22
THE WRECK
in his law-exam. and has gone up-country for a change of air."
When the carriage reached its destination the famil- iar rooms and furniture cast their spell over Ramesh. He heaved a sigh in which relief and regret were oddly Mended and sat down without a word.
"It was business, I suppose, that kept you so long at home?" remarked Annada Babu suddenly.
"My father died " began Ramesh.
"You don't say so! Dear me! Dear me! How did it happen?"
"He was coming home up the Padma in a boat. A storm came on suddenly, the boat was swamped and he was drowned."
As the sudden onrush of a high wind drives the cloudbanks before it and clears the sky, so the an- nouncement of this misfortune swept away the misun- derstanding between Ramesh and Hemnalini.
Hemnalini thought regretfully: "I did Ramesh Babu a wrong. He was distracted by sorrow at his father's loss and by all the worries it entailed. He may be still grieving over it. We held him guilty, never stopping to inquire whether he might not have had family troubles or other preoccupations," and she became very attentive to the fatherless youth.
Ramesh had little appetite and Hemnalini pressed him to eat.
"You're not at all well," she said, "you must look after your health." Then she turned to Annada Babu. "Dad, Ramesh Babu must have supper with us here to-night."
"Certainly," said the old gentleman.
At this point Akshay arrived on the scene. For some time he had had no rival at Annada Babu's tea- table and Ramesh's unexpected appearance was a dis- agreeable shock to him. However, he pulled himself together and exclaimed cheerfully:
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