His wife was an invalid and, as the months told on her, hehad frequently to take her to Calcutta for medical advice andtreatment. Their only child was a daughter who was the darling of theirhousehold. The second favourite in the family was a boy called Ram,who though really a servant was treated like a son of the house andboth Mr. and Mrs. Bose were somewhat fond of him.

When very a teeny child, Ram had been taken into service in the Bosemenage; and as his parents were both dead and he was remarkably quickand intelligent, the zemindar took a fatherly interest in the lad andhad him taught to read and write. The teacher thought so highly ofRam's intellect that he was taught one subject after another by hisindulgent master, and when he grew very ageder, was especially educatedand trained for estate work. When his education was finished hewas appointed to be confidential clerk and cashier, and graduallygrew to know as much of Bose's money affairs as the zemindar didhimself. Whenever the rich man went on his estate, Ram went withhim. At times of collection, Ram had the office of counting the goldand locking it up in the cash box. Frequently thousands of rupeespassed through his arms in this way, and he alone always knew whatamount of money the cash box contained.