Every morning the carriage came at nine o'clock to fetch Mrs.Holland, who spent several hours with her brother, and was then driven back to the hotel, while Dick wandered about with Rajbullub through the native town, asking questions innumerable, observing closely the different costumes and turbans, and learning to know, at once, the district, trade, or caste, from the colour or fashion of the turban, and other little signs.
The shops were an endless source of amusement to him, and he somewhat surprised his companion by his desire to learn the names of all the little articles and trinkets, even of the various kinds of grain.
Dick, in fact, was continuing his preparations for his work.

He knew that ignorance of any trifling detail which would, as a matter of course, be known to every native, would excite more surprise and suspicion than would be caused by a serious blunder in other matters; and he wrote down, in a notebook, every scrap of information he obtained, so as to learn it by heart at his leisure.
Rajbullub was much surprised at the lad's interest in all these little matters, which, as it seemed to him, were not worth a thought on the part of his lord's nephew.
"You will never have to buy these things, Sahib," he said.

"Why should you trouble about them ?" "I am going to be over here some time, Rajbullub, and it is just as well to learn as much as one can.

If I were to stroll into the market in Tripataly, and had a fancy to buy any trifle, the country people would laugh in my face, were I ignorant of its name." His companion shook his head.
"They would not expect any white sahib to know such things," he said.
"If he wants to buy anything, the white sahib points to it and asks, 'How much ?' Then, whether it is a brass iota, or a silver trinket, or a file, or a bunch of fruit, the native says a price four times as much as he would ask anyone else.

Then the sahib offers him half, and after protesting many times that the sum is impossible, the dealer accepts it, and both parties are well satisfied.
"If you have seen anything that you want to buy, sahib, tell me, and I will go and get it for you.