The Spoilt Child/Chapter 28
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 in listening to music and singing; and even when Nadir Shah appeared suddenly before him in the full panoply of war, Mahomed Shah said not a word, and for a time ceased not drinking in with his ears the sweet nectar of song; at last, and still not speaking a word, he left his throne. Not thus did Beni Babu behave upon the arrival of Becharam Babu; he at once put down his sitar and rising quickly from his seat, courteously invited him to be seated. After a somewhat lengthy exchange of courtesies, Becharam Babu observed: "Ah, my dear friend Beni, we have at last reached the end of the chapter[67]! Thakchacha has come to utter grief by his wicked conduct: your Matilall too, by his lack of intelligence has gone to the bad. Ah, my friend! you have always told me some terrible misfortune is sure to happen to a boy when he has not been so educated from his early childhood as to have a cultivated intellect and a knowledge of rectitude: Matilall is an instance of this. It is a sorrowful subject: what more can I say? The whole fault was Baburam's; he had only the wit of a Muktar: he was sharp enough where trifles were in question, but blind in the really important concerns of life[68]."
Beni.-- What is the good of casting reproach upon him by saying this all over again: it was demonstrated a long time ago. When there was such an utter want of attention in the matter of Mati's education, and no means adopted for keeping evil companions from him, it was a foregone conclusion[69]. "It is the Ramayana without Ram." Be that as it may, it is Becharam who has been the chief gainer. Bakreswar has got nothing by all his importunities. No school-master has ever been seen with an equal capacity for flattering the children of the rich: the education he was supposed to give was all a sham: his thoughts day and night were directed solely to getting gain, while appearing still to the outside world to be doing a great work. Anyhow the Vaishnava's hopes of making a good thing out of Matilall were never extinguished; like the little chátak bird, he rent the heavens with his cry: "Give me water! give me water!" but not even a cloudlet could he ever see, much less a shower[70].
Premnarayan Mozoomdar.-- Have you, gentlemen, nothing else to talk about? Have you nothing to say on the subject of Kavi Kankan, or of Valmiki, or of Vyasa[71]? Have you nothing to say on business? I am tired to death of discussing the troubles connected with the name of Baburam. Mati has only met with the fate which so wicked a boy deserved: let him go to perdition: need we feel any anxiety on his account?
Meanwhile Hari, the servant, who had been busy preparing tobacco, brought a hooka, and putting it into Beni Babu's hands, said:-- "That Babu from Eastern Bengal is just approaching." Beni Babu at once rose from his seat and saw Barada Babu approaching rather hurriedly with a stick in his hand. Both Beni Babu and Becharam Babu greeted him courteously and invited him to be seated. When they had enquired after each other's welfare, Barada Babu said:-- "Now at length what has been long expected has come to pass. I have a request to make of you just now; I have been living for a long time past at Vaidyabati, and for this reason it became my duty to help the people of the place to the best of my ability. I have no great wealth, it is true, but when I consider what I am, the Lord has given me plenty: if I were to hope for greater abundance, I should be finding fault with His good judgment, and that is not a proper course for me to take: it was my duty to help my neighbours, but whether from laziness, or ill fortune, I have not discharged my duty thoroughly of late."
Becharam.-- What language is this? Why, you have assisted all the poor and afflicted people of Vaidyabati in a hundred different ways, with supplies of food, with clothing, with money, with medicines, with books, with advice, and by your own personal exertions on their behalf. In no single detail have there been any shortcomings on your part. Why, my dear friend, they shed tears when they proclaim your virtues. I know all this well: why do you try to impose on me like this?
Barada.-- My dear sir, it is no imposition; I am telling you the plain truth: if any have derived any help from me, I am humiliated when I think how trifling that help has been. However, the request I have now to make is this; the families of Matilall and Thakchacha are starving; it has come to my knowledge that they often have to fast for days. It has been a great grief to me to hear this; I have therefore brought two hundred rupees that I had by me, and I shall be exceedingly gratified if you will somehow contrive to have this money sent to them without revealing my name.
Beni Babu was astounded on hearing these words, and Becharam Babu, after a short interval, looking towards Barada Babu, his eyes filling with tears of emotion, said to him, as he put his hand on his shoulder: "Ah, my dear friend! you know what rectitude really is: as for us, we have spent our lives in vain: it is written in the Vedas and in the Puranas: 'The man whose mind is pure and upright, he shall see God.' What shall I say about your mind? I have never hitherto seen even the slightest taint of impurity in it. God keep you in happiness acceptable to yourself. But tell me, have you had any news of Ramlall lately?"
Barada.-- Some months back I received a letter from Hurdwar: he was well: he did not say anything about returning.
Becharam.-- Ramlall is a very good boy: the mere sight of him would refresh my eyes: he is bound to be good, and it has all come about by reason of his association with you.
Meanwhile, Thakchacha and Bahulya had passed Saugor on a vessel The pair were for all the world like two cranes: they sat together, ate together, slept together, and were perfectly inseparable: their mutual woes formed the continual theme of their conversation. One day Thakchacha, with a deep sigh, said to his companion:-- "Our destiny is a very hard one: we have become mere lumps of earth: our trickery is of no further avail, and as for my stratagems, they have all escaped from my head. My house is ruined: I did not even have an interview with my wife before leaving: I am very much afraid that she will marry again." Bahulya replied: "Friend, pluck all these matters out of your heart: life in the world is after all but a pilgrimage: we are here to-day, gone to-morrow: no one has anything he can call his own. You have one wife, I have four. Throw everything else to the winds, consider only carefully the means whereby it may go well with self." The wind soon began to blow hard, and the ship went on her way with a strong list to one side. A terrible storm then got up. Thakchacha, trembling all over with fright, said to Bahulya: "Oh, my friend, I am in a terrible fright! I think my death must be very near." Bahulya replied: "Are we not already within an ace of death? We are but ghosts of our former selves. Come, and let us go below, and say our prayers to Allah and his prophet: I have them all by heart: if we are swamped, we shall at any rate have the name of our patron saint to accompany us on our journey."