Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay

“ I barely saw the little maid whose voice lingers in my memory. I do not even know whether she was ugly or pretty, and yet . . . . . yet if this beautiful being has only a tithe of that little maid's charm, what a woman for a man to love and waste his life on!
Radharani, on the other hand, drank in the stranger's courteous words. A strange and happy emotion filled her maidenly breast. "Ah!" she thought, "all these pretty things you say about your little friend of yore, it is to you, sir, they should be addressed. ”

“ Have I your highness's gracious permission to put this poor necklace on your honoured neck?"
With these words, the girl, smiling and blushing, put the splendid and glittering ornament round the raja's neck.
Devendranath laughed to see himself thus gorgeously adorned.
"Is this beautiful necklace really mine?" he asked.
"If you be pleased to accept it."
"I accept it", he replied gravely. "And since it is now mine, may I give it to whom I will?"
"What is not worthy to be worn by your highness—such is the practice of princes—may be conferred upon any fitting person." ”

“ One day I said to my husband, "I want to go to Kaladighi to see my father and mother. Send me home for a while."
He was not at all willing. How was he to exist without me? On the other hand he had become so accustomed to obeying orders that he could not definitely say "no." What he said was, "It will take at least a fortnight for you to go to Kaladighi and return. I shall die of weariness in all that time. I will go with you."
I clapped my hands and said, "That is just what I wanted! But where will you stay in a place like Kaladighi?"
"How long do you want to be at home?" he asked. ”

“ This time it was the raja's turn to be astonished. He said,
"Woman's ways are past comprehension. How did you, a married woman, come to accept such a gift from Purandar?"
"I accepted it as a token of his passionate love for me!"
The raja was still more astonished.
"What do you mean?" he asked. "What sort of love do you mean?"
"My prince," she cried, "I am a wicked woman. I am not worthy to be your wife. I make my obeisance. Suffer me to depart. ”

“ Are not we women, in short, the thorns of this weary world? Is it not mere history that the world has suffered more from us women than from all the men that were ever born of women? Luckily our sex is for the most part unaware of its destructive power, else by this time our poor globe would have been destroyed by fire!
During this week of trial I was constantly in my husband's company. I spoke to him affectionately and sympathetically. I carefully abstained from idle gossip. Smiles, and looks, and gestures, are not these the natural arms of our weak sex? ”

“ For all her simplicity, no woman's voice has so affected me or sunk so deeply into my memory."
And Rukmini Kumar (for so we must now call him) said to himself, "Such too is the ravishing voice I hear to-day." It was years since he had heard the girl's broken speech and yet he recognised it in the polished tones of the beautiful woman before him. It was as if it were only yesterday. And yet, he thought, is it the same Radharani? What a fool I am! That was a poor little frightened beggar maid dwelling in a thatched cottage, and this is the lovely heiress of great possessions. ”

“ The courts have now confirmed my father-in-law's genuine will, and Radharani is heiress to a great estate. I beseech you to have care of her; treat her as your daughter; protect her from those who prey on the wealthy. This is my dying request to you. If you will promise me this, my friend, I can die in peace."
Her lawyer replied, "I swear to you by all that is holy that Radharani shall be to me more than a daughter. I promise this with all my heart, and you may trust to me to do my duty by my young ward." ”

“ The raja laughed and said, "Take my word for it, madam, you are no widow."
"Then, in that case my husband is even poorer than myself. He must have sold it under pressure of dire want."
"On the contrary, your husband is a wealthy man."
"Then you must have taken the ring from my husband by force or fraud."
The raja was a little astonished at this daring speech. He said, "You are a very rash young woman! No one ever yet charged Raja Madan Deva with being a robber or a cheat!" ”

“ Hiranmayi had no other relatives than her parents, and entreated her mother with tears to change her fatal resolution, but the merchant's widow was obdurate. And so Hiranmayi was left all alone in the world.
Before dying, Hiranmayi's mother had tried to reassure her daughter. "See, my child," she had said, "you have no cause for anxiety. After all, you are a married woman. When the appointed interval has elapsed, who knows but you may meet your husband. You are no longer a mere girl. Above all, you have the best helper in the world, plenty of money. ”

