Page:Stories of Bengalee life - Prabhat Kumar Mukerji.pdf/172

160 Giribala answered,—"There is not so much to fear as you think. The cold at Simla is delightful. You have never seen a snowstorm; it is a wonderful thing."

Kumud Babu consulted the doctor. He said—"It won't hurt you, but the contrary. But you must be very careful of yourself."

The journey was made strictly according to the doctor's instructions. They spent three weeks in Simla in great enjoyment. Kumud Nath had an intimate friend in the Simla Collectorate Office, named Jadu Babu. He rented a handsome two-storied house. At first Kumud Nath could not walk very much. He would lie on a couch studying the Simla Guide Book, planning excursions, or sit at a window watching the string of loaded camels passing on the highway, or the different vehicles—the ekka, the tonga, or the jhampan. The novelty of it all amused him. The faces of the hill women pleased him beyond measure. Close at hand fields of grain cut like steps in the side of the precipice; the Lepcha huts, the Lepcha dress, their form and gait interested him beyond expression. Again, a fresh wonder. On the 20th of December there was a good fall of snow. Kumud Babu was as delighted with it as his littelittle [sic] boy. Giribala rejoiced in her husband's pleasure.