The Complete Short Stories by Premchand

Author:Premchand
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789387326514
Publisher: Penguin Random House India Private Limited
Published: 2017-12-08T05:00:00+00:00

Revenge

1

Standing on the terrace of her three-storey house, Maya scanned the road below with impatient, excited eyes. These were the thoughts running through her mind: Why hasn’t he arrived yet? What is delaying him? He had written to say that he’d be arriving by this very train. The train must have reached the station; these people look like they are coming from the station. There is only this train which is scheduled for arrival at this time. Maybe he is taking time getting his luggage together; his friends must have reached the station to congratulate him; only once he gets free from all this will he remember to come back home. If I were in his place, I would have come straight home. I would have excused myself from my friends saying, ‘Friend, forgive me but I need to leave now. I’ll meet you soon.’ But he only cares for his friends.

Mr Vyas was young but was one of the most respected barristers in Lucknow. He had been based in Lahore for the past three months defending a political case for the government. He had written to Maya saying that he had won the case. ‘I’ll return on the 1st by the evening mail.’ Today was that evening. Maya had spent the whole day preparing for his arrival. She’d got the whole house cleaned. Dusted all the decorative pieces in each and every room and even got the car washed. She had spent the past three months in penance. But Mr Vyas had still not arrived.

Her young daughter, Tilottama, came and clung to her legs. ‘Amma, when will Babuji get home?’

Maya picked her up, kissed her and said, ‘He must be on his way, darling. The mail must have arrived already.’

Tilottama said happily, ‘He will get nice dolls for me!’

Maya kept quiet. The wait was now turning into anger. She was thinking, The way the mister is making me suffer, I’ll pay him back in his own coin. I will not talk to him for an hour. He would rather stay put at the station than come home. He likes to make me jealous. It is his old habit. But how do I console my heart? No, I too want to behave in the same callous manner towards him as he does with me.

Suddenly, a servant came upstairs and said, ‘Bahuji, there is a telegram from Lahore.’

Maya felt like she’d been singed. It was as though a storm had just passed through. She thought, What else would he write except to say that he will not be coming by this train. It is so easy to send a telegram. Why don’t I send a telegram too saying that I am going to my mother’s home for a month? She told the servant, ‘Leave the telegram on the table inside.’

But she changed her mind and had just opened it when it fell from her hand.

It said:

MISTER VYAS WAS MURDERED TONIGHT AT 10 P.M. BY A GOON.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.