` Will he pay ? ' said the spruce scribe , gathering up his desk and pens and sealing-wax all in order . ' I do not know . He is not like other boys . Go and see . It is well worth . ' Kim danced with impatience when the slim young Kayeth hove in sight . As soon as his voice could carry he cursed him volubly . ` First I will take my pay , ' the letter-writer said . ` Bad words have made the price higher . But who art thou , dressed in that fashion , to speak in this fashion ? ' ` Aha ! That is in the letter which thou shalt write . Never was such a tale . But I am in no haste . Another writer will serve me . Umballa city is as full of them as is Lahore . ' ` Four annas , ' said the writer , sitting down and spreading his cloth in the shade of a deserted barrack-wing . Mechanically Kim squatted beside him -- squatted as only the natives can -- in spite of the abominable clinging trousers . The writer regarded him sideways .
` That is the price to ask of Sahibs , ' said XXXXX .
Aha First Kayeth Kim Lahore Umballa annas barrack-wing letter-writer sealing-wax