Chapter 3

_A humble dhunni-thatched hut_, _set amidst the whispering grandeur of the jungle_, _with its mighty trees_, _its trackless paths_, _its indescribable silence_. _The curtain discovers_ MAH PHRU _and_ THE KING, _who expresses his amazement at the loneliness and the poverty of her lot_. _She explains that poverty is not what frightens her_, _but the enmity of those who live yonder_, _and who make it almost impossible for her to sell her cucumbers or her pineapples_. THE KING'S _gaze never leaves the face or figure of the girl_. _He declares that he will protect her_--_that he will build her a home here in the shadow of the loneliness around them_. _He has two years of an unfettered freedom_--_for those years he can command his life_. _He loves her_, _he desires her_--_they will find a Paradise together_. _The girl trembles with joy_--_with fear_--_with surprise_. "And after two years?" _she asks_. "Death," _he answers_.