"and kill her there." Then he went back into the palace and began
to live in great happiness with Queen Chimadevrani. But the sepoys
took Patmadhavrani into the jungle and told her that they had been
ordered to kill her. She began to weep. The sepoys were kind-hearted
men and they felt very sorry for her. They said, "Lady, lady, do not
weep. We have eaten bread and drunk water at your hands so we cannot
kill you. We will leave you here, but you must never come back into
the kingdom again." The sepoys left her and returned to Atpat. But
the poor queen wandered on until she came to a distant town, where
she entered a coppersmith's lane. Therein a coppersmith was making
bangles for a beautiful young princess who had just been crowned
queen of the city. But suddenly none of the bangles would join. He
began to search for the cause, and asked his workmen whether any
stranger had come near his house. The workmen looked about and found
Queen Patmadhavrani in hiding close by. They told the coppersmith,
and he and his men beat her soundly and drove her away. She ran
into the lane of some weavers who were weaving a sari for the new
queen. Suddenly none of the looms would work. They began looking
about to see if any stranger had come. After a little while they found
the queen. So they beat her soundly and drove her away. Then she ran
out of the town back into the jungle. There she wandered about until
she came to the cave of a rishi or sage. The rishi was sitting lost
in meditation. But she bided her time, and, when he went to bathe,
she slipped into the cave and swept it and neaped it and tidied up
all the utensils used by him for worship. Then she slipped out of
the cave and ran back into the jungle. This went on every day for
twelve years without the rishi showing that he was aware of what she
was doing. But in his heart he was really pleased with her. And one
day he called out in a loud voice, "Who is it who sweeps and neaps my
cave? Whoever she is, let her step forward." The queen stepped into