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 heavy fever on me; hence the lies I told in my sleep." "Well," replied the jemadar, "we shall soon know the meaning of all you have said: get ready at once." With these words, he departed.

As soon as it struck ten, the officers of the court took Thakchacha and the other accused into court. Bancharam had been walking up and down the police court with Mr. Butler, long before nine. He was thinking -- "If we can only get Thakchacha off this time, we may still secure a good deal of business through his agency: he is an extremely useful person in many ways, through his power of talking people over, and his special knowledge and experience in every kind of business, legal or otherwise; but I have always for myself acted, on the principle;-- 'No rupees, no investigation' I cannot, as the saying is, 'drive away the wild buffalo at my own expense;' and again, as another saying has it, 'I have sat down to dance, why then a veil?' Why conceal my sentiments? Besides, Thakchacha has bled a good many people, what harm then in bleeding him? But a good deal of skill is necessary to get the flesh of a crow[59] to eat, and it will not be easy to make anything out of so wary an individual as Thakchacha." Mr. Butler, seeing Bancharam so absent-minded, asked him what he was anxious about. Bancharam replied: "Ah, dear Saheb, I am thinking how to get money to enter my house!" Mr. Butler, who had moved away a little distance, exclaimed: "A capital idea, capital."

As soon as he saw Thakchacha, Bancharam ran up to him, and catching hold of his hands said to him, with tears in his eyes: "Ah, what a misfortune this is! I sat up the whole of last night in consequence of the bad news; not once did I close my eyes, and after I had in a fashion performed my religious duties, I slipped away before daylight,