Stories of Bengalee Life/The Lady from Benares/Chapter 5

by Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay

V

Not long after sunrise, the young couple reached Tari Ghat and put up in the quarters provided by the Railway. After putting things in order a little, Girindra went to the station to make the acquaintance to his fellow-workers.

Maloti, intending to have her bath, opened a trunk to take out a saree. It was this trunk which ordinarily contained her jewel case. What was her amazement to find that the jewel-case was not there!

"It must be in some other box" she murmured to herself. Then she opened all her boxes one after another, but the jewel case could not be found.

"But this is absurd! It must be somewhere" exclaimed Maloti in trembling voice and ransacked every box over and over again—examining every fold of the clothes even—but with no better result.

Then at last she sat on the floor—broken down—to give vent to her feelings. She wept like a child and tears flowed down her cheeks unceasingly.

It was some time before her husband came home. Seeing Maloti in this predicament he whispered—"What is this?"

She then related the disaster to him in words constantly broken with sobs.

Girindra sank into a chair. "Have you searched well?"—said he.

"I have."

"When did you see it last?"

"I remember having putting the jewel case inside the black trunk at Dinapur yesterday."

"Did you open the trunk while in the train—just to take out something or other you know?"

"Yes, I did once. I was feeling chilly and opened it to take out a shawl."

"You must have taken out the jewel case also and forgotten to put it back again."

"Oh, no"—said Maloti confidently. "The shawl was lying just at the top of everything else and I had no occasion to disturb the rest of the contents."

"After that where did you put the key?"

"It was fastened to my belt."

"And you went to sleep after that?"

"I did"—said Maloti, looking blankly at her husband's face.

"It is quite clear to me now"—said Girindra after a moment's pause. "The Benares woman must have stolen it."

Maloti did not protest.

"When you were fast asleep"—Girindra continued—"she must have softly loosened the key from your belt, opened the box and extracted the jewel-case. Do you know her name?"

"No, I don't. How could I with propriety enquire the name of a lady old enough to be my mother?"

"Where does she live at Benares?"

"In some muth^[1] or other."

"Some muth or other! Well, there are about a couple of hundred there. Have you any idea as to its locality?"

"No, I haven't."

"Didn't I warn you"—said Girindra somewhat hotly—"Didn't I warn you at the very outset, not to trust these people? They are a dangerous lot—these strumpets of Benares. She has made a big haul with her thirty-rupee bait."

At last Maloti lifted her eyes and protested—

"I can't believe she has done it. I shouldn't be surprised if I left it behind at the Dinapur house myself"—said she with firmness.

But Girindra would not listen to it. "You little know the ways of the world, my dear"—said Girindra loftily and then walked off to send a telegram to the Police.

1. Muth is a monastery or a nunnery as the case may be.