e wicked woman persuaded
the prince to have this girl killed when she was seven years old; how
he and the _maina_ had once been this girl's eyes; how the tank was
once her heart, and how her body had changed into this palace and
garden, while her head became the dome on the top of the palace.

Then the _maina_ asked the parrot where the Bel-Princess was. "Cannot
she be found?" said the _maina_. "Yes," said the parrot, "she can be
found; but the King's youngest son alone can find her, and he is so
foolish! He believes that his ugly, wicked wife is the beautiful
Bel-Princess!" "And where is the princess?" asked the _maina_. "She is
here," said the parrot. "If the prince would come one day and go
through all the rooms of this palace till he came to the centre room,
he would see a trap-door in the middle of that room. If he lifted the
trap-door he would see a staircase which leads to an underground
palace, and in this palace is the Bel-princess." "And can no one but
the prince lift the trap-door?" asked the _maina_. "No one," answered
the parrot. "It is God's order that only the King's youngest son can
lift the trap-door and find the Bel-Princess."

The next day the young prince went through all the rooms of the
palace, instead of going home. When he came to the centre room, he
looked for the trap-door, and when he had lifted it he saw the
staircase. He went down it, and found himself in the under-ground
palace, which was far more beautiful than the one above-ground. It was
full of servants; and in one room a grand dinner was standing ready.
In another room he saw a gold bed, all covered with pearls and
diamonds, and on the bed lay the Bel-Princess.

Day and night she prayed to God and read a holy book. She did nothing
else.

When the prince went into her room and she saw him, she was very sad,
not happy, for she thought, "He is so foolish; he knows nothing of
what has happened to me." Then she said to him, "Why did you come
here? Go home again to your father's palace."

The prince burst out crying. "See, princess," he said, "I knew nothing
of your palace. I only found it by chance five nights ago. I have
slept here in the verandah for the last five nights, and only last
night did I learn what had happened to you, and how to find you." "I
know it is true," she said, "that you knew nothing of what happened to
me. But now that you have found me, what will you do?"

"I will go home to my father's palace," he answered, "