CHAPTER V.
"Yes, surely it is strange that the two nativities should fit soexactly," said Vyas Shastree to himself, some days after the eventsrecorded in the last chapter, as, seated by himself upon his dais,and having given orders not to be disturbed, he appeared absorbed ina table of nativity which lay before him; "yes, it is strange indeed.The date of birth, the signs under which she was born, and the fewcalculations which have been made by a master hand, all agree, as theyought to do; and the result, as I have worked it out, is clear enough.This girl, born at Wye, an utter stranger to me hitherto, and broughthere by a chance pilgrimage, is proposed for me; and Anunda, Tara, andthe old Josee will have it so. Yes, it is a curious coincidence indeed;but let me test these formulae again; there may be error."
While the Shastree is busy with some curiously abstruse calculationsupon his own and the other horoscope he is considering, we must digressa little, to show by what steps Gunga's plans, roughly shadowed out toMoro Trimmul, as we have recorded, were apparently fast approaching asatisfactory completion.
Negotiations had been satisfactorily opened by Anunda with SukyaBye, the aunt of Moro Trimmul. This lady had, indeed, already becomea great favourite with Anunda and Tara, and she had been guided inher intercourse with them by the directions of Gunga. Eventually,the question of marriage, or otherwise, having passed the ladiesfavourably, rested with the Shastree himself.
The contrivances by which this result had been brought about wereapparently too simple to cause suspicion. Yet they had been producedby carefully designed arrangement. It was first of all necessary toget Sukya Bye and Anunda acquainted, and this was brought about at thetemple on the night of the ceremonies of the last full moon. The wifeof the chief priest had the power to render the performance of thenecessary worship convenient to any one she pleased. She could directspecial attendance by assistant priests on her friends, and couldreserve seats for them, on which they could see and hear to the bestadvantage. So as Sukya Bye, whose figure and dress bespoke her rank andrespectability, was apparently vainly endeavouring to reach the shrineto make her offerings with other women,--Gunga, seeing her hustled andpushed about, assisted her as far as possible; and, feigning to beunable to do more, appealed to Anunda, who had herself noticed the oldlady's struggles, for assistance to her.
Sukya Bye was one with whom it was no degradation to be seenassociating. Her tall figure, dressed in the richest of plain silkgarments, and the heavy gold rings she wore round her arms, wrists, andankles, betokened wealth, as did her shaved head that she was a widow;and the stout Mahratta serving-men, who, armed with sword and buckler,attended her, proved that she was of some rank, certainly of veryrespectable position.
Gunga had left her under Anunda's care, and ere the ceremony wasconcluded the ladies had become excellent friends. It will beremembered that Anunda herself was from the western provinces of theDekhan, and the dialect and intonation of the lady Sukya soundedpleasantly in her ears. Questions were asked, some mutual acquaintancesdiscovered, and a visit by Anunda soon followed.
Moro Trimmul, his aunt, and sister, lived or lodged but a shortdistance from the Shastree, and it soon came to pass that the ladiesvisited each other frequently. Sukya had a point to gain, so had herniece Radha, and both worked in concert with the girl Gunga, to whomwhatever happened was related. Her fresh instructions from day to dayguided them perfectly, not only to gaining the good will of mother anddaughter, but of establishing a more affectionate interest in theirconcerns than would otherwise have arisen out of a common acquaintance.
Sukya, proud of her own birth and connections, found Anunda perfectlyin accord with herself on that subject. She saw the wealth and comfortof the house, she led Anunda to detail their domestic cares, andoffered her sympathy, which was accepted. "Ah, yes, if the Shastreewould only marry again!" said Anunda to her in confidence, "and thereshould be a son born, they would take him to Benares and devote him toSiva. They had wealth; yet without this it was a weight and a care tothem, which increased rather than diminished."
During these visits of confidence between the elders, Tara and Radhahad their own pleasant time too, and Tara's trustful nature was easilywon by the other. Radha was ignorant, it was true, but she was to allappearance open-hearted and simple, and she soon learned to feign thatreverential yet intimate association with the beautiful widow and hermother, which Gunga counselled, and which was indeed necessary to thesuccess of the whole scheme.
