ing
Ashimullah to expect his four wives the next day. Accordingly
Ashimullah, having divorced Lallakalla according to the formalities of
the law, set her in the litter, and she, being brought to the palace,
was soon visited by the Sultan, who was full of curiosity to see her.
But, when he entered, he gave a loud cry of surprise. For, behold, the
hair on Lallakalla's head was red. But then he smiled and said to her:

"Take off the wig, my daughter."

"I obey," said she, "but I pray you to look away while I obey."

So the Sultan looked away, and, when he turned again, her hair was
golden.

"Take that off also," said the Sultan, turning his head away. And when
he looked again her hair was coal-black.

"Take that off also," said the Sultan.

"I obey," said Lallakalla, and the Sultan turned away.

"Now," said he, "I will behold your own brown hair," and he turned to
her. But again he cried out in surprise and horror. For there was no
brown hair on Lallakalla's head, but her head was bare and shaven as
clean as the ball of ivory on the staff that the Sultan carried.

"Heaven forbid," said Lallakalla meekly, "that I should come to the
Light of the Universe with hair of the color that he hates; for he
chose every color sooner than my poor color. Therefore I have left the
brown hair for Ashimullah, for he loves it, and I have brought my lord
the colors that my lord loves." And with this she laid the three wigs
of black hair, of golden, and of ruddy at the Sultan's feet, and stood
herself before him with her shaven poll.

Then the Sultan, seeing that Lallakalla looked very ludicrous with her
shaven poll, burst out laughing. And he came and took her by the hand,
and said to her:

"Behold a woman who loves her husband better than her beauty, and to be
his wife rather than mine! Return, then, to Ashimullah and be his wife
again."

"My lord," said she, "suffer me also to take back with me the other
wives of Ashimullah," and she pointed to the heads of hair that lay
upon the ground.

"Take them," said he, laughing. "And since Ashimullah has already four
wives and yet will give me no wife, why, neither will I give Ashimullah
any wives. But he shall have the four wives that he had before, and
all the city shall hear of the beauty and the virtue of Ashimullah's
wives."

So Lallakalla went home in great joy, and put on her own hair, which
she had fashioned into a wig, and went in to Ashimullah. And they dwelt
hap