CHAPTER XXVIII.
A Philanthropist.
The Vaidyabati house was enveloped in gloom: there was no one to superintend affairs or look after the maintenance of the household; the family was in a very bad way, and had great difficulty even in procuring food. The villagers began to say amongst themselves: "How long can an embankment of sand last? A virtuous household is as a building of stone." Matilall was all this time an exile from home, and his companions had also vanished; nothing more was heard of all their display. Great was the delight of Premnarayan Mozoomdar. He was sitting one day in the verandah of Beni Babu's house, snapping his fingers and singing a popular song:--
"The babul's sweet flower doth its petals unfold,
"While it swings in your ear with its colour of gold.
"Your talk is of silver rupees and of rice,"
"Of sweetmeats delicious, and all that is nice."
Inside the house, Beni Babu was playing on the sitar and devising a special song for it, in accompaniment to the tune of "The Champac Flower." Suddenly, Becharam Babu was seen approaching; causing great excitement among the children in the street, as he caught up the popular measure of Nara Chandri:--
"With dice in my hand, all prepared for the game,
"Born into the world as a gambler I came." [66]
The boys were all laughing and clapping their hands, and Becharam was angrily expostulating with them. When Nadir Shah attacked Delhi, Mahomed Shah was absorbed
