charan did not wake her up. He returned to Pratap and said, "She is sleeping—should I call her up?" Pratap was astonished to hear this—he said within himself, "The learned Chanakya forgot to notice that a woman sleeps sixteen times more than a man." He then said to Ramcharan, "No, you need not go so far. You too go to sleep—we have had enough of toil—I would also now take some rest."
Ramcharan then retired for rest. There was yet some night left. In the house—in the town outside it—in fact everywhere—silence and darkness prevailed. Pratap went upstairs alone and noiselessly. He proceeded towards his bed-room and arriving at the door he opened it. To his surprise he found that Shaibalini was lying there on a sofa. Ramcharan had forgotten to say that he had left Shaibalini in the very bed-room of Pratap.
In the light of the burning lamp Pratap saw, as if, some one had heaped on the white bed, blooming flowers of the whitest glow—as if, some one had floated smiling snow-white lilies on the unruffled expanse of the silvery waters of the Ganges. What a placid fascinating beauty it was!
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