"Yes, surely it is strange that the two nativities should fit so
exactly," said Vyas Shastree to himself, some days after the events
recorded in the last chapter, as, seated by himself upon his dais,
and having given orders not to be disturbed, he appeared absorbed in
a 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 few
calculations which have been made by a master hand, all agree, as they
ought 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 brought
here by a chance pilgrimage, is proposed for me; and Anunda, Tara, and
the old Josee will have it so. Yes, it is a curious coincidence indeed;
but let me test these formulæ again; there may be error."
While the Shastree is busy with some curiously abstruse calculations
upon his own and the other horoscope he is considering, we must digress
a little, to show by what steps Gunga's plans, roughly shadowed out to
Moro Trimmul, as we have recorded, were apparently fast approaching a
satisfactory completion.
Negotiations had been satisfactorily opened by Anunda with Sukya
Bye, the aunt of Moro Trimmul. This lady had, indeed, already become
a great favourite with Anunda and Tara, and she had been guided in
her intercourse with them by the directions of Gunga. Eventually,
the question of marriage, or otherwise, having passed the ladies
favourably, rested with the Shastree himself.
The contrivances by which this result had been brought about were
apparently too simple to cause suspicion. Yet they had been produced
by carefully designed arrangement. It was first of all necessary to
get Sukya Bye and Anunda acquainted, and this was brought about at the
temple on the night of the ceremonies of the last full moon. The wife
of the chief priest had the power to render the performance of the
necessary worship convenient to any one she pleased. She could direct
special attendance by assistant priests on her friends, and could
reserve seats for them, on which they could see and hear to the best
advantage. So as Sukya Bye, whose figure and dress bespoke her rank and
respectability, was apparently vainly endeavouring to reach the shrine
to make her offerings with other women,--Gunga, seeing her hustled and
pushed about, assisted her as far as possible; and, feigning to be
unable to do more, appealed to Anunda, who had herself noticed the old
lady's struggles, for assistance to her.
Sukya Bye was one with whom it was no degradation to be seen
associating. Her tall figure, dressed in the richest of plain silk
garments, and the heavy gold rings she wore round her arms, wrists, and
ankles, 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 very
respectable position.
Gunga had left her under Anunda's care, and ere the ceremony was
concluded the ladies had become excellent friends. It will be
remembered that Anunda herself was from the western provinces of the
Dekhan, and the dialect and intonation of the lady Sukya sounded
pleasantly in her ears. Questions were asked, some mutual acquaintances
discovered, and a visit by Anunda soon followed.
Moro Trimmul, his aunt, and sister, lived or lodged but a short
distance from the Shastree, and it soon came to pass that the ladies
visited each other frequently. Sukya had a point to gain, so had her
niece Radha, and both worked in concert with the girl Gunga, to whom
whatever happened was related. Her fresh instructions from day to day
guided them perfectly, not only to gaining the good will of mother and
daughter, but of establishing a more affectionate interest in their
concerns than would otherwise have arisen out of a common acquaintance.
Sukya, proud of her own birth and connections, found Anunda perfectly
in accord with herself on that subject. She saw the wealth and comfort
of the house, she led Anunda to detail their domestic cares, and
offered her sympathy, which was accepted. "Ah, yes, if the Shastree
would only marry again!" said Anunda to her in confidence, "and there
should be a son born, they would take him to Benares and devote him to
Siva. They had wealth; yet without this it was a weight and a care to
them, which increased rather than diminished."
During these visits of confidence between the elders, Tara and Radha
had their own pleasant time too, and Tara's trustful nature was easily
won by the other. Radha was ignorant, it was true, but she was to all
appearance open-hearted and simple, and she soon learned to feign that
reverential yet intimate association with the beautiful widow and her
mother, which Gunga counselled, and which was indeed necessary to the
success of the whole scheme.
