Page:Works of Tagore from the Modern Review, 1909-24 Segment 1.pdf/43

Rh the least scruple, took a boat, with his sick brother, to town, and went straight to the doctor's house. The doctor was at home—he had not left the town. Seeing a respectable female, he quickly found lodgings for her, and having installed her there under the care of an elderly widow, took up the treatment of the boy.

The next day Joygopal arrived. Blazing with fury, he ordered his wife to return home at once with him.

"Even if you cut me up, I won't return," replied the wife. "You all want to kill my Nilmani—he has no father, no mother, he has none else but me—I will save him."

"Then you remain here, and don't come back to my house," cried Joygopal indignantly.

Sosi at length fired up. "Your house! why, it is my brother's!"

"All right, we'll see," said Joygopal. The neighbours made a good stir over this incident for some time. Neighbour Tara said, "If you want to quarrel with your husband, do so at home. What is the good of leaving the home. After all he is your husband."

By spending all the money she had with her, and selling her ornaments, Sosi saved hisher [sic] brother from the jaws of death. Then she heard that the big jote they had in Dwarigram, whereon their dwelling house stood, the income of which from different sources was more than Rs. 1500 yearly—that this jote Joygopal had, in concert with the Zemindar, got Kharijed in his own name. Now the whole property belonged to them—not to her brother.

On recovery from the illness, Nilmani would plaintively cry, "Let us go home, sister." His heart was pining for his nephews and nieces, his companions. So he repeatedly said, 'Let us go home, sister,—that old house of ours.' At this Sosi wept. Where was their home!

But it was no good simply crying, her brother had no one else besides herself in the world. Sosi thought this, wiped her tears, and entering the Zenana of the Deputy Magistrate Tarini Babu, appealed to his wife. The Deputy Magistrate knew Joygopal. That a respectable female should forsake her home and seek to engage in a dispute with her husband regarding matters of property greatly annoyed him against Sosi. While keeping Sosi diverted, Tarini Babu instantly wrote to Joygopal. Joygopal forcibly put his wife and brother-in-law into a boat and brought them home.

Husband and wife, after a second separation, met again for the second time! The decree of Prajapati!

Having got back his old companions after such a long while, Nilmani sported about in great glee. Seeing his unsuspecting joy, Sosi felt as if her heart would break.

The Magistrate was touring in the Mofussil during the cold weather and pitched his tent within the village for a shooting. The Sahib met Nilmani on the village way. The other boys gave him a wide berth by varying Chanakya's couplet a little, and adding the Sahib to the category of 'the clawed, the toothed and the horned beast.' But grave-natured Nilmani, in imperturbable curiosity serenely gazed at the Sahib.

The Sahib felt amused and came up and asked in Bengali, "You read at the pathsala?"

The boy silently nodded, yes. 'What Pustakas do you read?' asked the Sahib.

Nilmanit did not understand the word pustak, so he silently fixed his gaze on the magistrate's face. Nilmani detailed the story of the meeting with the Magistrate with great enthusiasm to herhis [sic] sister.

At noon, Joygopal, dressed in pantaloons, chapkan and pagree, had gone to pay his salams to the Sahib. Suitors, chaprasies, and constables had made a huge crowd around. Fearing the heat, the Sahib had seated himself at a court-table outside the tent, in the open shade, and placing Joygopal in a chair, was questioning him about the local conditions. Having won this seat of honour in open view of the entire community of the village, Joygopal swelled inwardly and thought it would be a good thing if any of the Chakravarties or Nandis came and saw him there.

At this moment, a woman, closely veiled, and accompanied by Nilmani, came straight up to the Magistrate. She said, "Sahib, into your hands I resign my helpless brother here, save him." The Shahib [sic] seeing the large