‘What good is all this to me?’ said Kim wearily.  ’Thou wilt go away, and they will return me to those empty rooms where there is no good place to sleep and where the boys beat me.’

’I do not think that.  Have patience, child.  All Pathans are not faithless — except in horseflesh.’

Five — ten — fifteen minutes passed, Father Victor talking energetically or asking questions which the Colonel answered.

’Now I’ve told you everything that I know about the boy from beginnin to end; and it’s a blessed relief to me.  Did ye ever hear the like?’

’At any rate, the old man has sent the money.  Gobind Sahai’s notes of hand are good from here to China,’ said the Colonel.  ’The more one knows about natives the less can one say what they will or won’t do.’

‘That’s consolin’ — from the head of the Ethnological Survey.  It’s this mixture of Red Bulls and Rivers of Healing (poor heathen, God help him!) an’ notes of hand and Masonic certificates.  Are you a Mason, by any chance?’

’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 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.’