ow as much of Bose's money affairs as the zemindar did
himself. Whenever the rich man went on his estate, Ram went with
him. At times of collection, Ram had the office of counting the silver
and locking it up in the cash box. Frequently thousands of rupees
passed through his hands in this way, and he alone always knew what
amount of money the cash box contained.

One year, Bose and the faithful Ram had been round the zemindari,
collecting rents; and, as many who had been in arrears paid up, they
returned with a larger sum of money than usual. This was locked up
in the cash box and Bose told his wife in Ram's hearing that next
day he should deposit it in the bank. The cash box was always kept
at night on a table by the zemindar's bed-side.

The Boses had a large house in Lucknow and it was nearly always full,
as Mrs. Bose was fond of company and they invariably had a number
of relatives and friends staying with them. Mr. and Mrs. Bose slept
upstairs in a large south room, which opened into another large room
alongside of it. The only furniture in their room was their two beds
and a table which stood between the beds to hold the cash box and
a lantern.

The night of the zemindar's return, his wife could not sleep. She
had been ill and she counted the hours as the night wore on. The
light of the lantern showed her husband's sleeping form, the naked
sword which always hung at his bedpost, and the bare white-washed
walls of the room. As she lay awake, Mrs. Bose thought she heard a
noise at the door leading into the other room. The noise came again
and she listened intently. Some one opened the door and then shut
it. Mrs. Bose kept still, listened and watched. Some one again opened
and shut the door gently, then again and again. It struck Mrs. Bose
that this was being done to ascertain whether the inmates of the room
were asleep or awake. She continued to keep perfectly still.

Now the door was pushed wide open and Ram entered, and closed the door
softly behind him. When Mrs. Bose saw him enter, her first thought
was that he was the bearer of some bad news, and she very nearly
asked him what was the matter. But his stealthy movements made her
feign sleep and see what he was about; and as he approached her bed
on tiptoe, she closed her eyes and lay as if peacefully sleeping. He
stood beside the bed apparently watching her. Mrs. Bose's nerves were
tingling with fear, and it took all her powers of self-control to keep
her e