by Rabindranath Tagore · 1918
Historical Fiction · Classics
Short stories by the Nobel Prize-winning Bengali writer Rabindranath Tagore, about family, marriage and ordinary people in village and town in India.
‘Mashi!’[1]
‘Try to sleep, Jotin, it is getting late.’
‘Never mind if it is. I have not many days left. I was thinking that Mani should go to her father's house.—I forget where he is now.’
‘Sitarampur.’
‘Oh yes! Sitarampur. Send her there. She should not remain any longer near a sick man. She herself is not strong.’
‘Just listen to him! How can she bear to leave you in this state?’
‘Does she know what the doctors——?’
‘But she can see for herself! The other day she cried her eyes out at the merest hint of having to go to her father's house.’
We must explain that in this statement there
was a slight distortion of truth, to say the least of it. The actual talk with Mani was as follows:—
‘I suppose, my child, you have got some news from your father? I thought I saw your cousin Anath here.’
‘Yes! Next Friday will be my little sister's annaprashan[2] ceremony. So I'm thinking——’
‘All right, my dear. Send her a gold necklace. It will please your mother.’
‘I'm thinking of going myself. I've never seen my little sister, and I want to ever so much.’
‘Whatever do you mean? You surely don't think of leaving Jotin alone? Haven't you heard what the doctor says about him?’
