Kalipada's mother was Rashmani, but she had to do the duty of the father as well, because when both of the parents are "mother" then it is bad for the child. Bhavani, her husband, was wholly incapable1 of keeping his children under discipline. To know why he was bent2 on spoiling his son, you must hear something of the former history of the family.
Bhavani was born in the famous house of Saniari. His father, Abhaya Charan, had a son, Shyama Charan, by his first wife. When he married again after her death he had himself passed the marriageable age, and his new father-in-law took advantage of the weakness of his position to have a special portion of his estate settled on his daughter. In this way he was satisfied that proper provision had been made, if his daughter should become a widow early in life. She would be independent of the charity of Shyama Charan. [Pg 152]
The first part of his anticipation3 came true. For very soon after the birth of a son, whom she called Bhavani, Abhaya Charan died. It gave the father-in-law great peace and consolation4, as he looked forward to his own death, to know that his daughter was properly looked after.
Shyama Charan was quite grown up. In fact his own eldest5 boy was a year older than Bhavani. He brought up the latter with his own son. In doing this he never took a farthing from the property allotted6 to his step-mother, and every year he got a receipt from her after submitting detailed7 accounts. His honesty in this affair surprised the neighbourhood. In fact they thought that such honesty was another name for foolishness. They did not like the idea of a division being made in the undivided ancestral property. If Shyama Charan in some underhand manner had been able to annul8 the dowry, his neighbours would have admired his sagacity; and there were good advisers9 ready to hand who could have rendered him material aid in the attainment10 of such an object. But Shyama Charan, in spite of the risk of crippling his patrimony11, strictly12 set aside the dowry which came to the share of his step-mother; and the widow, Vraja Sundari, being naturally affectionate and trustful, had every confidence in Shyama Charan whom she trusted as her own son. [Pg 153] More than once she had chided him for being so particular about her portion of the property. She would tell him that, as she was not going to take her property with her when she died, and as it would in any case revert13 to the family, it was not necessary to be so very strict about rendering14 accounts. But he never listened to her.
Shyama Charan was a severe disciplinarian by habit and his children were perfectly15 aware of the fact. But Bhavani had every possible freedom, and this gave rise to the impression that he was more partial to his step-brother than to his own sons. But Bhavani's education was sadly neglected and he completely relied on Shyama Charan for the management of his share of the property. He merely had to sign documents occasionally without ever spending a thought on their contents. On the other hand, Tarapada, the eldest son of Shyama Charan, was quite an expert in the management of the estate, having to act as an assistant to his father.
After the death of Shyama Charan, Tarapada said to Bhavani, "Uncle, we must not live together as we have done for so long, because some trifling17 misunderstanding may come at any moment and cause utter disruption."
Bhavani never imagined, even in his dream, that a day might come when he would have to manage [Pg 154] his own affairs. The world in which he had been born and bred ever appeared to him complete and entire in itself. It was an incomprehensible calamity18 to him that there could be a dividing line somewhere and that this world of his could be split into two. When he found that Tarapada was immovable and indifferent to the grief and dishonour19 that such a step would bring to the family, he began to rack his brain to find out how the property could be divided with the least possible strain.
Tarapada showed surprise at his uncle's anxiety and said that there was no need to trouble about this, because the division had already been made in the life-time of his grandfather. Bhavani said in amazement20, "But I know nothing of this!" Tarapada said in answer, "Then you must be the only one in the whole neighbourhood who does not. For, lest there should be ruinous litigation after he had gone, my grandfather had already given a portion of the property to your mother." Bhavani thought this not unlikely and asked, "What about the house?" Tarapada said, "If you wish, you can keep this house to yourself and we shall be contented22 with the other house in the district town."
As Bhavani had never been to this town-house, he had neither knowledge of it, nor affection for it. He was astounded23 at the magnanimity of Tarapada [Pg 155] for so easily relinquishing24 his right to the house in the village where they had been brought up. But when Bhavani told everything to his mother, she struck her forehead with her hand and said: "This is preposterous25! What I got from my husband was my own dowry and its income is very small. I do not see why you should be deprived of your share in your father's property."
Bhavani said, "Tarapada is quite positive that his grandfather never gave us any thing except this land."
Vraja Sundari was astonished and informed her son that her husband had made two copies of his will, one of which was still lying in her own box. The box was opened and it was found that there was only the deed of gift for the property belonging to the mother and nothing else. The copy of the will had been taken out.
The help of advisers was sought. The man who came to their rescue was Bagala, the son of their family guru. It was the profession of the father to look after the spiritual needs of the village; the material side was left to the son. The two of them had divided between themselves the other world and this. Whatever might be the result for others, they themselves had nothing to suffer from this division. Bagala said that, even if the will was missing, the [Pg 156] shares in the ancestral property must be equal, as between the brothers.
Just at this time, a copy of a will made its appearance supporting the claims of the other side. In this document there was no mention of Bhavani and the whole property was given to the grandsons at the time when no son was born to Bhavani. With Bagala as his captain Bhavani set out on his voyage across the perilous26 sea of litigation. When his vessel27 at last reached harbour his funds were nearly exhausted28 and the ancestral property was in the hands of the other party. The land which was given to his mother had dwindled29 to such an extent, that it could barely give them shelter, or keep up the family dignity. Then Tarapada went away to the district town and they never met again.
II
Shyama Charan's treachery pierced the heart of the widow like an assassin's knife. To the end of her life, almost every day she would heave a sigh and say that God would never suffer such an injustice30 to be done. She was quite firm in her faith when she said to Bhavani, "I do not know your law or your law courts, but I am certain that my husband's true will and testament31 will someday be recovered. You will find it again." [Pg 157]
Because Bhavani was helpless in worldly matters such assurances as these gave him great consolation. He settled down in his inactivity, certain in his own mind that his pious32 mother's prophecy could never remain unfulfilled. After his mother's death his faith became all the stronger, since the memory of her piety33 acquired greater radiance through death's mystery. He felt quite unconcerned about the stress of their poverty which became more and more formidable as the years went by. The necessities of life and the maintenance of family traditions,—these seemed to him like play acting34 on a temporary stage, not real things. When his former expensive clothing was outworn and he had to buy cheap materials in the shop, this amused him almost like a joke. He smiled and said to himself,—"These people do not know that this is only a passing phase of my fortune. Their surprise will be all the greater, when some day I shall celebrate the Puja Festival with unwonted magnificence."
This certainty of future prodigality36 was so clear to his mind's eye that present penury37 escaped his attention. His servant, Noto, was the principal companion with whom he had discussions about these things. They used to have animated38 conversations, in which sometimes his opinion differed from his master's, as to the propriety39 of bringing down a [Pg 158] theatrical40 troupe41 from Calcutta for these future occasions. Noto used to get reprimands from Bhavani for his natural miserliness in these items of future expenditure42.
While Bhavani's one anxiety was about the absence of an heir, who could inherit his vast possible wealth, a son was born to him. The horoscope plainly indicated that the lost property would come back to this boy.
From the time of the birth of his son, Bhavani's attitude was changed. It became cruelly difficult for him now to bear his poverty with his old amused equanimity43, because he felt that he had a duty towards this new representative of the illustrious house of Saniari, who had such a glorious future before him. That the traditional extravagance could not be maintained on the occasion of the birth of his child gave him the keenest sorrow. He felt as if he were cheating his own son. So he compensated44 his boy with an inordinate45 amount of spoiling.
Bhavani's wife, Rashmani, had a different temperament46 from her husband. She never felt any anxiety about the family traditions of the Chowdhuris of Saniari. Bhavani was quite aware of the fact and indulgently smiled to himself, as though nothing better could be expected from a woman who came [Pg 159] from a Vaishnava family of very humble47 lineage. Rashmani frankly48 acknowledged that she could not share the family sentiments: what concerned her most was the welfare of her own child.
