AN OFF-DAY 61 



whole thing out ; so I lighted a candle and 

 had a look. Such a mess as there was ! 

 The table had been knocked over; the 

 floor was littered with rice and chicken 

 bones (the remains of my last night's 

 curry) ; the teapot had emptied cold tea 

 and tea-leaves over my knickers for to- 

 morrow, and my shirt was soaked with the 

 best unadulterated milk ; so I thought I 

 would go and awaken my " bearer," just as 

 a lesson not to leave my dinner things in the 

 room at night; a thing I'd warned him 

 against a dozen times. I therefore went, 

 candle in hand, towards the veranda, but 

 the moment the door opened my candle 

 was blown out by a gust of wind. I could 

 not find the matches ; and as I was getting 

 beastly cold I went to get a light from the 

 embers of the fire ; en route, of course, I 

 trod into the cold milk on the floor, and 

 jumping out of that, landed on the prongs 

 of the fork, and ran a splinter of wood into 

 my other foot. However, my candle and I 

 did eventually reach the fire ; but to-night 



