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THE VEIL.

CHAPTER I . AMYATT’s END.

THE English boats arrived at Murshidabad in due course. The news of Amyatt’s arrival reached Mahammad Taqui Khan, the Lieutenant of Mir Kasim. With a profuse display of pomp and show he visited Amyatt. Amyatt felt highly gratiﬁed and Taqui Khan ended his interview by inviting Amyatt to dinner. For the sake of decency, Amyatt had to accept the invitation, although not very willingly. Meanwhile Mahammad Taqui had secretly posted sentries to watch, so that the English boats might not slip away.

After Mahammad Taqui had left, the Englishmen took counsel of one another-whether to attend the invitation or not. Galstaun and Johnson were of opinion that an Englishman is and must be a stranger to fear, therefore, they should attend the invitation. Amyatt maintained that when war was about to be declared and misunderstandings had reached the breaking point, he failed to see how he was bound to observe the formalities of etiquette. Amyatt decided not to attend the invitation.

The news of the invitation had already found way into the boat where Dalani and Kulsam had been kept as close prisoners. They were talking in whispers.