But the goddess was still
very angry with the queen. Then the rishi joined her in begging the
goddess's pardon, and at last she relented. She said to the queen,
"Put under that tree a foot-bath full of water, sandal-wood ointment,
plates full of fruit, a stick of camphor, fans made of odorous
grasses; and handle them all so that they retain the fragrance of
some scent which the king will remember you used. To-morrow the king
will come. He will be thirsty. He will send his sepoys to look for
water. They will see all your things ready. And when they go back and
tell him, he will come himself." Next morning, as the goddess had
foretold, the king came. He saw the cool shade of the tree. He was
tired with hunting, so he sat down and rested. He washed his feet
in the foot-bath. He ate up all the fruit, drank the cold water,
and sucked the stick of camphor. When he had rested to his heart's
content, he asked the sepoy, "How is it that in the water I drank,
in the fruit I took, in the camphor I ate, I noticed a scent which
Patmadhavrani always used?" The sepoys replied, "If the king promises
to pardon us, we will tell him.
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