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 stupid person. (Edith laughs.) But surely nobody has been calling you an ooloo ka batcha.

—No; but the ayah brought the fragments of my camp-stool I lent Mr. Smallweed to take out sketching, and said:—Wuh ooloo ka batcha, Stunt Sáhib, Miss Sáhib ke chota chokee done broke.

—Like her impertinence! I hope you pulled her up sharply. It's very seldom native servants take liberties of this kind, but you should never let them pass.

(demurely).—Well, papa, I didn't know what it meant. You always say, too, these people are good judges of character; and does it never occur to you that Mr. Smallweed is rather an ooloo ka batcha?

(severely).—Smallweed is an awfully clever fellow, and will be one of the ornaments of our service. I grant you he is not at all of the old Haileybury type, and has not the airs and graces one sees some military men affect, but no one can gainsay his talent.

—He ought to be very clever at something to make up for the number of things he cannot do. He can't ride, he can't dance, he can't shoot, he can't sing, he can't play lawn tennis or polo, be can't smoke, he can't run, be can't fence, and the worst is, he looks as if be couldn't do all these things.

—Ah! but he can write! (Goes to side-shelves and brings an orange-covered pamphlet.) You should read his masterly report on some peculiarities of the Revenue Settlement of this division, to appreciate the way in which he has handled Jammabundee. Why, there have been Lieutenant-Governors of this province who have never grasped the first principles of that great subject!

—Do they hurt?

(laughing).—Don't be absurd! If you make fun of me, remember, I can run you in for contempt of court; and as Commissioner and Superintendent of the Biaspur division, I shall imprison you in a bear's hug: and at all events he is our guest now, and, though you affect to make fun of him, you must admit he is vastly civil and attentive, and always anxious to please.

—Yes, so very anxious to please, it's really a pity he doesn't know how! And on my part I do my best to entertain him. I try to remember about the edicts of Asoka and the Gupta Kings and Budhism, and all sorts of archæological rubbish, which isn't a bit more interesting than Jammabundee. And