Page:Tales of Bengal (S. B. Banerjea).djvu/111

Rh shoes I would certainly call in my loan." Thereon he took leave.

Shám Babu passed a restless night, dreaming of the debtor's jail and a starving family. On Hari Babu's return, next morning, he related the purport of his conversation with Rámanáth. His host said: "You should not attach too much importance to such tittle-tattle. Rámanáth has had a quarrel with his brother about family matters, and he is not at all averse to doing him a bad turn." Shám Babu was not satisfied with this explanation. He answered:—

"I can hardly believe Rámanáth capable of telling deliberate lies, which must inevitably be detected."

"Perhaps not. It is quite possible that Gopál may be in temporary straits. But can you point to a single merchant among your acquaintances whose career has been uniformly prosperous? There are ups and downs in commerce, which no one can avoid. Mark my words, Gopál will soon pull himself together again!"

Shám Babu was by no means convinced by his brother-in-law's optimism. He remarked, "In any case I ought not to allow my loan to stand without some tangible security. Gopál has house property in Calcutta, I believe?"

"To be sure he has. There is his new house at Entally, which must have cost Rs. 20,000; and