Akshay and Uncle departed,leaving Annada Babu anxiously scanning his daughters face. Hemamalini on her part had a tremendous struggle to retain her composure, knowing, as she did, her father's fears on her behalf.
Dad," she said at length, "I think you should get a doctor to examine you thoroughly to-day. So little upsets your health now-a-days that you obviously need regular treatment.
To find that, after Ramesh's conduct had been so fully canvassed, Hemamalini was still capable of solicitude about his health gave him considerable relief.
"That's a good idea. It would be just as well if I did have myself examined. I had better send for Dr. Nalinaksha at once, don't you think so ?" he replied.
Hemamalini was conscious was of a slight shrinking at the mention of Nalinaksha. It would require a considerable effort to meet him on the old footing in her father's presence. However, she answered cheerfully, "That will be best. I'll send some one to fetch him."
Annada Babu now took courage from Hemamalini's apparent insensibility and broached the thorny subject.
"By the way, Hem," he began, "about this affair of Ramesh--" but Hemamalini cut him short.
"The sun is too hot for you now , dad ; you must come inside immediately" ; and she took his arm and drew him into the house.
"Now you read your news paper, I must leave you for a little," and she left installing him in an armchair.
Though he strove to comply with Hemamalini's dictates the anxiety for his daughter prevented him from concentrating on the news paper, and at last he laid it aside and went in search of her. Finding her door was closed he retreated to the verandah and collapsed wearily into his chair.
Dr.Nalinaksha arrived and examined Annada Babu. He prescribed a course of treatment for the old man and asked Hem if the patient had been worrying over anything. Hem answered with a qualified affirmative.
"If possible," said Nalinaksha, "he should be kept free from all anxiety. I find the same difficulty with my own mother. She takes trifling matters so much to heart that it is not easy to keep her in good health. I try to shield her from anything that might excite her, but the world being what it is, it is hardly possible to do so altogether."
"You're not looking perfectly fit yourself to-day," remarked Hemamalini.
"Oh, I'm perfectly well ! I'm practically never out of sorts. I sat up for part of the night and probably explains why I am not looking my best."
"It would be better if your mother had a woman in constant attendance on her. You can't nurse her properly by yourself and you have your work to do besides," suggested she.
Hemamalini had spoken without any thought of herself and there was no gainsaying the appositeness of her remark, but no sooner had she uttered the words than she blushed crimson with shame ; for it suddenly struck her that Nalinaksha might draw some inference from what she had said. He, too, when he noticed her confusion, was irresistibly reminded of his mother's proposal.
Hemamalini hastened to cover her indiscretion by adding, "Shouldn't she have a maid- servant to wait on her ?"
"I've tried to persuade her to engage a woman," said Nalinaksha, "but so far without success. She is very scrupulous about ceremonial purity and she could not trust a paid servant to be as particular as she is herself. Moreover she has an instinctive dislike to accepting any service that is not entirely voluntary."
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