For very shame he held his peace, and told nobody of it, but gave orders in the Palace that he and his wife would live apart by themselves; and she would be in such strict purdah, that even the women of the household would not be allowed to visit her. This gave great offence to everybody; but they put it down to his jealousy, owing to his wife’s great beauty, and obeyed.
At last his other brother’s wife rebelled, and said: “I refuse to do all the household work; your wife must also take her share in it.”
Shahzadah was now very sad, for he felt the time had come for his secret to be discovered, and he would become the laughing-stock of the whole Palace.
The squirrel, who was a great favourite of his, noticed his sadness, and asked him the cause of it. “Why are you sad, O Prince?”
“I am sad because they say you must do some of the household work; and how are you to do it, being only a squirrel?”
“What is it they want me to do?”
“To leepo or plaster the floor.”
“Well, tell them to do their own portion of the work, and leave me to do mine at my leisure.”
This was done, and at night the squirrel went and dipped her tail into the limewash and plaster, and soon had the room better done than the other Ranees.
In the morning all the household were surprised to see the clever way in which Shahzadah’s wife had done her work, and they said: “No wonder you hide your wife, when she is so clever.”