Knowing the helpless state of Kamala Nabinkali started imagining to woo her and exploit by contriving with sympathy, she started saying:
"We don't need ourselves and we brought our own Brahman servants up-country with us. Moreover we can't employ any one who has no qualification save that of being a Brahman. My husband mustn't have his meals served up anyhow. One can't have a good man under fourteen rupees a month, and he wants his food and clothes besides. Still,here you are, a Brahman girl and in a difficulty ; so perhaps you had better come along with us after all. We have such a number of mouths to feed and such a lot of stuff is thrown away, one more won't make any difference. You won't find the work too heavy for you. There's only my husband and myself at home now. I've got all daughters off my hands now and they've married well too. We've only one son and he's a magistrate stationed at Serajganj just now. I know it's not many people who have the luck to get such a good position. We had a letter from Governor appointing him two months back."
They reached Benares in a few hours. The whole party repaired to a two-storied house standing in a small garden on the outskirts of the city. There was no sign there of the fourteen-rupee Brahman cook. One of the servants was a Brahman, it is true, but he hailed from Orissa, and Uriya labour is notoriously cheapest in north-eastern India. Moreover, a few days after Kamala's arrival Nabinkali dismissed him without paying his wages, in a sudden explosion of wrath. The difficulty of finding another cook on fourteen rupees a month proving insurmountable, Kamala had to assume entire charge of the kitchen.
Nabinkali was not sparing of good advice.
"You must know, my dear," she would admonish Kamala, "Benares city is a bad place for young girls like you. You must never set foot outside the compound alone. When I go to bathe in the Ganges or to worship the Bisweswar image I'll take you alone with me.
She took careful precautions lest Kamala should escape from her clutches. The girl had practically no opportunity of meeting companions of her own sex and race. Household duties took up her whole day, and in the evening Nabinkali would discourse on the wealth of ornaments and jewellery, the gold and silver plate, and the rich brocades which fear of thieves had deterred her from bringing to Benares."I prefer putting up with hardships for the time being, though we have a huge house and a host of servants, more than I can count, but we can't lug two or three dozen people about with us. My husband suggested renting an extra house near this one, but I said 'No' I couldn't stand that. It's a good opportunityto have a little peace here. I should have no rest day or night if we had more servants and rooms to look after," and so on ad nauseam.
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