“Protect my virtue—you are a true woman.” Only a virtuous wife can understand the perils that befall a virtuous wife. The mistress lifted her daughter, wiped the tears from her eyes with the edge of her own sari, and said, “My child! Don’t cry—there is nothing to fear—I will hold you close to my heart, you are as dear to me as my own flesh and blood. The wife who is devoted to her husband, her virtue is guarded by the Lord Himself.” With these words, she comforted her daughter, reassured her, and then took her along to her father’s house, where she left her in safety.

Description of the market at Baidyabati, the arrival of Becharam Babu, the tangle of Matilal’s marriage in Baburam Babu’s assembly, the journey to Monirampur to arrange the marriage, and the ensuing commotion.

---

The evening worship at Nistarini’s shrine in Sheorapuli is ringing out—ding, ding, ding. Becharam Babu, catching sight of the goddess’s temple, is walking along on foot. On either side of the road are shops—here, piles of potatoes from Bandipur and Gopalpur; there, puffed rice, sweet balls, rice, and lentils for sale; somewhere else, an oil-presser sits by his wooden mill, reading the Ramayana aloud—when the oxen circle round, he sings out a taunt, and when the oil flows again, he bursts out, “O Ram, we are monkeys, Ram, we are monkeys!” Nearby, a fisherman’s daughter, with a basket of fish and a lamp beside her, calls out, “Will you buy some fish?” Elsewhere, a cloth merchant is conducting a grand ceremony for Vyasa’s funeral feast. Becharam Babu is taking in all these sights as he walks along. When one strolls alone, the mind is always crowded with the same old thoughts that bubble up unbidden. In those days, Becharam Babu was always amused by devotional songs. As he left the bustle behind and passed through a lonely stretch, he remembered a tune by Manohar Sahi. The night was dark—hardly a soul on the road—only the occasional bullock cart creaking and groaning its way home, and here and there a dog barking at nothing. Becharam Babu began to hum the tune with great gusto—his nasal voice no sooner reached the ears of a couple of rustic women nearby than they cried out in alarm. In the villages, it has always been believed that the voice of a nasal man...

He only keeps talking about ghosts. Hearing all that commotion, Becharam Babu, a little flustered, hurried straight to the Baidyabati house.

Baburam Babu was sitting in the midst of a lively gathering. Beni Babu from Bali, Bakreshwar Babu from Battala, Bansharam Babu from Outer Simla, and many others were present. Thakchacha was seated on a chair near the cushion. Several Brahmin scholars were engaged in scriptural debates. Some were picking holes in the Nyaya Shastra, some were busy arguing over the Tithi-tattva, others were engrossed in the intricacies of the Malmas-tattva, some were explaining verses from the Tenth Canto, and some were