In the meantime, the Princess Perie-zadeh, several times a day after
her brother's departure, counted her chaplet. She did not omit it at
night, but when she went to bed put it about her neck; and in the
morning when she awoke counted over the pearls again to see if they
would slide.
The day that Prince Perviz was transformed into a stone she was
counting over the pearls as she used to do, when all at once they
became immovably fixed, a certain token that the prince, her brother,
was dead. As she had determined what to do in case it should so
happen, she lost no time in outward demonstrations of grief, but
proceeded at once to put her plan into execution. She disguised
herself in her brother's robes, and having procured arms and equipment
she mounted her horse the next morning. Telling her servants she
should return in two or three days, she took the same road as her
brothers.
On the twentieth day she also met the dervish as her brothers had
done, and asked him the same question and received from him the same
answer, with a caution against the folly of sacrificing her life in
such a search.
When the dervish had done, the princess replied, "By what I comprehend
from your discourse, the difficulties of succeeding in this affair
are, first, the getting up to the cage without being frightened at the
terrible din of voices I shall hear; and, secondly, not to look behind
me. For this last direction, I hope I shall be mistress enough of
myself to observe it.
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