Page 94 - The English Carnival 7

superintendent.’ Mani remained silent for a while and said, What do I care? Some night
I am going to crack his shoulders with my clubs.’

‘If I were you, I would keep out of the way of policemen. They are an awful lot,’ said
Swaminathan.

‘If you were me! Huh! But thank God I am not you, a milk-toothed coward like you.’

Swaminathan bit his lips and sighed.

‘And that reminds me,’ said the other, ‘you are in need of a little warning. I find you

hanging about that Rajam a bit too much. Well, have a care for your limbs. That is all
I can say.’

Swaminathan broke into loud protestations. Did Mani think that Swaminathan could
respect anyone but him, Mani the dear old friend and guide? What made him think
so? As far as Swaminathan could remember, he had never been within three yards of
Rajam. Oh, how he hated him!

That vile upstart! When had Mani seen him with Rajam? Oh, yes, it must have been
during the Drawing period on Monday. It was Rajam who had come and talked to him
in spite of the cold face that Swaminathan had turned to him.

That ass had wanted a pencil sharpener, which he did not get, as he was promptly directed
to go to a shop and buy it if he needed it so urgently. Oh, there was no comparison
between Rajam and Mani.

This pleased Mani greatly. For the first time that evening he laughed, and laughed
heartily too. He shook Swaminathan and gave such an affectionate twist to his ear that
Swaminathan gave a long howl. And then he suddenly asked, ‘Did you bring the thing
that I wanted?’

‘Oh, Mani! I beg a hundred pardons of you. My mother was all the time in the kitchen.
I could not get it.’ (‘It’ referred to lime pickles.)

‘You are a nasty little coward--Oh, this riverbank and the fine evening. How splendid
it would have been...!’

Swaminathan was to act as a cord of communication between
What you Think?ou Think?
Rajam and Mani. They were sitting in the last bench with What y
their backs against the yellow wall. Swaminathan was
to act as a cord of
Swaminathan sat between Rajam and Mani. Their books communication between
were before them on the desks; but their minds were busy. Rajam and Mani. Discuss.

Mani wrote on a piece of paper ‘Are you a man?’ and gave it to Swaminathan, who pushed
it across to Rajam, putting on as offensive a look as possible. Rajam read it, crumpled

it, and threw it away. At which Mani wrote another note repeating the question, with

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