Page:The Enchanted Parrot.djvu/53

Rh into that tree and hide yourself; " which he did, leaving his coat on the ground at the foot of the tree. Presently her husband came up, and seeing the coat said: " Hullo ! what is this? " " Oh! nothing," replied his wife; " it is only the coat of a man who is escaping from his creditors, and he climbed up into this tree in such a hurry to get out of their way that he left his coat behind him." When the potter heard this he called to the man who was up the tree and bid him come down. Accordingly the quasi-fugitive came down with some misgivings, but they were quickly dispelled, for the lady's husband invited him into the house and entertained him hospitably, while Sobhikâ was delighted at the success of her stratagem.

In a town called Nâgapura there lived a merchant whose wife was Râjikâ. She was a good-looking but a frivolous person, though her husband knew nothing about the way in which she used to go on. One day he had gone to dinner, when she saw one of her admirers coming, whom she had invited to come and see her. So she went to her husband