When Queen Patmadhavrani heard what had happened, she sent for Wonderways and asked him how to worship Mahalaxmi.  And he told her all that he had seen the serpent-maidens of Patala do, and he also told her on the eighth day of the month of Ashwin [10] to tie on her wrist a thread with sixteen strands in it, and to wear it continually for the rest of the month.  When the 8th of Ashwin came, Queen Patmadhavrani dutifully tied round her wrist a thread of sixteen strands, and resolved to wear it every day for the rest of the month.  But a day or two later the king came to Queen Patmadhavrani’s apartments and began to play saripat [11] with her.  As they played he noticed the thread on her wrist and asked what it was.  She told him how Wonderways had instructed her to tie it on.  But the king got very angry and roared out, “I have in my palace garlands and twine, bracelets, and hobbling-ropes.  So throw away that wretched piece of thread.  I will not let you wear it.”  The queen did as she was bid, and, pulling off the thread bracelet, threw it on the floor.  Next morning the maids and the slave-girls began to sweep the palace, and among the sweepings one of them noticed the queen’s thread bracelet.  She picked it up and showed it to Wonderways, and he grew very wroth with Queen Patmadhavrani.  He took the thread and at once went with it to the palace of the unloved Queen Chimadevrani.  He told her what had happened, and she begged him to give the thread to her and to tell her how to worship Mahalaxmi.  But he said, “You will grow vain and get so conceited that you will not do what I tell you to do.”  But she promised that she would obey him in everything.  So just as he had told the Queen Patmadhavrani, he told Queen Chimadevrani all the rites which he had seen the serpent-maidens from Patala and the wood-nymphs perform.  Everything went on just the same for a whole year.  But the next year on the 8th of Ashwin a very strange thing happened.  The goddess Mahalaxmi disguised herself as an old beggar-woman and came to Atpat.  First she went to the part of the palace where Queen Patmadhavrani lived.  But no one there was paying the least honour to the goddess Mahalaxmi, although it was the 8th of Ashwin, and therefore specially sacred to her.  Mahalaxmi was dreadfully put out at this, and when she saw Queen Patmadhavrani she said, “Lady, lady, Patmadhavrani, mother of sons, what have you in your house to-day?” The queen replied, “I have nothing in my house to-day.”  The old woman went on, “Lady, lady, Patmadhavrani, mother of sons, if you give this beggar-woman a little water, you will acquire merit sufficient for all your kingdom.”  But the queen replied, “Even if I were to give you a copper cauldron of water it would not suffice for all my kingdom.”  The old woman then said, “Lady, lady, Patmadhavrani, mother of sons, if you give this old beggar-woman a little rice and curds, you will gain enough merit for all your kingdom.”  The queen replied, “Even if I were to give you