and treacle. But the queen was too proud to do this. For she feared
that the people in the street would laugh at her if she sent her
husband five sers of flour mixed with ghee and treacle. So instead
she sent him five hundred rupees in a plate. But because the flour
and ghee and treacle were not sent, the king was unable to complete
his ceremonial, and it was all spoilt. And the god Shiva instead of
being pleased became very angry indeed. And he told the king that,
if he kept the queen as his wife, he would lose his kingdom and die
a beggar. Next day the king sent for his chief minister and told him
what had happened. At first the minister said, "The kingdom belongs
to the queen's father. If you drive her out your subjects will hate
you." But the king replied, "Yes, but not to obey the god's command
is a worse thing still." At last the minister agreed with the king,
and the order went forth that the queen should be driven out of the
city. So the queen was driven out and became quite poor and wandered
along the road. At last she came to a distant town and lodged there
with an old woman, who gave her food and drink. One day the old woman
sent the queen out to sell fruit puddings. As she went into the bazaar
a great wind came and carried off the fruit puddings. When she returned
to the old woman's house, the queen told her what had happened, and
the old woman drove her out of the house. Then she went and lodged
with an oilman, who had great jars full of oil. But one day she went
and looked inside the jars, and all the oil disappeared. So the oilman
drove her off out of the house. The queen left the town and walked
along until she came to a river with abundant water in it. But directly
her eyes fell on the water, it all flowed away and left the water-bed
quite dry. She then journeyed on until she came to a beautiful lake,
but when her glance rested on the lake, it became full of worms, and
the water began to stink. And, when the cowherds came as usual to
water their cattle, the cattle would not drink the stinking water,