"The fox invited tha crane to dinner and served the meal on a plate.The crane pick up nothing with his long beak' and the fox ate everthing herself.Next day the crane invited the fox and served dinner in a jug with a narrow neck.The fox could not get her muzzle in to the jug, but the crane stuck his long neck in and drank everything himself.."
This romantic life in kashmir was drawing to its end after three
glorious months.Miss John was leaving a week earlier than Mrs.Rhodes,and
about two days before she left I look her alone to the hotel for
dinner.We walked to the hotel in perfect silence,a silence so heavy that
I could hardly breathe.The hotel seemed to be
far away and yet
not far enough.That night, as I served her at table the temptation to
touch her was overpowering, and I had almost forgotten myself when I
dropped her coffee cup.which made me pull myself together and realize
my position and my caste.On the way home there was a bridge over the
canal to be crossed.She stopped on the bridge without a word, So I
stopped beside her looking onto the clam water of the canal shining
between the gigantic chenar trees.In the distance a gramophone was
playing and the music floated over the water.We stood for a long time
without saying a word to each other.I think the parting was disturbing
her.There was something which she could not have explained and which she
was trying to express.It might have been just a fancy of her own,or it
may have been the subconscious knowledge of the secret,consuming passion
of her attendant that was affecting her on this calm and beautiful
night as we tarried on the bridge.It seemed to me that we stood there
for ages,as if neither of us dare break the magic spell of night and
music.Our houseboat was only a few yards from the bridge, and "Good
Night" was the only word that passed between us.As we parted everything
then went into the darkness.The mail lorry came up to the bridge to take
her away from the romantic city of srinagar and away from me.After she
had taken her seat I put a woolen rug over her knees to keep her warm
on the journey, and she handed me a ten rupee note as a parting gift and
sweetly said ''Good Bye".I watched her hand till the lorry was out of
sight.Then I realized what I had lost and lost forever..
