On either side grew an aged _bakul_ tree.

Beneath these trees sat Kunda Nandini, alone in the darkening evening, gazing at the reflection of the sky and stars in the clear water.

Here and there lotus flowers could be dimly seen.

On the other three sides of the _talao_, mango, jak, plum, orange, lichi, cocoanut, kul, bel, and other fruit-trees grew thickly in rows, looking in the darkness like a wall with an uneven top.

Occasionally the harsh voice of a bird in the branches broke the silence.