overjoyed
at the sight. And all the neighbours were astonished, and said, "How
fast that fine melon plant has grown in the Brahmin's garden!"

Now it chanced that a woman who lived in a house close by wanted some
melons, and seeing what fine ones these were, she went down at once to
the Brahmin's house and bought two or three from the Brahmin's wife.
She took them home with her and cut them open; but then, lo and
behold! marvel of marvels! what a wonderful sight astonished her!
Instead of the thick white pulp she expected to see, the whole of the
inside of the melon was composed of diamonds, rubies and emeralds; and
all the seeds were enormous pearls. She immediately locked her door,
and taking with her all the money she had, ran back to the Brahmin's
wife and said to her, "Those were very good melons you sold me; I like
them so much that I will buy all the others on your melon plant." And
giving her the money she took home all the rest of the melons. Now
this cunning woman told none of her friends of the treasure she had
found, and the poor, stupid Brahmin and his family did not know what
they had lost, for they had never thought of opening any of the
melons; so that for all the precious stones they sold they only got a
few pice, which was very hard. Next day, when they looked out of the
window, the melon plant was again covered with fine ripe melons, and
again the woman who had bought those which had grown the day before
came and bought them all. And this went on for several days. There
were so many melons; and all the melons were so full of precious
stones, that the woman who bought them had enough to fill the whole
of one room in her house with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and pearls.

At last, however, the wonderful melon plant began to wither, and when
the woman came to buy melons one morning, the Brahmin's wife was
obliged to say to her, in a sad voice, "Alas! there are no more melons
on our melon plant." And the woman went back to her own house very
much disappointed.

That day the Brahmin and his wife and children had no money in the
house to buy food with, and they all felt very unhappy to think that
the fine melon plant had withered. But the Brahmin's youngest
daughter, who was a clever girl, thought, "Though there are no more
melons fit to sell on our melon plant, perhaps I may be able to find
one or two shriveled ones, which, if cooked, will give us something
for dinner." So she went out to look, and sear