And he replied: "Your Majesty, she knew that I was clever because I understood her signs, and she wanted to kill me out of love for you.For she thought the prince would not be all her own while I was alive, but would leave her for my sake and go back to his own city.So she sent me poisoned food to eat.But you must not be angry with her.I will think up some scheme."Then the prince praised the counsellor's son, and said: "You are truly the body of wisdom." And then suddenly a great wailing of grief-stricken people was heard: "Alas! Alas! The king's little son is dead."When he heard this, the counsellor's son was delighted, and said: "Your Majesty, go to-night to Lily's house, and make her drink wine until she loses her senses and seems to be dead.Then as she lies there, make a mark on her hip with a red-hot fork, steal her jewels, and come back the old way through the window.After that I will do the right thing."Then he made a three-pronged fork and gave it to the prince.And the prince took the crooked, cruel thing, hard as the weapon of Death, and went by night as before to Lily's house."A king," he thought, "ought not to disregard the words of a high- minded counsellor." So when he had stupefied her with wine, he branded her hip with the fork, stole her jewels, returned to his friend, and told him everything, showing him the jewels.
Then the counsellor's son felt sure his scheme was successful.He went to the cemetery in the morning, and disguised himself as a hermit, and the prince as his pupil.And he said: "Take this pearl necklace from among the jewels.Go and sell it in the market-place.And if the policemen arrest you, say this:It was given to me to sell by my teacher.'"So the prince went to the market-place and stood there offering thepearl necklace for sale, and he was arrested while doing it by the policemen.And as they were eager to find out about the theft of the jewels from Bite's daughter, they took the prince at once to the chief of police.And when he saw that the culprit was dressed like a hermit, he asked him very gently: "Holy sir, where did you get this pearl necklace? It belongs to Bite's daughter and was stolen." Then the prince said to them: "Gentlemen, my teacher gave it to me to sell.You had better go and ask him."Then the chief of police went and asked him: "Holy sir, how did this pearl necklace come into your pupil's hand?"And the shrewd counsellor's son whispered to him: "Sir, as I am a hermit, I wander about all the time in this region.And as I happened to be here in this cemetery, I saw a whole company of witches who came here at night.And one of the witches split open the heart of a king's son, and offered it to her master.She was mad with wine, and screwed up her face most horribly.But when she impudently tried to snatch my rosary as I prayed, I became angry, and branded her on the hip with a three-pronged fork which I had made red-hot with a magic spell.And I took this pearl necklace from her neck.Then, as it was not a thing for a hermit, I sent it to be sold."When he heard this, the chief of police went and told the whole story to the king.And when the king heard and saw the evidence, he sent the old woman, who was reliable, to identify the pearl necklace.And he heard from her that Lily was branded on the hip.
Then he was convinced that she was really a witch and had devoured his son.So he went himself to the counsellor's son, who was disguised as a hermit, and asked how Lily should be punished.And by his advice, she was banished from the city, though her parents wept.So she was banished naked to the forest and knew that the counsellor's son had done it all, but she did not die.
And at nightfall the prince and the counsellor's son put off their hermit disguise, mounted on horseback, and found her weeping.They put her on a horse and took her to their own country.And when they got there, the prince lived most happily with her.
But Bite thought that his daughter was eaten by wild beasts in thewood, and he died of grief.And his wife died with him.
When he had told this story, the goblin asked the king: "O King, who was to blame for the death of the parents: the prince, or the counsellor's son, or Lily? You seem like a very wise man, so resolve my doubts on this point.If you know and do not tell me the truth, then your head will surely fly into a hundred pieces.And if you give a good answer, then I will jump from your shoulder and go back to the sissoo tree."Then King Triple-victory said to the goblin: "You are a master of magic.You surely know yourself, but I will tell you.It was not the fault of any of the three you mentioned.It was entirely the fault of King Ear- lotus."But the goblin said: "How could it be the king's fault? The other three did it.Are the crows to blame when the geese eat up the rice?"Then the king said: "But those three are not to blame.It was right for the counsellor's son to do his master's business.So he is not to blame.And Lily and the prince were madly in love and could not stop to think.They only looked after their own affairs.They are not to blame.
"But the king knew the law-books very well, and he had spies to find out the facts among the people.And he knew about the doings of rascals.So he acted without thinking.He is to blame."When the goblin heard this, he wanted to test the king's constancy.So he went back by magic in a moment to the sissoo tree.And the king went back fearlessly to get him.
