He had to get up, and from every pore of Hori’s being, blessings flowed for his son. He felt a divine vigor in his worn-out body. Why should he, at this moment, burden his son’s blossoming youth with the weight of debts and worries? Let the boy eat and drink in peace, enjoy the pleasures of life. Hori himself was ready to toil and suffer. That was his life. He could not survive by chanting the name of Ram alone. He needed the spade and the hoe. Turning a rosary and repeating God’s name would not bring peace to his mind.

Gobardhan said, “If you wish, I can arrange to pay off the debt in installments, giving a little every month. How much would it be in total?”

Hori shook his head. “No, son, why should you trouble yourself? You don’t earn that much either. I’ll manage everything. Times won’t always be like this. Rupa will be gone soon. Then it’s only the debt left to repay. Don’t you worry about anything. Just be careful with your food and drink. Build up your body now, and you’ll always live in comfort. As for me—what of me? I’m used to hardship and struggle. I don’t want to yoke you to the plough just yet, son! You’ve found a good master. Serve him well for a while, and you’ll become a real man. She has come here herself, a living goddess.”

“She said she’ll come again for the wedding.”

“She’ll be most welcome. Living among such good people, even if you earn less, you gain wisdom and your eyes are opened.”

Just then, Pandit Datadin signaled to Hori and took him aside. Pulling two hundred-rupee notes from his waistband, he said, “You listened to my advice, and did well. Both matters are settled. You are free from the obligation to your daughter, and your ancestral land is saved. I have done all I could for you. Now it’s up to you to handle your affairs.”

When Hori took the money, his hand trembled. He could not lift his head. Not a word escaped his lips, as if he had fallen into a bottomless pit of humiliation and kept falling. After fighting life for thirty years, he was defeated—and so utterly defeated it was as if he had been made to stand at the city gates, and every passerby spat in his face. He wanted to cry out, “Brothers, I am an object of pity. I never knew what the heat of Jeth or the rains of Magh were like. Look inside this body, see how much life remains—how battered by wounds, how crushed by blows. Ask it, did you ever know rest, ever sit in the shade?” And now, on top of all that, this humiliation—and still he lives, coward, greedy, base. All his faith, once so deep it had become blind and heavy, seemed to shatter into pieces and scatter.

Datadin said, “Then I’ll be going. If you wish, you can go to Nokhe Ram right now.”

Hori replied humbly, “I will, Maharaj, but my honor is in your hands.”

For two days, the village was filled with celebration. There was music and singing, and Rupa, after much weeping, departed for her new home. But no one saw Hori leave the house. He hid himself away, as if his face were blackened with shame. With Malti’s arrival, the bustle only increased. Women from neighboring villages also came.

With his gentle nature and affection, Gobardhan had won over the entire village. There was not a single household where he had not left a memory of his sweet manners. Bhola even fell at his feet. Bhola’s wife...

She offered her betel leaf and gave her a rupee as a parting gift, and also asked for her address in Lucknow. If she ever came to Lucknow, she would surely visit her. She did not mention the matter of her money.

On the third day, when Gobar was about to leave, Hori, with tears in his eyes, confessed to Dhaniya the sin that had been tormenting his soul for many days, and wept as he spoke, “Child, out of attachment to this land, I have burdened myself with a bundle of sin. Who knows what punishment God will give me for this!”

Gobar did not become agitated in the least; there was no trace of anger on his face. With reverence, he said, “There is nothing sinful in this, Dada! Yes, Ramsevak’s money should be repaid. But what else could you have done? I am good for nothing, your farming yields nothing, no one will give us a loan, and there isn’t food in the house for even a month. In such a situation, what else could you have done? If you hadn’t saved the ancestral land, where would we have lived? When a man has no recourse, he can only surrender himself to fate. Who knows how long this injustice will go on? For one who cannot get even a morsel to eat, honor and respect are but empty pretenses. If you had, like others, strangled someone else’s throat, seized their savings, then you too would have been called a good man. You never abandoned your principles, and this is your punishment. If I were in your place, I would either be in jail or hanged by now. I could never have tolerated earning and filling everyone else’s bellies while sitting with my own children, my mouth tied shut. ”

Dhaniya did not agree to send her daughter-in-law with him. Jhunia too wished to stay a few more days. It was decided that Gobar would go alone.

The next morning, Gobar took leave from everyone and set out for Lucknow. Hori accompanied him to the edge of the village. Never before had he felt such love for Gobar. When Gobar bent to touch his feet, Hori broke down in tears, as if he would never see his son again. His soul was filled with