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Title:StoriesfromTagore

Author:RabindranathTagore

ReleaseDate:August24,2010[EBook#33525]

Language:English

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Transcriber'sNotes:

Variations inspellingandhyphenationhavebeen retainedasintheoriginal.

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STORIESFROMTAGORE

Publisher'sLogo.

THEMACMILLANCOMPANYNEWYORK·BOSTON·CHICAGO·DALLAS

ATLANTA·SANFRANCISCO

MACMILLAN&CO.,LIMITEDLONDON·BOMBAY·CALCUTTA

MELBOURNE

THEMACMILLANCO.OFCANADA,LTD.TORONTO

StoriesfromTagore

NewYorkTheMacmillanCompany

1918Allrightsreserved

Copyright1916and1918BYTHEMACMILLANCOMPANY

Setupandelectrotyped.Published,October,1918

PREFACE

EVERYexperiencedteachermusthavenoticedthedifficultyofinstructingIndianchildrenoutofbooksthatarespeciallyintendedforuseinEnglishschools.Itisnotmerelythatthesubjectsareunfamiliar,butalmosteveryphrasehasEnglishassociationsthatarestrangetoIndianears.Theenvironment inwhichtheyarewritten is unknown to the Indian school boy and his mind becomesoverburdenedwith itsdetailswhichhe fails tounderstand.Hecannotgivehiswholeattentiontothelanguageandthusmasteritquickly.

Thepresent Indian story-bookavoids someat leastof these impediments.Thesurroundings described in it are those of the students' everyday life; thesentimentsandcharactersarefamiliar.Thestoriesaresimplytold,andthenotesattheendwillbesufficienttoexplainobscurepassages.ItshouldbepossiblefortheIndianstudenttofollowthepagesofthebookeasilyandintelligently.Thosestudentswhohavereadthestoriesintheoriginalwillhavethefurtheradvantageof knowing beforehand thewhole trend of the narrative and thus theywill beabletoconcentratetheirthoughtsontheEnglishlanguageitself.

It isproposedtopublishtogether inasinglevolumetheoriginalstorieswhoseEnglishtranslationsaregiveninthisReader.Versionsofthesamestoriesinthedifferent Indian vernaculars have already appeared, and others are likely tofollow.

Two of the longest stories in this book—"Master Mashai" and "The Son ofRashmani"—arereproducedinEnglishforthefirsttime.Therestofthestorieshavebeen taken,with slight revision, from twoEnglishvolumesentitled "TheHungry Stones" and "Mashi." A short paragraph has been added from theoriginal Bengali at the end of the story called "The Postmaster." This wasunfortunatelyomittedinthefirstEnglishedition.

ThelistofwordstobestudiedhasbeenchosenfromeachstoryinordertobringtonoticedifferenttypesofEnglishwords.Thelistsareinnosenseexhaustive.TheendinviewhasbeentoendeavourtocreateaninterestinIndianwordsandtheirhistory,whichmayleadontofurtherstudy.

CONTENTS

PAGE

THECABULIWALLAH 3THEHOME-COMING 21ONCETHEREWASAKING 35THECHILD'SRETURN 51MASTERMASHAI 69SUBHA 101THEPOSTMASTER 115THECASTAWAY 129THESONOFRASHMANI 151THEBABUSOFNAYANJORE 203NOTES 223

THECABULIWALLAH

STORIESFROMTAGORE

I

THECABULIWALLAH

MYfiveyears'olddaughterMinicannotlivewithoutchattering.Ireallybelievethat inallher life shehasnotwastedaminute in silence.Hermother isoftenvexedat this,andwouldstopherprattle,butIwouldnot.ToseeMiniquiet isunnatural, and I cannot bear it long. And somy own talkwith her is alwayslively.

Onemorning,forinstance,whenIwasinthemidstoftheseventeenthchapterofmy new novel, my littleMini stole into the room, and putting her hand intomine,said:"Father!Ramdayalthedoor-keepercallsacrowakrow!Hedoesn'tknowanything,doeshe?"

BeforeIcouldexplaintoherthedifferencesoflanguageinthisworld,shewasembarkedonthefulltideofanothersubject."Whatdoyouthink,Father?Bholasaysthereisanelephantintheclouds,blowingwateroutofhistrunk,andthatiswhyitrains!"

Andthen,dartingoffanew,whileIsatstillmakingreadysomereplytothislastsaying:"Father!whatrelationisMothertoyou?"

WithagravefaceIcontrivedtosay:"GoandplaywithBhola,Mini!Iambusy!"

Thewindowofmyroomoverlookstheroad.Thechildhadseatedherselfatmyfeetnearmytable,andwasplayingsoftly,drummingonherknees.Iwashardatworkonmyseventeenthchapter,wherePratapSingh,thehero,hadjustcaughtKanchanlata, theheroine,inhisarms,andwasabouttoescapewithherbythethird-storywindowofthecastle,whenallofasuddenMinileftherplay,andranto thewindow, crying: "ACabuliwallah! aCabuliwallah!"Sure enough in thestreetbelowwasaCabuliwallah,passingslowlyalong.Heworetheloose,soiledclothingofhispeople,witha tall turban; therewasabagonhisback, andhecarriedboxesofgrapesinhishand.

Icannottellwhatweremydaughter'sfeelingsat thesightofthisman,butshebegantocallhimloudly."Ah!"Ithought,"hewillcomein,andmyseventeenth

chapter will never be finished!" At which exact moment the Cabuliwallahturned,andlookedupatthechild.Whenshesawthis,overcomebyterror,shefledtohermother'sprotectionanddisappeared.Shehadablindbeliefthatinsidethe bag, which the big man carried, there were perhaps two or three otherchildrenlikeherself.Thepedlarmeanwhileenteredmydoorwayandgreetedmewithasmilingface.

Soprecariouswasthepositionofmyheroandmyheroine,thatmyfirstimpulsewas to stop and buy something, since theman had been called. Imade somesmall purchases, and a conversation began about Abdurrahman, the Russians,theEnglish,andtheFrontierPolicy.

Ashewasabouttoleave,heasked:"Andwhereisthelittlegirl,sir?"

AndI,thinkingthatMinimustgetridofherfalsefear,hadherbroughtout.

Shestoodbymychair,andlookedattheCabuliwallahandhisbag.Heofferedhernutsandraisins,butshewouldnotbetempted,andonlyclungtheclosertome,withallherdoubtsincreased.

Thiswastheirfirstmeeting.

Onemorning,however,notmanydays later,as Iwas leaving thehouse, IwasstartledtofindMini,seatedonabenchnearthedoor,laughingandtalking,withthegreatCabuliwallahatherfeet.Inallherlife,itappeared,mysmalldaughterhadneverfoundsopatientalistener,saveherfather.Andalreadythecornerofherlittlesariwasstuffedwithalmondsandraisins,thegiftofhervisitor."Whydidyougiveherthose?"Isaid,andtakingoutaneight-annabit,Ihandedittohim.Themanacceptedthemoneywithoutdemur,andslippeditintohispocket.

Alas,onmyreturnanhourlater,Ifoundtheunfortunatecoinhadmadetwiceitsownworthoftrouble!FortheCabuliwallahhadgivenittoMini;andhermother,catchingsightofthebrightroundobject,hadpouncedonthechildwith:"Wheredidyougetthateight-annabit?"

"TheCabuliwallahgaveitme,"saidMinicheerfully.

"TheCabuliwallahgaveityou!"criedhermothermuchshocked."OMini!howcouldyoutakeitfromhim?"

I,enteringatthemoment,savedherfromimpendingdisaster,andproceededtomakemyowninquiries.

It was not the first or second time, I found, that the two had met. TheCabuliwallahhadovercomethechild'sfirstterrorbyajudiciousbriberyofnutsandalmonds,andthetwowerenowgreatfriends.

Theyhadmanyquaintjokes,whichaffordedthemmuchamusement.Seatedinfront of him, looking downon his gigantic frame in all her tiny dignity,Miniwouldrippleherfacewithlaughterandbegin:"OCabuliwallah!Cabuliwallah!whathaveyougotinyourbag?"

Andhewouldreply,inthenasalaccentsofthemountaineer:"Anelephant!"Notmuchcauseformerriment,perhaps;buthowtheybothenjoyedthefun!Andforme,thischild'stalkwithagrown-upmanhadalwaysinitsomethingstrangelyfascinating.

ThentheCabuliwallah,not tobebehindhand,would takehis turn:"Well, littleone,andwhenareyougoingtothefather-in-law'shouse?"

NowmostsmallBengalimaidenshaveheardlongagoaboutthefather-in-law'shouse;butwe,beingalittlenew-fangled,hadkeptthesethingsfromourchild,andMiniatthisquestionmusthavebeenatriflebewildered.Butshewouldnotshowit,andwithreadytactreplied:"Areyougoingthere?"

Amongstmen of the Cabuliwallah's class, however, it is well known that thewordsfather-in-law'shousehaveadoublemeaning.It isaeuphemismforjail,theplacewherewearewellcaredfor,atnoexpensetoourselves.Inthissensewould the sturdy pedlar take my daughter's question. "Ah," he would say,shaking his fist at an invisible policeman, "I will thrash my father-in-law!"Hearingthis,andpicturingthepoordiscomfitedrelative,Miniwouldgooffintopealsoflaughter,inwhichherformidablefriendwouldjoin.

These were autumnmornings, the very time of year when kings of old wentforthtoconquest;andI,neverstirringfrommylittlecornerinCalcutta,wouldletmymindwanderoverthewholeworld.Attheverynameofanothercountry,myheartwouldgoouttoit,andatthesightofaforeignerinthestreets,Iwouldfalltoweavinganetworkofdreams,—themountains,theglens,andtheforestsofhisdistanthome,withhiscottageinitssetting,andthefreeandindependentlifeoffar-awaywilds.Perhapsthescenesoftravelconjurethemselvesupbeforemeandpassandrepass inmyimaginationall themorevividly,becauseI leadsuchavegetableexistencethatacalltotravelwouldfalluponmelikeathunder-bolt. In thepresenceof thisCabuliwallahIwas immediately transported to thefoot of arid mountain peaks, with narrow little defiles twisting in and out

amongst their towering heights. I could see the string of camels bearing themerchandise, and the company of turbanned merchants carrying some theirqueer old firearms, and some their spears, journeying downward towards theplains. I could see—.But at some such pointMini'smotherwould intervene,imploringmeto"bewareofthatman."

Mini'smotherisunfortunatelyaverytimidlady.Whenevershehearsanoiseinthe street, or sees people coming towards the house, she always jumps to theconclusion that they are either thieves, or drunkards, or snakes, or tigers, ormalaria,orcockroaches,orcaterpillars.Evenafteralltheseyearsofexperience,she is not able to overcome her terror. So she was full of doubts about theCabuliwallah,andusedtobegmetokeepawatchfuleyeonhim.

I tried to laugh her fear gently away, but then she would turn round on meseriously,andaskmesolemnquestions:—

Werechildrenneverkidnapped?

Wasit,then,nottruethattherewasslaveryinCabul?

Wasitsoveryabsurdthatthisbigmanshouldbeabletocarryoffatinychild?

Iurgedthat,thoughnotimpossible,itwashighlyimprobable.Butthiswasnotenough,andherdreadpersisted.Asitwasindefinite,however, itdidnotseemrighttoforbidthemanthehouse,andtheintimacywentonunchecked.

OnceayearinthemiddleofJanuaryRahmun,theCabuliwallah,wasinthehabitofreturningtohiscountry,andasthetimeapproachedhewouldbeverybusy,going from house to house collecting his debts. This year, however, he couldalwaysfindtimetocomeandseeMini.Itwouldhaveseemedtoanoutsiderthattherewassomeconspiracybetweenthetwo,forwhenhecouldnotcomeinthemorning,hewouldappearintheevening.

Eventomeitwasalittlestartlingnowandthen,inthecornerofadarkroom,suddenly tosurprise this tall, loose-garmented,muchbebaggedman;butwhenMiniwould run in smiling,withher "OCabuliwallah!Cabuliwallah!" and thetwofriends,sofarapart inage,wouldsubside into theirold laughterand theiroldjokes,Ifeltreassured.

Onemorning,afewdaysbeforehehadmadeuphismindtogo,Iwascorrectingmyproofsheetsinmystudy.Itwaschillyweather.Throughthewindowtheraysof the sun touchedmy feet, and the slightwarmthwas verywelcome. Itwas

almost eight o'clock, and the earlypedestrianswere returninghomewith theirheadscovered.AllatonceIheardanuproarinthestreet,and,lookingout,sawRahmun being led away bound between two policemen, and behind them acrowd of curious boys. There were blood-stains on the clothes of theCabuliwallah,andoneofthepolicemencarriedaknife.Hurryingout,Istoppedthem, and inquired what it all meant. Partly from one, partly from another, IgatheredthatacertainneighbourhadowedthepedlarsomethingforaRampurishawl, but had falsely denied having bought it, and that in the course of thequarrelRahmunhadstruckhim.Now,intheheatofhisexcitement,theprisonerbegancallinghisenemyallsortsofnames,whensuddenlyinaverandahofmyhouse appearedmy littleMini, with her usual exclamation: "OCabuliwallah!Cabuliwallah!" Rahmun's face lighted up as he turned to her. He had no bagunderhisarmto-day,soshecouldnotdiscusstheelephantwithhim.Sheatoncethereforeproceeded to thenextquestion: "Areyougoing to the father-in-law'shouse?"Rahmun laughed and said: "Justwhere I amgoing, little one!"Then,seeingthatthereplydidnotamusethechild,hehelduphisfetteredhands."Ah!"hesaid,"Iwouldhavethrashedthatoldfather-in-law,butmyhandsarebound!"

On a charge of murderous assault, Rahmun was sentenced to some years'imprisonment.

Time passed away and hewas not remembered. The accustomedwork in theaccustomed place was ours, and the thought of the once free mountaineerspending his years in prison seldom or never occurred to us. Evenmy light-heartedMini,Iamashamedtosay,forgotheroldfriend.Newcompanionsfilledherlife.Asshegrewolder,shespentmoreofhertimewithgirls.Somuchtimeindeeddidshespendwiththemthatshecamenomore,assheusedtodo,toherfather'sroom.Iwasscarcelyonspeakingtermswithher.

Years had passed away. It was once more autumn and we had madearrangements for our Mini's marriage. It was to take place during the PujaHolidays.With Durga returning to Kailas, the light of our home also was todeparttoherhusband'shouse,andleaveherfather'sintheshadow.

Themorningwasbright.Aftertherains,therewasasenseofablutionintheair,and the sun-rays looked like pure gold. So brightwere they, that they gave abeautiful radiance even to the sordid brick walls of our Calcutta lanes. Sinceearlydawnthatdaythewedding-pipeshadbeensounding,andateachbeatmyownheartthrobbed.Thewailofthetune,Bhairavi,seemedtointensifymypainattheapproachingseparation.MyMiniwastobemarriedthatnight.

Fromearlymorningnoiseandbustlehadpervaded thehouse. In thecourtyardthe canopy had to be slung on its bamboo poles; the chandeliers with theirtinklingsoundmustbehungineachroomandverandah.Therewasnoendofhurryandexcitement. Iwassitting inmystudy, looking through theaccounts,when some one entered, saluting respectfully, and stood before me. It wasRahmuntheCabuliwallah.AtfirstIdidnotrecognisehim.Hehadnobag,northe long hair, nor the same vigour that he used to have.But he smiled, and Iknewhimagain.

"Whendidyoucome,Rahmun?"Iaskedhim.

"Lastevening,"hesaid,"Iwasreleasedfromjail."

Thewordsstruckharshuponmyears. Ihadneverbefore talkedwithonewhohadwoundedhisfellow,andmyheartshrankwithinitselfwhenIrealisedthis;forIfeltthatthedaywouldhavebeenbetter-omenedhadhenotturnedup.

"There are ceremonies going on," I said, "and I am busy. Could you perhapscomeanotherday?"

Atonceheturnedtogo;butashereachedthedoorhehesitated,andsaid:"MayInotseethelittleone,sir,foramoment?"ItwashisbeliefthatMiniwasstillthesame.Hehadpicturedherrunningtohimassheused,calling"OCabuliwallah!Cabuliwallah!"Hehadimaginedtoothattheywouldlaughandtalktogether,justasofold.Infact,inmemoryofformerdayshehadbrought,carefullywrappedup in paper, a few almonds and raisins andgrapes, obtained somehow fromacountryman;forhisownlittlefundwasdispersed.

Isaidagain:"Thereisaceremonyinthehouse,andyouwillnotbeabletoseeanyoneto-day."

Theman's facefell.He lookedwistfullyatmeforamoment, thensaid"Goodmorning,"andwentout.

Ifeltalittlesorry,andwouldhavecalledhimback,butIfoundhewasreturningofhisownaccord.Hecamecloseup tomeholdingouthisofferingswith thewords:"Ibroughtthesefewthings,sir,forthelittleone.Willyougivethemtoher?"

Itookthemandwasgoingtopayhim,buthecaughtmyhandandsaid:"Youarevery kind, sir! Keepme in your recollection. Do not offer me money!—Youhavea littlegirl: I toohaveone likeher inmyownhome. I thinkofher, and

bringfruitstoyourchild—nottomakeaprofitformyself."

Saying this,heputhishand insidehisbig looserobe,andbroughtoutasmallanddirtypieceofpaper.Withgreatcareheunfoldedthis,andsmootheditoutwith both hands on my table. It bore the impression of a little hand. Not aphotograph.Notadrawing.Theimpressionofanink-smearedhandlaidflatonthepaper.Thistouchofhisownlittledaughterhadbeenalwaysonhisheart,ashehadcomeyearafteryeartoCalcuttatosellhiswaresinthestreets.

Tearscame tomyeyes. I forgot thathewasapoorCabuli fruit-seller,while Iwas—.Butno,whatwasImorethanhe?Healsowasafather.

That impressionof thehandofhis littlePārbati inherdistantmountainhomeremindedmeofmyownlittleMini.

I sent forMini immediately from the inner apartment.Many difficultieswereraised,butIwouldnotlisten.Cladintheredsilkofherwedding-day,withthesandal paste on her forehead, and adorned as a young bride,Mini came, andstoodbashfullybeforeme.

TheCabuliwallahlookedalittlestaggeredattheapparition.Hecouldnotrevivetheiroldfriendship.Atlasthesmiledandsaid:"Littleone,areyougoingtoyourfather-in-law'shouse?"

But Mini now understood the meaning of the word "father-in-law," and shecouldnotreplytohimasofold.Sheflushedupatthequestion,andstoodbeforehimwithherbride-likefaceturneddown.

IrememberedthedaywhentheCabuliwallahandmyMinihadfirstmet,andIfeltsad.Whenshehadgone,Rahmunheavedadeepsigh,andsatdownonthefloor.Theideahadsuddenlycometohimthathisdaughtertoomusthavegrownin this long time, and that he would have to make friends with her anew.Assuredly he would not find her as he used to know her. And besides, whatmightnothavehappenedtoherintheseeightyears?

Themarriage-pipessounded,and themildautumnsunstreamed roundus.ButRahmunsatinthelittleCalcuttalane,andsawbeforehimthebarrenmountainsofAfghanistan.

I took out a bank-note and gave it to him, saying: "Go back to your owndaughter,Rahmun,inyourowncountry,andmaythehappinessofyourmeetingbringgoodfortunetomychild!"

Havingmade this present, I had to curtail some of the festivities. I could nothavetheelectriclightsIhadintended,northemilitaryband,andtheladiesofthehouseweredespondentatit.Buttomethewedding-feastwasallthebrighterforthethoughtthatinadistantlandalong-lostfathermetagainwithhisonlychild.

WORDSTOBESTUDIED

precarious. From the root "prec," meaning prayer. Compare deprecate,imprecation; "precarious" means, therefore, held by entreaty, and thusinsecure.

impending. From the Latin "pendere," to hang. Compare depend, expend,expensive,pendant,suspend,interdependent,independent.

judicious. From the root "jus," "jud," meaning law, right. Compare judge,judicial,judgment,just,prejudge,adjustment,adjudicate.

euphemism.AGreekroot"phe,"meaningspeech.Compareblasphemy.

transported.FromtheLatin"portare,"tocarry.Compareporter,import,export,deport,support,deportation.

intervene. From the Latin "venire," to come. Compare convenient, convene,supervene,prevent.

conclusion. From the Latin "claudere," to close, shut. Compare include,preclude,exclude,exclusive,exclusion.

exclamation.FromtheLatin"clamare,"tocryout.Compareclamour,proclaim,proclamation,clamorous,disclaim,declaim.

separation. From the Latin "parare," to make ready. Compare prepare,preparation,compare,comparison,comparative.

recollect.From theLatin "legere," to choose.Comparecollect,elect, election,college,eligible.

impression.From theLatin "premere," topress.Compare impressive,depress,express,suppress,oppress,pressure.

photograph.FromtwoGreekroots"phōt,"meaninglightand"graph,"meaningto write. Compare epigraph, epigram, photographic, phosphorus, graph,

diagram.

intend. From the Latin "tendere," meaning to stretch. Compare extend,superintend,attend,attendant,extensive,tense,pretend,distend,contend.

THEHOME-COMING

II

THEHOME-COMING

PHATIK CHAKRAVORTI was ringleader among the boys of the village. A newmischiefgot intohishead.Therewasaheavyloglyingonthemud-flatof theriverwaitingtobeshapedintoamastforaboat.Hedecidedthattheyshouldallworktogethertoshiftthelogbymainforcefromitsplaceandrollitaway.Theownerofthelogwouldbeangryandsurprised,andtheywouldallenjoythefun.Everyonesecondedtheproposal,anditwascarriedunanimously.

But just as the fun was about to begin, Mākhan, Phatik's younger brother,saunteredupandsatdownontheloginfrontof themallwithoutaword.Theboyswerepuzzledforamoment.Hewaspushed,rathertimidly,byoneoftheboysandtoldtogetup;butheremainedquiteunconcerned.Heappearedlikeayoung philosopher meditating on the futility of games. Phatik was furious."Mākhan,"hecried,"ifyoudon'tgetdownthisminuteI'llthrashyou!"

Mākhanonlymovedtoamorecomfortableposition.

Now, ifPhatikwas tokeephis regaldignitybefore thepublic, itwasclearheoughttocarryouthisthreat.Buthiscouragefailedhimatthecrisis.Hisfertilebrain,however,rapidlyseizeduponanewmanœuvrewhichwoulddiscomfithisbrother and afford his followers an added amusement. He gave the word ofcommandtorollthelogandMākhanovertogether.Mākhanheardtheorderandmadeitapointofhonourtostickon.Butheoverlookedthefact,likethosewhoattemptearthlyfameinothermatters,thattherewasperilinit.

Theboysbegantoheaveatthelogwithalltheirmight,callingout,"One,two,three,go!"Attheword"go"thelogwent;andwithitwentMākhan'sphilosophy,gloryandall.

Theotherboysshouted themselveshoarsewithdelight.ButPhatikwasa littlefrightened.He knewwhatwas coming.And, sure enough,Mākhan rose fromMotherEarthblindasFateandscreaming like theFuries.He rushedatPhatikandscratchedhisfaceandbeathimandkickedhim,andthenwentcryinghome.Thefirstactofthedramawasover.

Phatikwipedhisface,andsatdownontheedgeofasunkenbargebytheriverbank,andbegantochewapieceofgrass.Aboatcameuptothelandingandamiddle-agedman,withgreyhairanddarkmoustache,steppedonshore.HesawtheboysittingtheredoingnothingandaskedhimwheretheChakravortislived.Phatik went on chewing the grass and said: "Over there," but it was quiteimpossibletotellwherehepointed.Thestrangeraskedhimagain.Heswunghislegs to and fro on the side of the barge and said: "Go and find out," andcontinuedtochewthegrassasbefore.

ButnowaservantcamedownfromthehouseandtoldPhatikhismotherwantedhim.Phatikrefusedtomove.Buttheservantwasthemasteronthisoccasion.HetookPhatikuproughlyandcarriedhim,kickingandstrugglinginimpotentrage.

WhenPhatikcameintothehouse,hismothersawhim.Shecalledoutangrily:"SoyouhavebeenhittingMākhanagain?"

Phatikansweredindignantly:"No,Ihaven't!Whotoldyouthat?"

Hismothershouted:"Don'ttelllies!Youhave."

Phatik said sullenly: "I tell you, I haven't. You ask Mākhan!" But Mākhanthoughtitbest tosticktohispreviousstatement.Hesaid:"Yes,mother.Phatikdidhitme."

Phatik's patience was already exhausted. He could not bear this injustice. Herushed atMākhan and hammered himwith blows: "Take that," he cried, "andthat,andthat,fortellinglies."

Hismother tookMākhan's side in amoment, and pulledPhatik away, beatinghimwithherhands.WhenPhatikpushedheraside,sheshoutedout:"What!youlittlevillain!Wouldyouhityourownmother?"

Itwasjustatthiscriticaljuncturethatthegrey-hairedstrangerarrived.Heaskedwhatwasthematter.Phatiklookedsheepishandashamed.

But when hismother stepped back and looked at the stranger, her anger waschanged to surprise. For she recognized her brother and cried: "Why, Dada!Wherehaveyoucomefrom?"

As she said these words, she bowed to the ground and touched his feet. Herbrotherhadgoneawaysoonaftershehadmarried;andhehadstartedbusinessinBombay.Hissisterhadlostherhusbandwhilehewasthere.Bishamberhadnow

comebacktoCalcuttaandhadatoncemadeenquiriesabouthissister.Hehadthenhastenedtoseeherassoonashefoundoutwhereshewas.

Thenextfewdayswerefullofrejoicing.Thebrotheraskedaftertheeducationofthetwoboys.HewastoldbyhissisterthatPhatikwasaperpetualnuisance.Hewaslazy,disobedient,andwild.ButMākhanwasasgoodasgold,asquietasalamb,andveryfondofreading.BishamberkindlyofferedtotakePhatikoffhissister'shandsandeducatehimwithhisownchildreninCalcutta.Thewidowedmother readily agreed.Whenhis uncle askedPhatik if hewould like to go toCalcuttawithhim,his joyknewnoboundsandhesaid:"Oh,yes,uncle!" inawaythatmadeitquiteclearthathemeantit.

ItwasanimmenserelieftothemothertogetridofPhatik.Shehadaprejudiceagainsttheboy,andnolovewaslostbetweenthetwobrothers.ShewasindailyfearthathewouldeitherdrownMākhansomedayintheriver,orbreakhisheadin a fight, or run him into some danger. At the same time she was a littledistressedtoseePhatik'sextremeeagernesstogetaway.

Phatik,assoonasallwassettled,keptaskinghisuncleeveryminutewhentheyweretostart.Hewasonpinsandneedlesalldaylongwithexcitementandlayawakemostof thenight.Hebequeathed toMākhan, inperpetuity,his fishing-rod,hisbigkite,andhismarbles.Indeed,atthistimeofdeparture,hisgenerositytowardsMākhanwasunbounded.

When they reachedCalcutta,Phatikmade theacquaintanceofhis aunt for thefirst time.Shewasbynomeanspleasedwith thisunnecessary addition toherfamily. She found her own three boys quite enough tomanagewithout takinganyoneelse.Andtobringavillageladoffourteenintotheirmidstwasterriblyupsetting.Bishambershould reallyhave thought twicebeforecommittingsuchanindiscretion.

Inthisworldofhumanaffairsthereisnoworsenuisancethanaboyattheageoffourteen. He is neither ornamental nor useful. It is impossible to showeraffectiononhimasonalittleboy;andheisalwaysgettingintheway.Ifhetalkswithachildishlispheiscalledababy,andifheanswersinagrown-upwayheiscalledimpertinent.Infactanytalkatallfromhimisresented.Thenheisattheunattractive,growingage.Hegrowsoutofhisclotheswith indecenthaste;hisvoicegrowshoarseandbreaksandquavers;hisfacegrowssuddenlyangularandunsightly.Itiseasytoexcusetheshortcomingsofearlychildhood,butitishardto tolerate even unavoidable lapses in a boy of fourteen. The lad himself

becomespainfullyself-conscious.Whenhetalkswithelderlypeopleheiseitherunduly forward, or else so unduly shy that he appears ashamed of his veryexistence.

Yetitisatthisveryagewhen,inhisheartofhearts,ayoungladmostcravesforrecognitionandlove;andhebecomesthedevotedslaveofanyonewhoshowshimconsideration.Butnonedareopenlylovehim,forthatwouldberegardedasundue indulgence and therefore bad for the boy. So, what with scolding andchiding,hebecomesverymuchlikeastraydogthathaslosthismaster.

For aboyof fourteenhisownhome is theonlyParadise.To live in a strangehousewithstrangepeopleislittleshortoftorture,whiletheheightofblissistoreceivethekindlooksofwomenandnevertobeslightedbythem.

ItwasanguishtoPhatiktobetheunwelcomeguestinhisaunt'shouse,despisedbythiselderlywomanandslightedoneveryoccasion.Ifeversheaskedhimtodoanythingforher,hewouldbesooverjoyedthathewouldoverdoit;andthenshewouldtellhimnottobesostupid,buttogetonwithhislessons.

ThecrampedatmosphereofneglectoppressedPhatiksomuchthathefeltthathecould hardly breathe. He wanted to go out into the open country and fill hislungswithfreshair.Buttherewasnoopencountrytogoto.Surroundedonallsides by Calcutta houses and walls, he would dream night after night of hisvillagehomeand long tobeback there.He remembered thegloriousmeadowwhereheusedtoflyhiskitealldaylong;thebroadriver-bankswherehewouldwanderabout the live-longdaysingingandshoutingfor joy; thenarrowbrookwherehecouldgoanddiveandswimatany timehe liked.He thoughtofhisbandofboycompanionsoverwhomhewasdespot;and,aboveall,thememoryofthattyrantmotherofhis,whohadsuchaprejudiceagainsthim,occupiedhimdayandnight.Akindofphysicallovelikethatofanimals,alongingtobeinthepresenceoftheonewhoisloved,aninexpressiblewistfulnessduringabsence,asilent cry of the inmost heart for themother, like the lowing of a calf in thetwilight,—this love, which was almost an animal instinct, agitated the shy,nervous, lean,uncouthanduglyboy.Noonecouldunderstandit,but itpreyeduponhismindcontinually.

TherewasnomorebackwardboyinthewholeschoolthanPhatik.Hegapedandremainedsilentwhentheteacheraskedhimaquestion,andlikeanoverladenasspatientlysufferedall theblows thatcamedownonhisback.Whenotherboyswereoutatplay,hestoodwistfullybythewindowandgazedattheroofsofthe

distanthouses.Andifbychanceheespiedchildrenplayingontheopenterraceofanyroof,hisheartwouldachewithlonging.

Onedayhesummonedupallhiscourageandaskedhisuncle:"Uncle,whencanIgohome?"

Hisuncleanswered:"Waittilltheholidayscome."

ButtheholidayswouldnotcometillOctoberandtherewasalongtimestilltowait.

OnedayPhatiklosthislessonbook.Evenwiththehelpofbookshehadfounditverydifficultindeedtopreparehislesson.Nowitwasimpossible.Dayafterdaythe teacher would cane him unmercifully. His condition became so abjectlymiserable thatevenhiscousinswereashamed toownhim.Theybegan to jeerandinsulthimmorethantheotherboys.Hewenttohisauntatlastandtoldherthathehadlosthisbook.

Hisauntpursedherlipsincontemptandsaid:"Yougreatclumsy,countrylout!How can I afford, with all my family, to buy you new books five times amonth?"

Thatnight,onhiswaybackfromschool,Phatikhadabadheadachewithafitofshivering.Hefelthewasgoingtohaveanattackofmalarialfever.Hisonegreatfearwasthathewouldbeanuisancetohisaunt.

The next morning Phatik was nowhere to be seen. All searches in theneighbourhoodprovedfutile.Therainhadbeenpouringintorrentsallnight,andthosewhowentoutinsearchoftheboygotdrenchedthroughtotheskin.AtlastBishamberaskedhelpfromthepolice.

Attheendofthedayapolicevanstoppedatthedoorbeforethehouse.Itwasstillrainingandthestreetswereallflooded.TwoconstablesbroughtoutPhatikintheirarmsandplacedhimbeforeBishamber.Hewaswetthroughfromheadtofoot,muddyallover,hisfaceandeyesflushedredwithfeverandhis limbstrembling. Bishamber carried him in his arms and took him into the innerapartments.Whenhiswifesawhimsheexclaimed:"Whataheapoftroublethisboyhasgivenus!Hadn'tyoubettersendhimhome?"

Phatikheardherwordsandsobbedoutloud:"Uncle,Iwasjustgoinghome;buttheydraggedmebackagain."

The fever rose very high, and all that night the boywas delirious.Bishamberbroughtinadoctor.Phatikopenedhiseyes,flushedwithfever,andlookeduptotheceilingandsaidvacantly:"Uncle,havetheholidayscomeyet?"

