ensive education St Xavier, Lucknow, and allow small time to forward
same per hoondi sent to any part of India as your Honour shall address
yourself. This servant of your Honour has presently no place to lay
crown of his head, but going to Benares by train on account of
persecution of old woman talking so much and unanxious residing
Saharunpore in any domestic capacity." Now what in the world does that
mean?'

'She has asked him to be her puro--her clergyman--at Saharunpore, I
think. He would not do that on account of his River. She did talk.'

'It's clear to you, is it? It beats me altogether. "So going to
Benares, where will find address and forward rupees for boy who is
apple of eye, and for Almighty God's sake execute this education, and
your petitioner as in duty bound shall ever awfully pray. Written by
Sobrao Satai, Failed Entrance Allahabad University, for Venerable
Teshoo Lama the priest of Such-zen looking for a River, address care of
Tirthankars' Temple, Benares. P. M.--Please note boy is apple of eye,
and rupees shall be sent per hoondi three hundred per annum. For God
Almighty's sake." Now, is that ravin' lunacy or a business
proposition? I ask you, because I'm fairly at my wits' end.'

'He says he will give me three hundred rupees a year? So he will give
me them.'

'Oh, that's the way you look at it, is it?'

'Of course. If he says so!'

The priest whistled; then he addressed Kim as an equal. 'I don't
believe it; but we'll see. You were goin' off today to the Military
Orphanage at Sanawar, where the Regiment would keep you till you were
old enough to enlist. Ye'd be brought up to the Church of England.
Bennett arranged for that. On the other hand, if ye go to St Xavier's
ye'll get a better education an--an can have the religion. D'ye see my
dilemma? Kim saw nothing save a vision of the lama going south in a
train with none to beg for him.

'Like most people, I'm going to temporize. If your friend sends the
money from Benares--Powers of Darkness below, where's a street-beggar
to raise three hundred rupees?--ye'll go down to Lucknow and I'll pay
your fare, because I can't touch the subscription-money if I intend, as
I do, to make ye a Catholic. If he doesn't, ye'll go to the Military
Orphanage at the Regiment's expense. I'll allow him three days' grace,
though I don't believe it at all. Even then, if he fails in his
payments later on ... but it's beyond me. We can only walk on