CHAPTER XXXVI.

THE MARRIAGE.

1835, _March_.

Pedigree of the Bride and Bridegroom—Reports concerning the Beauty of the Bride—Anxiety of English Gentlemen to marry into Colonel Gardner’s Family—Mirza Unjun Shekō—The First Procession—The Bride’s Dress—Necessity of Weeping—The Oily Mixture—Strict Seclusion—Dress of the Bridegroom—The Oily Mixture complimentary—The Hoolī—Bridal Songs—The Sāchak—The Bridegroom’s Procession—Nāch Girls on Platforms—The Menhdi—The Grand Display in the Bride’s Procession—The Parda—The Prince dyed with Hinnā—Midnight the Fashionable Hour for Dinner—Wedding Dishes—Silvered Food—Conclusion of the Day—Mr. James Gardner—Mulka Begam highly respected; her will is law 420