There was hardly an acquaintance in the neighbourhood with whom Bhavani did not discuss the question of the lost will; but he never spoke49 a word about it to his wife. Once or twice he had tried, but her perfect unconcern had made him drop the subject. She neither paid attention to the past greatness of the family, nor to its future glories,—she kept her mind busy with the actual necessities of the present, and those necessities were not small in number or quality.
When the Goddess of Fortune deserts a house, she usually leaves some of her burdens behind, and this ancient family was still encumbered50 with its host of dependents, though its own shelter was nearly crumbling51 to dust. These parasites52 take it to be an insult if they are asked to do any service. They get head-aches at the least touch of the kitchen smoke. They are visited with sudden rheumatism53 the moment they are asked to run errands. Therefore all the responsibilities of maintaining the family were laid upon Rashmani herself. Women lose their delicacy54 of refinement55, when they are compelled [Pg 160] night and day to haggle56 with their destiny over things which are pitifully small, and for this they are blamed by those for whom they toil58.
Besides her household affairs Rashmani had to keep all the accounts of the little landed property which remained and also to make arrangements for collecting rents. Never before was the estate managed with such strictness. Bhavani had been quite incapable of collecting his dues: Rashmani never made any remission of the least fraction of rent. The tenants59, and even her own agents, reviled60 her behind her back for the meanness of the family from which she came. Even her husband occasionally used to enter his protest against the harsh economy which went against the grain of the world-famed house of Saniari.
Rashmani quite ungrudgingly took the blame of all this upon herself and openly confessed the poverty of her parents. Tying the end of her sari tightly round her waist she went on with her household duties in her own vigorous fashion and made herself thoroughly61 disagreeable both to the inmates62 of the house and to her neighbours. But nobody ever had the courage to interfere63. Only one thing she carefully avoided. She never asked her husband to help her in any work and she was nervously64 afraid of his taking up any responsibilities. Indeed she was [Pg 161] always furiously engaged in keeping her husband idle; and because he had received the best possible training in this direction she was wholly successful in her mission.
Rashmani had attained66 middle age before her son came. Up to this time all the pent-up tenderness of the mother in her and all the love of the wife had their centre of devotion in this simple-hearted good-for-nothing husband. Bhavani was a child grown up by mistake beyond its natural age. This was the reason why, after the death of her husband's mother, she had to assume the position of mother and mistress in one.
In order to protect her husband from invasions of Bagala, the son of the guru, and other calamities67, Rashmani adopted such a stern demeanour, that the companions of her husband used to be terribly afraid of her. She never had the opportunity, which a woman usually has, of keeping her fierceness hidden and of softening68 the keen edge of her words,—maintaining a dignified69 reserve towards men such as is proper for a woman.
Bhavani meekly70 accepted his wife's authority with regard to himself, but it became extremely hard for him to obey her when it related to Kalipada, his son. The reason was, that Rashmani never regarded Bhavani's son from the point of view of [Pg 162] Bhavani himself. In her heart she pitied her husband and said, "Poor man, it was no fault of his, but his misfortune, to be born into a rich family." That is why she never could expect her husband to be deprived of any comfort to which he had been accustomed. Whatever might be the condition of the household finance, she tried hard to keep him in his habitual71 ease and luxury. Under her régime all expense was strictly limited except in the case of Bhavani. She would never allow him to notice if some inevitable72 gap occurred in the preparation of his meals or his apparel. She would blame some imaginary dog for spoiling dishes that were never made and would blame herself for her carelessness. She would attack Noto for letting some fictitious73 article of dress be stolen or lost. This had the usual effect of rousing Bhavani's sympathy on behalf of his favourite servant and he would take up his defence. Indeed it had often happened that Bhavani had confessed with bare-faced shamelessness that he had used the dress which had never been bought, and for whose loss Noto was blamed; but what happened afterwards, he had not the power to invent and was obliged to rely upon the fertile imagination of his wife who was also the accuser!
Thus Rashmani treated her husband, but she never put her son in the same category. For he was [Pg 163] her own child and why should he be allowed to give himself airs? Kalipada had to be content for his breakfast with a few handfuls of puffed74 rice and some treacle75. During the cold weather he had to wrap his body as well as his head with a thick rough cotton chaddar. She would call his teacher before her and warn him never to spare her boy, if he was the least neglectful with his lessons. This treatment of his own son was the hardest blow that Bhavani Charan suffered since the days of his destitution76. But as he had always acknowledged defeat at the hands of the powerful, he had not the spirit to stand up against his wife in her method of dealing77 with the boy.
The dress which Rashmani provided for her son, during the Puja festivities, was made of such poor material that in former days the very servants of the house would have rebelled if it had been offered to them. But Rashmani more than once tried her best to explain to her husband that Kalipada, being the most recent addition to the Chowdhuri family, had never known their former splendour and so was quite glad to get what was given to him. But this pathetic innocence78 of the boy about his own destiny hurt Bhavani more than anything else, and he could not forgive himself for deceiving the child. When Kalipada would dance for joy and rush to him to [Pg 164] show him some present from his mother, which was ridiculously trivial, Bhavani's heart would suffer torture.
Bagala, the guru's son, was now in an affluent79 condition owing to his agency in the law suit which had brought about the ruin of Bhavani. With the money which he had in hand he used to buy cheap tinsel wares80 from Calcutta before the Puja holidays. Invisible ink,—absurd combinations of stick, fishing-rod and umbrella,—letter-paper with pictures in the corner,—silk fabrics81 bought at auctions82, and other things of this kind, attractive to the simple villagers,—these were his stock in trade. All the forward young men of the village vied with one another in rising above their rusticity84 by purchasing these sweepings86 of the Calcutta market which, they were told, were absolutely necessary for the city gentry87.
Once Bagala had bought a wonderful toy,—a doll in the form of a foreign woman,—which, when wound up, would rise from her chair and begin to fan herself with sudden alacrity88. Kalipada was fascinated by it. He had a very good reason to avoid asking his mother about the toy; so he went straight to his father and begged him to purchase it for him. Bhavani answered "yes" at once, but when he heard the price his face fell. Rashmani kept all the money and he went to her as a timid [Pg 165] beggar. He began with all sorts of irrelevant89 remarks and then took a desperate plunge90 into the subject with startling incoherence.
Rashmani briefly93 remarked: "Are you mad?" Bhavani Charan sat silent revolving94 in his mind what to say next.
"Look here," he exclaimed, "I don't think I need milk pudding daily with my dinner."
"Who told you?" said Rashmani sharply.
"The doctor says it's very bad for biliousness95."
"The doctor's a fool!"
"But I'm sure that rice agrees with me better than your luchis. They are too indigestible."
"I've never seen the least sign of indigestion in you. You have been accustomed to them all your life!"
Bhavani Charan was ready enough to make sacrifices, but there his passage was barred. Butter might rise in price, but the number of his luchis never diminished. Milk was quite enough for him at his midday meal, but curds97 also had to be supplied because that was the family tradition. Rashmani could not have borne seeing him sit down to his meal, if curds were not supplied. Therefore all his attempts to make a breach98 in his daily provisions, through which the fanning foreign woman might enter, were an utter failure. [Pg 166]
Then Bhavani paid a visit to Bagala for no reason whatever, and after a great deal of round about talk asked concerning the foreign doll. Of course his straightened circumstances had long been known to Bagala, yet it was a perfect misery99 to Bhavani to have to hesitate to buy this doll for his son owing to want of ready money. Swallowing his pride, he brought out from under his arm an expensive old Kashmir shawl, and said in a husky voice: "My circumstances are bad just at present and I haven100't got much cash. So I have determined101 to mortgage this shawl and buy that doll for Kalipada."
If the object offered had been less expensive than this Kashmir shawl, Bagala would at once have closed the bargain. But knowing that it would not be possible for him to take possession of this shawl in face of the village opinion, and still more in face of Rashmani's watchfulness103, he refused to accept it; and Bhavani had to go back home disappointed with the Kashmir shawl hidden under his arm.
