After breakfast Nalinaksha retired for his usual spell of quiet reading. In the afternoon Kshemankari took Kamala in hand, dressed her hair for her and put vermilion on the parting ; then she turned her head this way and that to study the effect.
"Ah !" sighed Kshemankari to herself, "if only I had a daughter-in -law like her !"
That night the old lady had another attack of fever, greatly to Nalinaksha's distress. He attended to her and gave her suitable advises for the relief from the sufferings and retired in to the next room. Kamala seated herself at her bedside after Nalinaksha left the room and began to massage Kshemankari's feet.
"You must have been my mother in some former existence, dear !" said the old lady, "otherwise what have I done to deserve you ? You know I'm so constituted that I cannot bear to be waited on by a stranger, but your touch seems to give me strength. I feel as if I had known you for years ; I can't look on you as a stranger at all. Now please do as I say ; you go straight off to bed. One of Nalin's virtue is that he can sit up all night and undergo all sorts of discomfort and never show any sign of what he has been through. He always takes things calmly. You may be thinking that I'm talking too much about Nalin, but he is my son, dear, and not many mothers have a son like him. Be off to bed, dear, I'll never be able to stop talking if you are with me here and I can't sleep."
Next day Kamala took entire charge of the house work. Umesh was present there early in the morning ; Kamala took him to kshemakari and introduced him as Umesh, the servant of her uncle and had come to see Kamala. Umesh made a low bow to Kshemankari.
The old lady was pleased to see him with due reverence showed by him, "Who gave you such a lovely waistcloth, Umesh ?" inquired laughingly.
"Mother gave it to me," said Umesh, indicating Kamala.
Kshemankari looked at Kamala and smiled as she remarked, "It's my belief that Umesh got it as a present from his mother-in-law."
So Umesh found favor with Kshemankari and became a member of the household.
In the afternoon Kamala was sitting at Kshemankari's bedside massaging the old lady's feet when Hemamalini came into the room with a bunch of flowers and prostrated herself before Kshemankari.
"Come in, Hem," said the old lady, sitting up, "come and sit down. Is Annada Babu quite well ?"
"He was not very well yesterday ; that's why he couldn't come here. He's better to-day."
Kshemankari now proceeded to introduce Kamala. "Do you know, dear," she said, "my mother died when I was a child. She has come to life again after all these years and I met her suddenly on the road yesterday. My mother's name was Harithbhagini and now she has taken the name of Haridasi. Did you ever see such a little beauty, though, Hem ! Just tell me now !"
Kamala hung her head in shame and it was some time before she felt at ease in Hemamalini's presence.
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