For some days Anunda made no communication to Sukya Bye of the subject
nearest her heart; but as she saw the intimacy of the two girls
increase, and that the intercourse had served to turn Tara's thoughts
into new channels, and also that she herself, as she gradually gained
strength, always found some pretext for a daily visit to her young
friend, the thought gradually pressed the more upon her mind, that
here was a connection which was most desirable for her husband; and,
finally, the question alone remained, whether Radha's family would
consent.
Tara had no objection either. Indeed, from the first sight of
Radha's present extreme beauty, and promise of its development--from
her respectful, nay reverential, demeanour to her mother, and her
apparently loving trustfulness of herself--she, too, began to think
that a better selection could not be made, if her father were willing
to take a second wife, than this girl. So she grew to wish it.
Therefore, with much exhortation to privacy, and in the fullest
assurance of confidence, Anunda had ventured to ask Sukya Bye, after
all reserve had been broken down, whether the alliance might be hoped
for. She dwelt at length upon her husband's accomplishments and his
wealth. He was not old; many men married far beyond his age. Money was
no object--it could be paid if necessary; and she herself would be as
a mother, and Tara a sister, to the new wife. In short, Anunda opened
her whole heart to her new friend, and in the end found the sympathy
she had expected. Yes, the more Sukya Bye considered the matter, the
more, as she told Anunda, was she convinced it would be an admirable
arrangement. Radha had once been betrothed as a mere child; the person
had died lately, else they were to have been married this year.
Delay had occurred because the intended husband was poor. He had not
sufficient to pay the expenses of the ceremonies. Then Radha's father
had died, then her mother, when Moro Trimmul was as yet a youth. He
had made no provision for his sister. How could he? So she remained
unmarried. Another connection must have been sought for this year, and
Anunda's proposal was admirably timed.
Now, all this was true enough in some respects, but not entirely. It
was enough, however, for two persons to believe, whose affections were
already enlisted in the progress of the matter; and such inquiries
as they could make from people who knew Wye, confirmed what had been
told them by their new acquaintance. Was the girl herself willing?
Apparently she was. And she received, with all the bashfulness and
interest necessary to the occasion, the proposal made to her by Tara on
the part of her mother. Anunda had had her fears on this subject, lest
the young and beautiful girl should refuse to ratify what her aunt had
proposed; but beyond a natural shyness there seemed no objection.
One doubt only remained,--were the horoscopes of the parties in good
accordance? "Moro Trimmul," Sukya Bye said, "would never consent to
give his sister where the planets did not provide good fortune--in
short, till he was satisfied there was no ceremonial objection
or direct hindrance. And before the proposition was made to the
Shastree--before, in short, the men were to discuss the proposed
arrangement, Moro Trimmul wished to see the Shastree's horoscope,
in order that the last point of doubt should be removed." He also
would give his sister's to the Shastree, if the proposal were to be
persevered in.
Very unsuspectingly, therefore, did Anunda take the scheme of her
husband's nativity, his "Junum Putr," from the casket in which it was
kept, and, with many injunctions as to its safety, gave it to Sukya
Bye. It was not long detained; and she was gratified by hearing that
the Josee, seated in an adjoining apartment, considered it a most
happy one. "Might he copy a few portions? they had been so admirably
calculated." And the dame had no objection.
Certainly the plan had been well laid, and as yet well executed. No
very deep persuasions were necessary with these simple unsuspecting
people. The mother and daughter had yielded long ago; and the result
of the examination of the Shastree's Junum Putr had removed the last
obstacle which concerned him. The matter, as arranged, should be broken
to him that evening on his return from the temple. And the lady Sukya
suggested that he should examine her niece's horoscope as corroborative
of his own.
So Moro Trimmul had that day put the finishing touch to his work. He
had been concealed when the lady Anunda brought the paper we have
mentioned; he had rapidly copied the principal points in the table, and
noted all the most remarkable of the latter indications exhibited; and
he knew that, before evening, he could prepare a corresponding document
regarding 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 astrological
combinations relating to the Shastree, and constructed, yet not with
too minute detail, the table in his sister's name.