Kalipada asked every day for that foreign fanning toy, and Bhavani smiled every day and said,—"Wait, a bit, my boy, till the seventh day of the moon comes round." But every new day it became more and more difficult to keep up that smile.
On the fourth day of the moon Bhavani made a sudden inroad upon his wife and said: [Pg 167]
"I've noticed that there's something wrong with Kalipada,—something the matter with his health."
"Nonsense," said Rashmani, "he's in the best of health."
"Haven't you noticed him sitting silent for hours together?"
"I should be very greatly relieved if he could sit still for as many minutes."
When all his arrows had missed their mark, and no impression had been made, Bhavani Charan heaved a deep sigh and passing his fingers through his hair went away and sat down on the verandah and began to smoke with fearful assiduity.
On the fifth day, at his morning meal, Bhavani passed by the curds and the milk pudding without touching104 them. In the evening he simply took one single piece of sandesh. The luchis were left unheeded. He complained of want of appetite. This time a considerable breach was made in the fortifications.
On the sixth day, Rashmani took Kalipada into the room and sweetly calling him by his pet name said, "Betu, you are old enough to know that it is the halfway105 house to stealing to desire that which you can't have."
Kalipada whimpered and said, "What do I know about it? Father promised to give me that doll." [Pg 168]
Rashmani sat down to explain to him how much lay behind his father's promise,—how much pain, how much affection, how much loss and privation. Rashmani had never in her life before talked thus to Kalipada, because it was her habit to give short and sharp commands. It filled the boy with amazement when he found his mother coaxing106 him and explaining things at such a length, and mere16 child though he was, he could fathom107 something of the deep suffering of his mother's heart. Yet at the same time it will be easily understood, that it was hard for this boy to turn his mind away altogether from that captivating foreign fanning woman. He pulled a long face and began to scratch the ground.
This made Rashmani's heart at once hard, and she said in her severe tone: "Yes, you may weep and cry, or become angry, but you shall never get that which is not for you to have." And she hastened away without another word.
Kalipada went out. Bhavani Charan was still smoking his hookah. Noticing Kalipada from a distance he got up and walked in the opposite direction as if he had some urgent business. Kalipada ran to him and said,—"But that doll?" Bhavani could not raise a smile that day. He put his arm round Kalipada's neck and said: [Pg 169]
"Baba, wait a little. I have some pressing business to get through. Let me finish it first, and then we will talk about it." Saying this, he went out of his house.
Kalipada saw him brush a tear from his eyes. He stood at the door and watched his father, and it was quite evident, even to this boy, that he was going nowhere in particular, and that he was dragging the weight of a despair which could not be relieved.
Kalipada at once went back to his mother and said:
"Mother, I don't want that foreign doll."
That morning Bhavani Charan returned late. When he sat down to his meal, after his bath, it was quite evident, by the look on his face, that the curds and the milk pudding would fare no better with him than on the day before, and that the best part of the fish would go to the cat.
Just at this critical juncture108 Rashmani brought in a card-board box, bound round with twine109, and set it before her husband. Her intention had been to reveal the mystery of this packet to her husband when he went to take his nap after his meal. But in order to remove the undeserved neglect of the curds and the milk and the fish, she had to disclose its contents before the time. So the foreign doll came [Pg 170] out of the box and without more ado began to fan itself vigorously.
After this, the cat had to go away disappointed. Bhavani remarked to his wife that the cooking was the best he had ever tasted. The fish soup was incomparable: the curds had set themselves with an exactness that was rarely attained, and the milk pudding was superb.
On the seventh day of the moon, Kalipada got the toy for which he had been pining. During the whole of that day he allowed the foreigner to go on fanning herself and thereby110 made his boy companions jealous. In any other case this performance would have seemed to him monotonously111 tiresome112, but knowing that on the following day he would have to give the toy back, his constancy to it on that single occasion remained unabated. At the rental113 of two rupees per diem Rashmani had hired it from Bagala.
On the eighth day of the moon, Kalipada heaved a deep sigh and returned the toy, along with the box and twine, to Bagala with his own hands. From that day forward Kalipada began to share the confidences of his mother, and it became so absurdly easy for Bhavani to give expensive presents every year, that it surprised even himself.
When, with the help of his mother, Kalipada came [Pg 171] to know that nothing in this world could be gained without paying for it with the inevitable price of suffering, he rapidly grew up in his mind and became a valued assistant to his mother in her daily tasks. It come to be a natural rule of life with him that no one should add to the burden of the world, but that each should try to lighten it.
When Kalipada won a scholarship at the Vernacular114 examination, Bhavani proposed that he should give up his studies and take in hand the supervision115 of the estate. Kalipada went to his mother and said,—"I shall never be a man, if I do not complete my education."
The mother said,—"You are right, Baba, you must go to Calcutta."
Kalipada explained to her that it would not be necessary to spend a single pice on him; his scholarship would be sufficient, and he would try to get some work to supplement it.
But it was necessary to convince Bhavani of the wisdom of the course. Rashmani did not wish to employ the argument that there was very little of the estate remaining to require supervision; for she knew how it would hurt him. She said that Kalipada must become a man whom everyone could respect. But all the members of the Chowdhuri family had attained their respectability without ever [Pg 172] going a step outside the limits of Saniari. The outer world was as unknown to them as the world beyond the grave. Bhavani, therefore, could not conceive how anybody could think of a boy like Kalipada going to Calcutta. But the cleverest man in the village, Bagala, fortunately agreed with Rashmani.
"It is perfectly clear," he said, "that, one day, Kalipada will become a lawyer; and then he will set matters right concerning the property of which the family has been deprived."
This was a great consolation to Bhavani Charan and he brought out the file of records about the theft of the will and tried to explain the whole thing to Kalipada by dint116 of daily discussion. But his son was lacking in proper enthusiasm and merely echoed his father's sentiment about this solemn wrong.
The day before Kalipada's departure for Calcutta Rashmani hung round his neck an amulet117 containing some mantras to protect him from evils. She gave him at the same time a fifty-rupee currency note, advising him to keep it for any special emergency. This note, which was the symbol of his mother's numberless daily acts of self-denial, was the truest amulet of all for Kalipada. He determined to keep it by him and never to spend it, whatever might happen. [Pg 173]
III
From this time onward118 the old interminable discussions about the theft of the will became less frequent on the part of Bhavani. His one topic of conversation was the marvellous adventure of Kalipada in search of his education. Kalipada was actually engaged in his studies in the city of Calcutta! Kalipada knew Calcutta as well as the palm of his hand! Kalipada had been the first to hear the great news that another bridge was going to be built over the Ganges near Hughli! The day on which the father received his son's letter, he would go to every house in the village to read it to his neighbours and he would hardly find time even to take his spectacles from his nose. On arriving at a fresh house he would remove them from their case with the utmost deliberation; then he would wipe them carefully with the end of his dhoti; then, word by word, he would slowly read the letter through to one neighbour after another, with something like the following comment:—
"Brother, just listen! What is the world coming to? Even the dogs and the jackals are to cross the holy Ganges without washing the dust from their feet! Who could imagine such a sacrilege?"
No doubt it was very deplorable; but all the same [Pg 174] it gave Bhavani Charan a peculiar119 pleasure to communicate at first hand such important news from his own son's letter, and this more than compensated for the spiritual disaster which must surely overtake the numberless creatures of this present age. To everyone he met he solemnly nodded his head and prophesied120 that the days were soon coming when Mother Ganges would disappear altogether; all the while cherishing the hope that the news of such a momentous121 event would come to him by letter from his own son in the proper time.
Kalipada, with very great difficulty, scraped together just enough money to pay his expenses till he passed his Matriculation and again won a scholarship. Bhavani at once made up his mind to invite all the village to a feast, for he imagined that his son's good ship of fortune had now reached its haven and there would be no more occasion for economy. But he received no encouragement from Rashmani.
