Tara: A Mahratta Tale

by Meadows Taylor

  CHAPTER L.

  "Is my brother within? has he returned from the temple?" asked Radha ofa man sitting in the porch of the house in which Moro Trimmul resided,and, though in another street, was only a few steps distant. "Is hecome, Chimna?"

  "Yes, lady, he is come," returned the man, who was an old retainer ofthe family, and had known her from infancy; "but if you take my advice,you will not go to him now: he has eaten nothing, and is in one of hisrough angry moods. I did but speak to him as he entered, and got asmany curses as will serve me for a month. Why not come another time?"

  "Nay, Chimna, but it is an urgent matter, and I must now have speechof him," she replied. "Go, say I am come, and that he must admit me.Begone at once," she continued, seeing him hesitate, "else it will beworse for you."

  "I had rather you went yourself," returned the man, "what if he shouldbeat me? But no matter, I will go; perhaps I may not do you much moreservice, for he speaks of departing."

  "Ah, indeed! When?" exclaimed Radha. "He is not ill?"

  "Soon, perhaps," replied the man, putting his finger to the side of hisnose, as a caution to secrecy, while he stepped across the court tothe verandah, "very soon, I think. No, he is not ill, only vexed withsomething."

  Radha's heart beat fast in her bosom. O, if it were but true; andthat her brother, alarmed or repentant, no matter which, were aboutto depart, it would solve all difficulties at once. That veryday--to-morrow! It seemed hard to wish him gone; yet there would bepeace to Tara and to her mother, which was endangered by his presence.Surely he would see her. Yes; Chimna was now descending the steps ofthe house, and beckoned to her with a smiling face. She crossed thecourt at once, followed by the servant.

  "He is in the upper room," he said, "and bid thee come alone: perhapshe is not well, for he is lying down, and seems weary. No wonder hewas in ill-humour with me, after that long disputation with the NassukBrahmun to-day in the temple,--some relation of the Shastree's, Ibelieve, lady."

  "Enough, Chimna; take care of my servant till I return," said Radha."You can sit here; if I want you I will call;" and so saying she passedthrough a door into the inner court, and up the steps which led to theapartments above, which were steep and narrow. The door was closed atthe top of them, and she knocked before she opened it. Her brotherunfastened it inside. "Enter," he said quickly; "it is well thou artcome, I was thinking how I could see thee, Radha. Sit down there," andhe hastily arranged a few pillows and a travelling mattress for her,"and speak to me;" and at the same time threw himself heavily upon alow bed which was close to the seat he had contrived.

  "O, I am weary, Radha," he continued, "very weary. I have no sleep, norest; I cannot eat, and there is a burning thirst ever with me. I shalldie if this lasts long."

  "Brother, you are ill," she replied; "this place does not agree withyou? Why not go away for a time and change the air? Chimna says youhave eaten nothing; why is this? With all there is to do for themaster, this is no time to be ill. Is there nothing better for him thanlingering here? Surely Tannajee brought news of him?"

  "Ay, sister, and there is more," and he pointed to a heap of letterson the floor; "enough to make one tremble for the result of yearsof toil and strife with the men of Islam. Listen: Maloosray broughtword of their preparations at Beejapoor, and they write that to-dayor to-morrow Afzool Khan and his son Fazil, with all the forces atNuldroog and Sholapoor, and many others, will begin a march upon Wyeand Purtabgurh. What can we do?"

  "Is this Moro Trimmul, my brother, who is speaking?" said the girl,with some scorn in her tone, and drawing herself up. "I thought he,like Tannajee and the master, could see no hindrance to the cause ofthe Holy Mother but death. He used to say so in--in--the old times,"she added tenderly.

  "The old times?" he echoed. "Yes, the old times, when thou hadst aroyal lover, girl; not a drivelling book-worm!"

  "Hush, Moro," returned Radha sharply; "no more of that. Thou hastburied it in the marriage, and he is kind to me. Why remember it?"

  "Is it to be forgotten? Dost thou forget it, Radha?--then, when webrought thee back from him?"

  "He never loved me," she returned; "he could not love a mad child; hetold me so when he gently put me away."

  "Not for the mad child, but for the beautiful girl, would he care; hedoes care, Radha. O sister, why was this hateful marriage done, so faraway from us?"

  "Nay, brother, thou knowest best; but I am content--he is very kind tome; and they all love Radha now, even Anunda."

  "Radha," said her brother, raising himself on his arms and looking ather intently, and till his eyes seemed to flash with a light glowingbeneath them. "Radha, do not lie. If thou art my sister, thy heart isfar away among the blue mountains and their deep forests, and with ourPrince. If it be not so, the witchcraft of that house hath compassedthee with a spell, as it has me."

