Tara: A Mahratta Tale

by Meadows Taylor

  CHAPTER LIII.

  On her return home, Tara being still asleep, Radha could not concealfrom Anunda the agitation which the scene with her brother had causedher. As she reached the inner apartments, she threw herself uponAnunda's neck, and the terror she felt at what she considered a narrowescape from death, found relief in a flood of tears. The particularsof that scene she dared not fully relate: but Anunda gathered enoughfrom her to believe that Moro Trimmul had threatened, if not struck hissister, and that Tara's suspicions were but too deeply founded.

  If Anunda had not felt assured of Tara's purity and devotion to theworship of the goddess, in its spiritual sense only, she would haveprevented, at all hazards perhaps, her assumption of service as adevotee. It was, she knew, one of the trials to which the girl would besubject so long as her beauty remained, that her public avocation wouldexpose her to the gaze of all classes of people--the most persistentand dangerous libertines, perhaps, being priests of her own sect. Butthe act of Tara's profession of service was so sudden, so unlooked for,and had been carried out so immediately, that there was no time toconsider the consequences.

  Now, too, it was impossible to recede. Once she had vowed herself tothe dread goddess she dared not retract, nor could any attempt be made,as they believed, to withdraw her without danger. Many instances ofsuch partial service and relinquishment of it, capricious or meditated,had come to her knowledge, which had been followed by sudden death, or,what was worse, loss of reason and raving madness.

  Well, therefore, might the sister-wives tremble at the consequencesof transgression, even by temporary withdrawal of Tara's service. Itwas the first thing that Radha counselled; but, under the instances ofpunishment which she enumerated, Anunda declared it to be impossible.She could not--dare not--expose Tara to such risk, nor herself be themeans of it; and, indeed, she was assured that Tara would never agree.Gradually, however, Anunda's naturally cheerful and sanguine spirittook courage.

  "We cannot prevent men's eyes wandering to that sweet face," she saidto Radha, as she gently waved a fan over Tara, who still slept heavily,"no more than I can prevent them looking at me if they like, or thee,Radha; but we can protect her from insult and shame, and she is toopure to be approached or spoken to. No; he may look as he pleases, buthe dare not speak to her: for thy sake, for the sake of his own honourand station as a priest, he dare not; and his looks she shall notfear--I will prevent them."

  "Nevertheless," replied Radha, "let her not visit the temple forseveral days to come, or, if she goes, we will both accompany her. Thiswill give her fresh assurance, and in a few days he will be gone."

  Radha, however, knew her brother well--better than Anunda. She knewthat, with any scheme against Tara in view, no matter what it mightbe, she was incapable of watching him so completely as to defeat hisintentions; but she could at least be wary, and gain information ofthem, and a small purse of money with which Anunda supplied her, givento Chimna, gained her constant information of her brother's movements,such as she could not otherwise have obtained.

  Moro Trimmul, however, to all appearance ceased to pursue Tara. Forseveral days she did not visit the temple. She herself feared collisionwith him, and kept away. But gradually, a sense of neglect of her dailyduty, the loss of the satisfaction which had resulted from it, and thedread of offending the terrible Being in whose exacting service shebelieved,--wrought on her mind so as to render inaction intolerable.

  And no wonder now. Her own small household tasks, which had previouslyoccupied her leisure hours, had been resigned to Radha; the templeservice required her presence for the greater part of the morningand afternoon; and her studies, and some needful rest, absorbed theremainder of the day. Now that she remained idle at home, therefore,the time hung heavy on her hands, and she sighed for the occupationand excitement which had become habitual to her; while the yearningto serve "the Mother"--never to be absent from her--grew stronger andstronger day by day, with a fascination she could not resist. Day byday those weird, glowing, eerie eyes seemed to follow her about, seekher in her sleep, and by turns threaten or entreat her.

