136

His whole life was grandeur without ostentation
and dignity without assumption of state. But
such grandeur and dignity only set off the inborn
simplicity of his nature. Just as men saw him
in his plain dress and felt awed in his presence,
so were they forced to forget the almost primitive
simplicity of his surroundings in his old-fashioned
palace : Purani Havaili.

* # *

" There was an indescribable air about
him, possibly because by heredity, by tempera-
ment and by habit he was a repository of the
great traditions of Moghal grandeur. His mind
moved in that atmosphere and his nature was
impregnated with all the ennobling sentiments
associated with it. He seemed actually to breathe
forth what was in him—and had the mysterious
faculty of conveying it to others. I still remem-
ber how on a public occasion he avowed his
willingness to give all that he possessed—his very
life, if need be, for the welfare of his beloved
subjects. This was the magic link of sympathy
which made him dearer to his subjects than life
itself.

" Every inch a king is still the impression
of those who look at his portrait in robes of
state. And those who had the good fortune to
see him in life may still retain the image of his
handsome face and stately pose in their hearts.