I am leaving this cursed place this very minute/ the Swamiji said in great rage, and started to go, followed by his a.s.sistant. I gripped his a.s.sistants arm and said, You have steamed it up. Why not take it over to that field and then go. He glared at me, shook off my hand and muttered, With my Guru so unhappy, how dare you ask me to drive ?

He went away. I muttered, You cant drive it except over his chest, I suppose ?

I made preparations to leave the town in a couple of days, leaving the engine to its fate, with all its commitments. However, Nature came to my rescue in an unexpected manner. You may have heard of the earthquake of that year which destroyed whole towns in Northern India. There was a reverberation of it in our town, too. We were thrown out of our beds that night, and doors and windows rattled.

Next morning I went over to take a last look at my engine before leaving the town. I could hardly believe my eyes. The engine was not there. I looked about and raised a hue and cry. Search parties went round. And the engine was found in a disused well near by, with its back up. I prayed to heaven to save me from fresh complications. But the owner of the house when he came round and saw what had happened, laughed heartily and beamed at me : You have done me a service. It was the ENGINE TROUBLE dirtiest water on earth in that well and the munic.i.p.ality was sending notice to close it, week after week. I was dreading the cost of closing, but your engine fits it like a cork. Just leave it there.

But, but There are no buts. I will withdraw all complaints and charges against you, and build that broken wall myself, but only leave the thing there.

Thats hardly enough. I mentioned a few other expenses that this engine had brought on me. He agreed to pay for all that.

When I again pa.s.sed that way some months later I peeped over the wall. I found the mouth of the well neatly cemented up. I heaved a sigh of great relief.

27.

ALL AVOIDABLE TALK.

HE was told to avoid all quarrels that day. The stars were out to trouble him, and even the mildest of his remarks likely to offend and lead to a quarrel. The planets were set against him, and this terrified him beyond description. Many things that were prophesied for him lately were coming true.

He sat in a corner of a big jewellers shop and added up numbers all day. He left it at the end of a day, and on his way home, dropped in for a moment to exchange t.i.tbits with a friend near his house, who affected great knowledge of the stars. Occasionally the friend gave out free prophecies. Many things that he said came true.

You will have bother about money matters for a fortnight. Even your legitimate dues will not reach your hand in time .

Too true. The usual rent he received from his village by money order went all over India before coming to him because of a slight error in the addressing. And then his friend told him : Saturn will cause minor annoyances in the shape of minor ailments at home . And the following week everyone, from his old mother down to the four-month-old, went down with cold and fever. He himself felt Kke taking to bed, but his jeweller chief would not let him go. And now his friend had told him on the ptevioti* evening,

Now, I see your worst period is 903.

204 ALL AVOIDABLE TALK.

coming to an end, but avoid all avoidable talk tomorrow the whole of Monday. There is always the danger of your irritating others and finding others irritating.

The moment he opened his eyes and lay in bed, he told himself : Must not talk to anyone today who can see where a word will lead ?

He pinched the cheek of the youngest, patted the back of another, found the boy of seven unwilling to start for school : was about to shout at him, but decided not to interfere, a happy G.o.dsend for the boy. His wife appealed : Why do you allow him to have his own way ?

He merely shook his head and went off to the bathroom.

His daughter had locked herself in that meant she would not come out for an hour ; she had once again broken the specific order not to go in to bathe at office time. He tapped the door twice or thrice, glared at it, and went away and put himself under the tap in the front garden. All through his dinner he sat with bowed head, maintaining a determined silence, answering his wifes questions with a curt Yes or No/* While starting for his office it was his usual practice to stand in the pa.s.sage and ask for a little betel-nut and leaves, with a cynical remark that they might have consideration for a man who had to catch an early tram . Today he stood on the threshold waiting to see if anyone would serve him and stepped out into the street, with the reflection : If they have not the sense to do a piece of regular duty without reminder I wont chew betel, that is all .

The tram was crowded as usual. Somebody stood on his toe. He bore it patiently. The tram conductor pushed him aside and uttered rude remarks for standing in the way. He kept quiet. The inspector who ALL AVOIDABLE TALK 205 hopped into the tram for checking would not budge at the rjiagic word Pa.s.s

but insisted on seeing it, and fretted and swore while Sastri fumbled with his b.u.t.tons and inner pocket. Sastri never uttered a word, and bore it like a martyr.

