she had never seen
before. It was pear shaped, and of such a vivid red that it seemed to
pulse and glow with light.

Suo looked at it with wonder and awe.

"If you wish to have it, it is yours," the beggar continued. "But I
must tell you one other thing. Whoever eats this fruit shall indeed
bear a son, but he will not be as other children. His life will not be
altogether within himself as with other people; it will be bound up
with an object quite outside of himself. If this object should fall
into the hands of an enemy that enemy could, by willing it, bring upon
him misfortune or even death, and this no matter how closely the child
was watched and guarded. And now, knowing this, do you still wish to
eat the fruit?"

"Yes, yes!" cried Suo.

"Then I will tell you what this object is and where it is to be
found," said the beggar. He drew still closer to the Ranee and
whispered in her ear, but though what he told her was so important Suo
paid but little attention to it; she thought only of the fruit, and
the happiness that might come to her if she ate it.

Now all the while the beggar had been talking to Suo, Duo had been
seated at her window just above them, and she overheard all that was
said. Only when the beggar came closer to Suo and whispered in her ear
Duo could not hear what he said, though she leaned out as far as she
could and strained her ears to listen. So, though she had learned that
if Suo had a child its life would depend on some object outside of
itself, she did not learn what that object was.

The beggar now gave the fruit to Suo, and she took it and ate all of
it. Not one seed or bit of rind did she miss. After that she went back
to her own apartments to dream upon the joy that might be coming to
her.

Within the year, even as the beggar had promised, Suo bore a child,
and this child was so large and strong and handsome that he was the
wonder of all who saw him.

The Rajah was wild with joy. He could scarcely think or talk of
anything but his son, and he showered gifts and caresses upon the
happy mother. Duo was quite forgotten. He never even went near her
apartments, and her heart was filled with jealousy and hatred toward
Suo and the little prince Dalim Kumar,--for so the child was named.
Nothing would have given her more joy than to be able to injure them
and bring sorrow and misfortune upon them.

Now as Dalim Kumar grew older he became very fond of a flock of
pigeons that his father had