The very evening of the day when Putraka heard about the princess, he
started on his journey, taking with him his bowl and staff. The old
woman gave him very careful instructions which way to go, and begged
him to come back to tell her how he had got on. He promised he would,
thanked her for all she had done for him, and flew away in a great
state of excitement. She watched him till he was quite out of sight,
and then went sadly into her lonely home, wondering if she would ever
see him again.
It was not long before Putraka came in sight of the palace. It was a
beautiful night, and the moon was shining full upon the room in which
the princess was asleep. It was a very big one, with costly furniture
and priceless tapestry hung round the walls, and there were doors
behind the tapestry leading to other apartments, in some of which the
attendants on Patala slept, whilst others kept watch lest anyone should
intrude upon their mistress. No one thought of guarding the windows,
for they were so high up that only a bird could reach them.
The young king alighted on the ledge of the window of the princess’
room, and looked in. There, on a golden bed, amongst soft cushions and
embroidered coverings, lay the most lovely creature he had ever beheld,
so lovely that he fell in love with her at once and gave a loud cry of
delight. This woke the princess, who started up and was about to scream
out aloud in her terror at seeing a man looking in at the window, when
Putraka with the aid of his magic staff made himself invisible. Then,
thinking she had been dreaming, Patala lay down again, and the king
began talking to her in a low voice, telling her he had heard of her
beauty and had flown from far away to see her. He begged her to allow
him to show himself to her, and added: “I will go away again directly
afterwards if you wish it.”
Putraka’s voice was so gentle, and it seemed to Patala so wonderful
that a man could fly and make himself invisible, that she was full of
curiosity to see him and find out all about him. So she gave her
consent, and immediately afterwards the young king stood within the
room, looking so noble and so handsome that she too fell in love at
first sight. Putraka told her all about his life and adventures, which
interested her very much. She was glad, she said, that he was a king;
but she would have loved him just as well, whoever he might have been.
After a long talk, Patala begged him to leave her for fear her
attendants should discover him and tell her father about him. “My
father would never let me marry you,” she declared, “unless you were to
come with many followers as a king to ask my hand; and how can you do
that when you are only a wandering exile?”
25. Was there any reason to fear that Putraka would be discovered when
he could make himself invisible at any moment?
26. What do you think would have been the right thing for Putraka and
Patala to do when they found out that they loved each other?