“For eighteen long months this guru went on eating and drinking at the weavers’ expense,” continued the narrator, “teaching them to despise both Mohammedanism and the religion of the Hindus.” “No harm in that,” said Alicia. “No harm, if Maston Singh had given the true in the place of the false religions,” rejoined her father; “but the wretched deceiver summed up his teaching at last with the blasphemous declaration, ‘Greater than man there is none; whatever there is, therefore, is now before your eyes!’” “Oh, the wretch!” exclaimed Robin: “did he mean his own miserable self?” “He did mean himself,” replied Mr. Hartley. “The atheist, not content with the honour accorded to a guru, claimed to be regarded as a being divine.” “Surely this opened the eyes of the Megs,” said Alicia. “These poor weavers showed more intelligence than superstitious Hindus usually do,” observed Mr. Hartley. “They did not at once fall down at Maston Singh’s feet and worship him as a god. They said to the impostor, ‘You have indeed dug up Hinduism and Mohammedanism by the roots, but you have not given us one ray of light.’ The honest people thereupon consulted together, and after three days of warm discussion they thus gave Maston Singh their decision in regard to his blasphemous claim:— “‘We ask you to satisfy us just on one point. You say that there is no being in the universe greater than yourself. Now, if you will give us some proof of your power _to create and give life_, we will be content to follow your teaching. We do not ask you to make a camel, or buffalo, or an elephant, but only a little worm. You can make this of clay; but make one, be it ever so small, and give it _life_, so that it shall go, and we will believe.’” “Well done, weaver philosophers!” laughed Robin. “Your proposition was a poser indeed. One would have liked to see the atheist’s face when he was asked to create a worm.” “The poor weavers’ test was a good one,” remarked Harold,—“the Almighty having reserved the power of giving life to Himself.” “I hope that the wretched Maston Singh was kicked out of the village by the Megs!” exclaimed Robin. “No,” replied his father: “deceived and robbed as they had been, the weavers behaved as Christians might have done. Their spokesman thus rebuked the deceiver, who had betrayed their trust and fattened on their bounty: ‘You have said there is no God; we can never receive this. There is a Creator who made the earth and the heavens.’ Then the weavers, without injuring him, sent the false guru away; and Maston Singh departed—I hope with sorrow and shame—from those whose simple faith he had vainly tried to destroy.” “And did no Christian come to tell these dear people the true way to salvation?” exclaimed Alicia.