Page:Indira and Other Stories.pdf/116

 along the shore; the foam showed on the blue water like jewels on a blue dress; the white seabirds were playing on the beach in companies. Hiranmayi seemed to be watching all these lovely things: the blue sea; the white foam on the crest of the breakers; the play of the glancing sunshine on the waves. She vaguely looked at a distant ship under sail. Her eye caught a bird far away, a dot against the pure blue of the sky. Finally her glance rested on a withered flower lying on the path. With an effort she said: "Why should you go? On other occasions it was your father who went on these trading expeditions."

Purandar answered: "My father is an old man now, and it is time that I should earn my living. I asked leave of my father to take his place." Hiranmayi leaned her head against one of the wooden supports of the arbour. Purandar saw that her forehead was wofully puckered, that her pretty lips were trembling, that her nostrils were quivering. Presently he saw that the girl was crying.