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THE WRECK

"It s just as incredible to-day as it was then. I want you to come with me to the village where I was married; then I'll take you on to Kamala's uncle's house."

'I refuse to stir a step. I'm ready to believe every word you say without moving from this chair. I had always been in the habit of trusting you implicitly and you must forgive me for my one departure from a lifelong custom."

Jogendra rose from his chair and the two old friends embraced.

When Ramesh found his voice he went on : "Fate involved me in such an inextricable web of falsehood that I could see no remedy except to draw everything into its meshes. Now that I am clear of it and have

nothing more to conceal I can breathe freely again. I don't know to this day, and am never likely to know, what induced Kamala to commit suicide, but this much is certain, it was the only possible solution for her. The pair of us were in such a tangle that I shudder to think of the difficulties with which we should ultimately have been faced had she not cut the Gordian knot in this way. She was snatched suddenly and unexpect- edly out of the jaws of death and as suddenly and un- expectedly she disappeared into them again!"

"You needn't take it for granted that Kamala com- mitted suicide. However, the way is clear for you, so far as that is concerned. There's only the ques- tion of Nalinaksha now," and Jogendra proceeded to discourse on Nalinaksha. "I don't understand that type of person," he said, "and what I don't understand I don't like; but a lot of people are the other way about — what they don't understand appeals to them most. That's why I'm afraid for Hem. Things began to look bad when she gave up tea and wouldn't eat meat or fish. Then her eyes lost their old sparkle and even when one said something cutting she only smiled

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