"But I simply daren't repeat what he said. 'All right!' I said, still hanging on to the gun. 'Come along and we'll bowl him over.' He followed me into my room with a face like a fiend in torment. And, as truly as I'm yarning here, there was a huge brindled beast of a pariah sitting on my bed!"
"Tall, sir, tall. But go on. The audience is now awake."
"Hang it! Could I have invented that pariah? Stovey dropped of the gun and flopped down in a corner and yowled. I went 'ee ki ri ki re!' like a woman in hysterics, pitched the gun forward and loosed off through a window."
"And the pariah?"
"He quitted for the time being. Stovey was in an awful state. He swore the animal hadn't been there when I called him. That was true enough. I firmly believe Providence put it there to save me from being killed by the infuriated Stovey."
"You've too lively a belief in Providence altogether. What happened?"
"Stovey tried to recover himself and pass it all over, but he let me keep the gun and went to bed. About two days afterwards old Baggs turned up on tour, and I told him Stovey wanted watching—more than I could give him. I don't know whether Baggs or the pi did it, but he didn't throw any more suicidal splints. I was transferred a little while afterwards."
"Ever meet the man again?"
"Yes; once at Sheik Katan dâk bungalow—trailing the big brindle pi after him."
"Oh, it was real, then. I thought it was arranged for the occasion."