BishamberwipedthetearsfromhisowneyesandtookPhatik'sleanandburninghands in his own and sat by him through the night. The boy began again tomutter.Atlasthisvoicebecameexcited:"Mother!"hecried,"don'tbeatmelikethat....Mother!Iamtellingthetruth!"

ThenextdayPhatikbecameconsciousforashorttime.Heturnedhiseyesaboutthe room, as if expecting some one to come. At last, with an air ofdisappointment,hisheadsankbackonthepillow.Heturnedhisfacetothewallwithadeepsigh.

Bishamberknewhisthoughtsandbendingdownhisheadwhispered:"Phatik,Ihavesentforyourmother."

Thedaywentby.Thedoctorsaidinatroubledvoicethattheboy'sconditionwasverycritical.

Phatik began to cry out: "By the mark—three fathoms. By the mark—fourfathoms.Bythemark——."Hehadheardthesailorontheriver-steamercallingoutthemarkontheplumb-line.Nowhewashimselfplumbinganunfathomablesea.

LaterinthedayPhatik'smotherburstintotheroom,likeawhirlwind,andbegantotossfromsidetosideandmoanandcryinaloudvoice.

Bishambertriedtocalmheragitation,butsheflungherselfonthebed,andcried:"Phatik,mydarling,mydarling."

Phatikstoppedhisrestlessmovementsforamoment.Hishandsceasedbeatingupanddown.Hesaid:"Eh?"

Themothercriedagain:"Phatik,mydarling,mydarling."

Phatikveryslowly turnedhisheadandwithout seeinganybodysaid: "Mother,theholidayshavecome."

WORDSTOBESTUDIED

proposal. From the Latin word "ponere," to place. Compare position, post,

depose,impose,component,composition,repose.

unanimously. From the Latin "unus," one, and "animus," mind. Comparemagnanimous,pusillanimous.

philosopher.FromtheGreek"philos,"afriend,and"sophia,"wisdom.Comparephilology,philanthropy,theosophy.

moustache. A French word which has found its home in English. French isfrequentlygivingtoEnglishnewwords.Compare,inthisstory,manœuvre,discomfit,mischief.

juncture. From the Latin "jungere," to join. Compare junction, conjunction,subjunctive,adjunct.

unattractive. From the negative "un," meaning "not," and the root "tract-,"meaningtodraw.Comparetraction,tractor,attract,extract,subtract.

atmosphere. From theGreekword "atmos," the air, and "sphaira," a "globe."Comparesphere,hemisphere,photosphere.

wistfulness. Probably from the English word "wish," wishfulness. Several,however,regarditascomingfromanoldword"whist"or"wist,"meaningsilent.Thevernacularword"udās"hasthesamemeaning.

abjectly.FromtheLatinword"jacere,"tothrow.Comparead-jec-tive,subject,object,project,inject,reject.

neighbourhood.FromaSaxonwordmeaningnear,nigh;"hood"or"head"isacommon addition to Saxon words denoting the quality or character.Compareknighthood,manhood,boyhood,womanhood.

holidays.Thiswordismadeupoftwowords,"holy"and"days."ThereligiousdaysoftheChurchwerethoseonwhichnooneworkedandthustheygotthemeaningofholidaysasopposedtoworkingdays.

ONCETHEREWASAKING

III

ONCETHEREWASAKING

"ONCEuponatimetherewasaking."

Whenwewere children therewas noneed to knowwho the king in the fairystorywas.Itdidn'tmatterwhetherhewascalledShiladityaorShaliban,whetherhelivedatKashiorKanauj.Thethingthatmadeaseven-year-oldboy'sheartgothump, thump with delight was this one sovereign truth, this reality of allrealities:"Oncetherewasaking."

Butthereadersofthismodernagearefarmoreexactandexacting.Whentheyhear suchanopening toa story, theyareatoncecritical and suspicious.Theyapplythesearchlightofsciencetoitslegendaryhazeandask:"Whichking?"

The story-tellers have becomemore precise in their turn. They are no longercontentwiththeoldindefinite,"Therewasaking,"butassumeinsteadalookofprofoundlearningandbegin:"OncetherewasakingnamedAjatasatru."

Themodern reader's curiosity,however, isnot soeasily satisfied.Heblinks attheauthorthroughhisscientificspectaclesandasksagain:"WhichAjatasatru?"

Whenwewereyoung,weunderstoodallsweetthings;andwecoulddetectthesweetsofa fairy storybyanunerringscienceofourown.Wenevercared forsuch useless things as knowledge. We only cared for truth. And ourunsophisticatedlittleheartsknewwellwheretheCrystalPalaceofTruthlayandhow to reach it.But to-dayweare expected towritepagesof facts,while thetruthissimplythis:

"Therewasaking."

IremembervividlythateveninginCalcuttawhenthefairystorybegan.Therainandthestormhadbeenincessant.Thewholeofthecitywasflooded.Thewaterwasknee-deepinourlane.Ihadastraininghope,whichwasalmostacertainty,thatmytutorwouldbepreventedfromcomingthatevening.Isatonthestoolinthefarcorneroftheverandahlookingdownthelane,withaheartbeatingfaster

and faster. Every minute I kept my eye on the rain, and when it began todiminishIprayedwithallmymight:"Please,God,sendsomemoreraintillhalf-pastsevenisover."ForIwasquitereadytobelievethattherewasnootherneedforrainexcepttoprotectonehelplessboyoneeveninginonecornerofCalcuttafromthedeadlyclutchesofhistutor.

If not in answer to my prayer, at any rate according to some grosser law ofnature,theraindidnotgiveup.

But,alas,nordidmyteacher!

Exactlytotheminute,inthebendofthelane,Isawhisapproachingumbrella.Thegreatbubbleofhopeburst inmybreast,andmyheartcollapsed.Truly, ifthere is a punishment to fit the crime after death, thenmy tutor will be bornagainasme,andIshallbebornasmytutor.

AssoonasIsawhisumbrellaIranashardasIcouldtomymother'sroom.Mymotherandmygrandmotherweresittingoppositeoneanotherplayingcardsbythelightofalamp.Iranintotheroom,andflungmyselfonthebedbesidemymother,andsaid:

"Mother,thetutorhascome,andIhavesuchabadheadache;couldn'tIhavenolessonsto-day?"

Ihopenochildofimmatureagewillbeallowedtoreadthisstory,andIsincerelytrustitwillnotbeusedintext-booksorprimersforjuniorclasses.ForwhatIdidwasdreadfullybad,andIreceivednopunishmentwhatever.Onthecontrary,mywickednesswascrownedwithsuccess.

Mymother said tome: "All right,"and turning to the servant added: "Tell thetutorthathecangobackhome."

Itwasperfectlyplainthatshedidn'tthinkmyillnessveryserious,asshewentonwithhergameasbeforeandtooknofurthernotice.AndIalso,buryingmyheadin the pillow, laughed to my heart's content. We perfectly understood oneanother,mymotherandI.

Buteveryonemustknowhowharditisforaboyofsevenyearsoldtokeepupthe illusion of illness for a long time. After about a minute I got hold ofGrandmotherandsaid:"Grannie,dotellmeastory."

I had to ask thismany times.Grannie andMotherwent on playing cards and

tooknonotice.At lastMothersaid tome:"Child,don'tbother.Wait tillwe'vefinishedourgame."ButIpersisted:"Grannie,dotellmeastory."ItoldMothershecould finishhergame to-morrow,but shemust letGrannie tellmea storythereandthen.

AtlastMotherthrewdownthecardsandsaid:"Youhadbetterdowhathewants.I can't manage him." Perhaps she had it in hermind that she would have notiresome tutor on the morrow, while I should be obliged to be back at thosestupidlessons.

AssoonaseverMotherhadgivenway, I rushedatGrannie. I gotholdofherhand,and,dancingwithdelight,draggedher insidemymosquitocurtainon tothebed. I clutchedholdof thebolsterwithbothhands inmy excitement, andjumpedupanddownwith joy, andwhen Ihadgot a littlequieter said: "Now,Grannie,let'shavethestory!"

Granniewenton:"Andthekinghadaqueen."

Thatwasgoodtobeginwith.Hehadonlyone!

Itisusualforkingsinfairystoriestobeextravagantinqueens.Andwheneverwe hear that there are two queens our hearts begin to sink.One is sure to beunhappy.ButinGrannie'sstorythatdangerwaspast.Hehadonlyonequeen.

Wenexthearthatthekinghadnotgotanyson.AttheageofsevenIdidn'tthinktherewasanyneedtobotherifamanhadnoson.Hemightonlyhavebeenintheway.

Norarewegreatlyexcitedwhenwehear that thekinghasgoneawayinto theforesttopractiseausteritiesinordertogetason.Therewasonlyonethingthatwouldhavemademegointotheforest,andthatwastogetawayfrommytutor!

Butthekingleftbehindwithhisqueenasmallgirl,whogrewupintoabeautifulprincess.

Twelveyearspassaway,and thekinggoesonpractisingausterities,andneverthinksallthiswhileofhisbeautifuldaughter.Theprincesshasreachedthefullbloom of her youth. The age of marriage has passed, but the king does notreturn.Andthequeenpinesawaywithgriefandcries:"Ismygoldendaughterdestinedtodieunmarried?Ahme,whatafateismine!"

Thenthequeensentmentothekingtoentreathimearnestlytocomebackfora

singlenightandtakeonemealinthepalace.Andthekingconsented.

The queen cooked with her own hand, and with the greatest care, sixty-fourdishes.Shemadeaseatforhimofsandal-woodandarrangedthefoodinplatesofgoldandcupsofsilver.Theprincessstoodbehindwiththepeacock-tailfaninher hand. The king, after twelve years' absence, came into the house, and theprincess waved the fan, lighting up all the room with her beauty. The kinglookedinhisdaughter'sfaceandforgottotakehisfood.

At last he askedhis queen: "Pray,who is this girlwhosebeauty shines as thegoldimageofthegoddess?Whosedaughterisshe?"

Thequeenbeather foreheadandcried: "Ah,howevil ismy fate!Doyounotknowyourowndaughter?"

The kingwas struckwith amazement. He said at last: "My tiny daughter hasgrowntobeawoman."

"What else?" thequeen saidwith a sigh. "Doyounot know that twelveyearshavepassedby?"

"Butwhydidyounotgiveherinmarriage?"askedtheking.

"You were away," the queen said. "And how could I find her a suitablehusband?"

Thekingbecamevehementwithexcitement."ThefirstmanIseeto-morrow,"hesaid,"whenIcomeoutofthepalaceshallmarryher."

Theprincesswentonwavingherfanofpeacockfeathers,andthekingfinishedhismeal.

The next morning, as the king came out of his palace, he saw the son of aBrahman gathering sticks in the forest outside the palace gates. His age wasaboutsevenoreight.

TheKingsaid:"Iwillmarrymydaughtertohim."

Whocaninterferewithaking'scommand?Atoncetheboywascalled,andthemarriagegarlandswereexchangedbetweenhimandtheprincess.

AtthispointIcameupclosetomywiseGrannieandaskedhereagerly:"Whenthen?"

Inthebottomofmyhearttherewasadevoutwishtosubstitutemyselfforthatfortunate wood-gatherer of seven years old. The night was resonant with thepatter of rain. The earthen lamp by my bedside was burning low. Mygrandmother'svoicedronedonasshetoldthestory.Andallthesethingsservedtocreateinacornerofmycredulousheart thebelief thatIhadbeengatheringsticks in the dawn of some indefinite time in the kingdom of some unknownking, and in a moment garlands had been exchanged between me and theprincess,beautifulastheGoddessofGrace.Shehadagoldbandonherhairandgoldearringsinherears.Shehadanecklaceandbraceletsofgold,andagoldenwaist-chainroundherwaist,andapairofgoldenankletstinkledaboveherfeet.

Ifmygrandmotherwereanauthor,howmanyexplanations shewouldhave toofferforthislittlestory!Firstofall,everyonewouldaskwhythekingremainedtwelve years in the forest? Secondly, why should the king's daughter remainunmarriedallthatwhile?Thiswouldberegardedasabsurd.

Evenifshecouldhavegotsofarwithoutaquarrel,stilltherewouldhavebeenagreathueandcryabout themarriage itself.First, itneverhappened.Secondly,howcouldtherebeamarriagebetweenaprincessoftheWarriorCasteandaboyofthepriestlyBrahmanCaste?Herreaderswouldhaveimaginedatoncethatthewriterwaspreachingagainstoursocialcustomsinanunderhandway.Andtheywouldwriteletterstothepapers.

So I praywith allmyheart thatmygrandmothermay be born a grandmotheragain,andnotthroughsomecursedfatetakebirthasherlucklessgrandson.

Withathrobofjoyanddelight,IaskedGrannie:"Whatthen?"

Grannie went on: Then the princess took her little husband away in greatdistress, and built a large palace with seven wings, and began to cherish herhusbandwithgreatcare.

I jumpedupanddowninmybedandclutchedat thebolstermoretightlythaneverandsaid:"Whatthen?"

Granniecontinued:Thelittleboywenttoschoolandlearntmanylessonsfromhisteachers,andashegrewuphisclass-fellowsbegantoaskhim:"Whoisthatbeautifulladylivingwithyouinthepalacewiththesevenwings?"

TheBrahman'ssonwaseager toknowwhoshewas.Hecouldonlyrememberhowonedayhehadbeengatheringsticksandagreatdisturbancearose.Butall

thatwassolongagothathehadnoclearrecollection.

Fourorfiveyearspassedinthisway.Hiscompanionsalwaysaskedhim:"Whois thatbeautiful lady in thepalacewith the sevenwings?"And theBrahman'sson would come back from school and sadly tell the princess: "My schoolcompanions always ask me who is that beautiful lady in the palace with thesevenwings,andIcangivethemnoreply.Tellme,oh,tellme,whoyouare!"

Theprincesssaid:"Letitpassto-day.Iwilltellyousomeotherday."AndeverydaytheBrahman'ssonwouldask:"Whoareyou?"andtheprincesswouldreply:"Let itpass to-day. Iwill tellyousomeotherday."In thismannerfouror fivemoreyearspassedaway.

AtlasttheBrahman'ssonbecameveryimpatientandsaid:"Ifyoudonottellmeto-day who you are, O beautiful lady, I will leave this palace with the sevenwings."Thentheprincesssaid:"Iwillcertainlytellyouto-morrow."

NextdaytheBrahman'sson,assoonashecamehomefromschool,said:"Now,tellmewhoyouare."Theprincesssaid:"To-night Iwill tellyouaftersupper,whenyouareinbed."

The Brahman's son said: "Very well"; and he began to count the hours inexpectationofthenight.Andtheprincess,onherside,spreadwhiteflowersoverthegoldenbed,andlightedagoldlampwithfragrantoil,andadornedherhair,anddressedherselfinabeautifulrobeofblue,andbegantocountthehoursinexpectationofthenight.

Thateveningwhenherhusband,theBrahman'sson,hadfinishedhismeal, tooexcitedalmosttoeat,andhadgonetothegoldenbedinthebedchamberstrewnwithflowers,hesaidtohimself:"To-nightIshallsurelyknowwhothisbeautifulladyisinthepalacewiththesevenwings."

The princess took for her food that whichwas left over by her husband, andslowlyenteredthebedchamber.Shehadtoanswerthatnightthequestion,whowasthebeautifulladythatlivedinthepalacewiththesevenwings.Andasshewentuptothebedtotellhimshefoundaserpenthadcreptoutoftheflowersand had bitten the Brahman's son. Her boy-husband was lying on the bed offlowers,withfacepaleindeath.

My heart suddenly ceased to throb, and I asked with choking voice: "Whatthen?"

Granniesaid:"Then..."

Butwhatistheuseofgoingonanyfurtherwiththestory?Itwouldonlyleadontowhatwasmoreandmoreimpossible.Theboyofsevendidnotknowthat,ifthere were some "What then?" after death, no grandmother of a grandmothercouldtellusallaboutit.

But the child's faith never admits defeat, and itwould snatch at themantle ofdeathitselftoturnhimback.Itwouldbeoutrageousforhimtothinkthatsuchastoryofoneteacherlesseveningcouldsosuddenlycometoastop.Thereforethegrandmotherhadtocallbackherstoryfromtheever-shutchamberofthegreatEnd,butshedoesitsosimply:itismerelybyfloatingthedeadbodyonabananastemontheriver,andhavingsomeincantationsreadbyamagician.Butinthatrainynightandinthedimlightofalampdeathlosesallitshorrorinthemindoftheboy,andseemsnothingmore thanadeepslumberofasinglenight.Whenthestoryendsthetiredeyelidsareweigheddownwithsleep.Thusitisthatwesendthelittlebodyofthechildfloatingonthebackofsleepoverthestillwateroftime,andtheninthemorningreadafewversesofincantationtorestorehimtotheworldoflifeandlight.

WORDSTOBESTUDIED

sovereign.ThiswordistakendirectlyfromtheFrenchlanguage.ItisconnectedwiththeLatin"supremus."

blinks.ManyEnglishwordsaremadeupfromthesupposedsoundormotiontoberepresented.Comparetosplash,toplump,toquack,tothrob,toswish.

suspicious. From the Latin word "spicere," to look. Compare auspicious,respect,inspect,aspect.

unsophisticated. This word comes from the Greek "sophistes," meaning asophist, that is to say, one who makes a pretence of being wise.Unsophisticatedmeansonewhomakesnopretencetobelearned.

umbrella.ThiswordhascomeintoEnglishfromtheItalianlanguage."Umbra"inLatinmeans"shade"andOmbrellainItalianmeans"littleshade."

extravagant.From theLatin root "vag,"meaning towander.Thewordmeans"wandering outside" and so "going beyond bounds." Compare vagrant,vagabond,vague.

explanation. From the Latin "planus," meaning plain. Compare explanatory,explain,plain,plane.

incantation. From the Latin "cantare," to chant, something chanted over aperson.

magician. From theGreek "magus," an astrologer.Comparemagic, theMagi,magical.

THECHILD'SRETURN

IV

THECHILD'SRETURN

I

RAICHARAN was twelve years old when he came as a servant to his master'shouse.Hebelongedtothesamecasteashismasterandwasgivenhismaster'slittlesontonurse.AstimewentontheboyleftRaicharan'sarmstogotoschool.From school he went on to college, and after college he entered the judicialservice.Always,untilhemarried,Raicharanwashissoleattendant.

Butwhenamistresscameintothehouse,Raicharanfoundtwomastersinsteadof one. All his former influence passed to the new mistress. This wascompensatedbyafresharrival.AnukulhadasonborntohimandRaicharanbyhisunsparingattentionssoongotacompleteholdoverthechild.Heusedtotosshimupinhisarms,calltohiminabsurdbabylanguage,puthisfaceclosetothebaby'sanddrawitawayagainwithalaugh.

Presently the childwas able to crawl and cross thedoorway.WhenRaicharanwent to catch him, hewould screamwithmischievous laughter andmake forsafety.Raicharanwasamazedattheprofoundskillandexactjudgmentthebabyshowedwhen pursued. Hewould say to hismistress with a look of awe andmystery:"Yoursonwillbeajudgesomeday."

Newwonders came in their turn.When the baby began to toddle, thatwas toRaicharananepochinhumanhistory.WhenhecalledhisfatherBa-baandhismother Ma-ma and Raicharan Chan-na, then Raicharan's ecstasy knew nobounds.Hewentouttotellthenewstoalltheworld.

AfterawhileRaicharanwasaskedtoshowhisingenuityinotherways.Hehad,forinstance,toplaythepartofahorse,holdingthereinsbetweenhisteethandprancingwith his feet.He had also towrestlewith his little charge; and if hecouldnot,byawrestler'strick,fallonhisbackdefeatedattheendagreatoutcrywascertain.

AboutthistimeAnukulwastransferredtoadistrictonthebanksofthePadma.

OnhiswaythroughCalcuttaheboughthissona littlego-cart.Heboughthimalso a yellow satin waistcoat, a gold-laced cap, and some gold bracelets andanklets.Raicharanwaswonttotaketheseoutandputthemonhislittlecharge,withceremonialpride,whenevertheywentforawalk.

Thencametherainyseasonanddayafterdaytherainpoureddownintorrents.Thehungryriver,likeanenormousserpent,swalloweddownterraces,villages,cornfields,andcoveredwithitsfloodthetallgrassesandwildcasuarinasonthesandbanks.Fromtimetotimetherewasadeepthudastheriver-bankscrumbled.Theunceasingroarofthemaincurrentcouldbeheardfromfaraway.Massesoffoam,carriedswiftlypast,provedtotheeyetheswiftnessofthestream.

Oneafternoon the raincleared. Itwascloudy,butcoolandbright.Raicharan'slittle despot did not want to stay in on such a fine afternoon. His lordshipclimbed into the go-cart. Raicharan, between the shafts, dragged him slowlyalongtillhereachedtherice-fieldsonthebanksoftheriver.Therewasnooneinthe fieldsandnoboaton thestream.Across thewater,on the farther side, theclouds were rifted in the west. The silent ceremonial of the setting sun wasrevealedinallitsglowingsplendour.Inthemidstofthatstillnessthechild,allofasudden,pointedwithhisfingerinfrontofhimandcried:"Chan-na!Pittyfow."

Closebyonamud-flatstoodalargeKadambatreeinfullflower.Mylord,thebaby, looked at itwith greedy eyes andRaicharan knew hismeaning.Only ashort timebeforehehadmade,outof thesevery flowerballs, a smallgo-cart;andthechildhadbeensoentirelyhappydraggingitaboutwithastring,thatforthe whole day Raicharan was not asked to put on the reins at all. He waspromotedfromahorseintoagroom.

ButRaicharanhadnowishthateveningtogosplashingknee-deepthroughthemud to reach the flowers. So he quickly pointed his finger in the oppositedirection,callingout:"Look,baby,look!Lookatthebird."Andwithallsortsofcuriousnoiseshepushedthego-cartrapidlyawayfromthetree.

Butachild,destinedtobeajudge,cannotbeputoffsoeasily.Andbesides,therewasatthetimenothingtoattracthiseyes.Andyoucannotkeepupforeverthepretenceofanimaginarybird.

ThelittleMaster'smindwasmadeup,andRaicharanwasathiswits'end."Verywell,baby,"hesaidat last,"yousitstill inthecart,andI'llgoandgetyoutheprettyflower.Onlymindyoudon'tgonearthewater."

Ashesaidthis,hemadehislegsbaretotheknee,andwadedthroughtheoozingmudtowardsthetree.

ThemomentRaicharanhadgone,hislittleMaster'sthoughtswentoffatracingspeedtotheforbiddenwater.Thebabysawtheriverrushingby,splashingandgurgling as it went. It seemed as though the disobedient wavelets themselveswererunningawayfromsomegreaterRaicharanwiththelaughterofathousandchildren.Atthesightoftheirmischief,theheartofthehumanchildgrewexcitedandrestless.Hegotdownstealthilyfromthego-cartandtoddledofftowardstheriver. On his way he picked up a small stick and leant over the bank of thestream pretending to fish. The mischievous fairies of the river with theirmysteriousvoicesseemedinvitinghimintotheirplay-house.

Raicharanhadpluckedahandfulofflowersfromthetreeandwascarryingthemback in the end of his cloth, with his face wreathed in smiles. But when hereachedthego-carttherewasnoonethere.Helookedonallsidesandtherewasnoonethere.Helookedbackatthecartandtherewasnoonethere.

In that first terrible moment his blood froze within him. Before his eyes thewholeuniverseswamroundlikeadarkmist.Fromthedepthofhisbrokenhearthegaveonepiercingcry:"Master,Master,littleMaster."

But no voice answered "Chan-na." No child laughed mischievously back: noscream of baby delight welcomed his return. Only the river ran on with itssplashing,gurglingnoiseasbefore,—asthoughitknewnothingatallandhadnotimetoattendtosuchatinyhumaneventasthedeathofachild.

As the eveningpassedbyRaicharan'smistressbecamevery anxious.She sentmen out on all sides to search. They went with lanterns in their hands andreachedatlastthebanksofthePadma.TheretheyfoundRaicharanrushingupanddown the fields, like a stormywind, shouting the cryofdespair: "Master,Master,littleMaster!"

When they got Raicharan home at last, he fell prostrate at the feet of hismistress.Theyshookhim,andquestionedhim,andaskedhimrepeatedlywherehehadleftthechild;butallhecouldsaywasthatheknewnothing.

Though every one held the opinion that the Padma had swallowed the child,therewasalurkingdoubtleftinthemind.Forabandofgipsieshadbeennoticedoutside the village that afternoon, and some suspicion rested on them. ThemotherwentsofarinherwildgriefastothinkitpossiblethatRaicharanhimself

had stolen the child. She called him aside with piteous entreaty and said:"Raicharan,givemebackmybaby.Givemebackmychild.Takefrommeanymoneyyouask,butgivemebackmychild!"

Raicharanonlybeathis forehead in reply.Hismistressorderedhimoutof thehouse.

Anukul tried to reason hiswife out of thiswholly unjust suspicion: "Why onearth,"hesaid,"shouldhecommitsuchacrimeasthat?"

The mother only replied: "The baby had gold ornaments on his body. Whoknows?"

Itwasimpossibletoreasonwithherafterthat.

II

Raicharanwentbacktohisownvillage.Uptothistimehehadhadnoson,andtherewasnohopethatanychildwouldnowbeborntohim.Butitcameaboutbeforetheendofayearthathiswifegavebirthtoasonanddied.

AnoverwhelmingresentmentatfirstgrewupinRaicharan'sheartatthesightofthisnewbaby.Atthebackofhismindwasresentfulsuspicionthatithadcomeasausurper in placeof the littleMaster.He also thought itwouldbe a graveoffence to be happy with a son of his own after what had happened to hismaster's little child. Indeed, if it had not been for a widowed sister, whomotheredthenewbaby,itwouldnothavelivedlong.

But a change gradually came over Raicharan's mind. A wonderful thinghappened.Thisnewbaby in turnbegan tocrawlabout,andcross thedoorwaywithmischief in its face. It also showed an amusing cleverness inmaking itsescape to safety. Its voice, its sounds of laughter and tears, its gestures, werethoseofthelittleMaster.Onsomedays,whenRaicharanlistenedtoitscrying,hisheartsuddenlybeganthumpingwildlyagainsthisribs,anditseemedtohimthathisformerlittleMasterwascryingsomewhereintheunknownlandofdeathbecausehehadlosthisChan-na.

Phailna (for thatwas the nameRaicharan's sister gave to the new baby) soonbegan to talk. It learnt to say Ba-ba and Ma-ma with a baby accent. WhenRaicharanheardthosefamiliarsoundsthemysterysuddenlybecameclear.ThelittleMastercouldnotcastoffthespellofhisChan-naandthereforehehadbeen

reborninhisownhouse.

The three arguments in favour of this were, to Raicharan, altogether beyonddispute:

Thenewbabywasbornsoonafterhislittlemaster'sdeath.

Hiswifecouldneverhaveaccumulatedsuchmerit as togivebirth toa son inmiddleage.

Thenewbabywalkedwitha toddleandcalledoutBa-baandMa-ma.—Therewasnosignlackingwhichmarkedoutthefuturejudge.

Then suddenly Raicharan remembered that terrible accusation of the mother."Ah," he said to himself with amazement, "the mother's heart was right. SheknewIhadstolenherchild."

Whenoncehehadcometo thisconclusion,hewasfilledwithremorseforhispast neglect.He now gave himself over, body and soul, to the new baby andbecameitsdevotedattendant.Hebegantobringitupasifitwerethesonofarichman.Heboughtago-cart,ayellowsatinwaistcoat,andagold-embroideredcap.Hemelteddowntheornamentsofhisdeadwifeandmadegoldbanglesandanklets.Herefusedtoletthelittlechildplaywithanyoneoftheneighbourhoodandbecamehimself itssolecompaniondayandnight.Asthebabygrewuptoboyhood, hewas so petted and spoilt and clad in such finery that the villagechildren would call him "Your Lordship," and jeer at him; and older peopleregardedRaicharanasunaccountablycrazyaboutthechild.

Atlastthetimecamefortheboytogotoschool.RaicharansoldhissmallpieceoflandandwenttoCalcutta.Therehegotemploymentwithgreatdifficultyasaservant and sent Phailna to school. He spared no pains to give him the besteducation,thebestclothes,thebestfood.Meanwhile,hehimselflivedonamerehandful of rice andwould say in secret: "Ah,my littleMaster,my dear littleMaster,youlovedmesomuchthatyoucamebacktomyhouse!Youshallneversufferfromanyneglectofmine."

Twelveyearspassedaway in thismanner.Theboywasable to readandwritewell. He was bright and healthy and good-looking. He paid a great deal ofattentiontohispersonalappearanceandwasspeciallycarefulinpartinghishair.Hewas inclined to extravagance and finery and spentmoney freely.He couldneverquitelookonRaicharanasafather,because,thoughfatherlyinaffection,

he had themanner of a servant. A further fault was this, that Raicharan keptsecretfromeveryonethathehimselfwasthefatherofthechild.

Thestudentsofthehostel,wherePhailnawasaboarder,weregreatlyamusedbyRaicharan'scountrymanners,andIhavetoconfessthatbehindhisfather'sbackPhailna joined in their fun.But, in the bottom of their hearts, all the studentsloved the innocent and tender-hearted oldman, and Phailnawas very fond ofhimalso.But,asIhavesaidbefore,helovedhimwithakindofcondescension.

Raicharangrewolderandolder,andhisemployerwascontinuallyfindingfaultwithhimforhis incompetentwork.Hehadbeenstarvinghimselffor theboy'ssake, sohehadgrownphysicallyweakandno longerup tohisdaily task.Hewould forget things and his mind became dull and stupid. But his employerexpected a full servant's work out of him and would not brook excuses. Themoney that Raicharan had brought with him from the sale of his land wasexhausted.Theboywascontinuallygrumblingabouthisclothesandaskingformoremoney.

III

Raicharanmadeuphismind.Hegaveupthesituationwherehewasworkingasaservant,andleftsomemoneywithPhailnaandsaid:"Ihavesomebusinesstodoathomeinmyvillage,andshallbebacksoon."

HewentoffatoncetoBarasetwhereAnukulwasmagistrate.Anukul'swifewasstillbrokendownwithgrief.Shehadhadnootherchild.

OnedayAnukulwasrestingafteralongandwearydayincourt.Hiswifewasbuying,atanexorbitantprice,aherbfromamendicantquack,whichwassaidtoensure the birth of a child. A voice of greeting was heard in the courtyard.Anukulwent out to seewhowas there. ItwasRaicharan.Anukul's heartwassoftenedwhenhesawhisoldservant.Heaskedhimmanyquestionsandofferedtotakehimbackintoservice.

Raicharan smiled faintly and said in reply: "I want tomake obeisance tomymistress."

AnukulwentwithRaicharanintothehouse,wherethemistressdidnotreceivehimaswarmlyashisoldmaster.Raicharantooknonoticeofthis,butfoldedhishandsandsaid:"ItwasnotthePadmathatstoleyourbaby.ItwasI."

Anukulexclaimed:"GreatGod!Eh!What!Whereishe?"

Raicharanreplied:"Heiswithme.Iwillbringhimthedayafterto-morrow."

ItwasSunday.Therewasnomagistrate'scourtsitting.Bothhusbandandwifewere looking expectantly along the road, waiting from early morning forRaicharan'sappearance.Atteno'clockhecameleadingPhailnabythehand.

Anukul'swife,withoutaquestion,tooktheboyintoherlapandwaswildwithexcitement,sometimeslaughing,sometimesweeping,touchinghim,kissinghishairandhisforehead,andgazingintohisfacewithhungry,eagereyes.Theboywasverygood-lookinganddressedlikeagentleman'sson.TheheartofAnukulbrimmedoverwithasuddenrushofaffection.

Neverthelessthemagistrateinhimasked:"Haveyouanyproofs?"

Raicharan said: "How could there be any proof of such a deed? God aloneknowsthatIstoleyourboy,andnooneelseintheworld."

WhenAnukulsawhoweagerlyhiswifewasclingingtotheboy,herealisedthefutility of asking for proofs. It would be wiser to believe. And then,—wherecould an old man like Raicharan get such a boy from? And why should hisfaithfulservantdeceivehimfornothing?

"But,"headdedseverely,"Raicharan,youmustnotstayhere."

"Where shall I go, Master?" said Raicharan, in a choking voice, folding hishands."Iamold.Whowilltakeinanoldmanasaservant?"

Themistresssaid:"Lethimstay.Mychildwillbepleased.Iforgivehim."

ButAnukul'smagisterial consciencewould not allow him. "No," he said, "hecannotbeforgivenforwhathehasdone."

Raicharan bowed to the ground and claspedAnukul's feet. "Master," he cried,"letmestay.ItwasnotIwhodidit.ItwasGod."