Few Hindu parents care to have the Junum Putr, or "birth letter," of
their daughters worked out; but after Moro Trimmul had cast the table
itself on an imaginary date of birth, two years later than the real
age of his sister, and as if it had been done carelessly and then
abandoned, he followed up several of the formulæ indicated, leaving
the last incomplete. He felt assured, therefore, when the paper was
submitted to the Shastree, that he would himself carry out the last
calculation, 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 his
own district. An ornamental border was quickly drawn round it, in
red, black, and yellow lines; the signatures of the witnesses to his
sister's original and true Junum Putr were carefully copied; finally,
the whole document was held over wood-smoke till it was of a proper
brown colour, then rubbed and frayed at the edges, and creased here and
there as if it had been often examined; and, lastly, it was perfumed
with camphor to remove the smell of wood-smoke, and with the odour of
benzoin and sweet pastille. No one, without much difficulty, could have
detected the forgery; and, without suspicion, the Shastree had set
himself to work out the problem left unfinished--the occupation which
we have already noted.
On leaving their friends, after this early visit, in which the Junum
Putr was taken, Anunda and Tara had determined to lose no further time
in breaking the matter to the Shastree. It was a fortunate day, as they
had been told by the old astrologer, the Shastree's friend, whom they
had consulted as they went home; whatever they did was sure to prosper.
The Shastree was in good humour with himself, with them, and with the
world generally, and for many reasons. His greatest care about Tara had
been removed. She had been accepted as a votary of the goddess, and
had already recovered from her excitement. He had written with others
a joint petition to the "Swâmi" on the subject, and she had been duly
recognized by her spiritual prince. No fear of reproach now existed;
and if the Shastree had at first winced at the idea of his daughter
becoming a Moorlee, a public votary at the temple, the feeling was
passing away. The gods forbid she should become as other girls, who
were devoted to the temple service! No; she desired to be pure, and
should continue so.
The long and expensive journey to Nassuk, or worse, to Benares, had
been 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 and
farms was also good this year, and the fees and dues from pilgrims were
abundant. This was a special year for pilgrimages to the shrine, and
full moon after full moon the crowd would increase.
"What are we to do with it all?" Anunda would ask, as day after day the
bag containing the Shastree's dues was brought from the temple by the
attendant clerk, or as her husband gave over to her the liberal gifts
presented to him by wealthy visitors to the shrine.
As she asked this question of him, the Shastree laughed, and told her
it must increase, for the Now Râtree, or nine nights of the goddess,
then coming on, were attended by a wonderful conjunction of planets
foreboding marvellous events, and which could not indeed occur again
in many years--indeed, not under less than a cycle. There would be
thousands upon thousands of worshippers there, and the gain would be
enormous. What, indeed, were they to do with it all? "We must spend
it upon poor Brahmuns, dig wells in desert places, and give marriage
portions--all good works, and pleasing to the gods: what have Brahmuns
to do with wealth?" said the Shastree.
"Nay; but we will have a marriage at home," thought Anunda; and from
the time the alliance was shaped into form she began to hoard every
rupee she could get. Never had the gardeners found her so active in
coming down to Sindphul to look after the fruit and vegetables in the
garden there. Never had the sellers in the Bazar known her to be so
keen after the returns of sale. As she said to herself, if there is a
marriage, my lord shall have a good one.
This very plethora of wealth brought about the question with her
husband. "What can we do with it?" he said one day, on receiving an
unusually large gift.
"We will marry you," said the wife. "Tara and I have determined upon
it in our own minds; and oh, my dear honoured husband, you are not to
object! We have kept this from you as yet; but if you will agree, we
have found a treasure, a jewel, such as we can give to you, and be
proud and thankful to see you wear."