  "Witchcraft, brother? they do no witchcraft," she replied simply.

  "By the Mother, they do," he cried; "feel my hands, feel my head, theyare burning, and Tara has set me on fire."

  "Moro, thou art ill; this is fever," returned his sister anxiously. "Iwas like this yesterday, and Anunda gave me some medicine, and I slept,and it passed away. Let me fetch some, or send the woman for it."

  "No, no, Radha," he said hoarsely, "this is no fever; this is a spellon me, and I cannot break it. This is the spell Tara wears round herneck, Gunga told me of it. It would not let her speak; it draws me toher, and then puts me away till I burn. O sister, I burn all over, andat night when there is no one with me--O, it is terrible, terrible;and she comes and mocks me, and holds out water and flowers, and thensnatches them away. I tell thee she is a witch, a devil, and she hasset me on fire. Bring her to me and I will tell her so."

  "Brother, dear brother," said the girl, "you are ill, and there is noone to tend you. I will stay; why did you not send for me? why not tellme of this sooner? Now, I will not leave you, you must not be alone."

  "Radha, I am not ill," he replied; "I need no tending. Was I illyesterday, when I overcame the Brahmuns from Punderpoor in thediscussion at night, and when I could have said the Ramayun by heart?Was I ill to-day when I strove with the Nassuk Brahmuns in logic? No,girl, I am not ill in body, only at heart. And when she comes to thetemple, and goes round the shrine crowned with flowers, clashing thecymbals and singing hymns with the priests, then I see the charm on herbosom, and it sparkles; and I hear her ringing voice, and I grow mad,Radha--mad ... and this fever comes on me, and I burn as they do inhell--as I do now. Look!" he cried in a shrill cry of pain, "look, sheis there, mocking me now, and pushing me in.... O Tara!" he continuedin a plaintive voice, after a pause, stretching out his hands andshutting his eyes, as he turned away, "do not kill me, do not burn me;I kiss your feet, I worship you, beloved! do not harm me!"

  "What can I do? what can I do?" cried Radha, wringing her hands. "Hewill die. Ho, Chimna!"

  "Silence, Radha; for your life call no one. I will strike you ifyou do," he said, raising his arm. "Look, she is gone! she wasthere--there, even now. I turned away, for her eyes burned me; therewas no love in them--none. She came and mocked me, and you are witnessof it. Why did she come in the air? She is a spirit--a witch--and it isalways thus. There--look----"

  Radha looked tremblingly where he pointed. It was impossible not to beinfected with the terror and misery of his face and voice. The roomhad open arches of wood on one side, across which heavy curtains weredrawn; but they were partially open, and, looking through them, all shesaw was the terraces of the houses of the town gradually descendinginto the great ravine: the crags and precipices of its further side:with the trees, and gilded spires and pinnacles of the temple between.Beyond these, the rugged mountain and the plain below, hazy withquivering light, and melting into the sky.

  "You see nothing, sister?" he said. "No, she is gone now."

  "No, Moro, there is nothing there but the town and the temple. O HolyMother!" continued Radha, stretching out her hands to it, "save him;save my brother! I vow to thee----"


  "Make no vows for me, Radha," he said to her, sharply catching her arm;"she is my enemy; I know it. She loves Tara better than me; she willnot give her to me. I asked her for Tara long ago; see what has come ofit. I have done all the secret rites that her worship enjoins, but sheis not content; she mocks me, and when I look at her eyes they glitterwith malice. To-day she seemed to glower at me from among the smoke,and Tara was there offering flowers. They both mocked me. Yes, they aredevils; but I fear them no more, Radha. May her house be desolate, andher shrine desecrated."

  "Hush, brother!" cried the girl, putting her hand before his mouth, tostop what she believed to be horrible and deadly blasphemy. "Hush! whatif she heard you? O Mother, gentle Mother, forgive him this madness. Ivow to thee----"

  "You will make me curse you, Radha," he said, again grasping her armviolently. "Did I not tell you I would have no vows to her, liar andmurderess as she is? Yes, I see it now. You, too, are one with them,and are come to mock me; and yet, Radha," he continued, looking ather tenderly, "was this good of you after all I have done for you? O,faithless!"

  "Moro," returned Radha, weeping sorely, and sobbing so that she couldhardly speak, "I am not faithless. I am true to you, even to death, mybrother."

