Page:Gora - Rabindranath Tagore.pdf/20

4 Binoy could not give his mind to any work that day. His tiny home and the ugly city that surrounded it suddenly seemed to him an abode of illusion. The flaming radiance of the July sun burnt his brain and coursed through his veins,——screening from his inner mind all the pettiness of his everyday life with a curtain o blazing light.

Just then he noticed a seven- or eight-years-old boy standing peering at the numbers on the doors. Somehow he had not the least doubt that it was his house the boy was looking for, so he called out to him: "This is the house all right," and, quickly running down into the street, almost dragged the little fellow indoors. He eagerly scanned the boy's face as he handed him a letter, on which he saw his name written in English in a woman's clear hand. The boy said: " My sister sent me with this." The envelope contained no letter, only some money.

The boy then turned to go, but Binoy insisted on taking hum upstairs to his room. He was darker than his sister, but still there was a strong resemblance, and Binoy, with a sense of gladness at heart, felt greatly attracted to him.

The youngster was clearly quite self-possessed, for on entering the room he pointed to a portrait hanging on the wall and asked: " Whose picture is that?"

"It is the picture of a friend of mine," replied Binoy.

"A friend's picture!" exclaimed the boy. "Who is he?"

"Oh, ypu won't know him," said Binoy, laughing. "His name is Gouramohan. But I call him Gora. We've been to school together ever since we were children."

"Do you still go to school?"

"No, I've finished with my studies."

"Have you really? Finished your ———?"

Binoy could not resist the temptation of wining the admiration of this little messenger, and said: "Yes, I've finished everything!"

The boy looked at him in wide-eyed wonder and gave a sigh. He doubtless thought that some day he too would attain to such heights of learning.

On being asked his name the boy replied: "MY name is Master Satish-chandra Mukerji."

"Mukerji?" repeated Binoy blankly.

They were fast friends in no time, and Binoy soon found out that Paresh Babu was not their own father, but had brought them up from childhood. The sister's name had