The lady of the house was taking a post-prandial nap behind closed doors and Sailaja went to Bipin. "You must give Ramesh Babu a message from Kamala," she said, "inviting him to her room. Dad won't mind and mother won't know anything about it."
Bipin was a quiet, reserved youth, and he did not relish an errand of this sort ; however, he did not care to spoil his Sunday peace by demurring at his wife's instructions.
Ramesh was lying on a rug in the outer room, with one knee up and his other foot resting on it, reading Pioneer. He had perused all the news of the day, and for want of something better to do had turned his attention to the advertisement pages when Bipin entered the room. Ramesh rose with alacrity, "Come along in, Bipin Babu, come along !" Though Bipin was not particularly companionable he was a distinct acquisition when it came to whiling away an afternoon in a strange place.
Instead of sitting down, however, Bipin merely stood and scratched his head. "She wants you to come inside," he said.
"Who ? Kamala ?"
"Yes."
Ramesh was taken aback. He had decided that for the future Kamala must be his wife in fact as well as in name, but the present enforced separation had been in the nature of a reprieve and he had gladly relapsed into his old state of indecision. True, he had rapturous visions of the happiness that would be his when Kamala became his true helpmate, but how was he to break the ice ? It would be no simple matter suddenly to throw off the restraint which had marked his relations with Kamala of late and he could not decide how to set about it. Consequently he had shown no particular haste in negotiating for a house.
When he heard Bipin's announcement he assumed that Kamala merely wished to discuss some matter of business, and yet, though this was the view taken by his sober senses, a wave of emotion passed over him when he heard the summons. As he followed Bipin, he experienced something of the thrill of the lover going in quest of his mate.
Bipin pointed to a door and then left him.
Kamala had come to the conclusion that Sailaja had abandoned her schemes and had joined her husband , and she was sitting on the threshold of the outer door gazing out into the garden. Sailaja had unconsciously attuned Kamala to love. Just as the warm breeze outside set the leaves whispering and trembling, so from time to time the sough of a sigh in Kamala's breast set something quivering strangely there in inarticulate anguish.
Suddenly Ramesh entered the room and stood behind her and she started up in consternation at his low-spoken cry of "Kamala !" The blood coursed through her veins and she who had never felt abashed in his presence before hung her head, unable to face him, and blushed crimson.
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