I gave her the required promise gladly, and thanked her warmly at the same time.
"You must not think me weak and selfish, dear mam," said she, after a little reflection. "You are a foreigner, he has not the same power over you, and you can go away whenever you like; but we who are his subjects must stay here and suffer his will and pleasure, whatever happens."
With that she told me to come to her after sunset, and I bade her a grateful adieu and returned home.
FOOTNOTES:
[31] An ejaculation in frequent use among the Buddhists, and which means, "dear Buddha," or "dear God."
[32] One of the names of the Buddha.