Some of the night had already passed. Inside the Rohtasgarh fort, in her own chamber, poor Kishori sat, lost in some unknown thought, pondering over something. No other woman was with her. At last, hearing the sound of footsteps, Kishori, lost in her reverie, lifted her head and looked towards the door. Lali entered, greeted her, and said, "Forgive me, I have come into this room without your permission."

Kishori: I have already ordered the maidservants that no one is to enter this room, and along with that, I also told them that if Lali wishes to come, she should not be stopped.

Lali: Indeed, you have shown me great kindness.

Kishori: But I do not know why you do not show the same compassion towards me! Come, sit.

Lali: (Sitting down) Please do not say such things. I am ready, with all my heart and soul, to be of service to you.

Kishori: These are all empty words. If that were truly the case, then why do you hide from me the secret concerning yourself and Kundan? I was already troubled by the matter of the Narangi, but ever since Kundan has managed to influence you with her words, my anxiety has only increased.

Lali: Certainly, you must have been greatly surprised. I can swear that what Kundan told me at that time, or the things she said that frightened me, she herself did not know beforehand. If she had known, then when I tried to threaten her by showing the Narangi, she would have taken her revenge on me right then. Now I am convinced that someone from outside has indeed entered this house, someone who has revealed our secrets to Kundan and made her aware. Alas, now my life seems destined to be lost for nothing, for Kundan is a most merciless and wicked woman.

Kishori: Your words only increase my anxiety. For mercy's sake, tell me something—what is the secret?

Lali: I will tell you everything, and I will relieve your worries, but tonight, please forgive me once more and help me with something right now.

Kishori: What is it?

Lali: I am now certain that my life cannot be saved by any means, yet I will still try whatever I can to escape. I wish, before my death, to rid this world of Kundan, but I am caught in such a dilemma that I cannot even resolve to do so. However, I do wish to know something particular about Kundan, and after that, I want to enter that house at the corner of the garden—the one that is always locked, with two women standing guard at the door in turns, each holding a naked sword. I need your help with these two things.

Kishori: Do you know what is inside that house?

Lali: Yes, I know something, and I wish to learn the rest of the secret. I am certain that if you come inside that house with me, and if both of us manage to escape safely, then you too will be freed from this captivity. But—

Entering it and coming out safely—that is the real difficulty.

Kishori: You have said something even more astonishing. Well, I would rather die than live such a life. Do whatever you must, and take whatever help you need from me.

Lali: (Taking a small picture from her waistband and handing it to Kishori) After a little while, Kundan will certainly come to you as usual. At that time, show her this picture in such a way that she does not realize you are showing it to her deliberately. Then, whatever expression appears on her face, or whatever she says, tell me about it. For now, this is the only task.

Kishori: I can do this task very well.

Kishori took the picture from Lali's hand and looked at it herself first. In this picture, a cave was depicted, in which a man was hanging upside down, and a woman, holding a dagger, was wounding him. Nearby stood a young woman, and in the corner, the earth was being dug up.

Reader, this picture was exactly of that moment whose account we have already written in the eighth chapter of the first part. But Kishori did not yet know about that incident. Kishori was deeply astonished upon seeing the picture and wanted to ask Lali something about it, but after handing over the picture, Lali did not stay there—she immediately left.

Shortly after Lali's departure, Kundan arrived. But at that moment, Kishori was so absorbed in looking at the picture that she did not even notice Kundan's arrival until Kundan came close, stood for a while, and then asked, "Well, sister, what are you looking at?"

Kishori: (startled) Oh! How long have you been standing here?

Kundan: For a little while. What is it about this picture that you are examining so intently?

Kishori: Have you seen this picture before?

Kundan: Hundreds of times. I suppose Lali gave you this picture especially to show me. You may tell Lali that I am not frightened by seeing this picture. I will never rest until I have taken my revenge, because on the very first night I met you, all my arrangements for leaving this place were perfectly in order. It was this very Lali who ruined all my efforts and trapped my helpers as well. Well, we shall see. I was pleased to meet you, but alas, she fabricated lies and turned your heart away from me. Still, I will not do you any harm, and as far as possible, I will warn you against her tricks. Whether you believe me or not is your choice.

Kishori: "Nothing makes sense to me; I cannot understand what is happening. Oh God, what crime have I committed that dangers have surrounded me from all sides? Alas, I cannot even tell who here is my friend and who my enemy."

Saying this, Kishori began to weep. She tried hard to compose herself,