Page:Vikram and the vampire; or, Tales of Hindu devilry (IA vikramvampireort00burtrich).pdf/313

 mat, and very yellow for the want of food. he took his hand, and said in a whisper, meant to be audible, 'Alas! poor son, I can do nothing but perish with thee.'

The servants, hearing this threat, slipped one by one out of the room, and each went to tell his friend that the grand treasurer had resolved to live no longer. After which, they went back to the house to see if their master intended to keep his word, and curious to know, if he did intend to die, how, where, and when it was to be. And they were not disappointed: I do not mean that the wished their lord to die, as he was a good master to them but still there was an excitement in the thing — —

(Raja Vikram could not refrain from showing his anger at the insult thus cast by the Baital upon human nature; the wretch, however, pretending not to notice it, went on without interrupting himself)

— — which somehow or other pleased them.

When the treasurer had spent three days without touching bread or water, all the cabinet council met and determined to retire from business unless the Raja yielded to their solicitations. The treasurer was their working man. 'Besides which,' said the cabinet council, 'if a certain person gets into the habit of refusing us, what is to be the end of it, and what is the use of being cabinet councillors any longer?'

Early on the next morning, the ministers went in