, acquired land there, and studied the language until
he could speak Urdu like a Hindustanee. He became so much a native
of Lucknow that, when business took him down to Calcutta, he felt
himself a foreigner and stranger in Bengal.

His wife was an invalid and, as the years told on her, he
had frequently to take her to Calcutta for medical advice and
treatment. Their only child was a daughter who was the darling of their
household. The second favourite in the family was a boy called Ram,
who though really a servant was treated like a son of the house and
both Mr. and Mrs. Bose were very fond of him.

When quite a small boy, Ram had been taken into service in the Bose
menage; and as his parents were both dead and he was remarkably quick
and intelligent, the zemindar took a fatherly interest in the lad and
had him taught to read and write. The teacher thought so highly of
Ram's intellect that he was taught one subject after another by his
indulgent master, and when he grew older, was especially educated
and trained for estate work. When his education was finished he
was appointed to be confidential clerk and cashier, and gradually
grew to kn