Then he sent a message to Harry, bidding him to come, at once.
"How is it, Puntojee," he said sternly, "that you have altogether failed to justify the faith I put in you, and have already assisted Mahdoo Rao to enter into relations with my enemy, Bajee Rao ?" Harry was thunderstruck at this sudden attack.
"My lord, you must have been misinformed.

I know nothing of any such correspondence and, if it really went on, I think the Peishwa would have taken me into his confidence." "Do you mean to say that Mahdoo has not spoken to you about his cousin ?" "No, sir, I do not say so for, some four months ago, he spoke in terms of admiration for Bajee Rao; but he did not pursue the subject, and never afterwards alluded to it." The minister looked at him fixedly.
"I believe you," he said.

"You do not look like a double-faced man, but as one who would tell the truth, whatever were the consequences.
Moreover, I felt that if you had known of Mahdoo Rao's intentions, and had not reported them to me, you would, on receiving my message, have endeavoured to make your escape.

I have of course enquired, and found that you spent your afternoon, as usual, with your scribe; and that you afterwards rode out to Sufder's camp, and there talked for half an hour, sitting outside the tent and conversing on ordinary matters; and then you returned here to the palace.

These proceedings go far to assure me that you were ignorant of the discovery that had been made, that a correspondence had been going on between Mahdoo and Bajee.