It was a grief to Tooni, who could not understand it; but Sonny Sahib perversely refused to talk in his own tongue.

She did all she could to help him.

When he was a year old she cut an almond in two, and gave half to Sonny Sahib and half to the green parrot that swung all day in a cage in the door of the hut and had a fine gift of conversation; if anything would make the baby talk properly that would.

Later on she taught him all the English words she remembered herself, which were three, 'bruss' and 'wass' and 'isstockin',' her limited but very useful vocabulary as lady's-maid.
He learned them very well, but he continued to know only three, and he did not use them very often, which Tooni found strange.

Tooni thought the baba should have inherited his mother's language with his blue eyes and his white skin.