and dignity. The Babu had never seen a paper connected with estate management, and was entirely ignorant of the ordinary terms used in keeping estate accounts. When the naib said to him one day: "Just look, sir, for a moment at these different heads of the records;" he would not even glance at the papers, but gazed vacantly in the direction of a tree near the office. On another occasion, the naib said to him: "Sir, there are so many Khodkast and so many Paikast tenants." "Don't talk to me," said the Babu, "of Khodkast and Paikast, I will make them all Ek-kast[56]." When the tenants heard of the arrival of the proprietor of the estate at his head-quarters, they were delighted, and said to each other: "Ah, now that that old wretch of a Mussulman has gone, our destiny after all these days has changed its course!" And so these poor empty-handed, empty-stomached and poverty-stricken tenants came with joyous and confident faces, to offer him the customary gifts, making profound obeisance the while. Matilall, enraptured by the jingling sound of the silver, smiled softly to himself. Then the ryots, seeing the Babu so happy and cheerful, began to shout out their various grievances. "Somebody has removed my boundary mark, and ploughed up my land," said one. "Somebody has put his own pots on my date palm, and stolen all my toddy," said another. "Somebody has loosed his cattle into my garden," exclaimed another, "and they have done a lot of damage in it." "My grain has all been eaten up by somebody or other's ducks," cried another. Another said, "I have brought back the money I borrowed upon a promissory note; please give me my bond back." "I have cut down and sold some babul trees" said another, "and as I wish to repair my house, please pass an order to have the fourth part of the price remitted to me." Another said, "My land has not been properly made over
