Annada Babu vented his feelings on his visitor, "You're too suspicious, Akshay ! When you have no proof why should you--"
Akshay had worn out his patience. "Look here, Annada Babu," he burst out, "you're imputing all sorts of vile motives to me ! You insinuate that I bear a grudge against your future son-in-law and that I'm suspecting an innocent man. I'm not clever enough to teach ladies philosophy, and I can't boast of any ability to discuss poetry with them; but I've always been fond of and devoted to you and your family. Though I can't vie with Ramesh Babu in any other respect, I pride myself on never having had any thing to conceal from you. You'll know to-marrow what I mean." Akshay left out angrily.
Night had fallen before Ramesh had dispatched all the letters informing the postponement of the marriage. That night appeared to him of having the eternal peace of the infinite on one hand, on the other the eternal conflict of the world ! Now he beheld Love in-contact with the world trampled and tossed about in the press of life. Which was the true vision and which was illusion ?
Jogendra returned from up-country by the morning train next day. It was Saturday, and Sunday was to be Hemamalini's wedding-day ;yet as he approached the house he observed none of the signs of festivity that he had anticipated. He dreaded to hear some untoward thing to have taken place. But as he hurried indoors there was no such thing he found. A meal was ready for him, and Annada Babu sat at the table reading the news paper.
"Is Hem all right ?"exclaimed Jogendra as he entered the room.
"She is quite well," replied Annada Babu. Then Jogendra extracted the reasons for the wedding to have postponed to the Sunday after next. Telling that it was postponed at the instance of Ramesh, Annada Babu said, "you had better ask your friend about that urgent business and that the wedding couldn't take place on Sunday."
Jogendra inwardly cursed his father's supineness. "When I'm not here you people make an awful muddle of every thing, dad," he said. "What important business could he have ? He's his own master. He has no relations that count. If he has got into a mess over some business matter I don't see what there was to hinder him from telling you all about it. Why did you let it rest at that ?"
"After all, he hasn't run away ! You had better go and ask him yourself."
Jogendra swallowed a cup of tea and dashed off. He rushed into the next house and stamped upstairs, but found no sign of Ramesh there. After hunting high and low he found the bearer only to be informed him that Ramesh had taken a supply of clothes with him and had said that he might not be back for four or five days ; but where he had gone is not told.
Jogendra wore a preoccupied air as he resumed his seat at the break-fast table after reaching home. He vent out his suspicion of Ramesh saying: " Here's a man who is about to marry your daughter, and you take no interest in his actions and his movements ; and that though he lives next door !
In the face of this tirade Annada Babu was obliged to grapple with the situation.
"What's the meaning of it all, then ?" he asked, assuming the expression of gravity that the occasion seemed to demand.
Knowing that Hemamalini had her tea earlier and gone upstairs without even facing Jogendra , he supposed that she's thoroughly ashamed of Ramesh's extraordinary conduct and could not face him. He went upstairs to comfort his sister. When she heard Jogendra's step she hurriedly picked up a book and made a pretence of reading it. She laid the book down as he entered and greeted him cheerfully :
"Hullo, when did you come in ? You're not looking as well as you should be."
"I've heard all about it, Hem. However don't you worry ; it's only because I wasn't here such a thing happened. I'll put things right again ! By the way, Hem, did Ramesh not give you any reasons ?" he asked showing his concern about the affair.
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