under his pillow. Krishna Kanta was heavy with opium. He was neither asleep nor awake, and so could not quite comprehend anything. He was not quite sure that there was no light in the room. Now half asleep—now half awake—even awake — his eyes would not open. When he did manage once to open his eyes, the darkness did indeed strike him, but Krishna Kanta then fancied himself in gaol for giving false evidence in Hari Ghosh's lawsuit. The gaol was very dark. After awhile, suddenly, a sound as of the turning of a key fell gently on his ear. "What!" thought he, "has the key of the gaol dropped down?" Instantly he roused himself, felt about for the tube of his hukâ, but could not find it. From habit he called out "Hari!"
Krishna Kanta did not sleep in the inner apartments, nor in the outer rooms. He had a room between the two, and slept there. There also slept his Khânsâmâ, a man named Hari. No one else. It was to this attendant Krishna Kanta was speaking when he called out "Hari!"
He called to him a second time, and then,