There was no circumlocution in the matter. Anunda, watching her
opportunity, as a wife best knows how to do, had gone direct to the
point, and, seconded by Tara, had smoothed away all difficulties and
won the victory.
The Shastree made but one condition--that which Moro Trimmul had
expected, and for which he had provided. "I care not for wealth or for
beauty," he said to his wife. "We are rich--too rich; and thou, Anunda,
art more beautiful than ever; but the 'birth letter' must accord; and
she 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 doubt
at all? She could vouch for good birth, as good as their own, and for
wealth if that were needed.
Now, therefore, that the matter all hinged upon the fitness or
otherwise of Radha's "birth letter," and the last link in Anunda's
chain was to be completed or for ever broken, it may be conceived that
she awaited her husband's decision on the subject with much anxiety.
He had requested not to be disturbed while he made the examination. So
Anunda and Tara waited within. The outer door of the court had been
fastened as well as that of the school, and he was, as we found him
at the beginning of this chapter, alone on his dais, absorbed in the
contents of the document before him.
"Yes," he said again aloud, "that it is strangely coincident, there can
be no doubt. Again and again I have checked these formulæ, and they
are right, and the abandoned calculation leads direct into my own. Ho,
Tara! Anunda!" he cried, "bring my Junum Putr, quick; I need it." And
Anunda took it, and, laying it before him, did not venture to stay or
to speak; but she saw by the expression of his face that he was deeply
interested, and she again withdrew.
He opened it, that strange shadowing of his life which, with a
fascination he could not resist, he had occasionally examined, yet
without daring to pry into the future. Enough that he could follow the
past as nearly as might be from the fallible nature of the science.
Now, he laid both papers together; and his eye passed from one to
another rapidly, as his chest heaved and his pulses throbbed with an
excitement to which he had long been a stranger, forcing from him the
exclamations 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 bow
before ye, O mystic fates, lead me as ye will; this happiness, aided by
these heavenly indications, I dare not resist. Anunda! Tara! O wife! O
child!" he continued as they entered, stretching out his hands towards
them, "be it as ye will, beloved!"
That was a happy evening for the three. It was not too late to ratify
the act, and then the preparations were soon made. A few lumps of
sugar-candy and some spices were placed on a silver salver, and
garlands of fresh flowers procured from the flower-sellers. Anunda
dressed herself in one of her best suits, and Tara put on a simple
new garment befitting her position. Several of the servants who had
suspected the matter, poured forth their congratulations. A marriage,
with all the new clothes, and feasting; oh, it would be delightful! And
now 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 was
to go and prepare the lady Sukya; and so, finally, preceded by a pipe
and tabor, the little procession went forth into the street.
No concealment now. As the neighbours gathered at their doors they knew
why 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 by
her 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 dais
in the house where they lodged. She wore heavy ornaments of gold, and
Anunda felt proud of her selection for her lord, as well for Radha's
great beauty as for the wealth of which she had evidence. No, she was
no common girl. Here were no crowds of poor relations; even money was
needless; but they would be too well bred to refuse it.
So they were. The music continued to play a merry measure suited to
the ceremony. The girl's forehead was marked with the sacred colours;
a fragrant paste rubbed upon her hands and arms, neck and bosom, by
Anunda and Tara. Rice and other grain, emblems of fertility, sprinkled
over her head, money poured into her lap, and sugar put into her mouth;
while the sacred hymn and incantation from the Véda was chanted by Tara
and her mother, and joined in by those who had collected around.
Then all went into the household temple of the dwelling and paid their
adoration to Bhowani and Lakshmee, and the rite was finished. Radha was
the betrothed wife of Vyas Shastree.
"Mayst thou be happy, O my sister!" said Moro Trimmul, who, though
present, had not interfered further than to direct the ceremonies.
"Surely this is a fortunate day for us all. Now I go to the temple to
lay 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 make
a stranger known to him? and surely it is providential that our houses
have thus been united."
"You will be welcome, sir," said Anunda, as she rose to take her
departure.