kars' Temple
at Benares. Look here, Padre, I don't pretend to know much about
natives, but if he says he'll pay, he'll pay--dead or alive. I mean,
his heirs will assume the debt. My advice to you is, send the boy down
to Lucknow. If your Anglican Chaplain thinks you've stolen a march on
him--'

'Bad luck to Bennett! He was sent to the Front instead o' me. Doughty
certified me medically unfit. I'll excommunicate Doughty if he comes
back alive! Surely Bennett ought to be content with--'

'Glory, leaving you the religion. Quite so! As a matter of fact I
don't think Bennett will mind. Put the blame on me. I--er--strongly
recommend sending the boy to St Xavier's. He can go down on pass as a
soldier's orphan, so the railway fare will be saved. You can buy him an
outfit from the Regimental subscription. The Lodge will be saved the
expense of his education, and that will put the Lodge in a good temper.
It's perfectly easy. I've got to go down to Lucknow next week. I'll
look after the boy on the way--give him in charge of my servants, and
so on.'

'You're a good man.'

'Not in the least. Don't make that mistake. The lama has sent us
money for a definite end. We can't very well return it. We shall have
to do as he says. Well, that's settled, isn't it? Shall we say that,
Tuesday next, you'll hand him over to me at the night train south?
That's only three days. He can't do much harm in three days.'

'It's a weight off my mind, but--this thing here?'--he waved the note
of hand--'I don't know Gobind Sahai: or his bank, which may be a hole
in a wall.'

'You've never been a subaltern in debt. I'll cash it if you like, and
send you the vouchers in proper order.'

'But with all your own work too! It's askin'--'

'It's not the least trouble indeed. You see, as an ethnologist, the
thing's very interesting to me. I'd like to make a note of it for some
Government work that I'm doing. The transformation of a regimental
badge like your Red Bull into a sort of fetish that the boy follows is
very interesting.'

'But I can't thank you enough.'

'There's one thing you can do. All we Ethnological men are as jealous
as jackdaws of one another's discoveries. They're of no interest to
anyone but ourselves, of course, but you know what book-collectors are
like. Well, don't say a word, directly or indirectly, about the
Asiatic side of the boy's character--his adventures and his prophecy,
and so on. I'll worm