o him. Days passed by, and
at last the rajah became so possessed with the thought of the holy man
that he determined if possible to get him all to himself. So he built in
the neighbourhood a little shrine, with a room or two added to it, and a
small courtyard closely walled up; and, when all was ready, besought the
jogi to occupy it, and to receive no other visitors except himself and
his queen and such pupils as the jogi might choose, who would hand down
his teaching. To this the jogi consented; and thus he lived for some
time upon the king's bounty, whilst the fame of his godliness grew day
by day.

Now, although the rajah of Rahmatabad had no son, he possessed a
daughter, who as she grew up became the most beautiful creature that eye
ever rested upon. Her father had long before betrothed her to the son of
the neighbouring rajah of Dilaram, but as yet she had not been married
to him, and lived the quiet life proper to a maiden of her beauty and
position. The princess had of course heard of the holy man and of his
miracles and his fasting, and she was filled with curiosity to see and
to speak to him; but this was difficult, since she was not allowed to go
out except into the palace grounds, and then was always closely guarded.
However, at length she found an opportunity, and made her way one
evening alone to the hermit's shrine.

Unhappily, the hermit was not really as holy as he seemed; for no sooner
did he see the princess than he fell in love with her wonderful beauty,
and began to plot in his heart how he could win her for his wife. But
the maiden was not only beautiful, she was also shrewd; and as soon as
she read in the glance of the jogi the love that filled his soul, she
sprang to her feet, and, gathering her veil about her, ran from the
place as fast as she could. The jogi tried to follow, but he was no
match for her; so, beside himself with rage at finding that he could not
overtake her, he flung at her a lance, which wounded her in the leg. The
brave princess stooped for a second to pluck the lance out of the wound,
and then ran on until she found herself safe at home again. There she
bathed and bound up the wound secretly, and told no one how naughty she
had been, for she knew that her father would punish her severely.

Next day, when the king went to visit the jogi, the holy man would
neither speak to nor look at him.

'What is the matter?' asked the king. 'Won't you speak to me to-day?'

'I have noth