Haran wjis thunderstruck at Lolita’s daring to talk thus to him, and he was on tho point of giving her a severe snubbing, but before he could speak Lolita continued: “ We have put up with your suporior airs long enough, but let me tell you that if you want to lord it over father, not a soul in this house will stand it, — not even the servants I ” But Lolita would not let him proceed. Listen to me, please," she interrupted. “We’ve heard you talk often enough, hear me out for once. If you won’t take it from me, ask sister Suchi: our father is much greater even than what you can imagine yourself to be,— that’s what wc want to tell jrou plainly. Now if you have any advice to offer, lets Haran’s face was black with rage. “ Sucharita! " he called out as he rose from his chair. Sucharita looked up from her book. “ Will you let Lolita insult me before your face?
“ She has not tried to insult you,” said Sucharita slowly.
GORA CHAP.
“ What Lolita wants is, that you should show a proper respect for father. I assure you, wc cannot even think any one to be more worthy of respect.”
For a moment it looked as if Haran would leave the room, but he did not. He fell back into his chair with an intensely solemn air. The more he felt that he was gradually losing the respect of every one in this house, the more desperately he struggled to maiutain his position in it, forgetting that to clutch tighter a weakening support only makes it give way the sooner. ', Finding Haran reduced to a gloomy and sullen silence Lolita went and sat next to Sucharita aud began to converse with her as though nothing special had happened.
Then Satish came running into the room and, seizing Sucharita by the hand, dragged her up saying: “ Come along, Didi, do come! ” “ Where am I to go? ” asked Sucharita.
“ Oh, do come along,” insisted Satish. " I have something to show you.— Lolita, you have not told her yet, have you?
“ No,” said Lolita. She had promised not to divulge the secret of this new Auntie to Sucharita, and had kept her But, not being able to leave their guest, Sucharita said: “ All right, Mr. Chatterbox, I’ll come a little later. Let father first finish bis bath.”
Satish became restless. He never left a stone unturned when it was a question of getting away from Haran. But as he stood in great awe of him he dared not press the matter further in his presence. Haran, for his part, had never shown much interest in Satish, except when occasionally he tried to correct him. Satish lay in wait, however, and the moment Paresh Babu came from his bath he dragged both the sisters awav after him.
Haran said: “ About that proposal of my formal betrothal with Sucharita, I am anxious not to delay it any longer. Let it be fixed for next Sunday.”
“ For myself,” replied Paresh Babu, “ I have no objection, but it is for Sucharita to decide.”
“ But you have already obtained her consent,” pressed Haran.
“ Let it be as you wish, then,” said Paresh Babu.
XXXV GORA CHAPTER XXXV Binoy did not feel up to going again to Parosh Babu’s bouse, and as for his own lodgings their loneliness felt so oppressive that the very next morning he went quite early tO'Anandamoyi and said: * Mother, I want to stay with you here for a few days.”
Binoy had it also in mind that he could comfort Ananda- moyi in her sorrow at Cora's enforced absence, and her heart was touched when she saw this. She put her hand affection¬ ately on his shoulder, but said nothing.
As soon as he was settled, Binoy began to make all kinds of petulant demands and even playfully to quarrel with Anandamoyi over his not being properly looked after, with the idea of distracting her, as well as himself, from their sorrowful reflections. And when, in the gloom of evening, it became dillicult to keep his feelings under control, Binoy postered Anandamoyi till she left all her housework, and came •with him to the verandah in front of his room, and there he made her sit down on the mat and tell him stories about her childhood’s days and about her father’s home, — stories of the days before her marriage when, as the grandchild of the preceptor, she had been the pet of all the students in her grandfather’s school; and because every one joined in lavish¬ ing on this fatherless girl every kind of indulgence, she had been a cause of anxious solicitude to her widowed mother.
“ Mother! ” cried Binoy at the end, “ I can’t even think that there was ever a time when you were not our mother! I believe that the students of your grandfather’s school used to look on you as their tiny little mother, and that it was really you who had to bring up your grandfather! ”...The next evening Binoy was lying on a mat with his head resting on Anandamoyi’s* lap and was saying: “ Mother, I sometimes wish that I could give back to God all my book learning and take refuge in this lap of yours as a child once more — with only you in the whole world, you and no one else but you.”.
