The Story of a Soul

06 November 1955

She had added a note in French:

Ma chere enfant,

Je recois a l'instant ta joli boite avec le joli voile vert et ta lettre qui est si gentille et si bien &rite. Tout cela m'a fait grand plaisir, et je m'empresse de to le dire sur la reponse que je venais de t'ecrire a ta lettre de ce matin.

Je t'embrasse tres tendrement et t'envoie mes benedictions.

6.11.55

My dear child,

I have just this instant received your lovely box with the lovely green veil and your letter which is so nice and so well written. I was delighted with it all and I hasten to tell you so on the reply I have just written to your letter of this morning.

I kiss you tenderly and send you my blessings.

Yes, I had made the veil for her. Some flower-motifs were stitched on to make it more attractive.

In the evening I showed the Mother's letter to Laxmi, who was pleased with it. I told her that after all we were not cyphers!

I was much impressed by Laxmi when she spoke about handicrafts, or the splendour of Nature.

I cannot forget one incident which occurred late one evening when she and I were standing just inside the Ashram gate. Above our heads was a bower of thickly spread creepers; a few flowers peeped shyly out from the curtain of tendrils. Laxmi touched one of the tendrils and said enthusiastically, "Look at the beautiful curves that Nature creates. Isn't She a great artist? One likes to feel Nature's touch."

She started caressing the tendril. But to our horror it turned out to be the curved green tail of a chameleon! We suppressed our cries and moved away quickly without a backward glance. What if she had pulled the "tendril"!

I said with concern, "Laxmi, you shouldn't have touched the creeper at this unearthly hour." She answered, "Yes Huta, you are right. Now my fingers are burning and itching. I must dash home and apply some cream."

When I got to my room I had to laugh out loud, remembering the expression on Laxmi's face: a mixture of fear, perplexity, courage and more.