Page:Stories of Bengalee life - Prabhat Kumar Mukerji.pdf/44

32 thrown away half a seer of Liverpool salt. No, thank you, not the Police Service for me. I would much rather go on starving at the bar."

"To become a Deputy Magistrate, you must send in your application. The Government will not come begging at your door, will they?"

"Of course I will apply—but things are not ripe enough yet. Something more requires to be done."

"What else?"

"I will tell you. You must get me boycotted. That's the thing. Boycott me all of you and then my claims with the Assam Government will be pucca."

"I can boycott you to-morrow—but will that do? How can I persuade others to do it?"

"Kishori Babu has asked me to his daughter's wedding."

"Will you go?"

"Certainly."

"Some people at first raised a difficulty about asking you, but Kishori Babu, like the good soul he is, stood by you and they relented."

"That's unfortunate. You can do one thing. Just as we all sit down to dinner, you kick up a row and refuse to eat with me."

"But what about the others?"