him,
weeping and tearing her hair. "Alas! alas!" she cried. "Why did you
marry a sorceress and bring such terrible misfortune upon us all!"

"What misfortune?" asked the Rajah. "What do you mean?"

His mother then told him that while he was away Guzra Bai had had
twenty-one beautiful children, but she had turned them all into
stones.

Chundun Rajah was thunderstruck. He called the wicked nurse and
questioned her. She repeated what the old Ranee had already told him
and also showed him the stones.

Then the Rajah believed them. He still loved Guzra Bai too much to put
her to death, but he had her imprisoned in a high tower, and would not
see her nor speak with her.

But meanwhile the little children who had been thrown out on the ash
heap were being well taken care of. A large rat, of the kind called
Bandicote, had heard them crying and had taken pity on them. She drew
them down into her hole, which was close by and where they would be
safe. She then called twenty of her friends together. She told them
who the children were and where she had found them, and the twenty
agreed to help her take care of the little ones. Each rat was to have
the care of one of the little boys and to bring him suitable food, and
the old Bandicote who had found them would care for the little girl.

This was done, and so well were the children fed that they grew
rapidly. Before long they were large enough to leave the rat hole and
go out to play among the ash heaps, but at night they always returned
to the hole. The old Bandicote warned them that if they saw anyone
coming they must at once hide in the hole, and under no circumstances
must any one see them.

The little boys were always careful to do this, but the little girl
was very curious. Now it so happened that one day the wicked nurse
came past the ash heaps. The little boys saw her coming and ran back
into the hole to hide. But the little girl lingered until the nurse
was quite close to her before she ran away.

The nurse went to the old Ranee, and said, "Do you know, I believe
those children are still alive? I believe they are living in a rat
hole near the ash heap, for I saw a pretty little girl playing there
among the ashes, and when I came close to her she ran down into the
largest rat hole and hid."

The Ranee was very much troubled when she heard this, for if it were
true, as she thought it might be, she feared the Rajah would hear
about it and inquire into the matter. "W