aired woman is bringing water; there one with powerful
hand is grinding spices. Here, in the storehouse, a servant, a cook,
and the store-keeper are quarrelling together; the store-keeper
maintaining, "The _ghi_ (clarified butter) I have given is the right
quantity;" the cook disputing it; the servant saying, "We could manage
with the quantity you give if you left the storehouse unlocked." In
the hope of receiving doles of rice, many children and beggars with
their dogs are sitting waiting. The cats do not flatter any one; they
watch their opportunity, steal in, and help themselves. Here a cow
without an owner is feasting with closed eyes upon the husks of
pumpkins, other vegetables, and fruit.

Behind these three inner _mahals_ is the flower-garden; and further
yet a broad tank, blue as the sky. This tank is walled in. The inner
house (the women's) has three divisions, and in the flower-garden is a
private path, and at each end of the path two doors; these doors are
private, they give entrance to the three _mahals_ of the inner house.
Outside the house are the stables, the elephant-house, the kennels,
the cow-house, the aviaries, etc.

Kunda Nandini, full of astonishment at Nagendra's unbounded wealth,
was borne in a palanquin to the inner apartments, where she saluted
Surja Mukhi, who received her with a blessing.

Having recognized in Nagendra the likeness of the man she had seen in
her dream, Kunda Nandini doubted whether his wife would not resemble
the female figure she had seen later; but the sight of Surja Mukhi
removed this doubt. Surja Mukhi was of a warm, golden colour, like the
full moon; the figure in the dream was dark. Surja Mukhi's eyes were
beautiful, but not like those in the dream. They were long deer-eyes,
extending to the side hair; the eye-brows joined in a beautiful curve
over the dilated, densely black pupils, full but steady. The eyes of
the dark woman in the dream were not so enchanting. Then Surja Mukhi's
features were not similar. The dream figure was dwarfish; Surja Mukhi
rather tall, her figure swaying with the beauty of the honeysuckle
creeper. The dream figure was beautiful, but Surja Mukhi was a
hundredfold more so. The dream figure was not more than twenty years
of age; Surja Mukhi was nearly twenty-six. Kunda saw clearly that
there was no resemblance between the two. Surja Mukhi conversed
pleasantly with Kunda, and summoned the attendants, to the chief among
whom she said, "This is K