Stories of Bengalee Life/A Pseudonym/Chapter 4
CHAPTER IV
At ten o'clock next morning Satish came in. When I asked how he could tear himself away from Nirmala, he said—"She is so taken up with that wretched paper of yours, The Mirror of Bengal—or The Light of Bengal, whatever you call it, you gave her, that I came away in a rage."
I was delighted. Was Nirmala's love for literature so great? I thought if Nirmala wrote herself, I would not mind printing the article in The Light of Bengal, after necessary corrections.
Satish had much to relate about her. The happiness of these two young lovers renewed the youth in my mind also. Satish said—"Now I am going. I just looked in to see if the rooms suited you. We shall meet at tea time. You are coming, I hope?"
"At tea time? No; not to-day. Mrs. Sen did not invite me."
"Of course she did; I heard her."
"In what way? She only said, 'If you come."
"Exactly; that was an invitation. Must one present oneself at your door with the garment round one's neck, as invitations are prescribed in the Shastras? What an old fogey you are."
"You don't say so! But I am hardly at liberty to come to-day. Would it be thought dreadfully impolite if I did not come? I am not very well acquainted with your English etiquette and that sort of rubbish."
Satish said, gravely—"It would be extremely impolite."
At this I felt very angry with myself. I ought to have said to Mrs. Sen—"I shall not be able to come to-morrow, as I shall be busy." Instead of that I had debated whether this invitation were or were not in proper form, hence this predicament.
Satish said, laughingly—"Oh, it is not so terribly impolite as all that; you need not be so troubled. If you apologise next time you meet, it will pass. But why should you not come? Do, there's a good fellow."
I was not anxious to give the true reason to Satish at that moment. "There is some important work"—I said.
"Important work can be done to-morrow. To-day you must come. At least, try to come." And he disappeared.
I said to myself—"You may say what you like; I won't go any more."
But as time went on I began to feel very lonely. Also, I was eager to discover what Nirmala thought of that number of The Light of Bengal, especially of that article of mine, "The Ideal Woman's Life." Had I not written it for the benefit of the new women of the class of Nirmala? I must know how that article had affected her views, so I decided to go.