Chapter 9
Mir Nihal is on the way home from his friend Nawab Puttan’s house, and unconsciously notices how few pigeons are flying in the sky. Since the price of grain has gone up, it is difficult for people in Delhi to continue to keep pigeons. His head feels heavy, and he sees a dead pigeon in the gutter, reminding him of his own pigeons who had died. He encounters a funeral procession, and offers help carrying the dead. He begins to feel worse, and rushes home to prepare himself some medicine. As he gets home, evening prayers are called, and as he prays, he is suddenly overcome with a heavy feeling and falls to the ground.
A doctor is called. Mir Nihal has had a paralytic stroke, but does not have a fever, so the doctor is not too worried about his condition worsening. The right side of Mir Nihal’s body is paralyzed. Eventually, after some treatment, he regains the ability to speak, but he still has trouble moving without help. Many friends suggest homemade remedies, including the oil of a pelican. Habibuddin has one caught, and Kambal Shah prepares the oil. The grandchildren are fascinated by the bird, and play with it, which comforts Mir Nihal. The oil does not make a marked difference to his condition. He hates being dependent on others, and wishes to one day wake up fully healthy again. He begins to be able to move on his own, though it is not easy, and he mostly stays in bed all day, moping and hoping to die. To pass the time, he catches rats. The first time he manages to trap one, using string to operate an already existing trap, he calls Ghafoor excitedly to see his catch for the day. Ghafoor feels sad that his master has grown childish.
Mir Nihal sees some pigeons in the sky, and remembers better times when he used to fly them every day. He observes how a date palm has grown old and lost most of its leaves. A mongoose comes near the trap which he had set for the rats, and he remembers when he caught the snake in the gutter using his bare hands. Soon, a female mongoose joins the male mongoose, and they begin to make love. At one point, the female mongoose enters the trap and he is reminded of Babban Jan. He does not pull the string, and when she escapes, he closes the trap so as not to temp himself in case they enter it again.
Chapter 10
Begam Nihal feels sorry for her husband, and regularly prepares him soft food, since his teeth are beginning to fall out. Her eyesight is failing her, however, and one day she falls down some steps. She is ok, but she resolves to see a doctor about her eyes. The doctor gives her some medicine, but it does not help much. She begins walking with a stick.
She rarely goes anywhere except to visit Asghar. Jehan Ara is now 5 years old, and Asghar is very attached to her. He continues to neglect Bilqeece, though he is less callous to her, and mostly just takes her for granted. Bilqeece has become thin and weak, and her mother believes she has been affected by a spell cast on her by Asghar. He regularly sees other women.
Begam Nihal sees that their marriage is not good, but blames Bilqeece for not treating Asghar well. She still offers her advice, and suggests she consult certain doctors about her condition. Asghar complains to his wife that she no longer takes care of the house, and his life is made difficult as a result. He says he married her in hopes of having peace in his life, but he still has not found any.
Bilqeece spends most of her days in bed, and regularly thinks of death. She believes she will find greater happiness in death than in life, and only worries about leaving Jehan Ara. She does not want her daughter to be an orphan, and worries that even if Asghar remarries, the new stepmother will not treat her child well. Sometimes, she finds joy in remembering the earliest days of her marriage, when Asghar and her were deeply in love. One night, she has a dream in which she is bathing in a river. She hears someone call for her, and turns around, seeing a man she believes to be Asghar. However, as she gets closer, his face begins to change. His features become harsh, he looks old and wrinkled, and his eyes are filled with terror. Bilqeece is haunted by the nightmare, believing she has seen the figure of Death.
Her mother sends for a religious man who reads to her from the Koran, and tells her that the best cure for evil spirits entering dreams is the word of God. He gives her a charm, but she is not comforted, and continues to think of death.
She asks Begam Shahbaz to take care of Jehan Ara if she dies. Begam Shahbaz tells her not to say such things. Though she is a vain woman, she loves her daughter deeply, even if only because her daughter loves her. So she makes the promise.
Chapter 11
One night, Asghar sees his wife, ill in bed as usual, and recovers some of his lost love for her. He sits beside her and realizes how callous he has been toward her. He feels guilty for having neglected her, and reflects on how love changes over time. His conscience tells him to make up for his mistakes and contact a doctor for her the next day. They hear a boy singing a song about illness, and are both moved by it. Bilqeece tells Asghar not to worry about her, and that she will soon die, and she hopes he marries again. He is moved to tears by this comment, and he assures her she will get better soon. He asks her forgiveness for treating her badly. She takes the blame for the situation, but her spirits are lifted, and she no longer feels she wants to die. Asghar contacts a doctor of English medicine, who diagnoses Bilqeece with a serious case of tuberculosis, and prescribes her some medicine. The rest of the family continues to search for Hakims or faqirs who might help her, but Asghar forbids that they give her any medicine not prescribed by his doctor. As his wife begins to recover, Asghar sits with her every day. This gesture, plus the medicine and good weather, helps her to regain her strength, and it seems the family will be happy once again.
Analysis
