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256 THE WRECK

to find a husband for a friendless orphan like her, especially as no one in the village knew her parents. She was a posthumous child too, and die village gossips whisper scandal about her origin. Tarini Chaturjye is notoriously rolling in wealth so they depreciate the girl in the hope of squeezing a big dowry out of him before he can get her married. For the last four years he has been describing her as ten years old, so by that calculation she must be at least fourteen now. And yet, you know, she's the loveliest girl that ever I saw. She's called Kamala, after the goddess Lakshmi, and she's the perfect image of her namesake in every respect. Whenever a young Brahman stranger comes here Tarini goes down on his knees and implores him to marry his niece, but even when the lad is willing the villagers scare him away and the engagement is broken off. It's your turn now, you may be certain.' Do you know, mother, I was in such a dare-devil mood that I said at once without a moment's reflection, 'All right, I'll marry the girl.' I had always intended to give you a surprise by bringing you home an ortho- dox little Hindu daughter-in-law —I knew quite well that if I married a grown-up Brahmo lady none of us would be happy. Bhupen was flabbergasted. 'You don't mean it!' he exclaimed. 'Indeed I do.' said I; 'my mind is made up.' 'Are you serious?' asked Bhupen. I assured him that I was. Tarini Chaturjye called at our camp that very evening and made his supplication, clasping his hands over his Brahmanical thread. 'I implore you to come to my rescue,' he said. 'See the girl for yourself — then of course if you don't fancy her that's an end to the matter, but on no ac- count listen to the misrepresentations of my enemies.' 'I don't require to see her.' I replied, 'you can fix a day for the wedding.' 'The day after to-morrow will do,' said Tarini ; let us have it then.' Of course one could see the motive underlying his piteous appeal and

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