'Ah! I must think. It needs cunning and skill first. I must think.'
'No, no, Appochchi; no, no. It would be better to give me to the Mudalali!'
'I would rather kill you than that. Do you hear? I shall kill you if you go to the Mudalali.'
'Oh! oh! isn't it enough that they should have taken my man from me? And now more evil comes.'
'I tell you that I will end this now. Now I shall sleep and to-morrow think of the way.'
Silindu refused to listen any further to Punchi Menika's expostulations. He lay down by the fire and soon slept. Next day, and throughout their journey to the village, he was very silent, and refused to discuss the subject at all with her. The lethargy habitual to him had left him completely. He was in an extraordinary state of excitement, goaded on perpetually by great gusts of anger against Babehami and Fernando. When he got back to his house he sat down in the compound in a place from which he could see the headman's house, and waited. He watched the house all day, and, when in the evening he saw the headman return, he smiled. Then he got up and went into the hut. He took his gun which stood in the corner of the room, unloaded it, and reloaded it again with fresh powder and several big slugs. He examined the caps carefully, chose two, and put them in the fold of his cloth. Then he lay down and slept.
Next morning he was very quiet and thoughtful; but if any one had watched him closely, he would have seen that he was really in a state of intense excitement. After eating the morning meal he took his gun and went over to the headman's house. To the astonishment of Babehami and his wife he walked into the house, put his gun in the corner of the room, and squatted down. Babehami watched him closely for a minute or two; he felt uneasy; he noted that the curious wild look in Silindu's eyes was greater than ever.
'Well, Silindu, what is it?' he said.
'Arachchi, I have come to you about this chena. I cannot live without chena. You must give it back to me.'
'You heard in the court that the chena cannot be given to you. It has been given to Appu. Let us have an end of all this trouble.'