विक्रम चरित (उज्जैन सम्राट् विक्रमादित्य - पराक्रम, न्याय एवं ३२ पुतलियों की कथा सटीक)

81

projects set before her for becoming rich and admired. She
continued performing the menial offices of the household,
which she contrived to master shortly after she had been
admitted into the house, and for which she received in
payment the undressed corn that had been agreed upon,
which she cooked in a separate shed in the yard, and partook
of in all humility. Thus lived this lovely princess, once
the admiration of all, and almost supreme in power, in the
household of this worthless creature, who had neither name,
character, or reputation. That critical period in the life of
a young woman—the birth of her first-born—was now fast
approaching, and the actress made every preparation for the
occasion. In this she was actuated more by certain designs
she had in view than by any motives of humanity. She had
a midwife ready at hand for the emergency that was now
momentarily expected. But we must here relate the
arrangements that had been entered into by the actress
with this personage: she told the midwife that it was her
desire that the princess should be delivered of a daughter,
but that should it prove otherwise, she calculated upon the
discretion and inventive powers of the matron to devise means
for substituting a girl in place of the boy, who must on all
accounts be removed. At the same time she informed the
midwife that the queen of that city was also far advanced in
pregnancy, and might not unreasonably be expected to
complete her time about the same period as the inmate of
her house. She threw out this hint, and left the midwife
to follow up the suggestion, who did not hesitate to enter
into the transaction with all the zeal and willingness which
the generality of her class not unfrequently display in cases
of this nature, however revolting to a conscientious mind,
when backed by the powerful and irresistible argument
of gold, of which the actress in this instance was very
profuse and liberal. She gave her a large purse for
present use, as she said, and with a promise of doubling
or even trebling it in the event of her success. The
object the actress had in view in this transaction we must
L