Anukul's consciencewasmore shocked than everwhenRaicharan tried toputtheblameonGod'sshoulders.

"No,"hesaid,"Icouldnotallowit.Icannottrustyouanymore.Youhavedoneanactoftreachery."

Raicharanrosetohisfeetandsaid:"ItwasnotIwhodidit."

"Whowasitthen?"askedAnukul.

Raicharanreplied:"Itwasmyfate."

Butnoeducatedmancouldtakethisforanexcuse.Anukulremainedobdurate.

WhenPhailnasawthathewasthewealthymagistrate'sson,andnotRaicharan's,he was angry at first, thinking that he had been cheated all this time of hisbirthright. But seeing Raicharan in distress, he generously said to his father:"Father,forgivehim.Evenifyoudon'tlethimlivewithus,lethimhaveasmallmonthlypension."

Afterhearingthis,Raicharandidnotutteranotherword.Helookedforthelasttimeonthefaceofhisson.Hemadeobeisancetohisoldmasterandmistress.Thenhewentoutandwasmingledwiththenumberlesspeopleoftheworld.

At the endof themonthAnukul sent him somemoney to his village.But themoneycameback.TherewasnoonethereofthenameofRaicharan.

WORDSTOBESTUDIED

judicial. From the Latin word "judex," a judge. Compare judicious, judge,judgment,just.

compensate. From the Latin word "pensare," to weigh. Compare dispense,dispensary,compensation.(ThismustnotbeconfusedwiththeLatinword"pendere,"tohang.Comparesuspend,expend,depend.)

ecstasy. From two Greek words "ex" and "stasis," meaning standing outsideoneself.

transferred.FromtheLatinword"ferre,"tocarry.Compareoffer,defer,confer,prefer,proffer,infer,conference,fertile.

crumble.Tobreakintocrumbsorlittlepieces.

promoted.From theLatinword"movēre," tomove.Comparemotive,motion,motor,promotion,commotion.

excited. From the Latin word "ciere," to set in motion. Compare incite,excitement,exciting,cite.

lantern.AFrenchwordderivedfromtheGreek"lampein,"toshine.Compare,magic-lantern,lamp.

gipsy.Alsospeltgypsy,from"Egyptian";becausethegipsiesweresupposedtocomefromEgypt.

usurper.FromtheLatinword"usurpare."Thiswordismadeupof"usus,"useand"rapere,"tosnatch.Compareuse,usual,usufruct,rapid,rapt,rapture.

magisterial. From the Latin word "magister," a judge. Compare magistrate,magistracy.

obdurate. From the Latin word "dūrus," hard. Compare endure, endurance,obduracy.

MASTERMASHAI

V

MASTERMASHAI

I

ADHARBABUlivesupontheinterestofthecapitallefthimbyhisfather.Onlythebrokers, negotiating loans, come to his drawing room and smoke the silver-chased hookah, and the clerks from the attorney's office discuss the terms ofsomemortgageortheamountofthestampfees.Heissocarefulwithhismoneythateventhemostdoggedeffortsoftheboysfromthelocalfootballclubfailtomakeanyimpressiononhispocket.

Atthetimethisstoryopensanewguestcameintohishousehold.Afteralongperiodofdespair,hiswife,Nanibala,borehimason.

The child resembled his mother,—large eyes, well-formed nose, and faircomplexion.Ratikanta,Adharlal'sprotégé,gaveverdict,—"Heisworthyofthisnoblehouse."TheynamedhimVenugopal.

Never before had Adharlal's wife expressed any opinion differing from herhusband'sonhouseholdexpenses.Therehadbeenahotdiscussionnowandthenabouttheproprietyofsomenecessaryitemanduptothis timeshehadmerelyacknowledged defeatwith silent contempt.But nowAdharlal could no longermaintainhissupremacy.Hehad togiveway littleby littlewhen thingsforhissonwereinquestion.

II

As Venugopal grew up, his father gradually became accustomed to spendingmoneyonhim.Heobtainedanoldteacher,whohadaconsiderablereputeforhislearning and also for his success in dragging impassable boys through theirexaminations.Butsuchatrainingdoesnotleadtothecultivationofamiability.Thismantriedhisbesttowintheboy'sheart,butthelittlethatwasleftinhimofthenaturalmilkofhumankindnesshadturnedsour,andthechildrepulsedhisadvancesfromtheverybeginning.Themother,inconsequence,objectedtohim

strongly, and complained that the very sight of himmade her boy ill. So theteacherleft.

Justthen,Haralalmadehisappearancewithadirtydressandatornpairofoldcanvas shoes. Haralal's mother, who was a widow, had kept him with greatdifficulty at a District school out of the scanty earnings which she made bycooking in strange houses and husking rice. He managed to pass theMatriculation and determined to go toCollege.As a result of his half-starvedcondition,hispinchedfacetaperedtoapointinanunnaturalmanner,—likeCapeComorininthemapofIndia;andtheonlybroadportionofitwashisforehead,whichresembledtherangesoftheHimalayas.

The servant asked Haralal what he wanted, and he answered timidly that hewishedtoseethemaster.

Theservantansweredsharply:"Youcan'tseehim."Haralalwashesitating,atalosswhattodonext,whenVenugopal,whohadfinishedhisgameinthegarden,suddenly came to thedoor.The servant shouted atHaralal: "Get away."QuiteunaccountablyVenugopalgrewexcitedandcried:"No,heshan'tgetaway."Andhedraggedthestrangertohisfather.

Adharlal had just risen from hismid-day sleep andwas sitting quietly on theupperverandah inhis canechair, rockinghis legs.Ratikantawasenjoyinghishookah,seatedinachairnexttohim.HeaskedHaralalhowfarhehadgotinhisreading. The young man bent his head and answered that he had passed theMatriculation.Ratikantalookedsternandexpressedsurprisethatheshouldbesobackwardforhisage.Haralalkeptsilence.ItwasRatikanta'sspecialpleasuretotorturehispatron'sdependants,whetheractualorpotential.

SuddenlyitstruckAdharlalthathewouldbeabletoemploythisyouthasatutorforhissononnexttonothing.Heagreed,thereandthen,totakehimatasalaryoffiverupeesamonthwithboardandlodgingfree.

III

Thistimethepostoftutorremainedoccupiedlongerthanbefore.Fromtheverybeginning of their acquaintance Haralal and his pupil became great friends.NeverbeforedidHaralalhavesuchanopportunityoflovinganyyounghumancreature.Hismotherhadbeensopooranddependent,thathehadneverhadtheprivilegeofplayingwiththechildrenwhereshewasemployedatwork.Hehad

not hitherto suspected the hidden stores of love which lay all the whileaccumulatinginhisownheart.

Venu,also,wasgladtofindacompanioninHaralal.Hewastheonlyboyinthehouse.His twoyounger sisterswere lookeddownupon, asunworthyofbeinghisplaymates.Sohisnew tutorbecamehisonly companion,patientlybearingtheundividedweightofthetyrannyofhischildfriend.

IV

Venu was now eleven. Haralal had passed his Intermediate, winning ascholarship.Hewasworking hard for his B.A. degree.After College lectureswereover,hewouldtakeVenuoutintothepublicparkandtellhimstoriesabouttheheroes fromGreekHistoryandVictorHugo's romances.Thechildused togetquiteimpatienttoruntoHaralal,afterschoolhours,inspiteofhismother'sattemptstokeephimbyherside.

ThisdispleasedNanibala.Shethoughtthatitwasadeep-laidplotofHaralal'stocaptivateherboy,inordertoprolonghisownappointment.Onedayshetalkedtohimfrombehindthepurdah:"Itisyourdutytoteachmysononlyforanhourortwointhemorningandevening.Butwhyareyoualwayswithhim?Thechildhasnearly forgottenhisownparents.Youmustunderstand thatamanofyourpositionisnofitcompanionforaboybelongingtothishouse."

Haralal'svoicechokedalittleasheansweredthatforthefuturehewouldmerelybeVenu'steacherandwouldkeepawayfromhimatothertimes.

ItwasHaralal'susualpracticetobeginhisCollegestudyearlybeforedawn.Thechild would come to him directly after he had washed himself. There was asmall pool in the garden and they used to feed the fish in itwith puffed rice.Venuwasalsoengagedinbuildingaminiaturegarden-house,atthecornerofthegarden, with its liliputian gates and hedges and gravel paths. When the sunbecame too hot theywould go back into the house, andVenuwould have hismorninglessonfromHaralal.

OnthedayinquestionVenuhadrisenearlierthanusual,becausehewishedtohear the endof the storywhichHaralal hadbegun the eveningbefore.Buthefoundhis teacherabsent.Whenaskedabouthim, thedoor-servant said thathehadgoneout.At lesson timeVenu remainedunnaturallyquiet.Henever evenaskedHaralalwhyhehadgoneout,butwentonmechanicallywithhislessons.

When the childwaswithhismother takinghis breakfast, she askedhimwhathadhappenedtomakehimsogloomy,andwhyhewasnoteatinghisfood.Venugave no answer. After his meal his mother caressed him and questioned himrepeatedly.Venuburstoutcryingandsaid,—"MasterMashai."HismotheraskedVenu,—"What aboutMasterMashai?"ButVenu found it difficult toname theoffencewhichhisteacherhadcommitted.

HismothersaidtoVenu:"HasyourMasterMashaibeensayinganythingtoyouagainstme?"

Venucouldnotunderstandthequestionandwentaway.

V

There was a theft in Adhar Babu's house. The police were called in toinvestigate.EvenHaralal's trunksweresearched.Ratikantasaidwithmeaning:"Themanwhostealsanything,doesnotkeephistheftsinhisownbox."

Adharlalcalledhisson'stutorandsaidtohim:"Itwillnotbeconvenientformetokeepanyofyouinmyownhouse.Fromto-dayyouwillhavetotakeupyourquartersoutside,onlycomingintoteachmysonatthepropertime."

Ratikantasaidsagely,drawingathishookah:"That isagoodproposal,—goodforbothparties."

Haralaldidnotutteraword,buthesentalettersayingthatitwouldbenolongerpossibleforhimtoremainastutortoVenu.

WhenVenucamebackfromschool,hefoundhistutor'sroomempty.Eventhatbrokensteel trunkofhiswasabsent.Theropewasstretchedacrossthecorner,but there were no clothes or towel hanging on it. Only on the table, whichformerlywasstrewnwithbooksandpapers,stoodabowlcontainingsomegold-fish with a label on which was written the word "Venu" in Haralal's hand-writing.Theboyranupatoncetohisfatherandaskedhimwhathadhappened.HisfathertoldhimthatHaralalhadresignedhispost.Venuwenttohisroomandflunghimself down andbegan to cry.Adharlal did not knowwhat to dowithhim.

Thenextday,whenHaralalwas sittingonhiswoodenbedstead in theHostel,debatingwithhimselfwhetherheshouldattendhiscollegelectures,suddenlyhesawAdharBabu'sservantcomingintohisroomfollowedbyVenu.Venuatonce

ranuptohimandthrewhisarmsroundhisneckaskinghimtocomebacktothehouse.

Haralalcouldnotexplainwhyitwasabsolutelyimpossibleforhimtogoback,but thememoryof thoseclingingarmsandthatpathetic requestused tochokehisbreathwithemotionlongafter.

VI

Haralalfoundout,afterthis,thathismindwasinanunsettledstate,andthathehad but a small chance ofwinning the scholarship, even if he could pass theexamination.Atthesametime,heknewthat,withoutthescholarship,hecouldnotcontinuehisstudies.Sohetriedtogetemploymentinsomeoffice.

Fortunatelyforhim,anEnglishManagerofabigmerchantfirmtookafancytohimatfirstsight.AfteronlyabriefexchangeofwordstheManageraskedhimifhehadanyexperience,andcouldhebringany testimonial.Haralalcouldonlyanswer"No";neverthelessapostwasofferedhimoftwentyrupeesamonthandfifteen rupees were allowed him in advance to help him to come properlydressedtotheoffice.

TheManagermadeHaralalworkextremelyhard.Hehadtostayonafterofficehours and sometimesgo to hismaster's house late in the evening.But, in thisway,helearnthisworkquickerthanothers,andhisfellowclerksbecamejealousofhimandtriedtoinjurehim,butwithouteffect.Herentedasmallhouseinanarrowlaneandbroughthismother to livewithhimassoonashissalarywasraised to forty rupees amonth.Thus happiness cameback to hismother afterwearyyearsofwaiting.

Haralal'smother used to express a desire to seeVenugopal, ofwhom she hadheardsomuch.Shewishedtopreparesomedisheswithherownhandandtoaskhim to come just once to dine with her son. Haralal avoided the subject bysayingthathishousewasnotbigenoughtoinvitehimforthatpurpose.

VII

The news reached Haralal that Venu's mother had died. He could not wait amoment,butwentatoncetoAdharlal'shousetoseeVenu.Afterthattheybegantoseeeachotherfrequently.

Buttimeshadchanged.Venu,strokinghisbuddingmoustache,hadgrownquiteayoungmanoffashion.Friends,befittinghispresentcondition,werenumerous.Thatolddilapidatedstudychairandink-staineddeskhadvanished,andtheroomnow seemed to be bursting with pride at its new acquisitions,—its looking-glasses,oleographs,andother furniture.Venuhadenteredcollege,but showednohasteincrossingtheboundaryoftheIntermediateexamination.

Haralal remembered hismother's request to inviteVenu to dinner.After greathesitation, he did so. Venugopal, with his handsome face, at once won themother'sheart.Butassoonaseverthemealwasoverhebecameimpatienttogo,and looking at his goldwatch he explained that he had pressing engagementselsewhere.Thenhejumpedintohiscarriage,whichwaswaitingatthedoor,anddroveaway.Haralalwithasighsaidtohimselfthathewouldneverinvitehimagain.

VIII

Oneday,onreturningfromoffice,Haralalnoticedthepresenceofamaninthedarkroomonthegroundfloorofhishouse.Possiblyhewouldhavepassedhimby, had not the heavy scent of some foreign perfume attracted his attention.Haralalaskedwhowasthere,andtheanswercame:

"ItisI,MasterMashai."

"Whatisthematter,Venu?"saidHaralal."Whendidyouarrive?"

"Icamehoursago,"saidVenu."Ididnotknowthatyoureturnedsolate."

They went upstairs together and Haralal lighted the lamp and asked Venuwhether all was well. Venu replied that his college classes were becoming afearfulbore,andhisfatherdidnotrealizehowdreadfullyharditwasforhimtogo on in the same class, year after year, with students much younger thanhimself.Haralal asked himwhat hewished to do.Venu then told him that hewanted to go to England and become a barrister. He gave an instance of astudent,muchlessadvancedthanhimself,whowasgettingreadytogo.Haralalaskedhimifhehadreceivedhisfather'spermission.VenurepliedthathisfatherwouldnothearawordofituntilhehadpassedtheIntermediate,andthatwasanimpossibility in his present frame of mind. Haralal suggested that he himselfshouldgoandtrytotalkoverhisfather.

"No,"saidVenu,"Icanneverallowthat!"

Haralal askedVenu to stay for dinner andwhile they were waiting he gentlyplacedhishandonVenu'sshoulderandsaid:

"Venu,youshouldnotquarrelwithyourfather,orleavehome."

Venu jumped up angrily and said that if he was not welcome, he could goelsewhere.Haralal caught him by the hand and implored him not to go awaywithouttakinghisfood.ButVenusnatchedawayhishandandwasjustleavingtheroomwhenHaralal'smotherbroughtthefoodinonatray.OnseeingVenuabouttoleaveshepressedhimtoremainandhedidsowithbadgrace.

Whilehewaseatingthesoundofacarriagestoppingatthedoorwasheard.Firsta servant entered the roomwithcreaking shoesand thenAdharBabuhimself.Venu'sfacebecamepale.Themotherlefttheroomassoonasshesawstrangersenter.AdharBabucalledouttoHaralalinavoicethickwithanger:

"Ratikanta gave me full warning, but I could not believe that you had suchdevilishcunninghiddeninyou.So,youthinkyou'regoingto liveuponVenu?Thisissheerkidnapping,andIshallprosecuteyouinthePoliceCourt."

Venusilentlyfollowedhisfatherandwentoutofthehouse.

IX

ThefirmtowhichHaralalbelongedbegantobuyuplargequantitiesofriceanddhalfromthecountrydistricts.Topayforthis,HaralalhadtotakethecasheverySaturdaymorningbytheearlytrainanddisburseit.Therewerespecialcentreswherethebrokersandmiddlemenwouldcomewiththeirreceiptsandaccountsforsettlement.SomediscussionhadtakenplaceintheofficeaboutHaralalbeingentrustedwiththiswork,withoutanysecurity,buttheManagerundertookalltheresponsibilityandsaidthatasecuritywasnotneeded.Thisspecialworkusedtogoon fromthemiddleofDecember to themiddleofApril.Haralalwouldgetbackfromitverylateatnight.

Oneday,afterhisreturn,hewastoldbyhismotherthatVenuhadcalledandthatshe had persuaded him to take his dinner at their house. This happenedmorethanonce.ThemothersaidthatitwasbecauseVenumissedhisownmother,andthetearscameintohereyesasshespokeaboutit.

OnedayVenuwaitedforHaralaltoreturnandhadalongtalkwithhim.

"MasterMashai!" he said. "Father has become so cantankerous of late that Icannotlivewithhimanylonger.And,besides,Iknowthatheisgettingreadytomarry again. Ratikanta is seeking a suitable match, and they are alwaysconspiringaboutit.Thereusedtobeatimewhenmyfatherwouldgetanxious,ifIwereabsentfromhomeevenforafewhours.Now,ifIamawayformorethanaweek,hetakesnonotice,—indeedheisgreatlyrelieved.Ifthismarriagetakesplace,IfeelthatIcannotliveinthehouseanylonger.Youmustshowmeawayoutofthis.Iwanttobecomeindependent."

Haralal felt deeplypained, but hedidnot knowhow tohelphis formerpupil.Venu said that he was determined to go to England and become a barrister.Somehowor other hemust get the passagemoney out of his father: he couldborrowitonanoteofhandandhisfatherwouldhavetopaywhenthecreditorsfiledasuit.Withthisborrowedmoneyhewouldgetaway,andwhenhewasinEnglandhisfatherwascertaintoremithisexpenses.

"Butwhoisthere,"Haralalasked,"whowouldadvanceyouthemoney?"

"You!"saidVenu.

"I!"exclaimedHaralalinamazement.

"Yes,"saidVenu,"I'veseentheservantbringingheapsofmoneyhereinbags."

"Theservantandthemoneybelongtosomeoneelse."

Haralalexplainedwhythemoneycametohishouseatnight,likebirdstotheirnest,tobescatterednextmorning.

"Butcan'ttheManageradvancethesum?"Venuasked.

"Hemaydoso,"saidHaralal,"ifyourfatherstandssecurity."

Thediscussionendedatthispoint.

X

One Friday night a carriage and pair stopped before Haralal's lodging house.WhenVenuwasannouncedHaralalwascountingmoneyinhisbedroom,seatedon the floor. Venu entered the room dressed in a strange manner. He haddiscardedhisBengalidressandwaswearingaParseecoatandtrousersandhadacaponhishead.Ringswereprominentonalmostallthefingersofbothhands,

andathickgoldchainwashangingroundhisneck:therewasagold-watchinhispocket,anddiamondstudscouldbeseenpeepingfromhisshirtsleeves.Haralalatonceaskedhimwhatwasthematterandwhyhewaswearingthatdress.

"Myfather'smarriage,"saidVenu,"comesoffto-morrow.Hetriedhardtokeepitfromme,butIfounditout.Iaskedhimtoallowmetogotoourgarden-houseatBarrackpurforafewdays,andhewasonlytoogladtogetridofmesoeasily.Iamgoingthere,andIwishtoGodIhadnevertocomeback."

Haralallookedpointedlyattheringsonhisfingers.Venuexplainedthattheyhadbelongedtohismother.Haralalthenaskedhimifhehadalreadyhadhisdinner.Heanswered,"Yes,haven'tyouhadyours?"

"No,"saidHaralal, "Icannot leave this roomuntil Ihaveall themoneysafelylockedupinthisironchest."

"Goandtakeyourdinner,"saidVenu,"whileIkeepguardhere:yourmotherwillbewaitingforyou."

ForamomentHaralalhesitated,and thenhewentoutandhadhisdinner. Inashort timehecamebackwithhismotherand the threeof themsat among thebagsofmoneytalkingtogether.Whenitwasaboutmidnight,Venutookouthiswatchandlookedatitandjumpedupsayingthathewouldmisshistrain.ThenheaskedHaralaltokeepallhisringsandhiswatchandchainuntilheaskedforthemagain.Haralalputthemalltogetherinaleatherbagandlaiditintheironsafe.Venuwentout.

The canvasbags containing the currencynoteshad alreadybeenplaced in thesafe:only the loose coins remained tobecountedover andput awaywith therest.

XI

Haralallaydownonthefloorofthesameroom,withthekeyunderhispillow,andwent to sleep.He dreamt thatVenu'smotherwas loudly reproaching himfrombehindthecurtain.Herwordswereindistinct,butraysofdifferentcoloursfromthejewelsonherbodykeptpiercingthecurtainlikeneedlesandviolentlyvibrating.HaralalstruggledtocallVenu,buthisvoiceseemedtoforsakehim.Atlast,with a noise, the curtain fell down.Haralal startedup fromhis sleep andfounddarknesspileduproundabouthim.Asuddengustofwindhadflungopenthe window and put out the light. Haralal's whole body was wet with

perspiration.Herelightedthelampandsaw,bytheclock,thatitwasfourinthemorning.Therewasnotimetosleepagain;forhehadtogetreadytostart.

AfterHaralal hadwashed his face and hands hismother called fromher ownroom,—"Baba,whyareyouupsosoon?"

ItwasthehabitofHaralaltoseehismother'sfacethefirstthinginthemorningin order to bring a blessing upon the day. His mother said to him: "I wasdreaming that youwere goingout to bringback a bride for yourself."Haralalwent tohisownbedroomandbegan to takeout thebagscontaining the silverandthecurrencynotes.

Suddenlyhisheartstoppedbeating.Threeofthebagsappearedtobeempty.Heknockedthemagainsttheironsafe,butthisonlyprovedhisfeartobetrue.Heopenedthemandshookthemwithallhismight.TwolettersfromVenudroppedoutfromoneofthebags.OnewasaddressedtohisfatherandonetoHaralal.

Haralal tore openhis own letter andbegan reading.Thewords seemed to runinto one another.He trimmed the lamp, but felt as if he could not understandwhat he read. Yet the purport of the letter was clear. Venu had taken threethousand rupees, in currency notes, and had started for England. The steamerwastosailbeforeday-breakthatverymorning.Theletterendedwiththewords:"Iamexplainingeverythinginalettertomyfather.Hewillpayoffthedebt;andthen, again,mymother's ornaments,which I have left in your care,willmorethancovertheamountIhavetaken."

Haralal lockeduphisroomandhiredacarriageandwentwithallhaste to thejetty.ButhedidnotknoweventhenameofthesteamerwhichVenuhadtaken.HeranthewholelengthofthewharvesfromPrinsep'sGhattoMetiaburuj.Hefound that two steamers had started on their voyage to England early thatmorning.ItwasimpossibleforhimtoknowwhichofthemcarriedVenu,orhowtoreachhim.

When Haralal got home, the sun was strong and the whole of Calcutta wasawake.Everythingbeforehiseyesseemedblurred.Hefeltasifhewerepushingagainstafearfulobstaclewhichwasbodilessandwithoutpity.Hismothercameontheverandahtoaskhimanxiouslywherehehadgone.Withadrylaughhesaidtoher,—"Tobringhomeabrideformyself,"andthenhefaintedaway.

On opening his eyes after a while, Haralal asked his mother to leave him.Enteringhis roomheshut thedoor fromthe insidewhilehismother remained

seatedontheflooroftheverandahinthefierceglareofthesun.Shekeptcallingtohimfitfully,almostmechanically,—"Baba,Baba!"

TheservantcamefromtheManager'sofficeandknockedatthedoor,sayingthattheywouldmiss the train if theydidnot startoutatonce.Haralalcalled frominside,"Itwillnotbepossibleformetostartthismorning."

"Thenwherearewetogo,Sir?"

"Iwilltellyoulateron."

Theservantwentdownstairswithagestureofimpatience.

SuddenlyHaralalthoughtoftheornamentswhichVenuhadleftbehind.Uptillnowhehadcompletelyforgottenaboutthem,butwiththethoughtcameinstantrelief. He took the leather bag containing them, and also Venu's letter to hisfather,andleftthehouse.

Before he reached Adharlal's house he could hear the bands playing for thewedding, yet on entering he could feel that there had been some disturbance.Haralal was told that there had been a theft the night before and one or twoservantsweresuspected.AdharBabuwassittingintheupperverandahflushedwithangerandRatikantawassmokinghishookah.HaralalsaidtoAdharBabu,"Ihavesomethingprivatetotellyou."Adharlalflaredup,"Ihavenotimenow!"He was afraid that Haralal had come to borrow money or to ask his help.Ratikantasuggestedthat if therewasanydelicacyinmakingtherequest inhispresencehewouldleavetheplace.Adharlaltoldhimangrilytositwherehewas.ThenHaralalhandedover thebagwhichVenuhad leftbehind.AdharlalaskedwhatwasinsideitandHaralalopeneditandgavethecontentsintohishands.

ThenAdharBabusaidwitha sneer: "It's apayingbusiness thatyou twohavestarted—you andyour former pupil!Youwere certain that the stolen propertywouldbetraced,andsoyoucomealongwithittometoclaimareward!"

HaralalpresentedtheletterwhichVenuhadwrittentohisfather.ThisonlymadeAdharlalallthemorefurious.

"What'sallthis?"heshouted,"I'llcallforthepolice!Mysonhasnotyetcomeofage,—andyouhavesmuggledhimoutofthecountry!I'llbetmysoulyou'velenthimafewhundredrupees,andthentakenanoteofhandforthreethousand!ButIamnotgoingtobeboundbythis!"

"Ineveradvancedhimanymoneyatall,"saidHaralal.

"Then how did he find it?" saidAdharlal, "Do youmean to tellme he brokeopenyoursafeandstoleit?"

Haralalstoodsilent.

Ratikantasarcasticallyremarked:"Idon'tbelievethisfelloweversethandsonasmuchasthreethousandrupeesinhislife."

When Haralal left the house he seemed to have lost the power of dreadinganything,orevenofbeinganxious.Hismindseemedtorefusetowork.Directlyhe entered the lane he saw a carriage waiting before his own lodging. For amomenthefeltcertain that itwasVenu's. Itwas impossible tobelieve thathiscalamitycouldbesohopelesslyfinal.

Haralal went up quickly, but found an English assistant from the firm sittinginsidethecarriage.ThemancameoutwhenhesawHaralalandtookhimbythehandandaskedhim:"Whydidn'tyougooutbytrainthismorning?"TheservanthadtoldtheManagerhissuspicionsandhehadsentthismantofindout.

Haralalanswered:"Notestotheamountofthreethousandrupeesaremissing."

Themanaskedhowthatcouldhavehappened.

Haralalremainedsilent.

Themansaid toHaralal: "Letusgoupstairs togetherandseewhereyoukeepyourmoney." Theywent up to the room and counted themoney andmade athoroughsearchofthehouse.

When themother saw this shecouldnot containherself any longer.Shecameout before the stranger and said: "Baba,what has happened?"He answered inbrokenHindustanithatsomemoneyhadbeenstolen.

"Stolen!"themothercried,"Why!Howcoulditbestolen?Whocoulddosuchadastardlything?"Haralalsaidtoher:"Mother,don'tsayaword."

Theman collected the remainder of themoney and toldHaralal to comewithhimtotheManager.Themotherbarredthewayandsaid:

"Sir,whereareyoutakingmyson?Ihavebroughthimup,starvingandstrainingtodohonestwork.Mysonwouldnevertouchmoneybelongingtoothers."

TheEnglishman,notknowingBengali,said,"Achcha!Achcha!"Haralaltoldhismothernot tobeanxious;hewouldexplain it all to theManager and soonbebackagain.Themotherentreatedhim,withadistressedvoice,

"Baba,youhaven'ttakenamorseloffoodallmorning."Haralalsteppedintothecarriageanddroveaway,andthemothersanktothegroundintheanguishofherheart.

TheManagersaidtoHaralal:"Tellmethetruth.Whatdidhappen?"

Haralalsaidtohim,"Ihaven'ttakenanymoney."

"Ifullybelieveit,"saidtheManager,"butsurelyyouknowwhohastakenit."

Haralallookedonthegroundandremainedsilent.

"Somebody," said the Manager, "must have taken it away with yourconnivance."

"Nobody," replied Haralal, "could take it away with my knowledge withouttakingfirstmylife."

"Look here, Haralal," said theManager, "I trusted you completely. I took nosecurity.Iemployedyouinapostofgreatresponsibility.Everyoneintheofficewasagainstmefordoingso.Thethreethousandrupeesisasmallmatter,buttheshameofallthistomeisagreatmatter.Iwilldoonething.Iwillgiveyouthewholedaytobringbackthismoney.Ifyoudoso,IshallsaynothingaboutitandIwillkeepyouoninyourpost."

Itwasnoweleveno'clock.Haralalwithbentheadwentoutof theoffice.Theclerksbegantodiscusstheaffairwithexultation.

"WhatcanIdo?WhatcanIdo?"Haralalrepeatedtohimself,ashewalkedalonglikeonedazed,thesun'sheatpouringdownuponhim.Atlasthismindceasedtothinkatallaboutwhatcouldbedone,butthemechanicalwalkwentonwithoutceasing.

This city of Calcutta,which offered its shelter to thousands and thousands ofmenhadbecomelikeasteeltrap.Hecouldseenowayout.Thewholebodyofpeople were conspiring to surround and hold him captive—this mostinsignificant of men, whom no one knew. Nobody had any special grudgeagainst him, yet everybody was his enemy. The crowd passed by, brushing

against him: the clerks of the officeswere eating their lunch on the road sidefrom their plates made of leaves: a tired wayfarer on the Maidan, under theshadeofatree,waslyingwithonehandbeneathhisheadandonelegupraisedover the other: The up-countrywomen, crowded into hackney carriages,werewendingtheirwayto the temple:achuprassiecameupwitha letterandaskedhimtheaddressontheenvelope,—sotheafternoonwentby.

Thencamethe timewhentheofficeswereallabout toclose.Carriagesstartedoff in all directions, carrying people back to their homes. The clerks, packedtightly on the seats of the trams, looked at the theatre advertisements as theyreturned to their lodgings. From to-day, Haralal had neither his work in theoffice,norreleasefromworkintheevening.Hehadnoneedtohurrytocatchthe tram to take him to his home. All the busy occupations of the city—thebuildings—thehorsesandcarriages—theincessanttraffic—seemed,nowatonetime, to swell into dreadful reality, and at another time, to subside into theshadowyunreal.

Haralalhadtakenneitherfood,norrest,norshelterallthatday.

Thestreetlampswerelightedfromoneroadtoanotheranditseemedtohimthatawatchfuldarkness,likesomedemon,waskeepingitseyeswideopentoguardeverymovementof itsvictim.Haralaldidnotevenhave theenergy toenquirehowlate itwas.Theveinsonhis forehead throbbed,andhefeltas ifhisheadwouldburst.Throughtheparoxysmsofpain,whichalternatedwiththeapathyofdejection, only one thought came again and again to his mind; among theinnumerablemultitudes in thatvastcity,onlyonenamefound itsway throughhisdrythroat,—"Mother!"

Hesaidtohimself,"Atthedeepofnight,whennooneisawaketocaptureme—me,whoamtheleastofallmen,—Iwillsilentlycreeptomymother'sarmsandfallasleep,andmayIneverwakeagain!"

Haralal's one trouble was lest some police officer should molest him in thepresence of his mother, and this kept him back from going home. When itbecameimpossibleforhimatlasttobeartheweightofhisownbody,hehailedacarriage. The driver asked himwhere hewanted to go. He said: "Nowhere, Iwant todrive across theMaidan toget the fresh air."Themanat first didnotbelievehimandwasabouttodriveon,whenHaralalputarupeeintohishandasan advance payment. Thereupon the driver crossed, and then re-crossed, theMaidanfromonesidetotheother,traversingthedifferentroads.

