into an inner room. What passed between them there was never known;
but presently the Sub-Inspector returned to the office and ordered
the prisoner to be at once released. Rámdá was truly grateful to
Harish Pál for having so cleverly saved him from ruin, and the whole
story soon became common property. Nagendra overheard his neighbours
whispering and pointing to him significantly, and village boys called
him ill-natured nicknames in the street. His irritation was increased
by recourse to the brandy bottle, and he vented it on his luckless
wife. She suffered so terribly that, one morning, Nagendra found
her hanging from a rafter in his cowshed. This suicide was the last
straw. Nagendra saved himself from prosecution for murder by a heavy
bribe, and got leave from the police to burn his wife's body. But
so universally was he execrated that not a man in the village would
help him to take her body to the burning-ghát. In dire despair
he humbled himself so far as to implore Rámdá's assistance. The
magnanimous Brahman forgot his wrongs and cheerfully consented to
bear a hand. Others followed his example, and thus Nagendra was
able to fulfil the rites prescribed by religion. The lesson was not
altogether lost on him. The scales fell from his eyes; he dismissed
the rascally servant, who had led him from the path of duty, and
foreswore his brandy bottle.



CHAPTER XII

A Rift in the Lute.

Nalini Chandra Basu worked hard for the B.L. degree, not to fill his
pockets by juggling with other people's interests, but in order to