Jogendra threw a shawl round his shoulder and made straight for Akshay's house, where he found his friend immersed in an English work on book-keeping. Jogendra flung the book aside, "Never mind that just now ; we have to fix a day for your wedding."
"Good Lord !" exclaimed Akshay.
Next morning when Annada Babu descended the stairs, boiling water was ready for preparing the morning tea. He started sipping his tea with his usual deliberation while he smacked his lips over the flavor and chatted to his daughter and began to drain his cup with unnecessary haste.
"Are you in a hurry to go out, dad?" asked Hemamalini in surprise.
"Oh no ! when the weather is cold I like to drink my tea straight off ; the hot tea brings out the sweat and does one good," replied her father ; but before the desired perspiration appeared Jogendra entered the room with Akshay at his heels.
Akshay had bestowed special attention on his toilet ; in his left hand he carried a book in a brown paper wrapping ; and a handsome watch-chain adorned his bosom. Instead of taking his usual place at the table he drew a chair up beside Hemamalini's and observed with a smirk, "Your clock is fast to-day."
Hemamalini neither looked in his direction nor vouchsafed any reply.
"Hem, dear, let us go upstairs," said Annada Babu, "we must put my winter clothes out in the sun."
"You needn't be in such a hurry, dad," expostulated Jogedra, "the sun won't run away. Hem, won't you pour out a cup of tea for Akshay ? I want some too, but visitors first, you know !"
Akshay laughed and turned to Hemamalini. "Did you ever see such self-sacrifice ? He's a regular Sir Philip Sidney !"
Without taking the slightest notice of Akshay's facetiousness Hemamalini poured out two cups of tea, handed one to Jogendra, pushed the other towards Akshay, and caught her father's eye.
"If we wait any longer it'll be too hot on the roof," said Annada Babu. "Come along Hem, we had better go upstairs at once."
"Oh, bother the clothes !" exclaimed Jogendra, "Akshay came to --"
Annada Babu's anger blazed up. "You two are just trying to bully us ! When a person is suffering mental tortures you have no right to try to browbeat her into compliance with your wishes. I have endured it without protest for days on end, but I can stand it no longer. Hem, dear, in future you and I will have our tea together upstairs."
He essayed to draw Hem out of the room, but she interposed quietly, "Don't go just yet, dad. You haven't finished your tea. Akshay Babu, may I inquire what the contents of that mysterious parcel are ?"
"Not only may you ask , but you may solve the mystery for yourself," and Akshay held the package to her.
Hem removed the wrapper and disclosed a copy of Tennyson bound in morocco. She started as if struck and turned pale. Once before had she received just such a present. Unknown to others , she treasured in a drawer upstairs a copy of the same edition of Tennyson in identical binding.
Jogendra smiled. "The mystery has not been entirely solved yet," and he opened the book at the title page and showed it to his sister ; on the page was written : "To Srimathi Hemamalini as a token of Akshay's esteem."
Hemamalini dropped the book like a hot potato and averted eyes from it. "Come, dad, " she said, and father and daughter left the room.
Jogendra's eyes blazed. "I can't stay a moment longer under this roof !" he exclaimed. "I'll clear out and earn my living as a school-master somewhere."
"You're taking it too much to heart, old man," said Akshay. "I told you, you know, that in my opinion you were mistaken. I yielded to your insistence, but I'm convinced now that Hemamalini will never care for me. You must put that idea out of your head. If we want to do the right thing, our next task must be to make her forget Ramesh."
"That's true enough ; how are we to proceed though ?"
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