Haralal laidhis throbbingheadonthesideof theopenwindowofthecarriageandclosedhiseyes.Slowlyall thepainabated.Hisbodybecamecool.Adeepandintensepeacefilledhisheartandasupremedeliveranceseemedtoembracehimoneveryside.Itwasnottrue,—theday'sdespairwhichthreatenedhimwithitsgripofutterhelplessness.Itwasnot true, itwasfalse.Heknewnowthat itwas only an empty fear of themind. Deliverancewas in the infinite sky andtherewasnoend topeace.Nokingoremperor in theworldhad thepower tokeepcaptivethisnonentity,thisHaralal.Inthesky,surroundinghisemancipatedheartoneveryside,hefeltthepresenceofhismother,thatonepoorwoman.Sheseemedtogrowandgrowtillshefilledtheinfinityofdarkness.Alltheroadsandbuildings and shops of Calcutta gradually became enveloped by her. In herpresence vanished all the aching pains and thoughts and consciousness ofHaralal.Itburst,—thatbubblefilledwiththehotvapourofpain.Andnowtherewasneitherdarknessnorlight,butonlyonetensefulness.

TheCathedral clock struck one.The driver called out impatiently: "Babu,myhorsecan'tgoonanylonger.Wheredoyouwanttogo?"

Therecamenoanswer.

ThedrivercamedownandshookHaralalandaskedhimagainwherehewantedtogo.

Therecamenoanswer.

AndtheanswerwasneverreceivedfromHaralal,wherehewantedtogo.

WORDSTOBESTUDIED

broker.Thiswordmeantoriginallya"broacher,"onewhobroachedormadeahole incasksofwine to test theirvalue for sale.Then it came tomeanamiddlemaninasale.

attorney.ThiswordcomesfromtheOldFrench"tourner"meaningtoturn.Theoriginal senseof theword is "onewho turnsor transfers (property)," andthus it comes to mean one who is appointed to do legal business in thenameofanother.Comparethephrase"powerofattorney."

mortgage.Thiscomesfromthetwowords"mort-"meaning"death"and"gage"meaning"pledge,"—adeathpledge.Itisusedforthetransferofpropertyasapledgeorguaranteethatthedebtwillbepaid.Comparemortuary,mortal,

mortify,mortmain;alsocompareengage,disengage,wage,wager.

repulsed.FromtheLatin"puls-"meaning"todrive."ThisLatinroothasanotherform"pel,"alsomeaning"todrive."Wehavethustwoseriesofwords:—

repel,impel,compel,expel,dispel,andrepulse,impulse(noun),compulsion,expulsion.

amiability.ThiswordcomesfromtheLatin"amicus"friendandisthesameinoriginas"amicability."Compareamicableandamiable.

salary.Thisoriginallymeant"salt-money"fromtheLatin"sal"meaning"salt."First,itmeantthe"salt-money"giventosoldiers,thenitmeantafixedpay.Compare theuseofnamak in India,—namakkhānā,—which issomewhatsimilar.

liliputian.Thiswordhascome into theEnglish language froma famousstorybook called "Gulliver's Travels." "Liliput"was a placewhere tiny peoplelivedand"Brobdingnag"wasaplacewheregiantslived.Thesetwowordsare therefore sometimes used, in an amusing manner, to representrespectivelythelandofdwarfsandthelandofgiants.

B.A.degree.ThesetitleswereoriginallyusedintheoldmedievaluniversitiesofEurope.Theword"bachelor"was taken from itsuse inchivalry,where itmeant ayoungknightnotyet fullyqualifiedor equipped.Thencame the"Master," or fully qualified person. A secondary meaning of bachelor,which is now the most common, is "an unmarried person,"—a man notbeingconsideredfullyqualifiedorequippedtillheismarried.

romance.Thiswordhasaveryinterestinghistory.TheLatinlanguagewastheliterary language of the South of Europe for many centuries and thevernacular languages were despised. The word for "vernacular" was"romanicus"ascontrastedwith"Latinus,"i.e.Latin.TheoldfolkstoriesoftheMiddleAgeswerewritten in the vernacular or "romance" languages,andasthesestorieswerestrangeandmysterious,thewordromancebecameusedforthiskindofliterature.

pathetic.FromtheGreekword"pathos"meaning"suffering."Comparepathos,sympathy,pathology,electropathy,allopathy,homœopathy.

dilapidated. From the Latin "lapis" meaning a "stone." It probably means toseparatestonefromstone.Comparelapidary,dilapidation.

intermediate. From the Latin "medius"meaning "middle." Comparemediate,immediate,medium,mediocrity,mediator.

police. From the Greek "polis" meaning a "city." Compare politics, policy,metropolis,politician.

barrister.Fromtheword"bar."Therewasabar in the lawcourt, fromwhichthelawyerpleadedhiscase.Sothepleaderwascalledabar-ister.Comparethephrase"calledtotheBar."

obstacle. From the Latin root "sta-" meaning to stand. Compare obstinate,station,status,statute,instant,distance,constant.

dastardly.Awordofdoubtfulorigin,—probablyakintotheword"dazed."

reality. From the Latin word "res" meaning a "thing." Compare real,unreal,realize,republic,really,realization.

alternated. From the Latin "alter" meaning "other." Compare alteration,alternative,alter,altercate.

infinity.FromtheLatin"finis"meaning"end."Compare finish, finite,definite,confine.

SUBHA

VI

SUBHA

WHEN thegirlwasgiventhenameofSubhashini,whocouldhaveguessedthatshewouldprovedumb?HertwoeldersisterswereSukeshiniandSuhasini,andfor the sakeof uniformity her father named his youngest girl Subhashini. ShewascalledSubhaforshort.

Her two elder sisters had beenmarriedwith the usual cost and difficulty, andnowtheyoungestdaughterlaylikeasilentweightupontheheartofherparents.Alltheworldseemedtothinkthat,becauseshedidnotspeak,thereforeshedidnotfeel; itdiscussedherfutureanditsownanxietyfreelyinherpresence.ShehadunderstoodfromherearliestchildhoodthatGodhadsentherlikeacursetoherfather'shouse,soshewithdrewherselffromordinarypeopleandtriedtoliveapart.Ifonlytheywouldallforgethershefeltshecouldendureit.Butwhocanforget pain? Night and day her parents' minds were aching on her account.Especiallyhermotherlookeduponherasadeformityinherself.Toamotheradaughterisamorecloselyintimatepartofherselfthanasoncanbe;andafaultinherisasourceofpersonalshame.Banikantha,Subha'sfather,lovedherratherbetterthanhisotherdaughters;hermotherregardedherwithaversionasastainuponherownbody.

IfSubhalackedspeech,shedidnotlackapairoflargedarkeyes,shadedwithlonglashes;andherlipstrembledlikealeafinresponsetoanythoughtthatroseinhermind.

Whenweexpressour thought inwords, themediumisnotfoundeasily.Theremust be a process of translation,which is often inexact, and thenwe fall intoerror.Butblackeyesneednotranslating;theminditselfthrowsashadowuponthem.Inthemthoughtopensorshuts,shinesforthorgoesoutindarkness,hangssteadfast likethesettingmoonorliketheswiftandrestlesslightningilluminesallquartersofthesky.Theywhofrombirthhavehadnootherspeechthanthetremblingoftheirlipslearnalanguageoftheeyes,endlessinexpression,deepasthesea,clearastheheavens,whereinplaydawnandsunset,lightandshadow.The dumb have a lonely grandeur like Nature's own. Wherefore the other

children almost dreadedSubha and never playedwith her. Shewas silent andcompanionlessasnoontide.

ThehamletwhereshelivedwasChandipur.Itsriver,smallforariverofBengal,kepttoitsnarrowboundslikeadaughterofthemiddleclass.Thisbusystreakofwaterneveroverfloweditsbanks,butwentaboutitsdutiesasthoughitwereamemberofeveryfamilyinthevillagesbesideit.Oneithersidewerehousesandbanksshadedwithtrees.Sosteppingfromherqueenlythrone,theriver-goddessbecameagardendeityofeachhome,andforgetfulofherselfperformedhertaskofendlessbenedictionwithswiftandcheerfulfoot.

Banikantha'shouselookedoutuponthestream.Everyhutandstackintheplacecouldbeseenbythepassingboatmen.Iknownotifamidthesesignsofworldlywealthanyonenoticedthelittlegirlwho,whenherworkwasdone,stoleawaytothewatersideandsatthere.ButhereNaturefulfilledherwantofspeechandspokeforher.Themurmurofthebrook,thevoiceofthevillagefolk,thesongsoftheboatmen,thecryingofthebirdsandrustleoftreesmingledandwereonewiththetremblingofherheart.Theybecameonevastwaveofsoundwhichbeatupon her restless soul. Thismurmur andmovement ofNaturewere the dumbgirl'slanguage;thatspeechofthedarkeyes,whichthelonglashesshaded,wasthelanguageoftheworldabouther.Fromthetrees,wherethecicalaschirped,tothequiet stars therewasnothingbut signs andgestures,weeping and sighing.Andinthedeepmid-noon,whentheboatmenandfisher-folkhadgonetotheirdinner,whenthevillagerssleptandbirdswerestill,whentheferry-boatswereidle,whenthegreatbusyworldpausedinitstoilandbecamesuddenlyalonely,awful giant, then beneath the vast impressive heavens there were only dumbNatureandadumbgirl, sittingverysilent,—oneunder the spreadingsunlight,theotherwhereasmalltreecastitsshadow.

But Subha was not altogether without friends. In the stall were two cows,SarbbashiandPanguli.Theyhadneverheardtheirnamesfromherlips,buttheyknewher footfall.Thoughshehadnowords, shemurmured lovinglyand theyunderstoodhergentlemurmuringbetterthanallspeech.Whenshefondledthemorscoldedorcoaxedthem,theyunderstoodherbetterthanmencoulddo.SubhawouldcometotheshedandthrowherarmsroundSarbbashi'sneck;shewouldrubher cheekagainsther friend's, andPanguliwould turnhergreatkindeyesand lickher face.Thegirl paid them three regular visits everyday andothersthatwereirregular.Wheneversheheardanywordsthathurther,shewouldcometothesedumbfriendsoutofduetime.Itwasasthoughtheyguessedheranguishof spirit fromher quiet look of sadness.Coming close to her, theywould rub

theirhornssoftlyagainstherarms,andindumb,puzzledfashiontrytocomforther.Besidesthesetwo,thereweregoatsandakitten;butSubhahadnotthesameequality of friendship with them, though they showed the same attachment.Everytimeitgotachance,nightorday,thekittenwouldjumpintoherlap,andsettle down to slumber, and show its appreciation of an aid to sleep as Subhadrewhersoftfingersoveritsneckandback.

Subhahadacomradealsoamongthehigheranimals,anditishardtosaywhatwerethegirl'srelationswithhim;forhecouldspeak,andhisgiftofspeechleftthemwithoutanycommonlanguage.HewastheyoungestboyoftheGosains,Pratapbyname,anidlefellow.Afterlongeffort,hisparentshadabandonedthehopethathewouldevermakehisliving.Nowloselshavethisadvantage, that,thoughtheirownfolkdisapproveofthem,theyaregenerallypopularwitheveryoneelse.Havingnowork tochain them, theybecomepublicproperty. Just aseverytownneedsanopenspacewhereallmaybreathe,soavillageneedstwoorthree gentlemen of leisure,who can give time to all; then, ifwe are lazy andwantacompanion,oneistohand.

Pratap'schiefambitionwastocatchfish.Hemanagedtowastealotoftimethisway, andmight be seen almost any afternoon so employed. It was thusmostoften that hemet Subha.Whatever hewas about, he liked a companion; and,when one is catching fish, a silent companion is best of all. Pratap respectedSubha for her taciturnity, and, as every one called her Subha, he showed hisaffectionbycallingherSu.Subhausedtositbeneathatamarind,andPratap,alittledistanceoff,wouldcasthisline.Prataptookwithhimasmallallowanceofbetel,andSubhaprepareditforhim.AndIthinkthat,sittingandgazingalongwhile,shedesiredardentlytobringsomegreathelptoPratap,tobeofrealaid,toprovebyanymeansthatshewasnotauselessburdentotheworld.Buttherewasnothingtodo.ThensheturnedtotheCreatorinprayerforsomerarepower,thatbyanastonishingmiracleshemightstartlePratapintoexclaiming:"My!IneverdreamtourSucouldhavedonethis!"

Onlythink,ifSubhahadbeenawaternymph,shemighthaverisenslowlyfromtheriver,bringingthegemofasnake'scrowntothelanding-place.ThenPratap,leavinghispaltry fishing,mightdive into the lowerworld,andsee there,onagolden bed in a palace of silver, whom else but dumb little Su, Banikantha'schild?Yes,ourSu,theonlydaughterofthekingofthatshiningcityofjewels!Butthatmightnotbe,itwasimpossible.Notthatanythingisreallyimpossible,butSuhadbeenborn,notintotheroyalhouseofPatalpur,butintoBanikantha'sfamily,andsheknewnomeansofastonishingtheGosains'boy.

Graduallyshegrewup.Graduallyshebegantofindherself.Anewinexpressibleconsciousness likea tide from thecentralplacesof the sea,when themoon isfull,sweptthroughher.Shesawherself,questionedherself,butnoanswercamethatshecouldunderstand.

Onceuponatime,lateonanightoffullmoon,sheslowlyopenedherdoorandpeepedouttimidly.Nature,herselfatfullmoon,likelonelySubha,waslookingdown on the sleeping earth. Her strong young life beat within her; joy andsadness filled her being to its brim; she reached the limits even of her ownillimitable loneliness, nay, passed beyond them.Her heartwas heavy, and shecouldnotspeak.AttheskirtsofthissilenttroubledMothertherestoodasilenttroubledgirl.

The thought of her marriage filled her parents with an anxious care. Peopleblamed them, and even talked ofmaking them outcasts. Banikanthawaswelloff; theyhadfish-currytwicedaily;andconsequentlyhedidnot lackenemies.Then thewomen interfered, andBaniwent away for a fewdays.Presently hereturnedandsaid:"WemustgotoCalcutta."

Theygotreadytogotothisstrangecountry.Subha'sheartwasheavywithtears,likeamist-wraptdawn.Withavaguefearthathadbeengatheringfordays,shedogged her father and mother like a dumb animal.With her large eyes wideopen,shescannedtheirfacesasthoughshewishedtolearnsomething.Butnotaworddid theyvouchsafe.Oneafternoon in themidstofall this,asPratapwasfishing,he laughed: "So then,Su, theyhavecaughtyourbridegroom,andyouaregoingtobemarried!Mindyoudon'tforgetmealtogether!"Thenheturnedhismindagaintohisfish.Asastrickendoelooksinthehunter'sface,askinginsilentagony:"WhathaveIdonetoyou?"soSubhalookedatPratap.Thatdayshe sat no longer beneath her tree. Banikantha, having finished his nap, wassmoking in his bedroomwhen Subha dropped down at his feet and burst outweeping as she gazed towards him. Banikantha tried to comfort her, and hischeekgrewwetwithtears.

ItwassettledthatonthemorrowtheyshouldgotoCalcutta.Subhawenttothecow-shed to bid farewell to her childhood's comrades. She fed themwith herhand;sheclaspedtheirnecks;shelookedintotheirfaces,andtearsfellfastfromtheeyeswhichspokeforher.Thatnightwasthetenthofthemoon.Subhalefther room,andflungherselfdownonhergrassycouchbesideherdear river. ItwasasifshethrewherarmsaboutEarth,herstrongsilentmother,andtriedtosay:"Donot letme leaveyou,mother.Putyourarmsaboutme,as Ihaveput

mineaboutyou,andholdmefast."

OnedayinahouseinCalcutta,Subha'smotherdressedherupwithgreatcare.She imprisoned her hair, knotting it up in laces, she hung her about withornaments, anddidherbest tokillhernaturalbeauty.Subha'seyes filledwithtears.Hermother, fearing theywouldgrowswollenwithweeping,scoldedherharshly, but the tears disregarded the scolding. The bridegroom came with afriend to inspect thebride.Herparentsweredizzywithanxietyand fearwhentheysawthegodarrivetoselectthebeastforhissacrifice.Behindthestage,themother called her instructions aloud, and increased her daughter's weepingtwofold,beforeshesenther into theexaminer'spresence.Thegreatman,afterscanningheralongtime,observed:"Notsobad."

Hetookspecialnoteofhertears,andthoughtshemusthaveatenderheart.Heput it to her credit in the account, arguing that the heart, which to-day wasdistressedatleavingherparents,wouldpresentlyproveausefulpossession.Likethe oyster's pearls, the child's tears only increased her value, and hemade noothercomment.

Thealmanacwasconsulted,andthemarriagetookplaceonanauspiciousday.Having delivered over their dumb girl into another's hands, Subha's parentsreturnedhome.ThankGod!Theircasteinthisandtheirsafetyinthenextworldwere assured! The bridegroom's work lay in the west, and shortly after themarriagehetookhiswifethither.

Inless thantendayseveryoneknewthat thebridewasdumb!Atleast, ifanyonedidnot, itwasnother fault, for shedeceivednoone.Her eyes told themeverything,thoughnooneunderstoodher.Shelookedoneveryhand,shefoundno speech, she missed the faces, familiar from birth, of those who hadunderstoodadumbgirl'slanguage.Inhersilenthearttheresoundedanendless,voicelessweeping,whichonlytheSearcherofHeartscouldhear.

WORDSTOBESTUDIED

uniformity. From the Latin "unus," meaning "one" and "forma" meaning"form." Compare universe, unison, unite, formalism, formation, reform,deformed, deformity (the last word occurs in the next paragraph of thestory).

translation. The Latinwordmeaning "to bring" has two roots, viz. "fer" and

"lat." Thisword is taken from the second root.We have the two parallelseriesofwordsinEnglish:

transfer,refer,confer,differ,etc.translate,relate,collate,dilate,etc.

puzzled.This isoneof thefewwordsin theEnglish languagewhoseorigin isdoubtful. It probably comes from the word to "pose" (which itself is ashortenedformof"oppose")meaningtosetforwardadifficultproblem.

losels.AnuncommonEnglishwordmeaningapersonwhoisgoodfornothing.Thewordisderivedfromtheverbto"lose."

taciturnity.TheLatinword"tacitus,"means"quiet"or"silent."Comparetacit,tacitly,reticence,reticent.

My!ThisisusedbycommonpeopleinEngland.Itisprobablytheshortformof"Myeye!"

dogged.Theword in this sensemeans to follow likeadog; to followclosely.Fromthiswehavetheadjective"dogged"pronouncedastwosyllablesdog-géd,meaningpersevering,persistent,nevergivingin,e.g.doggédcourage.

disregarded. From theFrench "garder" or "guarder,"meaning "to keep."ThisFrench word appears in many English forms. Compare reward, guard,guerdon,guardian,ward,warder,regard.

dizzy.ThiswordcomesfromanoldSaxonroot,whichhasleftmanywordsinmodernEnglish.Comparedaze,dazed,dazzle,doze,drowse,drowsy.

deceived. From the Latinword "capere,"meaning to take. The English verbssuchas"receive,""conceive,""perceive"havecomeintoEnglishfromtheFrench. The Latin root is more clearly seen in the nouns such as"deception," "reception," "perception," etc. It should be carefully noticedthatthese"French"formsarespelteiveinsteadofieve.Asimpleruleisthis,thataftercwriteeinotie,butafterotherconsonantswriteie.Comparethespellingofbelieve,grieve,relievewiththatofreceive,deceive.

THEPOSTMASTER

VII

THEPOSTMASTER

THE postmaster first took up his duties in the village of Ulapur. Though thevillagewasasmallone,therewasanindigofactorynearby,andtheproprietor,anEnglishman,hadmanagedtogetapostofficeestablished.

Our postmaster belonged to Calcutta. He felt like a fish out of water in thisremotevillage.Hisofficeandliving-roomwereinadarkthatchedshed,notfarfromagreen,slimypond,surroundedonallsidesbyadensegrowth.

Themen employed in the indigo factory had no leisure;moreover, theywerehardlydesirablecompanionsfordecentfolk.Nor isaCalcuttaboyanadept intheartofassociatingwithothers.Amongstrangersheappearseitherproudorillatease.Atanyrate,thepostmasterhadbutlittlecompany;norhadhemuchtodo.

Attimeshetriedhishandatwritingaverseortwo.Thatthemovementoftheleavesandthecloudsoftheskywereenoughtofilllifewithjoy—suchwerethesentimentstowhichhesoughttogiveexpression.ButGodknowsthatthepoorfellowwouldhavefeltitasthegiftofanewlife,ifsomegenieoftheArabianNightshadinonenightsweptawaythetrees,leavesandall,andreplacedthemwithamacadamisedroad,hidingthecloudsfromviewwithrowsoftallhouses.

Thepostmaster'ssalarywassmall.Hehadtocookhisownmeals,whichheusedtosharewithRatan,anorphangirlofthevillage,whodidoddjobsforhim.

Whenintheeveningthesmokebegantocurlupfromthevillagecowsheds,andthe cicalas chirped in every bush;when themendicants of theBaül sect sangtheirshrillsongsintheirdailymeeting-place,whenanypoet,whohadattemptedtowatchthemovementoftheleavesinthedensebamboothickets,wouldhavefelt a ghostly shiver run down his back, the postmaster would light his littlelamp,andcallout"Ratan."

Ratanwouldsitoutsidewaitingforthiscall,and,insteadofcominginatonce,wouldreply,"Didyoucallme,sir?"

"Whatareyoudoing?"thepostmasterwouldask.

"Imustbegoingtolightthekitchenfire,"wouldbetheanswer.

Andthepostmasterwouldsay:"Oh,letthekitchenfirebeforawhile;lightmemypipefirst."

At last Ratan would enter, with puffed-out cheeks, vigorously blowing into aflame a live coal to light the tobacco. This would give the postmaster anopportunity of conversing. "Well, Ratan," perhaps he would begin, "do youremember anything of your mother?" That was a fertile subject. Ratan partlyremembered, and partly didn't. Her father had been fonder of her than hermother;himsherecollectedmorevividly.Heusedtocomehomeintheeveningafterhiswork,andoneortwoeveningsstoodoutmoreclearlythanothers,likepicturesinhermemory.Ratanwouldsitonthefloornearthepostmaster'sfeet,asmemoriescrowdedinuponher.Shecalledtomindalittlebrotherthatshehad—andhowonsomebygonecloudydayshehadplayedatfishingwithhimonthe edge of the pond, with a twig for a make-believe fishing-rod. Such littleincidentswoulddriveoutgreatereventsfromhermind.Thus,astheytalked,itwould often get very late, and the postmaster would feel too lazy to do anycookingatall.Ratanwouldthenhastilylightthefire,andtoastsomeunleavenedbread,which,withthecoldremnantsofthemorningmeal,wasenoughfortheirsupper.

Onsomeevenings, seatedathisdesk in thecornerof thebig empty shed, thepostmastertoowouldcallupmemoriesofhisownhome,ofhismotherandhissister,ofthoseforwhominhisexilehisheartwassad,—memorieswhichwerealways haunting him, but which he could not talk about with themen of thefactory,thoughhefoundhimselfnaturallyrecallingthemaloudinthepresenceof the simple littlegirl.Andso it cameabout that thegirlwouldallude to hispeopleasmother,brother, and sister, as if shehadknown themallher life. Infact,shehadacompletepictureofeachoneofthempaintedinherlittleheart.

Onenoon,duringabreakintherains,therewasacoolsoftbreezeblowing;thesmellofthedampgrassandleavesinthehotsunfeltlikethewarmbreathingofthe tired earth on one's body. A persistent bird went on all the afternoonrepeatingtheburdenofitsonecomplaintinNature'saudiencechamber.

Thepostmasterhadnothing todo.The shimmerof the freshlywashed leaves,andthebanked-upremnantsoftheretreatingrain-cloudsweresightstosee;andthepostmasterwaswatching themand thinking to himself: "Oh, if only some

kindredsoulwerenear—justone lovinghumanbeingwhomIcouldholdnearmyheart!"Thiswasexactly,hewenton to think,what thatbirdwas trying tosay,and itwas the same feelingwhich themurmuring leaveswere striving toexpress.Butnooneknows,orwouldbelieve,thatsuchanideamightalsotakepossessionofan ill-paidvillagepostmaster in thedeep,silentmid-day intervalofhiswork.

The postmaster sighed, and called out "Ratan." Ratan was then sprawlingbeneaththeguava-tree,busilyengagedineatingunripeguavas.Atthevoiceofhermaster,sheranupbreathlessly,saying:"Wereyoucallingme,Dada?""Iwasthinking,"saidthepostmaster,"ofteachingyoutoread."Andthenfortherestoftheafternoonhetaughtherthealphabet.

Thus,inaveryshorttime,Ratanhadgotasfarasthedoubleconsonants.

Itseemedasthoughtheshowersoftheseasonwouldneverend.Canals,ditches,andhollowswere all overflowingwithwater.Dayandnight thepatterof rainwasheard,andthecroakingoffrogs.Thevillageroadsbecameimpassable,andmarketinghadtobedoneinpunts.

Oneheavilycloudedmorning,thepostmaster'slittlepupilhadbeenlongwaitingoutside thedoor forhercall,but,nothearing itasusual, she tookupherdog-earedbook,andslowlyenteredtheroom.Shefoundhermasterstretchedoutonhis bed, and, thinking that he was resting, she was about to retire on tip-toe,when she suddenly heard her name—"Ratan!" She turned at once and asked:"Wereyousleeping,Dada?"Thepostmasterinaplaintivevoicesaid:"Iamnotwell.Feelmyhead;isitveryhot?"

In the loneliness of his exile, and in the gloom of the rains, his ailing bodyneededalittletendernursing.Helongedtorememberthetouchontheforeheadof soft hands with tinkling bracelets, to imagine the presence of lovingwomanhood, the nearness of mother and sister. And the exile was notdisappointed.Ratanceasedtobealittlegirl.Sheatoncesteppedintothepostofmother, called in the village doctor, gave the patient his pills at the properintervals,satupallnightbyhispillow,cookedhisgruelforhim,andeverynowandthenasked:"Areyoufeelingalittlebetter,Dada?"

Itwassometimebeforethepostmaster,withweakenedbody,wasabletoleavehissick-bed."Nomoreofthis,"saidhewithdecision."Imustgetatransfer."HeatoncewroteofftoCalcuttaanapplicationforatransfer,onthegroundoftheunhealthinessoftheplace.

Relievedfromherdutiesasnurse,Ratanagaintookupheroldplaceoutsidethedoor. But she no longer heard the same old call. She would sometimes peepinsidefurtivelytofindthepostmastersittingonhischair,orstretchedonhisbed,andstaringabsent-mindedlyintotheair.WhileRatanwasawaitinghercall,thepostmasterwasawaitingareplytohisapplication.Thegirlreadheroldlessonsoverandoveragain,—hergreatfearwaslest,whenthecallcame,shemightbefoundwantinginthedoubleconsonants.Atlast,afteraweek,thecalldidcomeone evening.With an overflowing heart Ratan rushed into the roomwith her—"Wereyoucallingme,Dada?"

Thepostmastersaid:"Iamgoingawayto-morrow,Ratan."

"Whereareyougoing,Dada?"

"Iamgoinghome."

"Whenwillyoucomeback?"

"Iamnotcomingback."

Ratanaskednootherquestion.Thepostmaster,ofhisownaccord,wenton totellher thathisapplicationfora transferhadbeenrejected,sohehadresignedhispostandwasgoinghome.

Fora long timeneitherof themspokeanotherword.The lampwentondimlyburning,andfromaleakinonecornerofthethatchwaterdrippedsteadilyintoanearthenvesselonthefloorbeneathit.

AfterawhileRatanrose,andwentofftothekitchentopreparethemeal;butshewas not so quick about it as on other days.Many new things to think of hadentered her little brain.When the postmaster had finished his supper, the girlsuddenlyaskedhim:"Dada,willyoutakemetoyourhome?"

The postmaster laughed. "What an idea!" said he; but he did not think itnecessarytoexplaintothegirlwhereinlaytheabsurdity.

Thatwhole night, in herwaking and in her dreams, the postmaster's laughingreplyhauntedher—"Whatanidea!"

Ongettingupinthemorning,thepostmasterfoundhisbathready.HehadstucktohisCalcuttahabitofbathing inwaterdrawnandkept inpitchers, insteadoftakingaplungeintheriveraswasthecustomofthevillage.Forsomereasonor

other, the girl could not ask him about the time of his departure, so she hadfetched thewater fromtheriver longbeforesunrise, that it shouldbereadyasearly as he might want it. After the bath came a call for Ratan. She enterednoiselessly,andlookedsilentlyintohermaster'sfacefororders.Themastersaid:"Youneednotbeanxiousaboutmygoingaway,Ratan;Ishalltellmysuccessortolookafteryou."Thesewordswerekindlymeant,nodoubt:butinscrutablearethewaysofawoman'sheart!

Ratanhadbornemanyascoldingfromhermasterwithoutcomplaint,butthesekindwords shecouldnotbear.Sheburstoutweeping, and said: "No,no,youneednottellanybodyanythingatallaboutme;Idon'twanttostayonhere."

Thepostmasterwasdumbfounded.HehadneverseenRatanlikethisbefore.

Thenewincumbentdulyarrived,andthepostmaster,havinggivenovercharge,prepared to depart. Just before starting he called Ratan and said: "Here issomethingforyou;Ihopeitwillkeepyouforsomelittletime."Hebroughtoutfromhis pocket thewhole of hismonth's salary, retainingonly a trifle for histravellingexpenses.ThenRatanfellathisfeetandcried:"Oh,Dada,Iprayyou,don't giveme anything, don't in anyway trouble aboutme," and then she ranawayoutofsight.

Thepostmasterheavedasigh,tookuphiscarpetbag,puthisumbrellaoverhisshoulder,and,accompaniedbyamancarryinghismany-coloured tin trunk,heslowlymadefortheboat.

Whenhegot inand theboatwasunderway,and the rain-swollen river, likeastreamoftearswellingupfromtheearth,swirledandsobbedatherbows,thenhefeltapainatheart;thegrief-strickenfaceofavillagegirlseemedtorepresentforhimthegreatunspokenpervadinggriefofMotherEarthherself.Atonetimehe had an impulse to go back, and bring away alongwith him that lonesomewaif,forsakenof theworld.But thewindhadjustfilledthesails, theboathadgotwellintothemiddleoftheturbulentcurrent,andalreadythevillagewasleftbehind,anditsoutlyingburning-groundcameinsight.

Sothetraveller,borneonthebreastoftheswift-flowingriver,consoledhimselfwithphilosophicalreflectionsonthenumberlessmeetingsandpartingsgoingonintheworld—ondeath,thegreatparting,fromwhichnonereturns.

ButRatanhadnophilosophy.Shewaswanderingaboutthepostofficeinafloodoftears.Itmaybethatshehadstillalurkinghopeinsomecornerofherheart

thatherDadawouldreturn,andthatiswhyshecouldnottearherselfaway.Alasfor our foolish human nature! Its fondmistakes are persistent.The dictates ofreason takea long time toassert theirownsway.Thesurestproofsmeanwhilearedisbelieved.Falsehopeisclungtowithallone'smightandmain,tilladaycomeswhenithassuckedtheheartdryanditforciblybreaksthroughitsbondsanddeparts.Afterthatcomesthemiseryofawakening,andthenonceagainthelongingtogetbackintothemazeofthesamemistakes.

WORDSTOBESTUDIED

indigo. This word has a very interesting history. It means "Indian." Thecelebrateddark-bluedyecamefromIndia.ThisdyewasfirstknowntotheGreekswhocalled it "Indikon," then to theLatinswhocalled it Indicum,then to the Italians andSpaniardswhocalled it Indigo. Itwas introducedintoEngland from Italy by artists and painterswhokept the Italianword"indigo"withoutchange.

genie.There is aLatinword "genius,"meaningoriginally a spirit inhabitingaspecialplace.ItisfromthiswordthatourEnglishcommonnoun"genius"is taken, meaning a specially gifted or inspired person, e.g. "a man ofgenius."But in theArabianNights a completely differentArabicword isfound, viz. "jinn" with its feminine form "jinni." This was written inEnglish "genie" andwas confusedwith theword "genius." The plural ofgeniewhenusedinthissenseisgenii,whichisreallythepluraloftheLatinwordgenius.

macadamised.ThisisquiteamodernwordinEnglish.Itcomesfromthenameoftheinventorofthiskindofroad-paving,whowasMr.J.L.Macadam.Hediscoveredthatdifferentlayersofsmallstonerolledin,oneaftertheother,canstandthewearandtearof traffic.Wehavesimilarwordsfrompropernames.Compare,boycott,burke,lynch,etc.

allude. From the Latin "ludere," to play. Compare prelude, interlude, delude,collusion,elude,elusive,allusion.

guava.ThiswordcameintoEnglishfromtheSpanish.It isofgreatinterest totracethenamesofthefruitsinEnglishbackto theirsources,e.g.currant,comes fromCorinth;mango from thePortuguesemanga (from the Tamil"mankay" fruit-tree); orange from the Arabic "narang" and Hindustani"narangi";apricotfromArabical-burquq;datefromtheGreek"daktulos,"

meaning"finger."

alphabet. The two first letters in the Greek language are called "alpha" and"beta."Thenthewholeseriesofletterswasnamedanalphabetaoralphabet.

consonants.FromtheLatin"sonare,"meaningtosound.Consonantsareletterswhich "sound with" the vowels. Compare dissonant, assonance, sonant,sonorous,sonata.

canal.ThisisoneexampleofawordtakenintoEnglishfromtheLatin,throughtheFrench,havingacompanionwordinEnglish.Thecompanionwordinthiscaseischannel.Comparecavalryandchivalry,legalandloyal,guardandward.

dumbfounded. Thisword has come into the English language from commonspeech.ItisamixtureoftheEnglishworddumb,andtheLatin"fundere,""topour"whichwe find inconfound,profound,confusion. It is not oftenthatwe get such hybridwords in earlier English, though to-day they arebecoming common in the case of new words such as motorcar,speedometer,airplane,waterplane,automobile,etc.TheoldruleusedtobethatacompoundwordinEnglishshouldhavebothitspartsfromthesamelanguage (e.g. bothpartsLatin, orGreek,orSaxon, etc.).But this rule israpidly breaking down in common practice as new words rush into theEnglish language to express all the new discoveries of science.We haveEnglish and Greek roots mixed (such as airplane), and Latin and Greekrootsmixed(suchasoleograph).

