them. So before he had proceeded far from their house he retracted his steps on the pretext of leaving a message with Binodini to ask Mahendra to dine with him next day. As he reached her door, and announced himself with his "Sister Binod!" the sight of the two weeping girls locked in one another's embrace suddenly arrested him.
It struck Asha that Vihari must have been saying something nasty to her Eyesore, which had made her want to go away. "He's not a nice-minded man, this Vihari Babu," thought she. "How odious of him!" She indignantly came away from the room. Vihari, with his veneration for Binodini heightened by several degrees, likewise departed.
That night Mahendra said to Asha, "Chuni, I am taking the early passenger train to-morrow morning for Benares."
Asha's heart gave a sudden thump as she asked—"Why?"
"It's such a long time since I've seen Kaki."
Asha felt terribly ashamed. It was she who ought to have thought of this before. Absorbed in her own joys and sorrows she had clean forgotten her loving Aunt, while Mahendra had kept a place in his heart for the poor pilgrim in her exile. How hard-hearted Asha appeared to herself to be!
"She went away," continued Mahendra, "leaving to me the one thing she loved in this world. I feel as if I cannot remain any longer without seeing her—" Mahendra's voice became choked with emotion and with an unspoken prayer he placed his right hand in benediction on Asha's forehead.
Asha could not understand this sudden overflow of tenderness, though it touched her to tears. It reminded her of Binodini's uncalled-for outpouring of solicitude this very evening. Could there be any connection between the two, she wondered. She somehow felt it to be a presage of something new in her life—was it for good or for evil?
Suddenly she was afraid and drew Mahendra to herself in a close embrace. Mahendra could feel the tremor in her, and said: "Fear not, Chuni, our good Kaki's blessing is on you, you need have no fear. She left home and everything she had in this world for your sake; no harm can come to you!"
Bsha braced herself up and took courage, accepting her husband's benediction as a talisman; and repeatedly taking in imagination the dust of her aunt's feet she prayed: "O mother, may your blessing keep my husband from all harm."
The next morning Mahendra left without saying good-bye to Binodini.
"How virtuous we are!" said Binodini to herself, contemptuously. "He does the wrong and he flies into a temper with me! Let's see how long this virtue will last!"
XXI
When Mahendra on his return home, made over to Asha a token of her aunt's love—a little box to keep her vermilion powder[1] in, she was again moved to tears. The infinite patience of that good woman under the trials of her own shortcomings and her mother-in-law's temper came home to her as it had never done before. She timidly said to her husband: "I do so want to see Kaki once more and beg her forgiveness. Would that be quite impossible?"
Mahendra entered into Asha's feelings, and at once gave his consent to her spending a little time with her aunt at Benares; but expressed some hesitation at the idea of again absenting himself from college to accompany her thither.
"My guardian's people will be going to Benares in a few days," said Asha. "Would it matter if I went with them?"
Mahendra went to Rajlakshmi and said: "Mother, the wife wants to go to Benares to see her Aunt."
Rajlakshmi was sarcastic. "If the young mistress wants to go, I suppose she must—so you had better make up your mind to take her there." She did not at all like the idea of Mahendra again establishing relations with his aunt,—that his wife should be going to her was still more intolerable.
"I have my college," Mahendra replied, "so I can't take her. She'll go with her guardian."
"Splendid!" said Rajlakshmi. "Her guardian is a great man, too great to think of crossing the threshold of the like of us. How grand to be able to go with him!"
The more Rajlakshmi waxed sarcastic,
- ↑ Hindu married women as a part of their daily toilette put a little touch of vermilion on their foreheads, in Bengal, at the parting of the hair, as a sign of their daily prayer for their husband's welfare. Such a present is thus a symbolic way of conveying a blessing to the wedded couple.
