Then when the King broke up the hat and looked the dirty cloth was
there. After that, having said, "The two persons are equal to each
other," they remained in much trust [in each other].
North-central Province.
In Indian Night's Entertainment (Swynnerton), p. 315, a girl, the
daughter of a smith, whom a Prince wanted to marry, in order to show
her cleverness made some large earthenware jars, and without burning
them painted and enamelled them, and introduced a small water-melon
into each. When the melons had grown so as to fill the jars, she sent
two of them to the palace, with a request that the melons should be
taken out without breaking the jars or melons. No one being able
to do it, she obtained permission to visit the palace, wrapped a
wet cloth round each jar until it became soft, expanded the mouths,
extracted the melons, and remade the jars as before.
The smart village girl is known in China also. There is an account
of one in Chinese Nights' Entertainment (A. M. Fielde), p. 57, the
incidents being unlike those of the Sinhalese tale, however.
In the Arabian Nights (Lady Burton's ed., vol. iii, p. 202) there is a
story of a smart village girl and a King of Persia, Kisra Anushirwan,
in which the King married the girl.