Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-28

She sat down among her pillows again
now. and was silent for some time think
ing hard and striving to frame her ques-
tons alright. By and by she spoke quietly.
"Who art thou?'
And the man answered simply: Thou
hast spoken. o Chand ki Beti; | am Rama
Lalkura of Bhaitypore.''
And what dost thou here. Rama Lal-
kura; for Bhaitypore is a far journey"
I have come to tell thee that which thou
seekest to know"
''Dost thou know what l seek?'
Aye. l know"
Speak il. then"
THE hearts desire"
The words fell duly. lacking all ANNA
up, and then subsidized again. bat with the
rich blood burning to the roots of her
dusky hair; and there was A culver in her
voice as she answered scornfuliy:
Thy mysteries o Wise One are greater
than my poor wits can grasp"
And the patient. monotonous voice replied:
Such hail have remembered my bonds to
Yamma."
he had slipped away, out of her power
again; he was holding her and she was un-
able to resist. Her thoughts few to Ma
hommed and her great reward even this
true; back of all other things, deep down,
hidden away. it still was there, and she
knew it. though she had never been able to
reach it. Then she questioned him again a
little petulantly.
Since thou knowest me so well, tell me
in very truth who l am"
I'm very TRUTH he repeat ted, thou art
Soondai-the Queen"
'Ah. and since when have been Soondai
the Queen? For of truth thought was
Ioda-the Witch
Thou vast soondai before thou dds:
forget the hearts desire and thou wilt be
Soondai again when thou hast found it"
All" she cried little triumphantly
then | am not Soondai now; for | know
nothing of this futile hearts desire so
thou art trapped from the words of thine
own mouth
Nay" he replied, unmoved and almost
drowS;ly, the world will not cease to roll
because thou dost forget its motion in thy
dreams. Thou art Soondai. When thou
wakest then wilt thou understand"
'Ohie! MethouSht twas thou who vast
dreaming"
She spoke derisively but her eyes belied
the lightness of her words; they had
changed from scorn to doubt and from
doubt To fear. They were opened wide and
fixed on him as he sat before her: and, as
one fascinated, she saw him slowly straight
en-, touch his eyes with the tips of his fin
gers. and then gaze straight and steadfast-
ly at her There was nothing in his look
to lessen her perturbation; indeed, it SEEM
ed to have lost all the somnolence with
which it had been charged and was keen.
magnetic and vital! 1t was Rama the
Prince who gazed. and not the slave.
Nay, do not dream, Rani-ssahib: for if 1
Yamma. No. thou hast not sent me Dream
ing, Loda Bal, but another, who does well
10 rest awhile.
Thou meanest-
AYE, even so; the doctor-,nan"
He had arisen and standing over her
at his full height, and she was gazing up at
him in undisguised terror. He was infinite
ly above and beyond her now and there
was a something crushing her down, while
he seemed to gain added power every mo-
ment. She heard him whisper, and his
voice seemed TO come from afar off, aye,
out of the forgotten past.
.Soondai-S oondai-hast thou truly for
got?"
And something in her turned traitor again
and her voice tried to cry out 20 him, but
she stifed 1t back and sank down heavily
at his feet-in the very spot where he ha0
knelt at hers
CTo be continued tonorrow)