BANCHARAM BABU's hunger had not yet been appeased: he was always
looking out for the chance of a successful stroke, or else
revolving in his mind the kind of stratagem it would be best for
him to adopt in order to accomplish his wished-for object. His
cunning intellect became keener than ever by this practice. He was
one day overhauling all Baburam Babu's affairs which had passed
through his hands, when a fine plan suddenly presented itself to
him: in the midst of his calculations, as he sat there propped up
by a cushion, he suddenly slapped his thigh, and exclaimed. "Ah! at
last I see before me a toad to a fine fortune. There is an estate
in the China Bazar belonging to Baburam, and there is the family
house too: they have both been mortgaged, and the limit of time
has expired. I will speak to Herambar Babu, and have a complaint
lodged in court, and then for a few days at any rate my hunger
may be appeased." With these words, he threw his shawl over his
shoulders, and making a visit to the Ganges the nominal excuse
for his departure, he tramped off with a firm determination to
succeed in his plan, or perish in the attempt.
He soon reached Herambar Babu's house. Entering at the door, he
enquired of a servant where the master of the house was. Hearing
Bancharam Babu's voice Herambar Babu at once descended the
stairs. He was a very open-hearted and generous man, and he
always acceded to every suggestion made to him. Bancharam took
him by the hand and said to him very affectionately:-- "Ha,
Choudhury Mahashay! you once lent some money to Baburam upon
my recommendation. The family and their affairs are now in
a very bad way: the honour and reputation of his house have
departed with Baburam: the elder boy is a perfect ape, and the
younger a fool: they have both gone abroad. The family is deeply
involved in debt: there are other creditors all prepared to bring
suits against the family, and they may put many difficulties
in the way of a settlement: I can therefore no longer advise
you to keep quiet. Give me the mortgage papers. You will have
to record a complaint in our office to-morrow: kindly give us a
foil power-of-attorney." In similar circumstances, all men alike
would be afraid of losing their money. Herambar Babu was neither
deceitful nor artful himself, and so the words which Bancharam had
just spoken at once caught his attention: he agreed straightway,
and entrusted the mortgage papers into Bancharam Babu's hands. As
Hanuman, having obtained the fatal arrow of Ravan, all gleefully
hurried away from Lanka[72], so Bancharam, putting the papers
under his arm as if they had been a cherished charm[73], hurried
off smilingly home.
Nearly a year had elapsed since Matilall's departure. The main
door of the Vaidyabati house was still close shut: lichen covered
the roof and the walls and all about the place there was a dense
jungle of thorns and prickly shrubs. Inside the house, were two
helpless young women, Matilall's stepmother, and his wife, who when
it was necessary for them to go out at any time, used the back
door only. They found the greatest difficulty in getting food,
and had only old clothes to wear. For fifteen days in the month
they went without food altogether. The money they had received at
Beni Babu's hands had all been expended in the payment of debts,
and in defraying the cost of their living for some months. They
were now experiencing unparalleled, hardships, and being utterly
without resources, were in great anxiety. One day, Matilall's
wife said to his step-mother:-- "Ah, lady! we cannot reckon the
number of sins we must have committed in our other births: I am
married, it is true, but I have never seen my husband's face:
my lord has never once turned to look at me: he has never once
asked whether I am alive or dead. However bad a husband may be,
it is not for a woman to reproach him: I have never reproached my
husband. It is my wretched destiny: where is his fault? I have only
this much to say, that the hardships which I am now suffering would
not appear hardships, if only my husband were with me." Matilall's
step-mother replied: "Surely there are none so miserable as we are:
my heart breaks at the thought of our misery: the only resource of
the helpless and poor is the Lord of the poor." Men-servants and
maid-servants will only remain in service with people as long as
they are well off. Now that these two girls had been reduced to
their present state, their servants had all left them. One old
woman alone remained with them out of pure kindness of heart:
she herself managed to pick up a living by begging.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were engaged in the
conversation we have recorded, when suddenly this old servant
came to them, trembling all over, and said, "Oh, my mistresses,
look out of the window! Bancharam Babu, accompanied by a sergeant
of police and some constables, has just surrounded the house.
On seeing me, he said, 'Go and tell the ladies to leave the
house.' I said to him, 'Sir! And where will they go?' Then he
got angry, and threatened me, adding, 'Do they not know that the
house is mortgaged? Do they suppose that the creditor will throw
his money into the Ganges? Well, I am only acting upon his wish;
let them go away at once, or shall I have to put them out by the
scuff of the neck?'" The two women trembled all over with fright
when they heard this. The house was soon full of the noise made by
the men who were breaking in the front door: a crowd of people too
had collected in the street. Bancharam was ostentatiously ordering
the men to hammer at the door, and was gesticulating and saying:
"No one can possibly prevent me from taking possession: I am not
a child that I can be easily trifled with: it is the order of
the Court: I will force an entry into the house: is a gentleman
who has advanced money on the house to be called a thief? What
wrong is being done? Let the members of the family depart at
once." A great crowd had now collected, and some of the people
were very angry, and exclaimed: "Ho, Bancharam! No baser wretch
exists on earth than you: by your counsel you have ruined this
house altogether. You have had heaps of money out of this family
by your long-continued malpractices, and now you are turning the
household adrift: why the very sight of your face would render
it necessary to perform the _Chandrayan_ penance: no place will
be found for you even in hell." Bancharam paid no heed to their
remarks; and when he had at last burst in the door, he rushed into
the house, with the sergeant of police, and went into the zenana.
Just at that moment, Matilall's wife and his stepmother,
taking hold of the hands of the old woman, and wiping the tears
from their eyes, as they exclaimed, "Oh, Lord God, protect
these poor helpless women!" went out of the house by the back
door. Matilall's wife then said, "Friends, we are women of good
family: we are utterly ignorant: where shall we go? Our father and
all his race are gone: we have no brothers: we have no sisters:
we have no relatives at all: who will protect us? Oh, Lord God,
our honour and our lives are now in Thy hands. Welcome death by
starvation before dishonour." When they had gone a few paces,
they stopped beneath a banyan tree, and began to consider what
was to be done. Just then Barada Babu approached them with a
_dooly_: with bowed head and sorrowful face he said to them:
"Ladies, do not be anxious: regard me as you would a son: I
beg that you will get into this _dooly_ at once, and go to my
house: I have separate quarters ready for you: stay there for a
while, until your plans are arranged." When Matilall's wife and
stepmother heard these words of Barada Babu, they were like people
just rescued from a watery grave. Overwhelmed with gratitude,
they said: "Sir, how we should like to be prostrate at your feet:
we have no words to express our gratitude to you: you must surely
have been our father in a previous birth." Barada Babu hurriedly
placed them in the _dooly_, and sent them to his house; while
he himself, fearing he might meet some one on the road who would
question him, hurried home by back streets.