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house for a few days in order that she may see her mother.' The king said: 'What! do you not even know that kings' wives never see the sun?' Then the Bráhman, Agniçarman, went home, and told the whole occurrence to his wife. She said to herself: Alas! my scheme has not succeeded; so it is clear that the poison had no strength in it. I will send again, but cooked food this time, and will put another and a terrible poison in it.' Then she made some delicious pastry, and putting in it a terrible poison, she sent it again by the hand of the Bráhman. Again the Brahman went to sleep under the banyan-tree, and again the god removed the poison from the sweet pastry while he was asleep. This cooked food was praised in the king's palace like the sweetmeats. The Bráhman came back to his house as before, and told all to his wife. When she heard it, that wicked-minded woman was much grieved. One day she heard that Árámaçobha was pregnant. So she made some food mixed with tálaputa poison, and put it in the hand of the Bráhman, and again sent him off, saying That daughter of yours is pregnant; you must certainly bring her to her father's house, that she may give birth to her first child there.' The Bráhman started off, and, as before, the god took away the poison while he slept
on the way. He reached the king's palace and presented
the food, which was praised as before. When the Brahman was taking leave of his daughter in presence of the king, he asked that she might be sent to his house.* The king answered: 'Brahman, kings' wives never give birth to children in their fathers' houses.' Then the Brahman held a dagger to his breast, and said to the king: 'If you will not send her, I will involve you in the guilt of a Brahman's murder.' The ministers said to the king : 'Your majesty, this Bráhman is obstinate. Some time or other he will involve you in the guilt of killing a Brahman; so send the queen.' Then the king made great preparations, and sent her off with her father, and she went with him to his house. There she happily gave birth to a son.
One
* I have here inserted some words which the sense requires.
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