And then, once again he stopped short, and so great was his amazement
that he came within a very little of betraying himself by a loud
exclamation. For as he looked, lo! the King appeared again, standing
in the door, having returned unheard with silent steps. And as he
stood, he looked towards the King's daughter, all unaware of his
return. And when he saw that she was sobbing, like a very incarnation
of despair, all at once his face was lit up as it were by the ecstasy
of joy. And he went noiselessly, on tiptoe, towards her, and when he
reached her, he stood for a moment looking down at her, with compassion
that was mingled with unutterable affection. And then, he stooped
down, and touched her on the shoulder, very gently, with his hand.
And at his touch, she started to her feet, and stood, with downcast
eyes, from which great tears rolled, chasing one another, along her
cheeks, and a bosom that heaved like the ocean after a storm. And the
colour came and went upon her face, like the shadows of the clouds
driven furiously over the hillsides by a strong wind.
And the King leaned towards her, and said softly: See, it is fated,
that I cannot leave thy arbour, however often I may try. And now, thou
art mistaken. For it was my old opinions of women that are wrong, and
my new ones that are right. And now, dear Guru, wilt thou choose me
for thy husband, or not?
And as he stretched his hands towards her, she glanced at him, and all
at once, she lost control over herself, and abandoned, as it were, the
dominion of her soul to him. And she fell into his arms, and remained,
sobbing on his breast, and quivering with emotion, and joy, and shame,
while the whole world swam in mist before the eyes of the King,
trembling like a leaf in the whirlwind of passion roused by her
agitation and her surrender and her touch. And after a while, he said:
Listen, for I wish to ask thee a question, and tell thee why it was
that I returned. For it was not only thy beauty that drew me back
again, though that alone would have made it utterly impossible for me
to go away: notwithstanding Yogeshwara, whom, at the thought of his
deception, I was ready to strangle with my own hands. But all at once,
as I went, I stopped. And I said: Ha! why did she betray herself, and
tell me, when she had completely gained her object, what without her, I
myself should never have discovered? Could it be, because her heart
smote her, to receive the husband of her choice?
And then, with a cry, she gripped him by the arm. And she sobbed aloud
as she exclaimed: Ah! thou hast guessed it, thou hast guessed. Ah!
till I knew thee, to deceive thee seemed to be a little thing. And
fool! I laid a snare for thee, never dreaming of danger to myself, nor
thinking that I should be the first myself to fall into the snare, laid
for me by the Deity in thy dear form. And as I looked at thee, and
listened to thee pleading, all ignorant of my deception, all at once I
became a thing of horror to myself, and saw myself a traitor, to thee.
Ah! no, not to thee. Ah! to thee, to thee, ah! to thee I could not lie.