Page:Tales of Bengal (Sita and Santa Chattopadhyay).djvu/124

Tales of Bengal The bustle and noise subsided a little in the evening. Two or three girls of the house then conducted me to my bedroom and kindly left me there to rest. As soon as they were out of the room I tore off my wedding finery and, putting out the single lamp which was burning in a corner, I flung myself down on the bare cold floor of the room.

How long I had been lying there I have no idea, but somebody's sudden entrance into my room made me sit up. It was a young girl of about eighteen, dressed in the white garb of a widow. Her face was beautiful, though she was dark in complexion. Her loose curly hair blew about her face, her eyes looked like veritable springs of sadness. It seemed as if this young maiden had just stepped out of the arms of the goddess of evening with her calm and sad beauty.

She bowed down to me and then sat down by me. She took my hand in hers and said, "I am one of your numerous nieces, my dear aunt. I am named Kalyani. You did not see me till now because I have lost the right to show my face at auspicious events. Your husband sent me to you thinking you must be feeling lonely. But why are you sitting in the dark and on the floor? Please get up and sit on the bed."

The laughter and light all around had been only increasing the burning pain in my heart; the sad face of the girl somewhat comforted me. The tears now came; I wept and wept, and could not restrain myself at all.

Kalyani put her arms about me and began to comfort me. "Don't cry, dear," she said; "the pangs of separation from one's parents are keen indeed, but you will get accustomed to it. Women have to suffer far harder things. I too thought once that I shall not be able to rise up from the earth any more, but, see, I am going about now like everybody else." Then suddenly she stood up and cried, Rh