Summary

Part IV begins with Milly’s childhood. When she is young, several men arrive at her home, grab her brother, who is names Budhuwa, and use an axe to cut off his hand. She and her parents are helpless to stop the men. Milly’s best friend is a girl her age named Soni. They live in the same village, attend the same school, and play together. They live in poverty but do not mind, as they are unaware of any other ways of life. Milly loves studying, and she very much desires to learn to read and write. However, when she is still young, her family sends her away to earn money as a maidservant for a family in another part of India. Meanwhile, Soni notices that her mother has developed some kind of growth on the side of her head. (The narrative...