"Why then did you, for nothing, suffer yourself to lose the Brahmanic caste, by living with an alien infidel?"
Shaibalini. You are well-versed in all the scriptures of divine authority and I appeal to your judgment to say, whether I have really lost my caste or not. I have never taken any food at Foster's hand—never drank from the pot he might have touched; I cooked my food, with my own hands, every day—a Hindu maid-servant used to serve me. I had, no doubt, to live with Foster in the same boat, but that was on the sacred waters of the holy Ganges.
Chandra Shekhar remained silent, with downcast eyes—he reflected for a long time and then said within himself, "Alas! how cruelly have I treated Shaibalini—I was about to make myself responsible for the death of an innocent life!"
After a while he asked Shaibalini,
"Why didn't you say all these things before?"
Shaibalini. Who would believe me?
Chandra Shekhar. Who can testify to what you say?
Shaibalini. Foster and Parbaty.
Chandra Shekhar. Where is Parbaty now?
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