"After this she put out the fire by throwing water on it, and taking the charcoal, sent the old woman to sell it, and with the money to procure some herbs, ghee, curds, tamarind fruit, spices, salt, myrobalan, and sesamum oil. When these things were brought, she mixed the myrobalan, finely pounded, with salt, and desired the nurse to give it with the sesamum oil to the young brahman, and tell him to go and bathe and anoint himself; and he having received these things, went to bathe.
"When he was returned and comfortably seated, she gave him to drink rice liquor, mixed with spices and cooled by fanning, and he was much refreshed by it; afterwards, soup made with some of the liquor, a few spoonfuls of rice, butter, and spices; and, lastly, the rest of the rice mixed with curds, buttermilk, and several condiments, and he had plenty, though some was left.
"When he had finished, he asked for drink. She gave him water in a new cooler, sweetened and perfumed with lotus and other flowers; and it looked and felt so cool, gurgled so pleasantly, and tasted so sweet, that all his senses were gratified, and he drank eagerly again and again.
"After waiting on him in this manner, as soon as the dishes and the remains of the meal had been removed by the old nurse, she sat down beside him, arranging her scanty patched dress as well as she was able.
"The young brahman having thus satisfied himself of the capabilities of the maiden, made known his real name and position to her parents, and they having gladly accepted him, he married the girl in due form, and took her home to his own house.
"Not very long afterwards, with very little consideration for her, he took to himself another wife, a woman of bad character; yet such was the sweetness of temper of the first, that she showed no anger at this, but continued to treat her husband with all due honour and respect, and so gained over her fellow-wife that she became her dearest friend. At the same time she managed the household admirably, keeping everything in order, yet making all the servants attached to her. In short, she acted in such a manner that she entirely gained the respect and affection of her husband, and he enjoyed great happiness, and trusted and consulted her in all affairs.
"Therefore I say that the best thing for a householder is to have a good wife."
Then, in illustration of the third answer, I related the story of Ratnavati. "There was, in a town in the country of Surat, a rich ship-captain who had a daughter named Ratnavati. She was married to Balabhadra, the son of a merchant living in another town. For some reason he took a sudden dislike to his bride on the very day of the wedding, and though she continued to live in his house, avoided her as much as possible, and would never speak to her, notwithstanding the remonstrances of his friends. The rest of the family and the servants, seeing this, treated her with neglect and contempt, so that she led a most wretched life.
"One day, wandering about disconsolate, she met with an old woman, a buddhist mendicant, who, seeing her weeping and looking miserable, asked her the reason. She, thinking that this woman might possibly be possessed of some charm capable of bringing back her husband's affections, half unwillingly told her the cause of her grief.
"'On the very day of our marriage my husband, from some cause or other, took a sudden dislike to me, and since then he has treated me with neglect and contempt, so that I hardly ever see his face, and then only by chance for a moment, for he avoids me as much as possible; his family also, following his example, behave to me with great unkindness. I have no comfort or happiness, and only wish for death. But you must not tell this to any one; I would not on any account have my misfortune talked about.'