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266 his promise to Rohini, and he thought that anyhow he must free her from the clutches of his uncle. He believed that his uncle loved him too well to refuse to pardon Rohini if he chose to make the request. With this belief he went and entered Krishnakanta's room when the old man had withdrawn to it to take his usual nap after meal.

Krishnakanta was reposing on his couch. He was in a recumbent posture and dozing, pipe in hand, his legs crossed and his back resting on a bolster. Gobindalal stood before the couch, thinking whether to rouse his uncle or not; and he concluded that he should not disturb his rest. He had just turned to leave the room when making a movement the old man knocked the spittoon at his head, which rolled and dropped to the floor with a noise, making him wake up with a start. Gobindalal hastened to pick up the spittoon and put it again in its former place.

"Gobindalal?" said Krishnakanta, looking at him. "What do you want, my boy? Have you anything to say to me?"

"Oh, nothing particular, uncle," he said. "You may go to sleep. I mustn't disturb you now."

"I am sufficiently refreshed," said the old man. "I won't sleep any longer. Take your seat there, my lad."

Gobindalal sat down, as directed, on an armless cushioned chair near by, expecting his uncle would open a conversation by talking about Rohini, which would give him an opportunity of requesting him to pardon her; but he made no mention of her at all. Krishnakanta having cunningly guessed his business with him, talked only of business matters until the young man who could find no very great interest in them, began to exhibit signs of impatience; and the old man, who could well see that, laughed in his sleeve and enjoyed his disappointment and vexation very much.

"The case pending in the judge's court will be taken up again on Monday next," said Krishnakanta.

"Yes, uncle," said Gobindalal rather abstractedly.

"My boy, you seem absent to-day. What's the matter with you?"

"Oh, nothing. May I go now?"

"Yes, if you want to," said his uncle, who could see that his mind was full of the thought of Rohini.

Gobindalal rose to leave; and he had just walked up to the door when Krishnakanta called to him, saying, "Stop, I quite forgot to ask what success you had with Rohini."

Gobindalal resumed his seat, and told him all she had confessed, adding how very repentant she was, and expressing the hope that his uncle would be kind enough to forgive her.

"Well," said Krishnakanta after a little reflection, "if you are not for punishment of any kind you may let her off with a warning."

When he came out of the room Gobindalal felt happy, for he had never expected that his uncle would comply with his request so easily.

Rohini loved Gobindalal. She felt it was very hard that she should be sent away from Haridragram. This so distressed her heart that when she came home she shut herself up in her room and sat down to weep.

"I will not go to Calcutta," she said to herself. "If I cannot see him I shall pine away and die. This Haridragram is my heaven. I will not go from here. If Gobindalal compels me to go, I will come back again. He will be angry with me? What do I care? I will not go. I had much rather die."

Her mind made up she rose, opened the door and set off to see Gobindalal. "O God," she sighed, "thou knowest my trouble, and how weak and helpless I am. Do thou quench my passion. Leave me not, O merciful father, to be consumed in its flame. He, whom I am going to see, is the source of intense pleasure—the source of extreme pain. But thou canst, O father, quiet my rebellious thoughts. Do thou in mercy give me sufficient strength of mind not to turn aside from the path of virtue. Have pity on me, O God, for unless thou help me I am undone."

The words she uttered in supplication brought no comfort to her troubled heart. Her passion, too strong in her, overruled her conscience, and she felt as weak and powerless as ever. In her agony she thought she would take poison or drown herself to give her sorrows the slip. In this very painful state of mind she went and appeared before Gobindalal.

"I am glad you are going to Calcutta,