ably, while the little
prince's face fell.

'Your Highness,' stammered Tooni, 'it is great riches--may roses be
to your mouth! But I have a desire--rather than the money--'

'What is your desire?' cried the little prince. 'Say it. In a
breath my father will allow it. I want the gold-faced one to come
and play.'

The Maharajah nodded, and this time Tooni lay down at the feet of
the little prince.

'It is,' said she, 'that--I am a widow and old--that I also may
live in the farthest corner within the courtyard walls, with the
boy.'

The Maharajah slipped the bag quickly into the pocket of his blue
and yellow coat.

'It is a strange preference,' he said, 'but the Mussulmans have no
minds. It may be.'

Tooni kissed his feet, and Sonny Sahib nodded approval at him.
Somehow, Sonny Sahib never could be taught good Rajput manners.

'The boy is well grown,' said the Maharajah, turning upon his heel.
'What is his name?'

'Protector of the poor,' answered Tooni, quivering with delight,
'his name is Sonny Sahib.'

Perhaps nobody has told you why the English are called Sahibs in
India. It is because they rule there.

The Maharajah's face went all into a pucker of angry wrinkles, and
his eyes shone like little coals.

'What talk is that?' he said angrily. 'His great-grandfather was a
monkey! There is only one master here. Pig's daughter, his name
is Sunni!'

Tooni did not dare to say a word, and even the little prince was
silent.

'Look you,' said the old man to Sonny Sahib. 'Follow my son, the
Maharajah, into the courtyard, and there do his pleasure. Do you
understand? FOLLOW him!'

CHAPTER V

'Sunni,' said Moti, as the two boys rode through the gates of the
courtyard a year later, 'a man of your race has come here, and my
father has permitted him to remain. My father has given him the
old empty jail to live in, behind the monkey temple. They say many
curious things are in his house. Let us ride past it.'

In his whole life Sunni had never heard such an interesting piece
of news before--even Tooni's, about the Maharajah's horseman, was
nothing to this. 'Why is he come?' he asked, putting his little
red Arab into a trot.

'To bring your gods to the Rajputs.'

'I have no gods,' declared Sunni. 'Kali is so ugly--I have no
heart for her. Ganesh makes me laugh, with his elephant's head;
and Tooni says that Allah is not my God.'

'Tooni says,' Sunni went on reflectively, 'that my God