“Your father is a good man, and I will do what I can for him.”
At this point a telegram was handed to Orde, who, after glancing at it, said he must leave his young friend whom he introduced to Pagett, “a member of the English House of Commons who wishes to learn about India.”
Orde bad scarcely retired with his telegram when Pagett began:
“Perhaps you can tell me something of the National Congress movement?”
“Sir, it is the greatest movement of modern times, and one in which all educated men like us must join. All our students are for the Congress.”
“Excepting, I suppose, Mahommedans, and the Christians?” said Pagett, quick to use his recent instruction.
“These are some mere exceptions to the universal rule.”
“But the people outside the College, the working classes, the agriculturists; your father and mother, for instance.”
“My mother,” said the young man, with a visible effort to bring himself to pronounce the word, “has no ideas, and my father is not agriculturist, nor working class; he is of the Kayeth caste; but he had not the advantage of a collegiate education, and he does not know much of the Congress. It is a movement for the educated young-man” -connecting adjective and noun in a sort of vocal hyphen.
“Ah, yes,” said Pagett, feeling he was a little off the rails, “and what are the benefits you expect to gain by it?”