Kalipada was fortunate enough to secure a place of study in a students' lodging122 house near his college. The proprietor123 allowed him to occupy a small room on the ground floor which was absolutely useless for other lodgers124. In exchange for this and his board, he had to coach the son of the owner of the house. The one great advantage was that there [Pg 175] would be no chance of any fellow lodger125 ever sharing his quarters. So, although ventilation was lacking, his studies were uninterrupted.
Those of the students who paid their rent and lived in the upper story had no concern with Kalipada; but soon it became painfully evident that those who are up above have the power to hurl126 missiles at those below with all the more deadly force because of their distance. The leader of those above was Sailen.
Sailen was the scion127 of a rich family. It was unnecessary for him to live in a students' mess, but he successfully convinced his guardians128 that this would be best for his studies. The real reason was that Sailen was naturally fond of company, and the students' lodging house was an ideal place where he could have all the pleasure of companionship without any of its responsibilities. It was the firm conviction of Sailen that he was a good fellow and a man of feeling. The advantage of harbouring such a conviction was that it needed no proof in practice. Vanity is not like a horse or an elephant requiring expensive fodder129.
Nevertheless, as Sailen had plenty of money he did not allow his vanity merely to graze at large; he took special pride in keeping it stall-fed. It must be said to his credit that he had a genuine desire [Pg 176] to help people in their need, but the desire in him was of such a character, that if a man in difficulty refused to come to him for help, he would turn round on him and do his best to add to his trouble. His mess mates had their tickets for the theatre bought for them by Sailen, and it cost them nothing to have occasional feasts. They could borrow money from him without meaning to pay it back. When a newly married youth was in doubt about the choice of some gift for his wife, he could fully57 rely on Sailen's good taste in the matter. On these occasions the love-lorn youth would take Sailen to the shop and pretend to select the cheapest and least suitable presents: then Sailen, with a contemptuous laugh would intervene and select the right thing. At the mention of the price the young husband would pull a long face, but Sailen would always be ready to abide130 by his own superior choice and to pay the cost.
In this manner Sailen became the acknowledged patron of the students upstairs. It made him intolerant of the insolence131 of any one who refused to accept his help. Indeed, to help others in this way had become his hobby.
Kalipada, in his tattered132 jersey133, used to sit on a dirty mat in his damp room below and recite his lessons, swinging himself from side to side to the [Pg 177] rhythm of the sentence. It was a sheer necessity for him to get that scholarship next year.
Kalipada's mother had made him promise, before he left home for Calcutta that he would avoid the company of rich young men. Therefore he bore the burden of his indigence134 alone, strictly keeping himself from those who had been more favoured by fortune. But to Sailen, it seemed a sheer impertinence that a student as poor as Kalipada should yet have the pride to keep away from his patronage135. Besides this, in his food and dress and everything, Kalipada's poverty was so blatantly136 exposed, it hurt Sailen's sense of decency137. Every time he looked down into Kalipada's room, he was offended by the sight of the cheap clothing, the dingy138 mosquito net and the tattered bedding. Whenever he passed on his way to his own room in the upper story the sight of these things was unavoidable. To crown it all there was that absurd amulet which Kalipada always had hanging round his neck, and those daily rites139 of devotion which were so ridiculously out of fashion!
One day Sailen and his followers140 condescended141 to invite Kalipada to a feast, thinking that his gratitude142 would know no bounds. But Kalipada sent an answer saying that his habits were different and it would not be wholesome143 for him to accept the invitation. [Pg 178] Sailen was unaccustomed to such a refusal, and it roused up in him all the ferocity of his insulted benevolence144. For some days after this, the noise on the upper story became so loudly insistent145 that it was impossible for Kalipada to go on with his studies. He was compelled to spend the greater part of his days studying in the Park, and to get up very early and sit down to his work long before it was light.
Owing to his half-starved condition, his mental overwork, and badly-ventilated room, Kalipada began to suffer from continual attacks of headache. There were times when he was obliged to lie down on his bed for three or four days together. But he made no mention of his illness in his letters to his father. Bhavani himself was certain that, just as vegetation grew rank in his village surroundings, so comforts of all kinds sprang up of themselves from the soil of Calcutta. Kalipada never for a moment disabused146 his mind of that misconception. He did not fail to write to his father, even when suffering from one of these paroxysms of pain. The deliberate rowdiness of the students in the upper story added at such times to his distress147.
Kalipada tried to make himself as scarce and small as possible, in order to avoid notice; but this did not bring him relief. One day, he found that a cheap [Pg 179] shoe of his own had been taken away and replaced by an expensive foreign one. It was impossible for him to go to college with such an incongruous pair. He made no complaint, however, but bought some old second-hand148 shoes from the cobbler. One day, a student from the upper story came into his room and asked him:
"Have you, by any mistake, brought away my silver cigarette case with you?"
Kalipada got annoyed and answered:
"I have never been inside your room in my life."
The student stooped down. "Hullo!" he said, "here it is!" And the valuable cigarette case was picked up from the corner of the room.
Kalipada determined to leave this lodging house as soon as ever he had passed his Intermediate Examination, provided only he could get a scholarship to enable him to do so.
Every year the students of the house used to have their annual Saraswati Puja. Though the greater part of the expenses fell to the share of Sailen, every one else contributed according to his means. The year before, they had contemptuously left out Kalipada from the list of contributors; but this year, merely to tease him, they came with their subscription149 book. Kalipada instantly paid five rupees to the fund, though he had no intention of participating [Pg 180] in the feast. His penury had long brought on him the contempt of his fellow lodgers, but this unexpected gift of five rupees became to them insufferable. The Saraswati Puja was performed with great éclat and the five rupees could easily have been spared. It had been hard indeed for Kalipada to part with it. While he took the food given him in his landlord's house he had no control over the time at which it was served. Besides this, since the servants brought him the food, he did not like to criticise150 the dishes. He preferred to provide himself with some extra things; and after the forced extravagance of his five-rupee subscription he had to forgo151 all this and suffered in consequence. His paroxysms of headache became more frequent, and though he passed his examination, he failed to obtain the scholarship that he desired.
The loss of the scholarship drove Kalipada to do extra work as a private tutor and to stick to the same unhealthy room in the lodging house. The students overhead had hoped that they would be relieved of his presence. But punctually to the day the room was unlocked on the lower floor. Kalipada entered, clad in the same old dirty check Parsee coat. A coolie from Sealdah Station took down from his head a steel trunk and other miscellaneous packages and laid them on the floor of the room; and a long [Pg 181] wrangle152 ensued as to the proper amount of pice that were due.
In the depths of those packages there were mango chutnies and other condiments153 which his mother had specially154 prepared. Kalipada was aware that, in his absence, the upper-story students, in search of a jest, did not scruple155 to come into his room by stealth.
He was especially anxious to keep these home gifts from their cruel scrutiny156. As tokens of home affection they were supremely157 precious to him; but to the town students, they denoted merely the boorishness159 of poverty-stricken villagers. The vessels160 were crude and earthen, fastened up by an earthen lid fixed161 on with paste of flour. They were neither glass nor porcelain162, and therefore sure to be regarded with insolent163 disdain164 by rich town-bred people.
Formerly165 Kalipada used to keep these stores hidden under his bed, covering them up with old newspapers. But this time he took the precaution of always locking up his door, even if he went out for a few minutes. This still further roused the spleen of Sailen and his party. It seemed to them preposterous that the room which was poor enough to draw tears from the eyes of the most hardened burglar should be as carefully guarded as if it were a second Bank of Bengal.
"Does he actually believe," they said among themselves, [Pg 182] "that the temptation will be irresistible166 for us to steal that Parsee coat?"
Sailen had never visited this dark and mildewed167 room from which the plaster was dropping. The glimpses that he had taken, while going up-stairs,—especially when, in the evening, Kalipada, the upper part of his body bare, would sit poring over his books with a smoky lamp beside him,—were enough to give him a sense of suffocation168. Sailen asked his boon169 companions to explore the room below and find out the treasure which Kalipada had hidden. Everybody felt intensely amused at the proposal.