  "Good," he said gravely; but again fixing his eyes upon her, so thatshe could hardly bear his intense gaze. "True? Ah, yes, if all arefalse, Radha should be true--true to him and to me. Now, listen," hecontinued, slowly and impressively, "if thou art true, tell Tara I amin fear of her charm; bid her look kindly on me--bid her put it awayfrom her breast. I will kiss her feet; I will daily measure with mybody every step she takes round the shrine, so that she give me onekind look,--so that I see that love in her eyes which is burning in meday and night--day and night.

  "But that is not all," he resumed, after a pause. "Am I mad? Dost thouthink me so for this raving? By the gods, no! Only for her. Let herlook to herself. And I say to thee calmly, sister, thou must say allthis to-night, else beware! Listen, I have but one desire in life, thatis Tara--one object only to live for, that is Tara. I plead nothing, Isay nothing, only that I am not mad.

  "Now, listen again. You have much to live for--the pleasuresof life, the enjoyments of wealth--honour as the wife of VyasShastree,--children to come, and your husband's love, with yourchildren's; but remember, Radha, they are all in my hand. A word fromme to him, and you are sunk lower than the Moorlees. All this joy willpass from you. He will cast you out, and I will not shelter you. Youshall be worse than the vilest, and men shall mock you. By ----" and heswore a horrible curse, "I will do this and more, Radha, if you refuse.Answer me, girl," and he shook her violently and painfully in hispassion.

  "Moro!" cried his sister, gasping for breath, "listen. I said oncebefore you might kill me if it pleased you, and I bared my breast toyou. Now again, if you dare to look at it without shame, it is beforeyou. But, listen to my words, I will do no treachery; no, brother, notreachery. I am of the same blood and the same spirit as yourself, andyou well know I could be true and fearless once, and so may God and theMother help me, I will be fearless now in a better cause. Yes, strike,"she continued, as, without speaking, he hastily raised himself, seizeda naked dagger that was concealed under his pillow, and brandished itwith one hand, while he pressed her down with his knee, and held herforcibly against the wall with the other. "Strike! your blow will bemore merciful than your words," and she shut her eyes, expecting thestroke, yet not flinching from it.

  "Stay--hold!" cried a shrill woman's voice, as a hasty rustling ofsilken garments was heard for an instant between the door and the bed,and Moro Trimmul's hand was seized in a powerful grasp; "wouldst thoudo murder? Shame on thee, and she thy sister!"

  "She is a devil, too, and mocked me," exclaimed the man moodily, butdashing the knife to the ground. "Who let thee in, Gunga? Go, I wantthee not--away! tempt me no more, else I will strike!"

  "Fear him not, lady," cried the girl, picking up the dagger hastily;"he dare not strike you now, else,"--and her eyes flashed--"else, MoroTrimmul, thou shalt do no more evil: none to me, none to her. Beware!I have no fear, and no scruple; let her go safely, and I will stay withthee."

  "Go, Radha," he said. "Go, sister----"

  "I will not go, Moro Trimmul," cried his sister excitedly. "I was notafraid of you when that dagger's point was at my heart. For myself Iam not afraid of your threats, or your words. What you can do to me,what you can say of me, I know not. Whatever it be, and this girl iswitness, I fear it not. What men would say of the Pundit who wrongedhis sister--you know; and how they would revile and spit at you. Sayit, sir, and I follow you through Dekhan, through Hind, till I die byyour hand. If you make me shameless you shall be shameless with me; butthis remember, I warn them all in the house of you,--I warn Tara ofyou,--and no harm shall come to her, for your honour is dearer to me,than mine to you."

  "If thou hast any influence over him," she continued to Gunga; "leadhim aright. Thou mayst have saved him a great crime to-day, for therewas blood in his eyes when he kneeled over me with the knife; butbetter I should have died than harm should have come to them throughme. Lead him away from those evil thoughts, and Radha will be gratefulto thee all her life, and may often help thee."

  "I love you, lady, and honour you," said the girl, reverently touchingRadha's feet; "but in this matter I have no power, much as I desire tohelp you and him; nor, indeed, in any other now,--yet I will do whatI can. He loved me once," said the girl, bursting into tears, "beforehe knew Tara; but that is gone, for she has his love and cares not forit. Now he only curses me and beats me, yet I will not, I cannot leavehim, lady. Forgive the poor Moorlee; but it is better for me to bearhis wrath than for him to be left alone. Last night he was fearfullyexcited, and threatened my life, but I escaped. He grows worse towardsevening; but fear not, I will not leave him."

  "I will come and watch with thee," said Radha, in a whisper, for herbrother had again thrown himself on the bed, and covered himself with asheet, and she feared to excite him; "let me come?"

