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THE WRECK

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discover his identity or to engage him in conversa- tion.

Jogendra went forward at once, grasped Ramesh by the hand and drew him to his feet.

"I really can't cope with you!" he cried, "you're as diffident as ever. Why couldn't you come straight to my quarters instead of sticking in a grocer's shop half- way? One would think you enjoyed the aroma of treacle and the perfume of fried rice!"

Taken aback by this greeting, Ramesh merely smiled. Jogendra hurried him off, keeping up an in- cessant flow of talk.

"The theologians may preach what they like," he said, "but to me the workings of Providence are in- scrutable. Look at me now! I was brought up in a city to be a thorough townsman, and now I'm cast into this howling wilderness to starve my soul among the clods!"

"It's not a bad place at all," remarked Ramesh look- ing round.

Jogendra. "Meaning- ?"

Ramesh. "Meaning that there's solitude -"

Jogendra. "And consequently Fm trying hard to intensify the solitude by driving away the only com- panionable soul in the place!"

Ramesh. "All the same, if it's peace of mind-"

Jogendra. "Don't tell me that For a time I was absolutely stifled with excessiye peace of mind here It wasn't long before I took to my favourite pastime of breaking the peace. At present I'm at daggers drawn with the secretary of the school committee, and after the sample of my temper that I've given the landlord he won't be in a hurry to attack me again. He wanted to employ me as his trumpeter in the English news- papers, but I made it quite plain to him that I am my own master. It isn't my virtues that keep me on here. The Joint Magistrate thinks a lot of me so the land-