was sent for by the king, who asked her if she had seen
or heard anything during the night. She tried very hard to escape
from betraying Patala; but she hesitated so much in her answers
that the king guessed there was something she wanted to hide, and
told her, if she did not reveal the whole truth, he would have her
head shaved and send her to prison. So she told how she had found
a handsome man, beautifully dressed, fast asleep in Patala's room;
but she did not believe her mistress knew anything about it, because
she too was asleep.

The king was of course in a terrible rage, and the lady was afraid
he would order her to be punished; but he only went on questioning
her angrily about what the man was like, so that he might be found
and brought before him. Then the lady confessed that she had put
the brooch in the turban, comforting herself with the thought that,
when the king saw Putraka and knew that Patala loved him, he might
perhaps relent and let them be married.

When the king heard about the brooch, he was greatly pleased; and
instead of ordering the lady to be punished, he told her that, when
the man who had dared to approach his daughter was found, he would
give her a great reward. He then sent forth hundreds of spies to
hunt for the man with a brooch in his turban, and Putraka was very
soon found, strolling quietly about in the market-place. He was so
taken by surprise that, though he had his staff in his hand and his
shoes and bowl in the pocket of his robes, he had no time to write
his wishes with the staff, or to put on the shoes, so he was obliged
to submit to be dragged to the palace. He did all he could to persuade
those who had found him to let him go, telling them he was a king and
would reward them well. They only laughed at him and dragged him along
with them to the palace, where he was at once taken before the king,
who was sitting on his throne, surrounded by his court, in a great hall
lined with soldiers. The big windows were wide open; and noticing this,
Putraka did not feel at all afraid, for he knew he had only to slip on
his shoes and fly out of one of the windows, if he could not persuade
the king to let him marry Patala. So he stood quietly at the foot of
the throne, and looked bravely into the face of his dear one's father.

This only made the king more angry, and he began calling Putraka all
manner of names and asking him how he dared to enter the room of his
daughter. Putraka answered