Page:The Slave Girl of Agra.djvu/312

 tall, slender, beautiful woman, the dream of his love and the joy of his life, stood before him. She was the wedded wife of another man. With cold lips Noren replied:

"I know my duties in life, Hemlata, and I shall try to remember them. But the memory of the past will linger as a shadow over my life."

"The memory of the past lingers with all, Noren. But it should not overshadow such a life as thine. Raja Man Singh hath found in thee a brave soldier, and the great Badshah hath honoured thee. I have heard of thy fame from time to time, and my heart has been filled with gladness and pride."

"Fame speaks too partially, Hemlata. I wish with all my heart I was worthier of the regard thou hast for me. But it is a sad trade, the trade of a soldier, and the best of us are tainted with the cruelties and the coarse pleasures of a camp life. I claim to be no better than the rest, Hemlata, and may Heaven forgive my many sins. But Heaven is my witness, in all my wanderings and in all my weaknesses, the pure image of one, whom I—I knew in my boyhood, has been a saving grace to me."

"Thou couldst not have had a greater protection, Noren, than thy own nobility and truth. I saw it in thy heart when thou wert a boy; I read it on thy face now that thou art a man. Live up to thy own nature, Noren, and to the duties and responsibilities of thy race and birth."

"They are great indeed, Hemlata, and thy mother, who was a mother to me after I lost my own, never forgot to impress on me the duties of my House."

"My mother resides in this town now, and will pass