THECASTAWAY

VIII

THECASTAWAY

TOWARDSeveningthestormwasatitsheight.Fromtheterrificdownpourofrain,thecrashofthunder,andtherepeatedflashesoflightning,youmightthinkthatabattleofthegodsanddemonswasragingintheskies.Blackcloudswavedlikethe Flags of Doom. The Ganges was lashed into a fury, and the trees of thegardensoneitherbankswayedfromsidetosidewithsighsandgroans.

InaclosedroomofoneoftheriversidehousesatChandernagore,ahusbandandhiswifewereseatedonabedspreadonthefloor,intentlydiscussing.Anearthenlampburnedbesidethem.

Thehusband,Sharat,wassaying:"Iwishyouwouldstayonafewdaysmore;youwouldthenbeabletoreturnhomequitestrongagain."

Thewife,Kiran,wassaying:"Ihavequiterecoveredalready.Itwillnot,cannotpossibly,domeanyharmtogohomenow."

EverymarriedpersonwillatonceunderstandthattheconversationwasnotquitesobriefasIhavereportedit.Thematterwasnotdifficult,buttheargumentsforand against did not advance it towards a solution. Like a rudderless boat, thediscussionkeptturningroundandroundthesamepoint;andatlastthreatenedtobeoverwhelmedinafloodoftears.

Sharatsaid:"Thedoctorthinksyoushouldstophereafewdayslonger."

Kiranreplied:"Yourdoctorknowseverything!"

"Well," said Sharat, "you know that just now all sorts of illnesses are abroad.Youwoulddowelltostophereamonthortwomore."

"AndatthismomentIsupposeeveryoneinthisplaceisperfectlywell!"

What hadhappenedwas this:Kiranwas a universal favouritewith her familyandneighbours, so that,whenshe fell seriously ill, theywereallanxious.Thevillagewiseacres thought it shameless for her husband tomake somuch fuss

about a mere wife and even to suggest a change of air, and asked if Sharatsupposedthatnowomanhadeverbeenillbefore,orwhetherhehadfoundoutthatthefolkoftheplacetowhichhemeanttotakeherwereimmortal.DidheimaginethatthewritofFatedidnotrunthere?ButSharatandhismotherturneda deaf ear to them, thinking that the little life of their darling was of greaterimportancethantheunitedwisdomofavillage.Peoplearewonttoreasonthuswhendangerthreatenstheir lovedones.SoSharatwenttoChandernagore,andKiranrecovered, thoughshewasstillveryweak.Therewasapinchedlookonher facewhichfilled thebeholderwithpity,andmadehisheart tremble,ashethoughthownarrowlyshehadescapeddeath.

Kiranwas fondofsocietyandamusement; the lonelinessofher riversidevilladid not suit her at all. There was nothing to do, there were no interestingneighbours,andshehated tobebusyalldaywithmedicineanddieting.Therewasnofuninmeasuringdosesandmakingfomentations.Suchwasthesubjectdiscussedintheirclosedroomonthisstormyevening.

SolongasKirandeignedtoargue,therewasachanceofafairfight.Whensheceasedtoreply,andwithatossofherheaddisconsolatelylookedtheotherway,thepoormanwasdisarmed.Hewasonthepointofsurrenderingunconditionallywhenaservantshoutedamessagethroughtheshutdoor.

Sharatgotupandonopening thedoor learnt thataboathadbeenupset in thestorm, and thatoneof theoccupants, ayoungBrahminboy,had succeeded inswimmingashoreattheirgarden.

Kiranwasatonceherownsweetselfandsettoworktogetoutsomedryclothesfortheboy.Shethenwarmedacupofmilkandinvitedhimtoherroom.

Theboyhadlongcurlyhair,bigexpressiveeyes,andnosignyetofhairontheface.Kiran,aftergettinghimtodrinksomemilkaskedhimallabouthimself.

He told her that his name was Nilkanta, and that he belonged to a theatricaltroupe. Theywere coming to play in a neighbouring villa when the boat hadsuddenly foundered in the storm. He had no idea what had become of hiscompanions.Hewasagoodswimmerandhadjustmanagedtoreachtheshore.

Theboystayedwiththem.HisnarrowescapefromaterribledeathmadeKirantakeawarminterestinhim.Sharatthoughttheboy'sappearanceatthismomentrather agood thing, ashiswifewouldnowhave something toamuseher, andmightbepersuadedtostayonforsometimelonger.Hermother-in-law,too,was

pleased at the prospect of profiting theirBrahmin guest by her kindness.AndNilkantahimselfwasdelightedathisdoubleescape fromhismasterand fromtheotherworld,aswellasatfindingahomeinthiswealthyfamily.

ButinashortwhileSharatandhismotherchangedtheiropinion,andlongedforhisdeparture.TheboyfoundasecretpleasureinsmokingSharat'shookahs;hewouldcalmlygooffinpouringrainwithSharat'sbestsilkumbrellaforastrollthroughthevillage,andmakefriendswithallwhomhemet.Moreover,hehadgot hold of amongrel village dogwhich he petted so recklessly that it cameindoorswithmuddypaws, and left tokensof itsvisitonSharat's spotlessbed.Thenhegatheredabouthimadevotedbandofboysofallsortsandsizes,andthe resultwas thatnota solitarymango in theneighbourhoodhadachanceofripeningthatseason.

ThereisnodoubtthatKiranhadahandinspoilingtheboy.Sharatoftenwarnedher about it, but shewould not listen to him. Shemade a dandy of himwithSharat's cast-off clothes, and gave him new ones also. And because she feltdrawn towards him, and had a curiosity to know more about him, she wasconstantlycallinghimtoherownroom.AfterherbathandmiddaymealKiranwouldbeseatedonthebedsteadwithherbetel-leafboxbyherside;andwhilehermaid combed and dried her hair,Nilkantawould stand in front and recitepieces out of his repertory with appropriate gesture and song, his elf-lockswavingwildly.Thusthelongafternoonhourspassedmerrilyaway.Kiranwouldoften try topersuadeSharat to sitwithher asoneof theaudience,butSharat,whohad taken a cordial dislike to theboy, refused; nor couldNilkantadohisparthalfsowellwhenSharatwasthere.Hismotherwouldsometimesbeluredby thehopeofhearingsacrednames in therecitation;but loveofhermid-daysleepspeedilyovercamedevotion,andshelaylappedindreams.

TheboyoftengothisearsboxedandpulledbySharat,butasthiswasnothingtowhathehadbeenusedtoasamemberof thetroupe,hedidnotmindit in theleast.Inhisshortexperienceoftheworldhehadcometotheconclusionthat,astheearthconsistedoflandandwater,sohumanlifewasmadeupofeatingsandbeatings,andthatthebeatingslargelypredominated.

ItwashardtotellNilkanta'sage.Ifitwasaboutfourteenorfifteen,thenhisfacewastoooldforhisyears;ifseventeenoreighteen,thenitwastooyoung.Hewaseitheramantooearlyoraboytoolate.Thefactwasthat,joiningthetheatricalbandwhenveryyoung,hehadplayedthepartsofRadhika,Damayanti,andSita,andathoughtfulProvidencesoarrangedthingsthathegrewtotheexactstature

thathismanagerrequired,andthengrowthceased.

SinceeveryonesawhowsmallNilkantawas,andhehimselffeltsmall,hedidnotreceiveduerespectforhisyears.Causes,naturalandartificial,combinedtomakehimsometimesseem immature for seventeenyears,andatother timesamereladoffourteenbutfartooknowingevenforseventeen.Andasnosignofhair appeared on his face, the confusion became greater. Either because hesmoked or because he used language beyond his years, his lips puckered intolinesthatshowedhimtobeoldandhard;butinnocenceandyouthshoneinhislargeeyes.Ifancythathisheartremainedyoung,butthehotglareofpublicityhadbeenaforcing-housethatripeneduntimelyhisoutwardaspect.

InthequietshelterofSharat'shouseandgardenatChandernagore,Naturehadleisuretoworkherwayunimpeded.Nilkantahadlingeredinakindofunnaturalyouth, but nowhe silently and swiftlyoverpassed that stage.His seventeenoreighteenyearscametoadequaterevelation.Nooneobservedthechange,anditsfirst sign was this, that when Kiran treated him like a boy, he felt ashamed.When the gay Kiran one day proposed that he should play the part of lady'scompanion,theideaofwoman'sdresshurthim,thoughhecouldnotsaywhy.Sonow, when she called for him to act over again his old characters, hedisappeared.

ItneveroccurredtoNilkantathathewasevennownotmuchmorethanalad-of-all-work in a strollingcompany.Heevenmadeuphismind topickupa littleeducationfromSharat'sfactor.But,becausehewasthepetofhismaster'swife,thefactorcouldnotendure thesightofhim.Also,his restless trainingmade itimpossibleforhimtokeephismindlongengaged;soonerorlater,thealphabetdidamistydancebeforehiseyes.Hewouldsitlongenoughwithanopenbookonhislap,leaningagainstachampakbushbesidetheGanges.Thewavessighedbelow, boats floated past, birds flitted and twittered restlessly above. Whatthoughts passed through his mind as he looked down on that book he aloneknew,ifindeedhedidknow.Heneveradvancedfromonewordtoanother,butthe glorious thought, that hewas actually reading a book, filled his soulwithexultation.Whenever a boatwent by, he lifted his book, and pretended to bereadinghard,shoutingatthetopofhisvoice.Buthisenergydroppedassoonastheaudiencewasgone.

Formerly he sang his songs automatically, but now their tunes stirred in hismind.Theirwordswereoflittleimportandfulloftriflingalliteration.Eventhefeeblemeaningtheyhadwasbeyondhiscomprehension;yetwhenhesang—

Twice-bornbird,ah!whereforestirredTowrongourroyallady?

Goose,ah,saywhywiltthouslayHerinforestshady?

thenhefeltasiftransportedtoanotherworldandtofearotherfolk.Thisfamiliarearthandhisownpoorlifebecamemusic,andhewastransformed.Thattaleofthegooseandtheking'sdaughterflunguponthemirrorofhismindapictureofsurpassingbeauty.Itisimpossibletosaywhatheimaginedhimselftobe,butthedestitutelittleslaveofthetheatricaltroupefadedfromhismemory.

Whenwitheveningthechildofwantliesdown,dirtyandhungry,inhissqualidhome,andhearsofprinceandprincessandfabledgold,theninthedarkhovelwith itsdimflickeringcandle,hismindsprings free from itsbondsofpovertyandmisery andwalks in fresh beauty and glowing raiment, strong beyond allfearofhindrance,throughthatfairyrealmwhereallispossible.

Evenso,thisdrudgeofwanderingplayersfashionedhimselfandhisworldanew,as hemoved in spirit amid his songs. The lappingwater, rustling leaves, andcallingbirds; thegoddesswhohadgivenshelter tohim, thehelpless, theGod-forsaken;hergracious,lovelyface,herexquisitearmswiththeirshiningbangles,herrosyfeetassoftasflower-petals;allthesebysomemagicbecameonewiththe music of his song. When the singing ended, the mirage faded, and theNilkanta of the stage appeared again, with his wild elf-locks. Fresh from thecomplaintsofhisneighbour,theownerofthedespoiledmango-orchard,Sharatwouldcomeandboxhisearsandcuffhim.TheboyNilkanta,themisleaderofadoringyouths,wentforthoncemore, tomakeevernewmischiefby landandwaterandinthebranchesthatareabovetheearth.

Shortly after the advent ofNilkanta, Sharat's younger brother, Satish, came tospend his college vacation with them. Kiran was hugely pleased at finding afresh occupation. She and Satish were of the same age, and the time passedpleasantlyingamesandquarrelsandreconciliationsandlaughterandeventears.Suddenlyshewouldclasphimovertheeyesfrombehindwithvermilion-stainedhands,orshewouldwrite"monkey"onhisback,orelseshewouldboltthedooronhimfromtheoutsideamidstpealsoflaughter.Satishinhisturndidnottakethings lying down; he would steal her keys and rings; he would put pepperamongherbetel,hewouldtiehertothebedwhenshewasnotlooking.

Meanwhile,heavenonlyknowswhatpossessedpoorNilkanta.Hewassuddenlyfilledwith a bitternesswhich hemust avenge on somebody or something.Hethrashedhisdevotedboy-followersfornofault,andsentthemawaycrying.Hewould kick his pet mongrel till it made the skies resound with its whinings.When hewent out for awalk, hewould litter his pathwith twigs and leavesbeatenfromtheroadsideshrubswithhiscane.

Kiranlikedtoseepeopleenjoyinggoodfare.Nilkantahadanimmensecapacityfor eating, and never refused a good thing however often it was offered. SoKiranlikedtosendforhimtohavehismealsinherpresence,andplyhimwithdelicacies, happy in the bliss of seeing this Brahmin boy eat to satiety. AfterSatish's arrival she had much less spare time on her hands, and was seldompresent when Nilkanta's meals were served. Before, her absence made nodifferencetotheboy'sappetite,andhewouldnotrisetillhehaddrainedhiscupofmilkandrinseditthoroughlywithwater.

But now, if Kiran was not present to ask him to try this and that, he wasmiserable,andnothingtastedright.Hewouldgetup,withouteatingmuch,andsay to the serving-maid in a chokingvoice: "I amnot hungry."He thought inimaginationthatthenewsofhisrepeatedrefusal,"Iamnothungry,"wouldreachKiran;hepicturedherconcern,andhopedthatshewouldsendforhim,andpresshimtoeat.Butnothingofthesorthappened.Kiranneverknewandneversentforhim;andthemaidfinishedwhateverheleft.Hewouldthenputoutthelampinhisroom,andthrowhimselfonhisbedinthedarkness,buryinghisheadinthepillowinaparoxysmofsobs.Whatwashisgrievance?Againstwhom?Andfromwhomdidheexpectredress?Atlast,whennooneelsecame,MotherSleepsoothedwithhersoftcaressesthewoundedheartofthemotherlesslad.

Nilkanta came to the unshakable conviction that Satishwas poisoningKiran'smindagainsthim.IfKiranwasabsent-minded,andhadnotherusualsmile,hewouldjumptotheconclusionthatsometrickofSatishhadmadeherangrywithhim.Hetooktoprayingtothegods,withallthefervourofhishate,tomakehimatthenextrebirthSatish,andSatishhim.HehadanideathataBrahmin'swrathcouldneverbeinvain;andthemorehetriedtoconsumeSatishwiththefireofhiscurses,themoredidhisownheartburnwithinhim.AndupstairshewouldhearSatishlaughingandjokingwithhissister-in-law.

NilkantaneverdaredopenlytoshowhisenmitytoSatish.Buthewouldcontriveahundredpettywaysofcausinghimannoyance.WhenSatishwentforaswimintheriver,andlefthissoaponthestepsofthebathing-place,oncomingback

forithewouldfindthatithaddisappeared.Oncehefoundhisfavouritestripedtunicfloatingpasthimonthewater,andthoughtithadbeenblownawaybythewind.

OnedayKiran,desiringtoentertainSatish,sentforNilkantatoreciteasusual,buthestoodthereingloomysilence.Quitesurprised,Kiranaskedhimwhatwasthe matter. But he remained silent. And when again pressed by her to repeatsome particular favourite piece of hers, he answered: "I don't remember," andwalkedaway.

At last the time came for their return home.Everybodywas busypackingup.Satishwasgoingwiththem.ButtoNilkantanobodysaidaword.Thequestionwhetherhewastogoornotseemedtohaveoccurredtonobody.

Thesubject,asamatteroffact,hadbeenraisedbyKiran,whohadproposedtotakehimalongwiththem.Butherhusbandandhismotherandbrotherhadallobjectedsostrenuouslythatsheletthematterdrop.Acoupleofdaysbeforetheyweretostart,shesentfortheboy,andwithkindwordsadvisedhimtogobacktohisownhome.

Somanydayshadhefeltneglectedthatthistouchofkindnesswastoomuchforhim;heburst into tears.Kiran's eyeswerealsobrimmingover.Shewas filledwithremorseatthethoughtthatshehadcreatedatieofaffection,whichcouldnotbepermanent.

ButSatishwasmuch annoyed at the blubbering of this overgrownboy. "Whydoes the fool stand there howling instead of speaking?" said he.WhenKiranscoldedhim for anunfeeling creature, he replied: "Mydear sister, youdonotunderstand.Youare toogoodand trustful.This fellow turnsup from theLordknows where, and is treated like a king. Naturally the tiger has no wish tobecome amouse again.And he has evidently discovered that there is nothinglikeatearortwotosoftenyourheart."

Nilkantahurriedlyleftthespot.HefelthewouldliketobeaknifetocutSatishto pieces; a needle to pierce him through and through; a fire to burn him toashes.ButSatishwasnotevenscared.Itwasonlyhisownheart thatbledandbled.

SatishhadbroughtwithhimfromCalcuttaagrandinkstand.Theinkpotwassetin a mother-of-pearl boat drawn by a German-silver goose supporting apenholder.Itwasagreatfavouriteofhis,andhecleaneditcarefullyeveryday

withanoldsilkhandkerchief.Kiranwould laugh,and tapping thesilverbird'sbeakwouldsay—

Twice-bornbird,ah!whereforestirredTowrongourroyallady?

andtheusualwarofwordswouldbreakoutbetweenherandherbrother-in-law.

Thedaybeforetheyweretostart,theinkstandwasmissingandcouldnowherebefound.Kiransmiled,andsaid:"Brother-in-law,yourgoosehasflownoff tolookforyourDamayanti."

ButSatishwas inagreat rage.Hewascertain thatNilkantahadstolen it—forseveralpeoplesaidtheyhadseenhimprowlingabouttheroomthenightbefore.Hehadtheaccusedbroughtbeforehim.Kiranalsowasthere."Youhavestolenmy inkstand, you thief!" he blurtedout. "Bring it back at once."Nilkanta hadalways taken punishment from Sharat, deserved or undeserved, with perfectequanimity.But,whenhewascalledathiefinKiran'spresence,hiseyesblazedwithafierceanger,hisbreastswelled,andhisthroatchoked.IfSatishhadsaidanotherword,hewouldhaveflownathimlikeawildcatandusedhisnailslikeclaws.

Kiranwasgreatlydistressedatthescene,andtakingtheboyintoanotherroomsaidinhersweet,kindway:"Nilu,ifyoureallyhavetakenthatinkstandgiveittomequietly,andIshallseethatnoonesaysanotherwordtoyouaboutit."Bigtearscourseddowntheboy'scheeks,tillatlasthehidhisfaceinhishands,andweptbitterly.Kirancamebackfromtheroomandsaid:"IamsureNilkantahasnot taken the inkstand." Sharat and Satishwere equally positive that no otherthanNilkantacouldhavedoneit.

ButKiransaiddeterminedly:"Never."

Sharatwantedtocross-examinetheboy,buthiswiferefusedtoallowit.

Then Satish suggested that his room and box should be searched. AndKiransaid:"IfyoudaredosuchathingIwillneverforgiveyou.Youshallnotspyonthepoorinnocentboy."Andasshespoke,herwonderfuleyesfilledwithtears.That settled the matter and effectually prevented any further molestation ofNilkanta.

Kiran'sheartoverflowedwithpityatthisattemptedoutrageonahomelesslad.

She got two new suits of clothes and a pair of shoes, and with these and abanknoteinherhandshequietlywentintoNilkanta'sroomintheevening.Sheintendedtoput thesepartingpresents intohisboxasasurprise.Thebox itselfhadbeenhergift.

Fromherbunchofkeyssheselectedonethatfittedandnoiselesslyopenedthebox.Itwassojumbledupwithoddsandendsthatthenewclotheswouldnotgoin.Soshethoughtshehadbettertakeeverythingoutandpacktheboxforhim.Atfirstknives,tops,kite-flyingreels,bambootwigs,polishedshellsforpeelinggreenmangoes,bottomsofbrokentumblersandsuchlikethingsdeartoaboy'sheartwere discovered.Then there came a layer of linen, clean and otherwise.Andfromunderthelinenthereemergedthemissinginkstand,gooseandall.

Kiran, with flushed face, sat down helplessly with the inkstand in her hand,puzzledandwondering.

In themeantime,Nilkantahadcome into the roomfrombehindwithoutKiranknowingit.HehadseenthewholethingandthoughtthatKiranhadcomelikeathieftocatchhiminhisthieving,—andthathisdeedwasout.Howcouldheeverhopetoconvinceherthathewasnotathief,andthatonlyrevengehadpromptedhim to take the inkstand, which he meant to throw into the river at the firstchance?Inaweakmomenthehadputitintheboxinstead."Hewasnotathief,"hisheartcriedout,"notathief!"Thenwhatwashe?Whatcouldhesay?Thathehad stolen, and yet hewas not a thief?He could never explain toKiran howgrievouslywrongshewas.Andthen,howcouldhebearthethoughtthatshehadtriedtospyonhim?

At lastKiranwithadeep sigh replaced the inkstand in thebox, and, as if shewerethethiefherself,covereditupwiththelinenandthetrinketsastheywerebefore;andatthetopsheplacedthepresents,togetherwiththebanknotewhichshehadbroughtforhim.

Thenextdaytheboywasnowheretobefound.Thevillagershadnotseenhim;the police could discover no trace of him. Said Sharat: "Now, as amatter ofcuriosity,letushavealookathisbox."ButKiranwasobstinateinherrefusaltoallowthattobedone.

Shehadtheboxbroughtuptoherownroom;andtakingouttheinkstandalone,shethrewitintotheriver.

Thewhole familywenthome. Inaday thegardenbecamedesolate.Andonly

that starving mongrel of Nilkanta's remained prowling along the river-bank,whiningandwhiningasifitsheartwouldbreak.

WORDSTOBESTUDIED

favourite.A certain numberofwords such ashonour,colour, favour,ardour,fervourhavecomeintoEnglishthroughtheFrenchfromtheLatin.Thereisaconstanttendencyto-dayinmodernEnglishtoleaveouttheletter"u"andspellcolor,favor,etc.ButthismovementhasnotyetgainedmuchgroundinEngland.

wiseacres.ThisformoriginallycomesfromtheDutch.Theending"acres"isacorruptionof theDutch"seggen"whichis thesameas theEnglishtosay.Thewordisequivalentto"wise-sayers."

deign.ThisisawordwhichcomesthroughtheFrenchfromtheLatin"dignus,"meaningworthy.Compareindignant,dignitary,condign,indignity.

troupe. An example of two words, with slightly different meanings, comingfromoneandthesameFrenchword.TheFrenchwordis"troupe,"meaningacompany.ThisformisusedinEnglishforacompanyofplayersoractors.Buttheform"troop"isusedchieflyofsoldiers.

automatically.ThisisamodernEnglishwordfromtheGreek"autos,"meaningself. Compare autobiography, autonomy, autocracy. Modern English isdrawinglargelyfromtheGreeklanguageforitsnewwords.

alliteration.TheLatinwordforletteris"littera."FromthiswegetmanyEnglishwords, e.g. letter, literate, literal, literature, illiterate, obliterate,transliterate,etc.

mirage.FromtheLatin"mirari," towonder.Comparemirror,miracle,admire.ThisisoneofthewordsinEnglishwhichkeepstheoldFrenchaccentonthe last syllable—miráge.The tendency inEnglish isalways to throw theaccent back as far as possible. Many words have changed theirpronunciation in the course of time. Obdurate, in Milton's time, waspronouncedobdúrate,but to-day it ispronouncedóbdurate.TrafalgarwaspronouncedTrafalgárlastcentury.NowwepronounceitTrafálgar.

THESONOFRASHMANI

IX

THESONOFRASHMANI

I

KALIPADA'smotherwasRashmani, but she had to do the duty of the father aswell,becausewhenbothoftheparentsare"mother"thenitisbadforthechild.Bhavani, her husband, was wholly incapable of keeping his children underdiscipline. To know why he was bent on spoiling his son, you must hearsomethingoftheformerhistoryofthefamily.

Bhavaniwasborn in the famoushouseofSaniari.His father,AbhayaCharan,hada son,ShyamaCharan,byhis firstwife.Whenhemarriedagainafterherdeath he had himself passed the marriageable age, and his new father-in-lawtookadvantageof theweaknessofhispositiontohaveaspecialportionofhisestatesettledonhisdaughter.Inthiswayhewassatisfiedthatproperprovisionhadbeenmade,ifhisdaughtershouldbecomeawidowearlyinlife.ShewouldbeindependentofthecharityofShyamaCharan.

Thefirstpartofhisanticipationcametrue.Forverysoonafterthebirthofason,whomshecalledBhavani,AbhayaCharandied. Itgave thefather-in-lawgreatpeaceandconsolation,ashelookedforwardtohisowndeath,toknowthathisdaughterwasproperlylookedafter.

ShyamaCharanwasquitegrownup.InfacthisowneldestboywasayearolderthanBhavani.Hebroughtupthelatterwithhisownson.Indoingthishenevertookafarthingfromthepropertyallottedtohisstep-mother,andeveryyearhegot a receipt from her after submitting detailed accounts. His honesty in thisaffair surprised theneighbourhood. In fact they thought that suchhonestywasanothernameforfoolishness.Theydidnotliketheideaofadivisionbeingmadein the undivided ancestral property. If Shyama Charan in some underhandmannerhadbeenable toannul thedowry,hisneighbourswouldhaveadmiredhis sagacity; and there were good advisers ready to hand who could haverendered him material aid in the attainment of such an object. But ShyamaCharan, in spite of the risk of crippling his patrimony, strictly set aside the

dowry which came to the share of his step-mother; and the widow, VrajaSundari, being naturally affectionate and trustful, had every confidence inShyama Charan whom she trusted as her own son. More than once she hadchidedhimforbeingsoparticularaboutherportionoftheproperty.Shewouldtellhimthat,asshewasnotgoingtotakeherpropertywithherwhenshedied,andas itwould inanycase revert to the family, itwasnotnecessary tobe soverystrictaboutrenderingaccounts.Butheneverlistenedtoher.

Shyama Charan was a severe disciplinarian by habit and his children wereperfectly aware of the fact.ButBhavani had every possible freedom, and thisgaverise to the impression thathewasmorepartial tohisstep-brother than tohisownsons.ButBhavani's educationwas sadlyneglectedandhecompletelyreliedonShyamaCharan for themanagementofhis shareof theproperty.Hemerelyhadtosigndocumentsoccasionallywithouteverspendingathoughtontheir contents.On theotherhand,Tarapada, theeldest sonofShyamaCharan,wasquiteanexpertinthemanagementoftheestate,havingtoactasanassistanttohisfather.

AfterthedeathofShyamaCharan,TarapadasaidtoBhavani,"Uncle,wemustnot live together as we have done for so long, because some triflingmisunderstandingmaycomeatanymomentandcauseutterdisruption."

Bhavani never imagined, even in his dream, that a daymight comewhen hewouldhavetomanagehisownaffairs.Theworldinwhichhehadbeenbornandbred ever appeared to him complete and entire in itself. It was anincomprehensiblecalamitytohimthattherecouldbeadividinglinesomewhereandthatthisworldofhiscouldbesplitintotwo.WhenhefoundthatTarapadawasimmovableandindifferenttothegriefanddishonourthatsuchastepwouldbringtothefamily,hebegantorackhisbraintofindouthowthepropertycouldbedividedwiththeleastpossiblestrain.

Tarapadashowedsurpriseathisuncle'sanxietyandsaidthattherewasnoneedtotroubleaboutthis,becausethedivisionhadalreadybeenmadeinthelife-timeof his grandfather.Bhavani said in amazement, "But I know nothing of this!"Tarapada said in answer, "Then you must be the only one in the wholeneighbourhoodwhodoesnot.For,lestthereshouldberuinouslitigationafterhehad gone,mygrandfather had already given a portion of the property to yourmother."Bhavanithoughtthisnotunlikelyandasked,"Whataboutthehouse?"Tarapadasaid,"Ifyouwish,youcankeepthishousetoyourselfandweshallbecontentedwiththeotherhouseinthedistricttown."

AsBhavanihadneverbeentothistown-house,hehadneitherknowledgeofit,nor affection for it.Hewas astounded at themagnanimity of Tarapada for soeasily relinquishing his right to the house in the villagewhere they had beenbrought up. But when Bhavani told everything to his mother, she struck herforeheadwith her hand and said: "This is preposterous!What I got frommyhusbandwasmyowndowryanditsincomeisverysmall.Idonotseewhyyoushouldbedeprivedofyourshareinyourfather'sproperty."

Bhavanisaid,"Tarapadaisquitepositivethathisgrandfathernevergaveusanythingexceptthisland."

VrajaSundariwasastonishedandinformedhersonthatherhusbandhadmadetwocopiesofhiswill,oneofwhichwasstilllyinginherownbox.Theboxwasopened and itwas found that therewas only the deed of gift for the propertybelongingtothemotherandnothingelse.Thecopyofthewillhadbeentakenout.

Thehelpofadviserswassought.ThemanwhocametotheirrescuewasBagala,thesonoftheirfamilyguru.Itwastheprofessionofthefathertolookafterthespiritualneedsof thevillage; thematerial sidewas left to theson.The twoofthemhaddividedbetweenthemselvestheotherworldandthis.Whatevermightbetheresultforothers,theythemselveshadnothingtosufferfromthisdivision.Bagalasaidthat,evenifthewillwasmissing,thesharesintheancestralpropertymustbeequal,asbetweenthebrothers.

Justatthistime,acopyofawillmadeitsappearancesupportingtheclaimsoftheotherside.InthisdocumenttherewasnomentionofBhavaniandthewholeproperty was given to the grandsons at the time when no son was born toBhavani.WithBagala ashis captainBhavani setoutonhisvoyageacross theperilousseaoflitigation.Whenhisvesselatlastreachedharbourhisfundswerenearlyexhaustedandtheancestralpropertywasinthehandsoftheotherparty.Thelandwhichwasgiventohismotherhaddwindledtosuchanextent,thatitcould barely give them shelter, or keep up the family dignity. Then Tarapadawentawaytothedistricttownandtheynevermetagain.

II

Shyama Charan's treachery pierced the heart of the widow like an assassin'sknife.Totheendofherlife,almosteverydayshewouldheaveasighandsaythatGodwouldneversuffersuchaninjusticetobedone.Shewasquitefirmin

herfaithwhenshesaidtoBhavani,"Idonotknowyourlaworyourlawcourts,but I am certain that my husband's true will and testament will someday berecovered.Youwillfinditagain."

BecauseBhavaniwashelplessinworldlymatterssuchassurancesasthesegavehimgreatconsolation.Hesettleddowninhisinactivity,certaininhisownmindthat his pious mother's prophecy could never remain unfulfilled. After hismother'sdeathhisfaithbecameall thestronger,sincethememoryofherpietyacquired greater radiance through death's mystery. He felt quite unconcernedaboutthestressoftheirpovertywhichbecamemoreandmoreformidableastheyearswentby.Thenecessitiesoflifeandthemaintenanceoffamilytraditions,—theseseemedtohimlikeplayactingonatemporarystage,notrealthings.Whenhisformerexpensiveclothingwasoutwornandhehadtobuycheapmaterialsinthe shop, this amused him almost like a joke.He smiled and said to himself,—"Thesepeopledonotknow that this isonly apassingphaseofmy fortune.Theirsurprisewillbeall thegreater,whensomedayIshallcelebrate thePujaFestivalwithunwontedmagnificence."

This certaintyof futureprodigalitywas so clear tohismind's eye that presentpenury escaped his attention. His servant, Noto, was the principal companionwithwhomhehaddiscussionsaboutthesethings.Theyusedtohaveanimatedconversations,inwhichsometimeshisopiniondifferedfromhismaster's,astotheproprietyofbringingdownatheatricaltroupefromCalcuttaforthesefutureoccasions.NotousedtogetreprimandsfromBhavaniforhisnaturalmiserlinessintheseitemsoffutureexpenditure.

