The Nawab himself came with them as far as the
village of Nagina, where he used to hunt; and there Karim requested
permission to change his groom, as he thought Rupla too shrewd a man
for such a purpose. He wanted, he said, a stupid, sleepy man, who
would neither ask nor understand anything; but the Nawab told him
that Rupla was an old and quiet servant, upon whose fidelity he could
entirely rely; and Karim consented to take him. Ania's little
tenement, upon which his wife and children resided, was only two
miles distant, and he went to give instructions about gathering in
the harvest, and to take leave of them. He told his wife that he was
going to the capital on a difficult and dangerous duty, but that his
companion Karim would do it all, no doubt. Ania asked Karim before
they left Nagina what was to be his reward; and he told him that the
Nawab had promised them five villages in rent-free tenure. Ania
wished to learn from the Nawab himself what he might expect; and
being taken to him by Karim, was assured that he and his family
should be provided for handsomely for the rest of their lives, if he
did his duty well on this occasion.
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