Utterly amazed, Kamala made Chakrabartti a profound reverence. It was a moment or two before he found his voice, and then he had no consciousness of what he said or where he laid his hookah.
At last he took her by the chin and raised her shrinking face saying, "My little girl has come back to me. Come upstairs at once, dear" ; and he called, "Saila ! Saila! Come and see who's here !"
Sailaja rushed out of her room on to the upper verandah and stood at the head of the stairs, while Kamala prostrated herself before her, touching her feet. Sailaja hastened to clasp the truant to her heart and kissed her on the forehead.
The tears coursed down her cheeks as she ejaculated, "My dear ! My dear ! To go and leave us like that ! Didn't you know we'd be heartbroken ?"
"Never mind about that, Saila," said Uncle ; "you had better see about some breakfast for her."
At that moment Umi dashed out, waving her arms and shrieking in delight :
"Auntie ! Auntie !"
Kamala snatched her up in her arms, hugged her to her breast, and smothered her in kisses. The sight of Kamala's dischevelled looks and mean attire distressed Sailaja, and she drew her away to attend to her toilet, giving her a bath and her own best clothes to wear.
"I don't suppose you slept well last night," she remarked. "Look how sunken your eyes are. You had better go to bed while I get ready your breakfast."
"No thank you, didi. I'd rather go to the kitchen with you myself," and the two friends went off together to their cooking-pots.
When Uncle had resolved to follow Akshay's advice and prepared to start for Benares, Sailaja had insisted that she must accompany him.
"But Bipin hasn't got his holidays yet," protested Uncle.
"That doesn't matter ; I'll go without him. Mother's here, and she'll make him quite comfortable" ; it was the first time that Sailaja had voluntarily undergone separation from her husband. She accompanied her father on the journey.
Alighting at Benares they espied Umesh also descending from the train and both asked him what he meant by coming too. It appeared that his motive was same as their own, but Umesh was now an indispensable adjunct to the Ghazipur household and the lady of the house would be seriously annoyed at his disappearance. Father and daughter accordingly united their efforts to prevail on him to return and at last succeeded in doing so. The fact is, finding life at Ghazipur intolerable without Kamala, Umesh had seized his opportunity one morning when he had been sent to make purchases in the market. He had made off with the money entrusted to him and crossed the Ganges to the railway station. Uncle had been furious when he heard of his this escapade, but, as events turned out, the culprit hardly deserved his strictures.
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