ing that Moti had stolen
one of their horses and would not give it up nor pay for it.

Presently a soldier came to summon Moti to the king; and, when he
arrived and made his obeisance, the king began to question him as to why
he had galloped off with the horse in this fashion. But Moti declared
that he had got the animal in exchange for fifty pieces of silver,
whilst the horse merchants vowed that the money they had on them was
what they had received for the sale of other horses; and in one way and
another the dispute got so confusing that the king (who really thought
that Moti had stolen the horse) said at last, 'Well, I tell you what
I will do. I will lock something into this box before me, and if he
guesses what it is, the horse is his, and if he doesn't then it is
yours.'

To this Moti agreed, and the king arose and went out alone by a
little door at the back of the Court, and presently came back clasping
something closely wrapped up in a cloth under his robe, slipped it into
the little box, locked the box, and set it up where all might see.

'Now,' said the king to Moti, 'guess!'

It happened that when the king had opened the door behind him, Moti
noticed that there was a garden outside: without waiting for the king's
return he began to think what could be got out of the garden small
enough to be shut in the box. 'Is it likely to be a fruit or a flower?
No, not a flower this time, for he clasped it too tight. Then it must
be a fruit or a stone. Yet not a stone, because he wouldn't wrap a dirty
stone in his nice clean cloth. Then it is a fruit! And a fruit without
much scent, or else he would be afraid that I might smell it. Now what
fruit without much scent is in season just now? When I know that I shall
have guessed the riddle!'

As has been said before, Moti was a country lad, and was accustomed
to work in his father's garden. He knew all the common fruits, so he
thought he ought to be able to guess right; but so as not to let it
seem too easy, he gazed up at the ceiling with a puzzled expression, and
looked down at the floor with an air or wisdom and his fingers pressed
against his forehead, and then he said, slowly, with his eyes on the
king,--

'It is freshly plucked! It is round and it is red! It is a pomegranate!'

Now the king knew nothing about fruits except that they were good to
eat; and, as for seasons, he asked for whatever fruit he wanted whenever
he wanted it, and saw that he got it; so to hi