RAMESH had been absent in Calcutta for nearly a month and to a girl of Kamala’s age in the full current of adolescence a month is a long period. Just as the dawn-light is suddenly transformed into the glory of sunrise, so her womanhood had scarcely stirred from sleep before it burst into full consciousness. She might have had to wait long for this awakening had not her close intimacy with Sailaja and the light and warmth of love that Sailaja’s personality shed on her accelerated the transformation.
Meanwhile Ramesh’s tardiness and Sailaja’s insistence had stimulated Uncle to go house-hunting in earnest and he had rented for the young pair a small bungalow standing outside the town on the bank of the Ganges. He had been assiduously employed in collecting such furniture as was necessary to make the house habitable and had engaged enough servants to enable them to start housekeeping.
When Ramesh returned to Ghazipur after his long absence Kamala had at last a house of her own and the young people were no longer dependent on Uncle’s hospitality for a roof over their heads.
Ground sufficient for a garden surrounded the bungalow. Between two rows of tall sisu trees ran a shaded path. The river was shrunken to its cold-weather dimensions and between the house and the channel stretched a sandy flat on which patches of young wheat alternated with melon-beds. On the southern edge of the compound towards the river stood a huge nim tree, with a pavement around its roots.
The property had been long without a tenant and both house and grounds showed signs of much neglect The garden was a wilderness and the rooms were unswept and filthy; but Kamala had no qualms on that account. She was so delighted at attaining the status of a housewife that everything in her eyes was beautiful. She lost no time in deciding to what use each room was to be put and what was to grow in each corner of the garden, and she took measures, in consultation with Uncle, to reclaim the whole of the wilderness. She personally superintended the construction of fireplaces in the kitchen and the necessary alterations in the store-room adjoining it. She spent the whole day cleaning, sweeping, and tidying and her energy was ever finding some new vent.
Housework displays feminine beauty in its most varied and alluring forms, and Kamala at her work reminded Ramesh of a bird freed from its cage and soaring aloft. Her radiant face and the finished dexterity with which she went about her tasks gave him new sensations of mingled wonder and delight.
It was the first time that he had beheld her in the guise of housewife; she had, as it were, come into her kingdom and something of dignity was added to her beauty.
“What are you doing, Kamala?” he asked; “you’ll wear yourself out!”
Kamala stopped for a minute in the middle of her task and looked up at Ramesh with a happy smile. “No fear, I’ll be all right,” and she resumed her work, gratified to know that Ramesh was taking an interest in her doings.
Ramesh’s infatuation soon brought him back on another pretext. “Have you had breakfast yet, Kamala?” he asked.
“Of course I have! Hours ago!” she replied.
Ramesh knew this as well as she did but he could not forbear asking the question by way of paying her a slight attention; nor was Kamala displeased, futile though the inquiry was.
To keep up the conversation Ramesh continued: “Why are you doing all this by yourself, Kamala? You had better give me a job.”
Now good workers have this failing that they tend to mistrust the capacity of others, so Kamala merely smiled and answered, “No, this is not a man’s job.”
“We’re very forbearing, we men,” said Ramesh, “we put up meekly with insults to our sex. If I were a woman there would be a scrap! After all, you don’t hesitate to employ Uncle. Why do you think me so useless?”
“I don’t know, but I should laugh to see you sweeping the soot out of the kitchen! You had better get out of this. I’m raising a fearful dust!”
To keep the ball rolling Ramesh went on, “Dust is no respecter of persons; it treats you and me in exactly the same way.”
“I put up with it because I have to,” said Kamala; “I don’t see why you should when you don’t have to.”
Ramesh dropped his voice so that the servants should not overhear. “I want to share whatever you have to put up with, whether it’s work or anything else.”
This brought a faint blush to Kamala’s cheek and instead of answering she stepped aside and called to Umesh:
“Umesh, you had better give this place another bucketful of water; just look how thick the dust is. Here, give me the broom,” and she began to sweep vigorously.
“What are you doing, Kamala?” exclaimed Ramesh, distressed to see her engaged in so menial a task.
“Why, Ramesh Babu,” said a voice behind him, “what’s the harm in honest work? You people with an English education prate about equality. If you regard sweeping as degrading work why do you allow a servant to do it? I haven’t your education, but if you ask me my opinion it’s this: when I see a virtuous woman handling a broom every fibre of it sparkles in my eyes like a sunbeam! (To Kamala) I’ve nearly finished with your wilderness, dear; you’ll have to show me now where the vegetable-beds are to be.”
“Just wait a minute please, Uncle; I haven’t finished with this room yet,” and Kamala resumed her labours.
When the room was swept clean she undid the veil which was fastened round her waist, pulled it over her head, and sallied forth to engage in a serious conversation with Uncle about the best situation for the vegetable-plots.
The day soon passed, but the house was not yet sufficiently clean to satisfy Kamala’s exacting standards. The traces of long neglect were not easily removed and some of the rooms were obviously still uninhabitable without further cleansing and airing, so to Ramesh’s great disappointment he and Kamala had perforce to spend another night at Uncle’s. He had looked forward all day to the evening hour in their own little home and had pictured Kamala smiling shyly at his side in the lamplight as he unburdened his heart to her. With three or four more days’ delay in prospect he could not postpone any longer his enrolment at the provincial bar and accordingly he departed for Allahabad next day.