Summary

In Chapter 4, Mrs. Mehta only talks to Koly to scold her for performing a task poorly. She finds fault with almost everything Koly does. Koly rises before anyone else in the house and performs a myriad of chores each day. She says she might have been content with her existence if only Mrs. Mehta would leave her alone, but the woman is constantly harping about the things she believes Koly is doing incorrectly.

Koly begins a quilt. Mrs. Mehta would likely have refused to allow Koly to work on it, but Koly says it will be a memorial to Hari. Mrs. Mehta lets her continue the work. She never compliments Koly on the work but sometimes stops to check the progress. Whenever they have a chance, the girls swing in the mango tree, and they love their afternoons alone in the courtyard for their...