objects only encouraged idleness. Secondly, living now-a-days had become much costlier than in the days of his ancestors. Wants had increased apace. For a gentleman to keep up his position had become four times as expensive as in days past. So he could not afford to scatter gifts right and left as his father had done. On the contrary it was his bounden duty to call back as many of them as he possibly could.
So Bepin Bihari lost no time in carrying into effect what he conceived to be his duty. He was a man of strict principles.
What had gone out of his grasp, returned to him little by little. Only a very small portion of his father's grants did he allow to remain undisturbed and he took good care to arrange that those even should not be deemed permanent.
The wails of the tenants reached Krishna Gopal at Benares through the post. Some even made a journey to that place to represent their grievances to him personally. Krishna Gopal wrote to his son intimating his displeasure. Bepin Bihari replied, pointing out, how the times had changed. In former days, he said, the Zemindar was compensated for the gifts he made by the many customary presents he used to receive from his tenantry. Recent statutes had made all such impositions illegal. The zemindar had now to rest content with just the stipulated rent and nothing more. "Unless"—he continued—"we keep a strict watch over the realisation of our just dues, what would be left to us? Since the tenants won't give us anything extra now, how can we allow them concessions? Our relations must henceforth be strictly contractual. We shall be ruined if we go on making gifts and endowments, and the preservation of our property and the keeping up of our position will be rendered extremely difficult."
Krishna Gopal became very uneasy at finding that times should have changed so. "Well—well"—he murmurred to himself—"the younger generation know best, I suppose. Our out of date methods won't do now. If I interfere, my son might refuse to manage the property and insist on my going back. No, thank you—I would rather not. The few days that are left to me—I would much rather devote them to the service of my God."
II
So things went on. Bepin Bihari put his affairs in order after much litigation in the Courts and less constitutional methods outside. Most of the tenants submitted to his will out of fear. Only a fellow called Asimuddin, son of Mirza Bibi, still remained refractory.
Bepin's displeasure was keenest as regards this man. He could quite understand his father having granted rent-free lands to Brahmins, but why this Mohamedan should be holding so much land, some free and some at rents lower than the prevailing rates was a riddle to him. And what was he?—The son of a low Mohamedan widow giving himself airs and defying the whole world, simply because he had learnt to read and write a little at the village school. To Bepin it was intolerable.
He made enquiries of his officers about Asimuddin's holdings. All that they could tell him was that Babu Krishna Gopal himself had made these grants to the family many years back, but they had no idea as to what his motive might have been. They imagined however that perhaps the widow won the compassion of the kind-hearted zemindar by representing to him her woe and misery.
To Bepin these favours seemed to be utterly undeserved. He had not seen the pitiable condition of these people in days gone by. Their comparative ease of the present day and their arrogance drove him to the conclusion that they had impudently swindled his tender-hearted father out of a part of his legitimate income.
Asimuddin was a stiff-necked sort of a fellow, too. He vowed that he would lay down his life sooner than give up an inch of his land. Open hostilities ensued.
The poor old widow tried her best to pacify her son. "It is no good fighting with the zemindar"—she would often say to him.—"His kindness has kept us alive so long, let us depend upon him still, though he may curtail his favours. Surrender to him part of the lands as he desires."
"O, mother!"—protested Asimuddin—"What do you know of these matters pray?"
One by one, Asimuddin lost the cases instituted against him. The more he lost
