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THE ENCHANTED PARROT


splash, and thinking she had tumbled into the tank went out to see what had happened. Mugdhikâ immediately slipped into the house and bolted the door. Her husband then finding himself locked out, began to expostulate loudly, exclaiming, " My dear wife ! Pray let me in ! " He made such a noise that she was afraid he would bring the police to the house, so she opened the door and let him in, at .the same time saying: " In future, my dear, let us cease to find fault with one another."

Story XVII

In a city called Viśâlâ lived a devout Brâhman, and he had a son to whom he taught all the wisdom of the sacred scriptures. Now one day the son, whose name was Gunadhya,(took leave of his parents and went into a distant country, where his wisdom gained him a great reputation, and where he meditated long and earnestly, how he might gain some profit from his learning. At last he bought an ox, and with it he started on a journey. As he was leading it along the road, he caught sight of a very attractive damsel, so finding a person who was