Page:Anandamath, The Abbey of Bliss - Chatterjee.djvu/98

76 the two hills was a secluded place where several horses were kept. It was the stable of the monks. Bhavananda got a horse from among them and rode townward. He was suddenly stopped on the way ; for, on the bank of the murmuring stream beside the road, he found a female figure lying like a star dropped from the sky or a flash of lightning weaned from its home in the clouds. He saw that there was no sign of stirring life, and an empty pill-box lay beside her. Bha- vananda was startled, pained and awed. He too like Jibananda had not seen Mahendra's wife and child ; and he had not before him the circumstances which led Jivananda to suspect this to be Mohendra's wife. He had not seen the master and Mahendra being carried away together as prisoners nor did he see the daughter there. From the pill-box he inferred that some woman must have poisoned herself. He alighted from his horse, sat by the body and mused for a time with his hand on his forehead. He examined the head, the armpits, hands and feet of the body and tried other signs unknown to others. He then said to himself: " There is time yet, but what shall I gain by reviving her ? " He thus mused for some time and at last entered the woods, and shortly after, returned with some leaves. He pressed the leaves between his hands and forced some juice into the mouth by parting her lips and jaws ; some of it he poured into the nose and with the rest began to smear the body. He repeated the process and, now and again, put his hand to the nose to feel the breath. It seemed as if all was