=do the duty of the father.=] By disciplining and punishing the
child.
=crippling his patrimony.=] Injuring the estate.
=this is preposterous.=] The natural thing would be for the property
to be divided between the two brothers and their descendants, but
by this will only one son was recognized and one set of grandsons.
=given to the grandsons.=] To Shyama Charan's and Bhavani's sons.
According to this preposterous will Bhavani was left out
altogether, and also his son.
=Shyama Charan's treachery.=] She fully believed that he had stolen
the will and put this false one in its place.
=Noto used to get reprimands.=] Used to be blamed for wishing to save
this waste of money. Of course the whole thing was imaginary, but
it gave Bhavani the pleased feeling of being generous.
=traditional extravagance.=] Such as had always been displayed in
former days when the family was prosperous.
=Some imaginary dog.=] She would say that some dog had run off with
the food which she had prepared.
=Bhavani had confessed.=] Rashmani, Noto and Bhavani himself were all
alike ready to keep up the illusion that the old magnificence was
still there, if only this or that accident had not deprived them
of its display.
=invisible ink.=] Ink which is invisible when first written with, but
when heated becomes visible.
=Baba, wait a little.=] In Bengal daughters are often called Ma
(mother) and sons Baba (father).
=it became absurdly easy.=] Because, after this, both the mother and
her son could join in the pretence together.
=lacking in proper enthusiasm.=] Did not care much about the subject.
=more than compensated.=] The pleasure of telling the news was greater
than the pain of knowing that such a sacrilege was going to take
place.
=with all the more deadly force.=] The thrower being up above, the
speed would increase all the more on the downward flight of the
missile.
=requiring expensive fodder.=] Vanity can feed itself on the idea of
self importance.
=to graze at large.=] Merely to feed on what is before it. He gave it
extra food by paying for a number of flatterers, just as a horse
is stall-fed with extra supplies of food.
=turned round on him.=] His vanity would be offended and he would be
his enemy instead of his helper.
=forced extravagance.=] Kalipada had been forced by the sneers of the
students to give far more than he could afford.
=draw tears from the eyes.=] An amusing way of saying that no burglar
would ever dream of trying to rob such a room.
=laid their impious hands.=] Had grossly insulted.
=let him climb down first.=] An English metaphor meaning "let him be
humble."
=he discovered the truth.=] The truth that he was a near relative of
Kalipada.
=grandchild's privilege.=] Especially in Bengal, a grandchild is
allowed the liberty of making jokes with his grandfather.
=he found it easy.=] He loved his mother so much that when he found
anyone pleased with things which she had made he enjoyed seeing
them use these things rather than himself.