“ If it is merely a question of living, a woman can live by begging. But I do not wish to live if you leave me. What I want is a proof, my dear, that you will not leave me all my life long. For to-day is the last day of my darling's trial. ”

“ Tell her that marriage is not a matter of gratitude. It is right and proper, I admit, that she should be grateful to this generous stranger, and if time and occasion serve, it is fitting that she should show her gratitude in some suitable fashion. But to give herself in marriage to him is a different thing altogether. We know neither his caste nor his condition, his age nor his means. In all probability he is a married man with a family. What likelihood is there, then, that he will be in a position to marry Radharani? ”

“ What virtue is there that is recognised in human society unless it have the indispensable support of coin? He in whose home this most excellent of divinities has taken up its abode may be regarded as infallible. It is the sacred possession of money that constitutes wisdom among men. The scholar, however great his learning, is regarded as a fool if he does not possess the tribal deity. If we speak of a Great Tiger, the term implies the possession of strength, beauty, and valour. But if a man is called Great Man, we are not to suppose that he is eight or ten feet long. ”

“ Before me was a tall, dark-visaged man. As I gazed, horrified, another and yet another man jumped from the branches above me. Four of them picked up the palanquin, placed the poles on their shoulders, and started to run.
Seeing that, my stalwart guardians shouted "Who is that?" and emerging from the water, ran in pursuit. Then it was that I knew I had fallen into the hands of robbers. What was the use of maidenly modesty now? I threw both doors of my palanquin wide open. I saw that my people were running with angry shouts after my captors. ”

“ Moreover it is not unlikely that the higher men mount in the scale of civilisation, the more tender and delicious will be their flesh, and the more easily we shall be able to capture them. For, the better their education, the more clearly will they understand that the principal object of their existence is to furnish food for tigers. This is the kind of civilisation which it befits us to impart to them. I commit this view of the matter to your attentive consideration. It is the high destiny of the race of tigers, firstly, to educate men, and, secondly, to devour them. ”

“ My own personal inference is that the majority of men are secretly in favour of marriage as practised among us, but dare not say so for fear of their 'priests.' I ascertained, during my stay among men, that it is chiefly among the higher orders of men that such unions are in vogue. In other words, ladies and gentlemen, it is the most advanced and refined of mankind who follow the customs of our ancient race in this matter. We may be permitted to hope that social progress among this interesting species may lead to the universal adoption of the more rational and civilised form of union. ”

“ Dhana Das was waiting outside for the bridegroom. Hiranmayi, arrayed in her bridal costume, was seated alone in her chamber. The girl thought in her mind, "A curious wedding, truly. Yet if I may not marry Purandar, what does it matter to whom I am wedded? I shall never marry the one being whom my heart has chosen!" At this moment, Dhana Das came to summon his daughter. ”

“ Have you descended, god-like, from some heavenly paradise? Have you at last been touched by the heart's devotion of your loving servant? Can you be a heavenly being, able to wander unseen into maidens' bowers? ”

“ The Swami and Purandar's father arranged that your husband should go straight to Benares from Ceylon and return thither when the marriage ceremony was completed. He did not visit his home on the way. That is how his movements were concealed from the gossips of my excellent town of Tamluk."
Purandar here bowed low and said, "Maharaj, as your highness has to-day fulfilled my heart's dearest desire, so may kind Providence fulfil your highness's every wish. In all your highness's dominions there is no happier man to-day than your highness's humble slave and subject, Purandar Chetty." ”

“ Seeing so formidable a crowd, my people began to fall behind. In despair I thought to myself, "Shall I jump from the palanquin?" But my bearers ran so fast that a leap was not without peril, and moreover one of the robbers threatened me with his staff and cried, "If you try to get out, I will break your head." ”

“ In all this wide world, with its oceans and rivers and all its pleasant places of habitation for the sons and daughters of men, is there anyone else so strong, so sweet, so delightful, so vividly alive and yet so restful, with laughter so easy and yet so becomingly reserved? ”