Binoy’s tone was so full of weariness and seemed to reveal such an overburdened heart that Anandamoyi was surprised as well as greatlv troubled. She moved up closer and began gently to stroke his head, and after a long silence asked him: “ Binu, is everything all right at Paresh Babu’s? ” ^ At this question the abashed Binoy gave a start.
Nothing 1 172 GORA chap.
can be hidden from mother,” thought he. “ She sees right into one! ” Aloud he said somewhat haltingly: “ Yes, they are all very well.”
“ 1 should very much like to know Parcsh Babu s girls, continued Anandamoyi. “ Gora did not have a good opinion of them, to begin with, but from the way they have been able to win him over since, they seem to be different from ordinary P " I also have often wished,” said Binoy eagerly, “ that I could introduce them to you. But I was afraid Gora might object, so I never suggested it.”
“ Wlmt is the name of the eldest? ” pursued Anandamoyi.
And in this way several questions were asked and answered, but when the name of Lolita came up Binoy tried to turn the subject, with an evasive reply. Anandamoyi, however, with a smile at his tactics, refused to be put olf.
“ I’ve heard that Lolita is a very clever girl,” she went on.
“.Who told you? ” asked Binoy.
“ Why, you of course! ” answered Anandamoyi.
There had been a time when Binoy had no special awk¬ wardness in speaking of Lolita. He had now clean forgotten how, during that frcc-mindcd stage, he had given Anandamoyi glowing accounts of the keenness of Lolita’s intellect.
Anandamoyi, rounding all obstacles like an expert captain, had soon steered the subject so skilfully ahead, that no important detail of Lolita’s friendship with Binoy remained hidden from her. Binoy even came out with how Lolita’s acute distress at Gora’s sudden arrest and imprisonment had led to her escape alone with him on the steamer. And in his excitement as he talked on all trace of his former weariness vanished. It seemed to him such a piece of good fortune to be able thus to talk freely about so wonderful a character!
When at length dinner was announced and the conversation was interrupted, Binoy seemed to awake, as if from a dream, to realise that he had been telling Anandamoyi absolutely everything that was in his mind. She had listened to and appreciated everything so simply, that nowhero did the recital call for any feeling of awkwardness or shame.
Up to this point in his life Binoy had never come across anything which had needed to be kept from this mother of his, and he had got into the habit of coming to her even with his most trivial concerns. But since his acquaintance with Paresh Babu’s people, a sense of hesitation had crept in, which had not been healthy for Binoy’s mind. Now that he XXXVI GORA had once again poured all his troubles into her sympathetic and understanding ears, he felt a great elation. The purity of his last experience would have suffered, he was sure, if he had been unable to offer it at mother Anandamoyi’s feet, — in that case some stain of unworthiness would have remained to tarnish his love.
In the night Anandamoyi turned the matter over and over in her mind. She felt that the puzzle of Gora’s life was getting more and more tangled, but that possibly its solution might bo found in Parcsh Babu’s house. She decided, in the end, that no matter what was fated to happen, she would have to get to know these girls.
CHAPTER XXXVI Moiiim and all his part of the family had begun to take Sasi’s marriage with Biuoy as a settled thing. Sasi, with her newly developed bashfulness, had given up coming near him. As for Sasi’s mother, Lakshmi, Binoy hardly ever came across her.
Not that Mistress Lakshmi was shy, but her disposition was inordinately secretive, and the door of her room was almost always closed. Every one of her possessions was kept under lock and key, except only her husband; and even he was not as free as lie would have liked under his wife’s strict regime, — the circle of his acquaintance and the orbit of his movements being alike restricted. Lakshmi kept her little world well under her own control, and it was as difficult for the outsider to get in as for the insider to get out! So much so that even Gora was not a welcome visitor in Lakshmi’s part of the house.
This realm of Mistress Lakshmi’s was never torn with any internal conflict between legislature, judiciary or executive, for she herself would execute the laws of her own making and combined in herself both the court of first, instance and that of final appeal. In his outside relations Mohim passed for a man of strong will, but that will of his found no scope within the jurisdiction of Lakshmi, not even iu the most insig¬ nificant matters.
Lakshmi had made b*r own estirna*0 of Binoy from behind her purdah and had bestowed on him the seal of her approval. Mohim, having known Biuoy from boyhood, had got into the way of regarding him as merely Gora’s friend. It was bis GORA CTIAP.
wife who had first drawn his attention to the possibilities of Binoy as bridegroom, not the least of his merits, which she had pressed on her husband, being that he would never insist Now, although Binoy had come to stay in the house, Mohim was tantalised to find himself unable to get m a word with him about the marriage, because of Ins depression at Gora’s misadventure.
