To-morrow the king will come.  He will be thirsty.  He will send his sepoys to look for water.  They will see all your things ready.  And when they go back and tell him, he will come himself.”  Next morning, as the goddess had foretold, the king came.  He saw the cool shade of the tree.  He was tired with hunting, so he sat down and rested.  He washed his feet in the foot-bath.  He ate up all the fruit, drank the cold water, and sucked the stick of camphor.  When he had rested to his heart’s content, he asked the sepoy, “How is it that in the water I drank, in the fruit I took, in the camphor I ate, I noticed a scent which Patmadhavrani always used?” The sepoys replied, “If the king promises to pardon us, we will tell him.”  The king promised.  The sepoys then told him how they had not killed the queen, because they had eaten bread and had drunk water at her hands, but had let her go.  The king told them to look and see if she was anywhere about.  They searched and searched until they came to the rishi’s cave.  Then they ran back and told the king.  The king rose, and going to the cave did homage to the rishi.  The rishi accepted the homage and lectured him at great length.  At last he ordered the king to prostrate himself before the queen.  The king obeyed, and the rishi handed Patmadhavrani back to his care and blessed both her and her husband.  The king put her in his chariot and took her to Atpat.  Outside the town the king stopped his chariot and sent for Queen Chimadevrani Chimadevrani bathed and anointed herself, and put on all her silk clothes, her shawls, her embroideries, and her jewels.  In front of her she placed all the horn-blowers of Atpat.  And as she went to meet the king they blew their very loudest on their horns.  The king was amazed when he heard the noise, and roared out, “Who is coming with such pomp and splendour?  Is it the serpent-maidens of Patala or is it the wood-nymphs who live in the heart of the forest?” The sepoys said, “O King, it is neither the serpent-maidens of Patala nor is it the wood-nymphs who live in the heart of the forest.  It is Queen Chimadevrani, who is coming to meet you as you ordered.”  The king turned to Patmadhavrani and said, “If you had come in this guise to meet me, instead of coming like a mad woman, you would never have suffered as you did.”  Queen Patmadhavrani said nothing, but sat still in the chariot, and the king lifted Queen Chimadevrani into the chariot, and all three entered the city.  And as they entered, the horn-blowers blew so loud that every one was quite deafened.  And the king lived from that time forth in perfect happiness with both his wives.  And because of his happiness, he ruled so well that his subjects thought that King Ramchandra of Ayodhya had come back to rule over them.

CHAPTER VIII

The Island Palace