daughters on a carrying-pole. Pabhavati saw him climbing up with his load and thought, "He is doing the work of slaves and hirelings, work quite unsuitable for him. But if I hold my peace, he will think I approve of him and going nowhere else he will remain here, gazing at me. I will straightway abuse and revile him and drive him away, not allowing him to remain a moment here." So she left the door half open and, holding one hand on the panel with the other pressed up the bolt, and she repeated the second stanza:

Kusa, for thee by day and night
To bear this burden is not right.
Haste back, pray, to Kusavati;
Thy ugly form I'm loth to see.

[294] He thought, "I have got speech of Pabhavati," and pleased at heart he repeated three stanzas:

Bound by thy beauty's spell, Pabhavati,
My native land has little charm for me;
Madda's fair realm is ever my delight,
My crown resigned, to live in thy dear sight.

O soft-eyed maiden, fair Pabhavati,
What is this madness that o'ermasters me?
Knowing full well the land that gave me birth,
I wander half distraught o'er all the earth.

Clad in bright-coloured bark and girt with golden zone,
Thy love, fair maid, I crave, and not an earthly throne.

When he had thus spoken, she thought, "I revile him, hoping to rouse a feeling of resentment in him, but he as it were tries to conciliate me by his words. Supposing he were to say, "I am king Kusa," and take me by the hand, who is there to prevent it? And somebody might hear what we had to say." So she closed the door and bolted it inside . And he took up his carrying-pole and brought the other princesses their food. Pabhavati sent her humpbacked slave to bring her the food that king Kusa had cooked. She brought it and said, "Now eat." Pabhavati said, "I will not eat what he has cooked. Do you eat it and go and get your own supply of food and cook it and bring it here, but do not tell any one that king Kusa has come." The humpback henceforth brought and ate the portion of the princess and gave her own portion to Pabhavati. [295] King Kusa from that time being unable to see her thought, "I wonder whether Pabhavati has any affection for me or not. I will put her to the test." So after he had supplied the princesses with their food, he took his load of victuals and going out struck the floor with his feet by the door of Pabhavati's closet and clashing the dishes together and groaning aloud he fell all of a heap