Page 138 - English Reader - 6

covered the entire urban landmass. Word spread of the politeness of
his speech, and praises were sung about the courtesy of his manners.

His liberalism was immense. Nuch talk was generated on the matter of
his ways and habits: Hem Subba doesn’t ride a car. Hem Subba wears

thick eyeglasses. Hem subba never touches money with his hands. Hem
Subba doesn’t wear a watch. Hem Subba doesn’t drink liquor or smoke

cigarettes. Hem Subba doesn’t have a wife.

Leaving aside his habit of wearing eyeglasses for a moment; for each of
his ways, there were alternative ways.

Hem Subba doesn’t ride a car; he’s rich enough to ride a jeep; He doesn’t
touch money with his hands; his pockets are filled with coins.

Hem Subba doesn’t wear a watch; he carries a gold chain watch instead.

Hem Subba doesn’t drink liquor; beer does the trick for him.

Hem Subba doesn’t have a wife (she died in a delivery case); there are
pictures of four or five young women in his photo album.

Meaning, though there was some measure of renunciation in his ways,
it was not possible to vie him as extraordinary or strange. Do people
become extraordinary merely because they are talked about? Hem

Subba was ordinary healthy man. But for his slight stammer, hs words

were pleasant to hear. Yet it was true that one or two of his habits were
odd. For instance, Hem Subba never ate paan.

Now paan was all the rage in the town. Everyone’s mouth was stained

fed. Hem Subba sometimes deigned to chew betel nuts, but he never ate
paan. Betel nuts alone, however, do not add to the beauty one’s mouth.

There was a rich merchant in the town who was very amicable about

eating and feeding others paan. He saw that Hem Subba was breaking
the town’s tradition; the culture was about to erode.

138 Dolphin English Reader Book 6