Page:The Slave Girl of Agra.djvu/99

 but soiled by long wear, covered her figure. Her long bare arms were of singular suppleness and beauty, but had the strength of tempered steel. A girdle, the gold decoration of which had been worn off, held a short dagger; and a gauze scarf, which had been green at one time, fell in loose folds and served as an upper garment. Her petticoat was short, and disclosed loose muslin trousers, which were fastened tightly above the ankles, and her feet were bare. The girl, who was tall and slender, had a terrible fascination in her dark, piercing eyes, but Noren's eyes were too weak to notice all this. "I am thirsty, give me some drink," was all he could say. The girl disappeared like a passing vision.

"I am thirsty, give me some drink," he repeated. The Brahman lad came to his bedside and gave him some medicinal drink, and Noren fell asleep again in a few moments.

Days and nights passed, and Noren still lay in the bed. His attendants never spoke to him, and Noren saw little of them because he was seldom awake. Occasionally at night he saw or dreamt of the same tall, sinuous form bending over him in silence and watching him in his bed. And once or twice when he woke in the morning he heard light, retreating footsteps on the carpet and saw a shadow flit past his bed.

The crisis had passed, and Noren slowly recovered, and the memory of past events came back to him. He had served under Raja Man Singh in many battles, and victory had generally crowned the enterprises of that great General. Towns had been taken and sacked, and jungle fastnesses conquered