And at that very moment, he heard behind him a deep sigh. And as he
turned, wood, poppies, and all vanished from before his eyes. Once more
he stood on the city wall; and there before him was the King's
daughter. And she was standing in the doorway, through which he had come
upon the wall, leaning against the open door, and paler than Love's own
ashes, while her great dark eyes were frozen as it were to ice, and yet
lit up by the triple fire of sorrow and reproach and fierce disdain. And
she looked like the daughter of Janaka, when forsaken by the lord of the
race of Raghu, and like the heavenly Urwashi, when abandoned by
Pururawas, a very spirit of despair carved by the Creator into a stony
female form, to break the heart of the three worlds. And as if the very
sight of her had broken the spell that held him, reason and recollection
suddenly returned to Aja, as it were at a single bound. And he woke, as
if from a magic sleep, and on the instant, a sword ran as it were
straight into his heart. And with a cry, he flung away his sobbing
burden like a blade of grass, not caring where it fell: and ran towards
the King's daughter. But she, when she saw him coming, shrieked, and
started, and exclaimed: Away! Touch me not, save with the point of thy
sharp true sword, to pierce me through the body as thy perfidy has my
soul.
Then Aja tossed away his sword, with a shudder, over the edge of the
wall. And he seized himself by the head with both hands, with a groan
like the roar of a wounded lion. And he exclaimed: Ha! Better now it had
been indeed, had I never emerged from the waste of sand. And he turned
fiercely upon Natabhrúkutí, saying: This is thy doing, thou vile
enchantress: and now I am indeed awake.
But even as he spoke, the words died away upon his lips; and he stood
still, like a picture on a wall, for wonder at what he saw before him.
For Natabhrúkutí was standing still, exactly where he left her, bolt
upright, like a spear fixed in the earth. And her beauty was greater
than ever, and yet such, that as he saw it, his heart stopped in his
breast. For every vestige of the nectar of her love-emotion had left
her, and in its place, the poison of immortal hate shone in her cold and
evil eyes, which were fastened, as if with a mixture of pain and
pleasure, with a glittering and fiendish stare, upon the King's
daughter. And as he watched them, cold ran in Aja's veins. For her eyes
shook, and changed colour, and a horrible smile played on her blue and
twitching lips. And she looked thin, for her two arms hung down tight
against her sides, and her fingers opened and shut, slowly, as if of
their own accord.
And after a while, she spoke. And she turned to Aja, and said, in a
voice that resembled a hiss: Fool! thou wouldst not take the blue flower
I offered thee, though its fragrance could not have been matched by
anything in the three worlds. Now, then, I will take another way. So as
he watched her, she was gone: and he saw before him nothing but the
empty city wall.
And as he looked again, not crediting the testimony of his own eyes, he
heard a sharp cry from the King's daughter. And he turned, and saw
Yashowatí sinking to the ground. And at that very moment Natabhrúkutí
stood again before him. And she looked at him with strange eyes, and
said slowly: Go now, and enjoy thy wife. But I must give thee just one
kiss, before I go.
And as Aja looked into her eyes, suddenly, like a flash of lightning, he
understood. And he struck his hand upon his brow, exclaiming: Ha! Now,
now, I understand, too late. Thou art that very she, that was jealous of
the King's daughter's beauty, and ruined her out of spite. And I have
been befooled by thee, and failed to stand the test. And he ground his
teeth with rage, that swept through him like a storm. And he said to
himself: Alas! I threw away my sword. No matter. Now, then, as she said
herself, I will take another way.
And he looked at her, as she stood waiting. And he held out his arms,
saying: Come, then. And as she put her face close to his own, he caught
her by her slender throat, with both hands, in a grip like that of
death.
And then lo! she was gone again. But in her place, he held in his grasp
a huge yellow snake, which struck him, as he clutched it hard, once and
twice, upon the lips.
A Fatal Kiss.
And then, little by little, the night gradually came to an end. And the
sun rose up, out of his home in the eastern mountain, and began rapidly
to climb into the sky.
And all at once, there arose a great hubbub, and an outcry in the King's
palace. And the women ran hither and thither, wailing and screaming and
crying out: Haha! haha! the daughter of the King is gone. And they
hunted in all directions, but could not find her anywhere: and they went
and told the King. But he, when he heard it, came running just as he was
in his night clothes, and hurried about with all the women, looking into
every corner, and finding nothing. So after turning the palace upside
down, he stopped short. And he said: What if she should have followed
her lover up on to the city wall, and shared his fate! For beyond a
doubt, like all his predecessors, he has vanished never to return.
Then they all went up the winding stair, the King going first. And he
stepped out on to the wall. And instantly, with a piercing cry, he fell
to the ground in a mortal swoon.
Then terror seized on all those women, and they stood exactly where they
were, looking at each other with pale faces, not daring to advance. But
at last, after a long while, supporting each the other, they pushed
forward and looked out. And they saw the King's body, lying on that of
his daughter; and a little further off, Aja, lying upon his face.
Then they went out, and took up those three bodies, and carried them in,
and examined them. And after a while, they said: Doubtless the heart of
the old King broke, when he saw his daughter lying dead. But as for the
other two, one snake has evidently bitten both. And yet, this is a
wonderful thing. For she has been bitten on the foot, but her lover upon
the lips. What then? Was he trying to kiss the snake, that it should
bite him upon the lips? For how could even the biggest snake reach up so
high, as this great Rajpoot's mouth?