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Chapter II.
In the House by the Road.
If this woman had been a faultless beauty, then I could have said, "Reader! she is as beautiful as your wife;[1] and, fair reader! she is as lovely as the reflection in your mirror!" In so many words, the description would have been complete. But, unfortunately, I must abstain from such a description, as she was not perfect in every feature and limb.
The reason why I saw she was not a faultless beauty is that, in the first place, her body was somewhat taller than middle-height;
- ↑ Bengalees are married by their parents when children, or quite young, and therefore do not choose their own wives. It is therefore all the more surprising that they should be so thoroughly satisfied with their wives, and consider them combinations of Venus and Minerva. Bengalees are often the devoted slaves of their wives, and there is far more petticoat government in Bengal than is generally supposed.
