Page:Stories of Bengalee life - Prabhat Kumar Mukerji.pdf/235

Rh the food you brought is gone. I have some here and if you have no objection, we will share it."

Madan Babu, looking ardently at my basket, said—"What is there in that thing of yours?"

Not counting on my fingers, I replied—"Loaves, eggs, two or three kinds of meat, butter, and other things."

"Hindu meat? Not meat from the European hotel?"

"Hindu meat. Cooked by our Brahman cook. Only the loaves are from the European hotel; everything else is prepared according to Hindu custom."

Madan Babu said—"That will do, I don't mind hotel bread: I ate plenty of them when studying English in Calcutta. All sorts of things did I eat! The students in those days were very disorderly"—and he began to laugh.

Without further words I took out the provisions and arranged them on plates; then I asked—"Do you use knife and fork?"

"No, brother, I can't be troubled with all that. I'll use fingers instead."

When we had finished the meat, I said to Madan Babu—"There is more bread, butter, jam and marmalade. What will you have?"