Page:Indira and Other Stories.pdf/87

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RADHARANI

In the time of her poverty, her mother had left her own village and had built her little cottage at the distant village of Srirampar. Why? Because she felt that it would be painful, in her poverty, to live in the place where she had been prosperous and happy. Their ancestral home was in a village which I shall take the liberty of calling Rajpur, lest I should give a clue to the identity of my heroine. It was in Rajpur in face of her own dwelling, that Radharani commemorated her sufferings and gratitude by erecting the poor-house, which was speedily filled with the needy and unfortunate from many miles around.


IV.

One or two years after this, a gentleman made his appearance at Radharani's poor-house. He was about thirty-five or thirty-six years old. He was of grave but kindly appearance, and seemed to be in comfortable circumstances. He stood for some time in the gateway of the Rukmini Kumar Prasad and

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