flashed before her mind of herself languishing for the pioneer, and of
his terror at her affection for him! Her selfish and intriguing spirit
was free from coarseness, and yet she could have laughed with all her
heart even while engaged in the most shameful deed of her whole life.
She gave the wine back to her daughter, saying good-humoredly:

"I have tasted sweeter, but acid is refreshing in this heat."

"That is true," said the wife of Mena; she emptied the cup to the bottom,
and then went on, as if refreshed, "But I will tell you the rest of my
dream. I saw the Neha-tree, which your father gave me, quite plainly;
nay I could have declared that I smelt its perfume, but the interpreter
assured me that we never smell in our dreams. I went up to the beautiful
tree in admiration. Then suddenly a hundred axes appeared in the air,
wielded by unseen hands, and struck the poor tree with such violence that
the branches one by one fell to the ground, and at last the trunk itself
was felled. If you think it grieved me you are mistaken. On the
contrary, I was delighted with the flashing hatchets and the flying
splinters. When at last nothing was left but the roots in the tub of
earth, I perceived that the tree was rising to new life. Suddenly my
arms became strong, my feet active, and I fetched quantities of water
from the tank, poured it over the roots, and when, at last, I could exert
myself no longer, a tender green shoot showed itself on the wounded root,
a bud appeared, a green leaf unfolded itself, a juicy stem sprouted
quickly, it became a firm trunk, sent out branches and twigs, and these
became covered with leaves and flowers, white, red and blue; then various
birds came and settled on the top of the tree, and sang. Ah! my heart
sang louder than the birds at that moment, and I said to myself that
without me the tree would have been dead, and that it owed its life to
me."