Page:The Slave Girl of Agra.djvu/56

 Men of Rajputana and Northern India were, as they are to this day, the greatest bankers and the keenest traders in India. Their banking houses had branches in every important city, their bills of exchange were received and honoured all over the land, and crowned heads in India not unfrequently saved their states in times of distress and war by borrowing from these princely merchants. A number of these enterprising traders and bankers had established branch houses even in the small town of Birnagar, and the appointment, first of Raja Todar Mull, and then of MajaRaja [sic] Man Singh, to Bengal, had brought fresh numbers of these northern traders.

They accosted Nobo Kumar with respectful obeisance as he visited their quarter, and presented him with a silver plate full of red powder. Nobo Kumar touched the plate, according to old custom, to signify his acceptance, and at the same time slipped a gold coin on it. Bankers, whose great houses could have bought up Nobo Kumar's estate, accepted this trifling douceur as a recognition of the rank and position of the giver.

But little imps in the street, sons of these merchants, were no respecters of persons. They had their hands full of kum-kums, or little pith balls filled with red powder, and in spite of the frowns of their elders they sent some Parthian shots at the august party and screamed and scampered away. Nobo Kumar himself received one or two on his turban with his usual good-humour, and wiped his face as he walked away.

He had not proceeded far when he met the women of these Western people coming from their ablutions in the Ganges. They were modest women, known