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234
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[AUGUBT, 1887
to put me to shame in the presence of these of her, and trembled for his life. Would the slave girls. What else did you mean by asking emperor order his head to be cut off the next me, who know nothing, as you know very morning? He did not like to say anything to well, to turn to the 11th page of that miser. his father, but waited to see how matters would able book P I simplified everything by tearing terminate. the book to pieces. There it lies. All my The morning dawned. The princess and ignorance is your fault!”
the Tûkkuttakki got np from their beds, and Thus said the Takkattakki, and the princess hastily took their breakfast, and when it was took him at his word, and setting him down for over the princess ordered him to go to a fool of the first water thought that she niast Ramachandra without losing any time. The have been unwise to have entertained suspi- Takknttükki rolled up the letter in half-acions about so simple a man. She praised all dozen handkerchiefs, taking care to knot each her household gods for giving her his services, of them in the presence of the princess. She and now that the emperor had given him the laughed at his acts and told him that all those privilege of passing and repassing the storeys of knots were more than enough for the safety of the mansion she thought of turning that privi- the letter. He then put the bundle under his lege to the best account. In a word she arm and started off at once. wished to employ him as a love-messenger to Now Krishna Singh had no idea of going to the Ramachandra, and to entrust him with her emperor with the letter, for he had long known letters to her lover! No sooner did this idea that the emperor intended giving him his strike her than she took up a piece of paper daughter in marriage; and, in spite of the and wrote thereon how she had been im- unfavourable opinion of him entertained by the prisoned, the unaccountableness of it, her an. people and the princess herself, he was sure diminished passion for him and her readiness of securing her hand. When a danger had to take up any course that he would re- occurred to his plans in the shape of a projected commend. Lastly, she requested Ramachandra elopement, he thought that unless he reported to relieve her from her imprisonment, to take the matter to the emperor and got the princess her somewhere or other, and there to marry into safe custody, he might lose her for ever; her. After writing the letter she signed it and so he had told him the story, and no doubt most affectionately,-subscribing herself as his the princess was safe enough now ! No Râmawife,-sealed it most carefully and gave it to the chandra could now steal her away. It was he Tâkkattäkki, asking him to take it unobserved that was to act the part of Ramachandra to Ramachandra, her schoolmate and the unknown to anyone, and prove what sort of minister's son. She also specially asked the man he was, and so falsify the general opinion Tûkkuttakki to be very careful about the entertained of him by others. He also thought letter, not to drop it anywhere from careless- that such a course would better secure him ness, not to show it to anyone and to arouse no the heart of the princess and the praises of suspicions by carrying it openly. The Tûkkut- her father. It was to encompass this end that tûkki asked her to disclose only to himself the he had worked for a long time; and he now contents of that letter about the safety of determined, if possible, to walk away with her which she was so very anxious. She laughed on the proposed eighth day, himself acting the at his foolishness and told him that it contained part of Ramachandra! He also thought that & paper of questions! The Takkuttökki pre- no ordinary course was now possible in so tended to be highly satisfied with her reply short a time as that. and promised to take the paper early in the Thus thinking he went down with the letter, morning to Ramachandra, as it was then soand, going to the búzár, bought paper, pen and
ink, and with these walked to the nearest As for poor Ramachandra, as soon as his jangle, where no one could see him. There he father told him about the mansion, he at once opened the letter, read the contents of it, and thought within himself that somehow or other at once began a reply, as if from Ramachandra his conversation with the princess had become to the princess; for be it remembered that the known to the emperor. He gave up all hopes Takkuttükki had always been in the same class
late.
