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Rh on the former occasion. But the mother, unreasonably prepossessed in the young man's favour, would not listen to contradiction, and at last persuaded the Brahmin to accept her proposal. The young hopeful, being told what was wanted of him, bragged a good deal of his own efficiency, and with the eight-anna bit his mother gave him as earnest money for the dahi, he started off for the milkman's house. But fate had destined that he should not get there. On the way he met the elephant belonging to the rajah of the place, which was being led to the river for its bath. And as he had never mounted an elephant, though he had always pictured it as his ideal of happiness, he could not resist the temptation of obtaining a ride by paying the mahout the money he had with him. While seated on the back of the animal, he assumed a ludicrous gravity of countenance, which made him the laughing-stock of the crowd that soon assembled around him, and some of the urchins who knew him bawled out, "There goes Luckhinarain, the Brahmin, on the rajah's elephant," and threw handfuls of dust at him.

Having enjoyed himself to his heart's content, he returned home, quite unconcerned at his neglect of duty. With a bold face he told his mother that the earnest money had been paid to the milkman, and that the requisite quantity of dahi would be brought the next morning at nine o'clock. The poor woman believed him, though his father had great doubts as to the truth of his assertion. The morning came, and it was ascertained by the sun's position that it was nine o'clock, but no supply of dahi had come. In great anxiety Luckhi's mother asked him what the delay meant, and was peremptorily told to wait. Two hours passed, to the great uneasiness of his parents, and yet the milkman did not appear. The old Brahmin was on the tenter-hooks of suspense, and his wife in no better condition, when Luckhi, with sombre looks, went unknown to them into the pantry, took out some tamarind, entered the goshala, and made the cows eat the tamarind. In a quarter of an hour he visited the cows again with a karay,