hty prince, hearing of his
wonderful gifts, has come to our land to ask for an interview with
him. Then I will tell him that I have seen you, fallen in love with
you, and want to marry you. He will be flattered to think his fame
has spread so far, and will want to see you, even if he refuses to
let me be your wife. I will lead you to his presence and leave you
with him alone. If you really love me, you will find the way to win
his consent; but you must keep out of his sight till I have prepared
the way for you. Come with me now, and I will show you a hiding-place."

Rupa-Sikha then led the prince far away into the depths of the forest,
and showed him a large tree, the wide-spreading branches of which
touched the ground, completely hiding the trunk, in which there
was an opening large enough for a man to pass through. Steps cut
in the inside of the trunk led down to a wide space underground;
and there the magician's daughter told her lover to wait for her
return. "Before I go," she said, "I will tell you my own password,
which will save you from death if you should be discovered. It is
LOTUS FLOWER; and everyone to whom you say it, will know that you
are under my protection."

When Rupa-Sikha reached the palace she found her father in a very bad
humour, because she had not been to ask how the wound in his breast
was getting on. She did her best to make up for her neglect; and when
she had dressed the wound very carefully, she prepared a dainty meal
for her father with her own hands, waiting upon him herself whilst
he ate it. All this pleased him, and he was in quite an amiable mood
when she said to him:

"Now I must tell you that I too have had an adventure. As I was
gathering herbs in the forest, I met a man I had never seen before,
a tall handsome young fellow looking like a prince, who told me he
was seeking the palace of a great and wonderful magician, of whose
marvellous deeds he had heard. Who could that magician have been but
you, my father?" She added, "I told him I was your daughter, and he
entreated me to ask you to grant him an interview."

Agni-Sikha listened to all this without answering a word. He was
pleased at this fresh proof that his fame had spread far and wide;
but he guessed at once that Rupa-Sikha had not told him the whole
truth. He waited for her to go on, and as she said no more, he suddenly
turned angrily upon her and in a loud voice asked her:

"And what did my daughter answer?"

Then R