Then he rose and said to Burkut, who was praying to perfection behind---- 'I stay not for this. And we are too soon, for all thy fuss of being late. 'Twill be a good half-hour ere the dirge begins. So I go to Lucanaster's.--Nay!' he added hastily, as Burkut began to rise also, 'thou canst stay here, and if any of note come in my absence, tell them I return.' So with a cunning smile leavening his scowl at the tourists, he passed out. In truth he was glad of the excuse which made it possible to take no one but Lateefa, who was to be trusted--who indeed had to be trusted in all things, since he knew all things--with him to Mr. Lucanaster's house; for even if he had left Burkut outside during his interview, there was no saying what the latter might not have discovered, or say he had discovered, which would answer his purpose of pressure quite as well! For Jehân, like most of Burkut's acquaintances, was quite aware of the latter's method. Five minutes after, therefore (since Mr. Lucanaster's house lay conveniently close to the city and his numerous clients there), Jehân found himself _tête-à-tête_ with a shrewd commercial face intent on the scientific counting of a string of pearls with a paper-knife. 'Three, six, nine, twelve,' came Mr. Lucanaster's voice as the ivory slipped between the triplets of pearls. 'Fifty and five,' he said finally, and Jehân nodded. 'Fifty and five,' he assented. 'What will you give me for them, _Huzoor_?' Mr. Lucanaster drew a despatch-box towards him, opened it, looked at a paper, and smiled lavishly. 'Nothing, Nawâb-_sahib_,' he said calmly; 'for, to begin with, there are five short on the string. There were sixty on it when it was stolen.' Jehân nearly jumped from his chair. 'Stolen!' he echoed. 'It is a lie--they are mine--they were my mother's.' The lavish smile continued. 'Exactly, Nawâb-_sahib_, the description says so; and they were stolen from Government House two nights ago.' 'But I tell you it is impossible--my house was wearing them----' 'Excuse me; but you sold your mother's pearls last year! I happen to know, because Gunga Mull, who bought them, was acting for me. You had refused my direct offer, if you remember, and you lost a thousand rupees in consequence. It is safer to trust me in the end, Nawâb-_sahib_,' put in Mr. Lucanaster suavely. 'But not one string,' protested Jehân, trying to be haughty. 'This one I kept, and if the _Huzoor_ does not wish to buy, I can sell it elsewhere, as I did before.' He stretched his hand for the string, but Mr. Lucanaster sate back in his chair dangling the pearls, and looked at the Rightful Heir as a spider looks at a fly.