Shiva. But do not wait for me. Just eat your breakfast directly you
feel hungry." He went out, and in a little time his wife began
to feel hungry. Nevertheless, she knew that, in spite of what
her husband had said, she ought not to eat anything while he was
worshipping Shiva. So she waited for a little time, but at last she
got so terribly hungry that she could not wait any more. So she sat
down and cooked her breakfast, and had just put one mouthful into
her mouth when her husband came to the outer door. "Wife, wife," he
called, "open the door!" Then the little wife got very frightened. She
pushed the uneaten breakfast under the bed, got up, washed her hands,
and opened the door. She then told her husband that she had waited
for him, and she cooked a fresh breakfast, which both ate one after
the other. Next Monday exactly the same thing happened. The little
wife cooked her breakfast and was just beginning it when her husband
came. She then hid her uneaten breakfast under her bed and pretended
that she had waited for his return. And on the two following Mondays
the naughty little wife deceived her husband in just the same way.

Now on the last Sunday in Shravan, when husband and wife went to lie
down, the former noticed a light shining under the bed. He looked to
see what it was, and saw several platefuls of jewels. He asked his wife
whence they had come. Now they were really the uneaten breakfasts,
which the god Shiva had turned into gold and jewels. But the naughty
little wife got very frightened and told her husband a bigger story
than ever. "They are presents," she said, "from my mother and father
and their family." "But where is your father's house?" asked the
husband. "It is in the sandy island," said the little wife, "which
lies in the dry bed of the river." "You must take me there," said her
husband. Next morning they started off together. And the naughty little
wife could hardly walk, she was so frightened. For she knew quite well