amount of grain in the jars, and she prepared a splendid dinner. So
when the family came home they were delighted. They could no longer
restrain their curiosity, and exclaimed, "Where did all this food come
from?" The little daughter-in-law told them about the beggar covered
with sores and about his blessing. To test her story, they looked for
the folded leaves which he had stuck into a corner of the roof. They
found them, but when they pulled them out they were full of pearls and
diamonds. Then the old Brahman guessed that the beggar was Saturn in
disguise, and he also understood why, when the other two
daughters-in-law gave him nothing and were cursed by him, there was
nothing for dinner. So they all knelt down and prayed to Saturn, and
the god forgave the two-daughters-in-law who had given him nothing.
And he was more pleased than ever with the little daughter-in-law who
had befriended him. And so they all lived happily ever afterwards. And
may Saturn be pleased with us all as he was with the little
daughter-in-law.



CHAPTER VII

Mahalaxmi and the Two Queens

Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there lived
a king who had two queens. Of one of them he was very fond, but
the other one he did not care for. The name of the favoured one was
Patmadhavrani, and the name of the unloved one was Chimadevrani. Now
the king had an enemy called Nandanbaneshwar. Such a terrible enemy
he was too! He could jump into the clouds or dive into the bottom of
the ocean. At one moment he would shoot up into heaven. At another he