laughing at the ridiculous idea of the wrong heads. And the warrior king, who, like single-minded fathers in general, was ever in the idea that his son had a velleity for deriding and otherwise vexing him, began a severe course of reproof. He reminded the prince of the common saying that merriment without cause degrades a man in the opinion of his fellows, and indulged him with a quotation extensively used by grave fathers, namely, that the loud laugh bespeaks a vacant mind. After which he proceeded with much pompousness to pronounce the following opinion:
'It is said in the Shastras—'
'Your majesty need hardly display so much erudition! Doubtless it comes from the lips of Jayudeva or some other one of your Nine Gems of Science, who know much more about their songs and their stanzas than they do about their scriptures,' insolently interrupted the Baital, who never lost an opportunity of carping at those reverend men.
'It is said in the Shastras,' continued Raja Vikram sternly, after hesitating whether he should or should not administer a corporeal correction to the Vampire, 'that Mother Ganga[1] is the queen amongst rivers, and the mountain Sumeru[2] is the monarch among mountains, and the tree Kalpavriksha[3] is the king of
