CHAPTER IV.
In the palanquin.
Now let us have the story of the ornaments. Moti made a present of an ivory box inlaid with silver for the preservation of ornaments. The robbers carried off only a small booty—they laid their violent hands on the articles she had near her person but nothing more than these. Nabokumar left one or two ornaments on Kapalkundala's body and put away the rest in the jewel-box. Moti left for Burdwan the next morning and Nabokumar with Kapalkundala went forth towards Saptagram. Placing Kapalkundala in the palanquin, Nabokumar put the jewel—box with her. The bearers, as a matter of course, trotted off at a fast pace and left Nabokumar a long way behind. Kapalkundala opened the palanquin doors and looked about enjoying the landscape. A beggar espied her and followed the palanquin droning piteously for alms.
"I have nothing with me" said Kapalkundala "So what can I give you?"
The beggar pointed to one or two ornaments Kapalkundala had on and said "How strange, mother! Pearls and diamonds gleam and glitter on your person and you have nothing to give away?"
"Are you satisfied if you get these?" asked Kapalkundala.
The beggar was stupefied. He pitched his aspiration a point higher and in a trice added "Of course I do."
Without a second thought, Kapalkundala gave away the jewel-box with all the jewelleries into the beggar's hands. She even tore off a few ornaments she had on her and made a gift of these. The beggar stared for a moment, with those droll expressions peculiar to the class. The servants and servant-maids did not have a scent of all this. The beggar's bewildered expression was, however, of a moment's duration. Immediately he gave his furtive glances all the country round and at a bound ran off with the ornaments.
"What made the beggar dash away for his dear life?" thought Kapalkundala.