CHAPTER IX

ll.Theywerefairlyintimateandbeginningtotrusteachother. “Thewholeworldlookstobedying,stillitdoesn’tdie,sowemustassumetheexistenceofabeneficentProvidence.” “Oh,thatistrue,howtrue!”saidthepoliceman,thinkingreligionhadbeenpraised. “DoesMr.Fieldingthinkit’strue?.” “Thinkwhichtrue?Theworldisn’tdying.I’mcertainofthat!” “No,no—theexistenceofProvidence.” “Well,Idon’tbelieveinProvidence.” “ButhowthencanyoubelieveinGod?”askedSyedMohammed. “Idon’tbelieveinGod.” Atinymovementasof“Itoldyouso!”passedroundthecompany,andAzizlookedupforaninstant,scandalized.“IsitcorrectthatmostareatheistsinEnglandnow?”Hamidullahenquired. “Theeducatedthoughtfulpeople?Ishouldsayso,thoughtheydon’tlikethename.ThetruthisthattheWestdoesn’tbothermuchoverbeliefanddisbeliefinthesedays.Fiftyyearsago,orevenwhenyouandIwereyoung,muchmorefusswasmade.” “Anddoesnotmoralityalsodecline?” “Itdependswhatyoucall—yes,yes,Isupposemoralitydoesdecline.” “Excusethequestion,butifthisisthecase,howisEnglandjustifiedinholdingIndia?” Theretheywere!Politicsagain.“It’saquestionIcan’tgetmymindonto,”hereplied.“I’moutherepersonallybecauseIneededajob.IcannottellyouwhyEnglandishereorwhethersheoughttobehere.It’sbeyondme.” “Well-qualifiedIndiansalsoneedjobsintheeducational.” “IguesstheydoIgotinfirst,”saidFielding,smiling. “Thenexcusemeagain—isitfairanEnglishmanshouldoccupyonewhenIndiansareavailable?OfcourseImeannothingpersonally.Personallywearedelightedyoushouldbehere,andwebenefitgreatlybythisfranktalk.” Thereisonlyoneanswertoaconversationofthistype:“EnglandholdsIndiaforhergood.”YetFieldingwasdisinclinedtogiveit.Thezealforhonestyhadeatenhimup.Hesaid,“I’mdelightedtobeheretoo—that’smyanswer,there’smyonlyexcuse.Ican’ttellyouanythingaboutfairness.Itmayn’thavebeenfairIshouldhavebeenborn.Itakeupsomeotherfellow’sair,don’tI,wheneverIbreathe?Still,I’mgladit’shappened,andI’mgladI’mouthere.Howeverbigabadmashoneis—ifone’shappyinconsequence,thatissomejustification.” TheIndianswerebewildered.Thelineofthoughtwasnotalientothem,butthewordsweretoodefiniteandbleak.UnlessasentencepaidafewcomplimentstoJusticeandMoralityinpassing,itsgrammarwoundedtheirearsandparalysedtheirminds.Whattheysaidandwhattheyfeltwere(exceptinthecaseofaffection)seldomthesame.Theyhadnumerousmentalconventionsandwhenthesewerefloutedtheyfounditverydifficulttofunction.Hamidullahboreupbest.“AndthoseEnglishmenwhoarenotdelightedtobeinIndia—havetheynoexcuse?”heasked. “None.Chuck’emout.” “Itmaybedifficulttoseparatethemfromtherest,”helaughed. “Worsethandifficult,wrong,”saidMr.RamChand.“NoIndiangentlemanapproveschuckingoutasaproperthing.Herewedifferfromthoseothernations.Wearesospiritual.” “Ohthatistrue,howtrue!”saidthepoliceinspector. “Isittrue,Mr.Haq?Idon’tconsiderusspiritual.Wecan’tco-ordinate,wecan’tco-ordinate,itonlycomestothat.Wecan’tkeepengagements,wecan’tcatchtrains.Whatmorethanthisistheso-calledspiritualityofIndia?YouandIoughttobeattheCommitteeofNotables,we’renotourfriendDr.Laloughttobewithhispatients,heisn’t.Sowegoon,andsoweshallcontinuetogo,Ithink,untiltheendoftime.” “Itisnottheendoftime,itisscarcelyten-thirty,ha,ha!”criedDr.PannaLal,whowasagaininconfidentmood.“Gentlemen,ifImaybeallowedtosayafewwords,whataninterestingtalk,alsothankfulnessandgratitudetoMr.Fieldinginthefirstplaceteachesoursonsandgivesthemallthegreatbenefitsofhisexperienceandjudgment——” “Dr.Lal!” “Dr.Aziz?” “Yousitonmyleg.” “Ibegpardon,butsomemightsayyourlegkicks.” “Comealong,wetiretheinvalidineithercase,”saidFielding,andtheyfiledout—fourMohammedans,twoHindusandtheEnglishman.Theystoodontheverandahwhiletheirconveyancesweresummonedoutofvariouspatchesofshade. “Azizhasahighopinionofyou,heonlydidnotspeakbecauseofhisillness.” “Iquiteunderstand,”saidFielding,whowasratherdisappointedwithhiscall.TheClubcomment,“makinghimselfcheapasusual,”passedthroughhismind.Hecouldn’tevengethishorsebroughtup.HehadlikedAzizsomuchattheirfirstmeeting,andhadhopedfordevelopments.