We have mentioned several times above that in the garden where Kishori lived, on one side there was a building whose door always remained locked and was guarded by a naked sword.

It is midnight. Darkness has enveloped everything. The strong wind rustles the leaves of the tall trees, breaking the silence. At this moment, Lali, holding a rope in her hand, cautiously protecting herself from all sides and looking around carefully, is heading toward the back of that very building. She reaches the wall, fastens the rope, and climbs up onto the roof. All around the roof was a wall three cubits high. With great cunning, Lali broke open a hole in the roof, just large enough for a person to descend through comfortably, and she herself went down inside with the help of the rope.

After two hours, Lali emerged carrying a small chest and, using the rope, descended from the roof and set off in another direction. She entered the baradari on the eastern side, from where there was a way into the palace, slipped inside the gate, and reached the palace.

This palace was very large and magnificent. The queen herself resided here with two hundred maids and companions. Passing through several halls and doors, Lali reached the door of a small room and gently knocked on the latch.

An old woman got up, opened the door, let Lali in, and closed it again. The old woman must have been about eighty years of age, and goodness and compassion radiated from her face. The small room, the few necessary items, and the simple cot all indicated that the old woman was living her life in helplessness. Lali touched her feet in reverence, and the old woman stroked her back and asked her to sit.

Lali (placing the box in front): "Is this the one?"

Old Woman: "Did you bring it? Yes, that's right, this is certainly it. Now, whatever you do next, be very careful! Let it not be that, at this final moment, I am stained with disgrace."

Lali: "I will do the work as cleverly as possible. Please bless me, so that my endeavor may succeed."

Old Woman: "May God reward you for this good deed. Did you feel any fear there?"

Lali: "With a firm heart, I brought it here; otherwise, what I saw there is not something I could ever forget while alive. I will have to see it once more yet. Oh, my heart still trembles."

Old Woman (smiling): "Indeed, wondrous things are gathered there, but there is nothing to fear. God will help you."

Lali picked up that little chest and, returning to her own room, placed it safely and lay down on her bed. In the morning, she rose and went to Kishori's chamber.

Kishori: "All night I kept thinking of you, and again and again I got up and went outside, wondering if any sound of commotion might be heard."

Lali: "By God's grace, nothing hindered my task."

Kishori: "Come, sit by me! Now you must have hope that my life will be saved and I will be able to leave this place."

Lali: "Certainly, now I have full hope."

Kishori: "Did you find the chest?"

Lali: "Yes, thinking that there would be no opportunity during the day, I showed it to old Dadi right then. She recognized it and said that this is certainly the one. There were several chests of the same color there, but seeing the special mark that old Dadi had described, I took only this one!"

Kishori: "I too wish to see that chest."

Lali: "Of course, I could take you to my room and show you the chest, but seeing it would be of no benefit to you. Rather, your going there would arouse Kundan's suspicion, and she would wonder why Kishori went to Lali's room. There is nothing remarkable about the chest either; it is just a small, ordinary box, with no place for a lock, and so strong that it cannot be broken by any means."

Kishori: "Then how will it be opened, and how will we get the key from inside, the one we need?"

Lali: "We will file it with a rasp and make a hole in it."

Kishori: "That will take time!"

Lali: "Yes, it will take two days, because except at night, there will be no opportunity during the day."

Cannot be found.

Kishori: For me, even a single moment passes like a hundred years.

Lali: Well, after so many days, what are two more!

They continued talking for a while. After this, Lali rose and went to her own quarters, busying herself with her usual chores.

On the third night after this, at midnight, Lali stepped out of her house and came to Kishori's quarters. The maidservants assigned to guard Kishori were deep in slumber, snoring loudly, but there was not a trace of sleep in Kishori's eyes. She lay on her bed, gazing toward the door. Just then, Lali entered the room, carrying a small bundle in her hand. Seeing her, Kishori immediately stood up, and with great affection, took Lali's hand and seated her beside herself.

Kishori: Oh! These two days have passed with great difficulty. Day and night, I was filled with fear.

Lali: Why?

Kishori: Because I was afraid someone might go up to that roof and see that a hole has been made.

Lali: Hmph! Who goes up there, and who would see! Come, now there is no time to delay.

Kishori: I am ready. Is there anything I need to take?

Lali: I have everything necessary with me. You just come along.

Lali and Kishori set out from there, hiding behind trees as they made their way to the back of the house whose roof Lali had breached. Throwing up a rope, both climbed to the top, then pulled the rope up after them. Using the same rope, they descended through the hole into the house. On seeing the