For some days Anunda made no communication to Sukya Bye of the subjectnearest her heart; but as she saw the intimacy of the two girlsincrease, and that the intercourse had served to turn Tara's thoughtsinto new channels, and also that she herself, as she gradually gainedstrength, always found some pretext for a daily visit to her youngfriend, the thought gradually pressed the more upon her mind, thathere was a connection which was most desirable for her husband; and,finally, the question alone remained, whether Radha's family wouldconsent.
Tara had no objection either. Indeed, from the first sight ofRadha's present extreme beauty, and promise of its development--fromher respectful, nay reverential, demeanour to her mother, and herapparently loving trustfulness of herself--she, too, began to thinkthat a better selection could not be made, if her father were willingto take a second wife, than this girl. So she grew to wish it.
Therefore, with much exhortation to privacy, and in the fullestassurance of confidence, Anunda had ventured to ask Sukya Bye, afterall reserve had been broken down, whether the alliance might be hopedfor. She dwelt at length upon her husband's accomplishments and hiswealth. He was not old; many men married far beyond his age. Money wasno object--it could be paid if necessary; and she herself would be asa mother, and Tara a sister, to the new wife. In short, Anunda openedher whole heart to her new friend, and in the end found the sympathyshe had expected. Yes, the more Sukya Bye considered the matter, themore, as she told Anunda, was she convinced it would be an admirablearrangement. Radha had once been betrothed as a mere child; the personhad died lately, else they were to have been married this year.Delay had occurred because the intended husband was poor. He had notsufficient to pay the expenses of the ceremonies. Then Radha's fatherhad died, then her mother, when Moro Trimmul was as yet a youth. Hehad made no provision for his sister. How could he? So she remainedunmarried. Another connection must have been sought for this year, andAnunda's proposal was admirably timed.
Now, all this was true enough in some respects, but not entirely. Itwas enough, however, for two persons to believe, whose affections werealready enlisted in the progress of the matter; and such inquiriesas they could make from people who knew Wye, confirmed what had beentold them by their new acquaintance. Was the girl herself willing?Apparently she was. And she received, with all the bashfulness andinterest necessary to the occasion, the proposal made to her by Tara onthe part of her mother. Anunda had had her fears on this subject, lestthe young and beautiful girl should refuse to ratify what her aunt hadproposed; but beyond a natural shyness there seemed no objection.
One doubt only remained,--were the horoscopes of the parties in goodaccordance? "Moro Trimmul," Sukya Bye said, "would never consent togive his sister where the planets did not provide good fortune--inshort, till he was satisfied there was no ceremonial objectionor direct hindrance. And before the proposition was made to theShastree--before, in short, the men were to discuss the proposedarrangement, Moro Trimmul wished to see the Shastree's horoscope,in order that the last point of doubt should be removed." He alsowould give his sister's to the Shastree, if the proposal were to bepersevered in.
Very unsuspectingly, therefore, did Anunda take the scheme of herhusband's nativity, his "Junum Putr," from the casket in which it waskept, and, with many injunctions as to its safety, gave it to SukyaBye. It was not long detained; and she was gratified by hearing thatthe Josee, seated in an adjoining apartment, considered it a mosthappy one. "Might he copy a few portions? they had been so admirablycalculated." And the dame had no objection.
Certainly
the plan had been well laid, and as yet well executed. Novery deep persuasions were necessary with these simple unsuspectingpeople. The mother and daughter had yielded long ago; and the resultof the examination of the Shastree's Junum Putr had removed the lastobstacle which concerned him. The matter, as arranged, should be brokento him that evening on his return from the temple. And the lady Sukyasuggested that he should examine her niece's horoscope as corroborativeof his own.
So Moro Trimmul had that day put the finishing touch to his work. Hehad been concealed when the lady Anunda brought the paper we havementioned; he had rapidly copied the principal points in the table, andnoted all the most remarkable of the latter indications exhibited; andhe knew that, before evening, he could prepare a corresponding documentregarding his sister, which the Shastree himself could not detect.This was a branch of science which Moro Trimmul had studied deeply;and it was with perfect confidence that he followed the astrologicalcombinations relating to the Shastree, and constructed, yet not withtoo minute detail, the table in his sister's name.
