officer of the Nawab; hoc sat est tibi--blunt language, but the
phrase is Tully's."

"Well, I waive that. But I am not satisfied that you, an Englishman, have
authority to act for the Faujdar of Hugli. The crowd I see before me--a
rabble of lathiwallahs--clearly cannot be the Faujdar's men."

At this point he heard an exclamation from Bulger. The second body of men
had come up and ranked themselves behind the first.

"And may I ask," added Desmond, with a slight gesture to Bulger to
restrain himself--he too had recognized the newcomers--"since when the
Nawab has taken into his service the crew of an interloping English
merchantman?"

"I shall give you full information, Mr. Burke," said Diggle suavely,
"when we stand together before my friend the Faujdar. In the meantime you
will, if I may venture to advise, consult your interest best in yielding
to superior numbers and delivering up the goods."

"And what about myself, Mr. Diggle?"

"You, of course, will accompany me to the Faujdar. He will be incensed, I
make no doubt, at your temerity, and not unjustly; but I will intercede
for you, and you will be treated with the most delicate attentions."

"You speak fair, Mr. Diggle," said Desmond, still bent upon gaining time;
"but that is your way. What assurance have I that you will, this time,
keep your word?"

"You persist in misjudging me," said Diggle regretfully. "As Cicero says
in the play, you construe things after your fashion, clean from the
purpose of the things themselves. My interest in you is undiminished; nay
rather, it is increased and mixed with admiration. My offers still hold
good: join hands with me, and I promise you that you shall soon be a
persona grata at the court of Murshidabad, with wealth and honors in your
grasp."

"Your offer is tempting, Mr. Diggle, to a poor adventurer like me, and if
only my own interests were involved, I might strike a bargain with you. I
have had such excellent reasons to trust you in the past! But the goods
are not mine; they are Mr. Merriman's; and the utmost I can do at present
is to ask you to draw your men off and wait while I send a messenger to
Calcutta. When he returns with Mr. Merriman's consent to the delivery of
the goods, then--"

The sentence remained unfinished. Diggle's expression had been becoming
blacker and blacker as Desmond spoke, and seeing with fury that he was
being played with he suddenly wheeled round, and, cantering back to his
men, gave t