his mother continued installed at the head
of the house, and that the girls were both at excellent schools.

Charlie mentioned, to the rajah, the rumours which had reached him of
a plot against him. The rajah assured him of his own support, under
all circumstances, and offered that a strong guard should be placed,
night and day, over the apartments he occupied.

This Charlie declined.

"A guard can always be corrupted," he said. "My Irish servant sleeps
in my anteroom, my four lieutenants are close at hand, and knowing
that the soldiers are, for the most part, attached to me, I do not
think that open force will be used. I will, however, cause a large
bell to be suspended above my quarters. Its ringing will be a signal
that I am attacked, in which case I rely upon your highness putting
yourself at the head of the guard, and coming to my assistance."

Tim Kelly was at once furious and alarmed, at the news that danger
threatened his master, and took every precaution that he could imagine
to ensure his safety. He took to going down to the town, himself, to
purchase provisions; and, so far as possible, prepared these himself.
He procured two or three monkeys, animals which he held in horror, and
offered them a portion of everything that came on the table, before he
placed it before his master.

Charlie at first protested against this, as his dinner became cold by
waiting; but Tim had an oven prepared, and ordered dinner half an hour
before the time fixed by his master. Each dish as brought in was,
after a portion had been given to a monkey, placed in the oven, and
thus half an hour was given to allow the poison to work. This was done
without Charlie's knowledge, the oven being placed in the anteroom,
and the dishes thence brought in, in regular order, by the body
servant, whom even Tim allowed to be devoted to his master.

One day, Charlie was just sitting down to his soup, when Tim ran in.

"For the love of Heaven, Mr. Charles, don't put that stuff to your
mouth. It's pisoned, or, at any rate, if it isn't, one of the other
dishes is."

"Poisoned, Tim! Nonsense, man. You are always thinking of poisonings
and plots."

"And it's lucky for your honor that I am," Tim said. "Jist come into
the next room, and look at the monkeys."

Charlie went in. One of the little creatures was lying upon the
ground, evidently in a state of great agony. The other was sitting up,
rocking itself backwards and forwards, like a human bei