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22
THE ENCHANTED PARROT


and after some reflection he hit upon the following expedient. He took Vimala's wives apart and said: " Pray tell me ! What presents did Vimala give you when he married you? How much money did he give you? What business does he carry on? What were his father and mother, and what is the position of his family? "

They answered his questions quite frankly, and he soon found out all he wanted to know. Then he put the same questions in their equivalent form to the two men. Their answers, of course, were quite different. So he decided that the true Vimala was the man whose answers corresponded with what the ladies had told him, and to him he restored his wives, while the other — the scoundrel — was turned out of the town.

Story IV

There is a Brâhman settlement called Somaprabhâ, and in it lived a Brâhman, famous for his wisdom and righteousness, named Somasama. His daughter was remarkable for her beauty and grace, but she had the reputation of being a witch.