Before Kamla, Indrajitsingh, and Tarasingh enter the house, let us take our readers inside and show them the state of this place.

Inside this house, there are countless small rooms, but we have no business with them. We go and stand near the veranda, which has two rooms on either side and a long, wide courtyard in front. There is no kind of decoration in this veranda, only a rug is spread out and some clothes hang from pegs on the wall. Even though it is midnight, there is no lamp burning in this veranda. This veranda is on the upper floor; there is no building above it, and the courtyard in front is completely open. The moon's white light, spread far and wide, enters the courtyard and slowly creeps into the veranda, its brightness enough to reveal every object within. One of the side rooms is closed, but the door to the other is open. This room is not very large, and inside, on the white floor, two women are sitting and speaking softly to each other.

Our readers know these two women well. One is Kishori, and the other is the same Kinnari upon whom Kunwar Anand Singh is so enamored, who has, more than once, emerged from Anand Singh's chamber within the room and wounded him with her glances, and who herself has become a lover in turn.

Kishori: "Sister, I can never forget the kindness you have shown me. I could never leave you in such a state and go to Indrajitsingh."

Kinnari: "Then what is to be done? How can I hope that anyone will come for me?"

Kishori: "Kamla has sworn to me that Anand Singh is lost in longing for Kinnari. Let that be, after all, you too have done him some favors."

"No? Who else but you could have killed so many ruffians who were causing such chaos here!"

Kinnari replied, "Well, whatever will happen, we shall see. For now, we must think about where we should go and what we should do."

Kishori said, "If Kamla were to come here, we could consult with her and do whatever seems best. Oh, I am feeling restless sitting here—come, let us go outside. The moonlight is beautiful tonight."

The two women stepped out of the small room and began strolling in the courtyard. The weather was somewhat cold, so they could not walk outside for long. Soon, they returned to the veranda, sat down on a rug, and began to converse.

Beside this house was a small pleasure garden, but its condition had deteriorated so badly that it was more fitting to call it a ruin or a jungle rather than a pleasure garden. There was only one path from this house leading into the garden; on all other sides, tall walls surrounded it. Without the help of someone inside, no one could scale the walls of this house with a rope, for the upper walls were so cleverly constructed that a rope could not find purchase anywhere. However, if someone wished, they could certainly use a rope to enter the pleasure garden, but from there, entering the house would be just as difficult.

For a while, Kinnari and Kishori continued their conversation. Then, suddenly, they heard a knock at the door below. Kishori said, "Look, sister, Kamla has arrived as well."

Kinnari said, "From the sound of the knock, it does seem to be Kamla, but even so, it would be wise to look out the window and ask a simple question."

Kishori replied, "Yes, we must do that, for our enemies often use all sorts of tricks to deceive us."

"You wait here, I will ask something," said Kishori. She peered through the window facing the door and asked, "Is the count complete?" In reply, someone said, "Yes, up to eighty-five."

Kishori said, "Very well, I will come down and open the door."

Happily, Kishori descended to open the door, but before she could reach the threshold, she saw, in the darkness of the lower corridor, a large and burly man standing there. Terrified, she screamed, and at that very moment, as the fiend lunged at her, grabbing her by the arms and waist, she let out a shriek and immediately fainted. The brute dragged the poor girl mercilessly to one side.

Hearing Kishori's cries, Kinnari rushed downstairs, sword drawn, but even after searching all around, she found no one, nor was there any trace of Kishori.

Kinnari forgot to open the door, and, frightened at not finding Kishori, she began searching here and there. Wandering through the corridors and chambers in that dreadful darkness, Kinnari did not feel the slightest fear that, like Kishori, some calamity might befall her as well.

Poor Kishori, letting out a scream, had fainted; but when she regained consciousness, she found herself caught in the clutches of death. She saw that, amidst the bushes, she had been forcibly thrown to the ground. A man, his face concealed by a veil, was astride her chest and was about to drive a dagger through her heart.

Part Three