And her daughter said, "I will watch."

Next day, while the Princesses were eating the cream cake, who should
come by but their stepmother's daughter. Balna saw her first, and
said, "See, sisters, there comes that girl again. Let us sit round the
edge of the tank and not allow her to see it, for if we give her some
of our cake, she will go and tell her mother; and that will be very
unfortunate for us."

The other sisters, however, thought Balna unnecessarily suspicious, and
instead of following her advice, they gave the Prudhan's daughter some
of the cake, and she went home and told her mother all about it.

The Ranee, on hearing how well the Princesses fared, was exceedingly
angry, and sent her servants to pull down the dead Ranee's tomb, and
fill the little tank with the ruins. And not content with this, she
next day pretended to be very, very ill-in fact, at the point of death-
and when the Raja was much grieved, and asked her whether it was in his
power to procure her any remedy, she said to him: "Only one thing can
save my life, but I know you will not do it." He replied, "Yes,
whatever it is, I will do it." She then said, "To save my life, you
must kill the seven daughters of your first wife, and put some of their
blood on my forehead and on the palms of my hands, and their death will
be my life." At these words the Raja was very sorrowful; but because
he feared to break his word, he went out with a heavy heart to find his
daughters.

He found them crying by the ruins of their mother's grave.