The lock on Kalipada's door was a cheap one, which had the magnanimity to lend itself to any key. One evening when Kalipada had gone out to his private tuition, two or three of the students with an exuberant170 sense of humour took a lantern and unlocked the room and entered. It did not need a moment to discover the pots of chutney under the bed, but these hardly seemed valuable enough to demand such watchful102 care on the part of Kalipada. A further search disclosed a key on a ring under the pillow. They opened the steel trunk with the key and found a few soiled clothes, books and writing material. They were about to shut the box in disgust when they saw, at the very bottom, a packet [Pg 183] covered by a dirty handkerchief. On uncovering three or four wrappers they found a currency note of fifty rupees. This made them burst out into peals171 of laughter. They felt certain that Kalipada was harbouring suspicion against the whole world in his mind because of this fifty rupees!
The meanness of this suspicious precaution deepened the intensity172 of their contempt for Kalipada. Just then, they heard a foot-step outside. They hastily shut the box, locked the door, and ran upstairs with the note in their possession.
Sailen was vastly amused. Though fifty rupees was a mere trifle, he could never have believed that Kalipada had so much money in his trunk. They all decided173 to watch the result of this loss upon that queer creature downstairs.
When Kalipada came home that night after his tuition was over, he was too tired to notice any disorder174 in his room. One of his worst attacks of nervous headache was coming on and he went straight to bed.
The next day, when he brought out his trunk from under the bed and took out his clothes, he found it open. He was naturally careful, but it was not unlikely, he thought, that he had forgotten to lock it on the day before. But when he lifted the lid he found all the contents topsy-turvy, and his heart gave [Pg 184] a great thud when he discovered that the note, given to him by his mother, was missing. He searched the box over and over again in the vain hope of finding it, and when his loss was made certain, he flung himself upon his bed and lay like one dead.
Just then, he heard footsteps following one another on the stairs, and every now and then an outburst of laughter from the upper room. It struck him, all of a sudden, that this was not a theft: Sailen and his party must have taken the note to amuse themselves and make laughter out of it. It would have given him less pain if a thief had stolen it. It seemed to him that these young men had laid their impious hands upon his mother herself.
This was the first time that Kalipada had ascended175 those stairs. He ran to the upper floor,—the old jersey on his shoulders,—his face flushed with anger and the pain of his illness. As it was Sunday, Sailen and his company were seated in the verandah, laughing and talking. Without any warning, Kalipada burst upon them and shouted:
"Give me back my note!"
If he had begged it of them, they would have relented; but the sight of his anger made them furious. They started up from their chairs and exclaimed: [Pg 185]
"What do you mean, sir? What do you mean? What note?"
Kalipada shouted: "The note you have taken from my box!"
"How dare you?" they shouted back. "Do you take us to be thieves?"
If Kalipada had held any weapon in his hand at that moment he certainly would have killed some one among them. But when he was about to spring, they fell on him, and four or five of them dragged him down to his room and thrust him inside.
Sailen said to his companions: "Here, take this hundred-rupee note, and throw it to that dog!"
They all loudly exclaimed: "No! Let him climb down first and give us a written apology. Then we shall consider it!"
Sailen's party all went to bed at the proper time and slept the sleep of the innocent. In the morning they had almost forgotten Kalipada. But some of them, while passing his room, heard the sound of talking and they thought that possibly he was busy consulting some lawyer. The door was shut from the inside. They tried to overhear, but what they heard had nothing legal about it. It was quite incoherent.
They informed Sailen. He came down and stood with his ear close to the door. The only thing that [Pg 186] could be distinctly heard was the word 'Father.' This frightened Sailen. He thought that possibly Kalipada had gone mad on account of the grief of losing that fifty-rupee note. Sailen shouted "Kalipada Babu!" two or three times, but got no answer. Only that muttering sound continued. Sailen called,—"Kalipada Babu,—please open the door. Your note has been found." But still the door was not opened and that muttering sound went on.
Sailen had never anticipated such a result as this. He did not express a word of repentance176 to his followers, but he felt the sting of it all the same. Some advised him to break open the door: others thought that the police should be called in,—for Kalipada might be in a dangerous state of lunacy. Sailen at once sent for a doctor who lived close at hand. When they burst open the door they found the bedding hanging from the bed and Kalipada lying on the floor unconscious. He was tossing about and throwing up his arms and muttering, with his eyes red and open and his face all flushed. The doctor examined him and asked if there were any relative near at hand; for the case was serious.
Sailen answered that he knew nothing, but would make inquiries177. The doctor then advised the removal of the patient at once to an upstairs room and proper nursing arrangements day and night. Sailen [Pg 187] took him up to his own room and dismissed his followers. He got some ice and put it on Kalipada's head and began to fan him with his own hand.
Kalipada, fearing that mocking references would be made, had concealed178 the names and address of his parents from these people with special care. So Sailen had no alternative but to open his box. He found two bundles of letters tied up with ribbon. One of them contained his mother's letters, the other contained his father's. His mother's letters were fewer in number than his father's. Sailen closed the door and began to read the letters. He was startled when he saw the address,—Saniari, the house of the Chowdhuries,—and then the name of the father, Bhavani. He folded up the letters and sat still, gazing at Kalipada's face. Some of his friends had casually179 mentioned, that there was a resemblance between Kalipada and himself. But he was offended at the remark and did not believe it. To-day he discovered the truth. He knew that his own grandfather, Shyama Charan, had a step-brother named Bhavani; but the later history to the family had remained a secret to him. He did not even know that Bhavani had a son named Kalipada; and he never suspected that Bhavani had come to such an abject180 state of poverty as this. He now felt not only relieved, but proud of his own relative, Kalipada, that [Pg 188] he had refused to enter himself on the list of protégés.
IV
Knowing that his party had insulted Kalipada almost every day, Sailen felt reluctant to keep him in the lodging house with them. So he rented another suitable house and kept him there. Bhavani came down in haste to Calcutta the moment he received a letter from Sailen informing him of his son's illness. Rashmani parted with all her savings181 giving instructions to her husband to spare no expense upon her son. It was not considered proper for the daughters of the great Chowdhuri family to leave their home and go to Calcutta unless absolutely obliged, and therefore she had to remain behind offering prayers to all the tutelary182 gods. When Bhavani Charan arrived he found Kalipada still unconscious and delirious183. It nearly broke Bhavani's heart when he heard himself called 'Master Mashai.' Kalipada often called him in his delirium184 and he tried to make himself recognized by his son, but in vain.
The doctor came again and said the fever was getting less. He thought the case was taking a more favourable185 turn. For Bhavani, it was an impossibility to imagine that his son would not recover. He [Pg 189] must live: it was his destiny to live. Bhavani was much struck with the behaviour of Sailen. It was difficult to believe that he was not of their own kith and kin65. He supposed all this kindness to be due to the town training which Sailen had received. Bhavani spoke to Sailen disparagingly186 of the country habits which village people like himself got into.
Gradually the fever went down and Kalipada recovered consciousness. He was astonished beyond measure when he saw his father sitting in the room beside him. His first anxiety was lest he should discover the miserable187 state in which he had been living. But what would be harder still to bear was, if his father with his rustic83 manners became the butt96 of the people upstairs. He looked round him, but could not recognize his own room and wondered if he had been dreaming. But he found himself too weak to think.
He supposed that it had been his father who had removed him to this better lodging, but he had no power to calculate how he could possibly bear the expense. The only thing that concerned him at that moment was that he felt he must live, and for that he had a claim upon the world.
Once when his father was absent Sailen came in with a plate of grapes in his hand. Kalipada could not understand this at all and wondered if there was [Pg 190] some practical joke behind it. He at once became excited and wondered how he could save his father from annoyance188. Sailen set the plate down on the table and touched Kalipada's feet humbly189 and said: "My offence has been great: pray forgive me."