  "It may not be, lady," replied the girl. "If he kill me, what matter?who would miss the Moorlee, or grieve for her? But you, his sister,must not meet this peril; the Holy Mother has already saved you fromone terrible danger, and fate is never to be dared twice. Only believethat one as devoted as yourself watches him, and one to whom life is ofno account. Go, do not speak to him now. This madness will pass away,and I will come and tell you of him."

  * * * * *

  "Is she gone, Gunga?" said Moro Trimmul to the girl, who, after Radha'sdeparture, had sat down by the bed and was fanning him. "I hear no onespeaking to you."

  "Yes, I sent her away. I feared for her," she replied.

  "It was well done, Gunga, else--else I might have killed her----Ay,girl," he resumed, after a pause, "I had killed her but for Tara. Whydid she come and not stay? Why did she take the knife from me?"

  "Thou art always raving of that girl like a fool, Moro Trimmul," saidGunga impatiently. "It was I that saved thy sister, else there wasblood in thine eyes, and a devil at thy heart; what if thou hadststruck her?"

  "She and Tara are one," he said gloomily; "yes, they are one, and thou,too, wilt go to them. Go, Gunga, they will give thee money."

  "May dirt fall on their money, and thine too," she replied sulkily. "Iwant none of it."

  "Thou art insolent, girl."

  "I am a fool, Moro Trimmul, to bear with thee," she retorted, withoutmoving. The girl's quick perception showed her that any toleration ofhis bad humour would only increase it, and of life she was utterlyreckless. What tie held her to the man who now seemed almost to loatheher, she knew not: a fascination, perhaps, which she could not resist.

  He was long silent, again drew the sheet over him, and lay quietly; atlength he removed it and sat up.

  "Thou art not gone, Gunga?" he said; "why art thou here?"

  "I know not," she returned, "except that I am a fool."

  "Go," he continued, "they will be wanting thee in the templ
e."

  "I am not going," she replied; "another will take my work. I will notleave thee now."

  "Gunga," he resumed, after a moody silence, "is there peace between us?"

  "Such peace as thou wilt have," she replied.

  "And if I love thee again?"

  "Pah!" she cried; "love!--it is a thing to spit upon now. Can love gofrom one to another, and return as it went? Can a garland of Champaflowers be worn all night, and keep their freshness and fragrance tillthe morning? Do not men fling them away as refuse?"

  "Then, why come to me, girl? why follow me?"

  "Thy heart tells thee already," she said, fixing her eyes full on him,"we have one thing only in common now. That girl--I told thee so at thePap-nas that day, and I tell thee so again--when I trample that charmof hers under my feet, and her throat with it, I shall be content,and thou art safe. Yes, Moro Trimmul, but for hope of revenge on her,I would have killed thee when thy love went to her. But thou art acoward; I know it; thou wilt do nothing."

  "Thou wilt not say so if I carry her off and put her to shame."

  "Ah!" cried the girl, rising and standing over him, "is it so? I tellthee, Moro Trimmul, I will follow her and fawn on her like a dog--Iwill abase myself before her--I will lick the dust from her feet, ifthat will help thee to do this."

  "Listen to what I say," he continued, raising himself on his arm. "Iam calm now--quite calm--I burn no longer. I was mad when she--whenRadha--came. I thought I had a chance through her; but she defied me,and there is none."

  "Women know women best," said the girl. "I told thee so long ago, but Iwas not believed."

  "I believe thee now," he replied; "and we have only ourselves to relyupon. Ah, surely this is a strange calmness which has come over me. Itis not before death, Gunga?"

  "No, fear not," returned Gunga. "Love is passing into revenge; I knowwhat it is. Yes, thou wilt act now, Moro. Take her hence but for a day,and she is thine for ever, and will become a Moorlee like me--like therest of us. Enough, Moro Trimmul. No other harm shalt thou do to herthan this? Hast thou the spirit--the courage?"

  "I will do it," he said gloomily. "That is what I had determined onmyself. When can it be done?"

  "On the last night of the ceremonies," she said; "I can get the key ofthe postern, and keep it open unobserved; and as Maloosray and otherswent that night, so canst thou take Tara; and I have friends among theRamoosees, who will help us. I am their priestess, and they dare notrefuse me. Take us both; I must see her humiliation. O Shakti powers!"she cried, stretching out her arms, "aid me in this. Ye are morepowerful than the Mother, and ye hate her. Art thou determined, MoroTrimmul?"

  "I will not change," he said; "the illusion is past."

  "Swear on my throat and feet, and I will believe thee."

  "I swear," he replied, touching her neck.

  "Now I will leave thee, Moro," said the girl. "I have no fear for thee;there will be no more delirium with new thoughts."

  "I will follow thee to the temple," he replied; "go on before. I darenot stay here alone; she would come to me----"