m only for
common fruit, and wished to give them to the child to eat. She was
very angry when the princess hastily took them from her and hid them
in her dress, while she went to the market and bought the three finest
pomegranates she could find, which she handed the old woman for the
little boy.

Then she bought beautiful new clothes for all of them, and when they
were dressed they looked as fine as could be. Next, she took out one
of the precious stones which her husband had sent her, and placed it
in a small silver box. This she wrapped up in a handkerchief
embroidered in gold, and filled the old woman's pockets with gold and
silver pieces.

'Go, dear mother,' she said, 'to the palace, and present the jewel to
the king, and if he asks you what he can give you in return, tell him
that you want a paper, with his seal attached, proclaiming that no one
is to meddle with anything you may choose to do. Before you leave the
palace distribute the money amongst the servants.'

The old woman took the box and started for the palace. No one there
had ever seen a ruby of such beauty, and the most famous jeweller in
the town was summoned to declare its value. But all he could say was:

'If a boy threw a stone into the air with all his might, and you could
pile up gold as high as the flight of the stone, it would not be
sufficient to pay for this ruby.'

At these words the king's face fell. Having once seen the ruby he
could not bear to part with it, yet all the money in his treasury
would not be enough to buy it. So for a little while he remained
silent, wondering what offer he could make the old woman, and at last
he said:

'If I cannot give you its worth in money, is there anything you will
take in exchange?'

'A paper signed by your hand, and sealed with your seal, proclaiming
that I may do what I will, without let or hindrance,' answered she
promptly. And the king, delighted to have obtained what he coveted at
so small a cost, gave her the paper without delay. Then the old woman
took her leave and returned home.

The fame of this wonderful ruby soon spread far and wide, and envoys
arrived at the little house to know if there were more stones to sell.
Each king was so anxious to gain possession of the treasure that he
bade his messenger outbid all the rest, and so the princess sold the
two remaining stones for a sum of money so large that if the gold
pieces had been spread out they would have reached from here to the