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

tering munthra thunthras
Ioda was full of a great unrest, and the
cause was Meredith, the hard, cold. doctor
manor no, not he, but what she had made
him. For 10! the thing which she had
brought forth rose UP and COMPOUNDED her.
She had willed this man to love her, to be
her slave that she might use him. aye. be-
tray him. and he had obeyed her to the
very letter. But the spirit-the spirit-ah.
there was the rub; there was something
that ever just evaded her, and though she
had set her own fair picture in this mans
heart and brain, what of herself? Was
there moment day or night dreaming OF
waking, since the night he walked at her
command, when her thoughts were free
of him? She had wrestled with them,
driven them out Scornfully, set her whole
being to fout the man and his image, but
deep down somewhere there was a traitor,
and the tender refrain of the song rose
like ghost and lowered about her always:
"Oh. my Garden of Delight.
On. Soondai-SoOndai."
There 1t was ringing now. What did it
mean? Why did those simple foolish words
affect her so? What had she L ,oda the
wise, the inscrutable, the weaver of fate,
to do with the idle love song of this Raj
bhat-nay, not even real minstrel, but a
phantasy, seeming thing that she had
created, she a girl, and which she could
blow out as easily as the flame of taper?
All! Could she, though? And had she the
courage if she could? And IL not what
then--aye, what then?
Over and over she repeated that vital
question: What then?' and then she grew
frightened to think that she had slipped
over the intermediate questions of power
and will-had conceded them-and her
whole thought was of the results of the
concession. What did it mean? Was she
losing her power of control-of concentra-
ton? Was this Raj-bhat, this shadow
thing, this creature of her Imagination, to
prove greater than she? 1t was preposter-
nJyc INN al H.
greater than the created, and Then her
eyes snapped suddenly as a tiny CLEAN of
light came. Oh, why had she not thought
of that before? There IT was-she had
been doubtful of her ability In this matter
from the first, doubtful of securely domi-
mating the man; the case had been of so
great Importance to her protector, Mahom-
med, and he had impressed the fact on her
and dwelt on the possibility Of failure
rather than the certainty of success,
and that such was a fatal course she
had learned long ago. And it naturally
exactly the condition which dominated her,
and as she grew nervous and doubtful so
he grew CORRESPONDENCE aggressive and
confident.
She heaved long sigh of relief; the
illumination did not light all the doubt
full places, but 1t gave her what she want
ed-a fair working theory to start on
and doubtless the rest would disentangle
itself as she progressed.
One thing was certain She must assert
her absolute supremacy over this man; once
for all he must recognize her will as beyond
question. She had weakly given him liber-
~; now ne must learn his true position as
her creation-her slave: lest wheT, the time
came, by and by-a cold shudder swept
her at the thought-she should not be able
toto
She could not think the thing,
1t suddenly piled up in theE darkness.
dreadful, abhorrent, as she had never seen
1t before. Why. 1t seemed like taking ones
own babe by the throat. with ones hands,
ones bare hands All, no
Her head dropped down among the pill
lows and she clutched them tightly to her
heaving bosom. sitting her sighs and
means. but stu quivering through all her
sensitive body. And little Bodi Bal crept
back to Ayessha and chung to the old wo-
man for comfort. and she, Ayessha,