Nalinaksha had never visited them so early in the morning and Hemamalini glanced up expectantly at his face. He explained that he had just heard from Benares that his mother was ill ; he would have to leave Calcutta by the night train, and as the whole day would be taken up with preparations for the journey he had come thus early to bid them farewell.
"I'm greatly distressed to hear of your mother's illness," said Annada Babu. "May Heaven soon restore her to health. I shall never be able to repay you for all the help you have given us during the past weeks."
"It's I who am in your debt, I assure you," Nalinaksha replied. "You showed true neighborly feeling in the trouble that you took to make me comfortable next door. Moreover your earnestness has given a new meaning to the profound problems on which I have been meditating some time past. Your manner of life has been an inspiration to me in my speculations and my devotions and has made them appear doubly efficacious. The benefit to be derived from communion with fellow-creatures who share the same aspirations has been brought home to me."
"Nalin Babu ! Before we knew you, we stood in sore need of something that we could not define. At this juncture you suddenly appeared on the scene and I realized that your help was indispensable. As soon as we heard from Jogen, it was in the nature of miracle that Hem, who never shared the craze for attending and listening to speeches, accepted to the meeting of you without the slightest demur-quite an unprecedented thing, I assure you ! What had happened then was in the nature of a miracle. We are greatly in debt."
"Let me tell you something in my turn," replied Nalinaksha, "I have never disclosed the intimate facts of life to any one but yourselves. To reach the highest pitch of truthfulness one must lay bare all secrets and it is your help that has enabled me to comply with this insistent requirement. Accordingly you have been indispensable to me."
Hemamalini, though took no part in the conversation, sat in silent contemplation till Nalinaksha was about to take leave and simply said, "Be sure to let us know how your mother is," and as he rose to depart she prostrated herself before him.
Akshay had given the house a wide berth of late, but, after Nalinaksha's departure for Benares, Jogendra brought him to tea again. Akshay hoped to gauge from Hemamalini's behavior to what extent the memory Ramesh still obsessed her thoughts,but as a matter of fact she appeared perfectly at ease.
"We have seen very little of you lately," she remarked with unaffected friendliness.
"Do you think I'm worth seeing every day ?" he retorted.
"Well, " laughed Hemamalini, "If you really think one shouldn't pay calls unless one is worth seeing many of us would have to spend our days in solitude !" She poured out a cup of tea for each one of the three including her father.
"Aren't you going to have any tea ?" asked her brother.
Hemamalini knew that she must expect a scolding from Jogendra, but she answered with a perfect composure, "No, I've given up tea."
"So you've turned ascetic in right earnest. Tea-leaves don't contain enough of true spiritual essence, I suppose ? This really is the limit ! Never mind if drinking a cup of tea does interrupt your penance. The most lasting things don't endure for long, so why make fuss about trifles" ; and he poured out another cup and placed it before Hemamalini.
Leaving it untouched, she exclaimed,"Why, dad, you've taken nothing with your tea ! Won't you eat anything ?"
Annada Babu's voice and hands trembled with anger as he replied, "Believe me, dear, If I tried to eat anything now it would choke me. I've been trying for a long time to submit in silence to Jogen's rudeness and I'm reduced to such a state that, if I spoke, I should say something in the heat of the moment for which I should be sorry afterwards."
No comments:
Post a Comment