So throw away that wretched piece of
thread. I will not let you wear it." The queen did as she was bid, and,
pulling off the thread bracelet, threw it on the floor. Next morning
the maids and the slave-girls began to sweep the palace, and among
the sweepings one of them noticed the queen's thread bracelet. She
picked it up and showed it to Wonderways, and he grew very wroth with
Queen Patmadhavrani. He took the thread and at once went with it to
the palace of the unloved Queen Chimadevrani. He told her what had
happened, and she begged him to give the thread to her and to tell
her how to worship Mahalaxmi. But he said, "You will grow vain and
get so conceited that you will not do what I tell you to do." But
she promised that she would obey him in everything. So just as he had
told the Queen Patmadhavrani, he told Queen Chimadevrani all the rites
which he had seen the serpent-maidens from Patala and the wood-nymphs
perform. Everything went on just the same for a whole year. But the
next year on the 8th of Ashwin a very strange thing happened.
Pages:
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57