The palace of the Maharajah at Lalpore was not exactly built of gold and silver; but if it had been, Sonny Sahib could hardly have thought it a finer place.

It had a wall all round it, even on the side where the river ran, and inside the wall were courts and gardens with fountains and roses in them, divided by other walls, and pillared verandahs, where little green lizards ran about in the sun, and a great many stables, where the Maharajah's horses pawed and champed to be let out and ridden.

The palace itself was a whole story higher than the stables, and consisted of a wilderness of little halls with grated windows.

It smelt rather too strong of attar of roses in there--the Maharajah was fond of attar of roses--but the decorations on the whitewashed walls, in red and yellow, were very wonderful indeed.

The courtyards and the verandahs were full of people, soldiers, syces, merchants with their packs, sweetmeat sellers, barbers; only the gardens were empty.