He himself could not keep a secret in his own heart; how then could Dhaniya keep it in hers? Now this witch would not relent. Once she set her mind to something, she would listen to no one. Today, he had made the greatest mistake of his life.

All around, a deep and silent darkness prevailed. Now and then, the bells around the necks of the two bullocks would ring out. Ten paces away lay the dead cow, and Hori tossed and turned in bitter remorse. Nowhere in the darkness could he see even a single ray of light.

:9:

At dawn, a great commotion broke out in Hori’s house. Hori was beating Dhaniya. Dhaniya was hurling abuses at him. Both daughters clung to their father’s feet, screaming, while Gobar tried to protect his mother. Again and again, he would grab Hori’s hand and push him back, but whenever a curse escaped Dhaniya’s lips, Hori would wrench his hand free and land a few more blows and kicks. It was as if his old anger had summoned some hidden, stored-up strength. The whole village was astir. People came running, pretending to mediate but eager to witness the spectacle. Shobha arrived, leaning on his staff. Datadeen shouted, “What’s this, Hori? Have you gone mad? Who raises a hand against the Lakshmi of his house like this? You never had this disease before. Has Heera’s infection caught you too?”

Hori, folding his hands, said, “Maharaj, do not speak now. I will not rest until I break her stubbornness today. The more I try to reason with her, the more defiant she becomes.”

Dhaniya, her eyes brimming with angry tears, cried out, “Maharaj, bear witness! I will not drink water today until I have sent him and his murderous brother to jail. His brother fed poison to the cow and killed her. Now, when I am going to the police to file a report, this murderer beats me. I have ruined my life for him, and this is my reward.”

Hori, grinding his teeth and glaring, said, “You’re saying it again? Did you see Heera feed poison to the cow?”

“Swear that you did not see Heera standing by the cow’s trough.”

“Yes, I did not see him, I swear.”

“Swear on your son’s head.”

Hori, his hand trembling, placed it on Gobar’s head and said in a shaking voice, “I swear on my son that I did not see Heera by the trough.”

Dhaniya spat on the ground and said, “Shame on your lies. You yourself told me Heera was standing there like a thief, and now you lie to protect your brother. Shame! If even a hair on my son’s head is harmed, I’ll set fire to the house. I’ll burn everything we own. O God, how shamelessly a man can deny his own words!”

Hori stamped his foot and said, “Dhaniya, don’t make me angrier, or it will be worse for you.”

“You’re already beating me, beat me more! Go on, if you are your father’s son, you’ll only drink water today after killing me. The sinner has thrashed me to a pulp, yet he’s not satisfied. He thinks himself a hero for beating me. In front of his brothers, he turns into a kitten, the wretch, the murderer.”

Then she began to weep, saying, “What have I not endured since coming to this house? How I have pinched and scraped, how I have longed for every scrap of cloth, how I have fed the whole family and gone to bed with only water myself. And now—”

Alas! God sits and watches this injustice, yet does not rush to protect the innocent. He had once hurried down from Vaikuntha to save the elephant king. Why does He now slumber in indifference?

Suspicion now slowly crept towards Dhaniya. No one doubted any longer that Heera had poisoned the cow. People had come to believe that Hori had sworn a false oath. The fear of the consequences of this false oath and the calamity it would bring had filled Hori with dread. On top of that, when Datadeen scolded him harshly, Hori was utterly defeated. He slipped out quietly. Truth had prevailed.

Datadeen asked Shobha, “Do you know anything, Shobha? What happened?”

Shobha, lying on the ground, replied, “Maharaj, I haven’t left the house in eight days. Hori Dada sometimes brings me something to eat, and that’s how I get by. He came to see me last night too. Who did what, I know nothing. Yes, yesterday evening Heera came to my house to borrow a khurpi. He said he needed to dig up a root. Since then, I haven’t seen him.”

Emboldened by this, Dhaniya spoke up, “Pandit Dada, it’s his doing. He borrowed the khurpi from Shobha’s house, dug up some root, and fed it to the cow. He’s been harboring a grudge ever since the quarrel that night.”

Datadeen said, “If this is proven, it will be murder. Whether the police do anything or not, Dharma will not let him go unpunished. Rupa, go and call Heera. Tell him Pandit Dada is calling. If he hasn’t committed murder, let him take up the Ganga-jali and swear an oath on the chabutra.”

Dhaniya said, “Maharaj, what faith can we have in his oath? He’ll swear falsely without a second thought. When this one, who pretends to be so pious, could swear a false oath, what trust can we place in Heera?”

Now Gobar spoke, “Let him swear a false oath. Let the line end here. Let the old ones live on. What use is it for the young to live?”

In a moment, Rupa returned and said, “Kaka isn’t at home, Pandit Dada! Kaki says he’s gone somewhere.”

Datadeen stroked his long beard and said, “Did you not ask where he went? Maybe he’s hiding in the house. Sona, go see if he’s inside.”

Dhaniya interjected, “Don’t send her, Dada! Heera has murder on his mind, who knows what he