son was born, and she called him Muchie-Lal[1] after the Muchie-Rajah, his father. Muchie-Lal was a lovely child, merry and brave, and his playmates all day long were the young Cobras.[2] When he was about three years old, a Bangle-seller came by that way, and the Muchie-Ranee bought some bangles from him and put them on her boy's wrists and ankles; but by next day, in playing, he had broken them all. Then, seeing the Bangle-seller, the Ranee called him again and bought some more, and so on, every day, until the Bangle-seller got quite rich from selling so many bangles for the Muchie-Lal; for the Cobra's hole was full of treasure, and he gave the Muchie-Ranee as much money to spend every day as she liked. There was nothing she wished for he did not give her, only he would not let her try to get home to her husband, which she wished more than all. When she asked him he would say, 'No, I will not let you go. If your husband comes here and fetches you, it is well; but I will not allow you to wander in search of him through the land alone.'
And so she was obliged to stay where she was.
All this time the poor Muchie-Rajah was hunting in every part of the country for his wife, but he could learn no tidings of her. For grief and sorrow at losing her he had gone wellnigh distracted, and did nothing but wander from place to place crying, 'She is gone! she is gone!' Then, when he had long inquired without avail of all the people in her native village about her, he one day met a Bangle-seller, and said to him, 'Whence do you come?' The Bangle-seller answered, 'I have just been selling bangles to some people who live in a Cobra's hole in the riverbank.'—'People! what people?' asked the Rajah. 'Why,' answered the Bangle-seller, 'a woman and a child—the child is the most beautiful I ever saw. He is about three years old, and, of course, running about, is always breaking his bangles, and his mother buys him new ones every day!'—'Do you know what the child's name is?' said the Rajah. 'Yes,' answered the Bangle-seller carelessly, 'for the lady always calls him her Muchie-Lal,'—'Ah!' thought the Muchie-Rajah, 'this must be my wife.' Then he said to him again, 'Good Bangle-seller, I would see these strange people of whom you speak; cannot you take me there?'—' Not to-night,' replied the Bangle-seller; 'daylight has gone, and we should only frighten them; but I shall be going there again tomorrow, and then you may come too. Meanwhile, come and rest
