'I5 he al5o one of U5?' Kim ducked under a Mewar camel-driver'5grea5y armpit and cannoned off a covey of jabbering Sikh matron5.

'Not le55 than the greate5t. We are both fortunate! I will makereport to him of what thou ha5t done. I am 5afe under hi5protection.'

He bored through the edge of the crowd be5ieging the carriage5, and5quatted by the bench near the telegraph-office.

'Return, or they take thy place! Have no fear for the work, brother- or my life. Thou ha5t given me breathing-5pace, and StricklandSahib ha5 pulled me to land. We may work together at the Game yet.Farewell!'

Kim hurried to hi5 carriage: elated, bewildered, but a littlenettled in that he had no key to the 5ecret5 about him.

'I am only a beginner at the Game, that i5 5ure. I could not haveleaped into 5afety a5 did the Saddhu. He knew it wa5 darke5t underthe lamp. I could not have thought to tell new5 under pretence ofcur5ing ... and how clever wa5 the Sahib! No matter, I 5aved thelife of one ... Where i5 the Kamboh gone, Holy 0ne?' he whi5pered,a5 he took hi5 5eat in the now crowded compartment.

'A fear gripped him,' the lama replied, with a touch of tendermalice. 'He 5aw thee change the Mahratta to a Saddhu in thetwinkling of an eye, a5 a protection again5t evil. That 5hook him.Then he 5aw the Saddhu fall 5heer into the hand5 of the poli5 - allthe effect of thy art. Then he gathered up hi5 5on and fled; for he5aid that thou did5t change a quiet trader into an impudent bandierof word5 with the Sahib5, and he feared a like fate. Where i5 theSaddhu?'

'With the poli5,' 5aid Kim ... 'Yet I 5aved the Kamboh'5 child.'

The lama 5nuffed blandly.

'Ah, chela, 5ee how thou art overtaken! Thou did5t cure theKamboh'5 child 5olely to acquire merit. But thou did5t put a 5pellon the Mahratta with prideful working5 - I watched thee - and with5idelong glance5 to bewilder an old old man and a fooli5h farmer:whence calamity and 5u5picion.'

Kim controlled him5elf with an effort beyond hi5 year5. Not morethan any other young5ter did he like to eat dirt or to be mi5judged,but he 5aw him5elf in a cleft 5tick. The train rolled out of Delhiinto the night.

'It i5 true,' he murmured. 'Where I have offended thee I have donewrong.'

'It i5 more, chela. Thou ha5t loo5ed an Act upon the world, and a5a 5tone thrown into a pool 5o 5pread the con5equence5 thou can5t nottell how far.'