Chapter VII.
At the End of the Hamlet.
Going to another room, Lutufonissa closed the door. For two days she did not come out of it; and during this time she made up her mind what she would do, and determined to carry out her resolve. The sun had set. With Pesmon's aid Lutufonissa was dressing herself;—a wondrous dress! no petticoat, no pyjamas,[1] no shawl; there was no sign of a woman's attire. She looked at her dress in the looking-glass, and said to Pesmon, "Well, Pesmon, could you recognise me?"
Pesmon said, "No one could."
Lu. Then I am off. See that no servant goes with me.
Pesmon was a little alarmed, and said, "If you will forgive your servant's fault, I will ask you one thing." Lutufonissa said, "What?" Pesmon said, "What is your object?"
Lutufonissa said, "At present, the eternal separation of Kopal-Kundala and her husband. Afterwards, he will be mine."
Pe. Lady! Consider the matter well; that dense jungle, and night coming on. You are alone.
Lutufonissa made no reply, and left the house. She went towards Nobokumar's house at the extremity of a solitary jungly hamlet of Septogram, and ·when she got there, night came on. Not far from Nobokumar's house was a dense jungle, which the reader may remember. Coming to the edge of it, she sate down under a tree. For some time she sate and thought over the terrible project in which she was engaged. By chance a before unthought-of aid presented itself.
From where Lutufonissa sat, she heard an uninterrupted droning sound coming from some human being. She stood up, and looking in all directions, saw that there was a light in the forest. Lutufonissa's courage exceeded a man's, and she went where the light was burning. At first, from the cover of a tree, she saw something very strange. She saw that the light which was burning came from a Hom[2] sacrifice, and the noise which she heard was the noise of the recitation of mantras. She caught one word in the mantra, and that was a name. Immediately she heard the name, Lutufonissa went and sat by the man who was performing the Hom sacrifice.
For the present let her sit there. For a long time the reader has heard nothing of Kopal-Kundala, so that it is necessary to say something about her.
END OF THE THIRD PART.