When Sunday came round, however, the exasperated mistress of his home took the matter in her own hands, broke into Mohim's Sabbath siesta, and drove him forth, pan-box and all, to where Binoy was reading out to Aimndumoyi something from the last number of the Btmgadarahan, then recently started by Bnnkim-chandra.
Mohim, after offering a pan to Binoy, started on with a homily on Gora’s irrepressible folly; then as lie proceeded to count up the days remaining for Gora’s sentence, to expire, lie was quite naturally— and casually— reminded that nearly half the month of Aghran was already over; whereupon he felt he could come to the point.
“ Look here, Binov,” he then said. Your idea about not having weddings in Aghran is all nonsense. As I was saying, if you add a family almanac to all our other rules and prohibi¬ tions there’ll never be any marriages at all m this country!
Seeing how awkward Binoy felt, Anandamoyi came to Ins rescue and interposed with: “ Binoy has known Sasi since sue was a tiny little thing, lie can’t quite see himself marrying her. That was why he made the excuse about the month of Aghran. „ “ He should have said so plainly, then, at the very start, “ It takes some time to understand even one s own mind, replied Anandamoyi. “But, Mohim, what makes you so anxious? There’s no dearth of bridegrooms, surely. Let Gora come back— he knows plenty of marriageable young men— he will be able to fix up a suitable match with one of th<J“Humph! ” grunted Mohim, pulling a long face. Then after a short silence he broke out with: If you had not put in a spoke, mother, Binoy would never have raised any °b^Binoyfall in a flurry, was about to protest, but Anandamoyi would not let him. “ You arc not far out, Mohim, she said. “ i have not been able to give Binoy any encouragement in this matter. Binoy is still young, and might perhaps have T xxxvi GORA 175 T xxxvi GORA 175 agreed on the imptilse of the moment, but it would never have turned out well.”
Thus did Anandamoyi shelter Binoy from Mohim’s attack by drawing all his anger on herself, making Binoy feel quite ashamed of his own weakness. But Mohim did not wait to give Binoy an opportunity of mending matters by expressing his unwillingness for himself. “ A stepmother can never feel as one's own mother,” was his unspoken comment as he left the room in a huff.
Anandamoyi knew perfectly well that Mohim would not hesitate to bring this charge. She knew that all family un¬ pleasantness was bound to bo put down to the stepmother in Society’s code of justice, but she was never in the habit cf regulating her conduct by wlmt people might think of her. From the day she had taken Gora in her arms she had entirely cut herself away from tradition and custom, and in fact had taken to a course which consistently brought social censure upon her.
But her constant self-reproach, due to the suppression of truth which she had been led to connive at, rendered her impervious to the caustic comments of others. When people accused her of being a Christian she used to clasp Gora to her bosom and say: “ God knows it is no accusation to call me a Christian! ” Thus had she gradually become accustomed to ignore the dictates of her social circle and to follow simply her own nature. So it was not possible for any charge made by Mohim, silent or spoken, to move her from what sho con¬ sidered right.
“ Emu,” said Anandamoyi suddenly, “ you haven’t been to Paresh Babu’s bouse for many days now, have you? ” “ Hardly many, mother," answered Binoy.
“ Well, you have certainly not been since the day after you returned on the steamer,” said Anandamoyi.
That was indeed not very many days, but Binoy knew that his visits to Paresh Babu’s house had, just before that, become so frequent that Anandamoyi scarcely ever got a glimpse of him. From that point of view he was open to the comment that his recent absence had been fairly long — for him!
He began to pick out a thread from the border of his dhuli, but remained silent.
Just then the servant came in and announced that some ladies had called, whereupon Binoy got up hurriedly, so as not to be in the way, but while they stood debating who it could be Sucharita and Lolita entered the room, and then it was.no GORA CHAP.
longer possible for him to retire. So he stayed on, awkwardly silent.
The girls took the dust of Anandamoyi’s feet. Lolita did not take anv special notice of Binoy, but Sucharita bowed and greeted him with a “ How arc you? ” and then turning to Anandamoyi introduced themselves saying: “ We have, come from Paresh Babu’s.”
