"Ah, yes."
Bamban watched him for a time.
"You do not eat. You do not sleep. You are losing strength for your journey. Will not the woman wait for you?"
"I feel as if I needed some new power," Romney said strangely. "I feel the need of a master."
"When that comes to a man, the master is near," Bamban said quietly.
"What do you mean? You see I have stopped talking to you as a servant."
"I am your servant," Bamban responded simply.
"But what did you mean about the master being near?"
"It is a saying among the Buddhists that the master is ready when the man is; but I wonder if he will find his disciple with great joy, when that disciple delays his mission for a woman. Remember I am talking still as your servant."
"I appreciate you, Bamban."