Page:Indira and Other Stories.pdf/29

 returned to my mind. I had come to think of all male beings as my sworn foes. So I asked,

"How old is Ramram Babu?"

"He is an old man like me."

"Is his wife still alive?" I asked.

He had two wives, I was told.

Were there any other males in his family? was my next question. My host replied that there was one little son, aged ten, by the second marriage. And there was also a blind nephew.

I had no further excuse for refusal. The very next day Krishnadas Babu sent me to Ramram Babu's house. I entered his family as his cook. This was what fate had written on my forehead! Who would have guessed that I was destined to earn my living by cooking and waiting at table!

 

My first idea was that I should soon be able to save enough out of my wages to be able to go home. But no one seemed to know where Mahespur was, nor did I meet anyone who