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THE WRECK

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end she never got a word out of the child. It breaks my heart, as you may well imagine, to think what a girl like her must have suffered before she took the filial plunge. The cruellest feature is that I happened to be away in Allahabad at the time. Had I been on the spot I do not believe she would have had the heart to desert me."

Next morning Uncle conducted Akshay to Ramesh's bungalow and together they visited the scene of Kam- ala's disappearance.

Akshay made no comment till their return to Chak- rabartti's house, when he remarked to the old gentle- man, "Do you know, sir, I can't feel as certain as you that Kamala actually committed suicide by drowning herself in the Ganges."

Uncle. "What's your opinion then?"

Akshay, "I'm inclined to believe that she ran away from home. We ought to have a thorough search made for her."

Uncle leapt up from his chair in his excitement.

"You may be right!" he exclaimed, "it's by no means improbable."

Akshay. "Benares is not far from here. A family with whom both Ramesh and myself were very inti- mate is living there. It's possible that Kamala took shelter with them."

"Why, Ramesh Babu never told me that!" cried Uncle, his natural buoyancy reasserting itself. "Had I known, I should certainly have made inquiries from these people."

Akshay. "Well, suppose now we both go to Ben- ares. You know this part of the country very well so you'll be able to make the fullest possible investiga- tion."

Uncle readily agreed to this proposal. That Hem- nalini would believe his unsupported word Akshay

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