O great king! when the young maiden had reached the age of twelve years, the full moon hid its diminished rays on beholding the lustre of her moon-like countenance; compared with the blackness of her hair, the darkness of the night at the change of the moon seemed trifling. On seeing her taper locks, snakes cast their skins and fled away; the bow began to palpitate, on beholding the arch of her eye-brows; deer, fishes and wagtails were abashed at the sight of her large and rolling eyes; the sesamum withered on gazing at the elegance of her nose; the fruit of the binba tree was restless at the redness of her lips; the breast of the pomegranate was lacerated, on viewing the regularity of her teeth; the rose ceased to blow when she saw the softness of her cheeks; pigeons were fidgetty at the roundness of her neck; on taking a side view of her breasts, the buds of the lotus fell into the tank; the lioness retired into the forest when she saw her slim waist; the plantain ate camphor on beholding the smoothness of her thighs; gold was abashed at the fairness of her body, and the chumpa hid itself; the lotus lost all its estimation in comparison with her hands and feet. Such was she, with the gait of an elephant, the voice of a kokila, and in the very flower of youth and beauty, and by the splendour of her charms eclipsed all the abovementioned. On a subsequent day, the maiden, having applied perfumes and paste, and bathed and rubbed herself in pure water, combed her hair, and divided it, and fastening pearls where the hair is divided, made use of antimony and tooth-powder, and stained herself with “_mehadu_” and “_lac_;” and, having eaten pawn and decked herself out in all kinds of jewels and ornaments wearing an elegant, brilliant petticoat, with a border of large pearls, and a cloth round her body with a hem of great splendour, a shining boddice, and a sparkling and perfumed veil, came forth thus adorned and smiling with her female companions and attendants like Luchmee, and saluted her parents. When Ookha stood before them after having made a salutation, Banasoor, on beholding the splendour of her beauty, allowed her to take leave, with this thought in his mind, “That she was now of a fit age to be married;” and he afterwards sent many male demons to guard her house, and many females for the protection of her person; the male demons exercised the greatest vigilance night and day, and the females were in constant attendance upon her.