Few Hindu parents care to have the Junum Putr, or "birth letter," oftheir daughters worked out; but after Moro Trimmul had cast the tableitself on an imaginary date of birth, two years later than the realage of his sister, and as if it had been done carelessly and thenabandoned, he followed up several of the formulae indicated, leavingthe last incomplete. He felt assured, therefore, when the paper wassubmitted to the Shastree, that he would himself carry out the lastcalculation, which had been so arranged as to lead to the present time,and to a combination with his own.
All had been finished. The paper on which it was written was new,but it was not paper of that part of the country; it was from hisown district. An ornamental border was quickly drawn round it, inred, black, and yellow lines; the signatures of the witnesses to hissister's original and true Junum Putr were carefully copied; finally,the whole document was held over wood-smoke till it was of a properbrown colour, then rubbed and frayed at the edges, and creased here andthere as if it had been often examined; and, lastly, it was perfumedwith camphor to remove the smell of wood-smoke, and with the odour ofbenzoin and sweet pastille. No one, without much difficulty, could havedetected the forgery; and, without suspicion, the Shastree had sethimself to work out the problem left unfinished--the occupation whichwe have already noted.
On leaving their friends, after this early visit, in which the JunumPutr was taken, Anunda and Tara had determined to lose no further timein breaking the matter to the Shastree. It was a fortunate day, as theyhad been told by the old astrologer, the Shastree's friend, whom theyhad consulted as they went home; whatever they did was sure to prosper.The Shastree was in good humour with himself, with them, and with theworld generally, and for many reasons. His greatest care about Tara hadbeen removed. She had been accepted as a votary of the goddess, andhad already recovered from her excitement. He had written with othersa joint petition to the "Swami" on the subject, and she had been dulyrecognized by her spiritual prince. No fear of reproach now existed;and if the Shastree had at first winced at the idea of his daughterbecoming a Moorlee, a public votary at the temple, the feeling waspassing away. The gods forbid she should become as other girls, whowere devoted to the temple service! No; she desired to be pure, andshould continue so.
The long and expensive journey to Nassuk, or worse, to Benares, hadbeen saved, and half a year's rent had just come in from his estate.The crops were fine; there were no remissions needed; prices were high,and the rent had been punctually paid. The produce of the gardens andfarms was also good this year, and the fees and dues from pilgrims wereabundant. This was a special year for pilgrimages to the shrine, andfull moon after full moon the crowd would increase.
"What are we to do with it all?" Anunda would ask, as day after day thebag containing the Shastree's dues was brought from the temple by theattendant clerk, or as her husband gave over to her the liberal giftspresented to him by wealthy visitors to the shrine.
As she asked this question of him, the Shastree laughed, and told herit must increase, for the Now Ratree, or nine nights of the goddess,then coming on, were attended by a wonderful conjunction of planetsforeboding marvellous events, and which could not indeed occur againin many years--indeed, not under less than a cycle. There would bethousands upon thousands of worshippers there, and the gain would beenormous. What, indeed, were they to do with it all? "We must spendit upon poor Brahmuns, dig wells in desert places, and give marriageportions--all good works, and pleasing to the gods: what have Brahmunsto do with wealth?" said the Shastree.
"Nay; but we will have a marriage at home," thought Anunda; and fromthe time the alliance was shaped into form she began to hoard everyrupee she could get. Never had the gardeners found her so active incoming down to Sindphul to look after the fruit and vegetables in thegarden there. Never had the sellers in the Bazar known her to be sokeen after the returns of sale. As she said to herself, if there is amarriage, my lord shall have a good one.
This very plethora of wealth brought about the question with herhusband. "What can we do with it?" he said one day, on receiving anunusually large gift.
"We will marry you," said the wife. "Tara and I have determined uponit in our own minds; and oh, my dear honoured husband, you are not toobject! We have kept this from you as yet; but if you will agree, wehave found a treasure, a jewel, such as we can give to you, and beproud and thankful to see you wear."
There was no circumlocution in the matter. Anunda, watching heropportunity, as a wife best knows how to do, had gone direct to thepoint, and, seconded by Tara, had smoothed away all difficulties andwon the victory.
The Shastree made but one condition--that which Moro Trimmul hadexpected, and for which he had provided. "I care not for wealth or forbeauty," he said to his wife. "We are rich--too rich; and thou, Anunda,art more beautiful than ever; but the 'birth letter' must accord; andshe must be pure and high in blood."
