Romesh Chunder Dutt

“ The chamber of sickness and sorrow had its lessons for the young as for the old. The days and nights passed in that chamber drew Sirish perhaps closer to the heart of his wife. She saw the deep tenderness of his soul as she had not perhaps seen it before; she read thoughts in his deep, soft eyes which she had not understood so long. And when, in moments of her weakness and sorrow for her father, he would take her up tenderly and kiss away her tears, she would shiver at that gentle touch, and place her head on his manly bosom where she found a new solace and a new strength. ”

“ I must say I was very glad to come back to old London, unromantic as it is, with its busy shops and markets, its huge and unshapely omnibusses, clattering over stony streets, and its thousand haunts of business or pleasure,—such as you will seek for in vain in any other town in the world. Associations exercise a great influence over the human mind, and I could not look on the very streets and houses of old London without feeling a strange sort of pleasure, such as one feels on meeting an old acquaintance after a long absence. ”

“ The sky which bends over all, the beautiful and blushing dawn which like a busy housewife wakes men from slumber and sends them to their work, the gorgeous tropical sun which vivifies the earth, the air which pervades the world, the fire which cheers and enlightens man, and the violent storms which in India usher in those copious rains which fill the land with plenty—these were the gods whom the early Hindus loved to extol and to worship. ”

“ Agra at the close of the sixteenth century was a crowded town as it is to-day, but as Gajapati Singh stood with his companion on an eminence in the suburbs, the distant view of Agra was that of a rural place rather than that of a great city. All the nobles of the Empire, the Rajas and Mansabdars and Omras, had planted trees and laid out gardens suited to a tropical climate round their houses. A sea of luxuriant green foliage, dotted with white mansions and villas, pleased the eye, and the stone houses of rich Hindu merchants appeared like feudal castles buried in forests. ”

“ Brighton is a fine sea-side town, and the houses on the Parade are more like palaces than ordinary buildings. It is the largest and most fashionable sea-side town in England, and in the season time is flocked by hundreds and thousands of people from all parts of England. A stranger coming to Brighton at the season time cannot fail being struck with the pomp and splendour, the mirth and gaiety, the beauty and magnificence of the place,—with the music on the parade, the swell carriages whirling through the hundred streets, and the swell people flocking to the numerous haunts of amusement. ”

“ But I have known thee in thy kindness, and I have seen thy daring; thou art a true woman and a brave woman in spite of thy wild nature and thy life as a palace slave. Trust a true man and he will not be false to thee."
For the first time Noren saw Jelekha softened even into weakness, and two silent tears rolled down the ivory cheeks of that strange creature of supple steel. Noren would have been more or less than a man if he had not drawn that suffering woman closer to him—if he had not placed his lips on her marble brow and dishevelled tresses. ”

“ May God who rules the world bestow on you the power to rule your subjects. May fire, worshipped by householders, bestow on you supremacy over the householders. May Soma, the lord of trees, bestow on you supremacy over forests. May Brihaspati, the god of speech, bestow on you supremacy in speech. May Indra, the highest among gods, bestow on you the highest supremacy. May Rudra, the cherisher of animals, bestow on you supremacy over animals. May Mitra, who is truth, make you supreme in truth. ”

“ For when Europe was buried in the gloom of the Middle Ages after the extinction of ancient civilization, it was Florence which first lighted the torch of civilization, it was Florence which imparted to a dead world the vivifying energy of poetry and literature, of painting and sculpture, of arts and civilization! And where is the town in Europe or in the world,—Athens alone perhaps excepted,—which can boast of having given birth to such a galaxy of great men, such a crowd of the instructors of the world, as Florence? ”

“ Late in the night he came to his wife, sitting alone and sad. It was the first time for months that they were by themselves undisturbed. Sirish respected the grief of his wife; he gently drew her to his bosom, laid her head on his shoulder and kissed her on the brow.
"I have loved thee, Hemlata, since thou wert a child; I have loved thee, my sweet one, as my bride and my wife. Doubly dear to me art thou to-day when he is gone who united us in life. By his sacred memory we shall love each other as man and wife as long as we live." ”

