They brought us trays of native refreshments, while the nautch girls danced, handed each guest a nosegay and placed a pair of cocoanuts at his feet, which had some deep significance—­I could not quite understand what.  The groom did not appear to be enjoying himself.  He looked very unhappy.  He evidently did not like to sit up in a gilded chair so that everybody could stare and make remarks about him, for that is exactly what his guests were doing, criticising his bare legs, commenting upon his jewels and guessing how much his diamond necklace cost.  He was quite relieved when a couple of gentlemen, who seemed to be acting as masters of ceremonies, placed a second garland of flowers around his neck—­which one of them whispered to me had just come from the bride, the first one having been the gift of his mother—­and led him out of the room like a lamb to the slaughter.

When we reached the street a procession of the guests of honor was formed, while policemen drove the crowd back.  First came the military band, then the masters of ceremonies—­each having a cane in his hand, with which he motioned back the crowd that lined the road on both sides six or eight tiers deep.  Then the groom marched all alone with a dejected look on his face, and his hands clasped before him.  After him came the foreign guests, two and two, as long as they were able to keep the formation, but after going a hundred feet the crowd became so great and were so anxious to see all that was going on, that they broke the line and mixed up with the wedding party, and even surrounded the solitary groom like a bodyguard, so that we who were coming directly after could scarcely see him.  The noisy music of the band had aroused the entire neighborhood, and in the march to the residence of the bride’s family we passed between thousands of spectators.  The groom was exceedingly nervous.  Although night had fallen and the temperature was quite cool, the perspiration was rolling down his face in torrents, and he was relieved when we entered a narrow passage which bad been cleared by the policemen.

The bride’s house was decorated in the same manner as the groom’s, and upon a tray in the middle of a big room a small slow fire of perfumed wood was burning.  The groom was led to the side of it, and stood there, while the guests were seated around him—­hooded Hindu women on one side and men and foreign ladies on the other.  Then his trainers made him sit down on the floor, cross-legged, like a tailor.  Hindus seldom use chairs, or even cushions.  Very soon four Brahmins, or priests, appeared from somewhere in the background and seated themselves on the opposite side of the fire.  They wore no robes, and were only half dressed.  Two were naked to the waist, as well as barefooted and barelegged.  One, who had his head shaved like a prize fighter and seemed to be the officiating clergyman, had on what looked like a red flannel shirt.  He brought his tools with him, and conducted a mysterious