In the meantime little Prince No-tail and little Prince Cut-tail and little Prince Dock-tail had come up without the little daughter-in-law noticing them.  But when they saw the honour which she was paying their father, King Nagoba, and heard the prayer which she had offered on their behalf, they no longer wished to kill or bite the little daughter-in-law.  On the contrary, they made themselves known to her and stayed all that day in the house and were as good and as nice as possible.  When night fell, they drank the milk which she had offered to the snake-king.  And in its place they put a necklace with nine beautiful jewels in it.  Before day broke they went away quietly and returned to their father’s palace under the ground.  Next morning when the little daughter-in-law woke up she saw the lovely necklace lying where the milk had been.  She gave a shout of delight, and putting it round her neck, she ran all over the house showing it to everybody.  And every one was perfectly charmed with it.  And the snake-princes never again came to bite any one in that household.  And the little daughter-in-law and her husband and her father-in-law and little Prince No-tail and little Prince Cut-tail and little Prince Dock-tail, they all lived happily for ever so long afterwards.

CHAPTER X

Parwati and the Beggar-Man

Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat.  In It there lived a Brahman.  He had seven daughters, and when they had reached a marriageable age he asked them who would arrange their marriages and bring them handsome husbands and make their fortunes.  The six eldest daughters said, “Papa, Papa, you of course.  You will arrange our marriages and bring us handsome husbands and make our fortunes for us.”  But the youngest daughter was a naughty little girl.  She got into a temper all about nothing, and she stamped her foot, and she turned her back on her father and said, “I will arrange my own marriage, and I will get a handsome husband for myself, and I will make my fortune myself.”  The Brahman was very angry with her, and so how do you think he punished her?  He first searched about and found six rich and handsome boys.  Then he married them with great pomp and display to his six eldest daughters.  But the youngest girl he gave in marriage to a miserable beggar-man.  You never saw such a beggar-man as he was!  There was not a spot on his skin that was not black with leprosy, and his feet and hands had rotted right off.  If you had seen him you would have said, “If that beggar-man does not die to-day he will certainly die to-morrow.  For he cannot possibly live any longer!” When the marriage was celebrated, the little girl’s mother filled her lap with pulse and then handed her over to the beggar-man to see what sort of fortune would be hers.  But in a few days the beggar-man died.  His corpse was taken to the burning-ground, and his little widow followed it.  But when his