IV.] BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. 275 _ members of Chand’s family were painted in living colours represented by the natural hues of precious stones. - With this fan in her hand, Behul@ landed on the banks of the river Gangoor. At that very moment her widowed sisters-in-law were coming to carry water, and were attracted by the fan, no less
than by the beauty of the sweeper-girl. While
examining the fan closely, they were struck with
wonder to see the likenesses of the members of
their own family painted upon the fan. They wanted
to know who this sweeper-girl was and what she
meant to do with the fan. Behula said that she
was called Behula, the sweeper-girl, her husband’s
name was Laksmindara, the sweeper, 200. 1015
father’s name was Chand, the sweeper, and her own
father’s name was Saha, the sweeper. The fan was
for sale, and its price was one lakh of rupees.
At this strange story the widows wept and went
speedily home to acquaint queen Sanaka with what
they had seen and heard. Sanaka ran to the house
of steel and to her surprise found the lamp still
burning and the rice still fresh on the golden plate.
Then she came to the bank of the river and seeing
the pictures on the fan and the face of the sweeper-
girl, which reminded her of Behula, she fell to
the earth and began to rend the air with loud
lamentations. Behula then said, ‘Mother, do
not weep. Look at your sons. Manasa Devi
has restored them to life. But we cannot enter
Champak Nagar until my father-in-law worships
Manasa Devi. So 1 have brought all of you here
by a device.”’
