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"Just one o"

Chin takes the watch fob and pockets it He passes the pipe to Father

"Don’t give him any more," I plead

I try to take the pipe, but Father wrests it froain Kartik helps ood man"

Chin lowers the candle to the pipe My father draws in the s a slow track down his unshaven cheek"Leave me, pet"

I can’t stand another ot, I push the woman off Father and pull hihs to watch us, as if it were a night of cockfighting or soether we s of opium eaters I am so ashamed that he should see my father in this state I want to cry but am afraid if I did I would never stop

We stue to e without further incident The boys have been true to their word The crowd has grown to about twenty children, who all claer’s back The cold night air, an assault earlier, is a balulps as Kartik and I help Father into the carriage To the sea I’ve held back--disappoint sadness of it all-- co out in a torrent of tears

"Gemma?"

"Don’tlookate "It is allsohorribleand it’smy fault"

"It is not your fault"

"Yes, yes, it is! If I hadn’t been who I am, Mother wouldn’t have died He never would have been like this! I ruined his happiness! And"I stop

"And?"

"I used the ry, but he doesn’t say anything "I couldn’t bear to see hiood of all this power if I can do nothing with it?"

This brings a fresh wave of tears To reat surprise, Kartik wipes them aith his hand "Meraa mitra yahaan aalye," he h to knohat he has said: Come here, irl," he says He lets e for a moment till ood cry--cal Ben sing two o’clock

Kartik helpsfather