The girl shivered. "Do not say such things, brother. I strive to put them away, and they will go, perhaps; yes, they will go, when no one tells me of him." Her brother laughed. "No, they shall not go, Radha, if I can prevent it; but thou must be patient, girl. So much for thyself; now for me." "What can I do, brother?" "Thou canst gain Tara for me. Nay, Radha," he continued, as she trembled still more, and hung to the court door in terror, "none of this cowardice! I tell thee it must be, and thou must do it." "Brother! brother!" gasped the girl, piteously. "Not I--not I! What can I do? O, not I! O, not I!" "What canst thou do? Much," he returned, sharply; "listen, Radha. Such things are no sin. She is a Brahmun, as I am; she is a widow. She is a Moorlee, as free as Gunga, or any of them, and she can please herself. I know she is not indifferent to me: it is for thee to improve this. Speak to her of me, lead her to think of me, tell her what deeds I have done with thy Rajah--I am with him in them--and sing her our country ballads. I tell thee, girl, if thou doest all this, it will gain her." "Never, brother, never; she has no heart for thee. She shuddered yesterday when I spoke of thee. I saw her--I could not be mistaken. Her heart is with the gods, in her books, cold and dead. O brother, think not of her! What can I do?" "Is it so, sister?" he said sneeringly. "Then she must be awakened, and that dead heart gain new life; Radha, thou must do it, thou!--else"--he felt the girl shivering as he grasped her arm, and shook her savagely--"else, wilt thou be long here? Would this Shastree keep thee one hour in his house if he thought, much less if he knew, thou hadst been married before, girl? Yes, married before! Ah, that touches thee! And listen more, if my affair is not furthered he shall know it. What if he cast thee out? Thou canst go to the temple like Tara; thou canst go to him--to Sivaji--but thou wilt be a reproach and an outcast. Choose!--to be happy as I have placed thee, or as I have said. One or other, girl! the last, and what I have risked for thee--what I have done for thee--will be repaid. O sister! what Sivaji Rajah is to thee, a burning thought day and night, so Tara is to me, and more. Dost thou hear?" "I--I," gasped the terrified girl, "I hear--I hear. O brother, be not cruel, do not destroy me; or, if thou wilt, one blow of thy knife--now--now--here," and she bared her breast. "It will be mercy--strike!" "Poor fool," said Moro Trimmul, "I would not harm thee. Go, remember what I have said, and do as I tell thee. If she be in the same mood when I return, why then----Go," he continued, interrupting himself, "I can wait no longer. Fear not, my blessing is on thee," and he put his hands on her head. "For his sake, my lord, my prince and thine, thou shalt come to no harm. Go!" And saying this he put her gently away from him into the court, closed the door, and easily climbing the low wall, dropped into the street beyond.