After some time the youth said to the householder, “Uncle, fulfil what you have promised.” The householder said to his wife, “Good wife, make all the preparations for a wedding. I am going to give my daughter in marriage.” The wife said, “O lord, as our daughter has not been promised to any one, how can she be given in marriage?”
He replied, “I shall give her in marriage.”
“To whom?”
“To this householder’s son.”
The wife said, “Shall I give my daughter in marriage to this fortuneless one, forsooth, who has grown up like white pepper? I shall marry her there where I find food and clothing.”
The husband rejoined, “Good wife, the youth has done me excellent service. If he goes away, I shall be obliged to plough my land myself.”
The wife replied, “I cannot give my daughter to this paltry fellow.”
Then the householder said to himself, “If I tell the youth that I am not going to give him my daughter, he will go away this very day, and I shall be reduced to great straits.” So he tried putting him off from time to time. When the youth again called upon him to fulfil his promise he replied, “O nephew, first of all make an end of [[317]]the rice-harvest, for I shall have to prepare rice-soup for a very large circle of relatives.”
When that was done, the youth called upon him to celebrate the wedding. The householder replied, “O nephew, as sugar-cane will be wanted, first of all make an end of the sugar-cane harvest.”
The youth did so, and then renewed his demand. The householder said, “O nephew, as bread will be needed, first of all make an end of the wheat-harvest.”