At the office he was only two minutes late, but his employer, already seated on his cushion, glared at him and behaved as if he had been two hours late.

Sastri stood before him dumb, listening patiently to all the charges.

You stand there like a statue, saying nothing, it must be very convenient, I suppose said his employer, looking him up.

What has come over you ?

nearly escaped Sastris lips, but he checked himself as he came to What has Eh ?

demanded his employer.

What is What is the time now, sir ?

he asked.

You ask me the time ! Go, go to your seat, Sastri, before I am very angry with you . Sastri slunk back to his place. The routine of office life started. The attendant wiped and rearranged the showcases : customers started coming in to buy and sell gold trinkets and jewels, the small fan whirred and gyrated, wafting cool air on his chiefs face, the other partner came in at about midday and took his seat. The younger son of the master came in demanding some cash for some extravagance, and went away, and Sastri sat in his corner surrounded by heavy registers. Looking at the figures in the pages, he reflected,

Nearly two oclock ; another eight hours of this place, and the day will be over. A customer stopped before him, held up a trinket and asked : Look here, can this diamond be taken out and reset ad6 ALL AVOIDABLE TAL& in platinum? Sastri looked dully at the trinket and said : You must ask over there.

Its all right, 1 know that, replied the customer haughtily.

Answer my question first . Sastri shook his head.

Evidently you know nothing about these matters.

I know nothing, Sastri said.

Then get out of a shop like this, answered the other, and moved on and sat before the proprietor.

The proprietor presently called,

Sastri, come here.

Yes, sir, Sastri said, without lifting up his head.

There were three more lines to be added to complete the page. If he was interrupted, he would have to start from the top of the gigantic folio all over again.

So there was some delay before he could respond to his masters call. Before that his master lost his temper and shouted :

Drop the pen and come here when I call, will you ?

There was still one more line to go in. If this link was missed, there was the ghastly prospect of having to spend the whole evening in the company of figures. The masters call became insistent. Sastri looked up for a moment from his ledger ; he caught a glimpse of the others face a red patch, flushed with anger. He compressed his Hps and resolved more than ever not to rise without completing the totalling. He sat as if deaf, calmly going through the work. By the time he stood before his master, the latter had gripped in his hand a leaden paperweight.

Perhaps he wanted to fling it at me, Sastri reflected, and was overwhelmed for a moment ^rith resentment. The troublesome customer sat there comfortably and watched the scene with a self-satisfied grin. Looking at him Sastri felt it was an added indignity.

He pays me fifty rupees not for nothing ; ALL AVOIDABLE TALK 207 I slave for him. But what right has he to insult me. , . ?

He felt desperate. His brow puckered ; he asked, looking at the paperweight in his masters hand: Whats that for ?

c< idiot="" !="" what="" has="" come="" over="" you="" mind="" your="" own="" business,="" said="" his="">

Why cant you come up when you are called ?

Sastri had meantime recovered his temper, realizing how near an explosion he had been.

I was totalling up, sir, he said, disciplining himself resolutely.

Learn to come up when called. Why were you rude to this gentleman ?

I wasnt, replied Sastri briefly. Do you think Im lying ?

shouted the customer, and scowled. Sastri gulped down his reply, just remembering in time the injunction, Avoid all avoidable talk, though he felt like hitting his adversary now. His boss looked up at him and said : Sastri, I must warn you for the last time. You must be courteous to all my customers : otherwise you may get out of this shop.

I merely said I didnt know about platinum.

I dont want all that. Everyone in this shop must be able to answer about any department. Otherwise I dont want him in my service. Do you understand ?

Sastri turned back to go. The customer added :

I only wanted to know if this could be set in platinum. Cant he answer that simple question ?

Oh, is that all ! Even a child should be able to answer that, echoed his master.

Sastri, come here.

Sastri again stood before him : What do you know of platinum setting ?

I dont know anything, sir.

You sfcy that to me ! All right, go back to your seat. I wiQ deal with you presently. Get out of my ao8 ALL AVOIDABLE TALK sight now . Sastri sighed and turned back.