Page:The Slave Girl of Agra.djvu/51

 Nobo Kumar was gone.

The lamp was burning low in Gokul Das's room, and the pale light of the morning, peeping through the closed doors, still found the decrepit old man absorbed in his thoughts.

"The foundation is well laid," said he to himself, "and if this hand has not lost its cunning the structure will be raised. Nobo Kumar's wife stands in the way, and she is a foe to be reckoned with. Imperious in her will as she is august in her virtues, she controls her impulsive husband with a determination which he can seldom resist. But she is a woman, and thinks more of the loves of pale-faced children than of the glory of great Houses. Nobo Kumar has the mettle of a man if he is true to himself and to his House, and to-night I have instilled in him a new purpose which will enable him to face his wife. Some scenes there will be in yonder Birnagar Palace which I would not like to witness, and Nobo Kumar may be frightened by a woman's tears yet and come to me again whimpering. If you forget your House, Nobo Kumar, there is one who never forgets. Gokul Das knows his purpose, and does not often turn away from his path."