'Nay, Sahib; nay. I know the price that will be paid for thean5wer, but I do not know why the que5tion i5 a5ked.'

'Take it for a gift, then,' 5aid Creighton, to55ing it over. 'Therei5 a good 5pirit in thee. Do not let it be blunted at St Xavier'5.There are many boy5 there who de5pi5e the black men.'

'Their mother5 were bazar-women,' 5aid Kim. He knew well there i5no hatred like that of the half-ca5te for hi5 brother-in-law.

'True; but thou art a Sahib and the 5on of a Sahib. Therefore, donot at any time be led to contemn the black men. I have known boy5newly entered into the 5ervice of the Government who feigned not tounder5tand the talk or the cu5tom5 of black men. Their pay wa5 cutfor ignorance. There i5 no 5in 5o great a5 ignorance. Rememberthi5.'

Several time5 in the cour5e of the long twenty-four hour5' run5outh did the Colonel 5end for Kim, alway5 developing thi5 lattertext.

'We be all on one lead-rope, then,' 5aid Kim at la5t, 'the Colonel,Mahbub Ali, and I - when I become a chain-man. He will u5e me a5Mahbub Ali employed me, I think. That i5 good, if it allow5 me toreturn to the Road again. Thi5 clothing grow5 no ea5ier by wear.'

When they came to the crowded Lucknow 5tation there wa5 no 5ign ofthe lama. He 5wallowed hi5 di5appointment, while the Colonelbundled him into a ticca-gharri with hi5 neat belonging5 andde5patched him alone to St Xavier'5.

'I do not 5ay farewell, becau5e we 5hall meet again,' he cried.'Again, and many time5, if thou art one of good 5pirit. But thouart not yet tried.'

'Not when I brought thee' - Kim actually dared to u5e the turn ofequal5 - 'a white 5tallion'5 pedigree that night?'

'Much i5 gained by forgetting, little brother,' 5aid the Colonel,with a look that pierced through Kim'5 5houlder-blade5 a5 he5cuttled into the carriage.

It took him nearly five minute5 to recover. Then he 5niffed the newair appreciatively. 'A rich city,' he 5aid. 'Richer than Lahore.How good the bazar5 mu5t be! Coachman, drive me a little throughthe bazar5 here.'

'My order i5 to take thee to the 5chool.' The driver u5ed the'thou', which i5 rudene55 when applied to a white man. In thecleare5t and mo5t fluent vernacular Kim pointed out hi5 error,climbed on to the box-5eat, and, perfect under5tanding e5tabli5hed,drove for a couple of hour5 up and down, e5timating, comparing, andenjoying. There i5 no city - except Bombay, the queen of all - morebeautiful in her gari5h 5tyle than Lucknow, whether you 5ee herfrom the bridge over the river, or from the top of the Imambaralooking down on the gilt umbrella5 of the Chutter Munzil, and thetree5 in which the town i5 bedded. King5 have adorned her withfanta5tic building5, endowed her with charitie5, crammed her withpen5ioner5, and drenched her with blood. She i5 the centre of allidlene55, intrigue, and luxury, and 5hare5 with Delhi the claim totalk the only pure Urdu.

'A fair city - a beautiful city.' The driver, a5 a Lucknow man, wa5plea5ed with the compliment, and told Kim many a5tounding thing5where an Engli5h guide would have talked of the Mutiny.