Kshemankari expressed her confidence of Nalin agreeing for this proposal of marrying Hemamalini to Annada Babu as he wouldn't say 'no' to what his mother tells him.
Annada Babu went home elated, and he lost no time in sending for Hem.
"My dear," he commenced, "I'm an old man and my health is far from good, but unless I see you settled first I cannot end my days in peace. You must allow me to be quite frank with you, Hem. You have no mother and I feel entirely responsible for you."
Hemamalini stared at her father, wondering what was coming.
"I'm so delighted at the prospect of this match, dear," he went on, "that I can't contain myself any longer. My one fear is that something may happen to prevent it. It's this, dear : Nalinaksha's mother has this evening made a proposal of marriage to you on her son's behalf."
Hemamalini blushed and faltered, "Why, really, dad ! It's quite impossible."
She was overcome with confusion when her father sprang this proposal on her, for she had never thought of Nalinaksha as a possible husband.
"Why is it impossible ?" asked Annada Babu.
"Nalinaksha !" exclaimed Hemamalini, "how could it be possible ?"
It was hardly a logical answer, but it was infinitely more conclusive than any logic. Annada Babu's hopes were dashed ; this opposition was a thing that he had not anticipated. He had confidently assumed that his daughter would be delighted at the prospects of marrying Nalinaksha. Stunned by his disappointment the old man mused over the insoluble riddle of the feminine temperament, and not for the first time lamented that Hemamalini had no mother.
Hemamalini went out into the verandah and sat herself in darkness for a while and at last glanced into the room. At the sight of her father's disconsolate face she hurried indoors and persuaded her father for supper.
Annada Babu rose mechanically and made for the supper-room, but he had little appetite for food. Hemamalini's rejection of the proposal had been a bitter disappointment to him. "So Hem has not been able to forget Ramesh after all," he sighed to himself, and silently departed to bed.
Hemamalini had sternly resolved to exclude all thought of Ramesh from her mind lest she should be tempted to swerve from her duty, and this self-denying ordinance had cost her many a hard mental struggle. She had never been able definitely to map out her future course of conduct. When she finally determined to regard Nalinaksha as her spiritual preceptor and to order her life according to his teaching, she supposed that her object was attained. But when this marriage was proposed and she essayed to root out the old love from its lurking-place in the innermost recesses of her heart she realized how ineradicable it really was. A threat to sever the old attachment was enough to make Hemamalini cling to it in her despair more resolutely than ever.
No comments:
Post a Comment