lines on a black board for at least half an hour, and Kim continued
his interrupted nap. He much disapproved of the present aspect of
affairs, for this was the very school and discipline he had spent
two-thirds of his young life in avoiding. Suddenly a beautiful idea
occurred to him, and he wondered that he had not thought of it
before.

The man dismissed them, and first to spring through the veranda
into the open sunshine was Kim.

' 'Ere, you! 'Alt! Stop!' said a high voice at his heels. 'I've got
to look after you. My orders are not to let you out of my sight.
Where are you goin'?'

It was the drummer-boy who had been hanging round him all the
forenoon - a fat and freckled person of about fourteen, and Kim
loathed him from the soles of his boots to his cap-ribbons.

'To the bazar - to get sweets - for you,' said Kim, after thought.

'Well, the bazar's out o' bounds. If we go there we'll get a
dressing-down. You come back.'

'How near can we go?' Kim did not know what bounds meant, but he
wished to be polite - for the present.

' 'Ow near? 'Ow far, you mean! We can go as far as that tree down
the road.'

'Then I will go there.'