The Price of Flowers by Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay (Detailed Summary)

The Price of Flowers

          Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay

         

Detailed Summary (continues)

          The Price of Flowers is a short story which is written by Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay. Mr. Gupta is the narrator of this short story. As the story begins, it is one o'clock.  Mr. Gupta is hungry. He is searching for a vegetarian restaurant at St. Martin's Lane in London. Since it is Saturday, there are not many people in the restaurant. As he is waiting for the food, he accidentally notices a young English girl who is looking at him with an “interested surprise”. Her name is Alice Margaret Clifford.

             Alice Margaret Clifford is thirteen or fourteen years old. By judging her dress, no one can find out that she is poor. Her eyes are large and have a sad expression. She has long hair. She is shy. She is living with her “old widowed mother”.

          As  Alice Margaret Clifford is paying the bill, she asks the cashier whether Mr. Gupta is an Indian or not. Her statement creates curiosity in Mr. Gupta. He wishes to know about her. From the waitress, Mr. Gupta finds that the girl comes to the restaurant on the Saturdays because people get salary on Saturday. On that whole week, he searches Alice Margaret Clifford.

          On Saturday, Mr. Gupta comes to the same vegetarian restaurant. He sees Alice Margaret Clifford. He greets her. She sheepishly talks to him. She wants to know whether he is an Indian and a vegetarian.  Mr. Gupta is very curious to know how she learns about India. She tells that her elder brother, who is a soldier, is working in India.

          Alice Margaret Clifford believes that India is full of tigers, snakes, and fevers. Also, she misunderstands that Indians are vegetarians. But Mr. Gupta proves it as wrong because he is a non-vegetarian. Since her elder brother is not sending any letter to her and her mother, the family is worried about him. So her mother wants to ask an Indian about life in India. That is why Alice Margaret Clifford is very curious to talk to Mr. Gupta. She wants him to talk to her mother. Mr. Gupta understands this. So he goes with her to her home.

          On the way to Alice’s home, Mr. Gupta learns that people affectionately call her Maggie or Magsy. She works as a typist in the Civil Service stores. She does not like that job because it never stirs her brain and it is a robotic work. She desires to become a secretary because it involves “brain work”. As they are reaching her home, Maggie asks Mr. Gupta whether Indians know “occult” powers or not. She even informs him that these Indians who have magical powers are called “yogis”, and are vegetarians.

          Finally, Maggie and Mr. Gupta reach Maggie’s home. Her mother is making cakes which she is about to sell in the evening. Since it is Saturday, people get wages. So they buy these cakes in the evening.

          Maggie’s mother is very pleased to see Mr. Gupta. But she feels awkward to have him in their “poor kitchen”. She tells Maggie to take him to the sitting room. Since Mr. Gupta is a humble and simple-minded person, he stays in the kitchen and talks to her.  

          Maggie’s mother wants to know about India. Mr. Gupta tells her that India is a beautiful country where everyone lives very safely. Animals do not attack people. There are flues in certain parts of India. She tells him that her son, Frank, works as a soldier in Punjab. Mr. Gupta tells that Punjab is a “fine” and “healthy” place to live in.

          After Mrs. Clifford finishes her baking, Maggie, Mrs. Clifford and Mr. Gupta move to the sitting room. As they are drinking tea, Mr. Gupta talks about India. Then Mrs. Clifford shows a photo of Frank or Francis and Simla, the capital of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Mrs. Clifford shows a crystal ring which Frank has sent to them. Frank got it from a “yogi”.

          Mrs. Clifford wants Mr. Gupta to look into the crystal ring so that he can see where Frank is and what he is doing. Her statement makes Mr. Gupta to realize that the British are also superstitious. For her relief, he looks at the ring and informs her that he does not see anything. To change the subject, he asks Maggie to play the violin and she does it for Mr. Gupta. Thus Mr. Gupta establishes a good bond with the family. He visits the family several times and even takes Maggie to the zoo.

          Three months have passed. But the family does not get any news of Frank. So Mr. Gupta goes to India House to inquire about Frank. One day Mr. Gupta gets a postcard from Maggie in which she informs him that her mother is ill and she requests Mr. Gupta to meet her.

          Mr. Gupta goes to Maggie's house to see Mrs. Clifford. Since Mrs. Clifford does not get any news about Frank, she is mentally disturbed. So Maggie requests Mr. Gupta to tell a lie. He should look at the crystal ring in front of Mrs. Clifford and should tell that Frank is “alive” and “well”. He does the same and Mrs. Clifford gets her health back.

          Finally, Mr. Gupta is about to leave London. He wishes to meet Maggie and her mother. But the family is mourning over Frank's death. He had died on the Frontier one month before when Mr. Gupta had told them that he was alive. Mr. Gupta is ashamed for his lie. So he does not go to their house. But he writes a letter to Maggie informing about his going back to India.

          On the day of Mr. Gupta's departure, Maggie comes to meet Mr. Gupta. She wants to know whether Mr. Gupta will go to the Frontier or not. “Frank is buried at Fort Monroe, near Dera-Ghazi-Khan”. He promises Maggie that when he goes that part, he will definitely visit Frank's grave. Maggie gives a shilling to Mr. Gupta for buying flowers so that he can put those flowers in Frank's grave. As the story ends, Maggie and Mr. Gupta bid farewell to each other.