But in the meanwhile, the King gazed at her, intoxicated with
admiration and delight. And he murmured to himself: Where has the
woman gone, of whom, at first, I think, I was actually afraid? For now
she has turned, so to speak, into a child, playing at a game. And all
at once, he began to tremble. For like a flash of lightning, the dark
ocean of love-rapture in which he was plunged suddenly became
illuminated with a ray of sunlight in the form of hope, so that he said
to himself: Am I mistaken, or is she a little kinder than she was? And
all at once, a thought came into his heart. And he leaned towards her,
and said: Dear little Guru, thou art new to state-affairs, of which the
first axiom is this, that the discussion of matters of importance
demands above all things absolute secrecy, and freedom from
interruption. Is there no attendant of thine somewhere within call,
whom we might summon, and bid him tell the true Guru, that he is not
required, until our deliberation is concluded?
And hearing him speak, the King's daughter broke into a peal of
laughter. And suddenly abandoning all her dignity, she began to clap
her hands in delight, looking at him joyously, as if she were really
nothing but a child. And she exclaimed: Ah! thou art crafty, and
cunning indeed. Ah! that would indeed be a stroke of policy, to oust
the true Guru in favour of the sham. But, O King Chand, I fear that it
cannot be. Thou must resign thyself to making the best of the time
still at thy disposal, afforded thee by his delay. Therefore lay thy
matter very quickly before me, for due consideration.
And the King said: O most reverend Guru, I came here to deliberate on
certain preliminary difficulties, in the matter of thy father's
submission to myself. For he is, of all the kings, the only one that
has not yet submitted. Then she said: But what if he should refuse?
Then said Chand: He will not refuse, for if he did, I should compel
him, by force. And he will never bring the matter to that test, for
well he knows, that my strength is a hundred times greater than his
own. Aye! had he dreamed of resistance, I should have been delighted:
and we should long ago have swept him away, as an angry river does a
blade of straw.
And she looked furtively at him as he spoke, saying to herself: Now he
is himself, no longer like a bashful lover, but resembling that great
copper-coloured eagle that recently swept by us as it searched for
prey. And as he thinks of a battle, he has for the moment forgotten
all about me, proud, and confident of his own strength. And then, as
the King looked at her, she placed her finger on the very point of her
chin, and said: O King, this is a matter requiring for its settlement
age, and experience, and policy of the very deepest kind. And
therefore the King my master entrusted it to me, as being, in all his
dominions, the oldest and most crafty of his advisers.
And she looked at the King with a smile, while Yogeshwara in his ambush
laughed to himself for joy: saying to himself: She is utterly deceiving
him, by telling him the very truth. But the King said: O wrinkled,
grey-haired Guru, sure I am, that the King thy master could not
possibly have entrusted the matter to a more irresistible negotiator
than thyself, whose years are a guarantee for thy incomparable
dexterity. Then she said, looking at him with large eyes full of grave
reproof: Such compliments are, we know, the indispensable preliminary
in all negotiations, meaning, as their employers know well, absolutely
nothing at all. And the King said: Dear Guru, thou art altogether
mistaken. For I do not speak by proxy, but am my own ambassador, and
therefore empower myself to say exactly what I mean, as in this
instance. Then she said: Let us pass over all preliminaries, and come
to the business in hand. Can we not offer inducements to the enemy,
whom we are not strong enough to meet in the field, to come to terms?
And the King said eagerly: Aye! that you can. For often, on the very
eve of battle, timely alliances and bribes have warded off disaster;
and for this very purpose it was, that, as I think, kings' daughters
were invented by the Creator. For many times, the gift of a daughter
has turned an enemy into a friend. Then she said: Ah! but in this
case, such an expedient is altogether futile, and out of the question.
For King Chand is known to be an enemy of women, and kings' daughters
are, after all, only women, and therefore less than nothing, and of no
value in his eyes. And the King said hastily: Sweet Guru, thy spies
have misinformed thee, and led thee astray. For I can positively
assure thee that circumstances of very recent occurrence have so
altered the complexion of King Chand's opinions, that the offer of a
daughter by King Mitra would certainly render all submission entirely
superfluous. Go back and tell thy master, that King Chand would
infinitely prefer his daughter to his submission, or anything whatever
in the world.
And she looked at him, gravely shaking at him her pretty head, and she
said, with indecision in her voice: O Intruder, remember! and beware!
It is time now, to bring this game to a conclusion. For what is it,
after all, but child's-play? And it is even more than time for the
true Guru to appear. And the King exclaimed: Nay, dearest Guru, not
so. For I swear to thee, that though the game might be a game, my
terms are no jest. And she said: Then, as Guru, I reply: Who shall
convince King Mitra, and still more, his daughter, that King Chand has
changed his mind? For in love, as in war, promises may be deception,
and oaths but a snare.