Robin did not react. He walked out of the house with the doll in his hand. He went into the cowshed and stood there, looking for his friends.

He felt extremely uneasy. He was sweating. He felt like running away. The conflict between anger and love became unbearable.

There was nothing he could do. He was also a captive to duty and patriotism. The destiny of these people had already been written. Nothing could be done to change it.

Controlling his emotions, Robin left the courtyard and stood at the doorway. Inside, Mei Lin was trying to feed Yiu Yi’s brother the food provided by the Chowkhanis. The child was still weeping. Everyone was shivering in the cold. The workers of the Chowkhanis who had come to distribute food gave their shawls to the detainees. These warm shawls were spread on the floor for the children. Those who had been able to bring some warm clothes from their homes, thanks to the kindness of a few magistrates, spread these over the children who were asleep.

Handing the doll to a guard, Robin pointed to Yiu Yi and said, ‘Go and give this to that girl over there.’

‘Why, sahab?’ he asked suspiciously.

‘I have seen her drop the doll on her way here. She is just a child. Return it to her,’ Robin said and, without bothering to see the guard’s reaction, walked away.

Just then an officer walked into the compound, followed by A. C. Chow.

The officer stood in front of the people sitting in the courtyard. Chow stood behind him. The officer asked all the men to come out of the shed and sit in the courtyard. When all the men had assembled, he said, ‘Please remain quiet. There is nothing to fear. You all know that China has attacked our country. The situation is tense. Anything can happen at any moment. Therefore, the government has ordered to keep you under police custody for three or four days. For your security. After the situation improves, you will all be sent back to your homes.’

A. C. Chow came forward.

‘Don’t worry. I’ve talked to the authorities. It is just a matter of two or three days.’

On seeing A. C. Chow, the people’s fear turned to intense hatred. Surrounding the officer, they created a commotion.

‘We have left our homes without locking the doors. We were compelled to leave all our money, ornaments and other valuables in our houses. We were not allowed to bring anything.’

‘You’ll get everything back. That is the government’s responsibility. Don’t worry about it.’

‘But you have not arrested our women and children. Where will we go, leaving behind our families?’ The men who were separated from their families continued asking questions.

Chow wiped his face with a handkerchief to hide his uneasiness. After a while the officer lifted his hand.