Taking the puris, sweets, and a pitcher of water, the four ayyars set off from there, but none of them knew that a little distance behind, the halwai was stealthily following them with two men. In the open field, the four sat upon a large stone slab, ate their meal, drank water, and after washing their hands and faces, sat back, content, and began to converse quietly among themselves. Barely half an hour had passed when all four fell unconscious and lay sprawled upon the rock. At that very moment, the halwai, accompanied by his two men, appeared over their heads.

The two men who had come with the halwai quickly bound Badrinath, Jyotishiji, and Pannalal, and, after making Bhaironsingh smell something to revive him, said, "Well done, Ajay Singh! Your cunning has served us well! Now all five of those worthless fellows who came to Shivdattgarh are in our hands! Of all, you have earned the greatest reward from the Maharaj!"

After enduring many hardships, Maharaj Surendra Singh and Virendra Singh, and thanks to them, Chandrakanta, Chanla, Champa, Tejsingh, and Devisingh, and others, enjoyed days of great happiness for a while—but those days are gone now. Indeed, joy and sorrow keep changing places. The days of happiness passed in the blink of an eye, so quickly that I found nothing worth writing about them. But now, the hours of misfortune drag on endlessly for these people. Who could have known that the fallen Shivdatt would rise again like a calamity? Who could have guessed that the two promising sons, raised in the lap of poor Chandrakanta, would be separated from her in such a way? Who could have said for certain that as much as their dynasty and kingdom advanced, just as suddenly, even greater calamities would befall them? Well, they endured the days of happiness—now, who will bear the hour of misfortune? Yes, poor Jagannath Jyotishi did say this much: that Virendra Singh's kingdom and lineage would flourish greatly, but always with adversity. Well, what will happen next remains to be seen, but for now, all are caught up in their troubles. See, in his private chamber, Maharaj Surendra Singh sits deep in worry, and to his left, pressing the corner of the throne, Raja Virendra Singh gazes anxiously at Jeet Singh, who sits before him. Both father and son—Devisingh and Tarasingh—sit nearby, on the upper dais, leaning toward the elder and revered Jeet Singh, waiting in hope to see what his final...

What is the command? Except for these people, there is no one else in this room; a deep silence prevails. Who knows what discussions have already taken place before this, but at this moment, Maharaj Surendra Singh broke the silence only by saying, "Well, we should accept what Champa and Chapla have suggested."

Jeet Singh: "As you wish, but what is your command regarding Devi Singh?"

Surendra Singh: "Nothing else, only this concern: how will Chunar be protected at such a time?"

Jeet Singh: "I believe Tara is quite sufficient for the defense here, and if the need arises, even in my old age, I will do whatever I can."

Surendra Singh (smiling slightly and looking at Jeet Singh with hopeful eyes): "Well, do as you think best."

Jeet Singh (to Devi Singh): "Here you are, sir, now you too are given a chance to make up for old shortcomings. Let us see what you do. May God grant you success in this endeavor."

As soon as Devi Singh heard this, he stood up, saluted, and left the room.