Kalipada started and sat up on his bed. He could see that Sailen's repentance was sincere and he was greatly moved.
When Kalipada had first come to the students' lodging house he had felt strongly drawn190 towards this handsome youth. He never missed a chance of looking at his face when Sailen passed by his room on his way upstairs. He would have given all the world to be friends with him, but the barrier was too great to overcome. Now to-day when Sailen brought him the grapes and asked his forgiveness, he silently looked at his face and silently accepted the grapes which spoke of his repentance.
It amused Kalipada greatly when he noticed the intimacy191 that had sprung up between his father and Sailen. Sailen used to call Bhavani Charan "grandfather" and exercised to the full the grandchild's privilege of joking with him. The principal object of the jokes was the absent "grandmother." Sailen made the confession192 that he had taken the opportunity of Kalipada's illness to steal all the delicious [Pg 191] chutnies which his "grandmother" had made with her own hand. The news of his act of "thieving" gave Kalipada very great joy. He found it easy to deprive himself, if he could find any one who could appreciate the good things made by his mother. Thus this time of his convalescence193 became the happiest period in the whole of Kalipada's life.
There was only one flaw in this unalloyed happiness. Kalipada had a fierce pride in his poverty which prevented him ever speaking about his family's better days. Therefore when his father used to talk of his former prosperity Kalipada winced194. Bhavani could not keep to himself the one great event of his life,—the theft of that will which he was absolutely certain that he would some day recover. Kalipada had always regarded this as a kind of mania195 of his father's, and in collusion with his mother he had often humoured his father concerning this amiable196 weakness. But he shrank in shame when his father talked about this to Sailen. He noticed particularly that Sailen did not relish197 such conversation and that he often tried to prove, with a certain amount of feeling, its absurdity198. But Bhavani, who was ready to give in to others in matters much more serious, in this matter was adamant199. Kalipada tried to pacify200 him by saying that there was no great [Pg 192] need to worry about it, because those who were enjoying its benefit were almost the same as his own children, since they were his nephews.
Such talk Sailen could not bear for long and he used to leave the room. This pained Kalipada, because he thought that Sailen might get quite a wrong conception of his father and imagine him to be a grasping worldly old man. Sailen would have revealed his own relationship to Kalipada and his father long before, but this discussion about the theft of the will prevented him. It was hard for him to believe that his grandfather or father had stolen the will; on the other hand he could not but think that some cruel injustice had been done in depriving Bhavani of his share of the ancestral property. Therefore he gave up arguing when the subject was brought forward and took some occasion to leave as soon as possible.
Though Kalipada still had headaches in the evening, with a slight rise in temperature, he did not take it at all seriously. He became anxious to resume his studies because he felt it would be a calamity to him if he again missed his scholarship. He secretly began to read once more, without taking any notice of the strict orders of the doctor. Kalipada asked his father to return home, assuring him that he was in the best of health. Bhavani had been [Pg 193] all his life fed and nourished and cooked for by his wife; he was pining to get back. He did not therefore wait to be pressed.
On the morning of his intended departure, when he went to say good-bye to Kalipada, he found him very ill indeed, his face red with fever and his whole body burning. He had been committing to memory page after page of his text book of Logic201 half through the night, and for the remainder he could not sleep at all. The doctor took Sailen aside. "This relapse," he said, "is fatal." Sailen came to Bhavani and said, "The patient requires a mother's nursing: she must be brought to Calcutta."
It was evening when Rashmani came, and she only saw her son alive for a few hours. Not knowing how her husband could survive such a terrible shock she altogether suppressed her own sorrow. Her son was merged202 in her husband again, and she took up this burden of the dead and the living on her own aching heart. She said to her God,—"It is too much for me to bear." But she did bear it.
V
It was midnight. With the very weariness of her sorrow Rashmani had fallen asleep soon after reaching her own home in the village. But Bhavani had no sleep that night. Tossing on his bed for [Pg 194] hours he heaved a deep sigh saying,—"Merciful God!" Then he got up from his bed and went out. He entered the room where Kalipada had been wont35 to do his lessons in his childhood. The lamp shook as he held it in his hand. On the wooden settle there was still the torn, ink-stained quilt, made long ago by Rashmani herself. On the wall were figures of Euclid and Algebra203 drawn in charcoal204. The remains205 of a Royal Reader No. III and a few exercise books were lying about; and the one odd slipper206 of his infancy207, which had evaded208 notice so long, was keeping its place in the dusty obscurity of the corner of the room. To-day it had become so important that nothing in the world, however great, could keep it hidden any longer. Bhavani put the lamp in the niche209 on the wall and silently sat on the settle; his eyes were dry, but he felt choked as if with want of breath.
Bhavani opened the shutters210 on the eastern side and stood still, grasping the iron bars, gazing into the darkness. Through the drizzling211 rain he could see the outline of the clump212 of trees at the end of the outer wall. At this spot Kalipada had made his own garden. The passion flowers which he had planted with his own hand had grown densely213 thick. While he gazed at this Bhavani felt his heart come up into his throat with choking pain. There was [Pg 195] nobody now to wait for and expect daily. The summer vacation had come, but no one would come back home to fill the vacant room and use its old familiar furniture.
"O Baba mine!" he cried, "O Baba! O Baba mine!"
He sat down. The rain came faster. A sound of footsteps was heard among the grass and withered214 leaves. Bhavani's heart stood still. He hoped it was ... that which was beyond all hope. He thought it was Kalipada himself come to see his own garden,—and in this downpour of rain how wet he would be! Anxiety about this made him restless. Then somebody stood for a moment in front of the iron window bars. The cloak round his head made it impossible for Bhavani to see his face clearly, but his height was the same as that of Kalipada.
"Darling!" cried Bhavani, "You have come!" and he rushed to open the door.
But when he came outside to the spot where the figure had stood, there was no one to be seen. He walked up and down in the garden through the drenching215 rain, but no one was there. He stood still for a moment raising his voice and calling,—"Kalipada," but no answer came. The servant, Noto, who was sleeping in the cowshed, heard his [Pg 196] cry and came out and coaxed216 him back to his room.
Next day, in the morning, Noto, while sweeping85 the room found a bundle just underneath217 the grated window. He brought it to Bhavani who opened it and found it was an old document. He put on his spectacles and after reading a few lines came rushing in to Rashmani and gave the paper into her hand.
Rashmani asked, "What is it?"
Bhavani replied, "It is the will!"
"Who gave it you?"
"He himself came last night to give it to me."
"What are you going to do with it?"
Bhavani said: "I have no need of it now." And he tore the will to pieces.
When the news reached the village Bagala proudly nodded his head and said: "Didn't I prophesy218 that the will would be recovered through Kalipada?"
But the grocer Ramcharan replied: "Last night when the ten o'clock train reached the Station a handsome looking young man came to my shop and asked the way to the Chowdhuri's house and I thought he had some kind of bundle in his hand."
"Absurd," said Bagala.
