My farewell from Chali was heartrending. She wept, lying beside me, with her head on my breast, shaken with sobs. I did not know how to console her; my kisses were no good. All at once an idea struck me, and getting up I went and got the shell-box, and putting it into her hands, I said, "That is for you; it is yours." Then I saw her smile at first. Her whole face was lighted up with internal joy, with that profound joy when impossible dreams are suddenly realized, and she embraced me ardently. All the same, she wept bitterly when I bade her a last farewell. I gave paternal kisses and cakes to all the rest of my wives, and then I started. II Two years had passed when my duties again called me to Bombay, and, because I knew the country and the language well, I was left there to undertake another mission. I finished what I had to do as quickly as possible, and as I had a considerable amount of spare time on my hands I determined to go and see my friend the King of Ganhard and my dear little Chali once more, though I expected to find her much changed. The rajah received me with every demonstration of pleasure, and hardly left me for a moment during the first day of my visit. At night, however, when I was alone, I sent for Haribada, and after several misleading questions I said to him: "Do you know what has become of little Chali, whom the rajah gave me?" He immediately assumed a sad and troubled look, and said, in evident embarrassment: "We had better not speak of her." "Why? She was a dear little woman." "She turned out badly, Sir." "What--Chali? What has become of her? Where is she?" "I mean to say that she came to a bad end." "A bad end! Is she dead?" "Yes. She committed a very dreadful action." I was very much distressed. I felt my heart beat, and my breast was oppressed with grief, and insisted on knowing what she had done and what had happened to her. The man became more and more embarrassed, and murmured, "You had better not ask about it." "But I want to know." "She stole--" "Who--Chali? What did she steal?" "Something that belonged to you." "To me? What do you mean?" "The day you left she stole that little box which the prince had given you; it was found in her hands." "What box are you talking about?" "The box covered with shells." "But I gave it to her." The Indian looked at me with stupefaction, then replied: "Well, she declared with the most sacred oaths that you had given it to her, but nobody could believe that you could have given a king's present to a slave, and so the rajah had her punished." "How was she punished? What was done to her?" "She was tied up in a sack, and thrown into the lake from this window, from the window of the room in which we are, where she had committed the theft."