Some relatives drove in
carriages along the public roads. The villagers searched the fields
and _ghats_; some sat smoking in council under a tree; some went to
the _barowari puja_ house, to the verandah of Siva's temple, and to
the schools of the professors of logic, and in other similar places
sat and discussed the matter. Old and young women formed a small cause
court on the _ghats_; to the boys of the place it was cause of great
excitement; many of them hoped to escape going to school.
At first Srish Chandra and Kamal Mani comforted Nagendra, saying, "She
has never been accustomed to walk; how far can she go? Half a mile, or
a mile at the most; hence she must be sitting somewhere near at hand,
we shall find her immediately."
But when two or three hours had passed without bringing news of Surja
Mukhi, Nagendra himself went forth. After some stay in the broiling
sun he said to himself, "I am looking here, when no doubt she has been
found by this time;" and he returned home. Then finding no news of
her he went out again, again to return, and again to go forth. So the
day passed.
In fact, Srish Chandra's words were true--Surja Mukhi had never
walked; how far could she go? About a mile from the house she was
lying in a mango garden at the edge of a tank.
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