, as big as a carpet, Sonahri Rani in the middle and
the seven mothers round her, while they sewed, or wrote, and talked.
Hiralal then went to the Rakshas-Rani and said, "I could not get the
sari you sent me for, so I brought you these flowers instead." When
she saw the flowers she was frantic. She said, "My father, my mother,
my sisters, my brothers, don't care for me, not one bit! not one
scrap! I will never see their faces again--never! never! I will send
some other messenger to them."

One day the Raja's son came to Manikbasa and said, "Would you like to
see a grand sight?" Manikbasa Raja said, "What sight?" Hiralal said,
"If you would like to see a really grand sight you must do what I tell
you." "Good," answered Manikbasa, "I will do whatever you tell me."
"Well, then," said his son, "you must build a very strong iron house,
and round it you must lay heaps of wood. In that house you must put
your present Rani." So Manikbasa Raja had a very strong iron house
built, round which he set walls of wood. Then he went to his
Rakshas-Rani and said, "Will you go inside that iron house, and see
what it is like?" "Yes, I will," answered she. The Raja had had great
venetians made for the house, and only one door. As soon as the
Rakshas-Rani had gone in, he locked the door. Then Hiralal took the
little bird, a cockatoo, in which was the Rakshas-Rani's soul, and
showed it to the Rakshas-Rani from afar off. When she saw it she
turned herself into a huge Rakshas as big as a house. She could not
turn in the iron house because she was so huge. Manikbasa was
dreadfully frightened when he saw his Rani was a horrible Rakshas.
Then Hiralal pulled off the bird's legs, and as the Rakshas was
breaking through the iron house to seize Hiralal, he wrung the
cockatoo's neck, and the Rakshas died instantly. They set fire to the
walls of wood, and the body of the wicked Rakshas was burnt to fine
ashes.

The Raja's Wazir turned to the Raja and said, "What a fool you were to
marry this Rakshas, and at her bidding to send your seven wives and
your seven sons away into the jungle, taking out your seven wives'
eyes, and being altogether so cruel to them! You are a great, great
fool!" The poor Raja wept, and then the Wazir, pointing to Hiralal,
said, "This is your seventh and youngest Rani's son." The Raja then
embraced Hiralalbasa and asked his forgiveness. And Hiralal told him
his story, how he and his mothers had lived a long, long time in the
h