Anandamoyi welcomed them affectionately, protesting: “ You need no introduction, my dears. I have never seen you, it is true, but I feel as if you belonged to our own family," and in a very short time she had made them quite, at home.
Sucharita tried to draw Binoy, who was sitting apart in silence, into the conversation by remarking: “ You have not been to sec us for some time.”
Binoy glanced towards Lolita as he replied: “ That’s because I was afraid of exhausting my wclcomo by presuming on it too much.”, “ I suppose you don't know that affection expects pre¬ sumption,” said Sucharita with a smile.
“ Doesn’t he? " laughed Anandamoyi. “ Why, if I could only tell you how he orders me about all day long — I don’t E:t a moment’s peace with his whims! ” and she looked vingly at Binoy., “ God is only using me to test the patience with which he has endowed you,” retorted Binoy.
At this remark Sucharita nudged Lolita slyly and said: “ Do you hear this, Lolita? Dave wo been tested too, and found wanting, I wonder! ” Seeing that Lolita paid no attention to this remark, Anandamovi laughed and said: “ This time Binu is engaged in putting his own patience to the test. You people little know what you mean for him. Why, in the evenings lie can talk about nothing else, and Paresh Babu’s very name is enough to send him into ecstasies,” and as she spoke Ananda- moyi gazed at Lolita, who, although she was making strenuous efforts to look up naturally, was unable to do so without blushing all over.,., “ You can’t imagine with what a number of people lie lias Enrolled by standing up for Paresh Babu! ” continued andamoyi. “ All his orthodox friends twit him with being a Brahmo, and some of them have even tried to outeaste bira. — You need not look so uncomfortable about it, Binu dear, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.— What do you say, my little mother? ” XX XVI GOEA This time Lolita had been looking up, but lowered her eyes when Anandamoyi turned towards her, and it was Sucharita who replied for her: “ Binoy Babu lias been good enough to give us his friendship — that’s not due to our merit alone, but to his largeness of heart.”
“ There I cannot agree! ” smiled Anandamoyi. “ I’ve known Binoy ever since he was a youngster and all these days he lias never made friends with any one except my Gora. lie does not get on even with the other men of his own set. But since he has come to know you, he has got quite beyond our reach! I was ready to pick a quarrel with you over this, but now, I see, I’ve got into the same plight — you arc too irresistible, my dears! ” With this Anandamoyi caressed each of the girls in turn by touching them under the chin and then kissing her own fingers.
Binoy had begun to look so uncomfortable that Sucharita took pity on him and said: “ Binoy Babu, father came with us, and is now downstairs talking with KrishnadayaJ Babu.”
This gave Binoy the opportunity to make his escape, leaving the ladies to themselves. Anandamoyi then talked to the girls of the extraordinary friendship which existed between Gora and Binoy, and she was not long in discovering how interested both her hearers were.
To Anandamoyi herself there was no one in the whole world so dear as these two, to whom she had offered the full adoration of a mother’s love from their early childhood. She had, indeed, shaped them with her own hands, like the images of Shiva which girls make for their own worship, and they had appropriated to themselves the whole of her devotion.
The story of these two idols of hers sounded so sweet from her own lips, and so vivid, that Sucharita and Lolita both felt they could not have enough of it. They had no lack of regard for Gora and Binoy, but they seemed to see them in a new light through the magic radiance of a mother’s love.
Now that she had come to know Anandamoyi, Lolita's anger against the Magistrate flamed up afresh. But Ananda¬ moyi smiled at her pungent remarks and said: “ My dear, God alone knows wliat Gora’s being in gaol has meant to me, but I can’t bring myself to be angry with the sahib. I know Gora. He cannot allow any man-made laws to stand in the way of what he feels to be right. Gora has done his duty. The authorities are doing theirs. Those whom the result hurts must submit. If only you will read my Gora’s letter.
GORA CHAP.
little mother, you will realise that ho has not shirked pain, nor is he venting childish anger against any one. He has weighed all the consequences of what he has done.” And she brought Gora’s letter out of a box in which she had carefully put it away and handed it to Sucharita, saying: “ Will you read it aloud, my dear. I would like to hear it again.”
