DECLARED BY TRUE WORDS 27 



rocked himself backwards and forwards, apparently 

 in great stress and emotion. 



"He speaks," said they. I heard him ask 

 faintly : 



" Has the mistress come ? " 



"Yes," they said, "she is here." 



"It is Bhagwan." 



" Bhagwan, the boy ! " they all ejaculated, and 

 the coolie fell over in what looked like a dead faint. 

 The eyes of all were turned to the poor imp ; and 

 even his own father gazed at him sternly. He 

 said : 



" You have been declared by true words ; now 

 you must give back the buttons. If you commit a 

 theft and get sent to prison, I will never have any- 

 thing more to do with you." 



But now Bhagwan began to shake, and in a 

 minute to cry ; and I felt inclined to say, like Alice 

 in Wonderland : 



"You are nothing but a pack of cards ! " But 

 I said : 



" This is all nonsense ; that man knew what he 

 was about, and was not asleep at all ; and they are 

 not true words, and Bhagwan did not take the 



