She then ceased to attend the school, and Muttumôhanâ said to her:--
"My darling daughter, for the last seven or eight years you have been taking lessons under the Brâhmin, your master, in the various departments of knowledge, and you must now pay a large fee to remunerate your master's labours in having taught you so much. You are at liberty to take as much money as you please from my hoard."
So saying she handed over the key to her daughter, and Chandralêkhâ, delighted at her mother's sound advice, filled up five baskets with five thousand mohars in each, and setting them on the heads of five maid-servants, went to her master's house with betel leaves, areca nut, flowers and cocoanuts in a platter in her hand, to be presented along with the money. The servants placed the baskets before the master and stood outside the house, while Chandralêkhâ took the dish of betel leaves, nuts, &c., and humbly prostrated herself on the ground before him. Then, rising up, she said:--
"My most holy gurû (master), great are the pains your holiness undertook in instructing me, and thus destroying the darkness of my ignorance. For the last eight years I have been a regular student under your holiness, and all the branches of knowledge hath your holiness taught me. Though what I offer might be insufficient for the pains your holiness took in my case, still I humbly request your holiness to accept what I have brought."
Thus said she, and respectfully pushed the baskets of mohars and the betel-nut platter towards the Brâhmin. She expected to hear benedictions from her tutor, but in that we shall see she was soon disappointed.
"My dear Chandralêkhâ, do you not know that I am the tutor of the prince, the minister's son and several others of great wealth in Kaivalyam? Of money I have more than enough. I do not want a single mohar from you, but what I want is that you should marry me." [93]
Thus spoke the shameless teacher, and Chandralêkhâ's face changed colour. She was horrified to hear such a suggestion from one whom she had thought till then to be an incarnation of perfection. But, still hoping to convince him of the unjustness of the request, she said:--
"My most holy master! The deep respect I entertain towards your holy feet is such that, though your holiness's words are plain, I am led to think that they are merely uttered to test my character. Does not your holiness know the rules by which a preceptor is to be regarded as a father, and that I thus stand in the relationship of a daughter to your holiness? So kindly forget all that your holiness has said, and accepting what I have brought in my humble state, permit me to go home."