"Whatever are you going on about?" she asked as she nervously smoothed the folds of her scarlet silk sari.
Though the wife of the great landowner seldom left her house or veranda, her sumptuous garments, each with a dazzling border of gold threads, bore witness to her husband's wealth. Even more, Parmar Ruth wore her wealth—gold bangles on her arms and ankles, gold rings on her toes and in her nose and ears. Her earrings were so large and heavy, in fact, that the pierced holes in her ears stretched large enough for her to put the tip of her finger through.
"That accursed Brahmin Keshavan Namboodri!" Mammen Samuel seethed at the sound of his name.
"What happened, Husband?" Parmar Ruth asked. "Did the Brahmin do you an injustice?" Mammen Samuel opened his mouth to air further complaint, but he immediately thought better of it. "It is not a matter of concern for a woman. I shall take care of it myself." He turned away shouting, "Babu!
