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 not so much as think of her as my daughter. Now, I have none in this world save her. I bow to your command—I will forget the past—I will follow Man Singha. Let the porter usher in the ambassador."

In accordance with this order, the porter brought in the envoy. He handed a letter from Katlu Khan. Its purport was that Virendra Singha should send a force of a thousand horsemen and five thousand gold mohurs to Katlu Khan, otherwise he would send an army of twenty thousand men to Garmandaran.

Virendra read the note and said, "Envoy, let your master send his army."

The man bowed low and went away. Bimala had played the eaves-dropper all through the conversation.

Sitting at a window of a chamber belonging to that part of the castle by the base of which, the river Amodara flowed past, murmuring, Tilottama was listlessly gazing at an eddy of the stream. It was evening; and those clouds that had been painted in gold in the western sky by the mellow rays of the setting sun, were dancing under the ever-flowing water. The lofty buildings and the tall trees on the opposite bank were painted on the clear canvass of heaven. Within the castle the peacock, the Indian crane and various other birds were crying in sweet confusion—