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JANUARY, 1897.)
FOLKLORE IN SOUTHERN INDIA; No. 43.
Navakõți could not believe his eyes and ears: but before he could think, the following Words fell upon his ears :-" If you are true to your salt, I order you to retire at once to the adjacent room and give your company to our servant waiting for you there, as a token of your fidelity to us. Of course, you must have already concluded that we are much above your humble company."
The sentence was not yet finished before Indumukhf retired like a slave obeying commands to the room pointed out, and Navakõți Narayana in the amazement that seized him did not even perceive her approach. The night soon passed away, and the day dawned. Before the servants could know anything of the previous night's affairs, Kesava Bhat was in the kitchen, and Navakoţi Narayana in his own place in his temporary residence. It is not necessary to state here that Indumukhî, too, was safely back in her own mansion.
Who was now the millionaire? The Subhadâr of the Cot! But of his grace he allowed freely, out of respect for the millionaire, half of his property to him. In a few days the pilgrimage was resumed. Banaras was reached. To the credit of our hero he requested the millionaire not to consider that there was any change in the positions of the master and servant till they returned to Tanjore. So keśava Bhat was all the while still only master of Navakoti Narayana 'Setti's kitchen. After staying for a month in the city of Banáras, the party commenced the return journey. Ever since that wonderful night at Vijayanagar, when & word of command from the Brahman to Indumukhi wae enongh to make her run like a slave to the closet of Navakoti Narayana, the millionaire had the greatest respect towards him. He considered him to be a naturally great person. On several occasions he asked our horo as to the cause of his powers, but with no sucoess. The more he thought of that nigkt the more he admired Keśava Bhat. That a woman of the position of Indumukhi should have obeyed at one word his head cook never ceased to astonish him. What was after all his own wealth ? He had only been able through his cook to secure the services of the woman, He never felt the loss of half of his property, for he had no children to whom to leave any property.
So, soon after reaching Tanjore, Navakõți Narayana Setti with pleasure parted with half of his property to our hero. The big mansion of the millionaire was also divided into two, and the eastern half, in front of which the Brahman had once held his conncil on the cot, came to his share. There was none to question his right now to hold his councils in his own house! Kētava Bhat, too, changed his humble manners, and became in erery sense the Subhadâr of the Cot, and regularly held his councils, with only this difference, that he no more paid quarter fanams for his temporary seat, shoes, etc., but had these as his own. He was now a rich millionaire himself, with his title of the Subhadar of the Cot firmly established. Thus passed a few months.
One day, while sitting in front of his house, Kattil Subhadar saw a person approaching him most humbly, and lay down a letter. He opened and read it. It was a letter from Nurzana, and to his utter bewilderment she had written to say that she would be in "Tanjore on the morning of the third day afterwards to pay her respects in person to the great Subhadâr of the Cot. It was happy news, that a lady of the position of Narzda should travel all along the way from Delhi to Tanjore reflected great credit on the name of the Subhadar. He was not now a mere empty man with an empty title. He was a millionaire, and had a house and establishment requisite to do honour to the grand visitor. But Késava Bhat had concluded that she had such an idea of his wealth and power that she had taken him to be equal, if not superior, to the emperor in riches, whereas he was after all only an ordinary millionaire. So imagining that he would not be able to do her proper respect, and trying, if possible, to drive her away without her seeing him, he devised various plans within himself. In the end he found that they would be of no avail. The best solution out of any difficulty was suicide, and agreeably to his nature he went to his favourite tree. The ever-merciful god again appeared in the form of a 'voice in space and demanded an explanation for his bold resolve.
