Page:Stories of Bengalee life - Prabhat Kumar Mukerji.pdf/91

Rh feeling of annoyance over-powering him, the Magistrate broke out—"By the way—I have heard that your wife contributed a thousand rupees towards the costs of the students' appeal by selling her jewellery. Is it a fact?"

"Yes, Sir, it is so. Besides, my wife has promised to pay the costs of the High Court motion also"—said Nagendra Babu in the most unconcerned manner.

Now, this was too much for the Magistrate. He flared up again and said in a choking voice—"But is this not defying the Government?"

"I don't know, sir.—The High Court has been established by the Government also, and I thought that the Government was as anxious to do justice between itself and the people—as the people themselves."

"May be."—said the Magistrate—"But your wife had no business to interfere. It may not be defying the Government, but it is defying the Executive."

"Thank God, sir, my wife is not in executive service."

Besides anger, the feeling of astonishment also was overwhelming the mind of the Magistrate Sahib. He had been in the Bengal Civil Service for so many years but such undaunted spirit in a Bengalee was quite a new thing to him. Yes,