THE WRECK
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Kamala. "Why should we suppose it? Wasn't he really king of Conjeveram?"
Ramesh, "Of course he was! Would you like to know his name too? His name was Amar Singh."
Kaniala. "You haven't told me the name of the girl — the very beautiful daughter."
Ramesh. "Sorry, I forgot that too. Her name was — her name was — oh, yes, her name was Chandra — — "
Kamala. "It's extraordinary how you forget things. Why you forgot my name even!"
Ramesh. "Well, when the king of Oudh heard this from the minstrel-- — "
Kamala. "What's this about the king of Oudh? you said he was king of Madura!"
Ramesh, "You don't surely suppose that he was king of only one country ! He was king of Oudh and of Madura too."
Kamala, "They were adjoining kingdoms, I sup- pose."
Ramesh. "Just next door to each other."
As he proceeded the vigilant Kamala detected other contradictions, but finally he succeeded in reconciling all discrepancies, and launched forth into the follow- ing narrative:
"Ranjit Singh, king of Madura, despatched a herald to the king of Conjeveram asking for the princess's hand in marriage. Amar Singh, king of Conjeveram, readily gave his consent to the match.
"Then Indrajit Singh, Ranjit Singh's younger brother, marched his forces into Amar Singh's king- dom with banners flying and a great clamour of drums and trumpets and camped in the royal park. Con- jeveram city held high revel in honour of the happy occasion.
"The royal astrologers made their calculations and fixed upon an auspicious day and hour for the wed- ding. The time chosen was the twelfth night of the
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