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18
After some time, Dharana became conscious. He could not understand his position. After a time he realised the perfidy of Laxmi for certain. In the meantime, the men of Toppa came searching for him. They saw him and took him to Toppa who was unhappy as he did not come home in the night. Toppa asked him to narrate the whole account, Dharana told about the perfidy and unchastity of his wife and faithlessness of Suvadana, Toppa got angry and approached the king. Though Dharana was unwilling to proceed, Toppa whom Dharana considered as his elder, pressed him. Suvadana was examined and afterwards Laxmi also was called. They totally denied the charge and even said that both of them Laxmi and 'Suvadana did not even know him. Dharana did not like to defend himself. Toppa however was very determined and even expressed to go through ordeals to set right the cause of Dharana. Dharana, seeing that he was putting Toppa in difficulty, said that the proof for the rightness of his cause existed as the gold-blocks were marked with his name. The goldblocks were asked for. The king saw them but he did not find Dharana's name on them.