“ Of all the sights of London I know of none so striking, so really wonderful, as the miles of rich and magnificent shops one sees along the streets,—as the sea of busy human life which ebbs and flows from morning to evening along the sleepless thoroughfares! And now we were in the "City,"—the heart of London! There is the Bank of England,—the greatest of banks in the world,—and the narrow crowded streets of the city are lined with other banks too numerous to mention. ”

“ Trust me, friend, he in his loin-cloth and tattered garments represents a force which is more irresistible than the forces of the Empire. It is by his good will that we build the Empire; it is by his approval that we rule, it is by his discontent that we fall. I have not thy learning, friend, nor do I know much of past Empires which have risen and fallen, but believe an old man who has dealt with men and nations—no Empire endures on earth where the monarch does not rule with the consent of the people, spoken or unspoken. ”

“ There is but one Paris in the world,—and that is Paris! It would be difficult in any other part of the world to find such a crowd of public monuments and magnificent public buildings and fine specimens of architecture. It would be difficult to match her splendid Boulevards with spacious footpaths and fine rows of trees, and brilliantly lighted cafés on either side, thronged with people until midnight! The Bois de Boulogne is a perfect forest turned into a Park! The limpid Seine with her numerous bridges is a perfect picture, seen from any eminence. ”

“ Verily Bengal is the home of beautiful women with soft eyes and sweet, musical voices. But call me not august, dear sister; call me a sister and a friend, for such I should like to be unto thee."
"Thou art kind and condescending, sister Begum. It becomes thy exalted rank."
"Little of rank have we, gentle sister, and we are but strangers in this land. My husband needs friends, powerful and great as thy husband, for many are those who would like to see him fall; and I too, though a Moslem, would cherish a Hindu lady of thy position and virtues among my dearest friends." ”

“ The Thames is exceedingly pretty here and very unlike the dirty river that flows by London. On both sides the banks were covered with the luxuriant verdure of spring. In England winters are longer, colder and more dreary than in India; for months and months together you have nothing but rain and mist and snow, freezing wind, a dark atmosphere, and cloudy sky. There is not a leaf in the trees, and all nature seems dead and cheerless. ”

“ Thou art a shrewd girl, my dear sister Sharifa, and an impudent one I am thinking, in spite of thy innocent looks and meek eyes. There is indeed a youth on whom I once worked the charm, brave and handsome, too, but much I suspect he is as false as he is fair. Maybe the youths of this land are gay deceivers, maybe the heart of my chosen slave owns some other image of love, while his smooth tongue seeks to beguile me. ”

“ All around you see the luxuriant vegetation of spring; trees and shrubs overshadow the river, little isles every here and there are reflected in the bosom of the river, clear and placid where it is deep, while in other places the rushing and troubled waves are torn on a hundred little pebbles and spread in a white sheet of foam. Near this place are the ruins of a very ancient castle of which no accounts can be had.
From Limmerick we went to the magnificent lakes of Killerney, the pride of Ireland, and equal in picturesque beauty to the prettiest lakes of Scotland. ”

“ Perhaps because she was herself a descendant of the Birnagar house, or perhaps because a woman's kindly heart was touched by the helpless condition of an orphan boy noble in descent and handsome in face, Nobo Kumar's wife came to love Noren with a mother's love. She tended him with the same affection that she bestowed on Hemlata, and smiled to see the two children playing together in the gardens or by the lake. And she would not be a woman if some deeper thought about their future life did not sometimes rise in her fond maternal bosom. ”

“ Were we to sympathize with every sufferer in this world, our life would be one long tissue of woe. It is only by forgetting, nay, closing our eyes to what is going on around us, by smothering the ready sympathy of childhood, and steeling our heart against emotions of pity, that we live and work on unconcerned as we do. It is only in moments of astounding calamities (the present war is an instance) that people take a due cognizance of the sufferings of their fellowmen; but everyday and every hour there are sufferers around us by hundreds and thousands. ”

“ There is no finer weather in any latitude on earth than a bright, crisp winter morning in Northern India. The sky is blue without a cloud, the air is cold and bracing without a mist, and a warm Indian sun pours a flood of golden light over domes, minarets and temples, over peaceful villages and miles of waving corn. On such a fine morning Gajapati Singh and Norenda Nath rode through the spacious streets of Agra, and that imperial city looked its best. The modern town of Agra may be said to have been built by Akbar, as the modern town of Delhi was constructed by his grandson, Shah Jahan. ”

