=every one seconded the proposal.=] All were so eagerly in favour
that they wanted to speak at once in support of it.
=regal dignity.=] His position as a king of the other boys.
=fertile brain.=] Full of inventions and plans.
=manoeuvre.=] A French word meaning a plan of battle.
=point of honour.=] He would feel himself disgraced if he gave way.
=Mother Earth.=] Earth is here pictured as a person. There is a
well-known story of a giant who gained fresh power every time his
body touched the earth, which was his Mother.
=Furies.=] These were supposed to be certain demons, who pursued
guilty men with loud cries.
=the servant was master.=] Notice the play of words here. The
"servant" and "master" change places.
=critical juncture.=] At this exact moment when things were so
dangerous.
=Dada.=] The usual Bengal word for "Brother."
=no love was lost.=] This is a mild way of saying that they disliked
one another.
=on pins and needles.=] Exceedingly restless; like some one standing
on sharp points.
=in perpetuity.=] The phrase is a mock legal one, meaning "for all
time."
=by no means pleased.=] She was very displeased, because she had
already children of her own. In English a phrase is often put in a
negative way to imply a very strong positive statement. Thus "by
no means happy" may mean "very unhappy."
=committing such an indiscretion.=] Doing such an unwise thing.
=indecent haste.=] A mock humorous expression, meaning "very quickly."
=craves for recognition.=] Wishes to be noticed and loved.
=physical love.=] Just as a young animal clings to its mother for
protection.
=animal instinct.=] The phrase repeats in another form what was said
before, in the words "a kind of physical love."
=pursed her lips.=] Drew her lips tight like the mouth of a purse
which is tightened by pulling the string.
=as if expecting some one.=] He was looking for his mother.
=very critical.=] Very dangerous. The danger point of the illness
might be reached at any moment and death might come.
=By the mark.=] When a shallow place comes at sea, or on a great
river, one of the sailors throws a piece of lead, with a string
tied to it, into the water, and then looks at the _mark_ on the
string. He calls out that the depth is "three" or "four" fathoms
according to the mark.
=plumb-line.=] The line with a lead weight.
=plumbing.=] To plumb is to get to the bottom of a piece of water.
Here Phatik is pictured as himself going deeper and deeper into
the sea of death, which none can fathom.
=the holidays.=] The Bengali word for "holiday" means also "release."
It is as though he were saying, "My release has come." This cannot
be represented in the English.