About a week later Nalini got a telegram from Benares announcing his
mother's death. He promptly donned the customary Kacha (mourning-cloth)
and hurried home, only to find his brother, Jadunath Babu, already
in possession of the sad news; and they went to Benares to comfort
their stricken father.
After the customary month of mourning Jadu Babu made preparations
for celebrating the sradh on a grand scale, by giving presents to
distinguished Brahmans, feasting his relatives, and distributing
alms to the poor. No money was spared in order to keep his mother's
memory green. The family's position would have been most enviable,
but for a slight unpleasantness which was created by some of the
villagers. Debendra Babu, who had been waiting for an opportunity
of revenge, went from house to house urging his neighbours not to
participate in the sradh, on the score that Nalini had married into
a strange clan and was ipso facto an outcast. Jadu Babu was stung to
the quick on learning these machinations. He consulted Nalini as to
the best method of parrying them, and was consoled by his brother's
assurance that it would be quite easy to win over his opponents except,
perhaps, Debendra Babu himself.
When the time for distributing Samajik (gifts) came round, Jadu Babu
sent one to every caste-fellow in the village, but all returned them
without a word of explanation.
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