Ranee, but she said no more to her husband; she sent, however, for all the wise people and seers and conjurors in the land, and inquired of them whether there existed no means of dissolving the children's affection for each other; they answered they knew of none. At last one old Nautch woman came to the Ranee and said, 'I can do this thing that you wish, but for it you must give me a great reward.' Then the Ranee gave the old woman an enormous bag full of gold mohurs, and said, 'This I give you now, and if you succeed in the undertaking I will give you as much again.' So this wicked old woman disguised herself in a very rich dress, and went to a garden-house which Chandra Rajah had built for his son, and where Rama Rajah and Luxman, the young Wuzeer, used to spend the greater part of their playtime. Outside the house was a large well and a fine garden. When the old woman arrived, the two boys were playing cards together in the garden close to the well. She drew near, and began drawing water from it. Rama Rajah, looking up, saw her, and said to Luxman, 'Go, see who that richly dressed woman is, and bring me word.' The Wuzeer's son did as he was bidden, and asked the woman what she wanted. She answered, 'Nothing, oh nothing,' and nodding her head went away; then, returning to the Ranee, she said, 'I have done as you wished, give me the promised reward,' and the Ranee gave her the second bag of gold. On Luxman's return, the young Rajah said to him, 'What did the woman want?' Luxman answered, 'She told me she wanted nothing.' 'It is not true,' replied the other angrily; 'I feel certain she must have told you something. Why should she come here for no purpose? It is some secret which you are concealing from me; I insist on knowing it.' Luxman vainly protesting the contrary, they quarrelled and then fought, and the young Rajah ran home very angry to his father. 'What is the matter, my son?' said he. 'Father,' he answered, 'I am angry with the Wuzeer's son. I hate that boy; kill him, and let his eyes be brought to me in proof of his death, or I will not eat my dinner.' Chandra Rajah was very much grieved at this, but the young Rajah would eat no dinner, and at last his father said to the Wuzeer, 'Take your son away, and hide him, for the boys have had a quarrel.' Then he went out and shot a deer, and showing its eyes to Rama, said to him, 'See, my son, the good Wuzeer's son has by your order been deprived of life;' and Rama Rajah was merry, and ate his dinner. But a while after he began to miss his