  "Mother," she said at last, and after a few days had passed in restlessidleness at home, "I feel that my life here is not what it was. TheMother's eyes follow me, and she sits at my heart day and night. Whydost thou not come to me, Tara? she says; fear not, but come; no onedare harm thee, and I would have thee near me. This she whispers dailywhen my time of service comes, and I am here and not with her. Omother, I fear no longer; she gives me strength, and I will go. Whatcan he do to me? The dread of him is gone from me."

  "We will go with thee, daughter," replied Anunda, "and remain with theedaily. Before us, he dare neither look nor speak; and perhaps, too, thysuspicions were misplaced."

  "Perhaps," she replied; "and why should he do me wrong? I should besorry if I had thought ill of him without a cause."

  So they went. The first day Moro Trimmul was not there. On the secondthey met him, and received his distant and courteous salutation. He didnot even come to speak to his sister, and turned away directly. Gungawas present on both occasions; and on the first day Tara was surprised,and perhaps somewhat gratified, by the manner in which she and some ofher sisterhood met her; offered her garlands of flowers, even put theminto her hands, and tied them like bracelets round her arms, and intoher hair.

  "You have been ill, sister," said Gunga, deferentially andrespectfully, "and we have done your work, and offered flowers foryour recovery to the Mother. Ah," she continued, "because we are poor,and not as you are, Tara, do not look coldly upon us; have we not onecommon Mother, and are we not sisters in her? So think of us, and wewill be your slaves and fellow-servants; for she has loved you morethan us, and sent you pure among us. We know, too, you are alreadychanged to us, for we have received the daily offerings as you havekindly directed."

  Poor Tara, there was no guile in her loving heart which bred orfostered suspicion. What could she think but that those callous mindshad relented towards her? and perhaps the very offerings, whichshe had thoughtlessly made over to the attendant priests, had beenthe original cause of all their apparent enmity. Day after day theMoorlees' respect seemed to increase; and while her work was renderedlighter, her repugnance to acknowledge them as co-servitors seemed tolessen. With all indeed, except Gunga, the respect was sincere, andthe deference unfeigned; but with her, intercourse seemed only to fanthe flame of revenge burning at her heart: and while she repressed itwith difficulty in public, in private she yielded to it with all theunbridled rancour and jealousy of her nature.

  Against Tara, therefore, these evil notions were now, for differentreasons, in perpetual and active combination. It was no part of MoroTrimmul's plan to excite further suspicion. Brooding over fanciedneglects and slights, as well as revenge for hopelessness of passion,had, as Gunga rightly guessed, mastered the softer feeling ofadmiration and love for the gentle object of them; and the desire ofhis life now was, to crush relentlessly and deface the purity which hecould not appreciate. His sister, he believed, had kept his counsel,for she had made no further remonstrance; and the first occasion onwhich Tara came with her father only, and trusted herself to thecompanionship of the priestesses, was hailed by Gunga and the Brahmunas conducive to their success.

  We can believe that the worthy Shastree himself was utterly unconsciousof any element of disturbance in his quiet household. He was perfectlysatisfied with his new wife, and was even growing to love her dearly.He was not demonstrative--very learned and studious men rarely areso, perhaps; but Radha studied his disposition and his wants, and,without interfering with Anunda's prerogatives, was supplying themunobtrusively and lovingly; and he felt what he could not fail toappreciate--the action of another tender hand about his daily life.

  With Moro Trimmul he continued on the best of terms--nay, his loveand admiration of the man was much increased. These recitations inthe temple, the disputations on logic and law, the evident knowledgewhich Moro possessed of the more secret rites and mysteries of theShasters a
nd Tantras, increased the Shastree's respect. If Moro Trimmulwould not come to the house as often as he wished, he was at least nostranger in the temple, and in the ceremonies now proceeding, he was ofthe greatest possible use. He now frequently spoke of his approachingdeparture, which only depended upon letters he should receive from hisPrince; and it was an event which, on every account of private andpublic intercourse, Vyas Shastree was disposed to regret exceedingly.