Page:Letters from India Vol 2.pdf/57

 ‘Peene ka pawnay’ are all that is heard, which, being interpreted, means ‘a glass of cold water,’ and if that is not sufficiently iced, the dejection of the moment turns into slight irritation.

I wish you would come here, dear. It really is very rude your never calling, and I should like to show you my room; somehow or another I have scraped together a number of pretty things; none very valuable, but they are odd and such as you have not seen before—Chinese and Burmese, and any other ese, that comes in my way.

The black angel, commonly called ‘ducky boy,’ had a horrid narrow escape a fortnight ago. He went frolicking out at the gate of Government House before and Fanny, who were riding, and of course never supposed that the country was in that state of disorganisation that any common dogs would touch his little excellency. But two bull-dogs, whom a man was leading in a chain, flew at him and pinned him down; when heard the hubbub and rode on, and, by dint of sentries and syces, rescued the poor little prince, who was bit in two places, and had fainted from sheer fright. Jimmund, his servant, had flown at the owner of