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THE WRECK 255

camped one day at a village called Dhobapukur and in the evening we went for a stroll round the place; it is quite a small village. In the course of our walk Bhupen suddenly led me into the walled courtyard of a thatched house standing on the edge of a stretch of plough-land. The owner of the house brought out cane stools and made us sit down. The verandah was being used as a schoolroom at the time. The village dominie sat on a wooden-bottomed chair with his feet propped against one of the pillars while the children squatted on the ground before him, slate in hand, chanting their lessons in chorus. The owner of the house was one Tarini Chaturjye. He cross-ques- tioned Bhupen till he had my history by heart. As we were returning to camp Bhupen remarked, 'You're in luck to-day; you're about to receive a proposal of marriage.' I asked what he meant and he went on to say : 'That fellow Tarini Chaturjye is a mony-lender and a bigger miser doesn't exist. When a new magis- trate comes along he makes a great parade of his pub- lic spirit in allowing school to be held in his house. Actually he does nothing for the schoolmaster except to provide his meals, and in return the poor wretch has to work till ten o'clock at night writing up Tarini's accounts ; his salary is paid out of the school fees and the Government grant. Tarini had a sister who was left penniless at her husband's death and to whom he had to give shelter in consequence. She was pregnant at the time and died in giving birth to a daughter. Her death was entirely due to want of proper medical attendance. He had another widowed sister who did all the housework and so saved him a servant's wages. This poor creature took charge of the orphan but she too died a few years later. The girl has been leading a dog's life ever since, slaving for her uncle and aunt and getting nothing but scolding in return. She has nearly passed the marrying age but it's no easy task'

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