“ Railway carriages run from London to Derby, I don't know, how many times every hour, and the road to Derby was almost blocked up with cabs, hansoms, landaulets, flys, omnibuses, traps, dog-carts, and, in fact, conveyances of all size, shape and description that imagination can invent. This is one of the few occasions when Englishmen throw off—or try to throw off—their habitual reserve, and become as merry as possible, and it makes one's heart glad to see crowds of people neatly dressed with faces beaming with gladness and hilarity. ”

“ But Jelekha had been bred up in palace intrigues, and was quick-witted and composed. Her white, sinewy arms, strong as bands of steel, held the Prince like a vice, and she spoke with a sweet smile on her lips.
"Much honoured were my sister and my father's house, noble Prince, if she found favour in your royal eyes and a humble employment as a slave in your royal harem. But to-night a lovely lady awaits thy presence, and is anxious to bid farewell to a Prince whose image she will always cherish in her heart." ”

“ Loch Katrine.On all sides high rugged hills rise abruptly from the banks of the lake, while beneath, the calm waters of the lake stretch out in a thousand gulfs and bays and inlets. Mountain rills roll down in crystal torrents glistening and leaping and dancing from crag to crag and seeming almost like a continuous shower of diamonds and molten silver, and at last mingling with the tranquil waters of the lake. ”

“ But she is a woman, and thinks more of the loves of pale-faced children than of the glory of great Houses. Nobo Kumar has the mettle of a man if he is true to himself and to his House, and to-night I have instilled in him a new purpose which will enable him to face his wife. Some scenes there will be in yonder Birnagar Palace which I would not like to witness, and Nobo Kumar may be frightened by a woman's tears yet and come to me again whimpering. If you forget your House, Nobo Kumar, there is one who never forgets. Gokul Das knows his purpose, and does not often turn away from his path. ”

“ Coming down from London, for miles and miles together, the Thames is quite as dirty as at London, ships and steamers without number steaming up and down the river, while on the banks you could see nothing but wharfs and factories and traders' establishments, and smoke and dust; everything, in fact, indicating the expensive commerce of London. As however we sailed down the scene changed, and on both sides of us we could see extensive agricultural and pasture lands, green fields, rich meadows, beautiful rows of trees and green undulating hills with sheep and kine grazing on them by the hundred. ”

“ Mihr-un-Nissa, rose from her seat. Noren knelt before the veiled and queenly figure, and his hand once more felt the touch of delicate fingers when the signet ring was presented.
"Rise, young Chief," she said at last, "and depart. Something my woman's eyes have read on your face which your lips have not uttered, and a woman's heart can respect one for cherishing a feeling which he may not tell. If it be that some disappointment has darkened your life, such grief hath power to strengthen a man's character. ”

“ When we speak of London as the modern Babylon, as the modern Rome,—we use words which do not sufficiently indicate its vastness or its importance. For Rome and Babylon were as nothing compared to this wilderness of houses and shops and thoroughfares,—this ocean of human life called London. One can walk for hours and hours,—amazed at this bewildering scene around him. ”

“ She saw with a woman's insight the depth of purpose which lay hid beneath his calm and placid face, and she admired with the pride of a wife the manly truth and unshaken probity which elevated his character. She adored the strong upright man whom her parents had chosen for her husband, and whom the gods had destined to be her stay and support through life. ”

“ I regard thee as a friend more than a servant—a friend who has spent his life in serving this estate. Thou wert kind and considerate to me when I was poor, thou wert helpful to me when I needed help, and never will Sirish be ungrateful to one to whom he owes so much in life."
"Little do you owe me, young Master," replied Gokul Das, modestly. "It is an invisible Fate which makes or mars the fortunes of men; it is your exalted virtues which endeared you to my late Master and raised you to a rank which no other man is worthy to fill. ”

