Slowly he raised her hands to his lips and murmured, "I know it ! You are my Kamala ! Come with me."
He drew her into the room and threw about her neck the garland that she had woven.
"Come, let us bow before Him" ; and as the twain side by side touched their foreheads to the snowy whiteness of the marble floor the morning sun pouring through the window fell on their bowed heads.
Rising to her feet, Kamala once more prostrated herself before Nalinaksha in profound reverence. When she rose again her painful shyness no longer troubled her. There was no exuberance in her joy, but the settled calm of a great release flooded her whole being as with clear morning light ; a sense of absolute devotion filled every corner of her soul and all creation seemed to smoke in the incense of her worship.
Uncontrolled tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks unhindered ; they were tears of joy that washed away the clouds of sorrow that had brooded over her widowed life.
Nalinaksha did not address her again. With one gesture he wiped the tears of her eyes, then passed out of the room. Kamala proceeded to Nalinaksha's bedroom and garlanded his sandals with the wreath from her own neck, pressed them against her forehead, and reverently replaced them.
Kamala went about her daily chores as though she were ministering to a god ; each task as she accomplished it was like a prayer ascending to Heaven on wings of joy.
"What are you doing, dear ?" exclaimed Kshemankari. "From the way you're washing and sweeping and cleaning one would think you wanted to renovate the whole house in one day."
When house work was finished, she shut herself into her room ; Nalinaksha found her there when he returned with a basket full of arum lilies.
"Kamala," he said, "just put these in waier and keep them fresh. In the evening we'll both go and ask for mother's blessing."
"But you haven't heard my whole story yet," said Kamala, with downcast eyes.
"There's nothing for you to tell me ; I know all,"said Nalinaksha. Kamala drew her veil across her face.
"But mother--" she began, and could not finish the sentence.
Nalinaksha pulled her veil aside. "In the course of her life mother has forgiven many sins. Surely she can forgive you for what was not a sin at all !"
THE END
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