s new house at Entally, which must have
cost Rs. 20,000; and another in Barabazar, letting at Rs. 3,000. Just
calculate what this property must be worth. If I doubted Gopal's
solvency, do you suppose I would have lent him Rs. 20,000 on his note
of hand?"

Sham Babu was quite reassured. He came to the conclusion that Ramanath
had attempted to injure his own brother, and returned home with a
firm resolve to disregard such scandalous talk in future.

About three months afterwards he met Ramanath Babu quite casually in
Harrison Road and, in the course of conversation, the latter asked
whether he had called in his loan to Gopal.

"I have done nothing of the kind," was the curt reply. "My
brother-in-law tells me that he is quite solvent."

"It was just like him to say so--the selfish fellow! I am sorry to
say that my brother has lost heavily by speculating in jute and is,
in fact, a ruined man. If you don't believe me, ask Hari Babu again
and you will see what tune he sings. Perhaps you don't know that he
has called in his loan of Rs. 20,000?"

"That is certainly strange," replied Sham Babu with tears in his
voice. "He never breathed a word of any such intention to me."

"Hari Babu is your brother-in-law," continued Ramanath, "but Gopal
is my own brother. Is it likely that I would injure his reputation
gratuitously? No; you are an old friend whom I cannot allow to be
ruined without a word of warning. If you do not choose to act upon it,
so much the worse for you."

Sham Babu was now convinced that no time was to be lost in demanding
proper security for the loan. He went straight to his brother-in-law,
to whom he repeated the information which he had received.

Hari Babu shook his head sadly. "Yes," he said, "I am afraid there is
some truth in it. Gopal is in temporary difficulties; but you need not
be anxious. I will get him to give you a mortgage on landed property
worth much more than his debt to you."

Sham Babu felt somewhat reassured, but there was a point to be
cleared up.

"One word more," he said, "have you called in your loan of Rs. 20,000?"

Hari Babu looked at him suspiciously. "Who told you so?"

"I heard it from a reliable source."

"It must have been Ramanath, who is always seeking to make
mischief. Well, yes, I did ask Gopal to repay me, not that I distrusted
him but because I wanted to invest the money in land."

Sham Babu felt indignant at the man's gross selfishness, but he
concealed his fe