65. Ba's use of English

Once Bapu and Ba were staying as guests of the Nawab of Bhopal. One day Ba needed some honey for Bapu. So she just asked the officer-in-waiting, "Do you know Hindi?" He replied, "No, please." Evidently he mistook Hindi, which term Ba had used in the sense of Hindustani, to mean some highly Sanskritized language. Then she inquired if he knew English, to which he answered in the affirmative. Whereupon Ba trotted out her smattering knowledge of English, "Bees, flowers, honey."

The officer-in-waiting understood what Ba meant and at once fetched a bottle of honey.