WORDS TO BE STUDIED
patrimony. From the Latin "pater," a father. Compare paternal221, patriarch, patriot222. The ending -mony is from the Latin -monium. Compare testimony223, matrimony, sanctimony224.
revert. From the Latin "vertere," to turn. Compare convert, subvert225, divert, invert226, advert227, version, conversion228, adverse229.
amazement. This word is of doubtful origin. We have the simpler form "maze21" but do not know how it has come into English.
preposterous. The Latin word "pre" means "before," and the Latin word "posterus" behind. The literal meaning, therefore, is "before-behind" and so "absurd," "outrageous230."
treachery. This comes from the Old French "treacher," to trick. It is to be distinguished231 from the word "traitor," which comes from the Latin "traditor," one who gives up another. Compare intricate, trickery, trick, intrigue232.
parasites. From the Greek word "sitos," food,—one who feeds on another.
good-for-nothing. Such "phrase" words as these are not very common in English. They are more common in French. Compare the English ne'er-do-well, lazybones, out-of-the-way, and the French coup-d'état, nom-de-plume, fin-de-siécle. On the other hand, adjectives made up of two words are quite common in English. Compare simple-hearted, middle-aged235.
régime. This word still retains its French form and accent and pronunciation. Little by little such French words become pronounced and spelt in an English form and take a permanent place in the language. For instance, [Pg 198] the French word "morale236" with accent on the last syllable237 is now becoming a common English word. In time it will probably be accented on the first syllable like ordinary English words and will drop its final "e."
gap. This is another Old Norwegian word meaning a wide opening. Compare gape238. These Norwegian words came into English somewhat plentifully239 at the time of the Danish Conquest.
sympathy. From the Greek "syn" with, and "pathos240" suffering. It should be noted158 that the word "compassion241" from the Latin "cum" with, and "passio" suffering, has the same root meaning, viz. "suffering with another."
law-suit. The English word "suit" comes from the Latin "sequi," to follow, which in French becomes "suivre." We have two English forms, one form directly from the Latin, the other from the French. From the Latin prosecute242, persecute243, consecutive244, execute. From the French pursue, ensue, sue.
A "suit" in a game of cards means the cards that follow one another in a sequence.
A "suit" of clothes means the trousers, coat, waistcoat, following the same pattern. Compare also the French word suite245 which has now been taken into English, e.g. a suite of rooms, a suite of furniture (pronounced like "sweet").
foreign. From the Old French "forain," out of doors. The letter "g" has become wrongly inserted in this word as also in "sovereign."
bargain. From the late Latin "barca," a boat, because trade was carried on by boats along the rivers. Compare barque, barge246, bark.
husky. From the noun husk,—as dry as a husk.
shawl. From the Persian word "shāl." A considerable [Pg 199] number of words are coming into use in English now from the East. One of the most curious recent ones is Blighty which is a corruption247 of wilayati, bilaiti. For words introduced into English compare karma, sanyasi, fakir, brahmin, ghat, puggaree, pyjama, pucca, curry248, chutney, chintz, cummerbund, khaki, rupee, durrie, turban, sepoy.
doll. This is a shortened form of the English girl's name Dorothy, Dolly, Doll. Compare poll-parrot from Polly or Poll.
soup. This word still retains its French form, without the final "e" (French soupe), but the English words sup, supper have dropped their French spelling altogether.
ticket. From the Old French "estiquette," meaning something fixed like a bill on the wall. (Compare the English word to "stick" which comes from the same root.)
We have here a case of a French word branching off into two quite distinct English words,—"etiquette" and "ticket," each having its own meaning.
jersey. One of the islands in the English Channel called Jersey first made this special form of woollen vest. Many English words are thus taken from the names of places. Compare currant (Corinth), argosy (Ragusa), calico (Calicut), bronze (Brundusium), gipsy (Egyptian), cashmere (Kashmir).
impertinence. Originally this word means that which is not "pertinent," and so something "out-of-place." Later on it got the present meaning of something insolent.
mosquito. From the Spanish. The word is the diminutive249 of the Latin "musca," a fly.
scruple. From the Latin "scrupulus," a small sharp stone. This word meant first in English a very small weight of twenty grains; then it came to mean a slight weight on the mind or conscience. In the Trial Scene of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice we have the original [Pg 200] sense used,—"the twentieth part of one poor scruple."
exuberant. From the Latin "uber," udder. Thus it comes to mean "flowing from the udder" and so "overflowing250."
handkerchief. "Kerchief" came from two French words "couvre," to cover, and "chef," the head. It meant a head cloth. Then a smaller cloth was used in the hand and this was called a hand-kerchief.
lunacy. From the Latin "luna," the moon. In former times Europeans used to think that madness was due to some influence of the moon. Compare the word moonstruck.
algebra. This is one of the many words from Arabic beginning with "al," the. Compare alkali, albatross, alcohol, alembic, alchemy, alcove251.
Euclid. This word was originally the name of a great Greek mathematical writer. His writings were called "Books of Euclid." Now the subject is usually called Geometry.
absurd. From the Latin "surdus," deaf. Deaf people generally appear stupid to those who can hear. So this word has come to mean foolish or ridiculous.
topsy-turvy. This probably is a shortened form of topside-turvy,—"turvy" being a colloquial252 corruption for "turned" or "turned over."
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incapable
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bent
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anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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consolation
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eldest
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allotted
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| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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detailed
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annul
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| v.宣告…无效，取消，废止 | |
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advisers
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| 顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授 | |
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attainment
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| n.达到，到达；［常pl.］成就，造诣 | |
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11
patrimony
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| n.世袭财产，继承物 | |
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12
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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13
revert
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| v.恢复，复归，回到 | |
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14
rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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15
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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16
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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17
trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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18
calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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19
dishonour
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|
| n./vt.拒付（支票、汇票、票据等）；vt.凌辱，使丢脸；n.不名誉，耻辱，不光彩 | |
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20
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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21
maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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22
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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23
astounded
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| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
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24
relinquishing
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| 交出，让给( relinquish的现在分词 )； 放弃 | |
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25
preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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26
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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27
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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28
exhausted
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|
| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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29
dwindled
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| v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
injustice
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|
| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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31
testament
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| n.遗嘱；证明 | |
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32
pious
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|
| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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33
piety
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|
| n.虔诚，虔敬 | |
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34
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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35
wont
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|
| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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36
prodigality
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|
| n.浪费，挥霍 | |
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37
penury
|
|
| n.贫穷，拮据 | |
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38
animated
|
|
| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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39
propriety
|
|
| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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40
theatrical
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|
| adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的 | |
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41
troupe
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|
| n.剧团，戏班；杂技团；马戏团 | |
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42
expenditure
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| n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗 | |
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43
equanimity
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|
| n.沉着，镇定 | |
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44
compensated
|
|
| 补偿，报酬( compensate的过去式和过去分词 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款） | |
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45
inordinate
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|
| adj.无节制的；过度的 | |
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46
temperament
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|
| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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47
humble
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|
| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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48
frankly
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|
| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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49
spoke
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|
| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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50
encumbered
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|
| v.妨碍，阻碍，拖累( encumber的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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51
crumbling
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|
| adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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52
parasites
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|
| 寄生物( parasite的名词复数 )； 靠他人为生的人； 诸虫 | |
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53
rheumatism
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|
| n.风湿病 | |
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54
delicacy
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|
| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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55
refinement
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|
| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
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56
haggle
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|
| vi.讨价还价，争论不休 | |
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57
fully
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|
| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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58
toil
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|
| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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59
tenants
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| n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者 | |
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60
reviled
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|
| v.辱骂，痛斥( revile的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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61
thoroughly
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|
| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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62
inmates
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|
| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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63
interfere
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|
| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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64
nervously
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|
| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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65
kin
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|
| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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66
attained
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|
| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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67
calamities
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|
| n.灾祸，灾难( calamity的名词复数 )；不幸之事 | |
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68
softening
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| 变软，软化 | |
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69
dignified
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|
| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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70
meekly
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|
| adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地 | |
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71
habitual
|
|
| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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72
inevitable
|
|
| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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73
fictitious
|
|
| adj.虚构的，假设的；空头的 | |
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74
puffed
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|
| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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75
treacle
|
|
| n.糖蜜 | |
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76
destitution
|
|
| n.穷困，缺乏，贫穷 | |
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77
dealing
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|
| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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78
innocence
|
|
| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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79
affluent
|
|
| adj.富裕的，富有的，丰富的，富饶的 | |
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80
wares
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|
| n. 货物, 商品 | |
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81
fabrics
|
|
| 织物( fabric的名词复数 )； 布； 构造； （建筑物的）结构（如墙、地面、屋顶）：质地 | |
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82
auctions
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|
| n.拍卖，拍卖方式( auction的名词复数 ) | |
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83
rustic
|
|
| adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬 | |
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84
rusticity
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|
| n.乡村的特点、风格或气息 | |
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85
sweeping
|
|
| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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86
sweepings
|
|
| n.笼统的( sweeping的名词复数 )；（在投票等中的）大胜；影响广泛的；包罗万象的 | |
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87
gentry
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|
| n.绅士阶级，上层阶级 | |
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88
alacrity
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|
| n.敏捷，轻快，乐意 | |
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89
irrelevant
|
|
| adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的 | |
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90
plunge
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|
| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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91
cohere
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|
| vt.附着，连贯，一致 | |
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92
coherence
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|
| n.紧凑；连贯；一致性 | |
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93
briefly
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|
| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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94
revolving
|
|
| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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95
biliousness
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|
| [医] 胆汁质 | |
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96
butt
|
|
| n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶 | |
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97
curds
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|
| n.凝乳( curd的名词复数 ) | |
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98
breach
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|
| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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99
misery
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|
| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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100
haven
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|
| n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所 | |
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101
determined
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|
| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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102
watchful
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|
| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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103
watchfulness
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|
| 警惕，留心； 警觉（性） | |
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104
touching
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|
| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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105
halfway
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|
| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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106
coaxing
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|