“ Even the Tuilleries, the residence of the Kings and Emperors of France, have been seriously injured, and in some places totally demolished, and one feels a strange sort of feeling as he walks about these deserted gardens and lingers near the desolated walls and statues. Notwithstanding however these ruins, a stranger cannot but be struck with the beauty of Paris, and as he walks through the brilliantly illuminated streets or the thronged boulevards, he almost thinks that the whole town is devoted to mirth and festivity. ”

“ But thou art a novice yet in this palace. Many are the meetings from which lovers part not again. Many are the embraces which last till the Judgment Day!"
"Compose thyself, Jelekha, thou art talking wildly."
"Ay! if the palace walls could speak," continued Jelekha, speaking to herself rather than to Noren. "Begums are but women of flesh and blood, and many a court lady knows the dark passages of the Zenana. Fair slaves, who look so demure with their eyes bent on the floor, have their secrets; and black eunuchs pursue them with a man's lust, and drink their blood with a tiger's thirst!" ”

“ What recollections came to the helpless patient and to the loving wife, as their eyes met in that silent chamber of sickness, were known to them alone. Thoughts arise in such moments that cruel words might have been left unsaid, and cruel wrongs might have been forgiven. But not a word of what was past was spoken. Night after night the devoted woman smoothed the pillow of her suffering lord, and tended him in his pain; and her eyes, long unused to tears, often glistened with moisture as she gazed on his emaciated form and bloodless face. ”

“ Thou wilt listen to the commands of one, the fairest in the land. Thou wilt face a danger which makes a brave man quake. Ask no more to-night; rest a week yet; summon all thy strength and all thy courage for the task which awaits thee. The red light of the dawn steals into thy room, and I must depart—"
"Thou departest not, fair girl, till thou hast told me who thou art," said Noren, clutching the slender arm of the fair visitant nervously. ”

“ Live a happy and devoted wife in thy husband's home, Hemlata, let me live far away from scenes which I dare not re-visit. Perhaps, when the hair is grey on my head, and the memory of the past has faded like a troubled vision, we may see each other once more. And thou wilt then tend a feeble old man with a sister's care, and see him close his eyes in peace."
"Thou hast spoken, my brother Noren, and spoken sadly. Listen to me for awhile, though it is but a woman who speaks. There are women on earth who have perhaps endured what thou hast endured, and yet tried to do their duty in life. ”

“ Saibalini would yield to her sister's wishes joyfully, and tell her tales of Sita and Savitree and Damayantee, the noblest conceptions of womanhood that the literature of the world has produced.
With her heart panting with a thought which those nearest to her never knew, Hemlatta went to her husband's room when such tales were ended, and approached the bed where he was asleep. She knelt by the unconscious sleeper, and a silent prayer often went up from her heart. "Heaven help me to be a true woman on earth! May I be a true wife in thought and in deed—in life and in death!" ”

“ I could hardly see his face as he went into the temple."
"It is he!" repeated Hemlata, and hid her eyes.
"Go quietly, sister, and if it be Noren, wait with him inside the temple till I have finished my evening prayers and come to meet you both."
"Go thyself, Saibalini, and accost him. I—I dare not meet him alone after these nine years."
"Dare not see him alone? Why, he was the dearest friend of thy childhood, and is like a brother to thee. Does a sister fear to meet her brother alone?"
"Thou too art like a sister to him, go and accost him. I dare not meet him alone." ”

“ Jelekha shivered at that touch and murmured to herself, as in a dream, "Men have charms too, as women have. A warrior can work a spell as well as a Tartar girl."
"Thy spell, Jelekha," replied Noren, softly, "is the strongest that woman can work on man, it is a woman's kind and loving tendance. ”

“ If the story of a man's entrance into the palace Zenana was known and talked about there, Noren's life was not safe in Rajasthan or in Bengal. "Go on!" he cried in a low, hoarse voice.
"The Eastern Chief," went on the boy, with the same imperturbable coolness, "had a noble face, Master, and a true heart, and he held Jelekha kindly and spoke to her tenderly. But the Persian lady is a great magician, and can read into the hearts of spirits and of men. And she said to the Eastern Chief that he was a true soldier and a true lover, but his heart was in the Far East." ”

