ost to sight.

CHAPTER XXVI.

THE SIGNS OF LOVE.

As a cotton rag placed near fire becomes burnt, so the heart of Hira
became ever more inflamed by the remarkable beauty of Debendra. Many a
time Hira's virtue and good name would have been endangered by
passion, but that Debendra's character for sensuality without love
came to her mind and proved a safeguard. Hira had great power of
self-control, and it was through this power that she, though not very
virtuous, had hitherto easily preserved her chastity. The more
certainly to rule her heart, Hira determined to go again to service.
She felt that in daily work her mind would be distracted, and she
would be able to forget this unfortunate passion which stung like the
bite of a scorpion. Thus when Nagendra, leaving Kunda Nandini at
Govindpur, was about to set forth, Hira, on the strength of past
service, begged to be re-engaged, and Nagendra consented. There was
another cause for Hira's resolve to resume service. In her greed for
money, anticipating that Kunda would become the favourite of Nagendra,
she had taken pains to bring her under her own sway. "Nagendra's
wealth," she had reflected, "will fall into Kunda's hands, and when it
is Kunda's it will be Hira's." Now Kunda had become the mistress of
Nagendra's house, but she had not obtained possession of any special
wealth. But at this time Hira's mind was not dwelling on this matter.
Hira was not thinking of wealth; even had she done so, money obtained
from Kunda would have been as poison to her.

Hira was able to endure the pain of her own unsatisfied passion, but
she could not bear Debendra's passion for Kunda. When Hira heard that
Nagendra was journeying abroad, and that Kunda would remain as
_grihini_ (house-mistress), then, remembering Haridasi _Boisnavi_, she
became much alarmed, and stationed herself as a sentinel to place
obstacles in the path of Debendra. It was not from a desire to secure
the welfare of Kunda Nandini that Hira conceived this design. Under
the influence of jealousy Hira had become so enraged with Kunda, that
far from wishing her well she would gladly have seen her go to
destruction. But in jealous fear lest Debendra should gain access to
Kunda, Hira constituted herself the guardian of Nagendra's wife.

Thus the servant Hira became the cause of suffering to Kunda, who saw
that Hira's zeal and attention did not arise from affection. She
perceived that Hira, though a servant, showed wan