"Begone!" cried both the girls in a breath. "Here is the mistress coming, and if she hear such nonsense thou wilt be whipped." "Here is the man who will be your worship's guide," said the Patel deferentially to our friend the Lalla, who, having arrived safely, was now divested of his upper clothing, which some of the men were drying in the opposite chamber, and seated in the place of honour of the assembly; "but your worship should eat before you go on, and the Rao Sahib here will take you to his house--a Brahmun's house," he added, as the Lalla appeared to hesitate. "Ah, no, sir," returned the traveller, who indeed was very hungry, "I could not eat without I bathed, and I had better wait till I get to Allund. Shookr, shookr! I should be too long about it, and my horse has had his feed, and is ready to go on. And this is the guide?--not beautiful exactly." "No, Maharaj, I am not beautiful, truly," replied Lukshmun, with a deprecatory gesture to the Patel, "but I may be useful to this noble gentleman. You may trust me, my lord. The Patel knows me, and so do all these worthy gentlemen; and am I not come for you?" "They expect me, then, good fellow," replied the Lalla, amused by the man's broken Oordoo, and his grotesque expression of face. "Ah, yes, noble sir," answered the man, joining his hands, "ever since morning; and as I was coming here on business I was told to bring you on. And now let us proceed, else it will be night ere we reach Allund; and," he added, with a wink to the Patel, "it is not good to be out late on the roads." "What, are they dangerous, then?" asked the Lalla, looking anxiously around him. "O no," cried Lukshmun, interposing readily; "there is no trouble in the country, and my lord is armed, and so am I. O no, only in regard to the mud and the stones. My lord will not find the road long, for I can sing him Mahratta 'lownees' if he likes." "There was a tree and a temple which I was told to avoid, and to ask to be sent by the south road," said the Lalla, preparing to mount. Lukshmun exchanged glances with the Patel and the Putwari. "Could any one have warned the stranger?" "A tree!" said the Patel, gravely. "What tree? dost thou know any, Lukshmun? And the south road? what road?" "O, I suppose the noble gentleman means that by Navindgee, and Hoshully, and Chik-Wondully, and Hully Sullgarra," said Lukshmun, rolling out a volley of hard Canarese village names. "That road? Why, it is six coss further from here! They should have sent him by it from Surroori. No," he continued, dropping the Lalla's stirrup, which he had taken in his hand, "if the gentleman likes to go he can do so, of course, but his slave begs to be excused;" and he put his joined hands up to his nose. "Very good," said the Lalla, "I don't know; only I was told----" "By whom?" interrupted the Putwari. "By Déo Bawa, the Byragee at Surroori."