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THE WRECK

"There's one thing that I must tell you, mother," he began at last, "but let me first beseech you not to distress yourself about it. The incident that I am about to relate to you happened nine or ten months ago and it is useless to grieve over it now. Still I know that it is a characteristic of yours, mother, to shudder at the horror of a calamity even when all is over and irremediable. It is for that reason that I have never told you this story though I have been constantly on the point of doing so. Take what meas- ures you like to propitiate my evil destiny but do not distress yourself with vain regrets."

Kshemankari was profoundly disturbed.

"I don't know what you're going to tell me, lad," she said, "but your preface only makes me dread the worst Never, so long as I live, shall I be able to repress my emotions. It is useless trying to keep aloof from worldly affairs. You do not have to go in search of misfortune; it swoops down on you unin- vited. Tell me your story at once and never mind whether the news is good or bad."

"Last February," began Nalinaksha accordingly, "I sold up all my property in Rangpur, found a ten- ant for my garden-house, and started for Calcutta. When I reached the river-crossing at Sara I took a whim to abandon the railway and to proceed the rest of the way by water, so I hired a large country-boat at Sara and set off. When we had been on the water for two days we tied up at a sand-bank and I had gone ashore to bathe when I suddenly encountered our old friend Bhupen carrying a gun. He gave a jump when he saw me and called out, 'Here's a fine bird for the bag !" It appeared that he was a Deputy Magistrate in these parts and had come out into his district on a tour of inspection. It was many years since we had met and he refused to let me go, in- sisting on my accompanying him on his rounds. We

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