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utter a syllable, and at length fell down senseless to the ground. 

 Creeshna found by this that she could not bear the pressure 

 of grief, and, pitying her situation, rose up with his hair 

 dishevelled, and, taking her to one side, pressed her to his 

 breast, and dried her tears with his robe. By these means 

 he brought her to herself, and told her that all he had said had 

 been in jest, and only to try her affections, of which he now had 

 no sort of doubt. By much gentleness and many soft expressions 

 he at length completely restored her peace of mind, and she then 

 entered into a full and clear explanation of every thing which he 

 had objected to her, assuring him that she had not the presumption 

 to conceive herself the wife of him, the dust of whose feet, not 

 only men and Devatas, but Brahma and Roodra, the most exalted 

 of Devatas, sought with earnest devotion: that she considered 

 herself as the slave of his slaves ; that she knew him for the Creator 

 of the world, and that Seesoopal himself was but a creature of his : 

 that, had she been wife to Seesoopal, she should still have been 

 subject to the miseries of transmigration, from which, by her pre- 

 sent connection, she nattered herself she was for ever liberated. 

 That his black colour, which, to men of dark conceptions, ap- 

 peared merely sable, in her sight was the brilliant pupil of the eye 

 of the universe : that, undoubtedly, all that he had said to her was 

 just, and she bowed submissive to all his censures ; and she con- 

 cluded with again declaring that she did not call herself his wife, 

 but the meanest of his slaves. Creeshna again assured her that his 

 fondnees for her was undiminished, that he had only tempted her 

 in jest, and that the gold of her fidelity was now tried on the touch- 

 stone of experience, and found pure. That her patience and 

 forbearance were most exemplary in never having given vent to 

 improper or harsh language, even when he had bound her brother 

 Rokem's hands behind him and cut off his hair, but had con- 



