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320
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[NoveMBER, 1893.
ere well awake." The pari asked pardon of all the young men for having allowed them to lie there so long, bereft of sense and motion, and they willingly forgave her, and, seeing the coveted place by her side already occupied by one who appeared far above them all, both in looks and bearing, they bowed low their heads to Sürya and went their different ways.
Our hero then went home with his new pari and her Unchhatra-tree and soon there was another welling at the golden palace, and both the parís, being very sensible young ladies, lived harmoniously together as co-wives. But the old hag, who, up to this time, had been doing 1. best to lure pour Chanelrå to destruction, although without success, began now to find the
co too lot for her. for the pari of Unchhatra, who was as clever as she was beautiful, saw Touch the flimsy veil of friendship under which the wretch had been hiding her black perpose, and persided her husband to send her to the right about. So the crafty old woman had to return crustfallen into the presence of the Raja, who immediataly consigned her to the tendor mercies of the executioner for having failed to perform the task she had undertaken.
Now the good pari of Unchliatra, who was blessed with the faculty of knowing the past, the present, and the future, one day told Sûrya and Chandrà all the strange history of their birth and parentage, and they were agreeably surprised to learn that their father was a Raja, who lived in a city only abont ten ligt distant from their palace. The pari then advised them to arrange a grand feast, and invite the Raja and all his subjects to it. Sarya and Chandra did accordingly, and asked of the fire in the magic stove to erect for them a row of mandapas, stretching from the palace almost to the gates of their father's city, provided with every cuinfort and luxury, and soon there rose up in the jungle as magnificent a line of canvas structures as human eyes ever beheld before! Separate mandapas were set apart for each different caste of people, so that not only were the Brahinans and the Kshatriyas and the Vaisyas provided for, but cren the poor down-trodden 'Sudras were not forgotten! They, too, had a group of mundupas to themselves, fitted up and decorated in such a sumptuous style that the Rajâ, as he come to the feast with his three wives and a gay train of courtiers and followers, was nearly walking into one of them by mistake, and thus polluting himself! What then can we say of the range of mund pas that were set apart for the Råå himself and his Raņis! The ceiling was formed to resemble the lustrons concave of the sky, and was spangled with the brightest diamonds and sapphires to represent the Sun and the Moon and the Stars! The furniture and fittings also, which were of gold, silver and diamonds, were in perfect keeping with the magnificent ceiling - in short, there was nothing left to be desired.
Now the object of the pari of Unchhatra in getting her husband to invite the Râjâ to the feast with all his subjects, high or low, so that not a dog should be left behind, was, by that means to oblige him to bring also his discarded wife-the mother of his twin children, and therefore his most rightful Riņi. Bat when she was told that he had the effrontery to come without her, leaving her behind hemmed in between the four walls of her prison, when the whole town had turned out to the feast, she instantly ordered that but two seats, or rather masnads, were to be placed in the midst of the royal mandapa, and stood by watching as the Raja entered with his three wicked Raņis. Sürya and Chandrå lovingly escorted him to one of the seats of honour, and, as the elder of the Ranîs, who had taken the principal part in bringing about the ruin of the Brahman lady, and was now high in the Raja's favoar, moved forward to take the seat beside him, Unchhatra pulled her back, and demanded of the Râjâ whether it was she who had the right to occupy the seat of honour by his side! The Râjâ was nonplussed at this and said nothing, but, as the pari insisted upon knowing the truth, he had to confess that there was another, who had once a better right to fill that place, but had forfeited it when she was found out to be an impostor. Unchhatra then called upon him to explain what impostare it was that she had practised upon him, and he related how she had inveigled him into marriage with her by boasting that she was destined to be the mother of the Sun and the
1 About 20 miles.
