what is the matter with your leg?" Becharam burst in with the remark: "What, my friend, have you never heard of the affair of Barnagore? The pain he is suffering is only the punishment for his evil advice: have you forgotten what I said in the boat?" Thakchacha tried to slip away when he heard this, but Beni Babu caught him by the arm and said: "Never mind that now! is anything being devised for the recovery of the master? There is great confusion in the house." Thakchacha replied: "When the fever commenced, I took Ekramaddi the hakim with me: by the administration of purgatives and other drugs he reduced the fever, and allowed his patient to eat spiced rice; but the fever returned again the other day, and since then Brojonath the kabiraj has been looking after the case. The fever seems to me to be steadily increasing: I cannot imagine what to do." Beni Babu said: "Thakchacha, do not be angry at what I am going to say: you should have sent us news of this before. However, that cannot be helped now: we must call in a skilled English doctor at once."
At this moment, Ramlall and Barada Prasad Babu approached. Ramlall's face was quite worn from night-watching, from the labour and toil of nursing, and from anxiety of mind; his daily anxiety was to devise means for restoring his father to convalescence and health. Seeing Beni Babu he said to him: "Sir, I am in grievous trouble: with all this confusion in the house no good advice is to be had from any one. Barada Babu comes every morning and evening to look after my father, but none of the people here will allow me to carry out his instructions. Your arrival is most opportune: please adopt any steps you think necessary."
Becharam Babu gazed steadily at Barada Babu for some time, and then with tears in his eyes caught hold of
