‘356 the Indian cottage, a tale. Sept. 2%. 
when I observed how fhe was employed. She was setting avelsel, with 
‘some victuals, upon a hillock, which covered the afhes of her mother, 
’who had lately been BUR alive, along with the corpse of her father, 
according to the practice of her cast; and fhe was burning insence 
there, to recal her fhade. The tears rufhed into my eyes at seeing a 
person more unhappy than myself. I said to myself, alas! I am 
bound with the bouds of infamy, but thou with those of glory. At least 
T live undisturbed at the foot oi my precipice ; thou still tremblest on the 
verge of thine. The same destiny that hascarried offthy mother, threa- 
tens one day to carry off thee also. Thou hast received only one life, 
and thou must die two deaths. Ir thy own death does not cause thee 
go down tothe grave, that of thy hufband will drag thee thither 
though still alive. I was weeping, and fhe was weeping. Our eyes 
bathed in tears met each other, and spoke like those of the unfortu- 
nate; fhe turned away hers, wrapt herself in her veil, and retired: 
The following night, I returned to the same place. She had set a 
greater store of provisions on her mother’stomb. She had judged that 
I stood in need of them ; and as the brahmins often poison the victuals 
they place on the graves of the dead, to prevent the parias from eat- 
ing, to fhow me that I needed be under no apprehension of danger 
in using her’s, fhe had brought fruits only. I was affected by this mark 
ef humanity ; and in order to testify the respectI bore to her filial offer- 
ing, instead of taking away her fruits) I added flowers. ‘Uhese were 
poppies, to exprefs the fhare I took in her grief. The following night 
I saw, with j Joy, that the had approved my homage ; the poppies were 
watered; and fhe had set at a little distance from the tomb a new bas, 
ket of fruits, Pity and gratitude gave me courage: yet not daring to 
speak to her as a paria, for fear of fhocking and displeasing her; I at- 
tempted, asa man, to exprefs to her all the affection which fhe caused 
to spring up in my soul According to the practice of the Indies, to 
“make myselt understood, I borrowed the language of flowers, Tothe 
poppies I added marigoids*. The following night 1 found my pop. 
pies and marigolds well watered: The night after, I became still 
boider ; I added to the poppies and marigolds, sumach, which tanners 
use to dye their leather black, as the exprefsion of my humbje and 
unhappy pafsion. Next morning after the dawn, [ran to the tomb. 
but T saw the sumach quite withered, for it had not been watered, 
* The same word signifies either marigold or care. 