WhileBhavani'soneanxietywasabouttheabsenceofanheir,whocouldinherithisvastpossiblewealth,asonwasborntohim.Thehoroscopeplainlyindicatedthatthelostpropertywouldcomebacktothisboy.

Fromthetimeofthebirthofhisson,Bhavani'sattitudewaschanged.Itbecamecruellydifficultforhimnowtobearhispovertywithhisoldamusedequanimity,because he felt that he had a duty towards this new representative of theillustrioushouseofSaniari,whohadsuchagloriousfuturebeforehim.Thatthetraditionalextravagancecouldnotbemaintainedontheoccasionofthebirthofhis childgavehim thekeenest sorrow.He felt as if hewere cheatinghis ownson.Sohecompensatedhisboywithaninordinateamountofspoiling.

Bhavani'swife,Rashmani,hadadifferent temperamentfromherhusband.SheneverfeltanyanxietyaboutthefamilytraditionsoftheChowdhurisofSaniari.

Bhavaniwasquiteawareofthefactandindulgentlysmiledtohimself,asthoughnothing better could be expected from awomanwho came from aVaishnavafamilyofveryhumblelineage.Rashmanifranklyacknowledgedthatshecouldnotsharethefamilysentiments:whatconcernedhermostwasthewelfareofherownchild.

TherewashardlyanacquaintanceintheneighbourhoodwithwhomBhavanididnotdiscussthequestionofthelostwill;butheneverspokeawordaboutittohiswife.Onceortwicehehadtried,butherperfectunconcernhadmadehimdropthesubject.Sheneitherpaidattentiontothepastgreatnessofthefamily,nortoits future glories,—she kept her mind busy with the actual necessities of thepresent,andthosenecessitieswerenotsmallinnumberorquality.

When theGoddessofFortunedeserts ahouse, sheusually leaves someofherburdens behind, and this ancient familywas still encumberedwith its host ofdependents,thoughitsownshelterwasnearlycrumblingtodust.Theseparasitestakeittobeaninsultiftheyareaskedtodoanyservice.Theygethead-achesattheleast touchof thekitchensmoke.Theyarevisitedwithsuddenrheumatismthemoment theyare asked to runerrands.Therefore all the responsibilitiesofmaintaining the family were laid upon Rashmani herself. Women lose theirdelicacyof refinement,when theyarecompellednightandday tohagglewiththeirdestinyoverthingswhicharepitifullysmall,andforthistheyareblamedbythoseforwhomtheytoil.

BesidesherhouseholdaffairsRashmanihadtokeepalltheaccountsofthelittlelandedpropertywhich remained and also tomake arrangements for collectingrents.Never beforewas the estatemanagedwith such strictness.Bhavani hadbeenquiteincapableofcollectinghisdues:Rashmaninevermadeanyremissionof the least fractionof rent.The tenants, andevenherownagents, reviledherbehindherbackforthemeannessofthefamilyfromwhichshecame.Evenherhusbandoccasionallyusedtoenterhisprotestagainsttheharsheconomywhichwentagainstthegrainoftheworld-famedhouseofSaniari.

Rashmaniquiteungrudginglytooktheblameofallthisuponherselfandopenlyconfessedthepovertyofherparents.Tyingtheendofhersaritightlyroundherwaist shewent onwith her household duties in her ownvigorous fashion andmadeherselfthoroughlydisagreeablebothtotheinmatesofthehouseandtoherneighbours.But nobody ever had the courage to interfere.Only one thing shecarefullyavoided.Sheneveraskedherhusbandtohelpherinanyworkandshewasnervouslyafraidofhistakingupanyresponsibilities.Indeedshewasalways

furiouslyengagedinkeepingherhusbandidle;andbecausehehadreceivedthebestpossibletraininginthisdirectionshewaswhollysuccessfulinhermission.

Rashmanihadattainedmiddleagebeforehersoncame.Uptothistimeall thepent-up tenderness of themother in her and all the love of thewife had theircentre of devotion in this simple-hearted good-for-nothing husband. Bhavaniwas a child grownup bymistake beyond its natural age.Thiswas the reasonwhy,afterthedeathofherhusband'smother,shehadtoassumethepositionofmotherandmistressinone.

Inorder toprotectherhusband from invasionsofBagala, thesonof theguru,and other calamities, Rashmani adopted such a stern demeanour, that thecompanionsofherhusbandusedtobeterriblyafraidofher.Sheneverhadtheopportunity,whichawomanusuallyhas,ofkeepingherfiercenesshiddenandofsofteningthekeenedgeofherwords,—maintainingadignifiedreservetowardsmensuchasisproperforawoman.

Bhavani meekly accepted his wife's authority with regard to himself, but itbecameextremelyhardforhimtoobeyherwhenitrelatedtoKalipada,hisson.Thereasonwas,thatRashmanineverregardedBhavani'ssonfromthepointofview of Bhavani himself. In her heart she pitied her husband and said, "Poorman, itwasno fault of his, but hismisfortune, to beborn into a rich family."Thatiswhyshenevercouldexpectherhusbandtobedeprivedofanycomforttowhich he had been accustomed. Whatever might be the condition of thehousehold finance, she tried hard to keephim in his habitual ease and luxury.UnderherregimeallexpensewasstrictlylimitedexceptinthecaseofBhavani.She would never allow him to notice if some inevitable gap occurred in thepreparationofhismealsorhisapparel.Shewouldblamesome imaginarydogfor spoiling dishes that were never made and would blame herself for hercarelessness.ShewouldattackNotoforlettingsomefictitiousarticleofdressbestolenorlost.ThishadtheusualeffectofrousingBhavani'ssympathyonbehalfofhis favourite servant andhewould takeuphisdefence. Indeed it hadoftenhappenedthatBhavanihadconfessedwithbare-facedshamelessnessthathehadused the dress which had never been bought, and for whose loss Noto wasblamed;butwhathappenedafterwards,hehadnotthepowertoinventandwasobligedtorelyuponthefertileimaginationofhiswifewhowasalsotheaccuser!

Thus Rashmani treated her husband, but she never put her son in the samecategory. For he was her own child and why should he be allowed to givehimselfairs?Kalipadahadtobecontentforhisbreakfastwithafewhandfulsof

puffedriceandsometreacle.Duringthecoldweatherhehadtowraphisbodyaswellashisheadwithathickroughcottonchaddar.Shewouldcallhis teacherbeforeherandwarnhimnever to spareherboy, ifhewas the leastneglectfulwith his lessons. This treatment of his own son was the hardest blow thatBhavaniCharansufferedsincethedaysofhisdestitution.Butashehadalwaysacknowledgeddefeatatthehandsofthepowerful,hehadnotthespirittostandupagainsthiswifeinhermethodofdealingwiththeboy.

ThedresswhichRashmaniprovidedforherson,duringthePujafestivities,wasmadeof suchpoormaterial that in formerdays theveryservantsof thehousewould have rebelled if it had been offered to them. But Rashmanimore thanoncetriedherbesttoexplaintoherhusbandthatKalipada,beingthemostrecentadditiontotheChowdhurifamily,hadneverknowntheirformersplendourandsowasquitegladtogetwhatwasgiventohim.But thispathetic innocenceofthe boy about his own destiny hurt Bhavanimore than anything else, and hecouldnotforgivehimselffordeceivingthechild.WhenKalipadawoulddanceforjoyandrushtohimtoshowhimsomepresentfromhismother,whichwasridiculouslytrivial,Bhavani'sheartwouldsuffertorture.

Bagala,theguru'sson,wasnowinanaffluentconditionowingtohisagencyinthelawsuitwhichhadbroughtabouttheruinofBhavani.WiththemoneywhichhehadinhandheusedtobuycheaptinselwaresfromCalcuttabeforethePujaholidays.Invisibleink,—absurdcombinationsofstick,fishing-rodandumbrella,—letter-paperwithpictures in thecorner,—silkfabricsboughtatauctions,andotherthingsofthiskind,attractivetothesimplevillagers,—thesewerehisstockintrade.Alltheforwardyoungmenofthevillageviedwithoneanotherinrisingabove their rusticity by purchasing these sweepings of the Calcutta marketwhich,theyweretold,wereabsolutelynecessaryforthecitygentry.

Once Bagala had bought a wonderful toy,—a doll in the form of a foreignwoman,—which,whenwoundup,would rise fromher chair and begin to fanherselfwithsuddenalacrity.Kalipadawasfascinatedbyit.Hehadaverygoodreasontoavoidaskinghismotheraboutthetoy;sohewentstraighttohisfatherand begged him to purchase it for him. Bhavani answered "yes" at once, butwhenheheardthepricehisfacefell.Rashmanikeptallthemoneyandhewenttoherasatimidbeggar.Hebeganwithallsortsofirrelevantremarksandthentookadesperateplungeintothesubjectwithstartlingincoherence.

Rashmani briefly remarked: "Are you mad?" Bhavani Charan sat silentrevolvinginhismindwhattosaynext.

"Look here," he exclaimed, "I don't think I needmilk pudding dailywithmydinner."

"Whotoldyou?"saidRashmanisharply.

"Thedoctorsaysit'sverybadforbiliousness."

"Thedoctor'safool!"

"But I'm sure that rice agrees with me better than your luchis. They are tooindigestible."

"I'veneverseentheleastsignofindigestioninyou.Youhavebeenaccustomedtothemallyourlife!"

BhavaniCharanwasreadyenoughtomakesacrifices,buttherehispassagewasbarred.Buttermightriseinprice,butthenumberofhisluchisneverdiminished.Milkwas quite enough for him at hismiddaymeal, but curds also had to besuppliedbecausethatwasthefamilytradition.Rashmanicouldnothaveborneseeing him sit down to hismeal, if curdswere not supplied.Therefore all hisattempts tomake a breach in his daily provisions, throughwhich the fanningforeignwomanmightenter,wereanutterfailure.

ThenBhavani paid a visit toBagala for no reasonwhatever, and after a greatdeal of round about talk asked concerning the foreign doll. Of course hisstraightenedcircumstanceshadlongbeenknowntoBagala,yetitwasaperfectmiserytoBhavanitohavetohesitatetobuythisdollforhissonowingtowantof readymoney. Swallowing his pride, he brought out fromunder his arm anexpensiveoldKashmirshawl,andsaidinahuskyvoice:"Mycircumstancesarebad just at present and I haven't got much cash. So I have determined tomortgagethisshawlandbuythatdollforKalipada."

If theobject offeredhadbeen less expensive than thisKashmir shawl,Bagalawouldatoncehaveclosedthebargain.Butknowingthatitwouldnotbepossibleforhimtotakepossessionofthisshawlinfaceofthevillageopinion,andstillmore in faceofRashmani'swatchfulness,he refused toaccept it; andBhavanihadtogobackhomedisappointedwiththeKashmirshawlhiddenunderhisarm.

Kalipadaaskedeverydayforthatforeignfanningtoy,andBhavanismiledeveryday and said,—"Wait, a bit, my boy, till the seventh day of themoon comesround."But everynewday it becamemore andmoredifficult tokeepup thatsmile.

OnthefourthdayofthemoonBhavanimadeasuddeninroaduponhiswifeandsaid:

"I'venoticedthatthere'ssomethingwrongwithKalipada,—somethingthematterwithhishealth."

"Nonsense,"saidRashmani,"he'sinthebestofhealth."

"Haven'tyounoticedhimsittingsilentforhourstogether?"

"Ishouldbeverygreatlyrelievedifhecouldsitstillforasmanyminutes."

Whenallhisarrowshadmissedtheirmark,andnoimpressionhadbeenmade,BhavaniCharanheavedadeepsighandpassinghisfingersthroughhishairwentawayandsatdownontheverandahandbegantosmokewithfearfulassiduity.

Onthefifthday,athismorningmeal,Bhavanipassedbythecurdsandthemilkpuddingwithouttouchingthem.Intheeveninghesimplytookonesinglepieceofsandesh.Theluchiswereleftunheeded.Hecomplainedofwantofappetite.Thistimeaconsiderablebreachwasmadeinthefortifications.

Onthesixthday,RashmanitookKalipadaintotheroomandsweetlycallinghimbyhispetnamesaid,"Betu,youareoldenoughtoknowthat it is thehalfwayhousetostealingtodesirethatwhichyoucan'thave."

Kalipadawhimpered and said, "What do I know about it? Father promised togivemethatdoll."

Rashmanisatdowntoexplaintohimhowmuchlaybehindhisfather'spromise,—howmuchpain,howmuchaffection,howmuchlossandprivation.RashmanihadneverinherlifebeforetalkedthustoKalipada,becauseitwasherhabittogiveshortandsharpcommands.Itfilledtheboywithamazementwhenhefoundhismothercoaxinghimandexplainingthingsatsucha length,andmerechildthoughhewas,hecouldfathomsomethingofthedeepsufferingofhismother'sheart.Yetatthesametimeitwillbeeasilyunderstood,thatitwashardforthisboy to turn his mind away altogether from that captivating foreign fanningwoman.Hepulledalongfaceandbegantoscratchtheground.

ThismadeRashmani'sheartatoncehard,andshesaidinherseveretone:"Yes,youmayweepandcry,orbecomeangry,butyoushallneverget thatwhichisnotforyoutohave."Andshehastenedawaywithoutanotherword.

Kalipada went out. Bhavani Charan was still smoking his hookah. NoticingKalipadafromadistancehegotupandwalkedintheoppositedirectionasifhehad some urgent business. Kalipada ran to him and said,—"But that doll?"Bhavanicouldnotraiseasmilethatday.HeputhisarmroundKalipada'sneckandsaid:

"Baba,waitalittle.Ihavesomepressingbusinesstogetthrough.Letmefinishitfirst,andthenwewilltalkaboutit."Sayingthis,hewentoutofhishouse.

Kalipadasawhimbrushatearfromhiseyes.Hestoodatthedoorandwatchedhisfather,anditwasquiteevident,eventothisboy,thathewasgoingnowhereinparticular,andthathewasdraggingtheweightofadespairwhichcouldnotberelieved.

Kalipadaatoncewentbacktohismotherandsaid:

"Mother,Idon'twantthatforeigndoll."

ThatmorningBhavaniCharanreturnedlate.Whenhesatdowntohismeal,afterhisbath,itwasquiteevident,bythelookonhisface,thatthecurdsandthemilkpuddingwouldfarenobetterwithhimthanonthedaybefore,andthatthebestpartofthefishwouldgotothecat.

JustatthiscriticaljunctureRashmanibroughtinacard-boardbox,boundroundwith twine,andset itbeforeherhusband.Her intentionhadbeen to reveal themystery of this packet to her husbandwhen hewent to take his nap after hismeal.But inorder toremovetheundeservedneglectof thecurdsandthemilkandthefish,shehadtodiscloseitscontentsbeforethetime.Sotheforeigndollcameoutoftheboxandwithoutmoreadobegantofanitselfvigorously.

After this, thecathad togoawaydisappointed.Bhavani remarked tohiswifethat the cooking was the best he had ever tasted. The fish soup wasincomparable: the curds had set themselveswith an exactness that was rarelyattained,andthemilkpuddingwassuperb.

On the seventh day of themoon,Kalipada got the toy forwhich he had beenpining.Duringthewholeofthatdayheallowedtheforeignertogoonfanningherself and thereby made his boy companions jealous. In any other case thisperformancewould have seemed to himmonotonously tiresome, but knowingthatonthefollowingdayhewouldhavetogivethetoyback,hisconstancytoitonthatsingleoccasionremainedunabated.Attherentaloftworupeesperdiem

RashmanihadhireditfromBagala.

On theeighthdayof themoon,Kalipadaheavedadeep sighand returned thetoy,alongwiththeboxandtwine,toBagalawithhisownhands.FromthatdayforwardKalipadabegantosharetheconfidencesofhismother,anditbecamesoabsurdlyeasyforBhavanitogiveexpensivepresentseveryyear,thatitsurprisedevenhimself.

When,withthehelpofhismother,Kalipadacametoknowthatnothinginthisworld could be gained without paying for it with the inevitable price ofsuffering,he rapidlygrewup inhismindandbecameavaluedassistant tohismotherinherdailytasks.Itcometobeanaturalruleoflifewithhimthatnooneshouldaddtotheburdenoftheworld,butthateachshouldtrytolightenit.

When Kalipada won a scholarship at the Vernacular examination, Bhavaniproposedthatheshouldgiveuphisstudiesandtakeinhandthesupervisionoftheestate.Kalipadawenttohismotherandsaid,—"Ishallneverbeaman,ifIdonotcompletemyeducation."

Themothersaid,—"Youareright,Baba,youmustgotoCalcutta."

Kalipadaexplainedtoherthatitwouldnotbenecessarytospendasinglepiceonhim;hisscholarshipwouldbesufficient,andhewouldtrytogetsomeworktosupplementit.

But it was necessary to convince Bhavani of the wisdom of the course.Rashmanididnotwishtoemploytheargumentthattherewasverylittleoftheestateremainingtorequiresupervision;forsheknewhowitwouldhurthim.ShesaidthatKalipadamustbecomeamanwhomeveryonecouldrespect.ButallthemembersoftheChowdhurifamilyhadattainedtheirrespectabilitywithoutevergoingastepoutside the limitsofSaniari.Theouterworldwasasunknown tothemastheworldbeyondthegrave.Bhavani,therefore,couldnotconceivehowanybodycouldthinkofaboylikeKalipadagoingtoCalcutta.Butthecleverestmaninthevillage,Bagala,fortunatelyagreedwithRashmani.

"Itisperfectlyclear,"hesaid,"that,oneday,Kalipadawillbecomealawyer;andthenhewill setmatters right concerning thepropertyofwhich the familyhasbeendeprived."

Thiswasagreatconsolation toBhavaniCharanandhebroughtout the fileofrecords about the theft of the will and tried to explain the whole thing to

Kalipada by dint of daily discussion. But his son was lacking in properenthusiasmandmerelyechoedhisfather'ssentimentaboutthissolemnwrong.

ThedaybeforeKalipada'sdepartureforCalcuttaRashmanihungroundhisneckanamuletcontainingsomemantras toprotecthimfromevils.Shegavehimatthesametimeafifty-rupeecurrencynote,advisinghimtokeepitforanyspecialemergency.Thisnote,whichwas the symbolofhismother'snumberlessdailyactsofself-denial,was the truestamuletofall forKalipada.Hedetermined tokeepitbyhimandnevertospendit,whatevermighthappen.

III

From this time onward the old interminable discussions about the theft of thewillbecamelessfrequentonthepartofBhavani.Hisonetopicofconversationwas themarvellousadventureofKalipada insearchofhiseducation.Kalipadawas actually engaged in his studies in the city of Calcutta! Kalipada knewCalcuttaaswellasthepalmofhishand!Kalipadahadbeenthefirsttohearthegreat news that another bridge was going to be built over the Ganges nearHughli!The day onwhich the father received his son's letter, hewould go toeveryhouseinthevillagetoreadittohisneighboursandhewouldhardlyfindtimeevento takehisspectaclesfromhisnose.Onarrivingatafreshhousehewouldremovethemfromtheircasewiththeutmostdeliberation;thenhewouldwipe them carefullywith the end of hisdhoti; then,word byword, hewouldslowly read the letter through to one neighbour after another, with somethinglikethefollowingcomment:—

"Brother,justlisten!Whatistheworldcomingto?Eventhedogsandthejackalsare to cross the holy Ganges without washing the dust from their feet!Whocouldimaginesuchasacrilege?"

No doubt it was very deplorable; but all the same it gave Bhavani Charan apeculiar pleasure to communicate at first hand such important news from hisownson'sletter,andthismorethancompensatedforthespiritualdisasterwhichmustsurelyovertakethenumberlesscreaturesof thispresentage.Toeveryonehemet he solemnly nodded his head and prophesied that the dayswere sooncoming when Mother Ganges would disappear altogether; all the whilecherishing the hope that the news of such amomentous eventwould come tohimbyletterfromhisownsoninthepropertime.

Kalipada,withverygreatdifficulty,scrapedtogetherjustenoughmoneytopay

his expenses till he passed his Matriculation and again won a scholarship.Bhavani at oncemade up his mind to invite all the village to a feast, for heimaginedthathisson'sgoodshipoffortunehadnowreacheditshavenandtherewould be nomore occasion for economy. But he received no encouragementfromRashmani.

Kalipadawasfortunateenoughtosecureaplaceofstudyinastudents'lodginghousenearhiscollege.Theproprietorallowedhimtooccupyasmallroomonthegroundfloorwhichwasabsolutelyuselessforotherlodgers.Inexchangeforthisandhisboard,hehadtocoachthesonoftheownerofthehouse.Theonegreat advantagewas that therewould be no chance of any fellow lodger eversharing his quarters. So, although ventilation was lacking, his studies wereuninterrupted.

Those of the studentswhopaid their rent and lived in the upper story had noconcernwithKalipada;butsoonitbecamepainfullyevidentthatthosewhoareupabovehavethepowertohurlmissilesatthosebelowwithallthemoredeadlyforcebecauseoftheirdistance.TheleaderofthoseabovewasSailen.

Sailenwas the scion of a rich family. Itwas unnecessary for him to live in astudents'mess, but he successfully convincedhis guardians that thiswouldbebest for his studies. The real reason was that Sailen was naturally fond ofcompany, and the students' lodging house was an ideal place where he couldhaveallthepleasureofcompanionshipwithoutanyofitsresponsibilities.Itwasthe firmconvictionofSailen thathewasagood fellowandamanof feeling.Theadvantageofharbouring sucha convictionwas that itneedednoproof inpractice.Vanityisnotlikeahorseoranelephantrequiringexpensivefodder.

Nevertheless,asSailenhadplentyofmoneyhedidnotallowhisvanitymerelytograzeatlarge;hetookspecialprideinkeepingitstall-fed.Itmustbesaidtohiscreditthathehadagenuinedesiretohelppeopleintheirneed,butthedesireinhimwasofsuchacharacter,thatifamanindifficultyrefusedtocometohimforhelp,hewouldturnroundonhimanddohisbesttoaddtohistrouble.HismessmateshadtheirticketsforthetheatreboughtforthembySailen,anditcostthem nothing to have occasional feasts. They could borrowmoney from himwithoutmeaningtopayitback.Whenanewlymarriedyouthwasindoubtaboutthechoiceofsomegiftforhiswife,hecouldfullyrelyonSailen'sgoodtasteinthematter.Ontheseoccasionsthelove-lornyouthwouldtakeSailentotheshopandpretendtoselectthecheapestandleastsuitablepresents:thenSailen,withacontemptuous laughwould interveneandselect theright thing.At themention

ofthepricetheyounghusbandwouldpullalongface,butSailenwouldalwaysbereadytoabidebyhisownsuperiorchoiceandtopaythecost.

InthismannerSailenbecametheacknowledgedpatronofthestudentsupstairs.Itmade him intolerant of the insolence of any onewho refused to accept hishelp.Indeed,tohelpothersinthiswayhadbecomehishobby.

Kalipada, in his tattered jersey, used to sit on a dirty mat in his damp roombelowandrecitehislessons,swinginghimselffromsidetosidetotherhythmofthesentence.Itwasasheernecessityforhimtogetthatscholarshipnextyear.

Kalipada'smotherhadmadehimpromise,beforehelefthomeforCalcuttathathewouldavoidthecompanyofrichyoungmen.Thereforeheboretheburdenofhis indigence alone, strictly keeping himself from those who had been morefavouredbyfortune.ButtoSailen,itseemedasheerimpertinencethatastudentaspoorasKalipadashouldyethavethepridetokeepawayfromhispatronage.Besides this, in his food and dress and everything,Kalipada's povertywas soblatantlyexposed,ithurtSailen'ssenseofdecency.EverytimehelookeddownintoKalipada's room, hewas offended by the sight of the cheap clothing, thedingymosquitonetandthetatteredbedding.Wheneverhepassedonhiswaytohisownroomin theupper story thesightof these thingswasunavoidable.Tocrown it all therewas that absurd amuletwhichKalipada alwayshadhangingroundhisneck,andthosedailyritesofdevotionwhichweresoridiculouslyoutoffashion!

One day Sailen and his followers condescended to inviteKalipada to a feast,thinkingthathisgratitudewouldknownobounds.ButKalipadasentananswersayingthathishabitsweredifferentanditwouldnotbewholesomeforhimtoaccepttheinvitation.Sailenwasunaccustomed tosucha refusal,and it rousedupinhimalltheferocityofhisinsultedbenevolence.Forsomedaysafterthis,thenoiseontheupperstorybecamesoloudlyinsistentthatitwasimpossibleforKalipadatogoonwithhisstudies.HewascompelledtospendthegreaterpartofhisdaysstudyinginthePark,andtogetupveryearlyandsitdowntohisworklongbeforeitwaslight.

Owingtohishalf-starvedcondition,hismentaloverwork,andbadly-ventilatedroom,Kalipadabegantosufferfromcontinualattacksofheadache.Thereweretimeswhenhewasobligedtoliedownonhisbedforthreeorfourdaystogether.Buthemadenomentionofhisillnessinhisletterstohisfather.Bhavanihimselfwas certain that, just as vegetation grew rank in his village surroundings, so

comfortsofallkindssprangupofthemselvesfromthesoilofCalcutta.Kalipadaneverforamomentdisabusedhismindofthatmisconception.Hedidnotfailtowrite to his father, evenwhen suffering fromoneof these paroxysmsof pain.Thedeliberaterowdinessofthestudentsintheupperstoryaddedatsuchtimestohisdistress.

Kalipadatriedtomakehimselfasscarceandsmallaspossible,inordertoavoidnotice;butthisdidnotbringhimrelief.Oneday,hefoundthatacheapshoeofhisownhadbeentakenawayandreplacedbyanexpensiveforeignone.Itwasimpossibleforhimtogotocollegewithsuchanincongruouspair.Hemadenocomplaint,however,butboughtsomeoldsecond-handshoesfromthecobbler.Oneday,astudentfromtheupperstorycameintohisroomandaskedhim:

"Haveyou,byanymistake,broughtawaymysilvercigarettecasewithyou?"

Kalipadagotannoyedandanswered:

"Ihaveneverbeeninsideyourroominmylife."

The student stooped down. "Hullo!" he said, "here it is!" And the valuablecigarettecasewaspickedupfromthecorneroftheroom.

KalipadadeterminedtoleavethislodginghouseassoonaseverhehadpassedhisIntermediateExamination,providedonlyhecouldgetascholarshiptoenablehimtodoso.

Everyyear thestudentsof thehouseused tohave theirannualSaraswatiPuja.ThoughthegreaterpartoftheexpensesfelltotheshareofSailen,everyoneelsecontributedaccording tohismeans.Theyearbefore, theyhadcontemptuouslyleftoutKalipadafromthelistofcontributors;butthisyear,merelytoteasehim,they camewith their subscription book.Kalipada instantly paid five rupees tothefund,thoughhehadnointentionofparticipatinginthefeast.Hispenuryhadlongbroughtonhimthecontemptofhisfellowlodgers,butthisunexpectedgiftoffiverupeesbecametotheminsufferable.TheSaraswatiPujawasperformedwithgreatéclatand thefiverupeescouldeasilyhavebeenspared. IthadbeenhardindeedforKalipadatopartwithit.Whilehetookthefoodgivenhiminhislandlord'shousehehadnocontroloverthetimeatwhichitwasserved.Besidesthis, since the servants brought him the food, he did not like to criticise thedishes. He preferred to provide himself with some extra things; and after theforced extravaganceofhis five-rupee subscriptionhehad to forgoall this andsufferedinconsequence.Hisparoxysmsofheadachebecamemorefrequent,and

though he passed his examination, he failed to obtain the scholarship that hedesired.

The lossof the scholarshipdroveKalipada todoextraworkasaprivate tutorand to stick to the same unhealthy room in the lodging house. The studentsoverheadhadhopedthattheywouldberelievedofhispresence.Butpunctuallytothedaytheroomwasunlockedonthelowerfloor.Kalipadaentered,cladinthesameolddirtycheckParseecoat.AcooliefromSealdahStationtookdownfromhisheadasteeltrunkandothermiscellaneouspackagesandlaidthemontheflooroftheroom;andalongwrangleensuedastotheproperamountofpicethatweredue.

Inthedepthsofthosepackagesthereweremangochutniesandothercondimentswhich his mother had specially prepared. Kalipada was aware that, in hisabsence,theupper-storystudents,insearchofajest,didnotscrupletocomeintohisroombystealth.

Hewasespeciallyanxioustokeepthesehomegiftsfromtheircruelscrutiny.Astokensofhomeaffectiontheyweresupremelyprecioustohim;buttothetownstudents,theydenotedmerelytheboorishnessofpoverty-strickenvillagers.Thevesselswerecrudeandearthen,fastenedupbyanearthenlidfixedonwithpasteofflour.Theywereneitherglassnorporcelain,andthereforesuretoberegardedwithinsolentdisdainbyrichtown-bredpeople.

Formerly Kalipada used to keep these stores hidden under his bed, coveringthem upwith old newspapers.But this time he took the precaution of alwayslocking up his door, even if hewent out for a fewminutes. This still furtherrousedthespleenofSailenandhisparty.ItseemedtothempreposterousthattheroomwhichwaspoorenoughtodrawtearsfromtheeyesofthemosthardenedburglarshouldbeascarefullyguardedasifitwereasecondBankofBengal.

"Does he actually believe," they said among themselves, "that the temptationwillbeirresistibleforustostealthatParseecoat?"

Sailen had never visited this dark andmildewed room fromwhich the plasterwas dropping. The glimpses that he had taken, while going up-stairs,—especiallywhen,intheevening,Kalipada,theupperpartofhisbodybare,wouldsitporingoverhisbookswithasmokylampbesidehim,—wereenoughtogivehim a sense of suffocation. Sailen asked his boon companions to explore theroombelowandfindoutthetreasurewhichKalipadahadhidden.Everybodyfeltintenselyamusedattheproposal.

The lock onKalipada's doorwas a cheap one,which had themagnanimity tolend itself toanykey.OneeveningwhenKalipadahadgoneout tohisprivatetuition, twoor threeof thestudentswithanexuberantsenseofhumour tookalanternandunlockedtheroomandentered.Itdidnotneedamomenttodiscoverthepotsofchutneyunderthebed,but thesehardlyseemedvaluableenoughtodemandsuchwatchfulcareonthepartofKalipada.Afurthersearchdisclosedakey on a ring under the pillow.They opened the steel trunkwith the key andfoundafewsoiledclothes,booksandwritingmaterial.Theywereabouttoshuttheboxindisgustwhentheysaw,attheverybottom,apacketcoveredbyadirtyhandkerchief.Onuncoveringthreeorfourwrapperstheyfoundacurrencynoteoffiftyrupees.Thismadethemburstoutintopealsoflaughter.Theyfeltcertainthat Kalipada was harbouring suspicion against the whole world in his mindbecauseofthisfiftyrupees!

The meanness of this suspicious precaution deepened the intensity of theircontempt forKalipada. Just then, they heard a foot-step outside. They hastilyshutthebox,lockedthedoor,andranupstairswiththenoteintheirpossession.

Sailenwasvastlyamused.Thoughfiftyrupeeswasameretrifle,hecouldneverhavebelievedthatKalipadahadsomuchmoneyinhistrunk.Theyalldecidedtowatchtheresultofthislossuponthatqueercreaturedownstairs.

WhenKalipadacamehomethatnightafterhistuitionwasover,hewastootiredtonoticeanydisorderinhisroom.Oneofhisworstattacksofnervousheadachewascomingonandhewentstraighttobed.

Thenextday,whenhebroughtouthistrunkfromunderthebedandtookouthisclothes,he found itopen.Hewasnaturallycareful,but itwasnotunlikely,hethought,thathehadforgottentolockitonthedaybefore.Butwhenheliftedthelidhefoundallthecontentstopsy-turvy,andhisheartgaveagreatthudwhenhediscoveredthatthenote,giventohimbyhismother,wasmissing.Hesearchedtheboxoverandoveragaininthevainhopeoffindingit,andwhenhislosswasmadecertain,heflunghimselfuponhisbedandlaylikeonedead.

Justthen,heheardfootstepsfollowingoneanotheronthestairs,andeverynowand then an outburst of laughter from the upper room. It struck him, all of asudden,thatthiswasnotatheft:Sailenandhispartymusthavetakenthenotetoamusethemselvesandmakelaughteroutofit.Itwouldhavegivenhimlesspainif a thief had stolen it. It seemed to him that these youngmen had laid theirimpioushandsuponhismotherherself.

Thiswas the first time thatKalipada had ascended those stairs.He ran to theupperfloor,—theoldjerseyonhisshoulders,—hisfaceflushedwithangerandthepainofhisillness.AsitwasSunday,Sailenandhiscompanywereseatedintheverandah, laughingand talking.Withoutanywarning,Kalipadaburstuponthemandshouted:

"Givemebackmynote!"

