quite withered as a [dry] thorn; and her colour, which hitherto
shone like gold, became yellow as turmeric; her mouth became rigid,
and her eyes were petrified, but still a faint respiration remained
passing and re-passing. Whilst there is life, there is hope. In the
morning of the fourth day, a hermit appeared of bright countenance,
in appearance like _Khizr_, [225] and of an enlightened heart. Seeing
the princess in that state, he said, 'O daughter, though your father
is a king, yet these [sorrows] were decreed in thy destiny. Now,
conceive this old hermit your servant, and think day and night of
your Maker. God will do what is right.' And whatever morsels the
hermit had in his wallet, he laid them before the princess; then
he went in search of water; he saw a well, but where were the wheel
and bucket by means of which he might draw the water? He pulled off
some leaves from a tree, and made a cup, and taking off his sash,
he fastened the cup to it, and drew up some water, and gave it to the
princess. At last she regained her senses. The holy man, seeing her
helpless and solitary state, gave her every consolation, and cheered
her heart; and he himself began to weep. When the princess saw his
sympathetic grief, and [heard] his kind assurances, she became easy in
her mind. From that day, the old man made this an established rule,
that in the morning he went to the city to beg, and brought to the
princess whatever scraps or morsels he received.

"In this way a few days passed. One day the princess designed to put
some oil in her hair, and comb it; just as she opened the plaits of her
hair a pearl round and brilliant dropped out. The princess gave it to
the hermit, and desired him to sell it in the city, and bring her the
amount. He sold that pearl, and brought back the money received for
it to the princess. Then the princess desired that a habitation fit
for her residence might be erected on that spot. The hermit replied,
'O daughter, do you dig the foundation for the walls, and collect some
earth; I will, some of these days, bring some water, knead the clay
[for the bricks], and erect a room for you.' The princess, on his
advice, began to dig the ground; when she had dug a yard in depth,
behold, under the soil a door appeared. The princess cleared away the
earth [which lay before it]; a large room filled with jewels and gold
pieces appeared: she took four or five handfuls of gold and closed
the door, and having filled