At noon, when the
grandmother went to bathe, Hira, coming home, permitted Kunda to bathe
and eat. After this meal Kunda was again locked in, and Hira returned
to her work till night, when she again made up the beds as before.
Creak, creak, creak--the sound of the chain of the outer door gently
shaken. Hira was astonished. One person only, the gatekeeper,
sometimes shook the chain to give warning at night. But in his hand
the chain did not speak so sweetly; it spoke threateningly, as though
to say, "If you do not open, I will break the door." Now it seemed to
say, "How are you, my Hira? Arise, my jewel of a Hira!" Hira arose,
and opening the outer door saw a woman. At first she was puzzled, but
in a moment, recognizing the visitor, she exclaimed, "Oh, _Ganga
jal_![11] how fortunate I am!"
[Footnote 11: _Ganga jal_--Ganges water; a pet name given by Hira to
Malati. To receive this at the moment of death it essential to
salvation; therefore Hira expresses the hope to meet Malati in the
hour of death.]
Hira's _Ganga jal_ was Malati the milk-woman, whose home was at
Debipur, near Debendra Babu's house. She was a merry woman, from
thirty to thirty-two years of age, dressed in a _sari_ and wearing
shell bracelets, her lips red from the spices she ate; her complexion
was almost fair, with red spots on her cheeks; her nose flat, her
temples tattooed, a quid of tobacco in her cheek.
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