“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?

The line mentioned above was said by the narrator of Ruskin Bond’s short story The Eyes Have It’.

The narrator said this to the girl who was travelling with him in the same train compartment. Turning from the window, the narrator faced the girl and they sat in silence for a while before the narrator made this remark. 

In reply, the girl gave a clear, ringing laugh and said that as she was tired of hearing that her face was a pretty one the narrator’s compliment was welcoming to her. The girl also addressed the narrator as a gallant young man.

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

The narrator tried to flatter the girl by declaring that her face was an interesting one. In response to this comment, the girl gave a clear, ringing laugh. The narrator was aware that he was becoming quite daring but according to him it was a safe remark as few girls can resist flattery. The girl in reply said that she was tired of hearing that she has a “pretty” face and that the narrator’s remark was pleasant to hear. She also addressed the narrator as a gallant young man.


“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.


How could the narrator talk to the girl and answer her questions so confidently in spite of being blind?

Describe the girl as visualized by the narrator.


Describe the parting of the girl from the narrator on the train.

What was the chain of thoughts that ran through the narrator’s mind when the train approached the station? How was it affected by the man’s conversation?


Describe the exchanges between Ruskin Bond and his last fellow-passenger in the train.

How was a game of deception played between the narrator and the girl?