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THE WRECK

of Ramesh Babu, so I have come to ask you if you can give me any tidings of his wife."

Surprise at this opening deprived Annada Babu of breath.

"Ramesh's wife!" he exclaimed, when he found his voice. Hemnalini dropped her eyes and Chakrabartti resumed : "You must think me very old-fashioned and ill-mannered, but if you will have patience and hear me out, I think you will be convinced that I haven't come all the way from Ghazipur simply to discuss other people's affairs with you! It was during the Puja holidays that I met Ramesh Babu; I made his acquaintance on the steamer in which he was travelling up-country with his wife. You know yourselves that no one can meet Kamala without succumbing to her charm. I am an old man and sorrow and affliction have toughened my fibre, but I can never forget that dear little woman. On the steamer Ramesh Babu was still undecided about a destination, but when we had known each other only a couple of days Kamala became so attached to my old self that she persuaded her husband to disembark at Ghazipur and put up with us. My second daughter Saila loved her more than her own sister. I can't bear to speak of what happened after that. Why the dear girl should sud- denly disappear, leaving us heartbroken, I have never yet been able to conceive. Saila's eyes have never been dry since we lost her;" and Uncle completely broke down at the recollection.

"What happened to her, where did she go?" asked Annada Babu in great concern.

"Akshay Babu," said Uncle, "you have heard every- thing; you tell him. It breaks my heart to think of it."

Akshay recounted the whole story in detail. With- out adding any comment of his own he succeeded

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