Krishnakanta's Will (Chatterjee, Roy)/Part 1/Chapter 2
CHAPTER II.
After he had eaten his meal Brahmananda was preparing to take his accustomed nap when Haralal stood before him. When he saw Haralal he was rather surprised.
"Hallo! my dear sir, you are coming from Calcutta?" he asked.
"Yes," said Haralal, sitting down on the bed near him. "I arrived two days ago; I have been hiding somewhere. Father is going to make a fresh will, eh?"
"I am told so," said Brahmananda.
"This time he is going to exclude me altogether."
"Is he? But, I don't think he is in earnest."
"I know he is," said Haralal. "You write the will of course?"
"Why, I can't refuse, you know," said Brahmananda.
"Nobody wants you to refuse," said Haralal. "But come, I want to give you something."
"What? a drubbing?" said Brahmananda with a laugh.
"Damn you," said Haralal. "I am serious. A thousand rupees. Would you like to take it?"
"Where is the fool who will not like to take it if he can get it for nothing?"
"I don't mean, for nothing," said Haralal. "If you wish to get it you will have to earn it."
"How? By marrying a widow?"
"Why, what harm is there?"
"None at all. But the thing is I am too old to marry. Don't you think I am?"
"Well, apart from jokes," said Haralal, "I want you to do something—the thing I am here for, and which is of great importance to myself. A thousand rupees is a round sum, and I will give you a chance of earning it. I know you are the fit man, or I wouldn't come to you." And he put a bundle of fresh currency notes in Brahmananda's hand. "I pay you five hundred rupees in advance," he said, "and you must set about the business at once."
Brahmananda counted the notes in his hand. "What shall I do with this money?" he said, looking up to Haralal's face.
"You may hoard it, if you like."
"But what is it you wish me to do?" asked Brahmananda.
"To begin with, then," said Haralal, "make two pens so that both will write alike."
"That's easily done," said Brahmananda. And he made two pens, which he did so skilfully that when he wrote with them to test their reliability both writings were found to have exactly the same appearance.
"For the present," said Haralal, "put one of these two pens in your box. When you go to write the will take it with you, for you must write with this pen. The other should be used in writing what I shall dictate to you. You have good ink in your house of course?"
Brahmananda took out his ink-pot, and taking a dip of ink formed a few letters with his pen.
Haralal looked closely at the writing. "This ink will do," he said. "Take your inkstand with you when you are going to write the will."
"Why, what's the good? You have pen and inkstand in your house," said Brahmananda.
"You must do as I tell you, and not question me," said Haralal. "You can easily understand that since I pay you so much money I have some motive in wanting you to take this pen and inkstand with you."
"Oh, certainly. I didn't think of it."
Haralal then placed two sheets of blank paper in Brahmananda's hand.
"Oh, this is just the sort of paper your father uses in writing documents," said Brahmananda.
"I know that, and that is why I procured them," said Haralal. "Now write with this pen and ink what I am going to dictate."
Brahmananda wrote a will to Haralal's dictation. The purport of it was that Krishnakanta Roy willed three-fourths of his property to his son Haralal giving three-sixteenths to Benodelal, and dividing the remaining one-sixteenth equally among his wife, Gobindalal, Soilabati and Haralal's boy.
"Now who is to sign this?" said Brahmananda when he had finished writing.
Haralal took the will from his hand, and wrote Krishnakanta Roy's name and the names of four witnesses in it.
"Why, this is a forged will," said Brahmananda.
"Yes," said Haralal; "but I will tell you what to do."
"What is that?" asked Brahmananda.
"When you go to write the will, take this concealed in your shirt pocket. Write what father will dictate. When, after you have finished writing, and the will has been read out and signed, you take it up to put your signature to it, which you must do with your back turned to all, you will take this opportunity of changing the will, which you can easily do. There can be no suspicion, for both wills must be very like in appearance, the writer and paper, and the pen and ink being the same in both cases. Then you give my will to father, and bring father's to me."
Brahmananda reflected a little, and then said, "It is a very clever idea to be sure."
As he was, however, silent for a while Haralal asked, "What is it you are pondering in your mind?"
"I dare not have any concern in this business," said Brahmananda. "Take your money back."
Haralal held out his hand to receive the notes; and he was just about to leave the room when Brahmananda called him back. "When do you pay the rest?" he asked, finding it very difficult to overlook such a tempting offer.
"When the thing has been done, and you have brought my father's will to me," said Haralal.
"The temptation, I must confess, is much too great to resist."
"You accept the offer then?"
"I cannot help accepting it," said Brahmananda. "But I think it is very difficult to change the will. I very much fear I shall be caught in the act."
"Well," said Haralal, "I will do it before your eyes, and let me see if you can detect it."
Haralal certainly possessed some skill in sleight of hand as in imitating another's handwriting. He put the will in his pocket, and taking a piece of paper made as if he would write something on it, when in a trice the will in his pocket and the paper in his hand had changed places without Brahmananda's perceiving anything at all.
Brahmananda praised his dexterity of hand. "I will teach you how to do it," said Haralal to him. And he made Brahmananda practise the trick under his guidance for nearly a couple of hours until he had quite mastered it.
Haralal then took his leave, saying that he would call again in the evening.
When he had gone a great fear seized on Brahmananda. If he carried out what he had taken in hand, and was caught, he was sure to be dragged to court; and who knew but he might, for the gravity of his offence, be imprisoned for life. There could be nothing more foolish than to engage in such a risky affair as this. Though he thus debated in his mind he still wavered; but at last he resolved to have nothing to do with the business.