The Little Clay Cart | Page 7

OF THE PLOT
ACT I., entitled The Gems are left Behind. Evening of the first
day.--After the prologue, Charudatta, who is within his house,
converses with his friend Maitreya, and deplores his poverty. While
they are speaking, Vasantasena appears in the street outside. She is
pursued by the courtier and Sansthanaka; the latter makes her
degrading offers of his love, which she indignantly rejects. Charudatta
sends Maitreya from the house to offer sacrifice, and through the open
door Vasantasena slips unobserved into the house. Maitreya returns
after an altercation with Sansthanaka, and recognizes Vasantasena.
Vasantasena leaves a casket of gems in the house for safe keeping and
returns to her home.
ACT II., entitled The Shampooer who Gambled. Second day.--The act
opens in Vasantasena's house. Vasantasena confesses to her maid
Madanika her love for Charudatta. Then a shampooer appears in the
street, pursued by the gambling-master and a gambler, who demand of
him ten gold-pieces which he has lost in the gambling-house. At this
point Darduraka enters, and engages the gambling-master and the
gambler in an angry discussion, during which the shampooer escapes
into Vasantasena's house. When Vasantasena learns that the shampooer
had once served Charudatta, she pays his debt; the grateful shampooer
resolves to turn monk. As he leaves the house he is attacked by a
runaway elephant, and saved by Karnapuraka, a servant of
Vasantasena.
ACT III., entitled The Hole in the Wall. The night following the second
day.--Charudatta and Maitreya return home after midnight from a
concert, and go to sleep. Maitreya has in his hand the gem-casket which
Vasantasena has left behind. Sharvilaka enters. He is in love with
Madanika, a maid of Vasantasena's, and is resolved to acquire by theft
the means of buying her freedom. He makes a hole in the wall of the

house, enters, and steals the casket of gems which Vasantasena had left.
Charudatta wakes to find casket and thief gone. His wife gives him her
pearl necklace with which to make restitution.
ACT IV., entitled Madanika and Sharvilaka. Third day.--Sharvilaka
comes to Vasantasena's house to buy Madanika's freedom. Vasantasena
overhears the facts concerning the theft of her gem-casket from
Charudatta's house, but accepts the casket, and gives Madanika her
freedom. As Sharvilaka leaves the house, he hears that his friend
Aryaka, who had been imprisoned by the king, has escaped and is
being pursued. Sharvilaka departs to help him. Maitreya comes from
Charudatta with the pearl necklace, to repay Vasantasena for the
gem-casket. She accepts the necklace also, as giving her an excuse for a
visit to Charudatta.
ACT V., entitled The Storm. Evening of the third day.--Charudatta
appears in the garden of his house. Here he receives a servant of
Vasantasena, who announces that Vasantasena is on her way to visit
him. Vasantasena then appears in the street with the courtier; the two
describe alternately the violence and beauty of the storm which has
suddenly arisen. Vasantasena dismisses the courtier, enters the garden,
and explains to Charudatta how she has again come into possession of
the gem-casket. Meanwhile, the storm has so increased in violence that
she is compelled to spend the night at Charudatta's house.
ACT VI., entitled The Swapping of the Bullock-carts. Morning of the
fourth day.--Here she meets Charudatta's little son, Rohasena. The boy
is peevish because he can now have only a little clay cart to play with,
instead of finer toys. Vasantasena gives him her gems to buy a toy cart
of gold. Charudatta's servant drives up to take Vasantasena in
Charudatta's bullock-cart to the park, where she is to meet Charudatta;
but while Vasantasena is making ready, he drives away to get a cushion.
Then Sansthanaka's servant drives up with his master's cart, which
Vasantasena enters by mistake. Soon after, Charudatta's servant returns
with his cart. Then the escaped prisoner Aryaka appears and enters
Charudatta's cart. Two policemen come on the scene; they are
searching for Aryaka. One of them looks into the cart and discovers

Aryaka, but agrees to protect him. This he does by deceiving and
finally maltreating his companion.
ACT VII., entitled Aryaka's Escape. Fourth day.--Charudatta is
awaiting Vasantasena in the park. His cart, in which Aryaka lies hidden,
appears. Charudatta discovers the fugitive, removes his fetters, lends
him the cart, and leaves the park.
ACT VIII., entitled The Strangling of Vasantasena. Fourth day.--A
Buddhist monk, the shampooer of the second act, enters the park. He
has difficulty in escaping from Sansthanaka, who appears with the
courtier. Sansthanaka's servant drives in with the cart which
Vasantasena had entered by mistake. She is discovered by Sansthanaka,
who pursues her with insulting offers of love. When she repulses him,
Sansthanaka gets rid of all witnesses, strangles her, and leaves her for
dead. The Buddhist monk enters again, revives Vasantasena, and
conducts her to a