st-Lady's
virtues, she always made people feel contented, and as if they were
doing the right thing. So even Prince Kumran, when he returned to Kabul,
though he frowned at the big, bold, frank-faced boy who claimed to be
the Heir-to-an-Empire which his own fingers itched to have, did not feel
inclined to interfere with his aunt. The truth being that, like the rest
of the family, he loved and trusted her beyond measure; perhaps more
than did any of his brothers, since she had brought him up as a child.
And she, in her turn, though she knew his faults, though she not only
bewailed them, but resented them, at times most fiercely, could not
forget that he had been her nursling, could not forget, above all, that
he was her dear brother Babar's son.

Thus all went smoothly in the Bala Hissar, where young Prince Akbar,
now close on three years old, looked and talked and acted like one of
six. This same strength of his was always getting him into scrapes with
people who did not believe he was so young, or, knowing him to be so
young, did not believe him to be so strong!

He played a similar trick to the one he had played on cousin Yakoob at
Kandahar on his big cousin Ibrahim, Prince Kumran's son. It was about a
fine kettledrum all tasselled in royal fashion, with gold and silver,
that Ibrahim's father had given him. Being a selfish boy, he would not
allow Akbar to touch it; whereupon the Heir-to-Empire, after a brief
tussle, carried off the kettledrum and beat it loudly through the
palace!

Kumran hearing of this was very angry, for the beating of a kettledrum
is a sign of Empire.

"Keep that young fighting cock of thine in better order, madam," he said
to his aunt, "or I shall have to find him a sterner gaoler."

Whereupon she flashed out and told him fairly that short of killing the
child, and for that crime even _he_ was not prepared, there was no way
of preventing the Heir-to-Empire from being what he was, a born king.
That was her way of quelling Kumran. By boldly setting aside the thought
of murder as impossible, she hoped to make it so; but she was not sure,
and after this she kept Mirak and Bija under control.

It was not much good, however, when just as autumn was coming on news
arrived from Kandahar that Humayon had at last succeeded in taking the
city, and, disappointed in not finding his son in the palace, was
preparing to march on Kabul.

Then the worst side of Prince Kumran showed itself at once. Like all