Rhoda pleaded, "Oh Baba, we have tried everything and he won't stop!"
Baba turned to the boy and sternly corrected him, "Merwan, why do you do this?"
Baba did a perfect imitation.
"It is not a good habit. Someday someone will beat you up for it."
Baba then narrated this incident:
A friend of my father's was in the habit of winking. Once while he was accompanying Sheriarji somewhere, they passed a few fishermen with their womenfolk. Unintentionally, the friend winked suddenly and the fishermen got very upset [believing he was winking at their wives]. Catching hold of him one began shouting abuses at him, and was about to beat him when Sheriarji intervened, saying, "He did not do it on purpose; it is his habit." At that very moment, the friend winked at the fisherman, and he and the others saw that it was an unconscious habit and let him go.
Baba jokingly told Merwan, "In this way you too may one day be beaten!" Then he became very serious and instructed Merwan, "From now on you must stop twitching your nose, and if I catch you doing it again, I don't want to see your face again!"
A few minutes later, Baba caught Merwan twitching his nose but forgave him as he was doing it unconsciously.
This happened a few times and each time Baba forgave Merwan and said, "I will let it go for today as you are doing it unconsciously, without realizing it. But remember, from tomorrow, if I catch you twitching your nose I do not want to see your face again!"
He told Adi and Rhoda, "If he ever does this again after you return home, send me a telegram."
Rhoda said, "I will pay for the telegram from Merwan's pocket money."
Baba replied, "No, you pay half of it."