"Two rupees!" James paused and turned. "Why, Sahib, you have three hundred thousand rupees in your pocket." "But not worth an anna until I get to Rangoon. Didn't those duffers give you anything for handling their luggage the other day?" "Not a pice, Sahib." "Rotters! It takes an Englishman to turn a small trick like that. Well, well; there were extenuating circumstances. They had sore heads. No man likes to pay three hundred thousand for something he could have bought for ten thousand. And I made them come to me, James, to me. I made them come to this god-forsaken hole, just because it pleased my fancy. When you have the skewer in, always be sure to turn it around. I believe I'm heaven-born after all. The Lord hates a quitter, and so do I. I nearly quit myself, once; eh, Rajah, old top? But I made them come to me. That's the milk in the cocoanut, the curry on the rice. They almost had me. Two rupees! It truly is a great world." "Jah, jah, jah! Jah--jah--jah--ja-a-a-h!" screamed the parrot. "_Chaloo_!" "Go on! That's the ticket. If I were a praying man, this would be the time for it. Three hundred thousand rupees!" The man looked at the far horizon, as if he would force his gaze beyond, into the delectable land, the Eden out of which he had been driven. "Caviar and truffles, and Romanee Conti, and Partagas!" "Chicken and curry and Scotch whisky." "Bah! You've the imagination of a he-goat." "All right, Sahib." "James, I owe you three hundred rupees, and I am going to add seven hundred more. We've been fighting this old top for six years together, and you've been a good servant and a good friend; and I'll take you with me as far as this fortune will go, if you say the word." "Ah, Sahib, I am much sorry. But Delhi calls, and I go. A thousand rupees will make much business for me in the Chandney Chowk." "Just as you say." Presently they became purple shades in a brown world. II A MAN WITH A PAST