Page:The Dravidian Nights Entertainments.djvu/51

Rh them, the second son flew back, assuming the shape of a kite, in the same night to his master's house, and resuming his former shape fell in sound slumber.

Soon as the morning dawned, the father-king and the mother-queen set out to the Brahman teacher's village, which they reached after several days' journey. They entered his house. The teacher welcomed them with a cheerful countenance and made arrangements for giving them a grand dinner. Secretly he called a student to his side and sent him to fetch the eldest son who was grazing the cattle. As soon as the boy arrived, he dressed him up with all pomp and sent him to the school as the monitor of the highest class. And he made the second son to sit in the scorching sun, as a fit punishment, as he said, for his not studying his lesssonslessons [sic] well. The parents saw what was before them, and concluded with themselves of the extreme truthfulness in the second sop's statement.

The feasts were over. The master was over-hospitable to his poor but royal guests. He extolled the high proficiencies of the eldest son, and of his having raised himself by his own exertions to a monitor's position in the highest class of the school ; and he also spoke very poorly of the attainments of the second son, who spent the greater portion of the day in sitting in the sun for his carelessness and stupidity.