habharat_.]

Then Srish asked, "Must you really go to Govindpur? What am I to do
alone?"

"Do you think I can go alone?" answered his wife. "We must both go.
Arrange matters in the morning when you go to business, and come home
quickly. If you are long, Satish and I will sit crying for you."

"I cannot go," replied Srish. "This is the season for buying linseed.
You must go without me."

"Come, Satish," was Kamal's reply; "we two will go and weep."

At the sound of his mother's voice Satish ceased to gnaw the pencil,
and raised another shout of joyous laughter. So Kamal's cry did not
come off this time; in place of it the kissing performance was gone
through as before.

At its close Kamal said, "Now what are your orders?"

Srish repeated that she must go without him, as he could not leave;
whereupon she sat down sulking. Srish went behind her and began to
mark her forehead with the ink from his pen.

Then with a laugh she embraced him, saying, "Oh, dearer than life, how
I love you!"

He was obliged to return the embrace, when the ink transferred itself
from her face to his.

The quarrel thus ended, Kamal said, "If you really will not go, then
make arrangements for me."

"When will you come back?"

"Need you ask?" said Kamal; "if you don't go, can I stay there long?"

Srish Chandra sent Kamal Mani to Govindpur, but it is certain that
Srish Chandra's employers did not do much in linseed at that time.
The other clerks have privately informed us that this was the fault of
Srish Chandra, who did not give his mind to it, but sat at home in
meditation.

Srish hearing himself thus accused, remarked, "It may be so, my wife
was absent at that time."

The hearers shook their heads, saying, "He is under petticoat
government!" which so delighted Srish Chandra that he called to his
servant, "Prepare dinner; these gentlemen will dine with me to-day."

CHAPTER XI.

CAUGHT AT LAST.

It was as though a flower had bloomed in the family house at
Govindpur. The sight of Kamal Mani's smiling face dried the tears in
the eyes of Surja Mukhi. The moment she set foot in the house Kamal
took in hand the dressing of her sister-in-law's hair, for Surja Mukhi
had neglected herself lately.

Kamal said, "Shall I put in a flower or two?"

Surja Mukhi pinched her cheek, and forbade it.

So Kamal Mani did it slily. When people came in she said, "Do you see
the old woman wearing flowers in her hair?"

But even Kamal's