the girl got up and began to collect her things – Who is the girl ? When did she get up ?

“…. the girl got up and began to collect her things.”-Who is the girl ? When did she get up ? Why did she get up to collect her things ? What had the speaker thought about the brief encounter he had with the girl? Class 12 | English (The Eyes Have It) 6 Marks

Ans:

The girl is the blind co-passenger of the narrator who boarded the train from Rohana and accompanied him till Saharanpur.

The girl got up from her seat when the engine’s whistle shrieked and the carriage wheels changed their sound and rhythm.

The girl got up to collect her things since the train was approaching Saharanpur station, her destination.

The speaker thought that he would cherish the brief encounter for the rest of the journey and even for a while after that. He grew so fond of the girl within such a short span of time that he was ready to sit in the train for almost any length of time, just to hear the girl talking. He anticipated that the girl would forget their short, chance meeting as soon as she gets down at Saharanpur for she expressed relief at the journey being not a long one. She also remarked that she did not prefer to sit in a train for more than two-or-three hours. It is evident that the encounter bore different meanings to the two of them.