🧚 Opening, part 3 · page 2

But they said: “Do not be unkind, Balna.55 The girl would never be so cruel as to tell her mother.56 Let us instead ask her to come and have some of the fruit.”57 So they called to her, and gave her some of the pomelos.58

As soon as she could, however, she left the Princesses, and went to her mother, and told her all about the pomelo tree.59 She said she had eaten some, and they were the nicest she had ever tasted.60

This made the cruel Ranee very angry, and the next day she told the Rajah that she had a very bad headache, and would have to stay in bed.61

The Rajah was much upset, and asked what he could do for her.62

She replied that there was only one thing that would cure her, and that was to boil a fine pomelo tree, root and branch, that grew on his dead wife’s grave, and to put some of the water in which it had been boiled on her forehead.63 So the Raja did as the Ranee desired, and then she declared that she was quite well.64

Next day the Princesses went as usual to their mother’s grave, and when they found that the pomelo tree had disappeared, they wept bitterly.65

As they sat there crying they saw by the tomb a small tank filled with a rich cream-like substance, which hardened into a thick white cake.66 They ate some of this, and liked it.67 Next day the same thing happened, and so it went on for many days.68

The cruel stepmother said to her daughter: “I don’t understand this; I have had the pomelo tree destroyed, and yet the Princesses are as well as ever, although they never eat the dinner I give them.69 You must watch them again.”70

Next day, while the Princesses were eating the cream-cake, along came their stepmother’s daughter.71 Balna saw her first, and said: “Here comes that girl again.72 Let us sit around the edge of the tank and not allow her to see it, for if we give her some of the cake she will go and tell her mother, and that will be very unfortunate for us.”73

But instead of following her advice the other sisters gave the girl some of the cake, and she went straight home and told her mother all about it.74

This made the Ranee more angry than before, and she sent her servants to pull down the tomb and fill the little tank with the ruins.75 The next day she pretended to be very ill indeed, and told the rajah that she was at the point of death.76

This grieved him greatly, and he asked her if there were any remedy he could get for her.77 She replied that only one thing could save her life, but this she knew he would not do.78 He said that whatever it was, he would do it.79

Then she told him that if he would save her life, he must kill his seven daughters, and put some of their blood on her forehead and on the palms of her hands; that their death would be her life.80

This made the Rajah very sad, but he had promised, and feared to break his word, so with a heavy heart he went to seek his daughters, whom he found crying by the ruins of their mother’s grave.81

Knowing that he could not kill them he spoke kindly to them, and told them to come out into the jungle with him.82 There he made a fire, and cooked some rice, which they ate.83

It was a hot afternoon and all the Princesses fell asleep, and then the Rajah stole away and left them, saying to himself, “It is better that my poor daughters die here rather than be killed by their stepmother.”84

Then he shot a deer, and returning home, put some of its blood on the forehead and hands of the Ranee, who thought that he had really killed his daughters, and said she felt quite well.85

When the seven Princesses awoke and found themselves all alone in the thick jungle, they were frightened, and called out as loud as they could, hoping to make their father hear; but he was too far away by that time.86

It so happened that this very day the seven young sons of a neighboring Rajah chanced to be hunting in the same jungle, and as they were returning home, after the day’s sport was over, the youngest Prince said to his brothers: “Stop, I think I hear someone crying and calling out.87 Let us go in the direction of the sound, and find out what it is.”88

So the seven Princes rode through the wood until they came to the place where the seven Princesses sat crying and wringing their hands.89 At the sight of them the young Princes were very much astonished, and still more so on learning their story.90 They then decided that each should take one of the unfortunate young ladies home with him and marry her.91

The eldest Prince took the eldest Princess home with him and married her.92

The second took the second; the third took the third; the fourth took the fourth; the fifth took the fifth; the sixth took the sixth, and the seventh, the handsomest of all the Princes, took the beautiful and clever Balna.93

There was great rejoicing throughout the kingdom when the seven young Princes married the seven beautiful Princesses.94

About a year later Balna had a little son, and his uncles and aunts were so fond of him that he was in great danger of being spoiled.95 None of the other Princesses had any children, so Balna’s son was acknowledged their heir by all of them.96

They lived very happily for some time, when one day Balna’s husband decided to go out hunting, and away he went.97 They waited a long time for his return, but he never came back.98

His six brothers went in search of him, but none of them returned.99 And the seven Princesses grieved greatly, for they feared that their kind husbands had been killed.100

One day, not long after this, as Balna was rocking her baby’s cradle, and whilst her sisters were working in the room below, there came to the palace door a man in a long black cloak, who said he was a Fakir, and had come to beg.101 The servants would not let him enter the palace, saying that the Rajah’s sons had all gone away, and they feared that they were dead, and their widows must not be interrupted by his begging.102 But he said, “I am a holy man and you must let me in.”103 Then the stupid servants let him walk through the palace; they did not know that he was no Fakir, but a wicked Magician named Punchkin.104

He wandered through the palace, looking at the beautiful things there, and at length reached the room where Balna sat singing to her little boy.105 The Magician thought her more beautiful than all the other beautiful things he had seen, and he asked her to go home with him and to marry him.106 But she said: “I fear my husband is dead, but my little boy is still very young; I will stay here and teach him to grow up to be a clever man, and when he is old enough he shall go out into the world and seek news of his father.107 Heaven forbid that I should ever leave him, or marry you.”108