THE WRECK; re-visited 20

       Ramesh told her that he told the visitors that there was no relationship between them and waited for her reaction. She regarded this kind of pleasantry as extremely bad state and turned away angrily exclaiming, "Don't be silly !" Ramesh wondered if he could possibly tell Kamala the whole truth.

    Kamala brought the plate of fruits which they had left out when Jogendra and Akshay had arrived "Aren't you going to have some ? You are hungry, anyway,"she asked, setting the plate down in front of him.

   Ramesh's appetite had gone, but he was touched by this little attention. The innocent girl's delusion brought him to the verge of tears. Speech failed him, but he controlled himself and began to eat.When he had finished he remarked, We must be off home to-night, Kamala." at this announcement Kamala's face fell. "I don't want to go there,"she said.

    "Would you like to stay at school ?" he asked.

    "No, don't send me back to school ; the girls there only ask me why you wanted to leave me at school for the holidays," she said.

   "You tell them that I'm nobody to you," suggested Ramesh.

    Kamala glanced impatiently at him out of the corner of her eye. "Don't be silly !"she repeated.

    Ramesh remained in a state of confusion ; his secret was like a worm in his vitals trying to gnaw its way out, and the process was painful. His mind was distraught with tormenting questions of what Jogendra might have told Hemamalini by now and how she would have taken the news.How could he explain the true state to her ? How could he bear eternal separation from Hemamalini ?  His relations to Kamala had become a topic of absorbing interest to his friends and his enemies in Calcutta.His false step in describing Kamala as his wife would inflate the rumours that were already current Not another day could he remain in the place with her.

   Kamala noticing his abstraction glanced up at him said. "What are you worrying about ? If you want to go and live at home,I'll come too. I say , you weren't annoyed because I didn't want to stay on at school for the holidays, were you ? Tell me the truth, now !"

   "To tell you the truth," replied Ramesh, "it was myself I was annoyed with, not you."