After tho reading of Gora’s wonderful letter all three of them kept silent a while. Anandainoyi wiped away some tears which came, not merely from a mother’s grief, but also from a mother’s joy and pride. What a Gora was this Gora of hers 1 Not the poltroon to cringe to the Magistrate for pity or pardon. Had lie not accepted the whole responsibility for his deed, knowing full well all tho hardship of gaol life? For that he had no quarrel with any one, and if lie could bear it without wincing, his mother, too, could endure it 1 Lolita gazed at Anandamoyi’s face in admiration. All the prejudices of a Brahmo household were strongly ingrained in her. She had never felt much respect for women whom sho considered to be steeped in the superstitions of orthodoxy. From her childhood she had heard Mistress Baroda, whenever she wanted to be particularly scathing about any fault of Lolita’s, denounce it as fit only for girls of Hindu homes, and thereupon had always felt duly humiliated.
Anandamoyi’s words, to-day, repeatedly filled her with wonder. Such calm strength, such sound sense, such keen discernment 1 Lolita felt very small beside this woman when she realised how uncontrolled were her own emotions. How effectually had her agitation prevented her from speaking to Binoy or even looking in his direction! But now the calm compassion in Anandamoyi’s face brought peace to her own turbulent mind, and her relations with her surroundings became simple and natural. “ Now that I have seen you,” she exclaimed, “ I understand clearly where Gour Babu got his strength from.”
“ I am afraid,” smiled Anandamoyi, “ your understanding of this matter is not quite clear. If Gora had been like an ordinary child to me, from where could I have got the strength myself? Could I then have borne this trouble of his an easily? ” IXXVII CORA CHAPTER XXX.Vn In order to understand the cause of Lolita’s special agitation on the occasion of her visit to Anandamoyi’s, it is necessary to go back a little.., For some days past the first thought in Lolita s mind, every morning, had been: “ Binoy Babu will not come to-day.’ And yet she had not been able for the rest of the day to get rid of the hope that he would come after nil. Every now and then she would imagine that perhaps lie had already come, but instead of coming up to the parlour, was with Parcah Babu downstairs. And when this idea took hold of her, she would be wandering from room to room, over and over again. Then when the day wore to its close, and at last she was m her bed, Lolita did not know what to do with the thoughts which crowded on her. At. one moment she could hardly restrain her tears, and the next she would be feeling angry with she knew not whom.— probably with herself!.She could only exclaim to herself: “ What is this? What is to happen 10 me? I see no way out, in any direction. How much longer can I go on like this? ”.,, •., Lolita knew that Binoy was in orthodox society, and marriage with him was out of the question,— and yet thus to be wholly unable to cont rol her own heart 1 What a shame,— what an awful plight to be in 1 She could see that Binoy was not averse to her, and it was because of this that she found it so difficult to keep her heart in check. It was because of this that while she waited so ardently for Bnioy’s coming, she was also consumed with the fear lest he should really come After struggling in this way all these days, she had felt on that morning that it had become too much for her. She decided that if it was Binov’s absence which was causing all this torment, perhaps the sight of him might serve to allay it. So she had drawn Satish into her room and suul: lou have been having a quarrel with Binoy Babu, I see!
Satish indignantly denied the accusation, although, now that he had got his Auntie, he had for some days forgotten his friendship with Binoy., “ Then lie’s a line kind of a friend, I must say 1 went on Lolita. “ You arc so full of Binoy Babu, Binoy Babu, aU the time and he doesn’t even turn to look at you!
" Doesn’t he? ” cried Satish. “ What do you know about it? Of course he docs I ” GORA CHAP.
Satish usually relied on emphatic assertion alone for keeping up the glory which he claimed as the due of this smallest member of the family. In this case he felt that some tangible proof was necessary, so he promptly made off to Binoy’s lodgings. He was soon back with the uews: “ He’s not at home at all, that’s why he hasn’t come! ” “ But why couldn’t he have come before? ” persisted Lolita.
“ Because he’s not been there for a long time,” said Satish.
It was then that Lolita went to Sucharita and said: “ Didi, dear, don’t you think we ought to go and call on Gour Babu’s mother? ” “ But we don’t know her,” objected Sucharita.
“ Bah! ” exclaimed Lolita. “ Isn’t Gour Babu’s father an old friend of father’s? ” Sucharita remembered that this was so. “Yes, that is true,” she agreed, and then, becoming even enthusiastic, added: “ Go and ask father about it, dear.”
But this Lolita refused to do and Sucharita had to go herself. “ Certainly! ” said Parcsh Babu at once. “ Wo ought to have thought of it long ago.”
