r neck, and she cried, "No, no!" And
running up, she cut the noose.

When Love-cluster saw that it was her own friend who had run up and
taken the noose away, she fell to the ground in great agony. But her
friend comforted her and asked the reason of her sorrow. Then she arose
and said: "Jasmine, my friend, I cannot be united with him I love. I am
dependent on my father and other people. Death is the happiest thing
for me."

And as she spoke, she was terribly scorched by the fiery darts of love,
and determined to feel no more hope, and fainted. And her friend
Jasmine lamented: "Alas! Love is a hard master. It has reduced her to
this condition." But she gradually brought her back to life with cool
water and fans and things. She made an easy bed of lotus-leaves. She
put pearls cool as snow on her heart.

Then Love-cluster came to herself and slowly said to her weeping
friend: "My dear, the fire within me cannot be quenched by such things
as pearls. If you want to save my life, be clever enough to bring my
lover to me."

And the loving Jasmine said: "My dear, the night is almost over. In the
morning I will bring your lover here to meet you. Be brave and go now
to your room."

Love-cluster was contented. She took the pearls from her neck and gave
them to her friend as a present. And she said: "Let us go now. Then in
the morning you must keep your promise." So she went to her room.

In the morning Jasmine crept out without being seen to hunt for the
house of Lotus-lake. When she got there, she found Lotus-lake under a
tree in the garden. He was lying on a couch of lotus-leaves moistened
with sandal, and the friend who knew his secret was fanning him with
plantain-leaf fans, for he was tortured by the flames of love. And
Jasmine hid, to find out whether this was lovesickness for her friend
or not.

Then the friend said to Lotus-lake: "My friend, comfort your heart by
glancing a moment at this charming garden. Do not be so troubled."

But he said to his friend: "My heart has been stolen by Love-cluster.
It is no longer in my body. How can I comfort it? Love has made an
empty quiver of me. So invent some plan by which I may meet the thief
of my heart."

Then Jasmine came out joyfully and without fear and showed herself. And
she said: "Sir, Love-cluster has sent me to you, and I am the bearer of
a message to you. Is it good manners to enter the heart of an innocent
girl by force, steal her thoughts, and run away? It