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THE WRECK

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grace for us. If you want to set dad's mind entirely at rest you must eradicate every vestige of this un- fortunate affair," and he waited expectantly for an answer with his eyes on his sister's face.

"You needn't be afraid that I shall ever trouble dad by talking about it," returned Hemnalini in confusion.

Jogendra, "I know you won't, but that's not enough to shut people's mouths."

"Well, how can I do that?" asked Hemnalini.

Jogendra. "There's only one way of stopping all this talk."

Hemnalini knew what means Jogendra had in his mind and she Hastened to reply. "Wouldn't it be a good idea to take dad up-country now for a change? We could stay away three or four months and by the time we came back the gossip would have died down."

"That wouldn't be a complete cure. You must con- vince dad that your mind is at rest. Until then his wound will rankle and he'll never be his old self."

Hemnalini's eyes incontinently filled with tears, which she wiped away hastily.

"What do you want me to do then ?" she asked.

"I know it sounds unpleasant, but if you want to make every one happy you must get married at once."

Hemnalini was stunned into silence.

Jogendra went on impatiently: "You girls love to make mountains out of molehills. The same thing has happened to lots of others before. There has been some muddle over their marriage, then they quietly marry some one else and there's no more fuss. Other- wise the sort of thing that one reads of in novels would be constantly happening in the family circle, and existence would be unbearable. You may not be ashamed to talk melodrama in public — this sort of thing: 'I shall renounce the world for ever and shall abide on the housetop gazing at the heavens; I shall set up the memory of that worthless deceiver in my

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