Ramesh carried Kamala off to Sealdah station in a carriage at nine o'clock that night. Under his instructions the driver took a circuitous route by the Kalutola lanes, and Ramesh thrust his head eagerly out of the window as the carriage passed a certain house. He noticed no change in any of its familiar features.
They arrived at the station in good time and were soon ensconced in the second-class compartment which Ramesh had reserved for the journey. He made a bed for Kamala on one of the lower berths, lowered the light, closed the shutters and asked her to sleep over it as it is already long past of her bed-time. Kamala took fancy to sit by the window for some time before the train started to watch the crowds on the platform while Ramesh himself sat in the centre of the berth and gazing out absent-mindedly. The train had just begun to move when his eyes fell on a belated passenger hurrying up the platform and whose features vaguely familiar to him.
Ramesh put his head out and observed the late arrival struggling in the grasp of one of the station officials who tried to hold him back from the moving train. He succeeded, however, in boarding the train, though his shawl remained in the official's hand. As the tardy one leaned forward out of the carriage window and reached for the shawl Ramesh recognized him as-Akshay.
The girl went to bed at half-past ten as train started moving but Ramesh's thoughts were reeling around Akshay. Ramesh knew that Akshay had no country home ; his family had lived in Calcutta for generations. Ramesh came to the conclusion that he and Kamala were being shadowed.
The idea that Akshay would institute inquiries in his native village was most distasteful to Ramesh ; his reputation would inevitably become the sport of contending factions there, and the whole business would appear unspeakably sordid.
Ramesh watched carefully at every station that the train had halted to see whether Akshay would alight the train, but found no signs of it till they finally reached Goalundo-the terminus at which the passengers embark for Eastern Bengal-and Ramesh caught sight of Akshay hurrying towards the river-steamers, with his head and face muffled in a shawl, carrying a hand-bag. The boat which was bound for Ramesh's village would not start for some hours, but there was another at the landing-place, with steam up, whistling impatiently. On enquiry Ramesh was told that the steamer starting then was to go West up to Benares.
Ramesh installed Kamala in one of the cabins and hurried ashore to lay in a stock of rice and pulse, milk and plantains,for the journey. Meanwhile Akshay embarked on the steamer that is ready to start expecting Ramesh and Kamala to embark later. As Ramesh was not to be seen there till the gang-plank had been withdrawn and the steamer started moving, Akshay having no idea of Ramesh's native place, leaped off on to the shore and searched for Ramesh. There was no trace of Ramesh.
The morning train to Calcutta just steamed out and Akshay came to the conclusion that Ramesh had espied him when he struggled to enter the train, and that, supposing him to have some hostile intention, Ramesh had abandoned his journey to his native place and doubled back to Calcutta by the morning train.
Akshay spent whole day kicking his heels in Goalundo and in the evening he boarded the mail train for Calcutta.
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