CHI7RAKUT ;=, made, he continued: "Maharaj, let us be c»if from tL!s undesirable place.*' It was now past midday. The wolf again sorely tronbled the bania. He sought a sweetmeat shop and they hail a light repast. In spite of his heart having been lacerated with conflicting emotions, his treatment of Ramdas was marked by nndiminished respect and kindness. Ramdas could well understand that it was the Lord Himself playing the game. How perfect a player! When night approached they sought refuge in a dharoui- shala, but it was so fully crowded that there was no room for them. They came out. The moon was up in the heavens. Its cool and soft rays illumined the retiring vorld. It flooded the vast railway-yard with its genial effulgence. Ramdas went towards it followed by the bania, and crossing the gate they entered the yard. In the yard were scattered large slabs of stones. Ramdas took his seat on one of them, asking the bania to occupy another which lay by its side. "This is a fine place to sleep in for the night/1 Ramdas remarked. The bania grunted as innch as to say that he did not agree with him. He peered suspiciously into the dark spaces below the stones on all sides, but seeing that Ramdas had already laid himself down at full length on his slab, with another long drawn squeak, the bania also followed suit. Ramdas gazed on the bright moon above and the limitless bine space all around. He was charmed and absorbed. Suddenly, an unearthly yell issoed from the bania. Ramdas sat up and looked at him. He was shouting out: "A serpent! a serpent!" He had stood up and was shaking his cloth, the only cloth, with feverish agitation. "Maharaj, this place is infested with snakes- Let us go away from here," he said. Ramdas had observed that lizards had ma