ON the day before, Kshemankari had said to Kamala, “I’ve asked Hemnalini and her father to come to breakfast here to-morrow, dear. What are we going to give them? We ought to feed Annada Babu so well that he’ll never be afraid of his daughter not getting enough to eat here; don’t you think so, dear? However, you’re such a good cook that I know you’ll do me credit. I’ve never known my son make any comment on the food before, but yesterday he couldn’t find words to express his appreciation of your cooking! You’re not looking very cheerful to-day, dear; are you quite well?”
“I’m all right, thank you, mother,” said Kamala, with a forced smile.
Kshemankari shook her head. “I’m afraid you’re worrying about something. It’s natural enough and you needn’t be frightened to tell me. Don’t treat me as a stranger, dear; I look on you as my own daughter. You must really tell me if there’s anything in the life here that doesn’t suit you or if you want to see any of your own folk.”
“I don’t want anything except to work for you, mother!” exclaimed Kamala eagerly.
Kshemankari went on without noticing this interruption, “Perhaps you had better go to your uncle’s and stay there for a few days, then you can come back here when you feel inclined.”
“Mother!” cried Kamala in dismay, “so long as I can stay with you I shan’t want to see anybody else in the world. If I do anything wrong please punish me as you think fit, but don’t send me away even for one day!”
Kshemankari stroked the girl’s cheek as she replied, “That’s one of the things that make me think you were my mother in some former life, dear. Otherwise how is it that we took to each other so at first sight? Now be off and go to bed early. You haven’t known what it is to rest all day.”
Kamala went to her bedroom, locked the door, extinguished the light, and sat ‘down on the floor in the darkness to think. After a long spell of musing her thoughts shaped themselves into this form: “I cannot continue to watch over him when Heaven has deprived me of any right to do so. I must prepare myself to give him up altogether. Nothing is left but the small opportunities I have to serve him from time to time, and these I shall do everything in my power to retain. God grant me strength to perform these duties with a smiling face, and never even to aspire to anything more! It cost me dear to achieve even this much. If I cannot do cheerfully what there is to do, if I go about my work looking dismal, then I must give up everything.”
Having thus reviewed her present situation she schooled herself to the following resolution:— “From to-morrow I shall entertain no more regrets; I shall never look unhappy, I shall never allow myself to sigh for the unattainable. I shall be content to serve all the days of my life. I shall never, never, never ask for anything more.”
She retired to bed, and after turning over from one side to the other for some time she fell asleep. She awoke twice or thrice in the course of the night and each time she repeated to herself as, though it were a sacred text, “I shall never, never, never ask for anything more;” and in the morning when she rose she folded her hands and concentrated all her will-power on the resolution, “I shall serve you till death and shall never, never, never ask for anything more.”
She hurriedly washed and dressed and then betook herself to Nalinaksha’s study. She dusted every corner of the room with the fringe of her garment, spread all the mats in their places, and hastened off to bathe in the Ganges.
After repeated remonstrances from Nalinaksha, Kshemankari had given up the practice of bathing before sunrise; so it was Umesh who accompanied Kamala to the river in the bitter cold of dawn.
On her return she made her morning salutation to Kshemankari with a smiling face.
The old lady was on the point of starting for the river. “Why did you go off so early?” she asked Kamala; “you should have waited and come with me.”
“I couldn’t wait to-day, mother,” said Kamala, “there’s too much to do. I have to slice the vegetables that we got in yesterday evening, and I must send Umesh off early to the market to fetch the things that we still need.”
“You’ve considered everything, dear. Our guest will find his breakfast ready as soon as he arrives.”
Nalinaksha came out at this point and Kamala at once pulled her veil over her wet locks and went indoors.
“Going to start bathing again already, mother?” said Nalinaksha. “It would have been better to wait till you were a little stronger.”
“Do forget that you’re a doctor, Nalin,” retorted Kshemankari. “There’s only one recipe for immortality and that is to bathe in the Ganges every morning. You’re going out now, are you? Don’t be late to-day.”
“Why, mother?”
Kshemankari. “I forgot to tell you yesterday; Annada Babu is coming to-day to give you his blessing.”
Nalinaksha. “To give me his blessing? Why has he become so gracious all of a sudden? I see him every day.”
Kshemankari. “I went round yesterday, presented Hemnalini with a pair of bangles, and gave her my blessing; now it’s Annada Babu’s turn to give you his. Well, don’t be late. They’re coming here for breakfast and the old lady went off to her bath.
Nalinaksha strolled away with his head bent, meditating.