Krishnakanta's Will (Chatterjee, Roy)/Part 1/Chapter 9
CHAPTER IX.
Days passed, and Rohini had conceived a great passion for Gobindalal. She had been seeing him from a girl, but she had never experienced feelings such as she experienced now. What had wrought this change? Not the notes of the koels, nor the delightful time of spring when everything in nature is fresh and fragrant, unless they were as helps to bringing it about. The kind words he spoke to her that evening had impressed her deeply. They were as balm to her afflicted heart. She thought of the trick played upon her by Haralal. A thousand times she wished she had not stolen the will. By contrast Gobindalal seemed an angel.
If Rohini could have foreseen what was at the end of the path she was going to pursue, she would certainly have recoiled in horror. Could Gobindalal love her? What would she do if he could not! If she was to live to drudge and toil, why should she not die? What hope or comfort had she? And drowning she had heard was the best and easiest of all means of suicide.
She was, however, keenly sensible of the wrong she had done to Gobindalal by stealing the will. So she resolved she would go and get the forged will and put Krishnakanta's will again where it was in the drawer.
At midnight she set off to Krishnakanta's house to replace the will. There was no getting in at the back-door which was always shut early, and she was to pass through the gateway where, she knew, the porters usually sat up till very late at night. On this night they were singing songs. As she entered they stopped her and demanded who she was. On her saying that she was the companion of her master's daughter they allowed her to pass. As the house was well-guarded the door of Krishnakanta's bed-room was kept open at night. Rohini knew it. Before entering she stopped to listen. Krishnakanta was lying on his back and snoring. He was apparently fast asleep. She went in, taking good care not to make any noise. A candle was burning, which she extinguished at once on entering. Next she procured the key as before, and opened the drawer in which she had left the forged will. But somehow, as she turned the key in the lock, in spite of her using great caution there was a little creaking sound, which roused Krishnakanta.
He wondered what the noise was about, and kept stock-still with his ears pricked up to listen.
When the snoring had ceased Rohini knew that Krishnakanta had awaked. She stood perfectly still.
"Who is there?" cried Krishnakanta.
There was no answer. Rohini was not what she used to be when there was nothing to disturb her peace of mind. She was much pulled down; and she seemed now not a little frightened, for her breathing was quick and audible.
Krishnakanta called for his servant, Hari. He called more than once, but in vain. His match box he had to his hand. With the aid of a match he lighted the candle, and discovered a woman standing near the chest of drawers.
Rohini would have been able to escape when she perceived that Krishnakanta had awaked, but she did not for Gobindalal's sake. She thought that the will must be replaced, and did not care for her safety.
"Who are you?" demanded Krishnakanta.
Rohini drew near to him and said, "I am Rohini."
"Rohini!" he cried. "What have you been doing here in the dark, and at such a late hour of the night?"
"I was trying to steal your will," she said.
"I am now in no mood for your jests. Come, tell me what you were about here. I do not believe you got in here to steal my will, but the circumstances I have caught you under are very suspicious."
"In your presence I will do what I came here for," said Rohini. "Afterwards you may deal by me as you think proper." With this she stepped up, opened the drawer and replaced the will, having taken out the forged one, which she was soon after hastily tearing to pieces.
"Oh, stop, stop, what is it you are tearing?" cried the old man in great alarm. "Let me see it. Oh, stop, do."
But before he could see what it was, Rohini had consigned the torn pieces of the will to the flame of the candle and turned them into ashes in no time.
"What have you burnt?" cried Krishnakanta, looking up to her in a great passion.
"A will, a forged will," said Rohini.
"Will! What will? Where is my will? where is it? Tell me, quick," cried the old man in the greatest of excitement.
"Your will is in the drawer," said Rohini coolly. "You can see if you like." She said this with such careless indifference that Krishnakanta was astonished.
He, however, took out his spectacles, adjusted them to his nose, and having satisfied himself that his will was all safe where he had kept it, turned to her and said, "Then what was it you destroyed?"
"A forged will," said Rohini.
"Forged will? Of whose making was it? Where did you get it?"
"I found it in the drawer," said Rohini. "I do not know by whom it was prepared."
"You do not know? How came you to know it was in the drawer?"
"That I will not tell you," said Rohini.
Krishnakanta reflected a while. "Rohini," he said at length, "you are but a girl; you are greatly mistaken if you think that I cannot find out what the fact is. The forged will was of Haralal's preparing. You were bribed to steal for him my will and put the forged one in its place. But you couldn't do it, being found out, and so you destroyed the false will. Come, is it not true?"
"No, it is not," said Rohini.
"Then what is true?" said Krishnakanta, surveying her from head to foot.
"Please don't ask me. I have been found in your room under suspicious circumstances, and you may deal with me as you like."
"Well," said he, "that you came here with a bad intention there is no doubt, and I must punish you as you deserve. I will not hand you over to the police, but I will have you turned out of the village to-morrow. And I will see you in disgrace by having your head shaven in the presence of all my men and the neighbours. For to-night you shall remain in confinement."
Rohini was locked up in a room for the night.