The Enchanted Parrot/Story 1

​

In a town called Chandravati there lived a certain Raja. His name was Bhima. A man called Mohana was also an inhabitant of the same town. He was the son of a prominent townsman, and was very rich. One day he fell in love with the wife of a fellow-citizen whose name was Lakshmi. So he got hold of a woman called Purna who was a sort of go-between in these matters, and commissioned her to take a message for him to Lakshmi when her husband was away from home. Purna, who had been handsomely feed, did as she was asked. She went to the house and said to Lakshmi, "There is a man here, in this town, who has fallen a victim to your attractions; I wish you would invite him to your house." "Well!" replied Lakshmi, "this seems to me hardly the sort of thing that a woman of respectable character ought to do, but as you seem to have made the bargain with him, I will do as you wish. For, as the saying is—

" 'Hari cannot avoid the deadly poison;

The tortoise bears up the world on his back;

The ocean endures the submarine fire in its depths;

Honest people always carry out their engagements.' " ​When she heard this Pûrnâ was charmed, and so in the evening she brought Lakshmi to her own house as the meeting place with Mohana. When it came to the point, Mohana was prevented from coming by an accident, and Lakshmî, who was anticipating some amusement, said : "Well! if Mohana can't come, you had better invite some one else." So Pûrnâ did as she was asked, and by some blunder or other brought Lakshmî her own husband as a visitor." The parrot continued: "Here was a pretty state of things; what do you suppose her husband did, and what do you suppose she did?"

Prabhâvatî and her friends replied: "We haven't the slightest idea; pray tell us what happened."

"Certainly," answered the parrot, "I shall be delighted to tell you, if you will wait here for a while."

They gladly assented, and after some time had passed, the parrot finished the story: "Lakshmî at once recognized her husband, and saying, 'Hullo! so it is you, is it? You have come back unexpectedly, have you?' seized him by his hair, and dragged him about saying, 'You scoundrel! You are always telling me that the only woman in the world you care for is your wife. Now I have found you out, and I will make you sorry for it.' Well, ​the end of it all was that Haridatta pacified his wife with some difficulty, and at last persuaded her to go home with him."

Prabhâvatî and her friends were enchanted with the story, and as night was now tolerably far advanced they all went to bed.