Annada Babu and Hemamalini returned from the meeting late in the afternoon.
"Well, that was indeed a treat," remarked the old gentleman as he seated himself at the tea-table. His mind was so busy that when Hemamalini slipped upstairs after tea he failed to notice her departure. He found Nalinaksha astonishingly young and boyish on the platform. Although he had attained maturity his countenance retained the freshness of youth. Withal he had an air of mystic gravity that seemed to emanate from his inner consciousness.
The subject of his address was "Loss", and its burden was that without loss there can be no genuine gain. What we obtain without effort is not true gain ; only what is acquired through sacrifice becomes our own in the true and inner sense. He who sees his tangible possessions glide out of his grasp is unfortunate indeed ; but in truth the human soul, in the very act of loosing, retains the power to win back with interest that which is lost.
If when we suffer loss we can bow our heads, clasp our hands, and pronounce the words, "It is a gift-a gift of renunciation, a gift of sorrow, significance, the transient becomes the eternal, and what was a mere instrument of our daily use becomes an appurtenance of our worship, stored up everlastingly in the treasure-house of the temple of our heart.
His words had made a deep impression on Hemamalini. As she sat in a silent reverie on the house-top, her heart was full, and earth and sky seemed to her no longer an empty void.
As they were returning from the lecture Jogendra had remarked to Akshay :
"Well, you've hit on a most eligible man and no mistake ! But what a mystic he is ! Half of what he said is Greek to me."
"One has to diagnose the case before one can prescribe the medicine that the patient needs," returned Akshay. "Hemamalini is suffering from a delusion about Ramesh and it requires a mystic to arouse her from it. Did you look at her face while the fellow was spouting ?"
Jogendra was convinced that Hemamalini heard the lecture with such a great attention that she appreciated the lecture and she would be prepared to bestow her hand on the lecturer.
"I tell you Jogen," remarked Akshay, "if you produce any one else Hemamalini will contrast him with Ramesh and he won't come well out of the comparison. Now Nalinaksha is not like an ordinary person-it would never occur to one to compare him with any one else. If you can invent some pretext for bringing Nalinaksha here and introducing him to her she'll she will suspect nothing. Then from respectful admiration to an engagement the transition will be gradual and easy."
"See Akshay, " came out Jogendra, "at the outset I'm not greatly impressed by the fellow. The fact of the matter is, I find Nalinaksha a trifle mysterious. I'm nervous of dealing with that kind of person. It may be a case of 'out of the frying-pan into the fire."
Akshay gave a lecture to Jogedra to prepare him for the task :
"Well, old man, if you get burnt it'll be your own fault. You tremble at a shadow these days. Where Ramesh was concerned you people were blind from the start. You thought the world of Ramesh-he was incapable of deceit, the greatest philosopher since Sankaracharya, the most gifted writer of the century, and so on. Personally, I never took to Ramesh ; I've seen lots like him in my time, people with the loftiest ideals. But I never dared open my mouth ; you wouldn't have believed that a worthless incompetent like myself could have any motive but jealousy in criticizing such a genius. I dare say you realize by this time that these supermen are best worshiped from afar ; it's hardly safe to betroth one's sister to them. However, to return to the main issue, remember the Sanskrit proverb, 'One thorn drives out another'. What I propose is the only course open to us at present, and you mustn't cavil at it."
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