“ A woman's heart beats even under the livery of a slave, a woman's faith abides. She thirsted to know more, and to-night she knows it. Kismet severs, and Kismet is all-powerful. Kismet severs you, too, from her you seek, whom you will find in the Golden Temple of Mathura on the festive night of the full moon. Cherish her in memory alone, as Jelekha will cherish a memory in her native mountains. She parts, but a Tartar never forgets a kindness, and Jelekha will not forget—a friend. Farewell!"
Noren started at the voice, which was a woman's voice he had heard before. ”

“ Hemlata, burning with anger and shame, rose from her seat again as she replied, "I expected not this from thee, Begum Saheba, when I came to see thee to-night. I am deeply indebted to thee for the good news thou hast given me. Permit me now to depart."
"Sit thee down, my sister," said Mihr-un-Nissa, now in a graver voice, "for I have a tale yet to tell. These eyes have seen young Norendra Nath—it matters not how or where. I have seen Princes and Chiefs in my day, but I have seen few who have a truer soul than the friend of thy childhood. ”

“ Hemlata paused, but Noren spoke not, and she went on:
"Thou hast a greater battle to fight, Noren, than thou hast yet fought. Live and conquer in this great battle of life like a true soldier. And when the time comes, die the death of a man who, happy or unhappy, has done his task in life. It is our duty which counts, not our desires and dreams. It matters little if an idle dream more or less is realised in life, it matters little if we sometimes stagger under the weight of sorrows or disappointments ”

“ Much I doubt he is only a cruel deceiver!"
"Beware of such a man, my innocent sister. Love him not—or love and be his slave for ever!"
"Ay, ay, much I fear, sister Jelekha, I am his slave already, and he drags me along by a chain which I may not rend. Hast thou, my sister, ever felt thus?"
"Nay, gentle Sharifa, I was not born to be a chained slave, and if I ever sought a lover I would sooner purchase a submissive youth from the slave-market to do my bidding. My mother taught me the Charm of the Dagger when I was yet a girl; it is useful to us for making slaves of men." ”

“ The language of the Court—the Persian—is the spoken tongue of a few. Our Court poetry is like a pretty flower which we grow on a marble vase and admire for a day. But the poetry of nations is like a vast wood, which spreads over the broad and fertile earth and gives shade and shelter to the people."
"But I have heard, Abul Fazel, that the Hindus speak and write the Persian tongue as well as we, and that the late Raja Todar Mull spread the use of the Persian in our Courts and offices throughout India." ”

“ The young soldier had a brave heart, but his face was bloodless as he saw into the designs of Jelekha. To step in disguise into the Royal Zenana, guarded by a hundred guards, was death. But Jelekha gave him no time to think.
"Beyond this courtyard thou seest a lofty wall of stone. That wall screens the residence of the Queens and Royal Begums of Agra. Thou shalt cross that lofty wall which man has never yet crossed and come back alive. Thou shalt see those whose faces man has not seen." ”

“ She will fatigue herself to death to win a man; she will use all the arts with which Nature has endowed her to keep him secure; she will bear ill-treatment but not estrangement; she can suffer cruelty but not indifference. Nature, or the law of selection, has developed this craving in the woman, as it has provided tendrils to the creeper which must cling in order to live. The rough gnarled tree, round which Nobo Kumar's wife had clung for woe or for weal during a lifetime, was slowly torn away from the tendrils of her heart. ”

“ One word more, Gokul Das, before I go to my evening prayers. I have known you as a boy; I have fed you as a man; I wish not that you should bear one uncharitable thought of me when I am gone. We have sometimes harboured angry thoughts in our pride, we have sometimes nourished hatreds in our vain pursuits on earth—let these be forgotten and forgiven. We shall meet on earth no more, and I seek for peace with all the world before I seek for peace with my God. ”

“ Sher Afghan will consent to divorce you for a promise of reward from me ten times richer than my father has bestowed upon him. The Mullas will sanction the divorce when a Prince demands it; and even in the lifetime of my father you can be my wedded, my cherished wife."
"A very excellent plan, Prince," replied Mihr-un-Nissa, as her red, thin lips were curled in mockery, "but you forget one or two small details. I know my husband, as brave a man as ever drew a sword, and not the wealth of your Empire nor the fear of death will induce him to part with a wife whom he honours and loves. ”