So Anunda had told him that, as to the first, she would ask for the"birth letter," and hope it would be good; as to the second, what doubtat all? She could vouch for good birth, as good as their own, and forwealth if that were needed.
Now, therefore, that the matter all hinged upon the fitness orotherwise of Radha's "birth letter," and the last link in Anunda'schain was to be completed or for ever broken, it may be conceived thatshe awaited her husband's decision on the subject with much anxiety.He had requested not to be disturbed while he made the examination. SoAnunda and Tara waited within. The outer door of the court had beenfastened as well as that of the school, and he was, as we found himat the beginning of this chapter, alone on his dais, absorbed in thecontents of the document before him.
"Yes," he said again aloud, "that it is strangely coincident, there canbe no doubt. Again and again I have checked these formulae, and theyare right, and the abandoned calculation leads direct into my own. Ho,Tara! Anunda!" he cried, "bring my Junum Putr, quick; I need it." AndAnunda took it, and, laying it before him, did not venture to stay orto speak; but she saw by the expression of his face that he was deeplyinterested, and she again withdrew.
He opened it, that strange shadowing of his life which, with afascination he could not resist, he had occasionally examined, yetwithout daring to pry into the future. Enough that he could follow thepast as nearly as might be from the fallible nature of the science.Now, he laid both papers together; and his eye passed from one toanother rapidly, as his chest heaved and his pulses throbbed with anexcitement to which he had long been a stranger, forcing from him theexclamations of wonder which we have recorded.
"Marvellous and mysterious agents in our existence," he continued,"who can withstand ye? who can refuse your directions? Here I bowbefore ye, O mystic fates, lead me as ye will; this happiness, aided bythese heavenly indications, I dare not resist. Anunda! Tara! O wife! Ochild!" he continued as they entered, stretching out his hands towardsthem, "be it as ye will, beloved!"
That was a happy evening for the three. It was not too late to ratifythe act, and
then the preparations were soon made. A few lumps ofsugar-candy and some spices were placed on a silver salver, andgarlands of fresh flowers procured from the flower-sellers. Anundadressed herself in one of her best suits, and Tara put on a simplenew garment befitting her position. Several of the servants who hadsuspected the matter, poured forth their congratulations. A marriage,with all the new clothes, and feasting; oh, it would be delightful! Andnow the betrothal sugar was to be taken, so the matter was decided.Might they accompany the lady? Yes, they were all to come, and one wasto go and prepare the lady Sukya; and so, finally, preceded by a pipeand tabor, the little procession went forth into the street.
No concealment now. As the neighbours gathered at their doors they knewwhy the lady Anunda and Tara went forth. Some wondered, some sneered;but the majority thought Anunda wise. The Shastree was to marry again,and there might again be a male child in the house.
The preparation by Sukya had been made, and the girl Radha, dressed byher aunt and Gunga, who was there, in a rich saree of orange and gold,with wreaths of flowers hanging about her, had been placed on the daisin the house where they lodged. She wore heavy ornaments of gold, andAnunda felt proud of her selection for her lord, as well for Radha'sgreat beauty as for the wealth of which she had evidence. No, she wasno common girl. Here were no crowds of poor relations; even money wasneedless; but they would be too well bred to refuse it.
So they were. The music continued to play a merry measure suited tothe ceremony. The girl's forehead was marked with the sacred colours;a fragrant paste rubbed upon her hands and arms, neck and bosom, byAnunda and Tara. Rice and other grain, emblems of fertility, sprinkledover her head, money poured into her lap, and sugar put into her mouth;while the sacred hymn and incantation from the Veda was chanted by Taraand her mother, and joined in by those who had collected around.
Then all went into the household temple of the dwelling and paid theiradoration to Bhowani and Lakshmee, and the rite was finished. Radha wasthe betrothed wife of Vyas Shastree.
"Mayst thou be happy, O my sister!" said Moro Trimmul, who, thoughpresent, had not interfered further than to direct the ceremonies."Surely this is a fortunate day for us all. Now I go to the temple tolay my offerings before the Mother, and, with your permission, lady,I will visit the Shastree to-morrow. Long have I desired to know him,for the fame of his learning has gone far and wide; but who would makea stranger known to him? and surely it is providential that our houseshave thus been united."
"You will be welcome, sir," said Anunda, as she rose to take herdeparture.
Tara: A Mahratta Tale Page 7
