The wedding that did not happen

Years pass. The village becomes a small town: the primary school is now a high school, there is a cinema under a tin shed and a cotton mill, and the mail train stops at the station.

A match for Bholi. Ramlal and his wife accept Bishamber Nath, a well-to-do grocer. He is about Ramlal's age, he limps, he has grown-up children from his first wife, but he has a big shop and money, and is 'not asking for any dowry'. He lives in another village and has not seen her pock-marks. Bholi lies awake, listening. Her mother calls her 'a dumb cow'.

Five thousand rupees. At the wedding, the veil is lifted for the garlands. Bishamber sees her face and stops: 'If I am to marry her, her father must give me five thousand rupees.' Ramlal places his turban, his honour, at Bishamber's feet and offers two thousand. 'No. Five thousand.' In tears, Ramlal pays the full five thousand. Bishamber smiles 'triumphantly' and lifts the garland again.

'Pitaji! Take back your money.' Bholi looks straight at him, 'with cold contempt'. Her hand strikes out 'like a streak of lightning' and flings the garland into the fire. Then, 'without even the slightest stammer': 'Pitaji! Take back your money. I am not going to marry this man.' She calls him mean and greedy, 'a contemptible coward'. 'But now the dumb cow, the stammering fool, is speaking.'

Bholi's choice. Bishamber leaves. Ramlal worries that no one will marry her now. She says calmly: 'I will serve you and Mother and I will teach in the same school where I learnt so much.' The teacher, watching from a corner, feels 'the deep satisfaction that an artist feels when contemplating the completion of her masterpiece'.