The Home and the World

Nikhil’s Story. XV. It’s the day Nikhil plans to go to Calcutta. The Bara Rani comes to him while he’s finishing packing and says she wishes he wouldn’t go. He promises to come back sometimes. He is surprised to find that the Bara Rani herself has been packing, planning to come along. Nikhil is shocked to hear this at first, but he realizes that after so many years, even after his brother’s death, the Bara Rani is like a family member to him.

Just then, Khema comes and says the Police Inspector wants to speak to Nikhil. Against the Bara Rani’s advice, Nikhil decides to speak with the Police Inspector. While Nikhil gets ready, he has cakes sent down, one for the Inspector and another when he learns the Inspector has brought someone. As Nikhil goes to meet the Inspector, he runs into Bimala, looking like she wants to ask a favor. She says she wants to speak with Nikhil after he’s done with the Inspector.

Nikhil goes to talk with the Police Inspector and is surprised to see Amulya with him. The Police Inspector explains that the previous evening, Amulya dropped off the 6,000 rupees at the treasury, claiming he found it under a bush. The cashier made up a pretext for Amulya to wait, then called the police to detain Amulya. Amulya confesses the whole story of how and why he stole the 6,000 rupees. Nikhil calls for Bimala, who confirms the truth of his story.

XVI. Later, Nikhil tells the Bara Rani that the 6,000 rupees came back, although he doesn’t give the details. As he’s talking to her, he realizes that the key to his safe is missing. The Bara Rani suggests asking Bimala. Bimala admits that she does indeed have it. Nikhil says he wants to take some money out to deposit it, but Bimala says she has already taken the money out and spent it. The Bara Rani reluctantly admits that she too used to spend her husband’s loose cash, and the matter is dropped. Nikhil senses some connection between the 6,000 rupees missing from his safe and the 6,000 that Amulya apparently stole from the treasury, but he decides never to ask about it.

Nikhil realizes that there might be more tyranny in himself than he realized. He had very clear ideas about how he tried to mold his relationship with Bimala, and he strove hard to make the ideas into reality, even though at the time he thought his methods were gentle. If he could do it again, he’d give Bimala more freedom.

Bimala’s Story. XXIII. Bimala, now narrating, prepares to go to Calcutta with Nikhil. Just then, a servant interrupts them to say Sandip wants to see them. Nikhil agrees to hear him out, and Bimala comes with him. At the meeting, Sandip surprises both of them by giving 6,000 rupees back to Nikhil, with Sandip saying that ever since Bimala last left him, his conscience has been bothering him. Sandip has heard of a Muslim plot to kill and loot him, and so he’s preparing to take a train out of town. Sandip leaves abruptly.

Shortly after Sandip leaves, Chandranath arrives and says to Nikhil that Muslims have just begun looting Harish Kundu’s treasury, as well as attacking the women of his house. Nikhil plans to go off to Harish Kundu’s estate to try to calm things, despite Bimala’s protests that there’s nothing he can do.

The Bara Rani is furious when she hears Nikhil has gone to do something so dangerous and orders the Dewan (a government official) to ride off and tell Nikhil that he must return at once because the Bara Rani is deathly ill. The Dewan goes, and Bimala and the Bara Rani wait nervously. When the Dewan returns much later, he says the news isn’t good. A doctor has come with a palanquin and a litter. Nikhil has a wound through the head that is serious. Meanwhile, Amulya was shot through the heart and will die.