Only Ravana and I remained. Tears welled up in his eyes.

“Guruji, is this really fair of you?” he asked plaintively.

“Oh, you fool! There’s nothing unfair in this. It’s only affection and fondness for you that’s behind it. Not just me, but all these people who have come here—however much affection they have for me, they have just as much for you too. So, don’t take it to heart,” I comforted him.

He hugged me, overcome with tears of joy, unable to speak, pressed my hands together in a namaste, and left without another word.

No sooner had he stepped outside than the lady of the house and her daughters came dashing into my room.

“What’s the matter, sir? What’s going on? You must tell us! We’ve been sitting here holding our breath since earlier,” they demanded.

“All right then, sit down,” I said, and set before them the remaining cakes and biscuits, along with a dish I had prepared myself, warning them not to be shy and to help themselves. Then, at leisure, I explained to them in detail the customs of our country, the natural tendencies of our women, the commotion our people make over such matters, and so on. They listened to all this in astonishment, giggling as they left.

At the doorway, the youngest girl turned back, looked at me, and laughed.

“What is it? Are you suspicious about something too?” I asked.

Without replying, she dashed off to their room.

As for victories and defeats in the war, not only is it hard to decide whose side fortune will favor, but even to guess seems impossible for anyone. Many have begun to suspect that, whoever wins, it may not necessarily be the English. In many theaters of war, the English have had to face unexpected and disastrous outcomes. In the Turkish regions, they had to endure a defeat even more crushing than the naval disaster that befell them earlier in Scotland. Because of this, Winston Churchill, who was then the First Lord of the Admiralty,

Barrister Parvateesam

...and so he had to retire from his post. There were numerous criticisms that the entire conduct of the war strategy was unsatisfactory, and as a result, even the Prime Minister, a man named Asquith, had to step down from his position. I believe it was around this time that the political parties had to go to elections. Until then, Lloyd George, who was in Asquith’s own party, began an enormous campaign against him. Never before had such campaigns been seen. I had not even read about anything like it. But witnessing it firsthand today felt like a great enlightenment.

Eager to hear Lloyd George speak, I went with some friends to the nearby city of Glasgow. Compared to the meeting I had attended in Edinburgh for Asquith, this was even more grand. Instead of being held in a hall, this meeting was organized in a vast open ground. People had gathered in countless numbers—so many that