It was settled that they should go after breakfast, but no sooner was the decision come to than Lolita changed her mind. Some hesitation, some wounded pride, came up to the surface and pulled her back. “ You accompauy father,” she said to Sucharita. “ I’m not going! ” “ That will never do! ” cried Sucharita. “ How can I go alone, with father? Do come, there’s a dear, there’s a darling 1 Don’t be obstinate and upset things.”
Lolita was at last persuaded. But was not this admitting defeat at Binoy’s hands? He had found it so easy to keep away, and was she to go running after him like this? The ignominy of her surrender made her furious with Binoy. She tried hard to deny to herself that she had any idea of calling on Anandamoyi because of the chance of getting a glimpse of Binoy, and it was to keep up this attitude that she had refused to greet or even to look at him.
Binoy, for his part, had concluded that her behaviour was due to her discovery of his secret sentiments, which she thus wished to show him that she repulsed. That Lolita could possibly be in love with him was a supposition which he had not sutiicient self-conceit to entertain.
Binoy now came timidly up to the door and stood there.
XXXVII GORA Baying that Parcsh Babu had sent word that he was ready to go home. He took shelter behind the door, so that Lolita could not sec him.
“ What! ” cried Anandamoyi. “ Does he think I’ll allow them to go without some refreshments? I won’t be long, Binoy. You come in and sit down, while I go and see about it. What makes you keep standing at the door like that? ” Binoy came in and took his seat as far away from Lolita as he could. But Lolita had recovered her composure and with¬ out a trace of her former awkwardness she said quite naturally: “ Do you know, Binoy Babu, your friend Satish went of! to your lodgings this morning to find out whether you had for¬ saken linn completely? ” Binoy started with amazement as if he had heard a voice from heaven, and then was abashed because his astonishment was so ill-conccalcd. Ilia gift of ready repartee forsook him completely. " Satish went to my place, did he? ” lie repeated, colouring to the ears. “ I’ve not been at home these days.”
These few words of Lolita, however, gave Binoy immense joy, and in a single moment the doubts which lmd overwhelmed his whole world like a choking nightmare were lifted. He felt there was nothing left to desire in the universe. ” I am saved, saved! ” cried his heart. “ Lolita does not doubt me. Lolita is not angry with me!"
Very quickly all barriers slipped away from between thorn, and Sucharita was saying with a laugh: “ Binoy Babu seems at first to have mistaken us for some kind of clawed, tusked or horned creature, or perhaps he thought wc had come in arms to the assault! ” M “The silent are always found guilty,’ said Binoy. In this world those who lodge their plaints first win their suits. But I did not expect this kind of judgement from you, Didi! You yourself drift away, and then accuse others of becoming distant! ” This was the first time Binoy had addressed Sucharita as “ Didi,” acknowledging her sisterly relationship; and it sounded sweet in her cars, for she felt that the intimacy which had been theirs, almost from their first meeting, had now taken concrete and delightful shape.
At this juncture Anananinoyi returned and took charge of the girls, sending Binoy downstairs to look after Paresh Babu’s refreshment.
It was nearly dark when at length Paresh Babu went away GORA CHAP.
with his daughters, and Binoy said to Anandamoyi: “ Mother, I’m not going to let you do auy moro work to-day. Come, let’s go upstairs.”, Binoy could hardly contain himself. He took Ananda- moyi to the terrace and, spreading a mat with his own hands, he made her sit down.,,., • “ Well, Binu, what is it? ” then asked Anandamoyi. 44 What do you want to say to me? ” „ “ Nothing at all,” replied Binoy, I want yon to talk The fact was that Binoy was on tenterhooks to know what Anandamoyi thought of Pnrcsh Bobu's girls.
“ Well, I declare,” cried Anandamoyi. ‘ And is that why you dragged me away from my work? I thought you had something important to tell me.”
“ If I hadn’t brought you up here, you would n t have seen this beautiful sunset,” said Binoy. _ The November sun was indeed setting over the roots ot Calcutta, but in somewhat dismal mood. There was no parti¬ cular beauty of colouring, all its golden splendour being absorbed by the pall of smoke lying over the horizon. But this evening even the duluoss of this murky sunset was to Binoy aflame with colour. It seemed to him as if all tho world stood round and enfolded him in its embrace and that the sky came near and caressed him with its touch.
“ The girls are very charming,” observed Anandamoyi.