thoroughly, having been twice to England with his master. When this
desirable man is summoned into your presence, you cannot help being
startled to find how lightly age sits upon him; he looks like twenty-
five. As for his knowledge of English, it must be latent, for he
always falls back upon his own vernacular for purposes of
conversation. You rashly charge him with having stolen his
certificates, but he indignantly repels the insinuation. You find a
discrepancy, however, in the name and press him still further,
whereupon he retires from his first position to the extent of
admitting that the papers, though rightfully his, were earned by his
father. He does not seem to think this detracts much from their
value. Others will come, with less pronounced characteristics, and,
therefore, more perplexing. The Madrassee will be there, with his
spherical turban and his wonderful command of colloquial English; he
is supposed to know how to prepare that mysterious luxury, "real
Madras curry." Bengal servants are not common in Bombay,
fortunately, for they would only add to the perplexity. The larger
the series of specimens which you examine, the more difficult it
becomes to decide to which of them all you should commit your
happiness. "Characters" are a snare, for the master when parting
with his Boy too often pays off arrears of charity in his
certificate; and besides, the prudent Boy always has his papers read
to him and eliminates anything detrimental to his interests. But
there must be marks by which, if you were to study them closely, you
might distinguish the occult qualities of Boys and divide them into
genera and orders. The subject only wants its Linnaeus. If ever I
gird myself for my magnum opus, I am determined it shall be a
"Compendious Guide to the Classification of Indian Boys."