Ram Nad waived the point, or appeared to. He said he would, if we liked, display some marvels for our instruction, while further considering. Then he opened a few common tricks.
He took Mrs. Ulswater's sewing, threw it over the rail into the sea, picked it out of the inner folds of his turban, and returned it. Then he thrust Mrs. Ulswater's knitting needles down my throat and drew them one by one from the pit of my diaphragm. It seemed so, sufficiently so. In fact, it made me feel unwell. He induced Susannah to enter his enormous conical basket, covered her and stirred inside with his hand, with a violent circular motion, as one beats eggs with a spoon—took off the cover, disclosed the interior, and shook it bottom up. No Susannah there!
He covered it, stirred again—eggs and spoons—turned it over, lifted it again. There sat Susannah on the deck, safe but indignant.
“You punched me!” she cried, and then turned distracted to clutch at the small of her back. Mrs. Ulswater came to her help, and unbuttoning her frock took out the jackstraws. They seemed to have been dropped down her neck. Susannah was furious.
Ram Nad next seated himself opposite her, and fell to crooning and spooning with both hands—two spoons, infinite eggs.
Mrs. Ulswater said, “Well, I never!” Even I may possibly have ejaculated, “Ha!”
The eyes of Susannah became fixed, her form rigid. Ram Nad stroked his beard, Susannah the front of her frock. He sighed, she sighed. “Roll!” She rolled; she kept on rolling; she rolled across the deck and brought up in the scuppers, where she struggled to continue rolling. “Roll back!” She rolled back. “Sit up!” She sat up. He fell to crooning and waving—reversed spoons and a reaching after dispersed eggs. Susannah blinked, relapsed, awoke.
Remarkable maid, Susannah, strenuous, decided. She dashed at Ram Nad. She snatched off his head cloth. She flung it in his face. She fled to Mrs. Ulswater and wept loudly in her arms.
Ram Nad looked surprised and partly martyred.
“Nevertheless, I am not displeased,” he said, picking up his head cloth. “I will take her to my house of beautiful gardens.”