Ifhehadbeggeditofthem,theywouldhaverelented;butthesightofhisangermadethemfurious.Theystartedupfromtheirchairsandexclaimed:

"Whatdoyoumean,sir?Whatdoyoumean?Whatnote?"

Kalipadashouted:"Thenoteyouhavetakenfrommybox!"

"Howdareyou?"theyshoutedback."Doyoutakeustobethieves?"

IfKalipadahadheldanyweaponinhishandatthatmomenthecertainlywouldhavekilledsomeoneamongthem.Butwhenhewasabouttospring,theyfellonhim, and four or five of them dragged him down to his room and thrust himinside.

Sailensaidtohiscompanions:"Here,takethishundred-rupeenote,andthrowittothatdog!"

Theyallloudlyexclaimed:"No!Lethimclimbdownfirstandgiveusawrittenapology.Thenweshallconsiderit!"

Sailen's party all went to bed at the proper time and slept the sleep of theinnocent.InthemorningtheyhadalmostforgottenKalipada.Butsomeofthem,whilepassinghisroom,heardthesoundoftalkingandtheythoughtthatpossiblyhewasbusyconsultingsomelawyer.Thedoorwasshutfromtheinside.Theytried to overhear, butwhat they heard had nothing legal about it. Itwas quiteincoherent.

TheyinformedSailen.Hecamedownandstoodwithhisearclosetothedoor.The only thing that could be distinctly heard was the word 'Father.' ThisfrightenedSailen.Hethought thatpossiblyKalipadahadgonemadonaccountofthegriefoflosingthatfifty-rupeenote.Sailenshouted"KalipadaBabu!"twoor three times,butgotnoanswer.Only thatmutteringsoundcontinued.Sailencalled,—"Kalipada Babu,—please open the door. Your note has been found."Butstillthedoorwasnotopenedandthatmutteringsoundwenton.

Sailenhadneveranticipatedsucharesultasthis.Hedidnotexpressawordofrepentancetohisfollowers,buthefeltthestingofitallthesame.Someadvisedhimtobreakopenthedoor:othersthoughtthatthepoliceshouldbecalledin,—forKalipadamightbe inadangerousstateof lunacy.Sailenatoncesent foradoctorwholivedcloseathand.Whentheyburstopen thedoor theyfoundthebeddinghangingfromthebedandKalipadalyingonthefloorunconscious.Hewastossingaboutandthrowinguphisarmsandmuttering,withhiseyesredandopenandhisfaceallflushed.Thedoctorexaminedhimandaskediftherewereanyrelativenearathand;forthecasewasserious.

Sailen answered that he knew nothing, but wouldmake inquiries. The doctorthenadvised theremovalof thepatientatonce toanupstairs roomandpropernursing arrangements day andnight.Sailen tookhimup tohis own roomanddismissed his followers. He got some ice and put it on Kalipada's head andbegantofanhimwithhisownhand.

Kalipada, fearing that mocking references would bemade, had concealed thenamesandaddressofhisparentsfromthesepeoplewithspecialcare.SoSailenhadnoalternativebuttoopenhisbox.Hefoundtwobundlesofletterstiedupwithribbon.Oneofthemcontainedhismother'sletters,theothercontainedhisfather's. His mother's letters were fewer in number than his father's. Sailenclosedthedoorandbegantoreadtheletters.Hewasstartledwhenhesawtheaddress,—Saniari, the house of the Chowdhuries,—and then the name of thefather,Bhavani.Hefoldedupthelettersandsatstill,gazingatKalipada'sface.Some of his friends had casually mentioned, that there was a resemblancebetweenKalipadaandhimself.Buthewasoffendedat the remarkanddidnotbelieve it. To-day he discovered the truth.He knew that his own grandfather,ShyamaCharan,hadastep-brothernamedBhavani;but the laterhistoryto thefamilyhadremainedasecrettohim.HedidnotevenknowthatBhavanihadasonnamedKalipada;andheneversuspectedthatBhavanihadcometosuchanabject stateofpovertyas this.Henow felt notonly relieved,butproudofhisown relative, Kalipada, that he had refused to enter himself on the list ofprotégés.

IV

Knowing that his party had insulted Kalipada almost every day, Sailen feltreluctant to keep him in the lodging house with them. So he rented anothersuitablehouseandkepthimthere.BhavanicamedowninhastetoCalcuttathemoment he received a letter from Sailen informing him of his son's illness.Rashmanipartedwithallhersavingsgivinginstructionstoherhusbandtosparenoexpenseuponherson.ItwasnotconsideredproperforthedaughtersofthegreatChowdhurifamilytoleavetheirhomeandgotoCalcuttaunlessabsolutelyobliged, and therefore she had to remain behind offering prayers to all thetutelarygods.WhenBhavaniCharanarrivedhefoundKalipadastillunconsciousand delirious. It nearly broke Bhavani's heart when he heard himself called'MasterMashai.'Kalipadaoftencalledhiminhisdeliriumandhetriedtomakehimselfrecognizedbyhisson,butinvain.

Thedoctorcameagainandsaidthefeverwasgettingless.Hethoughtthecasewas taking a more favourable turn. For Bhavani, it was an impossibility toimaginethathissonwouldnotrecover.Hemustlive:itwashisdestinytolive.BhavaniwasmuchstruckwiththebehaviourofSailen.Itwasdifficulttobelievethathewasnotoftheirownkithandkin.Hesupposedallthiskindnesstobedueto the town training which Sailen had received. Bhavani spoke to Sailendisparaginglyofthecountryhabitswhichvillagepeoplelikehimselfgotinto.

GraduallythefeverwentdownandKalipadarecoveredconsciousness.Hewasastonished beyondmeasurewhen he saw his father sitting in the roombesidehim.Hisfirstanxietywaslestheshoulddiscoverthemiserablestateinwhichhehadbeenliving.Butwhatwouldbeharderstilltobearwas,ifhisfatherwithhisrusticmannersbecamethebuttofthepeopleupstairs.Helookedroundhim,butcouldnotrecognizehisownroomandwonderedifhehadbeendreaming.Buthefoundhimselftooweaktothink.

He supposed that it had been his father who had removed him to this betterlodging, but he had no power to calculate how he could possibly bear theexpense.Theonlythingthatconcernedhimatthatmomentwasthathefelthemustlive,andforthathehadaclaimupontheworld.

Oncewhenhis fatherwas absentSailen came inwith a plate of grapes in hishand.Kalipadacouldnotunderstandthisatallandwonderediftherewassomepracticaljokebehindit.Heatoncebecameexcitedandwonderedhowhecould

save his father from annoyance. Sailen set the plate down on the table andtouched Kalipada's feet humbly and said: "My offence has been great: prayforgiveme."

Kalipadastartedandsatuponhisbed.HecouldseethatSailen'srepentancewassincereandhewasgreatlymoved.

WhenKalipadahadfirstcometothestudents'lodginghousehehadfeltstronglydrawntowardsthishandsomeyouth.HenevermissedachanceoflookingathisfacewhenSailenpassedbyhisroomonhiswayupstairs.Hewouldhavegivenalltheworldtobefriendswithhim,butthebarrierwastoogreattoovercome.Nowto-daywhenSailenbroughthimthegrapesandaskedhisforgiveness,hesilently lookedathis faceand silentlyaccepted thegrapeswhich spokeofhisrepentance.

It amused Kalipada greatly when he noticed the intimacy that had sprung upbetweenhisfatherandSailen.SailenusedtocallBhavaniCharan"grandfather"and exercised to the full the grandchild's privilege of joking with him. Theprincipal object of the jokes was the absent "grandmother." Sailen made theconfessionthathehadtakentheopportunityofKalipada'sillnesstostealallthedeliciouschutnieswhichhis"grandmother"hadmadewithherownhand.Thenewsofhisactof"thieving"gaveKalipadaverygreatjoy.Hefounditeasytodeprivehimself,ifhecouldfindanyonewhocouldappreciatethegoodthingsmadebyhismother.Thus this timeof his convalescencebecame thehappiestperiodinthewholeofKalipada'slife.

Therewasonlyoneflawinthisunalloyedhappiness.Kalipadahadafierceprideinhispovertywhichpreventedhimeverspeakingabouthisfamily'sbetterdays.ThereforewhenhisfatherusedtotalkofhisformerprosperityKalipadawinced.Bhavanicouldnotkeeptohimselftheonegreateventofhislife,—thetheftofthat will which he was absolutely certain that he would some day recover.Kalipada had always regarded this as a kind of mania of his father's, and incollusion with his mother he had often humoured his father concerning thisamiableweakness.ButheshrankinshamewhenhisfathertalkedaboutthistoSailen.Henoticedparticularly thatSailendidnot relishsuchconversationandthatheoftentriedtoprove,withacertainamountoffeeling, itsabsurdity.ButBhavani,whowas ready togive in toothers inmattersmuchmore serious, inthismatterwasadamant.Kalipadatriedtopacifyhimbysayingthattherewasno great need toworry about it, because thosewhowere enjoying its benefitwerealmostthesameashisownchildren,sincetheywerehisnephews.

Such talk Sailen could not bear for long and he used to leave the room.Thispained Kalipada, because he thought that Sailen might get quite a wrongconception of his father and imagine him to be a grasping worldly old man.SailenwouldhaverevealedhisownrelationshiptoKalipadaandhisfatherlongbefore,butthisdiscussionaboutthetheftofthewillpreventedhim.Itwashardforhimtobelievethathisgrandfatherorfatherhadstolenthewill;ontheotherhandhecouldnotbutthinkthatsomecruelinjusticehadbeendoneindeprivingBhavani of his share of the ancestral property. Therefore he gave up arguingwhenthesubjectwasbroughtforwardandtooksomeoccasiontoleaveassoonaspossible.

Though Kalipada still had headaches in the evening, with a slight rise intemperature,hedidnottakeitatallseriously.Hebecameanxioustoresumehisstudies because he felt it would be a calamity to him if he again missed hisscholarship.Hesecretlybegantoreadoncemore,withouttakinganynoticeofthestrictordersofthedoctor.Kalipadaaskedhisfathertoreturnhome,assuringhim that he was in the best of health. Bhavani had been all his life fed andnourished and cooked for by hiswife; hewas pining to get back.He did notthereforewaittobepressed.

On the morning of his intended departure, when he went to say good-bye toKalipada, he foundhimvery ill indeed, his face redwith fever andhiswholebodyburning.Hehadbeencommitting tomemorypageafterpageofhis textbookofLogichalfthroughthenight,andfortheremainderhecouldnotsleepatall.ThedoctortookSailenaside."Thisrelapse,"hesaid,"isfatal."Sailencameto Bhavani and said, "The patient requires a mother's nursing: she must bebroughttoCalcutta."

ItwaseveningwhenRashmanicame,andsheonlysawhersonaliveforafewhours.Not knowing how her husband could survive such a terrible shock shealtogether suppressed her own sorrow. Her son was merged in her husbandagain,andshetookupthisburdenofthedeadandthelivingonherownachingheart.ShesaidtoherGod,—"Itistoomuchformetobear."Butshedidbearit.

V

It wasmidnight.With the very weariness of her sorrow Rashmani had fallenasleep soon after reaching her own home in the village. But Bhavani had nosleep that night. Tossing on his bed for hours he heaved a deep sigh saying,—"MercifulGod!"Thenhegotup fromhisbedandwentout.Heentered the

roomwhere Kalipada had been wont to do his lessons in his childhood. Thelamp shookasheheld it inhishand.On thewooden settle therewas still thetorn, ink-stained quilt,made long ago byRashmani herself.On thewallwerefiguresofEuclidandAlgebradrawnincharcoal.TheremainsofaRoyalReaderNo.IIIandafewexercisebookswerelyingabout;andtheoneoddslipperofhisinfancy, which had evaded notice so long, was keeping its place in the dustyobscurity of the corner of the room. To-day it had become so important thatnothing in theworld,howevergreat,couldkeep ithiddenany longer.Bhavaniputthelampinthenicheonthewallandsilentlysatonthesettle;hiseyesweredry,buthefeltchokedasifwithwantofbreath.

Bhavaniopenedtheshuttersontheeasternsideandstoodstill,graspingtheironbars, gazing into the darkness. Through the drizzling rain he could see theoutlineoftheclumpoftreesattheendoftheouterwall.AtthisspotKalipadahadmadehisowngarden.Thepassion flowerswhichhehadplantedwithhisownhandhadgrowndenselythick.WhilehegazedatthisBhavanifelthisheartcomeup intohis throatwithchokingpain.Therewasnobodynowtowait forandexpectdaily.Thesummervacationhadcome,butnoonewouldcomebackhometofillthevacantroomanduseitsoldfamiliarfurniture.

"OBabamine!"hecried,"OBaba!OBabamine!"

Hesatdown.Theraincamefaster.Asoundof footstepswasheardamong thegrass andwithered leaves.Bhavani's heart stood still.He hoped itwas ... thatwhichwasbeyondallhope.HethoughtitwasKalipadahimselfcometoseehisowngarden,—andinthisdownpourofrainhowwethewouldbe!Anxietyaboutthismadehimrestless.Thensomebodystoodforamomentinfrontoftheironwindowbars.Thecloak roundhisheadmade it impossible forBhavani to seehisfaceclearly,buthisheightwasthesameasthatofKalipada.

"Darling!"criedBhavani,"Youhavecome!"andherushedtoopenthedoor.

Butwhenhecameoutsidetothespotwherethefigurehadstood,therewasnoone to be seen.Hewalked up and down in the garden through the drenchingrain, but no onewas there.He stood still for amoment raising his voice andcalling,—"Kalipada,"butnoanswercame.Theservant,Noto,whowassleepinginthecowshed,heardhiscryandcameoutandcoaxedhimbacktohisroom.

Nextday, in themorning,Noto,while sweeping the roomfoundabundle justunderneath the grated window. He brought it to Bhavani who opened it andfounditwasanolddocument.Heputonhisspectaclesandafterreadingafew

linescamerushingintoRashmaniandgavethepaperintoherhand.

Rashmaniasked,"Whatisit?"

Bhavanireplied,"Itisthewill!"

"Whogaveityou?"

"Hehimselfcamelastnighttogiveittome."

"Whatareyougoingtodowithit?"

Bhavanisaid:"Ihavenoneedofitnow."Andhetorethewilltopieces.

When the news reached the villageBagala proudly noddedhis head and said:"Didn'tIprophesythatthewillwouldberecoveredthroughKalipada?"

ButthegrocerRamcharanreplied:"Lastnightwhentheteno'clocktrainreachedtheStationahandsomelookingyoungmancametomyshopandaskedthewaytotheChowdhuri'shouseandIthoughthehadsomekindofbundleinhishand."

"Absurd,"saidBagala.

WORDSTOBESTUDIED

detailed.FromtheFrench"tailler,"tocut.Comparetailor,entail,retail.

patrimony. From the Latin "pater," a father. Compare paternal, patriarch,patriot.Theending-monyisfromtheLatin-monium.Comparetestimony,matrimony,sanctimony.

revert. From the Latin "vertere," to turn. Compare convert, subvert, divert,invert,advert,version,conversion,adverse.

amazement.Thiswordisofdoubtfulorigin.Wehavethesimplerform"maze"butdonotknowhowithascomeintoEnglish.

preposterous. The Latin word "pre" means "before," and the Latin word"posterus"behind.Theliteralmeaning,therefore,is"before-behind"andso"absurd,""outrageous."

treachery. This comes from the Old French "treacher," to trick. It is to bedistinguished from the word "traitor," which comes from the Latin

"traditor," one who gives up another. Compare intricate, trickery, trick,intrigue.

parasites.FromtheGreekword"sitos,"food,—onewhofeedsonanother.

property. From the Latin "proprius," meaning "one's own." Compare proper,appropriate,improper.

haggle.ThisisanOldNorwegianwordwhichhascomeintoEnglish,meaningliterallytochop.

good-for-nothing. Such "phrase" words as these are not very common inEnglish.TheyaremorecommoninFrench.ComparetheEnglishne'er-do-well,lazybones,out-of-the-way,andtheFrenchcoup-d'état,nom-de-plume,fin-de-siécle.Ontheotherhand,adjectivesmadeupoftwowordsarequitecommoninEnglish.Comparesimple-hearted,middle-aged.

régime. Thisword still retains its French form and accent and pronunciation.Little by little such French words become pronounced and spelt in anEnglishformandtakeapermanentplaceinthelanguage.Forinstance,theFrenchword"morale"withaccenton the last syllable isnowbecomingacommon English word. In time it will probably be accented on the firstsyllablelikeordinaryEnglishwordsandwilldropitsfinal"e."

gap. This is anotherOldNorwegianwordmeaning awide opening.Comparegape.TheseNorwegianwords came intoEnglish somewhatplentifully atthetimeoftheDanishConquest.

sympathy. From the Greek "syn" with, and "pathos" suffering. It should benotedthattheword"compassion"fromtheLatin"cum"with,and"passio"suffering,hasthesamerootmeaning,viz."sufferingwithanother."

law-suit. The English word "suit" comes from the Latin "sequi," to follow,whichinFrenchbecomes"suivre."WehavetwoEnglishforms,oneformdirectly from the Latin, the other from the French. From the Latinprosecute,persecute,consecutive,execute.FromtheFrenchpursue,ensue,sue.

A"suit"inagameofcardsmeansthecardsthatfollowoneanotherinasequence.

A"suit"of clothesmeans the trousers, coat,waistcoat, following thesame pattern. Compare also the French word suite which has now been

taken intoEnglish,e.g. asuite of rooms,asuite of furniture (pronouncedlike"sweet").

incoherence. From the Latin "haerere," to stick. Compare adhere, cohere,inherent,coherence.

foreign.FromtheOldFrench"forain,"outofdoors.Theletter"g"hasbecomewronglyinsertedinthiswordasalsoin"sovereign."

bargain.From the lateLatin "barca," aboat, because tradewas carriedonbyboatsalongtherivers.Comparebarque,barge,bark.

husky.Fromthenounhusk,—asdryasahusk.

shawl. From the Persian word "shāl." A considerable number of words arecoming into use in English now from the East. One of themost curiousrecentonesisBlightywhichisacorruptionofwilayati,bilaiti.Forwordsintroduced into English compare karma, sanyasi, fakir, brahmin, ghat,puggaree, pyjama, pucca, curry, chutney, chintz, cummerbund, khaki,rupee,durrie,turban,sepoy.

doll.This isa shortened formof theEnglishgirl'snameDorothy,Dolly,Doll.Comparepoll-parrotfromPollyorPoll.

soup. This word still retains its French form, without the final "e" (Frenchsoupe), but the English words sup, supper have dropped their Frenchspellingaltogether.

ticket.FromtheOldFrench"estiquette,"meaningsomethingfixedlikeabillonthewall.(ComparetheEnglishwordto"stick"whichcomesfromthesameroot.)

We have here a case of a Frenchword branching off into two quitedistinct English words,—"etiquette" and "ticket," each having its ownmeaning.

jersey.Oneof the islands in theEnglishChannelcalled Jersey firstmade thisspecialformofwoollenvest.ManyEnglishwordsarethustakenfromthenames of places. Compare currant (Corinth), argosy (Ragusa), calico(Calicut),bronze(Brundusium),gipsy(Egyptian),cashmere(Kashmir).

impertinence.Originallythiswordmeansthatwhichisnot"pertinent,"andsosomething"out-of-place."Lateronitgotthepresentmeaningofsomething

insolent.

mosquito.FromtheSpanish.ThewordisthediminutiveoftheLatin"musca,"afly.

scruple.FromtheLatin"scrupulus,"asmallsharpstone.Thiswordmeantfirstin English a very smallweight of twenty grains; then it came tomean aslightweightonthemindorconscience.IntheTrialSceneofShakespeare'sMerchantofVenicewehavetheoriginalsenseused,—"thetwentiethpartofonepoorscruple."

exuberant.FromtheLatin"uber,"udder.Thusitcomestomean"flowingfromtheudder"andso"overflowing."

handkerchief."Kerchief"camefromtwoFrenchwords"couvre,"tocover,and"chef,"thehead.Itmeantaheadcloth.Thenasmallerclothwasusedinthehandandthiswascalledahand-kerchief.

lunacy. From the Latin "luna," themoon. In former times Europeans used tothink thatmadnesswasdue to some influenceof themoon.Compare thewordmoonstruck.

algebra.This isoneof themanywords fromArabicbeginningwith "al," the.Comparealkali,albatross,alcohol,alembic,alchemy,alcove.

Euclid.ThiswordwasoriginallythenameofagreatGreekmathematicalwriter.His writings were called "Books of Euclid." Now the subject is usuallycalledGeometry.

absurd.FromtheLatin"surdus,"deaf.Deafpeoplegenerallyappearstupid tothosewhocanhear.Sothiswordhascometomeanfoolishorridiculous.

topsy-turvy.Thisprobablyisashortenedformoftopside-turvy,—"turvy"beingacolloquialcorruptionfor"turned"or"turnedover."

THEBABUSOFNAYANJORE

X

THEBABUSOFNAYANJORE

I

ONCEuponatimetheBabusatNayanjorewerefamouslandholders.Theywerenoted for theirprincelyextravagance.Theywould tearoff the roughborderoftheir Dacca muslin, because it rubbed against their delicate skin. They couldspendmanythousandsofrupeesovertheweddingofakitten.Andonacertaingrand occasion it is alleged that in order to turn night into day they lightednumberlesslampsandshoweredsilverthreadsfromtheskytoimitatesunlight.

Thosewere thedaysbefore the flood.The floodcame.The lineof successionamong these old-worldBabus,with their lordly habits, could not continue forlong.Likealampwithtoomanywicksburning,theoilflaredawayquickly,andthelightwentout.

KailasBabu,ourneighbour,isthelastrelicofthisextinctmagnificence.Beforehegrewup,hisfamilyhadverynearlyreacheditslowestebb.Whenhisfatherdied, there was one dazzling outburst of funeral extravagance, and theninsolvency.Thepropertywassoldtoliquidatethedebt.Whatlittlereadymoneywasleftoverwasaltogetherinsufficienttokeepupthepastancestralsplendours.

KailasBabuleftNayanjoreandcametoCalcutta.Hissondidnotremainlonginthisworldoffadedglory.Hedied,leavingbehindhimanonlydaughter.

InCalcuttaweareKailasBabu'sneighbours.Curiouslyenoughourownfamilyhistoryisjusttheoppositeofhis.Myfathergothismoneybyhisownexertions,and prided himself on never spending a penny more than was needed. Hisclothes were those of a working man, and his hands also. He never had anyinclination to earn the title of Babu by extravagant display; and Imyself, hisonlyson,owehimgratitudeforthat.Hegavemetheverybesteducation,andIwasabletomakemywayintheworld.IamnotashamedofthefactthatIamaself-made man. Crisp bank-notes in my safe are dearer to me than a longpedigreeinanemptyfamilychest.

IbelievethiswaswhyIdislikedseeingKailasBabudrawinghisheavychequeson the public credit from the bankrupt bank of his ancient Babu reputation. Iusedtofancythathelookeddownonme,becausemyfatherhadearnedmoneywithhisownhands.

Iought tohavenoticed thatnooneshowedanyvexation towardsKailasBabuexceptmyself. Indeeditwouldhavebeendifficult tofindanoldmanwhodidlessharmthanhe.Hewasalwaysreadywithhiskindlylittleactsofcourtesyintimes of sorrow and joy. He would join in all the ceremonies and religiousobservances of his neighbours. His familiar smilewould greet young and oldalike.Hispoliteness inaskingdetails aboutdomesticaffairswasuntiring.Thefriendswhomethiminthestreetwereperforcereadytobebutton-holed,whilealongstringofquestionsofthiskindfollowedoneanotherfromhislips:

"Mydearfriend,Iamdelightedtoseeyou.Areyouquitewell?HowisShashi?AndDada—isheallright?Doyouknow,I'veonlyjustheardthatMadhu'ssonhasgotfever.Howishe?Haveyouheard?AndHariCharanBabu—Ihavenotseenhimforalongtime—Ihopeheisnotill.What'sthematterwithRakkhal?Ander—er,howaretheladiesofyourfamily?"

KailasBabuwasspotlesslyneatinhisdressonalloccasions,thoughhissupplyofclotheswassorelylimited.Everydayheusedtoairhisshirtsandvestsandcoats and trousers carefully, and put them out in the sun, alongwith his bed-quilt,hispillowcase,andthesmallcarpetonwhichhealwayssat.Afterairingthemhewouldshake them,andbrush them,andput themcarefullyaway.Hislittle bits of furnituremade his small room decent, and hinted that there wasmoreinreserveifneeded.Veryoften,forwantofaservant,hewouldshutuphishouse for a while. Then he would iron out his shirts and linen with his ownhands, anddoother littlemenial tasks.After this hewouldopenhisdoor andreceivehisfriendsagain.

ThoughKailasBabu,asIhavesaid,hadlostallhislandedproperty,hehadstillsomefamilyheirloomsleft.Therewasasilvercruetforsprinklingscentedwater,afiligreeboxforotto-of-roses,asmallgoldsalver,acostlyancientshawl,andtheold-fashionedceremonialdressandancestral turban.Thesehehad rescuedwiththegreatestdifficultyfromthemoney-lenders'clutches.Oneverysuitableoccasionhewouldbringthemoutinstate,andthustrytosavetheworld-fameddignityoftheBabusofNayanjore.Atheartthemostmodestofmen,inhisdailyspeechheregardeditasasacredduty,owedtohisrank,togivefreeplaytohisfamilypride.Hisfriendswouldencouragethistraitinhischaracterwithkindly

good-humour,anditgavethemgreatamusement.

TheneighbourhoodsoonlearnttocallhimtheirThakurDada.Theywouldflocktohis house and sitwith him for hours together.To prevent his incurring anyexpense,oneorotherofhisfriendswouldbringhimtobaccoandsay:"ThakurDada,thismorningsometobaccowassenttomefromGaya.Dotakeitandseehowyoulikeit."

ThakurDadawouldtakeitandsayitwasexcellent.Hewouldthengoontotellof a certain exquisite tobacco which they once smoked in the old days ofNayanjoreatthecostofaguineaanounce.

"Iwonder,"heusedtosay,"ifanyonewouldliketotryitnow.Ihavesomeleft,andcangetitatonce."

Everyoneknewthat,iftheyaskedforit,thensomehoworotherthekeyofthecupboardwouldbemissing;or elseGanesh,hisold family servant, hadput itawaysomewhere.

"Younevercanbesure,"hewouldadd,"wherethingsgotowhenservantsareabout.Now,thisGaneshofmine,—Ican'ttellyouwhatafoolheis,butIhaven'tthehearttodismisshim."

Ganesh,forthecreditofthefamily,wasquitereadytobearalltheblamewithoutaword.

One of the company usually said at this point: "Never mind, Thakur Dada.Pleasedon'ttroubletolookforit.Thistobaccowe'resmokingwilldoquitewell.Theotherwouldbetoostrong."

ThenThakurDadawouldberelievedandsettledownagain,andthetalkwouldgoon.

Whenhisguestsgotuptogoaway,ThakurDadawouldaccompanythemtothedoorandsaytothemonthedoor-step:"Oh,bytheway,whenareyouallcomingtodinewithme?"

Oneorotherofuswouldanswer:"Notjustyet,ThakurDada,notjustyet.We'llfixadaylater."

"Quite right,"hewouldanswer. "Quite right.Wehadmuchbetterwait till therainscome.It's toohotnow.AndagrandrichdinnersuchasIshouldwant to

giveyouwouldupsetusinweatherlikethis."

Butwhentherainsdidcome,everyonewasverycarefulnottoremindhimofhis promise. If the subjectwas brought up, some friendwould suggest gentlythat itwas very inconvenient to get aboutwhen the rainswere so severe, andthereforeitwouldbemuchbettertowaittilltheywereover.Thusthegamewenton.

ThakurDada'spoorlodgingwasmuchtoosmallforhisposition,andweusedtocondolewithhimaboutit.Hisfriendswouldassurehimtheyquiteunderstoodhis difficulties: it was next to impossible to get a decent house in Calcutta.Indeed, theyhadall been lookingout foryears for ahouse to suit him.But, Ineedhardly add,no friendhadbeen foolish enough to findone.ThakurDadausedtosay,withasighofresignation:"Well,well,IsupposeIshallhavetoputupwiththishouseafterall."Thenhewouldaddwithagenialsmile:"But,youknow,Icouldneverbeartobeawayfrommyfriends.Imustbenearyou.Thatreallycompensatesforeverything."

SomehowIfeltall thisverydeeply indeed. Isuppose thereal reasonwas, thatwhenamanisyoung,stupidityappearstohimtheworstofcrimes.KailasBabuwas not really stupid. In ordinary business matters every one was ready toconsulthim.ButwithregardtoNayanjorehisutteranceswerecertainlyvoidofcommonsense.Because,outofamusedaffection forhim,noonecontradictedhis impossible statements, he refused to keep them in bounds. When peoplerecounted in his hearing the glorious history of Nayanjore with absurdexaggerations,hewouldacceptalltheysaidwiththeutmostgravity,andneverdoubted,eveninhisdreams,thatanyonecoulddisbelieveit.

II

WhenIsitdownandtrytoanalysethethoughtsandfeelingsthatIhadtowardsKailasBabu,Iseethattherewasastilldeeperreasonformydislike.Iwillnowexplain.

ThoughIamthesonofarichman,andmighthavewastedtimeatcollege,myindustrywassuchthatItookmyM.A.degreeinCalcuttaUniversitywhenquiteyoung.Mymoral characterwas flawless. In addition,my outward appearancewassohandsome, that if Iwere tocallmyselfbeautiful, itmightbe thoughtamarkofself-estimation,butcouldnotbeconsideredanuntruth.

TherecouldbenoquestionthatamongtheyoungmenofBengalIwasregardedby parents generally as a very eligiblematch. Iwasmyself quite clear on thepointandhaddeterminedtoobtainmyfullvalueinthemarriagemarket.WhenIpicturedmychoice,Ihadbeforemymind'seyeawealthyfather'sonlydaughter,extremelybeautifulandhighlyeducated.Proposalscamepouringintomefromfarandnear;largesumsincashwereoffered.Iweighedtheseofferswithrigidimpartialityinthedelicatescalesofmyownestimation.Buttherewasnoonefittobemypartner.Ibecameconvinced,withthepoetBhabavuti,that,

Inthisworld'sendlesstimeandboundlessspaceOnemaybebornatlasttomatchmysovereigngrace.

Butinthispunymodernage,andthiscontractedspaceofmodernBengal,itwasdoubtfulifthepeerlesscreatureexistedasyet.

Meanwhile my praises were sung in many tunes, and in different metres, bydesigningparents.

Whether I was pleased with their daughters or not, this worship which theyofferedwasneverunpleasing.Iusedtoregarditasmyproperdue,becauseIwassogood.Wearetoldthatwhenthegodswithholdtheirboonsfrommortalstheystill expect theirworshippers topay themferventhonourandareangry if it iswithheld.Ihadthatdivineexpectancestronglydevelopedinmyself.

Ihavealreadymentioned thatThakurDadahadanonlygrand-daughter. Ihadseenhermanytimes,buthadnevermistakenherforbeautiful.Nothoughthadeverenteredmymind that shewouldbeapossiblepartner formyself.All thesame, itseemedquitecertain tomethatsomedayorotherKailasBabuwouldofferher,withalldueworship,asanoblationatmyshrine.Indeed—thiswastheinner secretofmydislike—Iwas thoroughlyannoyed thathehadnotdonesoalready.

IheardthatThakurDadahadtoldhisfriendsthattheBabusofNayanjorenevercraved a boon. Even if the girl remained unmarried, he would not break thefamilytradition.Itwasthisarroganceofhisthatmademeangry.Myindignationsmoulderedforsome time.But I remainedperfectlysilentandbore itwith theutmostpatience,becauseIwassogood.

As lightning accompanies thunder, so inmy character a flash of humourwasmingledwiththemutteringsofmywrath.Itwas,ofcourse,impossibleformetopunish theoldmanmerely togivevent tomy rage; and for a long time I did

nothingatall.Butsuddenlyonedaysuchanamusingplancameintomyhead,thatIcouldnotresistthetemptationofcarryingitintoeffect.

I have already said thatmany ofKailas Babu's friends used to flatter the oldman'svanity to the full.One,whowasa retiredGovernment servant,had toldhim thatwhenever he saw theChotaLât Sahib he always asked for the latestnewsabout theBabusofNayanjore, and theChotaLât hadbeenheard to saythatinallBengaltheonlyreallyrespectablefamilieswerethoseoftheMaharajaofCossiporeandtheBabusofNayanjore.WhenthismonstrousfalsehoodwastoldtoKailasBabuhewasextremelygratifiedandoftenrepeatedthestory.Andwhereverafter thathemet thisGovernmentservant incompanyhewouldask,alongwithotherquestions:

"Oh!er—bytheway,howistheChotaLâtSahib?Quitewell,didyousay?Ah,yes,Iamsodelightedtohearit!AndthedearMemSahib,isshequitewelltoo?Ah,yes! and the little children—are theyquitewell also?Ah, yes! that's verygoodnews!Besureandgivethemmycomplimentswhenyouseethem."

