help the poor, who are so often victims of moneyed oppression. After
securing the coveted distinction, he was enrolled as a pleader of the
Calcutta High Court and began to practise there, making it a rule to
accept no fees from an impoverished client. But two years of constant
attendance at Court convinced Nalini that Calcutta had far too many
lawyers already. He therefore removed to Ghoria, knowing that he
would find plenty of wrongs to redress there. About a month after his
arrival, a Zemindar of Kadampur, named Debendra Chandra Mitra, sued
one of his ryots for ejectment in the local Múnsiff's Court. Nalini
espoused the defendant's cause and showed so stout a fight that the
case was dismissed with costs. Debendra Babu was deeply offended with
the young pleader, and determined to do him a bad turn if possible.

About a week later Nalini got a telegram from Benares announcing his
mother's death. He promptly donned the customary Kácha (mourning-cloth)
and hurried home, only to find his brother, Jadunáth Babu, already
in possession of the sad news; and they went to Benares to comfort
their stricken father.

After the customary month of mourning Jadu Babu made preparations
for celebrating the srádh on a grand scale, by giving presents to
distinguished Brahmans, feasting his relatives, and distributing
alms to the poor. No money was spared in order to keep his mother's
memory green. The family's position would have been most enviable,
but for a slight unpleasantness which was created by some of the
villagers. Debendra Babu, who had been waiting for an opportunity
of revenge, went from house to house urging his neighbours not to
participate in the srádh, on the score that Nalini had married into
a strange clan and was ipso facto an outcast. Jadu Babu was stung to
the quick on learning these machinations. He consulted Nalini as to