The Home and the World

Bimala’s Story. XV. Despite her determination, Bimala still doesn’t know how to get any money. Then she remembers how every year, Nikhil gives 6,000 rupees to the Bara Rani around the time of Durga Puja. He typically takes the money to the bank himself but hasn’t had a chance yet this year. Bimala finds the key to Nikhil’s safe and opens it. She finds the money in a drawer inside a safe and takes it. Although she tries to rationalize that the Bara Rani is like a thief, having tried various tactics to get more money out of Nikhil, Bimala feels guilty about the theft as she returns to her own room.

The next morning, the Bara Rani asks Bimala if she heard the news, and Bimala freezes, the stolen money still hidden in her clothes. But instead, the Bara Rani says that someone has sent an anonymous message threatening to loot the treasury. The Bara Rani accuses Bimala of having a band of robbers send the note, in order to extort protection money to go to Bande Mataram. Bimala doesn’t answer and leaves. She is eager to unburden herself of the stolen money by giving it to Sandip but doesn’t know when she’ll be able to. She begins to have doubts but reminds herself of how good it feels when Sandip sees the Shakti in her.

XVI. Sandip asks for the money from Bimala, first gently, then more aggressively when she doesn’t immediately produce it. She takes the pack of money from her sari and drops it on the table. He looks disgusted at first, seeing the small amount of money on the table and not realizing that it’s gold, not silver. Amulya looks embarrassed on Bimala’s behalf. When they finally open the money up and see its worth, Amulya is amazed and overjoyed, but Sandip remains stern, suggesting that the money is merely a good start.

Sandip eventually switches over to praising Bimala. A part of her suspects he is trying to deceive her but another part doesn’t mind being deceived. He is so effusive in his praise that Bimala feels herself being won over again, and Amulya also seems to dispel his doubts. Bimala wishes she could feel this praise forever and dreads the idea of having to return to her bedroom.

XVII. Bimala struggles to even be near Nikhil when it comes time for meals. Nikhil ignores the threatening letters her has been getting about his treasury, in spite of the Bara Rani’s advice to take them more seriously. He isn’t concerned, but she says that the issue affects her too, since if he loses money, it hurts her too. Bimala does something reckless—she jokes that perhaps the Bara Rani is raising so many suspicions to hide her own future theft. Nikhil says nothing.

After the meal, Bimala goes to the Bara Rani and leaves several of her own jewels in the Bara Rani’s room for safekeeping, as a supposed gesture of trust. The Bara Rani refuses the gesture, saying she is worried enough about preventing the theft of her own jewels. Bimala leaves and sends for Amulya. Sandip comes along with Amulya, wryly warning Bimala not to try to lure Amulya away from him, because she might succeed. He leaves. Alone with Amulya, Bimala tells him to go sell her jewels and get at least 6,000 rupees. She knows the jewels are worth more, perhaps 30,000, but thinks he won’t be able to get the full price in such a short time.

Amulya admits that he argued with Sandip earlier over the 6,000 rupees Bimala gave to Sandip. Amulya is willing to kill or die for his country but feels different about witnessing that theft for some reason. As Amulya continues to talk, however, getting rid of his doubts, Bimala starts to hear Sandip’s words coming out of Amulya, and she thinks it’s wrong for Sandip to exert his influence over someone so young and impressionable.

Sandip comes back to ask if Bimala and Amulya have finished their secret talk, but Bimala tells him to leave for the day, and he does so, looking very annoyed. Amulya is concerned, but Bimala tells him not to worry and just to focus on selling her jewels, without mentioning anything about the jewels to Sandip. She gives him the box of jewels to take to sell in Calcutta.

As Amulya leaves, Bimala sees Sandip on the verandah waiting to stop Amulya, so Bimala goes to speak to Sandip first. Sandip asks about the box Amulya was carrying, guessing that it was Bimala’s jewel-case, but she refuses to tell him and believes Amulya will also refuse. She feels that the “music” left her relationship with Sandip the moment she stole Nikhil’s money. Sandip seems to be preparing to flatter Bimala again, but he retreats and pretends to just be on a casual visit when he hears Nikhil’s footsteps arriving.

Nikhil says he’s come to warn Sandip that local Muslim preachers have been stirring up their followers to rise against Sandip. Sandip asks if Nikhil is telling him to flee, but Nikhil says he is just bringing information, not advice. Nikhil himself, however, is planning to head to Calcutta in five days, and while he would like Sandip to come with him, Sandip is also welcome to stay back in Nikhil’s house. Sandip says he will deal with the matter in five days, then, and sings a song to his Queen Bee Bimala while Nikhil is still in the room with them.

Bimala leaves the room and happens to run into Amulya, who promises to leave that evening and not return until he’s sold the jewels. Bimala asks if Amulya has any family and finds that he has just a mother. She tells him to forget the task and go back to his mother. But Amulya protests that now Bimala is like a sister to him. Bimala offers to at least make Amulya a good meal before he leaves.