Page:Anandamath, The Abbey of Bliss - Chatterjee.djvu/68

46 "Your name, please?" asked Mahendra.

"Dhirananda Goswami," said the Vaishnava and led the way, Mahendra and Kalyani following. Dhirananda took them out of the forest by a very hard passage and himself turned back into the forest

Out of the forest there stretched forth a plain with trees here and there. The highway ran close by the wood with this plain on its other side. At one place a small stream flowed in murmurs through the wood. The water in it was very clear but black like a very dark cloud. Beauteous green trees upon its banks shadowed the stream and birds of all sorts were singing their various melodies upon them. The music of their songs mingled with the sweet murmur of the stream. So too mingled the shadow of the tree with the water's sombre hue, and, methinks, Kalyani's brooding mind too mingled with their gloom in sympathy. She sat under a tree by the river and asked her husband to sit by her. He did so and Kalyani took her child from his arms. She took up her husband's hand in hers and sat in silence for a while. Then she asked, "I see you very sad today. Our danger seems to be over now; why then this gloom?"

Mahendra sighed. "I am no longer mine," said he, "I do not know what to do."

"Why," asked she.

"I shall tell you what happened after I lost you." So saying Mahendra recounted the story at length.

"I too have suffered," said Kalyani, "great distress and encountered great dangers. It will be no good