Krishna Kanta's Will (Chatterjee, Knight)/Part 1/Chapter 10
CHAPTER X.
Next day at early dawn Gobind Lâl was standing at the open window of his bedroom. It was not quite dawn, a little of the night remained. As yet the kokil had not tried his first notes from the clump of flowering shrubs in the little court of the house, only the doyal had begun to sing. The cool breeze of dawn had arisen. Gobind Lâl had opened the window and was standing in front of it to inhale the fragrance of the jasmine, gardenia, and other sweet-scented flowers borne in upon the cool, refreshing air. Just then a girl of slender figure came and stood beside him.
Gobind. "Why, what brings you here?"
"And what brings you here?" replied the girl. We need scarcely say that she was Gobind Lâl’s wife.
Gobind. "I have come to get a little fresh air.[1] Can't you bear even that?"
"Why should I?" she answered. "Do you want to be eating already? Does not eating the household food suffice you that you must be peering about the fields and ghâts to breathe [lit. to eat] the air?"
Gobind. "What is there that I have eaten so much of in the house?"
"Why, you have only just this minute received [lit. eaten] all this scolding from me."
Gobind. "Don't you see, Bhomrâ, that if a Bengali were unable to live upon a diet of scolding, the entire race of the people of this country would by this time have died of indigestion. Food of this sort is readily assimilated in a Bengali’s stomach. [i.e., he soon gets to take a scolding from his wife as a regular thing.] Shake your nose-ring again, Bhomrâ. Let me see you do it again."
Whether Gobind Lâl's wife’s real name, as given by her parents, was Krishna Mohini, or Krishna Kâmini, or Ananga Manjari, history does not say. From want of use it had dropped out of sight. Her pet name was "Bhramar" or "Bhomrâ." She was dark-complexioned, and hence had got the name of Bhomrâ.[2]
To show her objection to this banter about her nose-ring, Bhomrâ took it out, and, hanging it on a hook, began to pinch her husband's nose, then laughed gently in his face, thinking she had done something very grand.
Gobind Lâl also gazed at his wife with a deep, unsatisfied love. Then the first rays of the sun appeared in the eastern sky, and earthly objects were reflected in its gentle rays. The tender light fell full upon the face of Bhramar as she faced the east. The tender morning light falling on the lovely face of that bright, pure, soft, glowing picture, lit up her merry, playful eyes and bathed her cool bright cheeks. Smiles and loving looks, Gobind Lâl's affection, and the air of dawn, all were blended in that morning light, all found expression in her countenance.
Now there arose great chattering and confusion in the house among the newly risen servants. Then sweeping of the rooms, sprinkling of water, scouring of metal plates, and other household noises could be heard. Suddenly those sounds all ceased, to give place to various ejaculations, such as "Good gracious!" "What will happen next?" "What a dreadful thing!" "How bold!" "How brazen!" mingled with giggling and screams of laughter. Whereupon Bhramar came out of her room.
The servants as a body did not much heed Bhramar for several reasons. First, on account of her youth; then she was not herself grihini, there was her mother-in-law and her husband's sister. More than that, Bhramar was more of a merry child than a disciplinarian. On her appearance the whole troop of women increased their noise.
No. I. "Have you heard about it, young mistress?"
No. 2. "No one ever heard of such a dreadful thing!"
No. 3. "How brazen! I'll go and give the creature the besom."
No. 4. "Only the broom! If you tell me, mistress, I'll cut off her nose and bring it."
No. 5. "One can never tell what another person is up to. How could we imagine, mistress?"
Bhramar laughed, and said, "Tell me first what has happened and then each of you do as you like."
Then the clamour broke out afresh.
No. 1. "Have you not heard? The whole village is in a turmoil about it."
No. 2. "It is a case of 'a dove's nest in the tiger's lair.'"[3]
No. 3. "Let me charm the poison out of her with this broom."
No. 4. "What shall we say, mistress? 'The dwarf has tried to reach the moon.'"
