‘Say, not do,’ she replied. She sat down beside him and took his hand in hers. She put her head against his shoulder. ‘I am so worried and you don’t care at all.’

‘What are you worried about?’

‘Why do you think the old woman has turned up suddenly?’

‘I don’t know. But why should that worry you?’

‘You don’t know her. She gets to know things that no one else knows. Besides, I think Beena suspects and she may tell. I am going mad, I will kill myself?’ Tears rolled down her cheeks. ‘Why did I do it? Why, why, why!’ she sobbed.

‘Why does Beena suspect?’

She told him of the letter left on her pillow the night she had come to him.

Madan put his arm round her shoulders and kissed her on the ear. ‘Beena will never tell. You take it from me, never.’

‘How are you so certain?’ she asked, looking up with her tear-stained eyes.

Madan kissed her tears away. ‘Because she wanted to come to me herself. I did not agree. She can never say a word against you.’

Champak’s concern changed to anger. ‘The slut! How can she raise her eyebrows at me? Or her old, pious mother point an accusing finger at me?’

‘I told you no one can say anything.’ Madan raised her on his lap and once more his hands went exploring. They did not meet any resistance—nor any response.

‘Nevertheless I have been bad. It was absolute madness.’ She kissed him on his lips and got up. ‘No more of this, Never again.’

Chapter VI

In the absence of Sabhrai, Shunno automatically became the mistress of the household. She played her role well. She pandered to Buta Singh’s whims and mothered Sher Singh. She also resumed bullying Mundoo. She nagged him all the time and occasionally smacked him. With no one left to complain to, Mundoo decided to repeat the trick which had earlier on put Shunno out of action for twenty-four hours. At the end of a day when he had enough of Shunno’s tongue—she had even pulled his ears till he had screamed—he took all the gum and red ink from Beena’s table and emptied it into Shunno’s jug of water.

Shunno took her responsibilities seriously. Despite the recurrence of the mysterious disease, she attended to her master’s breakfast, prepared the dinner, and told Mundoo to warm it before serving it. She asked for permission to be absent for the day. Buta Singh was too well-bred to ask a woman questions about her illness. He offered to get a doctor from the municipal hospital. But Shunno did not believe in Western-trained doctors and their bitter medicines. She had faith in vaids and hakims brought up on ancient Indian and Arabic systems. She had more faith in the prescriptions of holy men who combined spiritual ministrations with medicine. Peer Sahib was such a man.