Page:Krishnakanta's Will (Chatterjee, Roy).pdf/12

140 "Will! What will? Where is my will? where is it? Tell me, quick," cried the old man in the greatest of excitement.

"Your will is in the drawer," said Rohini coolly. "You can see if you like." She said this with such careless indifference that Krishnakanta was astonished.

He, however, took out his spectacles, adjusted them to his nose, and having satisfied himself that his will was all safe where he had kept it, turned to her and said, "Then what was it you destroyed?"

"A forged will," said Rohini.

"Forged will? Of whose making was it? Where did you get it?"

"I found it in the drawer," said Rohini. "I do not know by whom it was prepared."

"You do not know? How came you to know it was in the drawer?"

"That I will not tell you," said Rohini.

Krishnakanta reflected a while. "Rohini," he said at length, "you are but a girl; you are greatly mistaken if you think that I cannot find out what the fact is. The forged will was of Haralal's preparing. You were bribed to steal for him my will and put the forged one in its place. But you couldn't do it, being found out, and so you destroyed the false will. Come, is it not true?"

"No, it is not," said Rohini.

"Then what is true?" said Krishnakanta, surveying her from head to foot.

"Please don't ask me. I have been found in your room under suspicious circumstances, and you may deal with me as you like."

"Well," said he, "that you came here with a bad intention there is no doubt, and I must punish you as you deserve. I will not hand you over to the police, but I will have you turned out of the village to-morrow. And I will see you in disgrace by having your head shaven in the presence of all my men and the neighbours. For to-night you shall remain in confinement."

Rohini was locked up in a room for the night.

The grey dawn of morning was breaking over the world. A gentle breeze was blowing, and if the cuckoos were not yet heard there were other birds that had already begun their songs. At this delightful time of morning Gobindalal went and stood at the open window of his bedroom. Here he was quickly joined by a very pretty looking girl.

"What makes you come here?" said Gobindalal.

"And you—what are you here for?" said the girl.

The reader need not be told that the girl is Gobindalal's wife.

"I am here to enjoy the morning breeze a while," said her husband.

"And why should I not enjoy it too? Why should you have this pleasure all to yourself, you selfish man?"

Gobindalal's wife's name was Bhramar. The term Bhramar means black bee. Her husband jokingly used to remark that she was given that name on account of the dark look of her skin. But although her complexion was dark, she was well-formed, and the cast of her face was beautiful. She was a very good and affectionate wife, and her husband loved her dearly.

"My dear, you always look charming in your nose-ring," said her husband. "I like this sort of trinket best because you look so lovely in it."

"You naughty man," said she, giving him a gentle pull by the nose, "I know you do not mean what you say."

"Oh, I do, my love," said he, as he held up her face in both hands and imprinted a kiss on her lips.

Presently an uproar was heard. "What's this noise about?" said Gobindalal.

"It is the servants, the ever noisy and and [sic] quarrelsome set," said Bhramar.

The servants were up very early as usual; and a little while ago the shup-shup of the brooms, and the splashing of water and the tinkling of the plates showed that they were busy in sweeping and cleaning and washing and scouring. But suddenly these noises ceased, and a great clamour followed.

"I will go and see what is the matter," said Bhramar. And she left her husband and ran downstairs.

The women-servants were a very troublesome set in the house, and could hardly be kept under control even by Bhramar's mother-in-law who was the mistress of the house.

"What's all this noise about? What's the matter," cried Bhramar as soon as she appeared before them. They paid no heed to her words. As soon as they saw her they burst into loud exclamations of horror and astonishment. "I am sure I have never