No. 5. "You cannot tell a cat’s nature when it is drenched.[4] A rope round the neck. A rope round the neck."
Bhramar. "Your necks."
Then with one voice the maids exclaimed, "What is our fault? What have we done? We know well that we are sure to get the blame for anything that happens, no matter who did it. We have to work our bodies to death to get our food, simply because we can't help ourselves." And with this two or three covered their eyes and wept. A wailing arose as though one of them had lost a son. Bhramar was vexed, but she could not help laughing, and said, "You deserve a rope round your necks because you have not yet told me what it is all about. What has happened?"
Then again all round about were shouted four or five different versions of the story. With much pains Bhramar extracted from that endless chatter the essence of the matter, that during the previous night a theft had been committed in the Kartâ's sleeping chamber. One said, "Not a theft, but a robbery." Another said, "A burglary." A third, "No, only four or five thieves came and carried off a lakh of rupees in Company's paper."
Bhramar. "What then? What woman's nose were you wanting to cut off?"
No. 1. "Mistress Rohini's. Whose else?"
No. 2. "That wretched one is the source of this ruin."
No. 3. "Wasn't it she who brought the band of dacoits with her?"
No. 4. "It serves her right."
No. 5. "Let her work to death in gaol."
Bhramar. "How do you know that Rohini came to steal?"
"Why, she has been caught, and is locked up in the guard-room of the Kachari."
Bhramar went to Gobind Lâl and related all she had heard. Gobind Lâl shook his head thoughtfully.
Bhramar. "Why do you shake your head?"
Gobind. "I don’t believe that Rohini came to steal. Do you believe it?"
Bhramar. "No."
Gobind. "Tell me why you don't believe it. People say so."
Bhramar. "Tell me why you don’t believe it."
Gobind. "I’ll tell you that some other time. Tell me first."
Bhramar. "You tell me first."
Gobind. "You first."
Bhramar. "Why should I speak first?"
Gobind. "Because I wish to hear."
Bhramar. "Must I speak truly?"
Gobind. "Speak the truth."
Bhramar was on the point of telling Gobind Lâl, but could not bring herself to do so. In shamed silence she bent her head.
Gobind Lâl understood; he had done so from the first; knowing the difficulty he had put these teasing questions. Bhramar firmly believed that Rohini was guiltless. She believed in her innocence as firmly as she did in her own existence. But she had no reason for this faith beyond the simple fact that Gobind Lâl had said he believed Rohini was innocent. Gobind Lâl's faith was Bhramar’s faith; Gobind Lâl knew that well enough, for he knew Bhramar. That is why this little dark one loved him so.
Laughing, Gobind Lâl said, "I will tell you why you are on Rohini’s side."
Bhramar. "Why am I?"
Gobind. "Because she does not say you are black, but rather of a bright brown colour."
Bhramar with an angry look said, "Go away!"
Gobind Lâl, with the words, "I am going," was moving away, when Bhramar pulled his garment, asking, "Where are you going?"
Gobind. "Can you tell me where I am going?"
Bhramar. "I can this time."
Gobind. "Tell me then."
Bhramar. "To save Rohini."
Gobind Lâl replying, "Quite right," kissed Bhramar. The sympathetic heart divines sympathy in another, therefore Gobind Lâl kissed Bhramar.
- ↑ This is expressed in Bengali by the idiom "to eat the air," as, a little further on, "to receive a scolding" is "to eat a scolding." The whole point of this playful banter between husband and wife hinges on a play on the verb "to eat," as expressed in its ordinary and its idiomatic meanings. Its force is necessarily much lost in an English translation.
- ↑ This is the Bengali word for the large black bee, which accounts for her nickname.
- ↑ A proverb denoting extreme temerity.
- ↑ A proverb denoting the assumption of a tone of virtuous innocence by a villain, when in a fix, just as the mild and helpless look of a half-drowned cat conceals its real cruel nature.