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 CHAPTER I.

The Parent Family and Devaditya.

IN the good old days when the star of the Hindus was in the ascendant, when Northern India was for the most part ruled by Bijoy Sing and Bengal by Adisura, a person of the name of Devaditya Dutt bidding a long adieu to the magnificent city of Kanouj—the Kanyakubja, of the Sanscrit writers—was found slowly wending his way towards the south-east. Though he was accompanied by his family and was encumbered with the odds and ends of a Hindu household, still he found no difficulty in the way, and at last arrived at Mayapur in the Muxadavad district, but he did not settle there for good. Not long after, he moved to a place which he named after his patronynfic, Duttabati, not far from the capital of the Bengal king. Devaditya, possessed as he was of great sterling merit, highly distinguished himself, thereby casting the fame of his ancestors, whatever it was, in the shade. He had deep regard for his great sovereign who on his part held him in high esteem. Though not actually in name, he was virtually his Prime Minister, and his words of wisdom were always listened to with attention and respect. Thus, Devaditya became a power in the land and his influence for good or for evil was very great, indeed. Basking under the sunshine of royal favour he rose high in rank and position, and, at last, when his time came, departed this world leaving a very handsome legacy to his son, Binayak Dutt. The son, however, was not at all worthy of the sire, at any rate he could not gain distinction in any way whatever. He lived and died like an ordinary mortal, without doing anything which might attract notice