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CHAPTER X

Akshay's voice was of mediocre quality, but when he sang and accompanied himself on the violin only a very severe critic would refuse him an encore. . An- nada Babu had no great fondness for music. He never admitted this but he had certain methods of self-defence which he employed when he thought that the music-lovers had had it their own way long enough.

If any one asked Akshay for an encore, Annada Babu would interpose:

"You really mustn't; why should you persecute the poor fellow just because he can sing?"

Akshay would reply indulgently: 'That's all right, Annada Babu, don't you worry. The only question is, who is the persecutor and who the persecuted?"

Then the first speaker would exclaim, "Well de- cide that after you've favoured us again."

One afternoon the sky was heavily overcast. Night was approaching and still there was no pause in the rain. Akshay had been storm-stayed and Hemnalini proposed that he should sing, and began to tune the harmonium (one of the small portable kind that we use in Bengal).

Akshay tuned his violin and broke into a Hindustani ballad :

Bayu bahin purbaina, Nida nahin bin saina.

The language of the song was unfamiliar to its hearers, but it mattered little that the words were un- intelligible for when emotions are at a high pitch the

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