‘Judge if I have not cause to be angry, O Khan, at being called a rogue and a cheat by that boy," said the Moonshee; ‘have I not cause to be enraged when my character is thus taken away?’
‘Wherefore didst thou say this, Kasim, to a respectable man like him? these words are improper from such a youth as thou art.’
‘Khan Sahib,’ said Kasim, ‘you have hitherto trusted me implicitly; is it not so? you have never doubted me?’
‘Never; go on.’
‘Alla is my witness!’ he continued; ‘I know no other motive in this but your welfare and prosperity, which first led me to inquire, in consequence of my suspicion. Since the Moonshee has provoked it, and my lord is present, know then why I called him rogue and cheat. At Bangalore, by making notes of the prices in the bazaars, I detected him in overcharging for grain and forage to an immense amount in the week’s account; I found the papers here, while my lord was absent, and for lack of other occupation I began looking over the items. I see the same thing again attempted—he swears he will not alter the papers, and I was angry; he called me base-born—’
‘Yes, I heard that, Kasim; but say, hast thou proof of all this?’
‘Behold the daily memorandum I made of the rates, Khan, village after village, and day after day, written as I made the inquiry; the grain and forage was I know bought from the very people from whose lips I had the rates. Call them if you like—they are the bazaar merchants.’
‘And so thou wouldst have cheated me, Naser-oo-deen,’ said the Khan, his choler rising rapidly and obstructing his speech, and looking wrathfully at the trembling Moonshee; ‘thou who owest me so much, to cheat me! Alla! Alla! have I deserved this? To what amount was the fraud, Kasim?’
‘A hundred rupees or more, Khan, at least, even upon this week’s account; I could not tell exactly without making up the whole difference.’
‘I doubt it not, I doubt it not; and if this for one week or a little more, what for the whole time since thou hast had this place—the sole control of my horses’ expenditure! what—’