cooking-pots, the tumult of beggars and the disputes of the logicians. There was the arrival of loads of sweetmeats of various kinds, the arrival of beggars, arrival of Brahmans with a single tuft of hair, and others wearing a nâmâbali (see Glossary), arrival of relations, relations' connections, relations of every degree. The children began to play at ball with the sugar-balls, the women, seeing that cocoanut-oil had become dear, smeared their hair with the ghee used for frying cakes; the opium-smoking shops were closed, for all the opium-smokers had gone to the feast of fruit and sweetmeats. The liquor (drinking) shops were closed, for all the frequenters of those shops had assumed the Brahminical tuft of hair, and bought nâmâbalis, and had gone to the srâddha to receive the customary presents. Rice became dear, for not only was a great deal used in cooking, but flour also was so much in request that the demand for it could not be made good by the admixture of ground rice.[1] So much ghee was needed
- ↑ In this and following sentences the author is humorously exposing the frauds of shopkeepers in selling ground rice as flour, in mixing castor oil with