Kailas Babu would constantly express his intention of going some day andpayingavisittotheLordSahib.ButitmaybetakenforgrantedthatmanyChotaLâtsandBurraLâtsalsowouldcomeandgo,andmuchwaterwouldpassdowntheHoogly,beforethefamilycoachofNayanjorewouldbefurbisheduptopayavisittoGovernmentHouse.

Oneday I tookKailasBabuasideand toldhim inawhisper: "ThakurDada, Iwasat theLeveeyesterday, and theChotaLâtSahibhappened tomention theBabus of Nayanjore. I told him that Kailas Babu had come to town. Do youknow,hewasterriblyhurtbecauseyouhadn'tcalled.Hetoldmehewasgoingtoputetiquetteononesideandpayyouaprivatevisithimselfthisveryafternoon."

Anybodyelsecouldhaveseenthroughthisplotofmineinamoment.And,ifithadbeendirected against anotherperson,KailasBabuwouldhaveunderstoodthejoke.ButafterallthathehadheardfromhisfriendtheGovernmentservant,andafterallhisownexaggerations,avisitfromtheLieutenant-Governorseemedthemostnaturalthingintheworld.Hebecamehighlynervousandexcitedatmynews.Eachdetailofthecomingvisitexercisedhimgreatly,—mostofallhisownignorance of English.How on earthwas that difficulty to bemet? I told himthere was no difficulty at all: it was aristocratic not to know English: and,besides,theLieutenant-Governoralwaysbroughtaninterpreterwithhim,andhehadexpresslymentionedthatthisvisitwastobeprivate.

Aboutmidday,whenmostofourneighboursareatwork,andtherestareasleep,acarriageandpairstoppedbeforethelodgingofKailasBabu.Twoflunkeysinliverycameupthestairs,andannouncedinaloudvoice,"TheChotaLâtSahibhas arrived!" Kailas Babu was ready, waiting for him, in his old-fashionedceremonial robesandancestral turban,andGaneshwasbyhisside,dressed inhismaster'sbestsuitofclothesfortheoccasion.

WhentheChotaLâtSahibwasannounced,KailasBaburanpantingandpuffingandtremblingtothedoor,andledinafriendofmine,indisguise,withrepeatedsalaams, bowing lowat each step andwalkingbackward as best he could.HehadhisoldfamilyshawlspreadoverahardwoodenchairandheaskedtheLâtSahibtobeseated.Hethenmadeahigh-flownspeechinUrdu,theancientCourtlanguage of the Sahibs, and presented on the golden salver a string of goldmohurs, the last relics of his broken fortune. The old family servant Ganesh,with an expression of awe bordering on terror, stood behind with the scent-sprinkler,drenchingtheLâtSahib,andtouchedhimgingerlyfromtimetotimewiththeotto-of-rosesfromthefiligreebox.

Kailas Babu repeatedly expressed his regret at not being able to receive HisHonourBahadurwithalltheancestralmagnificenceofhisownfamilyestateatNayanjore.Therehe couldhavewelcomedhimproperlywithdue ceremonial.But in Calcutta he was a mere stranger and sojourner,—in fact a fish out ofwater.

Myfriend,withhistallsilkhaton,verygravelynodded.Ineedhardlysaythataccording to English custom the hat ought to have been removed inside theroom.Butmyfrienddidnotdaretotakeitoffforfearofdetection:andKailasBabuandhisoldservantGaneshweresublimelyunconsciousof thebreachofetiquette.

Afteratenminutes'interview,whichconsistedchieflyofnoddingthehead,myfriendrosetohisfeettodepart.Thetwoflunkeysinlivery,ashadbeenplannedbeforehand,carriedoffinstatethestringofgoldmohurs,thegoldsalver,theoldancestralshawl,thesilverscent-sprinkler,andtheotto-of-rosesfiligreebox;theyplaced them ceremoniously in the carriage. Kailas Babu regarded this as theusualhabitofChotaLâtSahibs.

Iwaswatching all thewhile from the next room.My sideswere achingwithsuppressed laughter. When I could hold myself in no longer, I rushed into afurther room, suddenly todiscover, in a corner, a younggirl sobbing as if her

heartwouldbreak.Whenshesawmyuproarious laughtershestoodupright inpassion,flashingthelightningofherbigdarkeyesinmine,andsaidwithatear-chokedvoice:"Tellme!Whatharmhasmygrandfatherdonetoyou?Whyhaveyoucometodeceivehim?Whyhaveyoucomehere?Why——"

Shecouldsaynomore.Shecoveredherfacewithherhandsandbrokeintosobs.

Mylaughtervanishedinamoment.Ithadneveroccurredtomethattherewasanythingbutasupremelyfunnyjokeinthisactofmine,andhereIdiscoveredthatIhadgiventhecruellestpaintothistenderestlittleheart.Alltheuglinessofmy cruelty rose up to condemnme. I slunk out of the room in silence, like akickeddog.

HithertoIhadonlylookeduponKusum,thegrand-daughterofKailasBabu,asasomewhat worthless commodity in the marriage market, waiting in vain toattractahusband.ButnowIfound,withashockofsurprise,thatinthecornerofthatroomahumanheartwasbeating.

ThewholenightthroughIhadverylittlesleep.Mymindwasinatumult.Onthenextday,veryearlyinthemorning,ItookallthosestolengoodsbacktoKailasBabu's lodgings,wishing tohand themover in secret to the servantGanesh. Iwaitedoutsidethedoor,and,notfindinganyone,wentupstairstoKailasBabu'sroom. I heard from the passage Kusum asking her grandfather in the mostwinningvoice:"Dada,dearest,dotellmeallthattheChotaLâtSahibsaidtoyouyesterday.Don'tleaveoutasingleword.Iamdyingtohearitalloveragain."

AndDada needed no encouragement. His face beamed over with pride as herelatedallmannerofpraiseswhichtheLâtSahibhadbeengoodenoughtoutterconcerning the ancient families ofNayanjore.Thegirlwas seatedbeforehim,lookingupintohisface,andlisteningwithraptattention.Shewasdetermined,outoflovefortheoldman,toplayherparttothefull.

Myheartwasdeeplytouched,andtearscametomyeyes.Istoodthereinsilenceinthepassage,whileThakurDadafinishedallhisembellishmentsoftheChotaLâtSahib'swonderfulvisit.Whenhelefttheroomatlast,Itookthestolengoodsandlaidthematthefeetofthegirlandcameawaywithoutaword.

LaterinthedayIcalledagaintoseeKailasBabuhimself.Accordingtoouruglymoderncustom,IhadbeeninthehabitofmakingnogreetingatalltothisoldmanwhenIcameintotheroom.ButonthisdayImadealowbowandtouchedhisfeet. Iamconvincedtheoldmanthought that thecomingof theChotaLât

Sahibtohishousewasthecauseofmynewpoliteness.Hewashighlygratifiedbyit,andanairofbenignserenityshonefromhiseyes.Hisfriendshadlookedin, and he had already begun to tell again at full length the story of theLieutenant-Governor's visit with still further adornments of a most fantastickind.Theinterviewwasalreadybecominganepic,bothinqualityandinlength.

Whentheothervisitorshadtakentheirleave,Imademyproposaltotheoldmaninahumblemanner.Itoldhimthat,"thoughIcouldneverforamomenthopetobeworthyofmarriageconnectionwithsuchanillustriousfamily,yet...etc.etc."

When I made clear my proposal of marriage, the old man embraced me andbrokeoutinatumultofjoy:"Iamapoorman,andcouldneverhaveexpectedsuchgreatgoodfortune."

Thatwas thefirstand last time inhis life thatKailasBabuconfessed tobeingpoor. Itwas also the first and last time in his life that he forgot, if only for asinglemoment,theancestraldignitythatbelongstotheBabusofNayanjore.

WORDSTOBESTUDIED

landholder. This method of forming compound words from two originalEnglishwordsshouldbestudied.Comparethefollowingwordswhichhave"land" for one of their parts: landlord, landowner, landlady, landslip,landfall. When the second word is not very closely attached to the firstword,ahyphenisputbetween,thusland-grabber,land-shark.

extinct. From the Latin "stinguere," to quench. Compare distinct, instinct,extinguish,distinguish.

cheque.Thiswordisthesameas"check,"—onlyinthiscasetheoriginalFrenchformhasbeenkept.Theverbto"check"cameintoEnglishoriginallyfromthegameofchess.InEasternlandswhenthechesskingwasindangertheword "Shah!" was called out, and when the chess king could not move,"Shahmata!"Thesewerecorruptedinto"Check!"and"Checkmate!"

bankrupt.ThiswordisacuriousmixtureoftheoldFrench"banque"(comparebench, banquet) and the Latin "rumpere," to break (compare corrupt,disrupt).ItisthusahybridwordinmodernEnglish.

filigree.FromtwoLatinwords,"filum,"athread,and"granum,"agrain.

otto-of-roses.Acorruptionofattar.ThewordisoriginallyArabicandPersian.

turban.ThiswordhasnowtakenitsplaceinmostoftheEuropeanlanguages.IthascometoEuropefromtheTurkish"tulbend"andthePersian"dulband."

tobacco. This word came originally fromCentral America. It was brought toEuropebytheSpaniards,whopronouncedit"tabaco."Ithasnowtravelledallroundtheworld,andhasgainedaplaceinalltheIndianvernacularsaswellasintheFurtherEast.

boon. TheOld Englishword "ben"meant a prayer, and thiswas the originalmeaningof"boon."ButanewwordappearedinEnglish,viz.theadjective"boon" from the French "bon," meaning "good." (Compare booncompanion).Thisinfluencedtheearlierword,whichthusgaineditspresentmeaningofa"blessing"or"gift."

smoulder."Smolder"isanOldEnglishwordmeaning"smoke."CognatewordsinEnglisharesmotherandsmall,whichcomefromthesameroot.

gingerly.Theoriginofthiswordisverydoubtful.Someconnectitwith"ging"or "gang," meaning "to go." Others with "gent-" meaning "gentle" or"graceful."Thewordhasnorelationto"ginger"whichisanEasternwordcoming originally from the Sanskrit çraga-vera and the Hindustanizunjubil.

fantastic.FromtheGreek"phainō,"tomanifest.Compareemphasis,emphatic,fantasy,fancy,phenomenon.

NOTES

NOTES

I.—THECABULIWALLAH

"TheCabuliwallah" isoneof themost famousof thePoet's "ShortStories." Ithasbeenoftentranslated.Thepresent translationisbythelateSisterNivedita,andhersimple,vividstyleshouldbenoticedbytheIndianstudentreader.ItisagoodexampleofmodernEnglish,withitsshortsentences,itscarefulchoiceofwords,anditsluminousclearnessofmeaning.

Cabuliwallah.]AmanfromCabulorKabul,thecapitalofAfghanistan.

embarked.]Likeashipputtingouttoseaonanewvoyage.

Bhola.]Mini'sattendant.

ProtapSingh.] Rabindranath Tagore pictures himself as engaged inwriting anovel,fullofwildadventures.Thesenamesaremadeuptosuitthestory.

so precarious.] The writer amusingly imagines the hero and heroine actuallyswingingby the ropeuntil he cangetback tohisdeskand finishwritingabouthowtheyescaped.

Abdurrahman.]TheAmirofKabul.

Frontierpolicy.]Thequestionaboutguarding theNorth-Westof Indiaagainstinvasion.

withoutdemur.]Withoutmakinganyobjection,oraskingformoremoney.

judiciousbribery.]Hegaveherlittlepresents,judgingwellwhatshewouldlikebest.

newfangled.] The parents had not talked about such things, as old-fashionedpeoplewouldhavecertainlydone.

euphemism.] This means, in Greek, "fair speech." Here it means a pleasantwordusedinsteadoftheunpleasantword"jail."

kingswentforth.]DuringthehotweatherthekingsofancientIndiausedtostay

at home: they would begin to fight again at the beginning of the coldweather.

myheartwouldgoout.]Thatistosay,hewouldlongtoseesuchplaces.

falltoweaving.]ThisisanEnglishidiom,like"setto":itmeanstobegin.

conjure themselves.] Just as the conjurer makes all kinds of things appearbeforetheeyes.

vegetableexistence.]Vegetables are rooted to the ground.SoRabindranath isrootedtohisdeskandcannotmakelongjourneys.

Asitwasindefinite.]Becausetherewasnoactualreasonforit.Indefiniteheremeansvague.

forbidthemanthehouse.]Thisisabriefwayofsayingforbidthemantoenterthehouse.

bebagged.] This word is made up for the occasion, and means "laden withbags."Comparethewordsbedewed,besmeared.

just where.] The word "just" has become very commonly used in modernEnglish. Itmeans "exactly," "merely" or "at the verymoment."Compare"Hehadjustgoneout.""Itwasjustajoke."

Scarcelyonspeakingterms.]RabindranathTagoreisheremakingajoke;"nottobeonspeakingterms"meansusually"tobedispleasedwith."Minihadbecomesoeagertotalkwithhergirlfriendsthatshehadalmostneglectedherfather.

Durga.]TheDurgaFestival inBengal is supposed to represent the timewhenParvati, orDurga, left her father's home in theHimalayas, calledKailas,andwenttolivewithherhusband,Siva.

Bhairavi.]Oneofthemusicaltuneswhichdenotesseparation.

chandeliers.]Theglassornamentalhangingsonwhichcandleswerelightedingreathousesatweddings.

better-omened.]Itwasnotconsideredagoodomen,orgoodfortune,tomeetacriminalonaweddingday.

dispersed.]Usedup.

Parbati.] Another allusion to the Goddess Durga and her home in theHimalayas.

apparition.]Thisword comes from the same root as theword to "appear." Itmeans a sudden or strange sight. It often means a ghost. Mini had sochangedthatwhensheappearedinherweddingdressshestartledhim,asifhehadseenaghost.

makefriendswithheranew.]Hisowndaughterwouldnotknowhimatfirst.

Saw before him the barren mountains.] His memory was so strong that itmadehimforget thecrowdedCalcuttastreetand thinkofhishomein themountains.

II.—THEHOME-COMING

every one seconded the proposal.] All were so eagerly in favour that theywantedtospeakatonceinsupportofit.

regaldignity.]Hispositionasakingoftheotherboys.

fertilebrain.]Fullofinventionsandplans.

manoeuvre.]AFrenchwordmeaningaplanofbattle.

pointofhonour.]Hewouldfeelhimselfdisgracedifhegaveway.

MotherEarth.]Earthisherepicturedasaperson.Thereisawell-knownstoryofagiantwhogainedfreshpowerevery timehisbodytouchedtheearth,whichwashisMother.

Furies.] Thesewere supposed to be certain demons,who pursued guiltymenwithloudcries.

the servant was master.] Notice the play of words here. The "servant" and"master"changeplaces.

criticaljuncture.]Atthisexactmomentwhenthingsweresodangerous.

Dada.]TheusualBengalwordfor"Brother."

nolovewaslost.]Thisisamildwayofsayingthattheydislikedoneanother.

on pins and needles.] Exceedingly restless; like some one standing on sharppoints.

inperpetuity.]Thephraseisamocklegalone,meaning"foralltime."

by no means pleased.] She was very displeased, because she had alreadychildrenofherown.InEnglishaphrase isoftenput inanegativewaytoimply a very strong positive statement. Thus "by no means happy" maymean"veryunhappy."

committingsuchanindiscretion.]Doingsuchanunwisething.

indecenthaste.]Amockhumorousexpression,meaning"veryquickly."

cravesforrecognition.]Wishestobenoticedandloved.

physicallove.]Justasayounganimalclingstoitsmotherforprotection.

animal instinct.]Thephrase repeats in another formwhatwas saidbefore, inthewords"akindofphysicallove."

pursed her lips.] Drew her lips tight like the mouth of a purse which istightenedbypullingthestring.

asifexpectingsomeone.]Hewaslookingforhismother.

verycritical.]Verydangerous.Thedangerpointoftheillnessmightbereachedatanymomentanddeathmightcome.

Bythemark.]Whenashallowplacecomesatsea,oronagreatriver,oneofthesailors throws apieceof lead,with a string tied to it, into thewater, andthenlooksatthemarkonthestring.Hecallsoutthatthedepthis"three"or"four"fathomsaccordingtothemark.

plumb-line.]Thelinewithaleadweight.

plumbing.]Toplumbistogettothebottomofapieceofwater.HerePhatikispictured as himself going deeper and deeper into the sea of death,whichnonecanfathom.

the holidays.] The Bengali word for "holiday" means also "release." It is asthoughheweresaying,"Myreleasehascome."ThiscannotberepresentedintheEnglish.

III.—ONCETHEREWASAKING

InthisstoryRabindranathTagorebeginswithsomeamusingsentencesaboutthedull,matter of fact character ofmodern scientific people,who cannot enjoy afairy storywithout asking "Is it true?" The Poet implies that there are deepertruths thanmodernsciencehasyetdiscovered.Theendingof thepresentstorywillshowthismoreclearly.

sovereigntruth.]There is a play upon theword "sovereign"which canmean"kingly"andalso"supreme."

exacting.] There is further play here with the words "exact" and "exacting.""Exact"meanspreciseand"exacting"meansmakingothersprecise.

legendaryhaze.]Theancientlegendsareveryobscure,justlikeanobjectseenthroughamist.

knowledge.]Merebookknowledge,—knowledgeofoutsidethings.

truth.]Innertruthsuchascomesfromtheheartofmanandcannotbereasonedordisputed.

halfpastseven.]Thetimewhenhistutorwasdue.

no other need.] As if God would continue the rain merely to keep his tutoraway!

If not.] Though it might not have been caused by his prayers, still for somereasontheraindidcontinue.

nordidmyteacher.]Supplythewords"giveup."

punishmenttofitthecrime.]Anamusingreferencetothedoctrineofkarma,whichstatesthateachdeedwillhaveitsduerewardorpunishment.

asme.] Strictly speaking it should be "I" not "me" but he is writing not toostrictly.

I hopeno child.] The author here amusingly pretends that the child'sway ofgetting out of his lessonswas too shocking for young boys in the juniorschooltoreadabout.

Iwillmarrymydaughtertohim.]Theverbto"marry"inEnglishcanbeused

intwosenses:—(1)Towedsomeone:totakeinmarriage.(2)Togetsomeonewedded:togiveinmarriage.

Thelatersenseisusedhere.

inthedawnofsomeindefinitetime.]Insomepastexistencelongago.

Ifmygrandmotherwereanauthor.]HereRabindranathreturnstohismockinghumour.Amodernauthor,hesays,wouldbeobligedtoexplainallsortsofdetailsinthestory.

hueandcry.]Thisisaphraseusedforthenoiseandbustlethatismadewhenpeoplearesearchingforathief.

Herreaders.]ReferringbacktotheGrandmother.

inanunderhandway.]Underthedisguiseofafairystory.

grandmotheragain.]That is, in theold conditionswhenpeoplewerenot tooexactingaboutaccuracy.

lucklessgrandson.]Ahumorouswayofreferringtohimself.Theauthorhadthemisfortunetobeborninthemodernageofscience.

Sevenwings.] The word "wings" is here used, not for "wings" like those ofbirds,butforthesidesofalargebuilding,projectingoutatananglefromthemainbuilding.

Butwhatistheuse....]Theauthorherebreaksoffthestory,asthoughitwereuselesstogoonanyfurtherinthesemoderndayswheneverythinghastobescientificallyproved.

Some"whatthen?"]Somefutureexistenceaboutwhichexplanationsmightbeasked.

nograndmotherofagrandmother.]Noone,howeverold.

neveradmitsdefeat.]Refusestobelieveindeath.

teacherlessevening.]Eveningonwhichtheteacherdidnotcome.

chamberofthegreatend.]Deathitselfisreferredto;itistheendofhumanlifeonearthandwhatisbeyonddeathisshutoutfromus.

incantation.]Sacredversesormantras.

IV.—THERETURNOFTHECHILD

foundtwomasters.]Thewifewashismasternow,aswellasherhusband.

makeforsafety.]Gettosomeplacewherehecouldnotbecaught.

will be a judge some day.] The baby seemed so wise to Raicharan, that hethoughthewouldcertainlygrowuptobeajudge.

epoch inhumanhistory.] It seemed toRaicharanas thoughsomegreateventhadhappenedwhichoughttoberecorded.

wrestler's trick.]Thewriter, in fun,makesRaicharan's skill dependondoingjustwhatthewrestlertriestoavoid,i.e.beingthrownonhisback.

swalloweddown.]Washedthemawayinaflood.

littledespot.]Thebaby,whowas able tomakeRaicharando exactlywhatheliked.

The silent ceremonial.] The author pictures the sunset as like some splendidkinglyceremony,whereeverygorgeouscolourcanbeseen.

"Pittyfow."]"Prettyflower."Thebabycanonlylispthewords.

Hewaspromotedfromahorseintoagroom.]Hewasnolongeraskedbythebabytobea"horse" inhisgames,but to lookafter this toycarriage,asagroomwould.

withallsortsofcuriousnoises.]Hebegantoimitatethesoundsofbirds.

destined to be a judge.] The baby could see throughRaicharan's attempts todeceive,asajudgewouldseethroughfalseevidence.

wavelets.]Thelittlewavesseemedlikesomanythousandlittlechildrenrunningawayinfunormischief.

therewasnoonethere.]Thesewordsarerepeatedagainandagaintogivethesenseofutterlossanddesolation.

overwhelmingresentment.]Hisownbabyseemedtohavebeengiventohimin

ordertotempthimtoforgethislittleMaster.Raicharanwasangrytothinkthatanyonecouldimaginesuchforgetfulnesstobepossible.

ThelittleMastercouldnotcastoffthespell.]Couldnotkeepawayfromtheservantwholovedhimsomuch.HefancieshislittleMasterhascomebacktolifeagaininthisnewlittlebaby,drawnasitwerebysomeenchantmentoflove.

accumulated.]Gatheredtogether:referringtotheideaofkarma.

personal appearance.] He spent a long time in arranging his clothes andmakinghimselflookhandsome.

countrymanners.] Country people have habits and ways of speaking whichseemabsurdtotownpeople.

akindofcondescension.]As ifheweresuperiorandRaicharanwerebeneathhim.

mendicantquack.]Abeggardealinginherbsandmedicinesandcharms.

hungry,eagereyes.]Asifshecouldnevergazelongenoughuponhim.

themagistrateinhim.]Themagistrate'swayoflookingatthings.

magisterialconscience.]Hisinstinctsasajudge,whomustcondemntheguilty.

V.—MASTERMASHAI

Ratikanta.] He is represented throughout as a typical hanger-on of the richfamily,selfishandflattering.

Victor Hugo.] The most famous of Victor Hugo's stories is called "LesMiserables."ItsopeningsceneofSanValjeanandthesaintlyBishopisverywellknowninliterature.

deep-laidplot.]Noticehowthroughoutthisstorythedifferentmembersofthiswealthyhouseappeartobeunabletotakeaccountofunselfishmotives.

thisissheerkidnapping.]AdharBabubelievesthatHaralalhasacquiredsomehypnoticinfluenceoverVenuandistryingtorobhimofhismoney.

brokersandmiddlemen.]Thosewhobought thegrain from thepeasants andsoldittotheEnglishfirm.

any security.] A money payment which would be forfeited if anything wentwrong.

anote of hand.]A paper signed byVenugopal saying that he owed somuchmoney.

filedasuit.]Broughtanactioninthelawcourtsagainstthefathertorecoverthemoneylenttotheson.

Currencynotes.]Notes of twenty, fifty, a hundred rupees,—such as could bechangedformoney.

theft thenight before.]AdharBabu had alreadymissed the things thatVenuhadtakenaway.

it's a paying business.] Adhar Babu imagines that Venu and Haralal havebecomepartnersinordertoswindleotherpeople.

withyourconnivance.]Withyoursecretknowledgeandapproval.

Deliverance was in the infinite sky.] He felt that all the evils, which werepressingclosearoundhim,werebrokenthroughandthathehadcomeoutbeyond them into the clear lightof truth. Itwas like comingoutof somenarrowconfinedplaceintotheopensky.

VI.—SUBHA

Subhashini.]Sweetlyspeaking.

Sukheshini.]Withlovelyhair.

Suhashini.]Sweetlysmiling.

processof translation.]To change theunspoken languageof thought into thespoken language of words is like translating the mother tongue into aforeignlanguage.Muchofthebeautyislost.

that speechof thedarkeyes.]Naturewas speaking in everypart of her owngreat being, in the same silent way as those dark eyes of Subha werespeaking.

withoutanycommonlanguage.]Thecowshadthecommonlanguageoflookswithwhich to talk toSubha.ButPratap,whocould speak,hadnot learntSubha'slanguageoflooks.

they become public property.] Everyone can amuse himself by talking withtheminidlemoments.

water nymph.] Referring to the legends, common in all countries, of waterfairiesormermaids livingat thebottomofa riverorbeneath the seaanddwellinginwonderfulpalaces.

tidefromthecentralplacesofthesea.]Whenthemoonisfull,thetiderisestoitshighestpoint:itseemstostartfromsomecentralplacefaroutatseaandtocomerollingandsurgingin.

silent troubled Mother.] Nature, with her full tide and full moon, seemstroubledandlongingtobreakoutintospeech,justasSubhalongedtodo.

theyhavecaughtyourbridegroom.]Pratapemploys theword"caught" fromhisfavouritepursuitoffishing.Thebridegroomhasbeencaughtjustlikeafish.

did her best to kill her natural beauty.]Her hairwasmuch more beautifulwhenleftinitsnaturalway,insteadofbeingallboundupinanet.

TheGod...thegreatman.]Thesewordsrefertothebridegroomhimself,whowieldssuchmightypowersofchoiceorrefusal.Theyareironical.

VII.—THEPOSTMASTER

likeafishoutofwater.]Completelyoutofplace,becausehewasusedtocitylife.

macadamisedroad.]Hewouldhave infinitelypreferred the streets and shopsandcrowdedmarketsofCalcutta.

smoke ... from the village cowsheds.] Such as is used to drive away themosquitoes.

Baül.]AreligioussectinBengalwhosememberssingsongsandoftengoaboutbegging.

Nomoreofthis.]HewasafraidhemightbecometoodeeplyattachedtoRatanifhestayed.

Itsfondmistakesarepersistent.]Wecontinuallytrytodeceiveourselvesthatwhatwewishtobetrueistrue.Whenatlastwefindoutthetruth,wecouldalmostwishwehadnotdoneso.

VIII.—THECASTAWAY

Likearudderlessboat.]Noticehowthemetaphoriskeptuptotheendofthesentence.

ThewritofFate.]Theysaidthatifshewastodie,shewastodie,andnothingcouldpreventit.

profitingtheirBrahminguest.]Shewouldbelievethistobeanactofmeritforwhichshewouldberewarded.

outofhisrepertory.]Outofthestockofplaysherecitedwhenhebelongedtothetheatricaltroupe.

hearingsacrednames.]Thisalso,shebelieved,wouldbringhermerit.

forcinghouse.]Likesomeglassconservatoryusedforexoticflowers.

exactstature.] Themanagerwished him to take the parts ofwomenwho aresmallerthanmen.

cametoadequaterevelation.]Werenowabundantlyapparent.

twice-bornbird.]Oncebornintheeggandonceafterthebreakingoftheegg.ThegooseinthestorywasthemessengerbetweenNalaandDamayanti.

thetigerhasnowishtobecomeamouse.]Areferencetoafolkstoryofasaintwhoturnedapetmouseintoatiger.

Germansilver.]Akindofcheapsilvercontainingmuchalloyinit.

tolookforyourDamayanti.]TofindSatishawife.

IX.—THESONOFRASHMANI

dothedutyofthefather.]Bydiscipliningandpunishingthechild.

cripplinghispatrimony.]Injuringtheestate.

thisispreposterous.]Thenaturalthingwouldbeforthepropertytobedividedbetween the twobrothersand theirdescendants,butby thiswillonlyonesonwasrecognizedandonesetofgrandsons.

giventothegrandsons.]ToShyamaCharan'sandBhavani'ssons.AccordingtothispreposterouswillBhavaniwasleftoutaltogether,andalsohisson.

ShyamaCharan'streachery.]Shefullybelievedthathehadstolenthewillandputthisfalseoneinitsplace.

Notousedtogetreprimands.]Usedtobeblamedforwishingtosavethiswasteofmoney.Ofcoursethewholethingwasimaginary,butitgaveBhavanithepleasedfeelingofbeinggenerous.

traditionalextravagance.]Suchashadalwaysbeendisplayed in formerdayswhenthefamilywasprosperous.

Someimaginarydog.]Shewouldsaythatsomedoghadrunoffwiththefoodwhichshehadprepared.

Bhavanihad confessed.]Rashmani,Noto andBhavani himselfwereall alikeready to keep up the illusion that the oldmagnificencewas still there, ifonlythisorthataccidenthadnotdeprivedthemofitsdisplay.

invisible ink.] Inkwhich is invisiblewhen firstwrittenwith,butwhenheatedbecomesvisible.

Baba,waitalittle.]InBengaldaughtersareoftencalledMa(mother)andsonsBaba(father).

itbecameabsurdlyeasy.]Because,afterthis,boththemotherandhersoncouldjoininthepretencetogether.

lackinginproperenthusiasm.]Didnotcaremuchaboutthesubject.

morethancompensated.]Thepleasureoftellingthenewswasgreaterthanthepainofknowingthatsuchasacrilegewasgoingtotakeplace.

withallthemoredeadlyforce.]Thethrowerbeingupabove,thespeedwouldincreaseallthemoreonthedownwardflightofthemissile.

requiring expensive fodder.] Vanity can feed itself on the idea of selfimportance.

tograzeatlarge.]Merelytofeedonwhatisbeforeit.Hegaveitextrafoodbypaying for a number of flatterers, just as a horse is stall-fed with extrasuppliesoffood.

turned round on him.] His vanity would be offended and he would be hisenemyinsteadofhishelper.

forcedextravagance.]Kalipadahadbeenforcedbythesneersofthestudentstogivefarmorethanhecouldafford.

drawtears fromtheeyes.]Anamusingwayof saying that noburglarwouldeverdreamoftryingtorobsucharoom.

laidtheirimpioushands.]Hadgrosslyinsulted.

lethimclimbdownfirst.]AnEnglishmetaphormeaning"lethimbehumble."

hediscoveredthetruth.]ThetruththathewasanearrelativeofKalipada.

grandchild's privilege.] Especially in Bengal, a grandchild is allowed thelibertyofmakingjokeswithhisgrandfather.

he found it easy.] He loved hismother somuch that when he found anyonepleasedwiththingswhichshehadmadeheenjoyedseeingthemusethesethingsratherthanhimself.

X.—THEBABUSOFNAYANJORE

the days before the flood.] The word "antediluvian" meaning "before theflood,"isusedsometimesinEnglishforthingsveryancientandoutofdate.Thereisaplayuponthishere.

dazzlingoutburst.]Justas,atafireworkdisplay,pitchdarknessfollowsthelastfirework.

drawinghis heavy cheques.] To "draw a cheque" is to take somuch from acreditaccountinthebank.Thewordsarehumorouslyusedhereoftakingsomething from the public belief about the greatness of the Babus ofNayanjore.

ander-er.]Hehesitatesalittleashementionstheladies.

ThakurDada.]Grandfather.

mymoralcharacterwasflawless.]Notehowtheauthorshowstheconceitofthisyoungman.Compare,lowerdown,thephrase"becauseIwassogood."

poet Bhabavuti.] The poet means that there must be some one in this vastuniverseoftimeandspacewhoisthematchfortheheroofhispoem.

ChotaLâtSahib.]ThestoryreferstothetimewhenCalcuttawastheCapitalofIndia.TheBurraLâtSahibwas theViceroy, theChotaLâtSahibwas theLieutenant-Governor.

walkingbackward.]Asamarkofrespect.Hewascontinuallybowingandthenstepping back. This kind of ceremonial bowingwas commoner in earlierdaysthanitisnow.

tallsilkhat.]ThesewereonlyworninIndiaatStatefunctionsandtheiruseinthiscountrybyEnglishmenisbecomingmoreandmorerare.Butinearlierdaystheywerenotuncommon.Theyareblackincolourandshining.

uglymoderncustom.]Theauthordislikesthepassingawayofanoldbeautifulcustomofreverencetowardsoldmen.

becominganepic.]Becoming legendaryby its additions.Anepicpoemoftengoesondescribinganincidentwithallkindsofmarvellouseventsaddedtoit,tillitbecomesaverylongstory.

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