'By Jove, I am, now I come to think of it. That's an additional
reason,' said the Colonel absently.

'I'm glad ye see a reason in it. But as I said, it's the mixture
o' things that's beyond me. An' his prophesyin' to our Colonel,
sitting on my bed with his little shimmy torn open showing his
white skin; an' the prophecy comin' true! They'll cure all that
nonsense at St Xavier's, eh?'

'Sprinkle him with holy water,' the Colonel laughed.

'On my word, I fancy I ought to sometimes. But I'm hoping he'll be
brought up as a good Catholic. All that troubles me is what'll
happen if the old beggar-man -'

'Lama, lama, my dear sir; and some of them are gentlemen in their
own country.'

'The lama, then, fails to pay next year. He's a fine business head
to plan on the spur of the moment, but he's bound to die some day.
An' takin' a heathen's money to give a child a Christian education
-'

'But he said explicitly what he wanted. As soon as he knew the boy
was white he seems to have made his arrangements accordingly. I'd
give a month's pay to hear how he explained it all at the
Tirthankars' 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