| v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的现在分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱；“锻炼”效应 | |
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107
fathom
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|
| v.领悟，彻底了解 | |
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108
juncture
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|
| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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109
twine
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|
| v.搓，织，编饰；（使）缠绕 | |
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110
thereby
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|
| adv.因此，从而 | |
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111
monotonously
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|
| adv.单调地，无变化地 | |
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112
tiresome
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|
| adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的 | |
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113
rental
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| n.租赁，出租，出租业 | |
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114
vernacular
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|
| adj.地方的，用地方语写成的；n.白话；行话；本国语；动植物的俗名 | |
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115
supervision
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|
| n.监督，管理 | |
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116
dint
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| n.由于，靠；凹坑 | |
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117
amulet
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|
| n.护身符 | |
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118
onward
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|
| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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119
peculiar
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|
| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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120
prophesied
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| v.预告，预言( prophesy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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121
momentous
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| adj.重要的，重大的 | |
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122
lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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123
proprietor
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|
| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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124
lodgers
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| n.房客，租住者( lodger的名词复数 ) | |
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125
lodger
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|
| n.寄宿人，房客 | |
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126
hurl
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|
| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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127
scion
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| n.嫩芽，子孙 | |
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128
guardians
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| 监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者 | |
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129
fodder
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|
| n.草料；炮灰 | |
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130
abide
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| vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受 | |
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131
insolence
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|
| n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度 | |
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132
tattered
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|
| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
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133
jersey
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| n.运动衫 | |
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134
indigence
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|
| n.贫穷 | |
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135
patronage
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|
| n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场 | |
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136
blatantly
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|
| ad.公开地 | |
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137
decency
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|
| n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重 | |
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138
dingy
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|
| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
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139
rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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140
followers
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|
| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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141
condescended
|
|
| 屈尊，俯就( condescend的过去式和过去分词 )； 故意表示和蔼可亲 | |
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142
gratitude
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|
| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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143
wholesome
|
|
| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
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144
benevolence
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| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
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145
insistent
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| adj.迫切的，坚持的 | |
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146
disabused
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| v.去除…的错误想法( disabuse的过去式和过去分词 )；使醒悟 | |
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147
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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148
second-hand
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| adj.用过的，旧的，二手的 | |
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149
subscription
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| n.预订，预订费，亲笔签名，调配法，下标（处方） | |
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150
criticise
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| v.批评，评论；非难 | |
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151
forgo
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| v.放弃，抛弃 | |
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152
wrangle
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| vi.争吵 | |
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153
condiments
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| n.调味品 | |
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154
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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155
scruple
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| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
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156
scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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157
supremely
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| adv.无上地，崇高地 | |
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158
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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159
boorishness
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160
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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161
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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162
porcelain
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| n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的 | |
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163
insolent
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| adj.傲慢的，无理的 | |
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164
disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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165
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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166
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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167
mildewed
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| adj.发了霉的，陈腐的，长了霉花的v.（使）发霉，（使）长霉( mildew的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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168
suffocation
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| n.窒息 | |
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169
boon
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| n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠 | |
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170
exuberant
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| adj.充满活力的；（植物）繁茂的 | |
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171
peals
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| n.（声音大而持续或重复的）洪亮的响声( peal的名词复数 )；隆隆声；洪亮的钟声；钟乐v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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172
intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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173
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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174
disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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175
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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176
repentance
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| n.懊悔 | |
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177
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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178
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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179
casually
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| adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地 | |
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180
abject
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| adj.极可怜的，卑屈的 | |
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181
savings
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| n.存款，储蓄 | |
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182
tutelary
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| adj.保护的；守护的 | |
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183
delirious
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| adj.不省人事的，神智昏迷的 | |
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184
delirium
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| n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋 | |
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185
favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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186
disparagingly
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| adv.以贬抑的口吻，以轻视的态度 | |
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187
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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188
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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189
humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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190
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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191
intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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192
confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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193
convalescence
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| n.病后康复期 | |
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194
winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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195
mania
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| n.疯狂；躁狂症，狂热，癖好 | |
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196
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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197
relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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198
absurdity
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| n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论 | |
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199
adamant
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| adj.坚硬的，固执的 | |
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200
pacify
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| vt.使(某人)平静(或息怒)；抚慰 | |
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201
logic
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| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
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202
merged
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| （使）混合( merge的过去式和过去分词 )； 相融； 融入； 渐渐消失在某物中 | |
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203
algebra
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| n.代数学 | |
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204
charcoal
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| n.炭，木炭，生物炭 | |
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205
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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206
slipper
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| n.拖鞋 | |
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207
infancy
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| n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期 | |
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208
evaded
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| 逃避( evade的过去式和过去分词 )； 避开； 回避； 想不出 | |
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209
niche
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| n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等) | |
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210
shutters
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| 百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门 | |
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211
drizzling
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| 下蒙蒙细雨，下毛毛雨( drizzle的现在分词 ) | |
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212
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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213
densely
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| ad.密集地；浓厚地 | |
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214
withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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215
drenching
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| n.湿透v.使湿透( drench的现在分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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216
coaxed
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| v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的过去式和过去分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱 | |
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217
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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218
prophesy
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| v.预言；预示 | |
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219
entail
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| vt.使承担，使成为必要，需要 | |
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220
retail
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| v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格 | |
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221
paternal
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| adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的 | |
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222
patriot
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| n.爱国者，爱国主义者 | |
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223
testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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224
sanctimony
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| n.假装神圣 | |
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225
subvert
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| v.推翻；暗中破坏；搅乱 | |
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226
invert
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| vt.使反转，使颠倒，使转化 | |
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227
advert
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| vi.注意，留意，言及；n.广告 | |
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228
conversion
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| n.转化，转换，转变 | |
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229
adverse
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| adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的 | |
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230
outrageous
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| adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的 | |
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231
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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232
intrigue
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| vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋 | |
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233
improper
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| adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的 | |
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234
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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235
middle-aged
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| adj.中年的 | |
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236
morale
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| n.道德准则，士气，斗志 | |
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237
syllable
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| n.音节；vt.分音节 | |
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238
gape
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| v.张口，打呵欠，目瞪口呆地凝视 | |
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239
plentifully
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| adv. 许多地，丰饶地 | |
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240
pathos
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| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
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241
compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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242
prosecute
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| vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官 | |
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243
persecute
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| vt.迫害，虐待；纠缠，骚扰 | |
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244
consecutive
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| adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的 | |
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245
suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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246
barge
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| n.平底载货船，驳船 | |
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247
corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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248
curry
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| n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革 | |
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249
diminutive
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| adj.小巧可爱的，小的 | |
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250
overflowing
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| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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251
alcove
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| n.凹室 | |
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252
colloquial
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| adj.口语的，会话的 | |
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