Krishnakanta's Will (Chatterjee, Roy)/Part 2/Chapter 2
CHAPTER II.
Hearing of Bhramar's illness her father, Madhabinath, went to see her at Haridragram. Madhabinath Sircar was a handsome middle-aged man of two and forty, though he looked four or five years younger. As to his character opinions varied. According to many he was very shrewd and cunning. There were others (their number was not very small) who maintained that he was a good and upright man. Whatever he really was it was admitted on all hands that he was clever to the backbone; and, if the truth must be told, he was feared even by those who held a good opinion of him.
Bhramar was the only child of her parents. Madhabinath loved his daughter tenderly. The tears came into his eyes when he witnessed the wretched state of his daughter's health. Seeing her father weep, Bhramar burst out crying. For a while they wept in silence. "Papa," she said when they were a little composed, "I can feel I am not long for the world. I have a sum of money. I wish it could be put to good and charitable purposes. I wish you would see to it. Won't you, dear papa?"
Madhabinath said nothing. Her words wrung his very heart-strings. He rose and walked off to the outer house.
Madhabinath wept alone for a while. When he was somewhat settled, his grief gave way to a sudden feeling of indignation. "Is there no one in the world," he said to himself, "who can punish the wretches who have made my daughter's life so unhappy?" As he meditated upon it his eyes gleamed, he clenched his fist; he swore, "I will he revenged on them, I will. I will find out where they are if I have to cross hills and rivers to do it."
Thus determined he grew more calm and returned to his daughter. He spoke words of comfort to her. "Come, don't talk of dying," he said. "I am sure you will soon get back your health, and you will see many happy days again."
"Oh, I shall never see any, I shall never get well again," she sighed.
"Yon will, child. What's the matter with you? You are not treated here as you ought. I will take you home to Rajagram with me, where you will be taken good care of, and where under proper treatment you will get perfectly well in a little time."
Bhramar's father's house was at Rajagram, which, as we have said before, was only a few miles distant from Haridragram. Madhabinath stayed near his daughter for over two hours. After that he affectionately took leave of her, and went and saw the dewan. He asked this officer if he had got any letter from his master.
"No, sir," he said, "we have not long had any tidings of him."
"Do you know any one with whom he is likely to correspond?"
"I don't know. Our much respected mistress writes from Benares to say that she has not long had any information of her son."
Madhabinath asked no more questions. He bade him goodbye and came away.