The Householder (23 page)

But soon afterwards steps were heard on the stairs. Raj came up, carrying Babli in his arms. While still on the stairs, he said in an accusing tone, ‘You did not tell me your house was such a long way from the bus-stop.' His wife came behind him, square and smiling, wearing a green sari, printed all over with red and yellow roses, which sagged around her stout figure.

Raj put Babli down. ‘She was tired and I had to carry her. She is quite heavy.' He wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. ‘Look how I am sweating.'

Indu pinched Babli's cheek: ‘What is your name?' Babli began to cry. ‘She is shy with people she does not know,' Raj explained. ‘Be quiet, or you will get a slap!'

Indu picked her up and thrust a sweetmeat into her mouth. ‘Such a good girl I have never seen,' she said. Raj's wife smiled and smiled. Babli chewed the sweetmeat, a fat tear still quivering on her cheek.

Raj looked round the room. ‘How much rent do you pay?' When Prem told him, he shook his head: ‘It is too much.' ‘What to do?' Prem said. ‘Nowadays rents are very high.' And he sighed the sigh of a family-man with many worries on his head.

Raj's wife was sitting with her legs wide apart and her hands folded in her lap. The green sari hung limply on her shoulder; it was also trailing on the floor around her feet, but she did not notice. She sat and smiled and looked at Indu's stomach.

Raj tapped the wall. ‘You can see it is a very cheap construction.' Prem also tapped: ‘When it rains, the water comes in,' he said. Raj shook his head and wisely pursed his lips: ‘The landlord should not be allowed to charge so much rent.'

Indu was holding Babli's wrist and making her clap her hands: ‘My granny's gone to market,' she sang to her.

‘Landlords must be checked from profiteering,' Raj said severely. Prem nodded and also looked severe.

‘For four bowls she did pay, but one got broken on the way,' Indu sang, clapping Babli's hands in time to the tune. Raj's wife said suddenly, ‘What month?' Indu blushed and smiled and turned aside her head. But soon they were deep in whispered conversation.

‘You must stand up for your rights as a tenant,' Raj said. ‘You have your family to think of.'

‘Especially in the nights,' Indu was whispering to Raj's wife.

Babli plucked at Indu's sari and shouted, ‘Sing more!'

‘And soon there will be one more, I think,' Raj said almost coyly. Prem looked down at his feet and smiled. ‘You will have to think how to cut down your expenses.'

‘It will be a boy,' Raj's wife said.

Indu caught Babli's hands again and sang, ‘Oh, how angry granny got!'

‘I can see from the way you are carrying,' Raj's wife said.

‘She stamped her foot and home she trot!'

‘You will be surprised when you find how much even one baby costs,' Raj said.

The servant-boy came and spread a mat on the floor. He was wearing a new shirt and looked proud and dignified. Indu followed him into the kitchen and soon they both returned with brass trays on which stood little bowls filled with food. They all sat down on the mat and the servant-boy watched them with an air of importance.

‘Ah,' said Raj. Steam and delicious smells came floating out of the little bowls. Indu looked anxious as her guests began to eat.

‘Very nice,' Raj's wife pronounced after her first few mouthfuls, swaying her head from side to side in appreciation.

Indu glowed, but she murmured, ‘It is only our plain home food.'

Raj had his mouth full of rice. He said, ‘It seems your wife is a very good cook.' Then Prem felt really proud.

Copyright © 1960 by R. Prawer Jhabvala

First published as a Norton paperback 1977;
reissued 1985, 2001

All rights reserved

For information about permission to reprint selections from this book, write to
Permissions, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Jhabvala, Ruth Prawer, 1927–
The householder.
I. Title.
PZ4,J6H05 [PR9499.3.J5] 823 76-48892

ISBN 978-0-393-00851-7
ISBN 978-0-393-34967-2 (e-book)

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