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874
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
DECEMBER, 1886.
earned the richest treasure the world can give lose yours, who is also a father to us. Nor do us by having met you."
we see why we should continue to live for ever His vague fears about the mansion and its in this wilderness, while you have a kingdom inmates suddenly melted away like snow before to govern. My advice is, that you go now to a powerful sun, when Thánujl saw the princesses Sivapuri, see your old father, and interest him in and stood listening to the speech of the eldest. our behalf, so that you may be able to take us He also considered that day the most glorious where we shall have a home, a father-in-law to of his life, and took leave of them for & few worship, and such society as becomes our posiseconds to secure his horse, which for all the tion. You will thus be able to arrange for our delight that had come to him he did not living in the world like other people, without forget. He then bathed hastily in the hot wasting our youth in this desert." water the ladies prepared for him, and after The prince thanked his queens for their praying to the great God, who had been so sound advice, who began to make preparations bountiful to him that day, sat down with three for sending their husband back to his parents. of the ladies to take his dinner. The fourth They supplied him with fine sweetmeats for attended to the leaf-plates, and supplied fresh the way, and, with the good wishes of his wives, courses as each dish was consumed. They Thâņaji started for Sivapuri. then related their previous stories to each He reached the town on the second evening other, and copiously did the prince shed tears, after be left the lacquered palace, but the when he heard bow it was that the princesses inhabitants were not able to recognize him, as came to perform penance to secure the favour it was already twilight. He arrived at the of Varalakshmi;-and the ladies, too, when palace at about the third ghalika of the they heard how king Isabhaji had worried night, and prostrated himself before his father. their husband to marry his one-eyed cousin, The old king had been counting the days and and how he had run away from the hunting the bours for his son's return, and as the second party to avoid the marriage which so disgusted year rolled away and the prince did not make him. All were glad at the fortunate turn his appearance, he had been greatly enraged their lives had taken, and from that evening against the sooth-sayer whose prophecy had thus the prince and the princesses began to live nearly proved untrue. The cunning sooth-sayer most happily together as husband and wives, had been daily predicting one week more entirely forgetting their former homes.
when, fortunately for him,-or the old king's Thus, hidden in an ocean of joy, Thâņuji lived wrath would have known no bounds, -and forfor two full years in the lacquered palace, in tunately for the old king himself, considering the company of the four princesses to whom his advanced age.--the prince suddenly turned fortune had conducted him; while they were | up. Isabhaji wept for mingled joy and sorrow; one and all grateful to their goddess Vara- joy at having recovered his son, and sorrow at lakshmi for having sent them so noble and that son's neglect of his old father for so long. beautiful a prince as their partner in life. But all is well that ends well, so the old king After two full years bad been thus passed, the praised his household gods for having given prince one day thought of his old father, and him back his son, and merely inquired into his the usual cheerfulness left his face. His history for the past two years. wives noticed the change and desired to be When Isabbaji found out that by good for informed of the thoughts which were passing tane his son had won the love of the four through his mind. He, noble in mind as in princesses of Tañjai, he wished his son every body, told them outright that he was thinking prosperity in the world, and gave him perof his father, and that the idea of not baving mission to makee very arrangements to bring seen him for two years made him sad. The them to the palace at Sivapuri, and to marry eldest princess as usual was the first to speak them regularly. But Thanuji wished to wait
“My dearest lord, it has been our misfortune a while, and his father allowed him his way. to have lost a father, and we do not wish to Now the news that Thåņuji had won the love see him again if we can help it. But we do of the four fair princesses of Taõjai reached his not see any reason, therefore, why you should aunt, the sister of Isabhaji, and his cousin, the