“ It was easy to see that he was the sort of man we women admire. Let me admit that as I stood with the dish of meat in my hand, I had another good look at him. While I was thus gazing at him through my parted veil, he raised his head and perceived that my looks were directed to his face. Our Bengali men say that as a light shines brighter in the darkness, so are a veiled woman's eyes brighter than an unveiled woman's looks. ”

“ I thought to myself that if the rhinoceros does not sin in using his mighty horn, if the elephant is permitted to use his tusks, if the tiger defends himself with his cruel claws, if the buffalo can gore his foe with his huge horns, surely a poor little woman may use the feeble weapons at her disposal. ”

“ Tigers and other leading species of animals do not dislike and envy one another. Far otherwise is it with the miserable race of men. They detest and envy one another to an incredible degree, and the sole cause of this extraordinary state of things is their principal deity. In their greed for its possession, they are always planning the downfall of their fellows. In my previous discourse I told you how thousands of them will meet together to 'wage war', as they call it. It is coin which is the sole cause of this disastrous custom. ”

“ Presently a maid-servant came to escort the stranger to the ladies' quarters. No male was to accompany him. Such were her mistress's orders.
The maid ushered the visitor into a handsomely furnished apartment. This was the first time a man had ever penetrated into the fair Radharani's private apartments. At sight of him, one maid departed to inform her mistress. Another stayed, and after the manner of her kind, made a careful inventory of the visitor's appearance. His complexion, she noted, was fair, fair as the mallika flower in full bloom. His stature was tall, his form muscular and sturdy. ”

“ The attendants pointed out a handsome mansion hard by.
"Can you tell me," said the stranger, "is the lady married or a widow?"
"She is neither married nor a widow. She comes of great people. All her relatives are dead. There is no one to give her in marriage."
"Does the lady ever admit male visitors to an interview? Do not be offended at my question. Let me tell you that many Hindu ladies now go into mixed society like Englishwomen. That is why I ask."
"Indeed," the attendants indignantly replied, "our lady has no such foreign manners. ”

“ Fortunately the good lawyer was a man of modern ideas and no advocate of infant marriages. He reflected, too, that the girl had no old-fashioned relatives who would imagine that her caste was in danger if she were not married in childhood. He made up his mind, therefore, that the question might be shelved till Radharani herself began to think about a husband. In the meanwhile let her have a suitably liberal education. Holding these opinions, the excellent man made no effort whatever to find a husband for his ward, but devoted all his efforts to securing her the best teachers. ”

“ For the newcomer was—Purandar!
The happy pair stood, too astonished to move or speak, neither could believe the joy that had befallen them.
The raja said, "Friend, Hiranmayi deserves all your love and respect. Take her, sir, with all due affection to your home. To this day she loves you as dearly as she has always loved you. Day and night I have had her under careful observation, and I know that her heart is wholly yours. At your request, sir, I subjected her to a wholly unnecessary trial. I went so far as to inform her that she was in fact my own wife. ”

“ The only daughter of a wealthy merchant, accustomed to luxury all her life, she was beginning to feel the pangs of poverty very cruelly. For a moment, she hesitated. But finally she sighed and said, "Amala, take this back to the merchant, and say I cannot accept it." ”

“ Once upon a time, the tiger folk held a great Congress in the forests of the Sunderbans. On a plot of rising ground in the heart of the woods sat row upon row of the great beasts, the gleam of their shining teeth showing bravely in the dense gloom of the jungle. By an unanimous vote, an aged tiger named Gastrimargos [2] had been chosen to preside over their deliberations. The honourable Gastrimargos, sitting up gravely, and supported by his tail, began the business of the meeting by thus addressing the distinguished assemblage. ”

“ It was my father who had named me Indira, after Laksmi, the goddess of good fortune. My mother used to call me Kumudini or "Lily." At my father-in-law's house I was known as Indira; at home nearly everybody called me Kumudini. At Ramram Babu's I had told them that my name was Kumudini, and had half forgotten that I was ever Indira. My husband too knew me by my second name, and it was under this name that I was described in the deed of gift.
Some happy days we spent together in Calcutta. All this time I refrained from announcing myself. ”