punished him with saying, "I shall bring this before the Court."
(Seeing the Amin at a distance)
Just see, that villain (Shala)[1] is coming; he has brought servants with him, and will take us to the Factory.
The Amin and the two servants enter
Amin. Bind the hands of this villain.
(Ray Churn is bound by the two servants)
Reboti. Oh! what is this? Why do they bind him? What ruin! What ruin! (To Sadhu) Why do you stand looking on? Go to the house of the Babus, and call the eldest Babu here.
Amin. (To Sadhu) Where shalt thou go now? You are also to go with me. To take advances is not the business of Ray. We shall have much to bear with if we are to make signature by cross marks. And because you know how to read and to write, therefore you must go and make the signatures in the Factory Account-Book.
Sadhu. Sir, do you call this giving advances for Indigo; would it not be better to call it the cramming down[2] Indigo? Oh my ill-fortune, you are still with me! That very blow, through fear of which I fled, I have to bear again. This land was as the kingdom of Rama before Indigo was established; but the ignorant fool is become a beggar, and famine has come upon the land.
Amin. (To himself, observing Khetromany) This young woman is not bad-looking; if our younger Saheb can get her, he will, with his whole heart, take her. But while I was unable to succeed in getting a peshkar's (overseer's) post by giving him my own sister, what can I expect from getting him this woman; but still she is very beautiful; I will try.
Reboti. Khetro, go into the room.
(Khetromani goes away
8
