“Oh, how lucky you are.” -Who is the speaker here? Who is “you” referred to? Why is the person spoken to being called “lucky”?

The girl is the speaker here. The “you” here is the blind narrator of the story.

The girl who was accompanying the narrator on the journey expressed her love for the hills, especially in October. The narrator calling on his memories replied that October is indeed the best time to visit Mussoorie because by that time the hills are covered with wild dahlias, the sun becomes pleasant and at night, one can sit in front of a log fire and drink a little brandy. Having most tourists gone, the roads get quiet and almost deserted. Hence the girl considered the narrator lucky as he was visiting the hills at the most appropriate time whereas she did not have an opportunity for such a rendezvous with the hills.

“Yes, October is the best time”- Who is the speaker? On what occasion is the remark made and to whom? Why is October the best time?

The speaker of the line mentioned above is the narrator.

When the girl who was travelling with the narrator in the same compartment asked the narrator about his destination, the narrator replied that his destination was Mussoorie. The girl then expressed her desire to visit Mussoorie. This marked the beginning of a conversation between the narrator and the girl regarding the hills and the narrator said that October is the best time to visit the hills. October is the best time to visit the hills because by that time the hills are covered with wild dahlias, the sunshine is pleasant and at night one can sit in front of a log fire and drink a little brandy. The roads also become quiet and deserted as the tourist season gets over.


“…she thought me a romantic fool”- Who might be thought a romantic fool? When and … why did the speaker doubt so?

“Then I made a mistake”-What ‘mistake’ did the speaker make? Why was it a ‘mistake’? What removed the speaker’s doubts? What did the speaker do then?


“Why don’t you look out of the window?”- Who said these words to whom? Why? Describe the action of the listener.

“Do you see any animals?” -Who asked this and to whom? What was the reply? How could the person give the answer?

“You have an interesting face”- Who said this? To whom was it spoken? When did the speaker make this remark? What was the reaction of the person spoken to?

“Few girls can resist flattery”- How did the narrator try to flatter the girl?


“I’m tired of people telling me I have a pretty face.” Who said this, to whom and when? What did the person speak to reply?

“But the thought of laughter only made me feel troubled and lonely.”- Why did the narrator feel so?


“The voice had the sparkle of a mountain stream”- Who thought so? Whose voice is referred to here? Why was the voice so special?

“She would forget our brief encounter;”—Who said this and about whom? What is the brief encounter referred to here? Why did the speaker think so?


“She was standing very close to me”- Whom does ‘she’ refer to? When and why was she standing very close to the narrator? What was the effect of her proximity to the narrator?

“The man who had entered the compartment broke into my reverie”- Whose reverie is referred to here? What was the reverie about? How was the reverie broken?


“She was an interesting girl.”-Who said this to whom and when? What else did the person say? What reply did he get?

“She was completely blind. Didn’t you notice?” Who said this to whom? When was this said? Explain the irony in the line.


She was completely blind. – Explain the irony in the given line.

Give a brief sketch of the conversation between the narrator and the girl.


What attempts did the narrator make to prevent the girl from discovering that he was blind? 

Is the narrator somewhat cautious about not revealing too much about himself? Support your point with instances from the text.