The hot season was setting in with fiery blasts that shrivelled grass and foliage as the frost withers them in the temperate zone. Natives and Eurasians feel the heat to a certain extent, much as Englishmen may feel a hot summer. The serge uniform coats were laid aside and garments of cool blue cotton were given out at the
orphanage according to custom. The boys thought that they could do better still by imitating the natives; they cropped their heads so closely that they looked as if they had been shaved. On a certain Friday, the day of the choir-practice, the boys arrived and took their seats in the choir. The chaplain's face was a study as he walked into the chancel and ran his astonished eyes over the double row of bald pates. On the following Sunday the service was performed without the assistance of the choir. The boys had to remain gosha until their baldness was a little less apparent.
Among other responsibilities which fell upon the shoulders of the chaplain was finding employment for the boys and husbands or situations for the girls. As a rule there was no difficulty in marrying the orphanage maidens. They were popular as brides with Eurasian men, as they made good housewives and had no extravagant tastes. Letters were received from guards, engine-drivers, writers, and Eurasians in the police service, men of various occupations drawing between twenty-five and a hundred rupees a month. They all asked for wives, and promised to be model husbands. Before mentioning the matter in the school, inquiries were made as to the character and prospects of the suitor. If these proved satisfactory, an interview was arranged with the chaplain that the latter might satisfy himself concerning complexion and appearance, two important points in the eyes of the girls.
If all was considered satisfactory, the candidate for matrimony was provided with a note of introduction to
