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 up the place with earth, made level its surface.  In the meantime the hermit returned.  The princess said to him, “bring good masons and builders, and workmen of every kind, expert and masters in their craft, so that a grand palace may be erected on this spot equal to the palace of Kasra, [226] and superior to the palace of Ni’man; [227] and that the fortifications of the city, a fort, a garden, a well, and an unrivalled caravanserai [be built as soon as possible]; but first of all, draw out the plans on paper and bring them to me for approval.”

“The hermit brought clever, skilful, intelligent workmen, and had them ready.  The erection of the different buildings was soon begun according to the princess’s directions, and clever and trusty servants for every office were chosen and entertained.  The news of the erection of such princely buildings by degrees reached the king, the shadow of Omnipotence, who was the princess’s father.  On hearing it, he became greatly surprised, and asked every one, ’Who is this person who has begun to erect such edifices?’ No one knew anything of the matter to be able to give a reply.  All put their hands on their ears and said, ‘No one of your slaves knows who is the builder of them.’  Then the king sent one of his nobles with this message, ’I wish to come and see those buildings, and to know also of what country you are the princess, and of what family; for I wish much to ascertain all these circumstances.’